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Potomac River earns ‘B’ grade from clean water advocacy group

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

In the 1960s, the Potomac River was declared a “national disgrace” by President Lyndon B. Johnson.Decades later, the condition of the river has earned a “B” from the Potomac River Conservancy.At a news conference Tuesday, the Potomac Conservancy released its report on the health of the river that runs into the Chesapeake Bay.Among the findings in the report, the decline of industrial and agricultural pollution has resulted in improved health of the river. Hedrick Belin, President of the Potomac Conservancy explained “that pollution reduction really drives a number of the other successes we were able to report on, whether it’s for wildlife or for people.”Fish and wildlife, including bald eagles, have rebounded, according to the report, and Belin said that includes the appearance of bottlenose dolphins in the southern end of the river.“Those dolphins are coming into the Potomac to raise their young in the shallow tidal waters,” he ...

Prince George’s Co. Schools sues TikTok, other social media sites

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

The mental health of students is a growing concern among parents and schools, and more and more focus is being put on social media platforms and the role they might play. Now another local school system is doing what others around the country have done: filing a lawsuit.Prince George’s County, Maryland, Public Schools has filed a federal lawsuit against Meta, Snap Inc., Byte Dance and Google alleging public nuisance, negligence and gross negligence. The nearly 200-page lawsuit accuses the social media companies — which run Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube — of intentionally targeting children with platforms designed to be addictive.The county said the end result is that those companies continue to rake in profits while schools and parents deal with the fallout that comes from their impact. In particular, the lawsuit cites increases in eating disorders, depression and suicidal ideations among teenagers.Meta sent a lengthy response to WTOP from Antigone Davis, Meta’...

Virtual Care Center in Denver is modernizing patient care

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

Denver (KDVR) -- Virtual Care Center in Denver is providing a new approach to healthcare. HealthONE's center has about 65 employees and can monitor and assist patients at nine hospitals in Colorado and Kansas.Tracie Klassen is the Vice President of Nursing Operations at Virtual Care Center. She says one area of the center handles patient admission and discharge virtually. Patients and staff have the option to connect over a screen. "Our virtual nurses can "beam" into the room and their face will be on the television," Klassen said.Another group uses Artificial Intelligence and predictive analytics to go over patient labs and vitals from different hospitals. If there is an alert, they can jump in. Miller moths are here, and ‘they’re everywhere!’ "I take a deep dive, read the doctors' notes, nurses' notes, check the trends on the lab and the vitals, see what's going on. Then I try to see if I can come up with interventions," said Michael Hayden, a virtual registered nurse.The cente...

Rep. Lauren Boebert files for divorce from husband

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert has filed for divorce from her husband, according to a statement from the congresswoman.Boebert, who was first elected in 2020, said the divorce was "truly about irreconcilable differences." "I’ve always been faithful in my marriage, and I believe strongly in marriage, which makes this announcement that much more difficult," she said in her statement. Best places to live in the US: 3 cities in Colorado Boebert also said she does not intend to discuss the matter further, out of respect for her children.Read the full statement from Boebert:It is with a heavy weight on my heart that I have filed for divorce from my husband. I am grateful for our years of marriage together and for our beautiful children, all of whom deserve privacy and love as we work through this process. I’ve always been faithful in my marriage, and I believe strongly in marriage, which makes this announcement that much more difficult. This is truly about irreconcilable...

Denver has had 5 times more rain than Seattle this May

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- It has been an unusually rainy May in Denver with over 4 inches of accumulation so far. Denver has had about five times more rainfall than the rainy city of Seattle this May.Denver has had measurable rain at Denver International Airport for the last six days straight, while in Seattle, only a small amount of light rain fell at the airport Monday evening. From May 10-15, Denver picked up 4.57 inches of rainfall. In Seattle, the 6-day total is only 0.12 inches.Due to the rain Monday night, Seattle's May total is now .91 inches. Denver's is up at 4.65 inches making it the 11th-wettest May on record so far. With half of the month still to go and several rain chances in the 7-day forecast, it is likely that this May will finish in the top 10 wettest on record in Denver. An average May in Denver brings about 2.16 inches of rain, making it the wettest month of the year in Denver. This year, Denver has doubled the average May rainfall in just the first half of the month. Th...

Manager of Petland store in SW Miami-Dade speaks out after suspect is caught on surveillance video stealing puppy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

There was canine trouble at a South Florida pet store after, police said, a man, dressed similarly to store employees walked out of store carrying a puppy he did not pay for.The thief new exactly what he wanted and was sneaking by pretending to be an employee. He then made his way to the back of the store towards the kennel area that used to house a French bulldogs. The man then made a mad dash with a high dollar dog. The pet thief was caught on camera racing out of a store with a French bulldog tucked under his right arm.“It’s honestly pretty sad,” said Damian Tejeda, the manager at Petland.Tejeda told 7News he has no doubt that the dog is in distress now that it is in the hands of a criminal. “They’re just trying to do it off purely profit, and that’s what a lot of people don’t understand about dogs, is that they have a lot of emotional connection to us and stuff like that, so it’s very difficult for a puppy to go from one situation ...

Police: Both parties in Plantation assault over ducks responsible; no charges filed

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

A police report stated both parties involved in an altercation outside a Plantation home are responsible for what occurred.Art Cosgrove, the homeowner spoke to 7News and said the foul treatment began when two men arrived in a truck with nets out as they attempted to pick up a duck from Cosgrove’s yard, which led to him telling the two men to leave his property. Things escalated quickly and that’s when Cosgrove said one of the three-man involved got physical with him. He said one of the men grabbed a net and went over to Cosgrove, striking him repeatedly. The police report stated that the duck trappers were not trespassing. The report read, “rather one was walking upon a public sidewalk, making his way to the front of the residence and standing on the sidewalk, attempting to coax a duck from the front yard to come to the sidewalk.” Police said that’s when Cosgrove emerged from the front of the residence saying, “I`ll kick your f****ng a** you motherf****...

Florida man attempts to break pickelball Guinness Book record by playing 48 games in 48 states

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

SARASOTA, Fla. (WSVN) —Sixty-three-year-old Dean Matt of Sarasota is a pilot and pickleball addict.He’s hoping to set a Guinness Book record by playing 48 games, in the 48 contiguous states, in one month’s time.“It’s our new love, so we’re out at the courts three or four times a week playing pickleball and making friends and have a little exercise,” Matt said. “I’m learning nothing about pickleball, but I’m learning a lot about America.”During most days, Matt will play two matches in two different states.On other days, he’ll pack in three stops in a day.His schedule says he’s set to complete his challenge in Tampa on Friday, May 26.

Keep UK-China trade talks on ice, Liz Truss warns

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

LONDON — Liz Truss will urge her successor Rishi Sunak to keep U.K. trade and economic talks with China on ice when she visits Taiwan on Wednesday.The former British prime minister will use a speech in Taipei to urge the current prime minister to rule out the resumption of the Economic and Financial Dialogue and the Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETCO) — both forums for U.K.-China discussions — according to remarks shared with reporters in advance.British government officials were in negotiations last year about holding a JETCO meeting, but Boris Johnson put the talks on hold following a backlash from MPs when he was prime minister.The U.K. government said it had “always been clear that China remains the biggest state-based threat to the U.K.’s economic security.” “Given China is a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and the second largest economy in the world, it’s in the national interest to continue engagement particularly on issues suc...

Galvin: Boston Council Risking Election Delay, Court Intervention

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

The state’s top election official is worried about the pace of the Boston City Council’s revived redistricting process, as a May 30 deadline nears to have a new district map in place or risk delaying a city election. The Boston City Council must redraw the political boundaries of its nine district seats after a federal judge blocked Boston from using its most recent redistricting map in this fall’s elections. Last fall’s redistricting process was contentious and drawn out, ending with four of the 13 councilors voting against the map and two councilors challenging it in the courts. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has said the council must pass a new map by May 30 to avoid delaying the Sept. 12 preliminary election. But since the judge ordered that the council needs to redraw the map last Monday, councilors have not yet made much progress. A committee meeting on the federal court order scheduled for Tuesday afternoon was canceled late Tuesday morning, after an ho...