Month: August 2022

A Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in California’s Napa County has caused one death and nearly a dozen hospitalizations since mid-July.  Public health officials have found one possible source of the bacteria that causes the illness, with high levels of Legionella bacteria being found in a water sample taken from a cooling tower at Embassy Suites Napa Valley. However, none of those who were sickened had visited or stayed at the hotel.

According to a Napa County statement: “The cooling tower has since been taken offline, which mitigates any ongoing risk to public health.”  Dr. Karen Relucio, the county’s health officer, said in the statement that county and state public health investigators have been working with hotel staff to “remediate the source of exposure, but we must continue to investigate other cooling towers and water sources in the outbreak area, as it is common to find more than one source.”

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia caused by a bacteria that grows in warm water. People can get Legionnaires’ disease when they breathe in water vapor containing the bacteria. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Outbreaks are commonly associated with buildings or structures that have complex water systems, like hotels and resorts, long-term care facilities, hospitals, and cruise ships. The most likely sources of infection include water used for showering, hot tubs, decorative fountains, and cooling towers.” The disease isn’t contagious, and can be treated with antibiotics, but can be dangerous for some people, such as those with pre-existing conditions. Symptoms include muscle aches, fever and chills.

A dozen Napa County residents have been hospitalized with the disease since July 11. Three remain hospitalized and one person died; the county said that person was over the age of 50 and had “risk factors for severe disease.”

Editorial credit: Kateryna Kon / Shutterstock.com

WNBA star Brittney Griner was found guilty by a Russian court on Thursday on drug smuggling and possession charges, and was sentenced her to nine years in a Russian penal colony.  The verdict came after closing arguments in Griner’s trial at a court near Moscow.

The two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist has been in a Russian jail for almost six months since her arrest at Moscow’s airport in February with two vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her bags.  Cannabis is illegal in Russia, but Griner’s attorneys have argued that she has a valid medical prescription and that she didn’t intentionally pack the cartridges. However in its verdict, the court ruled that Griner had deliberately intended to smuggle cannabis.

The 31-year-old, who’d faced a total of 10 years in prison, pleaded guilty to the charges last month in a bid for leniency from the court. Last week, Griner testified in her own defense, saying she packed the vape cartridges by accident and that she had ‘no intention’ of breaking Russian law. Prosecutors argued for a 9 1/2-year jail sentence for Griner; however, the court rejected those arguments and sentenced Griner to nine years in jail, and a fine of 9 million rubles (equal to about $150,000). The 9-year sentence is considered by many an excessive punishment for Griner possessing less than 2 grams of the cannabis oil. Griner’s attorneys said the verdict was “absolutely unreasonable” and promised to exercise the basketball star’s right to an appeal.

President Joe Biden said he’s doing everything possible to secure Griner’s release: “Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney. It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates. My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and [imprisoned former U.S. Marine] Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible.”

Editorial credit: Keeton Gale / Shutterstock.com

Infowars owner and host Alex Jones admitted on Wednesday that the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut did occur.  Jones said Wednesday: “Especially since I’ve met the parents. It’s 100% real.”

Jones made the admission during the civil trial that will determine how much the conspiracy theorist owes in defamation damages to the parents of the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting. Until Wednesday, Jones had steadfastly claimed that the event was a staged government conspiracy meant to take away Americans’ guns.

The parents of 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, one of the 26 first- grade students and teachers killed in the shooting, are seeking $150 million in damages after Jones repeatedly described the shooting as a “giant hoax” involving government-employed “crisis actors.” During cross-examination, the attorney representing Jesse Lewis’ parents, Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, told the courtroom that Jones’ lawyer sent him an “entire digital copy” of Jones’ cellphone “with every text message you’ve sent for the past two years” over a week ago. The phone also contained financial information pertaining to Jones’ media company that he didn’t turn over during deposition.

Editorial credit: Vic Hinterlang / Shutterstock.com

Indiana Rep. Jackie Walorski died Wednesday in a car crash in her home district, her office announced. She was 58.  The Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office said that Walorski was riding in an SUV with Emma Thomson, 28, a member of her staff, and Zach Potts, 27, chairman of the St. Joseph County Republican Party when another vehicle struck them head-on. Thomson, Potts and the driver of the other vehicle, Edith Schmucker, 56, also died of their injuries.

Walorski’s office confirmed the news in a post on her Twitter account: “Dean Swihart, Jackie’s husband, was just informed by the Elkhart County Sheriff’s office that Jackie was killed in a car accident this afternoon. She has returned home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers.”

President Joe Biden ordered flags to be flown at half-staff Wednesday and Thursday. Biden said: “We may have represented different parties and disagreed on many issues, but she was respected by members of both parties for her work on the House Ways and Means Committee on which she served. We send our deepest condolences to her husband, Dean, to the families of her staff members, Zachery Potts and Emma Thomson, who lost their lives in public service, and to the people of Indiana’s Second District who lost a representative who was one of their own.”

Walorski represented Indiana in Congress since 2013. Before being elected to U.S. Congress in 2012, she served as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives from 2005 to 2010. In the U.S. House, she was the ranking member of the House ethics committee and held positions on the ways and means, armed services, budget, Veterans Affairs, and coronavirus crisis committees. She belonged to the Veterinary Medicine, U.S.-Japan and Republican Study caucuses.

Walorski is survived by her husband, Dean Swihart.

Editorial credit: carl ballou / Shutterstock.com

On Tuesday night, the Senate overwhelmingly approved the PACT Act with an 86-to-11 vote. The PACT Act is a bill to expand health care benefits for veterans who developed illnesses due to their exposure to burn pits during military service.

The vote came after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Tuesday afternoon that he and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had come to an agreement.  Schumer said after the vote: “This is a wonderful moment, especially for all the people who have made this happen who are observing it. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.” The bill now heads to President Biden’s desk.

Burn pits are holes in the ground the U.S. military dug near bases in countries that had limited infrastructure where troops would dump trash and burn it to dispose of it. The legislation would expand benefits for an estimated 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic burn pits during the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as remove the burden of proof from veterans seeking care for conditions related to exposure from burn pits by presuming a number of conditions, including terminal cancers, are related to the exposure.

Editorial credit: Mark Van Scyoc / Shutterstock.com

On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taipei, showing support for Taiwan despite China’s threats of retaliation over the visit. Pelosi’s visit marks the first time that a House Speaker has visited Taiwan in 25 years. A Taiwanese official told CNN that Pelosi is expected to stay in Taipei overnight.

Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan comes at a low point regarding US-China relations, and despite warnings from China against a stop in Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory. China warned against the “egregious political impact” of Pelosi’s visit, saying that the Chinese military “won’t sit by idly” if Beijing believes its “sovereignty and territorial integrity” is being threatened.

The stop prompted not only warnings from China but from the Biden administration, which has briefed the speaker about the risks of visiting the democratic, self-governing island.  During remarks at the United Nations, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the decision to visit Taiwan was Pelosi’s: “Congress is an independent, coequal branch of government. The decision is entirely the speaker’s.”

Sources told CNN that President Biden has said publicly that the military did not believe it was a good time for Pelosi to visit Taiwan, but he stopped short of telling her directly not to go, two sources previously told CNN. Administration officials are concerned that Pelosi’s trip comes at a particularly tense moment, as Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to seek an unprecedented third term at the upcoming Chinese Communist Party congress. Chinese party officials are expected to begin laying the groundwork for that conference in the coming weeks, putting pressure on the leadership in Beijing to show strength.

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com