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Virgin Galactic flies first tourists to the edge of space

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:16 GMT

By Susan Montoya BRyan and Marcia Dunn | Associated PressTRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. — Virgin Galactic rocketed to the edge of space with its first tourists Thursday, including a former British Olympian who bought his ticket 18 years ago and a mother-daughter duo from the Caribbean.The space plane glided back to a runway landing at Spaceport America in the New Mexico desert, after a brief flight that gave passengers a few minutes of weightlessness.This first private customer flight had been delayed for years; its success means Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic can now start offering monthly rides, joining Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the space tourism business.“That was by far the most awesome thing I’ve ever done in my life,” passenger Jon Goodwin told the crowd after his flight.Goodwin, who was among the first to buy a ticket in 2005, said he had faith that he would someday make the trip. The 80-year-old athlete — he compete...

Just making water more accessible has an impact on kids’ weight, Bay Area study shows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:16 GMT

By Madeline Holcombe | CNNMaking water more accessible to kids leads to an increase in hydration and a decrease in children being overweight, according to a new study. And the change didn’t require a focus on children’s weight.The study, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, included more than 1,200 students across 18 schools in California’s Bay Area.“The study was conducted in racially and ethnically diverse and low-income elementary schools, where students are at most risk for chronic health problems, including overweight and obesity,” said lead study author Dr. Anisha Patel, professor of pediatrics at Stanford University.RELATED: How much are you spending on back-to-school shopping for your kid? Is $800 enough?Half of the schools were gifted water dispensers in the cafeteria and water-bottle filling stations in areas of high traffic, Patel said. The other half didn’t make any changes. The group that gained more access to water were also given cups or bottles as well as educ...

Northwest Biotherapeutics: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:16 GMT

BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — Northwest Biotherapeutics Inc. (NWBO) on Wednesday reported a loss of $14.4 million in its second quarter.On a per-share basis, the Bethesda, Maryland-based company said it had a loss of 1 cent.The cancer drug developer posted revenue of $201,000 in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on NWBO at https://www.zacks.com/ap/NWBOSource

UN Security Council to hold first open meeting on North Korea human rights situation since 2017

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:16 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council will hold its first open meeting on North Korea’s dire human rights situation since 2017 next week, the United States announced Thursday.U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters that U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk and Elizabeth Salmon, the U.N. independent investigator on human rights in the reclusive northeast Asia country, will brief council members at the Aug. 17 meeting.“We know the government’s human rights abuses and violations facilitate the advancement of its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles program,” Thomas-Greenfield said, adding that the Security Council “must address the horrors, the abuses and crimes being perpetrated” by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s regime against its own people as well as the people of Japan and South Korea.Thomas-Greenfield, who is chairing the council during this month’s U.S. presidency, stood with the ambassadors from Albania, Japan and South Korea wh...

National Bankshares: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:16 GMT

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — National Bankshares Inc. (NKSH) on Wednesday reported net income of $3.9 million in its second quarter.The bank, based in Blacksburg, Virginia, said it had earnings of 66 cents per share.The holding company for the National Bank of Blacksburg posted revenue of $17.4 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $12 million, which missed Street forecasts._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on NKSH at https://www.zacks.com/ap/NKSHSource

Some ‘Obamacare’ plans could see big rate hikes after lawmakers fail to agree on reinsurance program

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:16 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Some Affordable Care Act health plans could see big rate hikes in 2024 after Virginia lawmakers failed to reach agreement on a widely supported program that reduced premiums this year, state officials and insurance companies said this week. At issue is the state’s relatively new reinsurance program, which the General Assembly voted to create in 2021. Launched this calendar year, the program works by essentially pooling certain expensive claims and using mostly federal and some state money to cover them. By reducing risks and costs to insurers, it aims to lower premiums in the “Obamacare” individual marketplace — and did so successfully this year, according to state data. But now, due to a lack of consensus among lawmakers, the widely supported program is headed toward suspension for 2024, officials said Wednesday at a State Corporation Commission meeting. A range of observers said in interviews that they believed the program could still be salvaged, but ti...

At least 20 villagers killed in latest attack in Nigeria’s hard-hit north, survivors say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:16 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least 20 people were killed by gunmen in north-central Nigeria early Thursday, surivors said, the latest in a cycle of violence targeting remote villages in the West African nation.Dozens of gunmen arrived in Plateau state’s Heipang village after 1 a.m. and opened fire on villagers, most of whom were asleep, residents said. “In a particular family, they killed five people — both the father, the mother and the children,” said one survivor, Jacob Dadi.Dadi said villagers recovered 17 bodies in Heipang and then more people were shot to death as the gunmen fled to nearby brush land that often act as their hideout.A local youth group, the Berom Youth Movement, said 21 people had been killed in total and seven others were injured.Police confirmed the attack occurred but could not provide any detail about casualties in the area, which is 25 kilometres (15 miles) from Jos, the Plateau state capital.Such attacks have become common in many parts of Nigeria’s northern ...

Denver International Airport set record passenger traffic this summer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:16 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Denver's air travel is officially past the doldrums brought on by the global COVID pandemic. Air travel reached a peak in 2019, but COVID stopped it short. Most air travel was canceled in March 2020 and the months immediately following as global travel restrictions went into effect. In the years following, the subsequent re-emergences of COVID continued to halt air travel as different cities and countries adopted different restrictions. 5 myths about the state that Coloradans want busted Now, the nation's third-busiest airport and world's seventh-busiest is busier than it's ever been, according to new figures, including records set in 2019. "June 2023 ranks as the busiest month of passenger traffic ever for the airport," reads a release. "The 6,769,608 passengers served during June eclipsed the previous top monthly total set in July 2019 by more than 35,000 passengers. June 2023 passenger volume increased 8.2% compared to June 2022 and 6.0% compared to June 2019....

Colorado brewpub named best in country

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:16 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — USA Today's 10 Best readers voted for the best brewpubs in the country, and a Colorado location made the number one spot. The highest-voted brewpub in America is the Stronghouse Brew Pub, which is one of the last intact buildings in Telluride's Four Corners. Built in 1892, there's still a rustic feel to the place, except it pours beer now instead of storage for goods from the Rio Grande Southern Railway, according to its website. The building went through many business owners before landing in the Stronghouse Preservation hands in 2020 and renovating it into a brewpub. While the business is fairly new, there's a brass cash register that dates back to 1909, according to its website.The beer's made on-site and ranges from ales, stouts, IPAs and sours along with cocktails, draft kombucha and seasonal non-alcoholic beer. Based on Google Reviews, the food is a huge part of the experience as well. While the menu seems like normal bar food, the reviews suggest different."I ...

Downtown Denver only has a little more than half its pre-COVID foot traffic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:16 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver's downtown cannot seem to recover its pre-pandemic foot traffic. Researchers at the University of Toronto School of Cities analyzed the amount of cell phone activity in a given area as a proxy for foot traffic. They compared stretches of time since the pandemic to the same stretches of time before the pandemic began. Security guard killed in parking lot on Federal At no point in the last three years has Denver's downtown foot traffic been more than two-thirds of its pre-pandemic levels. During the period from March through May 2023, Denver's downtown traffic was at an average of 56% of what it had been in 2019. Denver's downtown has one of the lower rates among U.S. cities, ranking 35th among 52 cities. Only four cities, Salt Lake City, Utah; Bakersfield, California; Fresno, California and El Paso, Texas, have fully recovered their pre-pandemic levels of foot traffic.Timeline of a rolling 11-week average downtown Denver recovery rateNo single factor determi...