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Mayo Clinic Minute: Breaking through radiation therapy myths

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:43 GMT

By Jason Howland, Mayo Clinic News NetworkPeople who have cancer might have the disease treated with several therapies, including chemotherapy and radiation. Radiation therapy, which more than half of all people with cancer receive as part of their treatment, uses high-powered energy beams, such as X-rays or protons, to kill cancer cells.Some patients may be nervous about receiving radiation therapy.In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Jennifer L. Peterson, a radiation oncologist, helps clear up some of the misconceptions about what often is an important part of a person’s cancer treatment.Radiation therapy can play a valuable role in a person’s cancer treatment plan. But Dr. Peterson wants to dispel a few myths.“There are many misconceptions when a patient hears the word radiation. One of the most common is that radiation is going to make me sick,” she says.She says side effects from radiation are dependent on what part of the body is being treated and how much r...

Celebrate high summer with these 5 taste-bud-tickling weed drinks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:43 GMT

Adam Tschorn | Los Angeles Times (TNS)Just in time for high summer — and even higher temperatures — our Elite Beverage Tasting Squad, a cadre of cannabis consuming co-workers and friends, is at it again after forming last year to taste-test some pot-packed, palate-pleasing potables worthy of picking up and icing down.The big takeaway this time around? What a difference a year makes! Last summer, the squad sipped, swirled and spit its way through 17 beverages and found it challenging to pick five good-tasting ones from a sea of weedy White Claw wannabes.This time, of the 18 drink options representing a dozen brands, the off-putting weediness of last year’s drinkable contenders was largely absent. And in the rare instances where it was noticeable this year, the taste of cannabis seemed to lean into — instead of detract from — the overall flavor profile of the beverage.Another noticeable difference is this: the infused beverage market appears to be moving away from putting all it...

Baseball world roasts Orioles for taking MASN’s Kevin Brown off air: ‘Disgraceful to the business’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:43 GMT

As the Orioles continue their run to the top of the American League standings, a controversy involving the team’s majority-owned broadcast network has taken center stage.Kevin Brown, the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network’s lead play-by-play announcer for Orioles games, was removed from the club’s television broadcasts a day after listing off statistics about Baltimore’s poor play in recent seasons, sources with knowledge of the team’s decisions told The Baltimore Sun.Brown hasn’t been featured on MASN broadcasts for the past two weeks but is scheduled to rejoin Friday, when the Orioles begin a series in Seattle to start a three-city trip out west, a source confirmed.The decision has rankled many across the baseball world, with several notable broadcasters lambasting the Orioles, MASN and chairman John Angelos on social media and live television.Here’s a look at what broadcasters, analysts and other observers are saying about the news:SNY’s G...

Tornado confirmed in Mattapoisett, 6 inches of rain as flooding reported across eastern Massachusetts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:43 GMT

The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado touched down in Mattapoisett Tuesday morning, as a survey team investigated several areas of damage in the South Coast community.“[Confirmed Tornado in Mattapoisett] A survey team has confirmed a tornado in Mattapoisett, MA around 1130 AM,” National Weather Service’s Boston office tweeted.“The survey team is still investigating damage, and a more detailed statement on EF-rating, start & end times will be sent later today upon damage survey completion,” NWS Boston added.Trees and wires were reported down in Mattapoisett late Tuesday morning. About 10% of the community was without power as of 2 p.m.Several tornado warnings were issued Tuesday morning, including for Cape Cod where residents were told to take cover around noontime. Radar indicated rotation over Barnstable.“Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter,” the National Weather Service wrote in an alert....

A woman in Mexico City heals hummingbirds, and gets healing in return

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:43 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Gently holding a baby hummingbird between her hands, Catia Lattouf says, “Hello, cute little guy. Are you very hungry?” It’s the newest patient at her apartment in a toney section of Mexico City where she has nursed hundreds of the tiny birds back to health over the past decade.Under Lattouf’s caress, the bird relaxes little by little, allowing her to evaluate it. A young man who rescued it after it fell from a nest onto his patio watched attentively.“It is a broad-billed hummingbird,” the 73-year-old Lattouf said, as she moved an eyedropper to its beak. “Oh, mama, you want to eat!”This is often how Lattouf’s days have gone since she turned her apartment in Mexico City’s Polanco neighborhood into a clinic for sick, injured or infant hummingbirds, about 60 of which currently flit around.Lattouf, who studied French literature, has become a reference source for bird lovers, amateur and professional alike, across Mexico and other parts of Latin America. Her improvised...

Storm-damaged eastern US communities clear downed trees and race to restore power

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:43 GMT

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Communities across the eastern United States were clearing away downed trees and power lines Tuesday after severe storms killed at least two people, damaged houses, cut electricity to more than 1.1 million homes and businesses, and canceled or delayed thousands of flights.Forecasters received more than 900 reports of wind damage from Monday’s storms. Nearly 300 of those reports came from North Carolina and South Carolina, according to the Storm Prediction Center.A spokesperson for Maryland’s largest power utility, BGE, called the destruction “catastrophic.”“This is damage that if you worked in electric distribution at BGE for your entire career, you may see it once,” Nick Alexopulos said at a news conference Monday night.The storms spawned tornado watches and warnings in 10 states from Tennessee to New York with more than 29.5 million people under a tornado watch Monday afternoon. A preliminary assessment of damage in Knoxville, Tennessee, found that ...

Friends gather in Philadelphia to remember O’Shae Sibley, killed in a confrontation over dancing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:43 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Friends and family members gathered Tuesday in Philadelphia to remember O’Shae Sibley, who was fatally stabbed after he confronted teenagers who taunted his group of gay, Black friends as they danced at a New York City gas station.“O’Shae had the power to touch everyone’s heart, whoever met him,” said Otis Pena, a close friend of Sibley’s who was at the gas station and bared his grief hours later in a Facebook video. “O’Shae was a beacon of light for a lot of us in our community.”About 200 people attended Sibley’s funeral at a historic opera house in the city where the 28-year-old Sibley grew up and performed before moving to New York to pursue his career as a dancer. He had performed with the dance company Philadanco and used dance to celebrate his LGBTQ+ identity.Brooklyn prosecutors have charged a 17-year-old high school student with hate-motivated murder in the death of Sibley, who was Black.The stabbing happened after a group of teenagers got int...

Hard-partying Puerto Rico capital faces new code that will limit alcohol sales

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:43 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s capital is renowned for its all-night partying, but a new municipal code is expected to change that.San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero on Tuesday signed a new measure to prohibit alcohol sales after certain hours, saying he was “morally convinced” it was the right thing to do.The new code, scheduled to go into effect in November, is expected to affect hundreds of restaurants and bars across San Juan. It was fiercely debated in recent months, with businesses and Puerto Ricans used to long nights and decades of no oversight decrying the new rules, which do not apply to hotels and their guests.Residents in the capital’s historic district known as Old San Juan, which is popular with locals and tourists alike, rejoiced cautiously.“The impression of San Juan is that anything goes,” said Reinaldo Segurola, 71. “It’s a mix between Disney and Las Vegas.”Throngs of people with drinks in hand often crowd the narrow streets of Old San Juan, where businesses ...

DJ Casper, Chicago disc jockey and creator of ‘Cha Cha Slide,’ dies after battle with cancer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:43 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Willie Perry Jr., a Chicago disc jockey known as “DJ Casper” and creator of the iconic “Cha Cha Slide” dance, has died. He was 58.Perry was diagnosed with cancer in 2016, and his wife confirmed his death Monday in a statement to WLS-TV.“Casper was a fun-loving, giving person,” his wife, Kim, said in the statement. “He was a genuine, family oriented man. He loved Chicago with all his heart. He will be greatly missed.”His “Cha Cha Slide” continues to be a favorite at weddings, clubs and many other events about two decades after it became popular. Participants typically dance in lines and rows, following commands to a funky beat on when and where to step, stomp, hop and slide.Perry told WLS-TV in a May interview that the “Cha Cha Slide” initially was an aerobic exercise for his nephew who worked at a fitness club. It would go on to become popular in many countries.“From there, it just took off,” he said. “I have one of the biggest songs that’s played at all stadium...

Uvalde shooter’s cousin is arrested over making a school shooting threat, court records say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:43 GMT

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The teenage cousin of the gunman responsible for the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, has been arrested after his family told police he was trying to buy a gun and “do the same thing,” court records show. Police in San Antonio took the 17-year-old cousin into custody Monday on charges of making threats to a public place and a family member. He was being held in the Bexar County jail on a $160,000 bond Tuesday, jail records show.According to police and court records, the teen is the cousin of Salvador Ramos, the 18-year-old Uvalde resident who authorities say fatally shot 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in 2022. Police waited more than an hour to confront and kill Ramos. The charges against the cousin stem from his mother calling police to tell them he was also threatening to open fire at a school and had said he’d shoot his sister, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by local news outlets. The San Antonio Express-News rep...