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English doctors’ strike could be catastrophic, official says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:49 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain is bracing for a four-day walkout by tens of thousands of doctors at the state-funded health care system that one official warned Monday could be “catastrophic” and postpone up to 350,000 appointments.The strike due to start Tuesday by National Health Service doctors early in their careers comes amid walkouts by public workers across many sectors demanding pay hikes during a cost-of-living crisis. A three-day doctors’ strike last month crippled the system that has been trying to dig out of an appointment backlog that predates the pandemic and has led to longer waiting times to see a doctor.“These strikes are going to have a catastrophic impact on the capacity of the NHS to recover,” Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, told Sky News. “The health service has to meet high levels of demand at the same time as making inroads into that huge backlog. … That’s a tough thing to do at the best of times — it’s impossible to do when ...

Will your kids fight in the ‘water wars’?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:49 GMT

In today’s Big Story podcast, a recent report found that by 2030 demand for water will outstrip the world’s supply by 40 per cent. In the United States, the Colorado River and other major sources of water are drying up. The number of droughts worldwide is skyrocketing. And Canada has a lot of water that other nations will someday soon not just want but badly need. Does this mean that wars over water are inevitable? Maybe not.The Big Story is joined today by Dr. Jay Famiglietti, a hydrologist, Global Futures Professor at Arizona State University, former Executive Director Emeritus of the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan and the host of the What About Water podcast. He joins us to discuss all the things that make him feel anxious and optimistic about the future supply of potable on Earth.“Every nation wants to have its own food security and its own water security,” he said, “those political boundaries create a whole new set of constrain...

Academic coaches help students finish community college

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:49 GMT

PHENIX CITY, Ala. (AP) — A decade after dropping out, Briana Mathis, a 30-year-old mother of two, is navigating her first year back at Wallace Community College. She was recruited back to the school in Dothan, Alabama, by the staff at a new student support center. The same adviser has kept her on track by helping her appeal a financial aid decision and checking in regularly on her progress. “I definitely needed the guidance, and I probably wouldn’t have gotten this far without the guidance,” Mathis said.Two-year community colleges, which serve many of the students who need the most support, have the lowest completion rates of any kind of university or college. The availability of advisers, students say, is often a deciding factor in who succeeds. In Alabama, a number of community colleges have sought new ways to help students through whatever life and academic challenges come up until they graduate. ___EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of Saving the College Dream, a collaboration be...

Taliban ban restaurant gardens for families, women in Herat

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:49 GMT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban have banned families and women from restaurants with gardens or green spaces in Afghanistan’s northwestern Herat province, an official said Monday. The moves followed complaints from religious scholars and members of the public about mixing of genders in such places, he said. It was the latest in a slew of restrictions imposed by the Taliban since they took power in August 2021. They have shut girls out of classrooms beyond sixth grade and women from universities, most types of employment, including jobs at the United Nations. They are also banned from public spaces such as parks and gyms. Authorities say the curbs are in place because of gender mixing or because women allegedly are not wearing the hijab, or Islamic headscarf, correctly. The outdoor dining ban only applies to establishments in Herat, where such premises remain open to men. Baz Mohammad Nazir, a deputy official from the Ministry of Vice and Virtue’s directorate in Her...

'Elf' and 'Barton Fink' actor Michael Lerner dies, family confirms

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:49 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Michael Lerner, the actor who starred in "Elf," "Barton Fink," and more, died over Easter weekend, his family said. "We lost a legend last night," wrote Sam Lerner, Michael's nephew, in an Instagram post Sunday. "It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me. His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting." FILE - Actor Michael Lerner arrives at the Geffen Playhouse on December 5, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joshua Blanchard/FilmMagic)Sam followed in his uncle's footsteps and also became an actor, starring in the TV series "The Goldbergs." Michael Lerner's career spanned 60 years. His first of his 183 acting credits on IMDb dates back to 1963. Thousands of purple creatures wash ashore in California He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1991 for his supporting role in "Barton Fink," a Coen brothers dark comedy. In 2003, Lerner starred in the Christmas comedy "Elf" opposite Will F...

Man killed after car hits light post on Southwest Side

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:49 GMT

CHICAGO — A man was killed in a car crash on the Southwest Side Monday morning. Police responded to a crash near the 6100 block of South Cicero Avenue where a vehicle jumped the curb, striking a light post and tree before coming to a complete stop. 18-year-old man shot while attempting to break into business on North Side The man sustained trauma to the body and was pronounced dead on the scene. There were no further injuries reported and police are investigating the incident.

2 wanted after man robbed at knifepoint on Red Line

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:49 GMT

CHICAGO — Two suspects are wanted after a man was robbed at knifepoint on a Red Line train last week.On Tuesday, a man was riding at Red Line train northbound near Morse when he was verbally confronted by a rider sitting across from him, police said.Another rider then stole the man's cellphone and backpack at knifepoint. Suburban ringleader gets 9 years in USPS mail-for-cash scheme No suspects are in custody. Anyone with information can call police at 312-745-4706 or submit a tip at cpdtip.com.

Bodies of missing musician and his son found in Arkansas lake

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:49 GMT

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KDVR) — After 24 days of searching, the bodies of a band member and his son were recovered from an Arkansas lake. The Benton County Sheriff's Office in Arkansas confirmed on Facebook Sunday that crews found the bodies of Chuck and Charley Morris.Chuck was a percussionist for the band Lotus, an electronica house band formed out of Philadelphia and Denver. Charley was attending college in Ohio, Nexstar's WDAF reported.Chuck and Charley originally went kayaking on Beaver Lake in Arkansas on March 16. The father and son were supposed to return from the trip at 2 p.m. that day, but when it got to 4 p.m. with no sign of them, police were called and began searching. Two kayaks and a coat were found in the water. Colorado cheer coach accused of inappropriate behavior with minor “It’s just something you never expect to hear,” said bandmate Luke Miller. “We all hope for the best, but it didn’t work out.”Crews spent 24 days looking for Chuck and Charley, and the Benton Cou...

Texas is growing fast. How often are city limit population signs updated?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:49 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas is home to some of the fastest-growing cities in the country. So, how often are the populations updated on city limit signs?The Texas Department of Transportation, responsible for installing city limit signs, can update city populations every two years at the most. RELATED: New population estimates reveal fastest-growing cities in Texas The TxDOT online manual says the signs are updated at the city's request, and the department does not initiate these revisions. While city limit signs can be installed on any highway or freeway, the city's population can only be listed on conventional roads. So, for example, you won't see Austin's population listed on city limit signs along Interstate 35. TxDOT requires a city to meet one of these requirements for a city limit sign to be added:the area is listed in the U.S. Census,the area is in the latest Texas Almanac under "cities and towns," and/orthe area is on the latest "Texas Official Travel Map" Does Texas require ...

Texas No. 1 state for severe weather insurance claims

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:49 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Now that we're a fourth of the way through 2023, insurance companies have been able to gather data on claims for 2022. The data is not good news for Texas; we were the No. 1 state for severe weather insurance claims in the country.KXAN Meteorologist Nick Bannin spoke with Chris Lewis from Allstate Insurance Company about new data on severe weather claims here locally.Meteorologist Nick Bannin: Chris, you have some new data about just how much severe weather we had in Texas, and compare that to what we look like nationally, right? Chris Lewis, Allstate: Yeah, absolutely. So probably not a list we want to be on top of, but we are number one in the country when it comes to severe weather, and have been there pretty consistently over the last few years.Bannin: What types of severe weather did we have the most of in 2022 here in Texas?Lewis: Yeah, so definitely the biggest problems we see are wind, and specifically hail. We had 458 separate hail events last year in the ...