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3K Foreign Contraband Cigarettes Seized, Destroyed By USPS In NY, Other States: Officials 3K Foreign Contraband Cigarettes Seized, Destroyed By USPS In NY, Other States: Officials
3K Foreign Contraband Cigarettes Seized, Destroyed By USPS In NY, Other States: Officials Around 3,000 packages of foreign contraband cigarettes bound for Connecticut, New York, and other states have been found and destroyed by the US Postal Service since the beginning of the year, officials said.  According to Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, the seizures were a result of a settlement between the USPS and several states in August 2022 that forced the Postal Service to destroy untaxed foreign cigarettes instead of returning the illegally-mailed packages back to the sender.  Of the 3,000 cigarette packages destroyed since the beginning of 2023, 44 had bee…

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by Ben Crnic
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Polio Confirmed In Wastewater In Hudson Valley For First Time In Months Polio Confirmed In Wastewater In Hudson Valley For First Time In Months
Polio Confirmed In Wastewater In Hudson Valley For First Time In Months The polio virus has been discovered in Hudson Valey wastewater for the first time in months, according to state officials. The New York State Department of Health confirmed the presence of poliovirus in Rockland County wastewater for the first time since October. This single positive result was collected in February and has so far been followed by non-detections in wastewater samples, but unvaccinated residents should still act now to protect themselves, said Rockland County officials.  Rockland officials are also reminding residents who are not vaccinated to do so with increased trav…

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by Kathy Reakes
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27-Year-Old Who Graduated From College In NY Killed In Israel Terrorist Attack 27-Year-Old Who Graduated From College In NY Killed In Israel Terrorist Attack
27-Year-Old Who Graduated From College In NY Killed In Israel Terrorist Attack A 27-year-old Connecticut man who graduated from a university in New York was killed in a terrorist attack in Israel.  Elan Ganeles, who grew up in West Hartford and attended the Hebrew High School of New England, died in an attack in near Jericho in the West Bank Monday night, Feb. 27, according to US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides. Ganeles' death was announced by his synagogue, Young Israel of West Hartford, which called the attack "brutal" in an email sent to congregants.  #ISRAEL: The 27-year-old American- Israeli man was pronounced dead after today's terrorist shooting on Route 90…

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by Ben Crnic
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Polio Virus Identified In Wastewater Samples Taken In Two Locations In Hudson Valley Polio Virus Identified In Wastewater Samples Taken In Two Locations In Hudson Valley
Polio Virus Identified In Wastewater Samples Taken In Two Locations In Hudson Valley State health officials have confirmed that the polio virus was found in more wastewater samples in the Hudson Valley. The Orange County Department of Health said it has been advised by the state health department that the virus was identified in wastewater samples taken from June and July in two geographically different locations in Orange County. Earlier Report: Polio Found In Wastewater In Rockland County, Health Dept. Urges Vaccinations The samples were initially collected from municipal wastewater treatment plants across Orange County for COVID-19 testing. County officials said there…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Westchester High School Basketball Player Wins Gold Medal At Maccabiah Games Westchester High School Basketball Player Wins Gold Medal At Maccabiah Games
Westchester High School Basketball Player Wins Gold Medal At Maccabiah Games A Northern Westchester high school basketball player won a gold medal at an event in Israel featuring athletes from around the world. Justin Price, a junior guard for the Yorktown High School varsity basketball team, was among the estimated 10,000 athletes from 80 countries who took part in the Maccabiah Games in July, the Yorktown Central School District announced on Monday, Aug. 1. The games took place from Tuesday, July 12, through Tuesday, July 26, in Israel, and were open to Jewish athletes from all around the world, the district said.  President Joe Biden also attended the openi…

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by Nicole Valinote
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Polio Found In Wastewater In NY, Health Dept. Urges Vaccinations Polio Found In Wastewater In NY, Health Dept. Urges Vaccinations
Polio Found In Wastewater In NY, Health Dept. Urges Vaccinations Health officials in New York are urging residents to get vaccinated against polio if they have not yet done so. In an update Monday, Aug.1 the Department of Health said testing done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had confirmed that the polio virus was detected in wastewater samples in Rockland County in June. Earlier Report: First Polio Case In US In Nearly A Decade Reported In Rockland County “These findings underscore the critical importance of vaccination to protect all New Yorkers and New York children against polio,” the department said in a statement. Monda…

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by Michael Mashburn
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COVID-19: Stealth Omicron Now Labeled 'Subvariant Of Concern' COVID-19: Stealth Omicron Now Labeled 'Subvariant Of Concern'
Covid-19: Stealth Omicron Now Labeled 'Subvariant Of Concern' With the number of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations ticking up across the country, some are cautioning that the new “stealth” subvariant of the virus could become a strain of concern. Health officials in the US are calling the BA.2 a “subvariant of concern" as countries overseas have seen the number of new cases spiking in China and parts of Europe. Earlier story - COVID-19: This Key Factor Could Indicate Whether Stealth Omicron Will Cause New Surge In US With the BA.2 variant beginning to spread in Europe and Asia, prompting another new rise in infections and new hospitalization…

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by Zak Failla
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COVID-19: Moderna Seeks Approval For Second Booster Shot For All Adults COVID-19: Moderna Seeks Approval For Second Booster Shot For All Adults
Covid-19: Moderna Seeks Approval For Second Booster Shot For All Adults Though the COVID-19 case numbers across the country have either plateaued or are showing improvement, Moderna is now seeking federal approval to administer a second booster shot for adults. Moderna is seeking an amendment of the US Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine to allow for a fourth vaccine to adults 18 and older who have gotten an initial booster. The move by Moderna comes days after Pfizer and BioNTech submitted a similar request for authorization of an additional booster shot, though that vaccine would only be eligible for adults 65 a…

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by Zak Failla
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COVID-19: New Strain Of Virus Detected That Combines Two Omicron Sub-Variants COVID-19: New Strain Of Virus Detected That Combines Two Omicron Sub-Variants
Covid-19: New Strain Of Virus Detected That Combines Two Omicron Sub-Variants A new COVID-19 strain has been discovered that is a combination of a pair of sub-variants of the Omicron version of the virus. Israel’s Ministry of Health announced that it has recorded multiple cases of the new strain, which combines the two sub-variants - dubbed BA.1 and BA.2 - during PCR testing of passengers arriving at the Ben Guiron airport. Health officials in Israel said that “the variant is still unknown around the world,” according to a statement released by the Ministry of Health. "The two cases of the combined strain, which have been discovered so far, suffered from mild sympto…

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by Zak Failla
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COVID-19: Moderna Vaccine Gets Full Approval From FDA COVID-19: Moderna Vaccine Gets Full Approval From FDA
Covid-19: Moderna Vaccine Gets Full Approval From FDA Federal officials have granted full approval to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine following its authorization last year for emergency use. On Monday, Jan. 31, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Moderna’s vaccine has been granted its full approval, joining the Pfizer shot which was authorized months ago. The move comes after tens of millions of doses of the Moderna vaccine have already been administered across the country. It also represents Moderna’s first FDA-approved product in the US. Officials said the FDA reviewed months of additional follow-up data submitted by Moderna to…

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by Zak Failla
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COVID-19: First Cases Of Double-Infection Florona Disease Identified COVID-19: First Cases Of Double-Infection Florona Disease Identified
Covid-19: First Cases Of Double-Infection Florona Disease Identified While all eyes are on the Omicron COVID-19 variant, a new public health threat has emerged as the country enters the heart of flu season amid the second year of the pandemic. The first cases of Florona disease - a combination of the flu and coronavirus infections - have been reported, causing concern for some as the double infection looms large in parts of the world. In Israel, the first reported case of the disease was identified on Friday, Dec. 31 in a woman who went into labor and was not vaccinated against COVID-19, officials said. Another case was also identified in a pregnant woman. A…

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by Zak Failla
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COVID-19: New Variant's 50 Mutations Make It Different From Original Virus, NIH Director Says COVID-19: New Variant's 50 Mutations Make It Different From Original Virus, NIH Director Says
Covid-19: New Variant's 50 Mutations Make It Different From Original Virus, NIH Director Says Why are scientists so concerned about the new strain of COVID-19? Simply stated, when it comes to Omicron, it's all about the sheer numbers -- as in the number of mutations. "The main thing that has us focused on this and has caused us to be sort of 24-7 on Zoom calls the last four days is that it has so many mutations," Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), said Sunday morning, Nov. 28 on CNN. "Omicron has more than 50 variants that make it different from the original virus, including more than 30 that are in the spike protein." The spike proteins …

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by Joe Lombardi