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Zeynep Tufekci: The government must say what it knows about Covid’s origins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:55 GMT

Three researchers at a laboratory in Wuhan, China, who had fallen ill in November 2019 had been experimenting with SARS-like coronaviruses under inadequate biosafety conditions, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing current and former U.S. officials.The Journal had reported in 2021 that some researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology had sought hospital care that November, around the time that evidence suggests COVID first began to spread among people. It was not publicly known, though, that those scientists had been experimenting with SARS-like coronaviruses — that is, pathogens related to the ones that cause SARS and COVID.Their role in that work is not proof that the virus initially leaked out of a lab rather than spreading from animals at a market in the city, the other theory into how the pandemic started. There is no proof of that path, either, since the known cases from market outbreak were too late to have been the origin, and no infected animal has been found...

F.D. Flam: Want to be more creative? Try dream-hacking while you sleep

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:55 GMT

In our competitive society, some consider it a badge of honor to get only four or five hours of sleep a night, or pull all-nighters in the service of work. And forget naps. But sleep may have more benefits than just making you sharper and more alert during your waking hours. Sleep also brings dreams, and these, according to new research, can give shape to creative ideas that come to us like gifts from a muse.While you sleep, your brain isn’t idle. It’s still working for you — and now scientists have found ways to direct dreams and squeeze more creative juice from them.Even if you don’t remember what happened in a dream, synaptic pathways are changing in the brain, said Harvard Medical School psychiatrist Robert Stickgold, who has been studying dreams for decades. Associations are made and then strengthened while we sleep, he said, and that can lead to those ideas we get and wonder where they came from.Thomas Edison, Mary Shelly and Paul McCartney all reported...

Other voices: True American courage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:55 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. — Could Leonidas Polk be rolling in his grave right now? Then let him roll. The Confederate general’s name has been scrubbed from a Louisiana military base, supplanted by that of Albany’s World War I hero Henry Johnson, a Black man — yes, one of those whom the Confederates were so determined to oppress that they tried to dissolve the union to do it.Even if all Sgt. Johnson had done was to fight for his country instead of against it, he would be far worthier of the honor than Mr. Polk ever was. But Sgt. Johnson’s qualities go deeper than that — and even deeper than the acts of bravery that secured him a long-overdue Medal of Honor in 2015.Usually, the contemporary tale of Henry Johnson goes like this: He was a war hero, and then, because he was Black, America forgot him. There’s more to the story than that, but let’s start there.William Henry Johnson belonged to a Black regiment that, because of Army segregation policies, was assigned to fight under French command....

Former St. Paul man charged with murder in Itasca County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:55 GMT

A former St. Paul man has been charged with second-degree murder in a fatal June 9 shooting in Itasca County.According to the criminal complaint, a woman called law enforcement June 13 to report there had been a shooting at her daughter’s Deer River home several days earlier and there may be a dead body still in the home.The daughter later told law enforcement that 33-year-old Nigel Randel Blackburn had shot a man identified in the complaint as J.C.K. Officers entered the woman’s home and found the man dead with bullet holes in his head and body.According to the complaint:The daughter said she previously had been in a relationship with Blackburn and that J.C.K. “had a romantic interest in her.”She told investigators that she, Blackburn and J.C.K. all went to her home June 8 after having dinner at J.C.K.’s mother’s house.The two men got into an argument early the next day, and the woman “heard a loud bang” and realized J.C.K. had been s...

Wrongful Convictions bill awaits Hochul's signature

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:55 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) -- The Wrongful Convictions bill passed in both houses this session. This would make it easier for those convicted of a crime to challenge their case, however some District Attorney's across New York are demanding it be vetoed, including Staten Island DA, Michael McMahon, "Yea well we certainly hope that the Governor doesn’t sign this very misguided piece of legislation, because what it will do is totally bring the courts and the criminal justice system, both at the trial level, and the appellate level to a grinding and screeching halt." Freedom Fest returning to Troy McMahon said under current law, someone convicted of a crime can already motion to challenge their case. This includes instances where new DNA evidence is made available, if the person was coerced into a guilty plea, cases of misinformation, the defendant felt they had ineffective counsel or they dealt with undisclosed immigration consequences. "Under this law, you no longer need to have new evid...

Road closure announced in Petersburgh

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:55 GMT

PETERSBURGH, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The New York State Department of Transportation has announced an upcoming road closure in Petersburgh. The intersection of State Route 2 and State Route 22 will close at 6 p.m. on June 23 to allow for the removal of the State Route 2 bridge. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! NYSDOT stated that State Route 22 will reopen by 6 a.m. on June 26, while State Route 2 will remain closed through the end of November while a new bridge is constructed. All local properties will remain accessible up to the work zone. Detours will be posted near the affected areas. Motorists are encouraged to plan accordingly, and urged to drive slow and responsibly through work zones, where speeding fines are doubled. Freedom Fest returning to Troy Check out NEWS10's traffic tracker. You can plan your route and see traffic delays in real-time!

Albany man sentenced in relation to 2022 fatal crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:55 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- An Albany man has been sentenced in relation to a fatal crash that occurred in 2022 on Central Avenue, according to the Albany County Court. Jose Guaman-Bunay, 30, faces 6 to 18 years in state prison. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The indictment alleged that on July 7, 2022, while traveling on Central Avenue in Albany, Guaman-Bunay recklessly caused the death of Kathleen McBride when operating his vehicle while intoxicated. Guaman-Bunay pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated vehicular homicide, and in addition to the sentence, his license will be revoked as a condition of his plea agreement. Assistant District Attorney Collin D’Arcy stated “In a world where ride-sharing services are so easily accessible, there’s never a valid excuse to drive impaired. No matter the intention, that one bad choice can cost a person their life. That’s what happened in this case, and that is something this office s...

As a transgender woman, a New York City subway icon finds her own voice

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:55 GMT

CRANFORD, N.J. (AP) — The voice is familiar to the millions who ride New York City's subways, its deep and resonant tone ringing through tunnels and across the tracks. For more than a decade, Bernie Wagenblast, 66, has lent that voice to automated announcements alerting passengers to train arrivals and politely directing people to “please stand away from the platform edge.” Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! For decades, Wagenblast’s voice—low, authoritative and benign all at once—has provided a career and livelihood. But earlier this year, Wagenblast, went on the radio to publicly reveal a different voice—higher pitched and softer spoken—that is more reflective of the transition from the man she was to the transgender woman she was always meant to be.Commuters wait on a platform as the L subway train arrives in a station, Aug. 16, 2018, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) New York State updates guidance to support t...

Illinois State Police: Collinsville officers shot gun-wielding suspect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:55 GMT

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. - An investigation is underway after officers with the Collinsville Police Department reportedly shot a gun-wielding suspect earlier this week. The shooting happened Tuesday in the 1100 block of St. Clair Avenue. Investigators say several Collinsville officers responded to the suspect with a gun over an undisclosed matter. Woman charged with ramming, shooting thieves who stole sister’s car The suspect, a 30-year-old man, allegedly pointed a gun at officers. After that, several officers fired at the suspect and struck him. The suspect was treated for undisclosed injuries at a hospital. No officers were hurt in the incident. An Illinois State Police criminal investigations unit is investigating the case. Additional details are limited, but ISP says the investigation is "active and ongoing."

PHOTOS: Coloradans see large hail as severe thunderstorms move across Front Range

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:55 GMT

The National Weather Service is warning that Thursday afternoon’s storms will be severe and could potentially produce large hail. NWS said at about 2 p.m. that the storm could hit the metro area in the next two to four hours.For the latest news on the storm, read our live weather updates here. Share your photos of the storm with us by emailing [email protected] are already sharing photos of the large hailing raining down on social media.EXPLAINER: Why is Colorado one of the most susceptible places in the world for large hail?Much bigger hail in this storm moving toward Lakewood than the one last night. Take cover! #cowx pic.twitter.com/y9dHoUFkE8— Mateo (@Fly_Agaric) June 22, 2023Hot damn! Hail! #cowx pic.twitter.com/7o2xyIQLSn— Scott Edwards (@ScottyShortness) June 22, 2023Wait I found a bigger piece of hail – more like a hail boulder the size of a small boulder #COwx This is in the foothills near Evergreen pic.twitter.com/c91GqvHtj7— Hayley Vat...