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Texas mother fights for swim school legislation after 3-year-old son drowns

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:33:58 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A bill one Texas mother said is designed to better protect children at swim schools is in jeopardy at the Texas Capitol this week as we near the end of the session. It would take a last-minute push for the Mitchell Chang Swim Safety Act to pass in the Senate.  The bill is named after three-year-old Mitchell Chang, who drowned after a parent's night out event at a Texas swim school.  "The best way to describe him was warmth -- you just felt him when he came in the room," said April Chang, Mitchell's mother. Her family enjoyed that warmth, his smile and spirit, until 2018.  That's when they took Mitchell and his brother to a parent's night out event at a swim school in San Antonio. "It was the first time they were left somewhere besides their pre-school without us," Chang said. Chang and her husband went out to eat to pass the time. "We were eating, and we got a call from the fire chief, and he was like you need to go to the hosp...

Salman Rushdie attends PEN America gala, his first in-person appearance since stabbing last summer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:33:58 GMT

NEW YORK — Salman Rushdie has made his first in-person public appearance since being stabbed repeatedly and hospitalized nine months ago. The author was in attendance Thursday night for the annual gala of PEN America, the literary and free expression organization for which he once served as president.“I feel great,” said Rushdie, wearing a dark collarless jacket and matching pants. “I have a long associated with PEN America and I’m just happy to be amongst writers and book people.”Rushdie, 75, attended the gala, where hundreds of writers and other PEN members gathered for the dinner benefit.“Saturday Night Live” founder Lorne Michaels and Iranian dissident Narges Mohammadi were among those scheduled to be honored.Last August, Rushdie was appearing at the Chautauqua Institution, a nonprofit education and retreat center in western New York, when he was assaulted by a young man dressed in black and carrying a knife. Rushdie sustained multiple wounds, leaving him blind in his right eye ...

Water emergency, boil water notice issued in Colonie

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:33:58 GMT

COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A pumping station failure has led to a water emergency and boil water notice in the town and village of Colonie. Officials with the Latham Water District said the failure took place at the Mohawk View Water Treatment Plant.The pumping station failure means not enough water is being delivered to the water distribution system to maintain adequate pressure and guarantee water quality. As a result, the Latham Water District is minimizing water until further notice. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! All water used for cooking or drinking should be boiled. All other water use should be reduced. A rolling boil of two minutes is sufficient.  Bottled water may be used as an alternative.The notice is in effect until a bacteriological survey shows the water is safe to drink. Residents will then be noticed by the Latham Water District. Any questions should be directed to the Latham Water District at (518) 783-...

Alzheimer's clinical trial volunteers recognized

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:33:58 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Dozens gathered in Albany on Thursday to celebrates strides they have made in the fight against Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's patients and caregivers were given the Citizen Scientist Award during a special luncheon for volunteering to be part of clinical trials looking for treatments and a cure. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "My mother and sister all died from Alzheimer's, so once I was tested, I wanted to be part of the team looking for a cure," clinical trial volunteer Rich Barden said."The only way we can advance our knowledge and develop more treatments is through clinical research," Albany-based neurology specialist Dr. Richard Holub said. This comes ahead of Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, which is recognized in June.

Small replica of Statue of Liberty arrives in Metro East

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:33:58 GMT

SAUGET, Ill. - The St. Louis region is getting a Little Liberty. The statue arrived in the metro east on Thursday after a trip that began in the Big Apple.The 1,000-mile journey started on Monday, and it will be a little piece of New York in Sauget, Illinois.“She originated at the turn of the century when an immigrant who loved his country so much, he built a warehouse as a business endeavor and put a replica of the Statue of Liberty on top,” said Michael Allen, executive director of the National Building Arts Center.Little Liberty, a 34-foot replica of the Statue of Liberty, originally stood atop the Liberty Warehouse on 43 West 65th Street in New York City. In-N-Out Burger poised for major expansion, including in Missouri “It was on top of the warehouse for 101 years,” Allen said. “That building became apartments, and they donated it to the Brooklyn Museum. Eventually, they decided their mission was more focused on contemporary art, and they partnered with us in choosing things ...

State inspection missed safety shortfalls on Silver Dollar City ride that crashed

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:33:58 GMT

BRANSON, Mo - KOLR 10 Investigates why a state safety inspection last May didn't raise any red flags on Silver Dollar City's train ride that later crashed in October, injuring at least seven people.A state division for amusement rides in Missouri recommended several changes before allowing it to re-open for the park's 2023 season. The findings suggest issues like misaligned rails and uneven rail ties dated back years or even decades.Adam Swenka was on the train ride with his wife and their months-old infant when it flipped. He says he was injured in the crash's aftermath."You don't go to Silver Dollar City or any attraction thinking your life's in peril," said Swenka.Documents from the Missouri Department of public safety and MODOT lay out five key components that caused the train going an estimated 8 or 9 miles per hour at the time to derail.The state then laid out six recommendations to fix those issues. SDC implemented each recommendation before the train ride resumed operation i...

Body found Colorado Springs’ Monument Creek after heavy rains cause high, fast water

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:33:58 GMT

A body was found in the high and fast-running waters of Monument Creek Thursday afternoon in Colorado Springs.About 2:40 p.m. a passerby called 911 to report a body in the water in the area of the 4000 block of Star View, said Ashely Franco, a Colorado Springs Fire Department spokesperson.RELATED: Severe thunderstorms across Colorado lead to flooded roads, swift water rescues and one body recoveredEmergency responders with the city’s police and fire department lined the creek and started a methodical search on foot, Franco said. The body was spotted at about 5:15 p.m. in a rocky stretch.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Driver, passenger die in vehicle crash in Denver near City Park Crime and Public Safety | Aurora police officer involved in fatal crash charged with vehicular homicide Crime and Public Safety | Investigation into fatal trench collapse finds Brighton contractor failed to protect and train workers Crime and ...

Felon accused of kidnapping, torturing women in Moreno Valley home

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:33:58 GMT

A terrifying ordeal is shaking up a Moreno Valley neighborhood where two women allegedly escaped from being held hostage and tortured by a convicted felon.The incident took place inside 53-year-old Gilberto Puga’s home, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.Arrest documents showed Puga called authorities on May 14 to report two women who were burglarizing his home.Moments later, dispatch received another call from two women at his home screaming for help.When deputies arrived, the two women were seen walking away from Puga’s residence. Investigators discovered the women had been locked inside Puga’s home against their will and tortured, according to arrest documents.They had not burglarized Puga’s home as he initially claimed, authorities said. Puga left his home but was arrested the next day in Hemet.Gilberto Puga in a photo from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.“It didn’t really surprise me because allegedly this guy has a lot of other priors,” said neigh...

Asian representation in TV and film growing 'exponentially'

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:33:58 GMT

Hollywood is making great strides toward increasing Asian representation in film and television, but the work doesn't stop there. The next generation of Asian American actresses and filmmakers are striving to keep the momentum going.“Growing up, I didn’t see a lot of Asian faces on TV and film,” singer-songwriter Jane Lui told KTLA. “And at this moment now, it’s actually flipping a certain narrative in my head.“Lui was the voice of Opera Evelyn in the Oscar-winning film, “Everything, Everywhere All at Once,” which took home seven Academy Awards this year, including Best Picture. Michelle Yeoh also became the first Best Actress winner of Asian descent.Asian representation in film and television increased in 2022 from the year before, according to the Entertainment Diversity Progress Report by Luminate. Still, of all movies released in 2022, less than 2% centered on Asian stories.Michelle Yeoh, left, reacts in the audience with excitement as she accepts the award for best pe...

FDA advisers recommend RSV vaccine for pregnant women

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:33:58 GMT

By Lauran Neergaard | Associated PressWASHINGTON — A first-of-its-kind RSV vaccine for pregnant women guards their newborns against the scary respiratory virus -– and federal health advisers on Thursday backed Pfizer’s shot despite some lingering questions.RSV fills hospitals with wheezing babies each fall and winter, and the virus struck earlier than usual and especially hard in the U.S. this past year.If the vaccine pans out, “many infants and their parents will breathe easier in the coming years,” said Dr. Jay Portnoy, a member of the Food and Drug Administration advisory panel from Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri.The idea: Give women a single injection late in pregnancy, between 24 weeks and 36 weeks, so they develop RSV-fighting antibodies that pass through the placenta — just like they pass protection against other bugs to their babies.In Pfizer’s international study of nearly 7,400 pregnant women, maternal vaccination proved 82...