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WellNow Urgent Care drops Excellus BlueCross BlueShield due to 'unfair rates'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

SYRACUSE (WSYR-TV) -- After more than a year trying to negotiate with Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, WellNow urgent care announced Tuesday, October 31 that they will no longer accept Excellus because of "unfair rates." as of the end of the year.Just last month, WellNow announced they were temporarily closing locations and that's because the company was sending a warning to Excellus, urging them to update "current and renewal reimbursement rates that reflect both the cost and the value of the services WellNow Urgent Care centers provide." Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! In its warning letter sent to Excellus on Sept. 30, WellNow stated Excellus "failed to commit to reasonable reimbursement rates for the critically important, quality healthcare services WellNow Urgent Care centers deliver to Excellus insureds in communities throughout Central New York."They gave Excellus 30 days to mutually agree with its terms from the date of t...

Trump’s relationship with far-right groups under scrutiny during ‘insurrection’ trial in Colorado

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI (Associated Press)DENVER (AP) — Lawyers sparred Tuesday over former President Donald Trump’s relationship with the mob that attacked the Capitol, an important point in a Colorado lawsuit seeking to bar him from the 2024 ballot under the rarely used “insurrection” clause of the Constitution.Still to come: arguments over whether the events of Jan. 6, 2021, amounted to an insurrection under a provision put in the Constitution in 1868 to prevent former confederates from taking over the government.The plaintiffs presented testimony from an extremism expert who maintained that Trump had a clear relationship with far-right extremists and that they interpreted his pleas to protest the certification of President Joe Biden’s win as a call to arms.“A consistent theme is individuals reporting that they thought that Donald Trump had sent them there,” said sociology professor Peter Simi of Chapman University, a private college in Southern California.Trump’s lawyers say his co...

In shadow of loss, mother of Aurora theater shooting victim’s long search for happiness

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

AJIJIC, Mexico — There’s a look Sandy Phillips came to know each time she arrived somewhere a gunman had made famous. Her road trip through mass shooting sites went on for a decade and always seemed to have a new stop. When she reached it, she’d lock eyes with someone and see the catatonia, as plain as the weight of every leaden step they’d taken since the news that upended their life.She, too, had inched through days when all the world’s laughter went silent and its beauty was lost. In a morning fog, she’d question if it all was a nightmare, and in the black of night, when the grisly visions clawed her awake, she’d lie there wishing it was she who had died. Life became a torturous cycle punctuated by her own sobbing. She was sure she was creeping toward insanity.Now she found herself in Newtown or Parkland or Uvalde or whatever fresh hell had just been put on the map. She had lessons to share, advice that could only be amassed by someone who’d lived through the same. So, she’...

Fire crews struggling to contain wildfire in Riverside County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

Firefighters in Riverside County are struggling to make progress in their battle against a Santa Ana wind-fueled wildfire that has forced thousands of people from their homes.The Highland Fire in Aguanga, a sparsely populated area east of Temecula, had consumed at least 2,200 acres of dry brush and trees and three structures as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Cal Fire.Another six structures have been damaged.The fire erupted just after noon on Monday near Highlands and Aguanga Ranchos roads and spread rapidly in the hot and dry desert winds.Fire crews battle the Highland Fire in Aguanga, California. Oct. 31, 2023. (KTLA)Fire crews battle the Highland Fire in Aguanga, California. Oct. 31, 2023. (KTLA)Smoke seen billowing over mountains in Riverside County, CA on Oct. 31, 2023. (ALERTCalifornia)Smoke seen billowing over mountains in Riverside County, CA on Oct. 31, 2023. (ALERTCalifornia)Firefighter seen working to extinguish several mobile home ablaze during the Highlands Fire in ...

The simple reason why streamers keep raising prices

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Apple TV+ - It doesn’t matter which streaming service you subscribe to; they’re all jacking up prices.Netflix recently increased its basic plan from $9.99 to $11.99 per month. Hulu went from $14.99 to $17.99. Apple raised subscriptions from $6.99 to $9.99. Max went from $14.99 to $15.99, and Disney+ raised its ad-free tier from $10.99 to $13.99.Suddenly, cutting the cord doesn’t seem to be cutting much at all for customers looking to save money from their cable and satellite bills.So why do these streaming services keep raising prices? It’s quite simple, according to KTLA consumer reporter David Lazarus.“Streaming costs are rising, and will continue to rise because the industry remains in search of a sustainable business model,” he says. This appears to be the plan for Universal Studios’ new roller coaster In other words, they’re generally not making money - yet.With its rich and vast library of original series and films, only Netflix, the original str...

Man who received second pig heart transplant has died

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

By Lauran Neergaard | Associated PressWASHINGTON — The second person to receive a transplanted heart from a pig has died, nearly six weeks after the highly experimental surgery, his Maryland doctors announced Tuesday.Lawrence Faucette, 58, was dying from heart failure and ineligible for a traditional heart transplant when he received the genetically modified pig heart on Sept. 20.According to the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the heart had seemed healthy for the first month but began showing signs of rejection in recent days. Faucette died Monday.In a statement released by the hospital, Faucette’s wife, Ann, said her husband “knew his time with us was short and this was his last chance to do for others. He never imagined he would survive as long as he did.”The Maryland team last year performed the world’s first transplant of a heart from a genetically altered pig into another dying man. David Bennett survived two months before that heart failed, ...

CSU faculty authorizes strike — a move that eventually could affect more than 400,000 students

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

Faculty members at California State University have voted to authorize a strike, demanding a new deal with increased pay, lower class sizes, and more manageable workloads for staff across the university system’s 23 campuses.The authorization came Monday after a 95% vote from those in the California Faculty Association, a union representing 29,000 faculty, lecturers, librarians and counselors at CSU.But that doesn’t mean a walkout is imminent.The faculty’s demands will now be brought to the university’s chancellor, Mildred Garcia, at the CSU board of trustees meeting on Nov. 7.“We are willing to withhold our labor if CSU management continues to say no to investing their money where it matters: the people who are directly responsible for student learning and success,” said Charles Toombs, the president of the California Faculty Association, in a video released by the union Monday night.Central to their demands are wage increases, including one that would bump salaries by 1...

“We are afraid:” Earth’s vital signs are now in “uncharted territory,” climate scientists warn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

Massive wildfires in Canada, Greece and Hawaii. All-time record heat waves. Hurricanes with surprising ferocity, like the one that devastated Acapulco last week.This year has presented stark evidence that Earth is already in “uncharted territory” with climate change, climate scientists say, to the point that unless major progress is made to reduce greenhouse emissions, parts of the world that are home to one-third to one-half of the global population could face extreme heat, food shortages and water shortages by the end of this century.That’s the conclusion of a new study from researchers at Oregon State University and other institutions around the world, that has been drawing growing attention since its publication last week.“As scientists, we are increasingly being asked to tell the public the truth about the crises we face in simple and direct terms,” the researchers wrote. “The truth is that we are shocked by the ferocity of the extreme weathe...

Thousands flee Santa Ana-driven wildfires in rural SoCal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

By Marcio Sanchez | Associated PressAGUANGA — Hundreds of firefighters aided by aircraft on Tuesday battled a wind-driven wildfire that damaged or destroyed at least nine buildings in rural Southern California and prompted authorities to order 4,000 residents to evacuate.Gusty Santa Ana winds spread the Highland Fire over 3.5 square miles (9 square kilometers) of brushy hills near the Riverside County hamlet of Aguanga after it broke out Monday afternoon.Three structures were confirmed destroyed and six others were damaged, said Riverside County Fire Department spokesperson Jeff LaRusso.Luis Quinonez was away when a house he owned burned to the ground. He was trying to keep his spirits up.“It’s not for sale anymore,” Quinonez, covered in soot, joked in an interview.He also lost 13 vehicles he had collected to sell. A second house he owns across the street was untouched. No one was hurt, he added, and his dogs, cats, chickens and roosters were also OK.The terrain, s...

Oakland to open city-owned garage to public as part of safety initiative

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

(KRON) -- Visitors to downtown Oakland will now be able to park in a secure City of Oakland-owned garage as part of a new pilot program announced Tuesday. The initiative, Five After Five, was one of several new community safety initiatives unveiled by Mayor Sheng Thao during her State of the City address earlier this month.Under the Five After Five pilot, diners, shoppers, workers, business owners and other visitors to the area can park in the city's secure Franklin Plaza Parking Garage seven days a week. The garage will be available to park in after 5 p.m. for a flat rate of $5, the mayor's office announced in a statement. Thieves who appear to rob elderly San Jose couple caught on camera The garage will also be available to the public all day on weekends. Hours for the garage will also be extended as follows:Monday through Wednesday: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.Thursday through Friday: 7 a.m. to 3 a.m.Saturday: 12 p.m. to 3 a.m.Sunday: 12 p.m. to 10 p.m."Oakland’s downtown and neighborhood...