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New COVID vaccine guidance explained: Are you due for a shot?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:39 GMT

(The Hill) – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday released updated guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations, in what the agency described as a move to “simplify” future immunizations.Much of the FDA’s simplification involves recommending only a single dose of the bivalent COVID-19 vaccines created by Pfizer and Moderna for most people. These are the vaccines that target the original Wuhan strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus along with the BA.4 and BA.5 strains of the omicron variant, and were first made available about 7 months ago. The original COVID vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the U.S. after the FDA’s vaccine advisory panel in January voted unanimously to essentially phase them out for the bivalent boosters. FDA officials believe this new schedule will boost vaccine coverage throughout the country.With the official end of the national COVID-19 public health emergency less than a month away, this move towards shorter, simpler vaccine schedules marks...

House GOP, Bragg reach agreement for ex-prosecutor to testify in Trump indictment probe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:39 GMT

(The Hill) – The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the House Judiciary Committee on Friday came to an agreement for Mark Pomerantz, a former senior prosecutor in the office's criminal investigation of former President Trump, to testify before the panel.The committee subpoenaed Pomerantz as part of its probe into the DA's office that began after Trump predicted his forthcoming arrest in the investigation. District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) initially sought to block the subpoena, but a federal judge denied that effort earlier this week. A day later, a federal appeals court temporarily delayed Pomerantz's deposition hours before it was scheduled to take place amid an appeal from the DA's office."This evening, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office withdrew its appeal in Bragg v. Jordan. Mr. Pomerantz's deposition will go forward on May 12, and we look forward to his appearance," a spokesperson for House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said in a statement on Friday...

Risk of severe storms, flooding Saturday night

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:39 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Quiet weather returned following Thursday night's severe thunderstorms and flash flooding.Our cool and clear morning will give way to a mostly sunny and warm afternoon with high temperatures returning to the upper 70s and low 80s. Most of the day will be quiet, but conditions change this evening as our next disturbance and incoming cold front approaches.Isolated storms will favor the Hill Country late evening then become more scattered tonight into the overnight hours. There is a significant risk of large hail, up to egg-size, as well as damaging winds and flash flooding.Slight risk (2 out of 5) of severe storms Saturday evening into the overnight hoursSlight risk (2 out of 4) for flash flooding Saturday evening into the overnight hoursA cooler and wetter Sunday will follow with more widespread showers and storms late Sunday afternoon and evening. Temperatures will fall well short of average with most of us not leaving the 50s and 60s.Daily rain chances continue thr...

Austin Energy to get $2.86M payout from ERCOT for 2021 winter storm damages: memo

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:39 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Over two years after the deadly February 2021 winter storm, Austin Energy will get a $2.86 million payout from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas for financial damages. Austin Energy interim general manager Stuart Reilly said the money "will directly benefit Austin Energy customers" in a Friday memo to city council and the city manager outlining the settlement.Texas grid operator ERCOT told Austin Energy to reduce output on the Fayette power project on Feb. 14 through early Feb. 15, 2021. The memo said Austin Energy lost money because it could not sell power into ERCOT's market during this time. Austin Energy also needed to buy power on the ERCOT Real-Time Market to cover contractual obligations. Since Austin Energy's output was reduced by ERCOT's demands, ERCOT protocols say the entity could be eligible for a payment if financial harm can be shown. Austin Energy submitted a request for the Feb. 14-15, 2021, activities that complied with ERCOT instructions. ER...

Local electricians donate time and resources to repair homes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:39 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Electricians are volunteering their time and donating materials to help low-income families make potentially life-saving repairs. This is going on in St. Louis City and County. Local electricians and electrical contractors will be making improvements and repairs at 17 homes today. This is the 20th year they've collaborated with the non-profit "Rebuilding Together." Since 2003, they've donated more than two million dollars in labor and materials and repaired nearly 600 homes. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are more than 46 thousand home fires each year caused by electrical hazards.

Make-a-Wish celebrates 40 years of granting wishes with dream trip

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:39 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Make-a-Wish, Missouri and Kansas, celebrated their 40th anniversary in a big way! It held a wish reveal for 17-year-old Dannah. She lives in Maryland Heights and is fighting sickle cell disease. She's one of three kids in her family who suffer from the disease. The revelation was the news that her wish to go to Hawaii was coming true. It included a Hawaiian-themed party and a Kona shaved ice truck. Since 1983, Make-a-Wish Missouri and Kansas have granted more than 93 wishes to children in the region with critical illnesses. Their office in Ballwin serves all counties in Missouri and Kansas.

Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority hosts inaugural elevate community expo

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:39 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Alpha-kappa-Alpha sorority is hosting its first Elevate community expo later today. It's happening at Harris-Stowe State University. From noon until three at the Emerson Performance Center. The event offers people a chance to dispose of unwanted electronics and get free paper shredding. There will also be science demos for kids and business vendors.

For lower-income students, Big Tech internships can be hard to get

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:39 GMT

Jalaun Ross, a computer science major at Central Connecticut State University, knew it would be difficult to land an internship at a prominent tech company this summer.He had chosen to attend an affordable local public university, not a top computing school, and he did not know anyone in the industry who could put in a good word for him with tech recruiters.Last summer, while interning at a financial services company, Ross spent several hours every evening preparing for the coding tests that tech firms use to weed out candidates. He ultimately applied to more than 200 internships, he said, but did not receive a single offer from tech firms.“College itself is a huge workload, especially for minorities and people of lower socioeconomic status,” Ross said. “How can people who go to average state schools compete?”Like attending an Ivy League university, obtaining a prestigious internship at a prominent tech company can confer lifelong advantages. Highly coveted software engineering inte...

What good are wearable computers if the data Is wrong?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:39 GMT

Smartwatches from tech companies like Apple and Garmin make it easy to see a number that could reflect how old you are more accurately than your age: the VO2max, the maximum amount of oxygen that your body can use during intense exercise.The higher your VO2max, exercise experts say, the better your cardiovascular fitness and, potentially, the longer your life. In the past, only serious athletes sought a traditional VO2max test, which involved wearing cumbersome sensors while exercising inside a lab, but now anyone can get an estimate by wearing a smartwatch and moving around.Is it good to have access to this kind of information? And how accurate could a wearable be? In the last five months, when I fell down a VO2max rabbit hole, I learned some uncomfortable truths about my health and the limits of smartwatches.First, let me tell you about my fitness journey. In November, while I was out celebrating my birthday, my Apple Watch delivered the most unwanted gift: a notification of a hig...

Bill to provide $17,000 for those opting out of public schools defeated in California senate committee

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:39 GMT

The latest push for education savings accounts – a type of school choice voucher that would give parents money to finance their children’s non-public schooling – was defeated in a 5-2 vote in California’s senate education committee earlier this week.If passed, Senate Bill 292 would have established a fund for students who opt out of attending public schools that is equivalent to the amount the state spends on each student every year — around $17,000 per pupil during the 2022-23 academic year. Families could have used the money for private school tuition or other educational expenses. Leftover funds could be put toward higher education costs once the student graduates from high school.“California’s government run schools are failing too many students,” said the bill’s author, Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) in an emailed statement. “The government focuses more on funding institutions than students, and most parents have no other options.”Similar education savings ac...