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Ticker: Amazon launces web satellites; Georgia sends med pot to drug stores

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

Amazon launched the first test satellites for its planned internet service as a rival to SpaceX’s broadband network.United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket blasted off Friday with the pair of test satellites, kicking off a program that aims to improve global internet coverage with an eventual 3,236 satellites around Earth.Amazon plans to begin offering service by the end of next year.Elon Musk’s SpaceX has a huge head start over Amazon and its founder Jeff Bezos, who has his own rocket company, Blue Origin.SpaceX flew its first test Starlink satellites in 2018 and the first operational satellites in 2019. It has since launched more than 5,000 Starlinks from Florida and California, using its own Falcon rockets.Georgia sends med pot to drug storesGeorgia soon will become the first state in the nation to offer medical marijuana products at independent pharmacies, state officials said.The Georgia Board of Pharmacy began accepting applications last week, and nearly 120 ...

Expanded plastic ban pushed on Beacon Hill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

Massachusetts could have led the nation in banning disposable food containers made from polystyrene a decade ago, a leader of an environmental advocacy group said as she pitched legislation that has instead stalled on Beacon Hill.More than 10 states and 60 Massachusetts municipalities have passed various bans on polystyrene, which can be made as a hard plastic or foam, said Jess Nahigian, political director of the Sierra Club’s Massachusetts chapter.“Polystyrene is unsustainable, it’s toxic — it is a synthetic petrochemical that doesn’t degrade,” Nahigian said at a Joint Committee on Public Health hearing late last week. “It creates microplastics that we find in our air, our water, our soil, shellfish, etc. It can’t be recycled.”The latest proposals from Rep. Marjorie Decker, the committee co-chair, and Sen. Michael Barrett would apply to single-use disposable products including plates, cups, bowls, hinged or lidded containers, s...

Shaken travelers arrive at LAX from Tel Aviv 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

The Hamas militant group’s surprise attack against Israel on Saturday has sent shockwaves throughout the international community, and now the conflict is hitting home.U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told CNN on Sunday morning that officials were ‘working overtime’ to confirm if any Americans died because of the attacks, or if any were taken hostage. Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, confirmed that Americans were among those taken captive but gave no details about them nor Americans who may have been killed.  Desperate people dig out dead and injured from quakes that killed over 2,000 in Afghanistan Dermer told CNN's "State of the Union" that he suspects the number of captive and deceased Americans to rise due to the large population of dual Israeli-American citizens.FILE - Israelis inspect the rubble of a building a day after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, Fil...

European soccer’s governing body UEFA postpones upcoming games in Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — European soccer’s governing body UEFA has postponed all matches scheduled to take place in Israel over the next two weeks after Hamas’ surprise attack.“In light of the current security situation in Israel, UEFA has decided to postpone all matches scheduled in Israel in the next couple of weeks with new dates to be confirmed in due course,” UEFA said in a statement on Sunday.That includes Israel’s match against Switzerland in 2024 European Championship qualifying, which had been scheduled for Thursday at Tel Aviv’s Bloomfield Stadium.“UEFA will continue to closely monitor the situation and will remain in contact with all teams involved before making decisions on new dates and on potential changes to other upcoming fixtures,” UEFA said.Israel’s Euro 2024 qualifier at Kosovo on Oct. 15 could also be affected with UEFA saying it “reserves a few more days to assess” whether the match can take place on that date “or requires pos...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoes bill aimed at limiting the price of insulin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have stopped insurance companies from charging more than $35 for insulin.The bill would have banned health plans and disability insurance policies from imposing any out-of-pocket expenses on insulin prescription drugs above $35 for a 30-day supply. That would have included deductibles and co-pays.Newsom, a Democrat, said earlier this year that California would soon start making its own brand of insulin. The state has a $50 million contract with the nonprofit pharmaceutical company Civica Rx to manufacture the insulin under the brand CalRx. The state would sell a 10 milliliter vial of insulin for $30.“With CalRx, we are getting at the underlying cost, which is the true sustainable solution to high-cost pharmaceuticals,” Newsom wrote in a message explaining why he vetoed the bill on Saturday. “With copay caps however, the long-term costs are still passed down to consumers through higher premiums from health plans...

Kiptum sets world marathon record in Chicago in 2:00:35, breaking Kipchoge's mark

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Kelvin Kiptum set a world record in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, finishing in 2 hours, 35 seconds to shatter fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge's old mark by 34 seconds.Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands also took advantage of cool and cloudy weather that's considered ideal for a marathon to win the women's race in 2:13:44 — the second-fastest ever for a woman at the 26.2-mile distance. What to know about the 2023 Chicago Marathon Kiptum won the London Marathon in the spring in 2:01:25 and shaved almost a minute off the world record set last year in Berlin by Kipchoge, a two-time Olympic champion and the most successful marathoner ever.“I knew I was coming for a course record, but a world record — I am so happy,” Kiptum said. “A world record was not on my mind today, but I knew one day I would be a world record-holder.”Kipchoge also broke the 2-hour mark in 2019 in a specially designed Vienna exhibition that does not qualify for the world record.Hassan's time is second be...

How long have humans lived in North America? These footprints challenge an old belief

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

(AP) -- New research confirms that fossil human footprints in New Mexico are likely the oldest direct evidence of human presence in the Americas, a finding that upends what many archaeologists thought they knew about when our ancestors arrived in the New World.The footprints were discovered at the edge of an ancient lakebed in White Sands National Park and date back to between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago, according to research published Thursday in the journal Science.The estimated age of the footprints was first reported in Science in 2021, but some researchers raised concerns about the dates. Questions focused on whether seeds of aquatic plants used for the original dating may have absorbed ancient carbon from the lake — which could, in theory, throw off radiocarbon dating by thousands of years. How to see the ‘ring of fire’ eclipse this October, total solar eclipse in April ’24 The new study presents two additional lines of evidence for the older date range. It uses two entirel...

Austin FC eliminated from playoff contention after 4-2 loss to LAFC at home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Dénis Bouanga scored twice to extend his MLS lead to 19 goals this season and LAFC eliminated Austin from playoff contention with a 4-2 victory on Saturday night.Bouanga recorded his fifth multi-score game of the season, the second-most in a single season in club history behind Carlos Vela's seven in 2019.VERDE LIGHTS: Miss the latest show? Watch the replay on Austin FC's website, but remember to tune in for the next show at 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturdays on The CW AustinLAFC (14-10-9) has won six of the eight all-time meetings, with Austin winning the other two.Austin (10-15-8) was coming off a 3-0 win over D.C. United on Wednesday to snap a club-record 10-match winless run in all competitions.Timothy Tillman opened the scoring in the 13th minute and Bouanga hammered in a penalty kick just before halftime. Bouanga made it 3-0 in the 54th and Cristian Olivera gave LAFC a four-goal lead in the 68th.Leo Väisänen scored his first MLS goal for Austin in the 75th an...

The U.S. will send a carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean in support of Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

By TARA COPP (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday he has ordered the Ford carrier strike group to sail to the Eastern Mediterranean to be ready to assist Israel after the attack by Hamas that has left more than 1,000 dead on both sides. Americans were reported to be among those killed and missing.The USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, and its approximately 5,000 sailors and deck of warplanes will be accompanied by cruisers and destroyers in a show of force that is meant to be ready to respond to anything, from possibly interdicting additional weapons from reaching Hamas and conducting surveillance.The large deployment, which also includes a host of ships and warplanes, underscores the concern that the United States has in trying to deter the conflict from growing. But the Israeli government formally declared war Sunday and gave the green light for “significant military steps” ...

Hudson Falls man arrested for Saratoga Hospital stabbing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Hudson Falls man has been arrested following an investigation into a stabbing that occurred at Saratoga Hospital, according to police. Scott Williams, 60, was charged with two counts of second-degree assault. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! On October 1, police announced that two members of hospital staff had suffered stab wounds while performing their duties. Both victims were treated for their injuries and have since been released from medical care. During the investigation, police identified Williams as a suspect, and he was taken into custody by officers on October 8 upon the execution of an arrest warrant. He was arraigned in Saratoga Springs City Court and remanded to the Saratoga County Sheriffs Office on $75,000 cash bail, $150,000 partially secured bond, or $750,000 secured bond. State Police respond to fatal crash on I-890 Williams' next court appearance is scheduled for Octobe...