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Should I get another COVID-19 booster?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – COVID-19 continues to circulate in the U.S., but it is no longer as big of a threat to most healthy individuals as it was months ago. Currently, the community risk of COVID-19 in Travis County is low, as is the case in most jurisdictions around the country, per the CDC.  In fact, last week, the CDC recorded the lowest number of COVID-19 deaths since March 25, 2020.  If you already received a bivalent booster shot, are healthy and living in an area with low risk, the Texas Department of State Health Services does not recommend getting another booster shot until an updated vaccine is released, likely towards the end of the year, said Chris Van Deusen, spokesperson for the Texas DSHS.  MORE: KXAN is ending most of our COVID-19 data reporting. Here’s why “If you are 65 or older or if you have a condition that would mean you are moderate to severely immunocompromised – it's a good idea to talk to your doctor [about] whether getting an additional dose...

Brent Staples: Confederate tributes are losing their patron saint

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

It stands to reason that Woodrow Wilson would be the president to bring us Army bases named for traitors who waged war on this country with the goal of preserving slavery. He took office in 1913 with a team of white supremacists who announced themselves by requiring separate white and colored bathrooms in federal buildings. The Wilsonians inflicted a neo-Confederate regime on the capital that was felt in far corners of the nation.North Carolina newspaperman Josephus Daniels had the bloodiest résumé in the Wilson Cabinet. A decade and a half before going to Washington, he was a principal instigator of a murderous coup in Wilmington with the goal of removing Black people from positions of authority in city government.His Raleigh newspaper, The News & Observer, stoked white rage by equating Black political power with the rape of white women and trafficking in cartoons like one that depicted a giant black bat with “Negro rule” inscribed on its wings, a foot on a ballot box and white...

South St. Paul mourns school board member Bernie Beermann

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

B.E. “Bernie” Beermann, a new member of South St. Paul’s school board, passed away over the weekend.B.E. “Bernie” Beermann (Courtesy of South St. Paul Public Schools)Elected to the school board in January, Beermann was excited to join the board and proud to serve his community, said South St. Paul Superintendent Brian Zambreno, in an email.“As a board, we are saddened by the loss,” said John Raasch, chair of the school board. Beermann was a strong member of the community and well-respected, Raasch said.In his 80s, Beermann was learning a lot of new technology for the role, Raasch said, “He was excited to be a part of the process.”In addition to the school board, Raasch said Beermann previously ran for city offices. In 2018, he ran for South St. Paul city council. Prior to that, he served on the Inver Grove Heights city council.On the school board, Beermann was a part of the policy committee and the community education advisory committee.Raasch said the board is giv...

71-year-old charged with shooting St. Louis police officer, injuring others

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

ST. LOUIS – A 71-year-old man has been charged with shooting one St. Louis police officer and injuring two others.The shooting happened just before 4:30 p.m. Friday, at an apartment complex in the 5700 block of Kingsbury Place, located in the Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood. According to Evita Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, officers in the Crisis Response Unit and a clinical co-responder went to an apartment for a mental health assistance call. Police arrived at the scene and spoke with a man who said his brother, identified as Curtis Mabry, was in crisis. St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy said Mabry hadn't been compliant with taking his medication. Caldwell said police went into Mabry's apartment and found him sitting in a bathroom. Officers spoke with Mabry for about 30 minutes before requesting EMS come and examine him. 6 deaths in Illinois dust storm, police need help identifying 2 victims Police claim officers attempted to lift Ma...

Cardinals name Stifel as jersey sponsor, patch debuts Tuesday

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Bill DeWitt Jr., Bill Dewitt III and the St. Louis Cardinals' ownership team officially announce Stifel as a jersey patch sponsor. The sleeve patch will debut on Cardinals uniforms Tuesday night. Stifel also sponsors the jerseys of the Blues. There's a seven-year agreement to work it onto jerseys, home, road and alternate jerseys. Patches will debut on the jerseys starting Thursday. This is a developing story. Check back for more details.

Family-friendly summer fun St. Louis activities

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

Butterfly HouseST. LOUIS – With summer less than a month away, families with children might be seeking family-friendly activities in and around St. Louis. The following are some suggestions based on experiences shared by parents.  To explore additional suggestions beyond those covered in this article, visitors may check out this list which focuses on local fun. Educational entertainment: Brittney Ashby, pets a camel named Gumby at Grants FarmThe Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House in Chesterfield, Mo. This place has a big habitat for butterflies, a merry-go-round, a lot of room for picnics, and an educational center for visitors.  Big Joel’s Safari. This attraction has a large herd of goats that you can pet and play with in their pen. Grant's Farm has horses from Anheuser-Busch's farms. The location is also full of farm animals, some “exotic” animals you would see in a zoo, and they have a large petting area full of pygmy goats that are fun to feed. Just b...

Barry Morphew seeks $15 million in lawsuit over his arrest, prosecution for missing wife’s murder

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

Suzanne Morphew (Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office)The Colorado man once accused of killing his missing wife filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Tuesday alleging the now-dropped criminal prosecution violated his constitutional rights.Barry Morphew, 55, is seeking $15 million for what he says was a malicious criminal prosecution in his wife’s disappearance. He is suing Chaffee County, the sheriff’s office and board of commissioners, 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley and members of her staff, as well as Colorado Bureau of Investigation and FBI agents.Morphew claims in the 185-page complaint that authorities conspired to wrongly arrest him, fabricated evidence, concealed exculpatory evidence and conducted a reckless investigation that led to Morphew’s being wrongly held in jail and prosecuted.The lawsuit follows a professional complaint that his attorney, Iris Eytan, lodged last month against Stanley and several members of her office in which Eytan accused ...

Rockies’ German Marquez will undergo Tommy John surgery

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

Rockies right-hander German Marquez, the team’s opening-day starter, will undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his 2023 season.“It looks like I’ll have to have Tommy John,” Marquez said Tuesday afternoon in the Rockies clubhouse. “I kind of thought this was coming.”On Friday, Marquez, 28, was placed on the 15-day injured list for the second time this season. Marquez said that he anticipated being out for about six weeks after Thursday’s MRI revealed inflammation in his right elbow but also was fearful he would need reconstructive (Tommy John) surgery.“I want to be 100% healthy before I pitch (again),” he said.On Tuesday, Marquez said he’s coming to terms with the news, adding that believes now is the time to repair his elbow.“I could have done a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection but if I waited two months and tried to come back, I might be been hurt again,” Marquez said. “So I think this is the right time to ta...

Cities say shelters full, budgets hit by immigration uptick

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

By KATHLEEN FOODY, MELISSA PEREZ WINDER and TERESA CRAWFORD (Associated Press)CHICAGO (AP) — U.S. cities already struggling to shelter thousands of migrants are calling for federal help and an end to Republican political gamesmanship over immigration, concerned that an expected increase in the number of people entering the country when pandemic-era asylum restrictions end on the U.S.-Mexico border May 11 will further strain their budgets and resources. Chicago has long pledged to welcome migrants. But a tenfold increase in recent days has taxed resources. Migrants awaiting beds in city-run shelters are sleeping on floors in police stations and in airports surrounded by suitcases. They’re depending on donors for food, medicine and clothing.When border crossings increased last summer, Republican governors of border states bussed migrants to cities led by Democrats including Chicago, New York City and Denver, arguing that their own cities were overwhelmed. Texas’ Repu...

PERA board axes state pension fund’s executive director

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

The head of the pension fund for Colorado’s 660,000 former and current public employees was ousted by its governing board Monday.Ron Baker had led the Public Employees’ Retirement Association, known as PERA, since 2018. He had been part of its executive leadership team since 2009.Baker had been on a leave of absence since March 8 and will remain so until his formal termination on June 1. His contract, which was originally scheduled to expire in September, provides for 30 days’ written notice of termination. A statement from PERA confirming his termination did not offer any details as to why he was being fired.Related ArticlesPolitics | Colorado property tax relief: Polis, lawmakers reveal plan to ease skyrocketing tax bills Politics | Colorado lawmakers “belly flop” on water crisis, opting for further study of Colorado River over action, experts say Politics | Colorado lawmakers look to TABOR surplus to pay for...