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COVID-19: Cases Of Highly Mutated Pirola Strain Triple In 2 Weeks COVID-19: Cases Of Highly Mutated Pirola Strain Triple In 2 Weeks
Covid-19: Cases Of Highly Mutated Pirola Strain Triple In 2 Weeks Nationwide cases of the so-called COVID-19 Pirola subvariant have tripled in two weeks. The strain officially known as BA.2.86 has been particularly prominent in New York.  It now makes up 9 percent of COVID cases in the US, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). World Health Organization (WHO) authorities said they consider BA.2.86 to be part of the Omicron variant family, but that could change if the strain spreads more widely even though Pirola's 30 mutations are from the BA.2 lineage, which was the dominant Omicron strain …

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: Symptoms Now Number 11; Here's Latest Rundown From CDC COVID-19: Symptoms Now Number 11; Here's Latest Rundown From CDC
Covid-19: Symptoms Now Number 11; Here's Latest Rundown From CDC When COVID-19 cases first were identified in the United States in March 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) listed just three symptoms for the novel coronavirus: Fever Cough Shortness of breath Now, nearly five years later, the virus remains an everyday part of American life, with about 1,000 deaths from the disease nationwide each week. As COVID has evolved, mainly from the highly contagious Omicron strain and several of its subvariants, the CDC's updated list of symptoms for the virus now numbers 11. They are: Fever or chills Cough Shortness of breath or difficu…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
IDs Released For Couple Killed In Fiery Crash On Bridge Linking NY, Canada Caught On Video IDs Released For Couple Killed In Fiery Crash On Bridge Linking NY, Canada Caught On Video
IDs Released For Couple Killed In Fiery Crash On Bridge Linking NY, Canada Caught On Video The identities have now been released of a couple killed after crashing near a bridge connecting the United States and Canada on one of the year's busiest travel days. The Thanksgiving Eve incident happened early Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 22 on the Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls, New York. Niagara Falls Police say  Kurt Villani, and his wife, Monica Villani, both age 53, died in the vehicle explosion which led to a federal investigation. The two were residents of Grand Island, New York, located about 10 miles southeast of Niagara Falls. Authorities say the couple had originally been…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
Nationwide Recall Issued For Peaches, Plums, Nectarines Sold At Stores Due To Listeria Risk Nationwide Recall Issued For Peaches, Plums, Nectarines Sold At Stores Due To Listeria Risk
Nationwide Recall Issued For Peaches, Plums, Nectarines Sold At Stores Due To Listeria Risk A nationwide recall has been issued for a brand of peaches, plums, and nectarines because of a possible health risk. The HMC Group Marketing, Inc., which does business as HMC Farms, issued the recall for the products sold in retail stores between Wednesday, May 1, and Wednesday, November 15, 2023, and the same date range in 2022, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. The view product label photos, visit the FDA link here. The fruit is being recalled because it can potentially be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious and sometime…

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by Joe Lombardi
Lifestyle
COVID-19: Pandemic Has Caused 'Collective Trauma' Among US Adults, New Poll Reveals COVID-19: Pandemic Has Caused 'Collective Trauma' Among US Adults, New Poll Reveals
Covid-19: Pandemic Has Caused 'Collective Trauma' Among US Adults, New Poll Reveals Adult Americans are still experiencing "collective trauma" nearly four years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a brand-new poll. The long-term stress sustained since the outbreak began has had a significant impact on well-being, evidenced by a significant increase in reported mental health conditions and chronic illnesses, according to the results of the nationwide survey conducted by The Harris Poll for the American Psychological Association (APA) among more than 3,000 US adults age 18 and older. Those ages 35 to 44 reported the most significant increase in chroni…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: New Data Reveals How Many Americans Have Gotten Updated Vaccine Shots COVID-19: New Data Reveals How Many Americans Have Gotten Updated Vaccine Shots
Covid-19: New Data Reveals How Many Americans Have Gotten Updated Vaccine Shots New data is shedding light on how many Americans have received a dose of the new COVID-19 booster shot for 2023-24. The updated vaccine has now been available for about a month and a half. More than 1,200 people are dying of COVID each week in the United States  four years after the pandemic started, the CDC says. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the newest vaccine targeting Omicron subvariants being provided by both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna for everyone 6 months of age and older. Another updated vaccine, this one from Novavax, b…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
Massive Recall Issued For Nearly 1,000,000 Pressure Cookers Due To Burn Hazard Massive Recall Issued For Nearly 1,000,000 Pressure Cookers Due To Burn Hazard
Massive Recall Issued For Nearly 1,000,000 Pressure Cookers Due To Burn Hazard A massive recall has been issued for a popular brand of pressure cookers due to a burn hazard. A total of 930,000 Insignia pressure cookers have incorrect volume markings on the inner pot, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced on Thursday, Oct. 26. "This can cause consumers to overfill the pot and hot food and liquids to be ejected when the pressure cooker is vented using the quick-release method or opened while its contents are pressurized, posing a burn hazard to consumers," the commission said. The units were sold by Best Buy throughout the United States and …

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by Joe Lombardi
Weather
Winter 2023-24 Forecast Released By NOAA National Weather Service Winter 2023-24 Forecast Released By NOAA National Weather Service
Winter 2023-24 Forecast Released By NOAA National Weather Service The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service has just released its outlook for the winter of 2023-24.El Niño is in place heading into winter for the first time in four years, driving the outlook for warmer-than-average temperatures for the northern tier of the continental United States, according to NOAA’s US. Winter Outlook, which was released on Thursday, Oct. 19 by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center — a division of the National Weather Service.  At the same time, the forecast says much of the Northeast has a 40 to 50 percent chance of above-normal…

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by Joe Lombardi
Politics
Biden Addresses Israel-Palestine In Philadelphia Speech Biden Addresses Israel-Palestine In Philadelphia Speech
Biden Addresses Israel-Palestine In Philadelphia Speech President Joe Biden was at Philadelphia's Tioga Marine Terminal on Friday afternoon, Oct. 13 to address what he called a "historic clean hydrogen investment." He also weighed in on the ongoing situation between Israel and Palestine.  "The more we learn about the attack, the more horrifying it becomes," he said. "More than 1,000 innocent lives lost, including at least 27 Americans. These guys make Al-Qaeda look pure." "Make no mistake about it, the United States stands with Israel," the president said.  "It's also a priority for me to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza (...)…

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by Mac Bullock
News
COVID-19: Here's How Many Americans Have Gotten Updated Vaccine Compared To Last Year's Booster COVID-19: Here's How Many Americans Have Gotten Updated Vaccine Compared To Last Year's Booster
Covid-19: Here's How Many Americans Have Gotten Updated Vaccine Compared To Last Year's Booster More than seven million Americans have received a dose of the newly released COVID-19 booster shot for 2023-24, according to federal authorities. In mid-September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the newest vaccine targeting Omicron subvariants being provided by both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna for everyone 6 months of age and older. Another updated vaccine, this one from Novavax, became available this month and is recommended for those aged 12 and over.  The rollout of this year's booster was marked early on by some distribution of…

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by Joe Lombardi
Weather
'Get Your Snow Shovels Ready': AccuWeather Releases Winter Outlook 'Get Your Snow Shovels Ready': AccuWeather Releases Winter Outlook
'Get Your Snow Shovels Ready': AccuWeather Releases Winter Outlook Forecasters for AccuWeather have released their projections for the winter of 2023-24. Senior Meteorologist Paul Pastelok and his team are saying it's shaping up to be much different than last winter, especially across the central and eastern United States, and one month may leave the biggest impression. "February can be an active and intense month," Pastelok said. One of the driving forces this winter will be the strengthening El Niño, which will play a significant role in the weather across the United States throughout the entire winter season.  Earlier report - 'Super'…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Massive Test Of Emergency Alert System Set For This Week: Here's When, What To Know Now Massive Test Of Emergency Alert System Set For This Week: Here's When, What To Know Now
Massive Test Of Emergency Alert System Set For This Week: Here's When, What To Know Now It will only be a test, but it will be a big one. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) this week. The national test will consist of two portions, testing Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) and Emergency Alert System (EAS) capabilities.  Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4. The WEA portion of the test will be directed to all consumer cell phones. It will be…

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by Joe Lombardi