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Nearly half of 5 million veterans screened found to have potential toxic substance exposure

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:27 GMT

(The Hill) - Nearly half of the 5 million veterans that have been screened by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) under a new law have reported at least one possible exposure to toxic substances during their military service.Announcing the 5 million screening milestone, the VA revealed that 2.1 million veterans — or 43 percent of those screened — were potentially exposed to such substances during their service.An Afghan National Army pickup truck passes parked U.S. armored military vehicles, as smoke rises from a fire in a trash burn pit at Forward Operating Base Caferetta Nawzad, Helmand province south of Kabul, Afghanistan, April 28, 2011. The House has approved a significant expansion of health care and disability benefits for millions of veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Simon Klingert, File)A variety of toxic exposures can come up in these screenings, but the most common were exposures to burn pits and Agent Orange...

What to know for Saratoga New Year's Fest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:27 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Saratoga New Year's Fest is returning to the Spa City for its second year. Festivities are planned from December 29, 2023, to January 1, 2024. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Formerly called First Night Saratoga, the annual New Year's Eve party got an overhaul in 2022. Saratoga New Year's Fest is now over several days and has more venues and activities.You can buy tickets on the event website. Here's what you need to know for the 2023-2024 Saratoga New Year's Fest.Music lineupFriday, December 29DJ Logic, 10 p.m. at Putnam Place Jordan Peterson coming to Proctors Theatre in Schenectady Saturday, December 30The Nth Power, 7 p.m. at Universal Preservation HallThe Weight Band, 8 p.m. at Universal Preservation HallSunday, December 31AfternoonKids Music Show, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at Caffe LenaTBA Band, 3 p.m. at the City Center "Jazz Room"Will Pedicone, 2:30 p.m. at Impressions of SaratogaMaurizzio & Kaos...

Police investigating 'BP' gas station break-in

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:27 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Police are investigating a burglary at a gas station in north St. Louis.This happened at the 'BP' station on West Florissant and Park Lane. Burglars smashed the glass on the front door to get inside. 12-year-old shoots mother’s boyfriend following argument There's no word on what they stole. So far, the suspects have not yet been found. FOX 2 will update this story with more information as it becomes available.

Fire destroys home in Pine Lawn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:27 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A fire destroyed a house in Pine Lawn.The fire broke out on Blakemore Avenue a little before 2:30 a.m. Crews from multiple departments were needed to put out the flames. 12-year-old shoots mother’s boyfriend following argument Firefighters say the house was vacant and no one was injured. Our Nissan Rogue Runner reporter, Nic Lopez, captured footage of the scene.

Letters: Texas court plays God, making life and death health care decisions for women

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:27 GMT

When a state denies access to health careRe: “Woman blocked from having abortion,” Dec. 10 news storyAs the state of Texas is denying a Texas resident the right to terminate a pregnancy in which the unborn child has medical issues as well as the mother risking possible health issues if carried to term, have the rights of an individual gone for the sake of political postures?If this unborn child survives, since the state refused one’s wishes, are they going to accept the responsibility of funding the care this child may need or is it then the parents’ responsibility? Texas, you can’t have it both ways by denying individual rights and then passing responsibility on to others. If you want to make laws taking away rights, you better support your positions and support the outcomes of your decisions.Dave Usechek, ParkerIf a woman has received the sad news from her doctor that her fetus could not possibly survive and the humane solution is to have an abortion,...

Last chance for Fruity Pebbles ice cream: East Colfax sweets spot closing after 10 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:27 GMT

After a decade of selling ice cream with wacky toppings and in all kinds of shapes and sizes, Denver’s Ice Cream Riot, 1238 E. Colfax Ave., has announced that it is closing soon.Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | 10 of the most festive pop-up bars near Denver serving up Christmas spirits Restaurants, Food and Drink | Denver’s first permanent food truck park rolls out on West Colfax Restaurants, Food and Drink | What to do this weekend: A rooftop ice rink, Union Station lights, Black Friday beers Restaurants, Food and Drink | 5 local ice cream-and-pie pairings to try this Thanksgiving The store was known for its breakfast cereal-inspired ice creams, like Fruity Pebbles, along with Pop-Tarts ice cream sandwiches and of course, cannoli-stuffed ice creams.“Well friends, I’m here to break the news that like Boyz II Men, we’ve come to the end of the road here at Ice Cream Riot,” owner Jim Mc...

Falling gasoline prices put a dent in metro Denver inflation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:27 GMT

Gasoline prices dropped by nearly a fifth between September and November and meat and poultry prices fell by 6.7% in metro Denver, leading to the first bi-monthly decline in consumer inflation in 14 months, according to an update Tuesday from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.“Between September and November, prices in Denver fell by 0.34%. This was the first two-month period of deflation since September of last year,” said Cole Anderson, a research analyst with the Common Sense Institute, in an emailed report.The Consumer Price Index for Denver-Aurora-Lakewood dropped to an annual rate of 4.5%, down from 5.4% in September.  Metro Denver is still outpacing the U.S. CPI rate of 3.1% in November, but the gap is narrowing.The heaviest upward pressure on prices for metro Denver came from a 6.2% gain in shelter costs, a heavily-weighted category that includes rents and a rent equivalent for people who own their homes.Metro Denver diverges widely from the rest of the country ...

Colorado battles Illinois to become nation’s quantum tech hub with $1B at stake

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:27 GMT

Colorado is in a heated battle with Illinois to win designation as the nation’s top hub for quantum technology, with potentially $1 billion in federal support, not to mention multiple times that in economic activity, at stake.The CHIPS and Science Act directs $52 billion in federal dollars to boost U.S. competitiveness in semiconductors and restore the country’s leadership in chip manufacturing and other advanced technologies.The Biden administration announced Monday that it would make the first award under the act by extending $35 million to BAE Systems to increase production at a factory in New Hampshire that produces chips for military aircraft.And while Colorado expects to land some new semiconductor plants spurred by federal dollars, the bigger prize the state is chasing is contained within a different part of the act.Within CHIPS, $10 billion was authorized to support the development of up to 10 technology hubs in the following fields: AI, semiconductors, quantum, ...

Douglas County school board to accept applications for seat left open by Mike Peterson’s resignation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:27 GMT

The Douglas County school board will start accepting applications Wednesday to fill the seat held by former President Mike Peterson, who resigned Nov. 30, as members plan to appoint a new director next month. Douglas County School District’s Board of Education on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve a timeline for members to fill the vacancy on the elected seven-member board. Members plan to choose from a group of finalists and vote on who should replace Peterson on Jan. 23, according to the resolution. Peterson, who stepped down because his family is moving, resigned two years before his term was set to expire. The board officially accepted Peterson’s resignation during a special meeting held Tuesday.People interested in serving on the board have until noon Jan. 5 to apply for the position. Candidates for the job must be a resident of the school district for at least 12 consecutive months as well as a resident in Peterson’s district. This is the second time this year that the schoo...

Failures in Colorado’s courts, mental health system strand hundreds in “vicious cycle” of competency process

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:27 GMT

Tucked along a dirt path in a memorial garden not far from Interstate 225 in Aurora, a flat red brick is carved with just one date: 12/27/1990, the day Patrick Holten came into the world.His mother bought the memorial brick four years ago because she was sure her mentally ill son would be dead in a matter of months.The cycle of competencyIn this series, The Denver Post examines why hundreds of Coloradans cycle through the state courts’ competency process over and over again, caught in the failures of both the criminal justice and mental health systems.Read Part 2: Mentally ill people often end up in jail instead of in treatment, fueling the state’s competency crisisThere was the time she found his empty tent floating in floodwaters and spent all night driving around Aurora looking for him, when her husband walked up a drainpipe searching for Patrick’s body. The time she discovered him buried in snow and he didn’t answer when she called his name, so she nudged...