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You can order more free COVID tests ahead of the holidays: Here's how

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans can order more free COVID-19 tests online for home delivery.The U.S. government is offering to send another round of four at-home virus tests ahead of the typical surge in cases during the winter holiday season.Anyone who did not order a batch of four COVID-19 tests in September can secure up to eight of them this time around starting Monday at COVIDtests.gov. The U.S. Postal Service will deliver them for free.The government is mailing out the coronavirus tests as the flu season kicks off and a spike in RSV cases has been reported in some spots around the country. Hospitalizations for COVID-19, which has killed more than 1 million people in the United States, were on the rise this fall but have stayed steady in recent weeks. Immunity from previous vaccinations and infections has kept case counts lower compared with other years. The flu is spiking in 7 states – see where cases are rising The new release of free COVID-19 nasal swab tests also comes ahead ...

Here's what Thanksgiving meals cost at most major U.S. grocery stores

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:39 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Preparing a Thanksgiving meal can be stressful enough, but it's made extra-stressful when buying everything you need takes too big a chunk out of your wallet. It can be daunting figuring out where to buy what, but it helps if you have a breakdown.Thankfully, just in time for the holiday, financial data outlet FinanceBuzz has compared prices among the U.S.' major grocery stores to find who has the most expensive and least expensive Thanksgiving prices. These major retail stores will be closed on Thanksgiving For shoppers who intend to make the meal themselves, Whole Foods was found to have the most expensive meal, with an average of $84.84 for eight people. Meanwhile, Wegmans was found to have the least expensive groceries, with an average of $32.94 for eight people.Here's the full list of stores and items by price:StoreTurkeyPotatoes/gravyStuffingVegetablesOther sidesPumpkin pieTotalAlbertsons$7.08*$5.97$3.99$12.32$9.07$6.99$45.42Aldi$15.24$2.53$1.50$4.21$6.79$5.19$35....

A win and the Longhorns are in the Big 12 title game, but what happens if they lose?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:39 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A win Friday over Texas Tech sends the Texas Longhorns to the Big 12 Conference championship game with the No. 1 seed, fulfilling the team's goal it set out to achieve at the beginning of the season. However, a loss to the Red Raiders and things get wacky.Before the final week of Big 12 play, the Longhorns are alone in first place at 7-1 with three teams a game behind at 6-2. Oklahoma, Kansas State and Oklahoma State are all within striking distance to potentially claim a spot in the title game through the conference's tiebreaker rules. Since the league schedule is unbalanced and not every team plays each other, it creates potential chaos when trying to break ties. Texas Longhorns are No. 7 for 5th consecutive week in AP Top 25 The Big 12 Conference laid out some title game scenarios Sunday night after sports writers and fans across the country couldn't understand the head-scratching tiebreaker protocols. Oklahoma and TCU also play on Friday while the rest of the c...

Hundreds of thousands of turkeys are sick. How could that impact your holiday plans?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:39 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Avian influenza is once again sweeping across poultry farms in the U.S. and bringing the risk of disrupted holiday meals with it.While Thanksgiving meal prices will mostly be spared, Texas A&M Department of Poultry Science Professor Greg Archer said Christmas celebrations may not be as lucky. "Prices are probably going to start going up with all the turkey that we're losing," Archer said. "It's possible that it's just going to keep getting worse."In October, the avian flu had already killed more than 1.4 million poultry nationwide, including 800,000 turkeys. In November, we reached those same numbers just halfway through the month. Archer said the bird flu is spread by wild birds, including waterfowl, migrating south from Canada. Those birds then interact with birds on poultry farms and spread the virus."We generally see more and more as the wild birds start migrating down," he said. Some farmers will try to secure their gaggle from outside invaders. Once infect...

Boutique, coffee shop opens in Halfmoon

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:39 GMT

HALFMOON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A new boutique and coffee shop has opened at 1471 Route 9 in Halfmoon. Boutique & Coffee Made Simple had its soft opening on November 13. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! In August, owner Nicole Wilson announced she was closing Life Made Simple Boutique in Burnt Hills. She attributed the closure to a lack of business and said people are still shopping online.However, she planned to reopen the boutique paired with a coffee shop in the Halfmoon area. Wilson also owns Life Maid Simple, a residential and commercial cleaning service. Wellness infusion business opening in Clifton Park The coffee shop menu includes espresso, lattes, iced coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and specialty holiday drinks, as well as pastries and "Grazables," which as like adult Lunchables. You can view the menu on the Boutique & Coffee Made Simple Facebook page.For the boutique part, the shop sells customizable gift boxes, can...

The Grinch to visit Pittsfield for Park Square tree lighting

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:39 GMT

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (NEWS10) -- This year, the Grinch won't stop Christmas from coming, in fact, he'll be in Pittsfield to help ring it in. There will be a Grinch meet and greet offering free hot chocolate on Friday, December 1, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Otto's Kitchen in Comfort, as part of Park Square's tree lighting ceremony which starts at 6 p.m. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! All are welcome to free hot chocolate and a photo op with the Grinch. The Tree Lighting Ceremony will be presented by Pittsfield Parks and Recreation.

Carlinville officer shoots suspected car thief Sunday

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:39 GMT

CARLINVILLE, Ill. -- Illinois State Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting. A Carlinville officer shot someone who pointed a gun at him during a traffic stop Sunday. The person was flown to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Deadly shooting on Stan Musial Veteran’s Memorial Bridge Sunday A Carlinville officer pulled a vehicle that was reported stolen over in the 20700 block of North Broad Street around 6:15 p.m. The police say the person in the car pointed a gun at the officer, and the officer shot the suspect. First responders took the person to the hospital to be treated for the gunshot wounds.The Carlinville officer was not injured in the incident. Illinois State Police say that there is an active investigation into the shooting.

Fatal road rage shooting in Fenton bond hearing today

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:39 GMT

FENTON, Mo. - The man charged in a deadly road rage shooting ten days ago in Fenton has a court hearing on Monday.Robert Mulkey is in jail on a $500,000 cash-only bond. There's a hearing at 10:00 a.m. to reduce that bond. Deadly shooting on Stan Musial Veteran’s Memorial Bridge Sunday The shooting happened on November 10 at Highway 141 near Gravois Bluffs. Prosecutors said that an angry driver walked over to Mulkey's van at a stop light and flicked a cigarette in his face.The police added that Mulkey then shot the man in the back.

Power outage cancels in-person classes at Riverview Gardens High School

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:39 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Students at Riverview Gardens High School are attending classes remotely on Monday. A campus power outage canceled in-person school. Students and teachers will be using Google Classrooms to meet virtually.All other schools in the Riverview Gardens School District have in-person classes. This issue is only at the Riverview Gardens High School campus. It is not clear if students will return to in-person class on Tuesday.

Microsoft Ends Weekend of OpenAI Drama With Coup of Its Own

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:39 GMT

Ashlee Vance, Emily Chang, Ed Ludlow and Dina Bass(Bloomberg) — After three days of high drama at the world’s most closely watched startup, which many compared to a coup, Microsoft Corp. capped the weekend with one of its own: The software giant hired ousted OpenAI chief Sam Altman.The moves reshape the world of artificial intelligence given that OpenAI is behind the hugely popular ChatGPT app that took generative AI into the mainstream, and Altman was its figurehead.He was unexpectedly fired by OpenAI’s board on Friday, setting off a frenzied weekend campaign to reinstate him, led by OpenAI executives and key investors — including Satya Nadella, the chief executive officer of Microsoft, which had pledged more than $10 billion for the startup.Instead, OpenAI’s board replaced Altman with Emmett Shear, the former CEO of Twitch, in a stinging rebuke to its investors. Nadella then announced that he had recruited Altman and Greg Brockman, another OpenAI co-f...