SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Springfield, Missouri hospital has opened its sixth COVID-19 ward as the delta virus variant rages in the state’s southwest region. The Kansas City Star reports Mercy Hospital in Springfield announced the new ward Sunday, as the hospital was treating 133 virus patients. Chief Administrative Officer Erik Frederick says the hospital…
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say vaccinated teachers and students don’t need to wear masks inside school buildings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the new guidelines Friday. The changes come after a growing national vaccination campaign in which children as young as 12 are eligible to get shots, as well…
Three of Missouri’s top health officials say local leaders are the primary influencers in the state’s efforts to fight off a surge in COVID-19 cases. State officials said during a virtual news conference Friday that they have a strong working relationship with federal agencies helping to respond to increasing cases caused largely by the delta…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Federal officials are pushing back after Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said he doesn’t want government employees going door-to-door to urge people to get vaccinated. Missouri asked for help last week from nearly formed federal “surge response” teams as it combats an influx of cases that’s overwhelming some hospitals. After one…
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Activists in Hungary have erected a large rainbow-colored heart opposite the country’s neo-Gothic parliament, vowing to wage a civil disobedience campaign against a new law that they say discriminates against LGBT people and that has raised questions about what values the European Union stands for. The law came into effect Thursday…
(AP) — Edwards Virginia Smokehouse says it will be sold to Missouri-based Burgers’ Smokehouse, ending a 95-year run for the family business known for its specialty hams. The Virginian-Pilot reports Burgers’ Smokehouse will pay Edwards Virginia Smokehouse for use of Edwards’ trademark and recipes. Sam Edwards III, president of Edwards Virginia Smokehouse, says the agreement…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Officials say 17 more people in southwest Missouri died from COVID-19 in a two-week period ending Sunday as the coronavirus surges in the region. The Springfield-Greene County Health Department reported Tuesday that the deaths were recorded in the two-week reporting period from June 21 to July 4. The Kansas City…
New York is throwing a ticker-tape parade for the health care workers and others who helped the city get through the darkest days of COVID-19, while authorities in Missouri are struggling to beat back a surge blamed on the fast-spreading delta variant and deep resistance to getting vaccinated. The contrasting scenes could be a glimpse…
ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis police say a prosthetic leg that was stolen during a robbery has been returned to its owner. Police spokeswoman Michelle Woodling said Tuesday she didn’t have details of how the 56-year-old man’s leg was returned. He was knocked down and assaulted on an east St. Louis street on Friday.…
MOSCOW (AP) — A plane carrying 28 people has crashed, apparently as it came in for a landing in bad weather in Russia’s Far East. Everyone aboard was feared dead. Officials say wreckage from the An-26 was found on a coastal cliffside and in the sea near the airport in the town of Palana. The…