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Medical board reform bill sparked by KXAN advances to Senate

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:35:53 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Two pieces of legislation aimed at reforming the Texas Medical Board are moving forward and, if signed into law, could impact all Texas patients.The Texas House overwhelmingly passed HB 1998 Friday, which was filed in direct response to a series of KXAN investigations. After a vote of 124-13, the bill now heads to the Senate.“KXAN uncovered a problem, brought it to my attention,” said Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Farmers Branch in March. “We discussed. I met with policyholders. We’ve come together to form, I think, a piece of legislation that can make a meaningful impact into health safety and patient safety.”'Lives put at risk'The measure was introduced after KXAN found dozens of doctors who had licenses revoked in other states practicing in Texas with no record of any discipline on their public physician profiles. It's a point Johnson referenced in remarks to lawmakers. "Current statute governing the Texas Medical Board is riddled with loopholes that allows physicians li...

St. Paul men indicted for pulling handgun on undercover narcotics officer

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:35:53 GMT

Two St. Paul men have been indicted for conspiracy and assault of a federal law enforcement officer after allegedly brandishing a handgun on an undercover narcotics officer during a sting operation, according to U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.Court documents give the following account of the March 30 incident in which authorities say Aaron Maurice Admir Harris, 29, and Dion Darnell Miller, 27, pulled a gun on the undercover agent.Aaron Maurice Admir Harris, 29, and Dion Darnell Miller, 27 (Courtesy of the Sherburne County sheriff’s office)At about 1:15 p.m., an undercover law enforcement agent arrived in the 600 block of Van Buren Avenue to buy 1600 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl for $2400. After he texted he was there, a silver Volkswagen arrived with Harris in the driver’s seat and Miller in a back seat. The undercover agent was told to get into the front passenger seat. He did so reluctantly, leaving the door ajar with his leg sticking out.Shortly afte...

Lynx preseason game in Canada has extra meaning to Bridget Carleton

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:35:53 GMT

Lynx wing Bridget Carleton is both excited and overwhelmed. Saturday may just be a just a preseason game between the Lynx and Chicago Sky, but the location adds a sense of enormity for both her and her country.The exhibition in Toronto marks the first WNBA competition on Canadian soil. Carleton, who helped lead Canada to a fourth-place finish at last year’s World Cup, knows what this means to her nation and the many young kids, specifically, who will be in attendance to take it in.“It’s one thing to know about the WNBA, to hear about it. But it’s another to go to a game, to see it, to see the shoes that you could potentially be in in however many years,” Carleton told reporters. “A lot of people, especially in Canada, we don’t have access to those things in our backyard.”But they’ll get a taste of it Saturday. And the excitement for just that morsel was obvious the moment tickets went on sale. Scotiabank Arena essentially sold out for the game in minutes.“They did a really good job,...

I-64 flooded in St. Louis after water main break, expect major traffic delays

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:35:53 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A busy stretch of Interstate 64 is flooded in St. Louis during rush hour after a water main break Friday afternoon. The interstate is flooded in both directions near Tamm Avenue. The water main break happened right around 4 p.m. Water has been steadily gushing from a main for about an hour. Traffic is backed up several miles in both directions. Westbound drivers are slowly navigating through one lane. Eastbound drivers are at a standstill. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is attending to the situation, though it's unclear how long the highway might be closed. Moving past controversy, Anheuser-Busch plans to recover losses A few cars attempted to cross through waters before law enforcement blocked the area of the flooding. First responders have helped rescue a few people out of cars. No major injuries have been reported from the situation. Drivers are asked to consider alternate routes and not drive through flooded areas. SkyFOX, powered by Bommarito Automo...

Fire crews rescue at least three from SUV stranded in I-64 floods

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:35:53 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Fire crews rescued at least three people from an SUV stranded on Interstate 64 amid massive flooding from a water main break Friday afternoon. A busy stretch of Interstate 64 is flooded in St. Louis during rush hour Friday afternoon due to a water main break. The interstate is flooded in both directions near Tamm Avenue. Drivers are backed up for several miles and traffic has been shut down in both directions. Trending Story: Kirkwood High School’s yearbook raises concerns from others As the flooding first occurred around 4:15 p.m., a few cars attempted to cross through waters before law enforcement blocked the area of the flooding. Because of that, one SUV ended up stuck in high waters. SkyFOX, powered by Bommarito Automotive Group, spotted fire crews helping out at least three people out of an SUV, including one boy. Everyone inside the car was rescued safely and not hurt, according to the St. Louis Fire Department. It's unclear how soon the Interstate might be clea...

Mother delivers healthy baby boy thanks to Pike County 911 Dispatcher 

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:35:53 GMT

PIKE COUNTY, Mo. - A mother safely delivered her baby boy in the car thanks to a Pike County 911 dispatcher.Christie Rosenstengle welcomed baby Reece Burton into the world on May 11 in her and her husband's car. It was about 1:30 a.m., and Rosenstengle's husband, Caleb, was driving them to the hospital when Rosenstengle said it was time."As soon as we were about to pull off in Eolia, I said my water's going to break," she said. "He said, 'She said her water's going to break.' I said my water broke! I said we're done. You have to stop. Stop the car, pull over." Trending Story: Kirkwood High School’s yearbook raises concerns from others On the other end of the phone was a Pike County 911 dispatcher."The operator, she was fantastic," Rosenstengle said. "She asked us 'How far apart are her contractions?' Like, trying to help us establish if we needed to pull over if we needed to keep going."Pike County 911 shared on their Facebook page that dispatcher Faith Cooper took that call, and ...

Robin Niceta made up medical records, aggressive brain cancer diagnosis, prosecutors claim in court documents

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:35:53 GMT

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — Prosecutors say that Robin Niceta appeared to have fabricated medical records that she claimed showed she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which she said prevented her from traveling to Colorado for a competency hearing, according to court documents.According to the documents obtained by Denver7 Investigates on Friday, the prosecutors in the case say she appeared to have made up an oncology clinic and doctor in New Mexico, and used Google images of glioblastoma to claim as her own MRI images.Related ArticlesColorado News | From Jamal Murray playing through illness to Michael Malone calling fiery timeout up 23, Nuggets have an essential championship quality Colorado News | Complaints about Colorado judges jump 25% amid effort to reform judicial discipline Colorado News | Mother of Club Q shooting suspect ejected from court over profane outbursts Colorado News | Nuggets guard Jamal Murray expect...

Two men stranded in snowy Pike National Forest rescued by Air National Guard

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:35:53 GMT

Two men in a snow-stranded vehicle in Pike National Forest for about 21 hours were rescued Friday by a Colorado Air National Guard helicopter crew.Multi-Agency Response Rescues Three Stranded Motorists in Pike National Forest. Three adult males were rescued from their stranded vehicle just short of 21 hours after they called for help. See full media release at https://t.co/gYi1osAy0G @DCSARColorado pic.twitter.com/GzHGewTF7c— DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) May 12, 2023About 3 p.m. Thursday the Douglas Regional Dispatch Center received a call from a man who said he was with two others, and their vehicle, about five miles north of the South County Line on Rampart Range Road, where they were stuck in the snow, according to a Douglas County Sheriff’s Office news release.A deputy was dispatched and after about two hours, as snow fell in the recent storm that pounded northeastern Colorado, the trio was found at Rampart Range Road and Fern Creek Road, the release said.The deputy trie...

Death rate among L.A. County homeless population continues to increase, report shows

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:35:53 GMT

The mortality rate among homeless people in Los Angeles County has increased by 55% in recent years, according to the latest county public health report.In 2019, 1,289 people experiencing homelessness died. This number increased to 1,811 in 2020 and 2,201 in 2021, according to the report.The report also found that drug overdoses continue to be the leading cause of death among unhoused individuals in the county. Drug overdoses have been the leading cause of death among homeless people since 2019 and accounted for 37% of all deaths in 2020 and 2021 combined, officials said.Researchers found that overdose rates among unhoused Black and Latinx people in Los Angeles County are higher in comparison to their white counterparts. The report also said that fentanyl-related overdoses have nearly tripled since 2019 when the rate was just 20% and rose to 58% by 2021.Coronary heart disease and traffic injuries were the second and third leading causes of death among homeless individuals in the cou...

Create defensible space or face fines, Pasadena fire officials say

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:35:53 GMT

Firefighters in Pasadena are going house-to-house to offer free safety inspections in an effort to save homes - and potentially lives.The fire department has sent letters to around 4,000 homeowners in high-risk zones, telling them to clear dry brush, create defensible space, or face fines.Bruce and Sue Porter, who live in the Eaton Canyon area, were among those who received a visit on Friday.“Every year we worry about it especially when the Santa Ana winds come… it’s terrifying,” said Bruce.See the current fire danger mapPeak fire season in California is typically in the late summer and fall, but experts say large wildfires are also possible earlier in the year, including in the month of May.Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin believes the 2023 fire season will be challenging.“This has been a record year for rain. We see nice green hills,” Augustin told KTLA. “Those hills will be brown in a few months from now … We’re in store for a rough fire season.”Firefighters say homeowners can b...