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New Red Cross policy allows more gay and bisexual men to donate blood: So how will it work?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:09 GMT

A new American Red Cross policy, implemented in accordance with shifting FDA guidelines, that will allow more gay and bisexual men to donate blood is now in effect.“The need for blood is higher than ever,” said Stephanie Babyak, spokesperson for the National Capital and Greater Chesapeake region of the Red Cross. “Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, and every donation can save up to three lives.”The new FDA guidelines were put in place Monday, Aug. 7, and Babyak said this means the process for prospective donors will look a little different going forward, starting with the questionnaire they’ll get when they go to donate blood.“Potential donors will have their individual risk factors assessed as to whether they can donate blood,” Babyak told WTOP. “This is to ensure all donors are treated with fairness, equality and respect.”In other words, people will be asked questions about their individual medical history, but not their s...

Poland to deploy 10K soldiers at Belarus frontier

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:09 GMT

Poland will station up to 10,000 troops at its border with Belarus, Warsaw’s Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said Thursday. “About 10,000 soldiers will be on the border — 4,000 will directly support the Border Guard, 6,000 will be in reserve,” he said while speaking to Polish Radio 1.Błaszczak said Poland is moving the army closer to the border “to deter the aggressor, so that he does not dare to attack us.” This comes in response to what the minister called multiple “provocations” by Belarus, including the violation of Polish airspace and an increase in attempts to illegally cross the border.So far this year, there have been more than 19,000 attempts to illegally cross the Polish-Belarusian border, an increase on last year’s total of 16,000. The month of July saw almost 4,000 attempts, the highest number so far this year, according to the Polish Border Guard.Błaszczak said Poland is not ruling out closing the border, if these “provocations” continue. “Everything that...

Severe Storms & Flooding Possible This Evening

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:09 GMT

We have another great summer morning on the way this morning with changes taking hold this afternoon. This morning is all about the sunshine but we’ll increase the clouds through the day ahead of our storm chances this evening. You’ll notice a slight uptick in humidity as well but it’s not a tropical, overly humid day. Just a touch of stickiness in the air that is not unusual for any normal summer day.Storms will arrive again this evening and much like Tuesday, we’re looking at the possibility that a few of them are strong or severe and we’ll once again deal with downpours and the potential for flooding. We have a flood watch out once again for the second part of the day today and into the early overnight.Like Tuesday, I think downpours and flooding our the biggest threat to the storms that move in this evening but some of them do have the potential to be strong and severe. The storms that do become severe would have the potential to produce damaging wi...

The Patriots’ 4 big questions heading into the preseason

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:09 GMT

Two weeks of practice down, three exhibitions to go.The pressure of the Patriots’ summer will ratchet up Thursday with their preseason opener against the Texans. Several starters are expected to sit, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty to learn from this game and the two that will follow. Like most teams, the Patriots are seeking answers to major questions about their roster, while enjoying a few pleasant surprises thus far in training camp (hello, Demario Douglas).As they pivot toward the preseason, here are four of the Pats’ most crucial questions with the regular season less than one month away.1. Will the offense add help at RB and OT?The needs here are as clear as the new scoreboard dominating Gillette Stadium’s north end zone.After Rhamondre Stevenson, the Pats have three running backs — Kevin Harris, Pierre Strong and J.J. Tayor — who could be casualties on cutdown day. Ty Montgomery’s left leg injury has complicated matters, and ma...

2023 Genesis G90 is… everything!

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:09 GMT

Giving credit where credit is due, is a very hard task for some, but in Grasso’s Garage, we grant it almost on a monthly basis. This week, Genesis pulls in with their redesigned 2023 G90 E-Supercharger. This is one of the most exquisite vehicles on the market today.Road noise is 100% non-existent as the G90 boasts BMW and Mercedes type luxuries that truly deafen the noise significantly. With a base price tag of just under $100K, the Genesis G90 is hands down the most bang for the buck in the upscale luxury market. As the curvatures and sightlines are very good, the name plate still is a Hyundai Motor America product. With consumers struggling to defend the brand, it’s all because they haven’t experienced it yet. The Genesis G90 is here and is a huge player in the upscale luxury market.Self closing doors, massaging seats, heads up display and the 3.5T E-supercharger AWD packs a 3.5 Liter twin-turbo V6 with an electric supercharger. Pushing 409 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of ...

Battenfeld: Maura Healey raising her national profile — again — on migrant housing crisis

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:09 GMT

Gov. Maura Healey’s state of emergency declaration over the migrant housing crisis – blaming federal inaction for the problem – plays to the left-wing Democratic base and is more evidence that she’s raising her national profile.This is the third major issue Healey is sounding the alarm on in just her first term as governor – abortion rights, gay rights and now immigrant rights.All those issues have powerful constituencies that could propel Healey if she wants to run for president or another federal office or be considered for a high-ranking White House position.She’s quickly building her name as a strong proponent of women’s rights and gay rights — going so far as to put up billboards in Florida – and has credibility because she’s one of the first openly gay governors in the nation.In declaring a state of emergency, Healey put the onus squarely on the Biden administration and previous administrations for not doing enough to help migrants who have recently crossed the border.“T...

Five things to watch in preseason opener

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:09 GMT

The Patriots open their three-game preseason slate at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night at 7 p.m., against the Houston Texans.We’ve seen the Patriots practice against themselves for two weeks of training camp. Here’s what to watch in their first game of the summer.Who’s playing quarterback?Patriots head coach Bill Belichick wasn’t explicitly clear in Tuesday morning’s press conference when asked about quarterback playing time in Thursday’s preseason opener, but reading the tea leaves, it seems unlikely that Mac Jones will play much, if at all.Belichick was asked if the Patriots’ lesser experienced players would start and play the majority of the game, and the head coach said, “Just like all the NFL [opening] games, yep.”When asked about his plan for quarterback snap counts, Belichick said, “Yeah, we’re still working on that, but the players who are least experienced will get the most playing time. I can tell you that.”Finally, Belichick was asked flat out if starter Mac Jones would...

Wildfire devastates Hawaii’s historic Lahaina Town, a former capital of the kingdom

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:09 GMT

KAHULUI, Hawaii (AP) — Dissipating smoke and ash revealed the sheer devastation that a wildfire left behind in Lahaina Town, one of Hawaii’s most historic cities and onetime capital of the former kingdom.At least 36 people were killed and hundreds of structures were damaged or destroyed in the blaze that sparked Tuesday and quickly spread throughout the western Maui community of less than 13,000 residents.It’s feared that the fire consumed much of historic Front Street, home to restaurants, bars, stores and what is believed to be the United States’ largest banyan — a fig tree with roots that grow out of branches and eventually reach the soil, becoming more trunklike features that expand the size of the tree — as well as other parts of Lahaina.Richard Olsten, a helicopter pilot with tour operator Air Maui, said he and other pilots and mechanics flew over the scene Wednesday before work to take stock.“All the places that are tourist areas, that are Hawaiian history, are gone, an...

Safety standards weren’t met before fire killed 11 at French home for disabled, prosecutor says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:09 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Required safety standards weren’t met at a vacation home for adults with disabilities where a heavy fire left 11 dead in eastern France, a deputy prosecutor said Thursday. A day earlier, the fire killed 10 adults with slight intellectual disabilities and one person accompanying them. Nathalie Kielwasser, the deputy prosecutor of Colmar, said the first phase of the investigation shows that a mandatory safety inspection for such private accommodation facility had not been done.Speaking on French news broadcaster BFM TV, she said the fire started from the upper floor, but its cause has not been determined. The building in the Alsacian town of Wintzenheim was equipped to receive 28 people, including 12 on the ground floor and 16 on the upper floor, she added. It was equipped with smoke detectors, she added. The disabled adults were on a vacation sponsored by two specialized associations. They were staying in the building, whose ground floor was made of stone and the u...

Hawaii wildfires burn through a historic town on Maui and kill at least 36 people

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:09 GMT

WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — Thousands of Hawaii residents raced to escape homes on Maui as blazes swept across the island, destroying parts of a centuries-old town and killing at least 36 people in one of the deadliest U.S. wildfires in recent years.The fire took the island by surprise, leaving behind burned-out cars on once busy streets and smoking piles of rubble where historic buildings had stood in Lahaina Town, which dates to the 1700s and has long been a favorite destination for tourists. Crews battled blazes in several places on the island Wednesday, and the flames forced some adults and children to flee into the ocean.At least 36 people have died, according to a statement from Maui County late Wednesday that said no other details were available on the deaths. Officials said earlier that 271 structures were damaged or destroyed and dozens of people injured.Lahaina residents Kamuela Kawaakoa and Iiulia Yasso described a harrowing escape under smoke-filled skies Tuesday afternoon. T...