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Insurers won’t cover new Alzheimer’s treatment for some customers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:55:38 GMT

Some private insurers are balking at paying for the first drug fully approved to slow mental decline in Alzheimer’s patients.Insurers selling coverage in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York, among other states, told The Associated Press they won’t cover Leqembi with insurance offered on the individual market and through employers because they still see the $26,000-a-year drug as experimental. Their decision stands in contrast to Medicare, which will wind up covering most patients who take the drug. The federal coverage program mainly for people ages 65 and older announced shortly after Leqembi received full approval last month that it will cover the treatment while still tracking its safety and effectiveness.Leqembi is the first medicine that’s been convincingly shown to slow the cognitive decline caused by Alzheimer’s disease, though only modestly. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the IV drug for patients with mild dementia and other symptoms caused by early Alz...

Sports on TV for August 12 -13

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:55:38 GMT

(All times Eastern)Schedule subject to change and/or blackoutsSaturday, August 123ICE HOCKEY1 p.m.CBS — Playoffs: Team Murphy vs. Team Johnston, Team Patrick vs. Team Bourque, Consolation, Final, PhiladelphiaAUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL5:15 a.m.FS2 — AFL: Melbourne at CarltonAUTO RACING2:30 p.m.USA — NTT IndyCar Series: The Gallagher Grand Prix, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, Indianapolis3 p.m.NBC — Pro Motocross Championship: The Unadilla National, New Berlin, N.Y.5:30 p.m.USA — NASCAR Xfinity Series: The Pennzoil 150 presented by Advance Auto Parts, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Indianapolis7 p.m.FS1 — NHRA: Qualifying, Heartland Motorsports Park, Topeka, Kan. (Taped)BASKETBALL8 p.m.NBATV — 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony: From Springfield, Mass.BOXING9 p.m.SHO — Showtime Championship Main Card: Emmanuel Rodriguez vs. Melvin Lopez (Bantamweights), Oxon Hill, Md.10 p.m.ESPN — Top Rank Main Card: Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez (Junior-Welterweigh...

Stock market today: Wall Street edges lower after pickup in wholesale inflation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:55:38 GMT

Stocks are slightly lower on Wall Street in early trading Friday after the government reported a slight increase in wholesale prices last month, suggesting that the Federal Reserve’s work on bringing inflation to heel isn’t done.The S&P 500 was down 0.1%, on pace for its second losing week in a row. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 57 points, or 0.1%, at 35,146, as of 10:04 a.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite was 0.5% lower.Big tech companies were among the biggest losers in the early going. Chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices fell 2%. The Labor Department reported Friday that its producer price index, which measures inflation before it hits consumers, rose 0.8% last month from July 2022. The latest figure followed a 0.2% year-over-year increase in June, which had been the smallest annual rise since August 2020.“Not surprisingly, today’s report offers the hawkish wing of the Fed more ammunition to advocate for another rate hike before the Fed is convinced it’...

Belgium is celebrating flowers and surrealism. And nothing is what it seems

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:55:38 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — If elephants are really known for their sense of direction, what are nine of them doing in the heart of Brussels, seemingly lost between the gothic and baroque houses lining the UNESCO-protected Grand Place? As of Friday, nothing is quite what it seems as the Belgian capital celebrates the nation’s love of surrealism. The nine life-sized wooden elephants were brought in from the Verbeke art center about an hour’s drive north of Brussels to be the prime attraction of Flowertime, a biennial festival highlighting the nation’s fling with flowers. Only this time, surrealism adds a twist. And no symbol more potent than Rene Magritte’s pipe, subtitled, “This is not a pipe.” It is a painting of a pipe, after all — and it has come to define Belgian surrealism ever since.Now a similar non-pipe — a sculpture of a pipe — graces the interior yard of City Hall, which for the occasion has been renamed, “This is not a city hall.” On the pipe sculpture, flower...

Poland’s ruling party seeks referendum on privatization as it steps up attacks on opposition leader

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:55:38 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s ruling party leader said Friday that Polish voters will be asked to decide whether they support the sell-off of state-owned enterprises in a referendum, saying it would be about “whether the wealth of generations will remain in Polish hands.”The move came as the conservative ruling party, Law and Justice, stepped up its attacks on the main opposition leader, Donald Tusk, ahead of parliamentary elections in the fall, which the president scheduled this week for Oct. 15.Law and Justice has for some time expressed a wish to hold a referendum on the topic of migration alongside the election. Critics view the plans to hold referendums on such emotional issues as an effort by the ruling party to mobilize its conservative base as its seeks an unprecedented third straight term. The party is leading in the polls but cannot be assured of an outright majority.Law and Justice party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said Friday that the party now plans more than one r...

This Colorado spa resort claimed top spot for best in US

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:55:38 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Sometimes all it takes is a trip to a spa resort to rejuvenate the mind and body. One Colorado resort was named the best in the whole country.USA Today's 10Best combines a list of 20 nominees for contests that cover food, lodging and travel. Then, readers get to make the final decision and vote for their favorite picks.USA Today made a list of the top 10 spa resorts in the U.S., and Colorado's very own The Springs Resort and Spa in Pagosa Springs claimed the top spot. The Springs Resort and Spa is home to 25 mineral pools in one of Colorado's most picturesque mountain towns. The resort said its pools contain 13 minerals: Potassium, Magnesium, Zinc, Lithium, Iron, Manganese and more. "The Springs Resort is built around one of the Earth’s original wellness destinations. The physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of our hot springs run deep," said the resort on its website. Colorado brewpub named best in the country The resort sits in a small southwestern town that...

Here’s how much your grocery prices rose last month

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:55:38 GMT

New York (CNN) — Grocery prices ticked up 0.3% in July, after staying flat in June, driven largely by rising beef prices.From June to July, adjusted for seasonal swings, the price of uncooked beef roasts spiked 6.5%, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Thursday. Uncooked beef steaks prices rose 2.3% and uncooked ground beef rose 1.5%. Altogether, beef and veal got 2.4% more expensive last month.The higher prices were recorded as the country’s beef supplies have been contracting. Extreme drought in recent years caused farmers to rapidly sell cattle because the conditions, plus with higher feed costs, made it expensive or impossible to maintain herds. That wave of sales, particularly of cows used to breed, led to supply constraints this year.“Herd liquidation continues to tighten supply, leading to higher cattle cost,” said meat processor Tyson (TSN) CEO Donnie King during a call with analysts this week. The USDA said in July that the country’s cattle inventor...

Teen lifeguard struck by lightning in North Carolina shares story

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:55:38 GMT

Brynnlee Steger was working her regular lifeguard shift at the pool when a storm was on the horizon in Landis, North Carolina. The 15-year-old and her boss had to take down the umbrellas before the wind carried them away, but as Brynnlee was completing her duties, a strike of lightning changed her life. “I was standing here, and I had bent down to unscrew the bolts underneath the table,” said Brynlee as she explained what she was doing before the lightning struck. “By the time I turned around, I felt it. It hit me, and I felt like my arm had literally got cut off.” On Monday, Sonya, Brynlee’s mother, and lifeguard manager Mackenzie Chabala, helped to quickly take down umbrellas in the middle of a severe storm. Chabala said she regrets sending her staff member to work in the middle of the storm.“We were just doing our best, and what we thought was the best thing for the pool,” said Chabala. “We were just grabbing those umbrellas, we did...

Zoo Miami welcomes cheetah cub ‘Winston’ as newest ambassador for endangered species

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:55:38 GMT

Zoo Miami announced the newest addition to its family, a cheetah cub named Winston Eugene Portland III, known as Winston, as he prepares to take on the role of ambassador for his species. Born on May 9th at Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon, Winston’s journey has now brought him to the heart of Miami. His full name pays tribute to the cities that played a pivotal role in his journey from Oregon to Miami.As per the recommendation of the Cheetah Species Survival Plan (SSP), Winston and his littermates have been chosen to become ambassadors at various zoos across the nation. Upon his arrival at Zoo Miami, Winston underwent a meticulous series of tests and examinations while in a quarantine area. This comprehensive health assessment, overseen by a team of Animal Science and Animal Health specialists, ensured Winston’s well-being and normal development. During this period, Winston was introduced to his new surroundings at a gradual pace, preparing him for his forthcoming rol...

French court suspends ban on climate movement accused of ‘ecoterrorism’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:55:38 GMT

A top French administrative court on Friday suspended the government’s decision to disband a climate activist movement following clashes with police during protests earlier this year.France’s Council of State court ruled that the disbanding order would restrict the activists’ freedom of assembly and said the interior ministry did not provide enough evidence to back up its claim that the group is inciting violence.“Neither the documents in the file, nor the discussions at the hearing, make it possible to consider that the grouping in any way endorses violent acts against individuals,” the court said in a statement.Protests organized in March by the leaderless group Les Soulèvements de la Terre (“Earth’s uprisings”) against the construction of large water reservoirs led to violent clashes with police that left hundreds injured and two people in a coma.French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin ordered the group to be disbanded following the inci...