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Henrietta Lacks family settles suit over use of cells taken without consent

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:49 GMT

(The Hill) - The descendants of Henrietta Lacks said Tuesday they had agreed to a settlement with biotechnology company Thermo Fisher over the use of cells taken from their ancestor without her permission for scientific research by doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital.The details of the settlement remain confidential, but Lacks’s grandchildren, who were part of the lawsuit, seemed pleased with the agreement — announced on what would have been Lacks’s 103rd birthday. “There couldn’t have been a more fitting day for her to have justice, for her family to have relief,” Henrietta's grandson Alfred Lacks Carter Jr. said, according to The Associated Press. “It was a long fight — over 70 years — and Henrietta Lacks gets her day.”The Lacks family sued Thermo Fisher in 2021 for profiting from what they called a racist medical system.The cells taken from Lacks, who was Black, became the source of the HeLa cell line, the first human cells to be successfully cloned and a critical development ...

Houston mayor blasts superintendent's plan to turn some school libraries into disciplinary centers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:49 GMT

HOUSTON (KIAH) – About 28 schools in Houston will be starting the next school year with something missing: their librarians.Mike Miles, the new state-appointed superintendent of the Houston Independent School District (HISD), recently announced that certain schools in the district will repurpose their libraries as disciplinary centers, Nexstar's KIAH previously reported. Librarian roles within those schools have also been eliminated.The program is also reportedly targeting underperforming schools primarily located in low- and middle-income areas, NewsNation reported.News of the change was denounced by dozens of leaders in the Houston area, including elected officials and religious leaders, according to the office of Mayor Sylvester Turner. Book ban list: These 13 titles are targeted most In a press conference Monday, Turner address community concerns."We can all agree that grades and academic achievement must improve at all of our schools and there are students who need remedial h...

How does Amazon Clinic work?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:49 GMT

Amazon is adding video telemedicine visits in all 50 states to a virtual clinic it launched last fall as the e-commerce giant pushes deeper into care delivery.Amazon said Tuesday that customers can visit its virtual clinic around the clock through Amazon’s website or app. There, they can compare prices and response times before picking a telemedicine provider from several options.The clinic, which doesn’t accept insurance, launched last fall with a focus on text message-based consultations. Those remain available in 34 states.Virtual care, or telemedicine, exploded in popularity when COVID-19 hit a few years ago. It has remained popular as a convenient way to check in with a doctor or deal with relatively minor health issues like pink eye.Amazon says its clinic offers care for more than 30 common health conditions. Those include sinus infections, acne, COVID-19 and acid reflux. The clinic also offers treatments for motion sickness, seasonal allergies and several sexual hea...

Grass fires closes portion of SH 130 in Pflugerville

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:49 GMT

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) -- Northbound State Highway 130 was shut down Tuesday morning due to two grass fires near the road, the Pflugerville Police Department and Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2 said.The fires are along SH 130 between State Highway 45 and County Road 138, Travis County ESD No. 2 said. The highway is closed beginning at Kelly Lane. Traffic near the fire is being moved to the service road, police said. Travis County ESD No. 2, Hutto Fire Rescue and Williamson County ESD No. 10 firefighters responded to the fires, Travis County ESD No. 2 said.Drivers are being asked to find different routes, if possible.This developing story will be updated as more information becomes available.

City of Austin employees' telework policy extended, return to office set for new year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:49 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Interim City Manager Jesús Garza delayed the timeline of a telework policy that requires city of Austin employees to work in the office at least three days a week. The policy will now start Jan. 1 of next year. It originally would have required non-executive employees to return to the office three days a week starting Oct. 1. The policy required all executive employees to return full time on June 5. This comes after the union for City of Austin and Travis County employees received many calls from upset employees and a May protest against the policy. "We understand employees must make family arrangements and this additional time provides an opportunity to make those changes," a city spokesperson said in a statement. RELATED: City of Austin employees to return to the office, union not on board A letter posted on the union's website called the change "progress," adding "One of our main objections was that the city manager was rushing the development of this policy."T...

Water restrictions evident for Williamson County as lake levels decrease, says water supplier

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:49 GMT

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A water supplier to multiple cities in Williamson County said it anticipates moving a step higher in its drought contingency plan later this week amid the ongoing heat.The Brazos River Authority oversees water from multiple Texas reservoirs, including Lake Georgetown and Stillhouse Hollow Lake. The agency provides water for the Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District, Round Rock and Georgetown.Aaron Abel, BRA water services manager, said the agency anticipates implementing Stage 2 water restrictions this Friday in accordance with its drought contingency plan. This requires customers to reduce water use by 10%."What we need to do is try to extend the supplies, extend the water that's in the reservoir as long as possible," Abel said.Abel attributed the restrictions to the water-evaporating heat, lack of rain, water consumption, and lower lake levels in Lake Georgetown and Stillhouse Hollow Lake.Water Data for Texas shows that Lake Georgetown is just o...

Support varies for Austin's proposed Equity, Civil Rights offices merger

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:49 GMT

Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for Aug. 1, 2023AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The League of United Latin American Citizens' Austin District is throwing its support behind a new budget proposal from Austin's Interim City Manager Jesús Garza to merge together the city's Small and Minority Business Resources Department with its Equity and Civil Rights offices -- a proposal that has concerned some city advocates.Among its reasonings, LULAC highlighted that the city's Equity Office "has not seen the progress and expectations being met as envisioned," noting in a Tuesday release the departure of the head of the Equity Office in 2022. RELATED: Group concerned power being stripped from Austin’s Equity Office Regarding the Office of Civil Rights, LULAC's release pointed to a 2021 investigation that found six OCR employees had filed a complaint against the OCR director, alleging "abusive, exploitative, unprofessional, and retaliatory management style and personal beh...

After losing beloved chef, Catskill's Piccolo Dal Torrente carries on with new owners

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:49 GMT

CATSKILL, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Heather Minew has been with Piccolo Dal Torrente almost since the beginning. She eventually became the owner alongside the beloved founder and chef Rodrigo Silva. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Sadly, Silva passed away from a heart attack in April 2023 at only 54 years old. It was always his dream to open a restaurant and he finally did in 2021 by opening the small Italian restaurant in Catskill.After losing Silva and for various other reasons, Minew decided to step down as owner as of August 1. She spoke with NEWS10 and recounted her experience with Silva and Piccolo Dal Torrente so far.Silva was born in Mexico and lived in Wappingers Falls his whole life. After he opened Piccolo, he commuted an hour and half both ways every day to work 12 to 16 hours at the restaurant, said Minew. The Tailored Tea in Latham up for sale Silva opened Piccolo on Mother's Day in 2021. Minew said he only had one custo...

Brightly flashing 'X' sign removed from the San Francisco building that was Twitter's headquarters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:49 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A brightly flashing “X” sign has been removed from the San Francisco headquarters of the company formerly known as Twitter just days after it was installed. The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection said Monday that they'd gotten 24 complaints about the unpermitted structure's structural safety and illumination over the weekend. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The Elon Musk-owned company, which has been rebranded as X, had removed the Twitter sign and iconic blue bird logo from the building last week. That work was temporarily paused because the company did not have the necessary permits. For a time, the “er” at the end of “Twitter” remained up due to the abrupt halt of the sign takedown. The city of San Francisco had opened a complaint and launched an investigation into the giant “X” sign, which was installed Friday on top of the downtown building as Musk continues his rebrand of the social media...

Carjackers rear-end victim's vehicle before stealing it, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:49 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A woman about to get on Interstate 64 in south St. Louis was carjacked overnight after the suspects rear-ended her vehicle.According to a spokesperson for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the robbery happened at 2:40 a.m. at South Kingshighway and I-64.The victim, a 46-year-old woman, told police she was being closely followed by a black KIA Optima on Kingshighway. She stopped at the signal before entering the on-ramp to westbound I-64, and the Optima rear-ended her 2021 Nissan Altima.As she got out of the Altima, the victim noticed an armed man crouched along the passenger side of the Optima, who started running toward her car. The victim fled across Kingshighway and turned to see the armed man enter her car, and then both the Altima and Optima speed away on Kingshighway.The investigation is still ongoing, police said.