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MedWatch Daily Digest: New info on Autism, opioid addiction and eating disorders

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 11:23:08 GMT

For Thursday, April 27 WGN’s Medical Reporter Dina Bair has the latest on new information including the following. More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Some new insight into what causes Autism. Changes in a father's sperm are linked to Autistic traits in their children. Genes may play a role in opioid addiction and the results of a new study may help in the development of better treatments for opioid use disorder. And a deadly eating disorder may start in the gut.

Nikki Haley goes after Biden's age: He’s unlikely to ‘make it' to 86

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 11:23:08 GMT

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley bashed President Biden over his age, saying he isn’t likely to make it until 86 years old, which would be his age at the end of a second term.“I think we can all be very clear and say with a matter of fact that if you vote for Joe Biden, you really are counting on a President Harris because the idea that he would make until 86 years old is not something that I think is likely,” Haley said on Fox News on Wednesday.Biden launched his reelection campaign on Tuesday with a video establishing the Biden-Harris ticket for 2024; he has faced questions over his age and whether he is up for a full campaign season and four more years in office. Haley launched her presidential campaign in February and proposed a competency test for politicians over 75 years old, taking a stab at Biden, 80, as well as former President Trump, who is 76.Haley told Fox this week that Biden’s age is “why I’ve continued to say we need to have mental competency tests … sta...

APD says south Austin double homicide was 'domestic violence incident'

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 11:23:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department is investigating a south Austin double homicide as a "domestic violence situation," APD said during a news conference outside the home where the incident occurred.At approximately 12:12 p.m., officers responded to the 1200 block of Kenyon Drive in reference to a welfare check, an APD public information officer said at the scene.When officers arrived at the home, they found an unidentified man and woman, both in their 40s, with "trauma to the body," police said. Both people were pronounced dead on the scene.Furthermore, police confirmed it was a "domestic violence incident."Police said the mother of the woman victim lives out of the state and tried reaching out to her daughter, who she had not heard from in two days.Furthermore, APD said it is not looking for a suspect and do not believe there to be an outstanding suspect in the case. Police would not confirm whether the incident was a murder/suicide.Police said the two victims lived toge...

Bill filed, again, to set new rules for how Texas cities notify of homeless housing

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 11:23:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A bill that just made its way out of a Senate committee could change the rules for how local municipalities in Texas notify residents prior to converting properties into shelters for people experiencing homelessness. "We're excited to see this bill pass Senate committee UNANIMOUSLY on Monday! SB 1214 would require a hearing before converting a property (e.g. the Candlewood in NW #ATX) into a homeless shelter," community group MOVE Candlewood posted. The group has worked to reverse the city's decision to convert the former Candlewood Suites hotel into permanent supportive housing for older adults experiencing homelessness. SB 1214, authored by Senator Charles Schwertner, a Republican, would require a municipality to notify people within a mile radius of a property no later than 36 hours before a public hearing. It only applies to homeless housing, not to housing during a natural disaster or public emergency. It would also require a public hearing to happen no later t...

Hays CISD, San Marcos CISD proposing security upgrades in May bonds

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 11:23:08 GMT

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - Both Hays CISD and San Marcos CISD are asking voters to pass bonds in the May election. Each of them have different propositions and price tags, but a similarity between the two is a focus on school safety and growth. San Marcos CISD has four propositions on the ballot totaling $166 million. Proposition A: attendance credit electionProposition B: upgrades to all 12 campuses ($147,724,645)Proposition C: turf replacement ($984,563)Proposition D: district natatorium ($17,478,750) PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Hays CISD puts $367M bond on May ballot Hays CISD has four propositions totaling more than $367 million.Proposition A: academics and growth ($208,814,047)Proposition B: theater and fine arts, athletics and CTE ($102,857,074)Proposition C: technology ($3,980,000)Proposition D: outdoor multipurpose pavilions ($52,173,445)Safety and security measuresSan Marcos CISD Chief of Communications Andrew Fernandez said their Proposition B includes several new safety measure...

MN Senate passes transportation bill with $1 billion increase in funding; 75-cent delivery fee dropped

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 11:23:08 GMT

The Minnesota Senate voted 36-31 Thursday to increase state funding for transportation projects by more than $1 billion over the next two years — and did so without imposing a 75-cent fee for packages delivered to your door.Minnesota’s investments in roads, bridges and transit have “declined over time,” Senate Transportation Committee Chair Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, said at the start of the floor debate. “We are falling behind the rest of the country” in maintaining transportation infrastructure, he said.The bill, which he sponsored, represents a “historic opportunity” to start providing dedicated and on-going revenue sources for transportation projects.The Minnesota Department of Transportation has warned the state faces a $27 billion gap in funding needed for roads and bridges over the next 20 years unless lawmakers provide more money. Dibble said his bill would only fill about one-third of that gap, but it’s an important step in that direction.He noted that $658 millio...

Trip to injured list likely for Twins starting pitcher Kenta Maeda

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 11:23:08 GMT

Kenta Maeda’s magnetic resonance imaging exam did not show any structural damage, which represented a best-case scenario for the Twins. But it did show a muscle strain and some inflammation in the pitcher’s throwing arm, which means the veteran righty is likely headed for a stint on the injured list.The Twins have not made a roster move yet, but it seems like an inevitability in the coming days.“We just have to be thorough and make sure that when he comes back, this is no longer an issue,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We’re not focusing on anything except getting him healthy right now.”Maeda had been feeling some soreness and fatigue after his first couple of starts, prompting the Twins to skip his turn in the rotation earlier this month. What he felt Wednesday, he said, was a similar soreness.The starter said it was hard to pinpoint exactly where the pain was in his arm, saying it was more like a “general area.” At the time he met with the media on Thursday, he had yet to go...

From Ecuador to St. Paul, new deputy police chief is highest-ranking Latina officer in state

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 11:23:08 GMT

Pamela Barragan has been a trailblazer in the St. Paul Police Department every time she’s earned a promotion — she was the first Latina sergeant, commander and now deputy chief.For someone who never imagined herself as an officer, the experiences have been humbling.“Regardless of your upbringing, regardless of your accent, regardless if you look like a G.I. Joe or Dora the Explorer, you have a place here in St. Paul, you have a place here as a St. Paul police officer,” Barragan told a crowd gathered Thursday.Axel Henry, who became St. Paul’s police chief in November, made his selections for top brass earlier this year and they’ve already been serving in those roles. They were recognized at a ceremony Thursday, where their loved ones pinned their new badges on them. Barragan’s mother pinned her badge on her uniform, telling her, “I love you and God bless you.”The National Latino Peace Officers Association’s Minnesota chapter...

David French: Gun idolatry undermines the case for guns

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 11:23:08 GMT

On June 26, 2018, our family experienced one of the most terrifying nights of our lives. It began with a strange and chilling direct message to our son — an image of three Klan hoods. That was strange enough, but sadly not all that surprising. From the moment that I’d first expressed opposition to Donald Trump and Trumpism, our multiracial family (my youngest daughter, who is adopted, is Black) had faced an avalanche of threats, doxxing and vile racism.Alt-right trolls had photoshopped images of my daughter into gas chambers and of her face onto old pictures of slaves. They had placed images of dead and mutilated Black Americans in the comments section of my wife’s blog. The threats had not stopped after Trump won. If anything, by 2018 they had escalated once again. So the Klan hoods sent to my son — which would have been chilling under any circumstances — were particularly ominous. What happened next was worse.Within moments, my son received another message, a picture of a road sev...

What major flooding up north might mean for St. Louis area

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 11:23:08 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Water levels along the Upper Mississippi River are at near record levels. Up north, communities like St. Paul, Minnesota and Dubuque, Iowa are dealing with major flooding. In Missouri, some parts of the state are dealing with moderate flooding. This spring’s flooding was caused by the rapid snowmelt of the snowpack across Minnesota and Wisconsin. A historic winter and a cooler than normal spring delayed the snowmelt. “When those warm temperatures finally came this spring, we had been saying all along, the longer this holds on the more likely we’re going to see a rapid warm up and that’s exactly what ended up happening,” explained Mike Welvaert, the Service Coordination Hydrologist with the National Weather Service North Central River Forecast Center. “It basically acted like let’s say you had a four- or five-inch rainstorm over a widespread area. You’re going to expect flooding on the river.”  Trending -- Fair St. Louis shrinks to only one day in 2023 In 2019, there we...