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A tropical parasite, passed through the bite of a sand fly, is causing skin infections in the US

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:49 GMT

By Brenda Goodman | CNNMove over mosquitos. There’s another blood-sucking biter Americans need to guard against because it can spread disease: the sand fly.Sand flies are tiny tan flies — about the quarter of the size of a mosquito — that live in warm areas, usually those that are rural and forested. In other parts of the world, they are known to transmit a parasite — a single celled organism — that causes an infectious disease called leishmaniasis. They’re most active at night, and they’re so tiny they can slip through ordinary mosquito nets on tents or window screens.“Sometimes you don’t even notice that you’ve been bitten,” said Dr. Mary Kamb, a medical epidemiologist at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, one of the few labs in this country that can distinguish the species of Leishmania parasite that has infected a person.Kamb and her colleagues at the CDC say they’ve now detected leishmaniasis in a number of tissue samples from patients who say they ha...

Photos: Good vibes all around at the Golden State Warriors’ open basketball practice at Chase Center

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:49 GMT

For the low price of $5, some 13,000 Warriors fans gathered and watched Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and company splash three-pointers on the bright yellow court at Chase Center on Thursday.General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. briefly addressed the crowd about the summer blockbuster trade that flipped Jordan Poole for Chris Paul.The vibes at Open Practice were INCREDIBLE pic.twitter.com/A3y4Wj1fAy— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) October 20, 2023Related ArticlesGolden State Warriors | Andre Iguodala says he’s retiring from NBA Golden State Warriors | Golden State Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. addresses fans at open practice Golden State Warriors | Warriors rave about Spurs ‘sensation’ Wembanyama before final preseason game Golden State Warriors | Kurtenbach: The Warriors’ ‘dress rehearsal’ showed the same problems that plagued last season’s team Golden State Warriors | Lacob e...

Disneyland has nearly twice as many expensive dates as cheap days after ticket price increase

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:49 GMT

Not all Disneyland ticket prices are created equal with many more dates at the expensive end of the scale compared to the far fewer cheap days available for the Anaheim theme park over the next six months.Disneyland raised admission prices last week with the highest priced ticket topping out at $194 while holding the price of the cheapest daily ticket at $104 for a single park.SEE ALSO: Why Disneyland raised ticket prices while Disney World didn’tDisneyland has nearly twice as many high-priced dates (132) as low-priced days (71) on the calendar through April.Two-thirds of the dates through April fall into the three most expensive tiers with the remaining one-third of the dates in the four least expensive tiers, according to an analysis by News Nation reporter Scott Gustin.Disneyland Resort increased prices for most of its 1-Day tickets, but the "Tier 0" ticket remains unchanged at $104. But how many days are eligible?Through April 30, 2024, 12% of days are Tier 0. 65% of d...

French hiker found dead in Sequoia National Park, fell from Mt. Whitney

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:49 GMT

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A French national has died after falling off a cliff in Sequoia National Park.Officials say the hiker, Tom Gerbier, was found in an area known as “The Notch,” according to the National Park Service.Gerbier was a French national from Fontenay-sous-Bois, a suburb of Paris. He was a pilot for Air France. He was reported missing when he didn’t show up for his return flight on October 18.Officials say the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office took the lead with the search and rescue operation with flyovers of Mt. Whitney on the day he was reported missing, turning up with no results.The National Park Service and the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office launched ground teams in the area and began to summit on the Mountaineering Route. Officials noticed clues that a hiker may have fallen off the cliff known as “The Notch.”Officials say the Gerbier had fallen about 1,000 feet.According to officials, Gerbier’s body was recovered via helicopter and transferred to...

House GOP abandons Jordan for Speaker after secret ballot loss

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:49 GMT

The Republican conference voted Friday to no longer back House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as Speaker.The secret ballot vote came hours after Jordan’s third failed ballot on the House floor. He had lost GOP support with each successive vote.Moments later, Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, announced his candidacy for Speaker. He had floated it but ultimately decided against a run earlier this month.Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) told reporters he’s seriously considering running for Speaker and is still praying on it.It marks the latest drama in the more than two-week saga since eight House Republicans joined with Democrats to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Oct. 3.Jordan was the GOP’s second shot at Speaker replacement. It had first narrowly nominated House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) for the post, but resistance to his candidacy — mostly from Jordan supporters — forced him to withdraw a day late...

Former Fairfax Co. officer arraigned for fatal shooting of unarmed man outside Tysons mall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:49 GMT

Fairfax County Police investigate an officer-involved shooting outside Tysons Corner mall. (WTOP/Mike Murillo) Fairfax County Police investigate an officer-involved shooting outside Tysons Corner mall. (WTOP/Mike Murillo) A former Fairfax County, Virginia, police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man suspected of shoplifting from the Tysons Corner Center mall has been arraigned on charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a firearm.Sgt. Wesley Shifflett sat quietly at the defense table, with his attorney Caleb Kershner, who waived the reading of the indictment, which was handed up by a special grand jury on Oct. 12.The mother of Timothy McCree Johnson, 37, who was killed on Feb. 22 sat in ...

Health of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is key to the Clippers’ bid for an NBA title

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:49 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LOS ANGELES CLIPPERSLast season: 44-38. Lost in five games to Phoenix in first round of the playoffs.Coach: Tyronn Lue (4th season with Clippers, 133-103 ; 8th season overall, 261-180).What to expect: The Clippers have talent, size, athleticism, experience, and versatility. What they desperately need is what one of the league’s highest payrolls can’t buy: a healthy roster. Adding Russell Westbrook, Mason Plumlee and Bones Hyland last season filled holes and gives the team so much depth that playing time will be hard to come by. Lue, a respected tactician, will have to juggle players eager for minutes without letting it affect chemistry. Westbrook, a former NBA MVP, came over from the Lakers and helped speed up the offense, while his hard-charging ways energized the team. “Kawhi and PG are more silent leaders and Russ is more outgoing,” Lue said. “You mix those three guys together, you have great leadership.” The Clippers head into their final season at Crypto.com ...

Rebuilding Jazz have scoring to contend in West, but defense and depth could hold them back

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:49 GMT

UTAH JAZZLast season: 37-45, did not qualify for the playoffs.Coach: Will Hardy, second season with the Jazz (37-45 overall).What to expect: Utah made sweeping changes a year ago after trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert and the team isn’t done rebuilding. Lauri Markkanen blossoming into a star and Walker Kessler putting together a strong rookie season helped the Jazz be more competitive than expected, but Utah still missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Climbing the ladder in a deep and talented Western Conference will be challenging. The Jazz acquired John Collins from Atlanta in a trade to partner with Markkanen and Kessler in the frontcourt, and he is another reliable option on offense. They also extended Jordan Clarkson’s contract after he averaged career highs in points (20.8), assists (4.4) and rebounds (4.0) and fully guaranteed the final season of Kelly Olynyk’s deal to give their young roster some veteran leadership. Point guard is one position that remai...

With tons of youth and almost everybody back, Magic eyeing shot at NBA playoffs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:49 GMT

ORLANDO MAGIC Last season: 34-48, missed playoffs.Coach: Jamahl Mosley (3rd season, 56-108).What to expect: The Magic basically brought everybody back this season — eight of their top nine scorers in terms of total points — and most everyone who started a game. A young team took big steps forward last season and now will be asked to do it again. Expect Orlando to play fast, partly because having so much youth (no expected starter is older than 25) allows it and partly because the team has a ton of guards. One very underrated move was bringing in veteran Joe Ingles over the summer, because now the young team has an older guy who’s been there and done that. Ingles is already showing his value on and off the court, directing traffic when he’s playing and essentially serving as a volunteer assistant coach when he’s not in games. The schedule is tough right away, with eight of the first 13 games on the road (two four-game trips in that span) and two matchups ...

East champion Heat will try to rekindle that playoff magic in ’23-24

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:49 GMT

MIAMI HEAT Last season: 44-38, lost to Denver in NBA Finals.Coach: Erik Spoelstra (16th season, 704-491).What to expect: The defending Eastern Conference champions know their window for championships — at least with the roster as currently constructed — is now. Kyle Lowry is 37, Kevin Love is 35, and Jimmy Butler turned 34 last month as well. There are some serious holes to fill as well, particularly in the area of 3-point shooting. Tyler Herro led the team with 203 makes from beyond the arc last season, but the No. 2 and No. 3 Heat players in that department a year ago — Max Strus (197) and Gabe Vincent (117) — now play elsewhere. And 3-point accuracy was an issue for the Heat throughout the regular season, the team’s 34.4% clip ranked only 27th in the 30-team NBA. But it is a team filled with players who know how to rise to playoff occasions; Butler was the best player in the league for long stretches of the 2023 postseason. The question will be how Mi...