Online Features
Health & Wellness
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Youth safety around the farm: tractors are tools, not toys
The warm summer months into the fall harvest season are some of the most beautiful times on the farm. Crops are in full-swing, fruit is abundant and families often make annual trips to local farms and festivals during this time. Whether you live on a farm or plan to visit one this season, now is the perfect time to remin...
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What it takes to make school a safe place for students with diabetes
When children head off to school, it's assumed that they'll be in a safe place where they'll be well taken care of. For the most part, that's the truth. But for children with diabetes, the school environment can pose a serious health risk if there's no one on site to help them manage their disease.
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Back to school, back to fitness
No matter how long it's been since you set foot in a classroom, September can still bring a sense of starting over, which makes it the perfect time of year to take stock of where you are and where you want to be with your general health and level of fitness. You can go "back to school" by enrolling in an exercise class o...
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High temperatures increase health risks for people with diabetes
For the nearly 26 million Americans living with diabetes, high temperatures and increased sun exposure can pose particularly dangerous health risks. During warm weather, experts caution that people with diabetes must take extra care to avoid serious, heat-related conditions.
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Health alert - picking the right team to tackle opioid painkiller dependence
Prescription painkiller dependence has reached epidemic levels in the United States. In 2010, twelve million Americans reported misuse of prescription painkillers in just one year. Former pro-football quarterback and current sports analyst, Ray Lucas, fell victim to these statistics. After facing his own addiction, he so...
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School lunch vs. bag lunch: What's best for your kids?
Bag it or buy it? What's healthier and what will they eat? It's a question faced by parents each school year. Often, there's an assumption that bagging is better, but there's also the convenience and choices of school lunch to consider. Good news: both the tray and the tote can be winning meals. A few important facts can...
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A woman's 'rare' journey: life with an uncommon disease
Everyone has a rare quality or a characteristic that sets him or her apart from others - a special talent, a unique interest or, for some, a rare disease. People living with rare diseases are extraordinary in many ways, often demonstrating exemplary traits when faced with extraordinary challenges.
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Make food prep easy this summer by going raw
The hot days of summer are the perfect time to relax with friends in the backyard and sample delicious fruits and salads while sipping chilled drinks. Serve and enjoy the fruits and veggies grown in the garden. Serve these foods raw, because cooked vegetables can lose many nutrients throughout the cooking process.
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Could acorns lead to an up 'tick' in Lyme disease?
Oak trees produced an extremely high number of acorns in 2010, which led to an increase in the white-footed mouse population in 2011. In turn, the deer tick (or black-legged tick), had ample supply of its preferred food source. Here's how you can avoid ticks when outdoors.
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Pack a school lunch they won't want to trade
Packing school lunches filled with healthy, appealing and creative foods is an excellent start to encouraging children to make sensible food choices now and in the future. But if lunch items you pack are less than appetizing, it could be the next item of trade in the cafeteria: a risk not worth taking in the age of nutri...
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CC Sabathia pitches in to help bring fast relief to Americans in need by raising donations for the American Red Cross
When a community faces a disaster, it's important to have an all-star team onsite to help provide fast relief. Much like with disasters relief efforts, speed is essential in baseball and pain relief.
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Trouble remembering to take your medications? Text message reminders may help
Americans are busy people, and with everything that goes on in our daily lives, remembering to take a prescribed medication can be a challenge. According to The New England Journal of Medicine, nearly 70 percent of medication-related hospital admissions in the United States are the result of not taking a prescription med...
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national news
IRS chief declines to identify employees involved in scandal

Outgoing acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller is sworn-in during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the Internal Revenue Service targeting conservative groups on Capitol Hill in WashingtonBy Andy Sullivan and Kim Dixon WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The outgoing head of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service angered Republican lawmakers on Friday by resisting their demands that he identify who at the tax-collection agency had inappropriately targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny. But during the first hearing into a growing IRS scandal that could preoccupy Washington for months, Republicans did learn that a top official in President Barack Obama's administration knew that the IRS was looking into targeting by the tax agency nearly a year ago. ...


Fri May 17 19:54:32 UTC 2013
Illinois Senate approves marijuana for medical uses

Martos holds a marijuana leaf at the Canna Pi medical marijuana dispensary in SeattleBy Joanne von Alroth SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Reuters) - The Illinois Senate on Friday voted to approve the use of marijuana for medical purposes, which if signed into law would make it the second-most-populous state in the nation after California to allow the drug's use for medical purposes. The bill, approved by the Illinois House in April, now moves to Governor Pat Quinn's desk to await his signature. Quinn has indicated he is sympathetic to the bill, especially as it would benefit injured veterans. "We fully expect Gov. ...


Fri May 17 15:12:51 UTC 2013
Commuter trains collide in Connecticut, injuring up to 60 people

Passengers wait to be picked-up after two commuter trains collided in BridgeportBy Michelle McLoughlin FAIRFIELD, Connecticut (Reuters) - A commuter train traveling eastbound from New York City derailed near the Connecticut suburb of Fairfield during the evening rush hour on Friday and collided with a westbound commuter train, injuring up to 60 people, three critically, officials said. The collision of the two Metro North trains forced Amtrak to shut down service indefinitely between New York and Boston, the national railroad said. Three people were critically injured and 60 people were transported to area hospitals, police said. ...


Fri May 17 22:10:23 UTC 2013
Residents capture amazing videos in the face of tornadoes
A series of 16 violent tornadoes ransacked north Texas this week, killing six people and flattening entire neighborhoods. Seven people who were reported missing early Friday morning have now been accounted for, but the storms aren't over yet. Severe thunderstorms are expected late Friday in Alabama and Mississippi, and the Plains and the Midwest face [...]
Fri May 17 19:53:22 UTC 2013