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Florida agencies are accused in a lawsuit of sending confusing Medicaid termination notices

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:40 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Three Florida residents filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday, alleging that state agencies aren’t adequately notifying low-income and disabled people that their public health insurance is ending.The class-action lawsuit was filed in Jacksonville federal court by the Florida Health Justice Project and the National Health Law Program on behalf of the three Floridians, according to court records. The defendants are the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration and the Florida Department of Children and Families. The agencies didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment.More than 182,000 Floridians have been issued termination notices since April, when a coronavirus policy that banned states from dropping people from Medicaid ended, while hundreds of thousands more are expected to lose coverage over the next year, the residents claim in the lawsuit. Many of the low-income people who are losing coverage have no idea whether the state is making...

Cleanup of chemical runoff in Etobicoke creeks to last until October, ministry says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:40 GMT

As cleanup continues nearly two weeks after a chemical runoff from an industrial fire in Etobicoke affected local creeks, the ministry says crews will likely remain on site maintaining the waterways until October.A spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks said they’ll be present at Mimico Creek and the Humber Bay Park area “and actively engaged with all relevant parties such as the Brenntag Canada Inc., its contractor GLF Environmental, as well as Toronto Water and Environment and Climate Change Canada.”“Containment efforts have been successful, and the material was contained within the Humber Bay Park area of Mimico Creek and did not reach open water,” a government spokesperson said. “As of August 21, the oil slurry had been collected, and efforts will focus on the cleanup of the creek banks.”A six-alarm fire at an Etobicoke industrial building on August 11 led to the chemical spillage in Mimico Creek...

Patients in B.C. long-term care homes and N.W.T. hospitals displaced by wildfires

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:40 GMT

Nearly 900 seniors have been forced out of care facilities in a wildfire-ravaged region of British Columbia while the province has joined Alberta in receiving medical evacuees from the Northwest Territories, where thousands of residents have escaped dangerous conditions.Susan Brown, CEO of Interior Health in B.C., said most of the residents were transferred from long-term care homes and memories of the devastation from past fires in the province may be exacerbating angst among both patients and employees.“There’s so much anxiety associated with wildfires now. We have a lot of staff and families that have been through this multiple years,” she said of previous blazes, including in 2003, when about 33,000 people fled the area and many homes were burned to the ground.A separate group of patients of various ages with previously acquired brain injury has also been moved. The majority of seniors were transferred to safer areas of their large Interior region but some are ...

Stock market today: Wall Street stalls a day after a rare August gain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:40 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting in mixed trading Tuesday ahead of two potentially market-shaking events later in the week.The S&P 500 was 0.2% lower in late trading, coming off a rare August gain that was powered by Big Tech stocks Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 159 points, or 0.5%, at 34,304 with an hour remaining in trading. The Nasdaq composite was 0.2% higher.Stocks have struggled this month as yields have shot upward in the bond market, which cranks up the pressure on other investments. The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased a bit Tuesday, a day after reaching its highest level since 2007.Nvidia, one of Wall Street’s most influential stocks, swung from an early gain to a loss of 2.5% ahead of its earnings report on Wednesday, one that could be pivotal for the stock market. The chipmaker has been at the center of Wall Street’s frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology, which investors believe will create immense profits for companies....

13-year-old Chicago girl reported missing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:40 GMT

CHICAGO — A 13-year-old teen girl has been reported missing.Dontiasiah Hooper was last seen on Aug. 10 wearing black shorts and a black shirt.Chicago police did not provide a location where Hooper was missing from.Hooper has black hair and brown eyes. She is 5'7" and weighs around 207 lbs.Anyone with information can call 911 or contact police at 312-747-8380.

Bob Dylan performing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago this fall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:40 GMT

CHICAGO — One of the most iconic names in rock and roll is set to perform in Chicago across three nights this fall. Legendary singer and songwriter Bob Dylan's 'Rough and Rowdy Days' tour comes to the Cadillac Palace Theatre in the Loop on Oct. 6-8.Pre-sale for tickets begins Thursday, Aug. 25. General ticket sales begin the following day, Friday, Aug. 26.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesTicket prices have not yet been announced. The 82-year-old's fall tour dates also include stops in nearby Milwaukee and Indianapolis.

Two men arrested in Round Rock after woman says she was kidnapped, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:40 GMT

HARKER HEIGHTS, Texas (KXAN) -- Two men were arrested, and a woman was taken to the hospital after they were found at a motel room in Round Rock Tuesday, the Harker Heights Police Department said in a news release.Around 4 a.m., officers met with a woman who said her roommate sent her a text saying she was kidnapped and thought she was going to die, according to HHPD.During the investigation, police determined the woman was being held in a motel room in Round Rock, the release states.Around 7:16 a.m., the Round Rock Police Department found the woman and took her to the hospital for injuries, the release said.Two men were taken into custody in connection with the kidnapping, police said.Police said this appeared to be an isolated incident concerning a previous relationship, and there was no current threat to the community.The Texas Department of Public Safety, Bell County Sheriff's Office, Bell County Communications Center, Round Rock Police Department, Austin Police Department and t...

Tesla, dozens of restaurants and businesses coming to Kyle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:40 GMT

KYLE, Texas (KXAN) --- Tesla is setting up shop in yet another Central Texas city. The City of Kyle is welcoming the company to the area. The announcement came at the 2023 State of the City Address, hosted by The Kyle Area Chamber of Commerce.Kyle Mayor Travis Mitchell said he doesn't know exactly what Tesla's plans are just yet. "It's roughly a million square feet, just under a million square feet of space," Mitchell said. "They're just moving forward with their construction. So we don't have a lot of details. But this is an extremely exciting announcement." RELATED COVERAGE: Tesla plans to spend $700M+ to expand Austin gigafactory Businesses, restaurants comingThat was just one of the announcements at Tuesday's event. Mitchell said what was once believed to be just a bedroom community is quickly turning into a hub for development. New businesses/restaurants coming: Nothing Bundt CakesSnooze A.M. EaterySpoon & ForkBlack RockCAVACrumbl CookiesWalk-Ons Sports BistreauxWaffle Ho...

'Completely unacceptable': Austin group slams final I-35 plan. What TxDOT says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- On Monday, the Texas Department of Transportation announced it completed its final environmental impact statement and record of decision, clearing its last major hurdle ahead of a construction start on its Interstate 35 expansion project.The EIS is a requirement under the National Environmental Policy Act to document any potential environmental impacts that could come from a project proposal. For months, some city and regional leaders have shared reservations about the environmental implications of a highway expansion, including grassroots organization Rethink35. ICYMI: Austin’s I-35 expansion clears final hurdle before construction start "Transportation is the biggest source of carbon emissions locally. What are we doing? By widening a highway that's just going to worsen it," said Adam Greenfield, board president of Rethink35. "This is completely unacceptable."As part of TxDOT's final EIS, the selected I-35 expansion model would add more than 420,000 metric tons ...

Biden’s new student loan repayment plan is open. Here’s how to enroll.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:40 GMT

Borrowers who are buckling under the pressure of their federal student loans have a new option to significantly cut their payments, eventually by as much as half.The Biden administration’s new income-driven repayment plan known as SAVE opened for enrollment Tuesday, providing millions of borrowers with a more affordable way to pay their monthly student loan bills, which will become due again in October after a three-year pause.“With the SAVE plan, we are making a promise to every student,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said during a call with reporters Monday afternoon. “Your payments will be affordable. You’re not going to be buried under a mountain of interest and you won’t be saddled with a lifetime of debt.”In the coming days, more than 30 million borrowers will be invited to enroll in the new plan, initially proposed in January and which bases monthly payments on income and family size.Unlike the White House’s former plan to cancel up to $20,000 in federal debt — struck do...