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Cargo plane crash kills 2 near central Maine airport

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:19:00 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Federal authorities are investigating the crash of a twin-engine cargo plane near a small airport in central Maine that killed both people on board.The Beechcraft crashed in a field in the town of Litchfield at around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The agency said the National Transportation Safety Board would lead the investigation.The plane crashed “under unknown circumstances” about half a mile (0.8 kilometers) from Wales Airport, said Sarah Taylor Sulick, a spokesperson for the NTSB. Authorities had not identified the two dead as of Wednesday.Litchfield is a small town close to the state capital of Augusta, and is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Portland, the largest city in Maine.“The investigator will document the accident site, airplane, and gather witness statements and any surveillance video that may have captured any part of the accident flight,” Taylor Sulick said.Wreckage from the crash will be recovered ...

FAA announces millions in airport funding to tackle near collisions, including $44.9 mil for Logan Airport

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:19:00 GMT

(CNN) — Safety watchdogs call it a runaway problem on America’s runways that could end in tragedy – the near collisions of commercial aircraft. Now, the federal government is funding millions of dollars in airport construction projects to help address the issue.In an announcement shared first with CNN, the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that $121 million from agency grants and from a 2021 infrastructure law will be doled out to eight airports from Florida to Alaska.This comes three months after the FAA announced $100 million in similar funding for a dozen other airports.The largest outlay in the latest round of funding is $44.9 million “to simplify the airport layout” at Boston Logan International Airport, the FAA said.Logan is where a collision was narrowly avoided this year. In February, a JetBlue flight was 30 feet from touching down on the airport’s runway 4 Left when a Learjet operated by a charter company took off in front of ...

India becomes the fourth country ever to land a spacecraft on the moon

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:19:00 GMT

(CNN) — India has landed its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the moon, becoming only the fourth nation ever to accomplish such a feat.The mission could cement India’s status as a global superpower in space. Previously, only the United States, China and the former Soviet Union have completed soft landings on the lunar surface.Chandrayaan-3’s landing site is also closer to the moon’s south pole than any other spacecraft in history has ventured. The south pole region is considered an area of key scientific and strategic interest for spacefaring nations, as scientists believe the region to be home to water ice deposits.The water, frozen in shadowy craters, could be converted into rocket fuel or even drinking water for future crewed missions.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently in South Africa for the BRICS Summit, watched the landing virtually and shared broadcasted remarks on the livestream.“On this joyous occasion…I would like to address all the people of the...

Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte is back, and it’s celebrating its 20th anniversary

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:19:00 GMT

New York (CNN) — The Pumpkin Spice Latte is coming back, again.Starbucks said Wednesday that the signature drink would return to the fall menu on Thursday, marking its 20th anniversary.The perennial Starbucks favorite has become a reliable hit, making it an autumn(ish) mainstay that has given the coffee chain a seasonal sales boost during this time of year, over the past two decades.In 2020, Starbucks said the pumpkin drinks were the “catalyst” for a record-breaking quarterly performance in the three months ending September 27, 2020. In fall 2022, it reported that the platform had grown 17% year-over-year.In addition to the latte, known fondly as PSL, customers will be able to buy other seasonal beverages, including the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and Apple Crisp Oat Milk Macchiato. New on the menu this year are the Iced Apple Crisp Oat Milk Shaken Espresso and Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte.On the food menu, the Owl Cake Pop and Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin a...

A new Medicare proposal would cover training for family caregivers

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:19:00 GMT

By Judith Graham, KFF Health NewsEven with extensive caregiving experience, Patti LaFleur was unprepared for the crisis that hit in April 2021, when her mother, Linda LaTurner, fell out of a chair and broke her hip.LaTurner, 71, had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia seven years before. For two years, she’d been living with LaFleur, who managed insulin injections for her mother’s Type 1 diabetes, helped her shower and dress, dealt with her incontinence, and made sure she was eating well.In the hospital after her mother’s hip replacement, LaFleur was told her mother would never walk again. When LaTurner came home, two emergency medical technicians brought her on a stretcher into the living room, put her on the bed LaFleur had set up, and wished LaFleur well.That was the extent of help LaFleur received upon her mother’s discharge.She didn’t know how to change her mother’s diapers or dress her since at that point LaTurner could barely move. She didn’t know how to turn her mother,...

Funyuns and flu shots? Gas station company ventures into urgent care

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:19:00 GMT

By Bram Sable-Smith, KFF Health NewsTULSA, Okla. — When Lou Ellen Horwitz first learned that a gas station company was going to open a chain of urgent care clinics, she was skeptical.As CEO of the Urgent Care Association, Horwitz knows the industry is booming. Its market size has doubled in 10 years, as patients, particularly younger ones, are drawn to the convenience of the same-day appointments and extended hours offered by the walk-in clinics.“Urgent care is harder than it looks,” Horwitz recalled thinking when the Tulsa-based gas station and convenience store company QuikTrip announced an urgent care venture called MedWise in late 2020. “And that’s a whole different ballgame than selling Funyuns.”The MedWise Urgent Care at the corner of Admiral Place and Sheridan Road in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is one of the chain’s 12 locations in the Tulsa area. MedWise is owned by QuikTrip, a Tulsa-based gas station and convenience store chain. (Bram Sable-Smith/KFF Health News/TNS)But Horwitz said ...

Orioles scratch Jack Flaherty from Wednesday’s start vs. Blue Jays, move up Dean Kremer

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:19:00 GMT

Orioles right-hander Jack Flaherty will not start Wednesday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays as expected, with right-hander Dean Kremer moving up a day and Baltimore yet to announce a starter for Thursday’s series finale.The Orioles did not immediately give a reason for the change. Manager Brandon Hyde is expected to address it during his pregame media session Wednesday evening.Baltimore acquired Flaherty from the St. Louis Cardinals on the cusp of the MLB trade deadline for three top 20 prospects. In three starts with the Orioles, the 27-year-old pending free agent has a 7.07 ERA, though that’s bloated by a three-inning, seven-run outing against the San Diego Padres on Aug. 15, his most recent start.The Orioles have of late used a six-man rotation, giving young starters such as Kremer, Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez extra rest between outings. Thanks to recent days off, they could briefly return to a five-man operation and have veteran Kyle Gibson st...

1 in 5 moms belittled, abused or ignored during pregnancy or birth, CDC reports

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:19:00 GMT

By Marin Wolf, The Dallas Morning NewsOne in five U.S. mothers reported mistreatment while receiving maternity care with their most recent pregnancy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in a new study Tuesday.Mothers said health care providers shouted at or scolded them, ignored requests for help or threatened that their treatment would be withheld, the Vital Signs report showed. They also said their physical privacy wasn’t protected.Experts say it’s a staggering yet unsurprising statistic in a country that has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among its high-income peers. Maternal deaths jumped significantly during the first year of the pandemic, rising from 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020 to 32.9 deaths in 2021. In Texas, for one, deaths among new mothers increased at least 40% between 1999 and 2019, the most recent year of available state-level data.“What seems particularly shocking is that, in the pregnancy and postpartum period, it real...

The expensive place to live in — for dogs? See the priciest state to own a pooch

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:19:00 GMT

By Hanh Truong, The Sacramento BeeA new study by MarketWatch Guides ranks the most expensive states to own a dog, and California topped the list.It calculates the average cost of owning a Labrador retriever, the most popular dog breed in the country as stated by the American Kennel Club, assuming that it lives up to 11 years. These expenses include upfront costs, such as vaccines, supplies, spay and neuter procedures, medicine, and annual fees, such as insurance, grooming, food, checkups, toys, boarding and emergency vet visits.It’s noted that the ranking does not have data to include Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota or Hawaii — which is considered the most expensive place to live for people, according to the 2023 CNBC study. California made second on this list.The study also didn’t include certain cost factors due to a lack of necessity or wide-ranging data. This includes adoption costs, apartment fees for having a pet, dog training and specialty medical treatment.Which are the m...

Voting delays mark Zimbabwe’s election as the president known as ‘the crocodile’ seeks a second term

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:19:00 GMT

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Delays of up to 10 hours in mostly opposition strongholds marked voting in Zimbabwe on Wednesday as President Emmerson Mnangagwa seeks a second and final term in a country with a history of violent and disputed elections.Long lines continued after sunset at some polling stations following the late distribution of ballot papers. The electoral commission said voting would continue until everyone who was waiting in line at 7 p.m., when polls were scheduled to close, got a chance to vote.“I am not going anywhere. I waited five years to vote, and these hours won’t kill me,” said Cathrine Nyakudanga, who carried her six-month-old baby on her back. She arrived before polls opened at 7 a.m. but ballot papers arrived only after 4 p.m.“It pained me to see the elderly and women spending such long hours without food or water. That’s not safe,” said Stanley Gwanzura, a popular local gospel singer. Others waiting in line lit fires to grill meat for dinner.This is the...