An experimental treatment completely reversed Alzheimer’s disease in mice by reducing the levels of a single enzyme in the animals’ brains. The results further bolster the theory that amyloid plaques are at the root of this mysterious brain disease, and that addressing these plaques could lead to an eventual cure for Alzheimer’s.
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As debate on Nashville’s proposed $9 billion transit plan grows, some are asking if the system would have the flexibility to change as needed or even if light rail is relevant in the 21st century. “If voters approve Mayor Megan Barry‘s transit plan in a few months, how tied would Nashville be to the specific details of the multibillion-dollar plan? The answer is up for debate,” the Nashville Business Journal says. “Transit advocates argue there’s room to adapt and modify the plan after the vote, while opponents argue the referendum binds Nashville to Barry’s proposed changes,” the publication says. “During a transit-focused Metro Council meeting in January, Rich Riebeling, Metro’s chief operating officer, said there “would have to be some common-sense provisions going into the future if some technology we don’t know about today comes into play that says you shouldn’t do this, then we’d have to come back to the council, future legislators, and make the adjustments at that time.” One group says rail systems do nothing to relieve traffic congestion. Go Nashville! bills itself as “average people who support efficient, affordable, sustainable private/public transit.” The group posted on Twitter Feb. 9 that each of the Top 10 cities in…
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A North Carolina judge threw a mother in jail for seven days for having her daughter baptized without the father’s presence and consent. Kendra Stocks of Charlotte, N.C. will report to jail Friday to begin her seven-day sentence after District Court Judge Sean Smith ruled in March 2017 that she acted in “bad-faith disregard” and was therefore in contempt of court for having her daughter baptized without consulting Paul Schaaf, the child’s father, according to Fox8. Stocks’ sentence is based on a previous custody battle between her and Schaaf, to whom the court gave final authority on all legal decisions regarding the child, including decisions about religion, according to WSOC.
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Late Friday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, called on FBI Director Christopher Wray to resign following revelations that the FBI had failed to follow protocols that might have prevented mass shooting suspect Nicholas Cruz from allegedly murdering 17 people at a Florida public school. “The FBI’s failure to take action against this killer is unacceptable. The FBI has admitted that they were contacted last month by a person who called to inform them of Cruz’s ‘desire to kill people,’ and ‘the potential of him conducting a school shooting,’ ” Scott said in a statement released by his office. “An apology will never bring these 17 Floridians back to life or comfort the families who are in pain. The families will spend a lifetime wondering how this could happen, and an apology will never give them the answers they desperately need.” “We constantly promote ‘see something, say something,’ and a courageous person did just that to the FBI. And the FBI failed to act. ‘See something, say something’ is an incredibly important tool and people must have confidence in the follow through from law enforcement. The FBI Director needs to resign.” As Fox News reported: The agency said earlier Thursday…
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Sen. Jeff Flake said he thinks President Trump’s campaign wasn’t “competent enough” to collude with the Russian government, according to a CNBC interview that aired on Friday. “I don’t think that the campaign colluded in some meaningful way. I don’t think that they were organized enough, or competent enough as a campaign to do that,” Mr. Flake, Arizona Republican, said on CNBC.
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Federal deportation officers staged one of the biggest enforcement actions in years against businesses in Los Angeles this week, arresting 212 people and serving audit notices to 122 businesses who will have to prove they aren’t hiring illegal immigrants. Nearly all of those arrested were convicted criminals, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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Bruce Ohr, the Department of Justice official who brought opposition research on Donald Trump to the FBI in 2016, did not disclose that the company that produced it at the Democratic National Committee’s behest was paying his wife, documents obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation show. READ MORE
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A U.S. Islamic advocacy group suspected of conspiring with Hamas celebrated a federal court’s Thursday ruling against President Donald Trump’s latest travel sanctions. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which the FBI labeled as an “unindicted co-conspirator” with the terrorist group Hamas in 2009, released a statement Thursday celebrating the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling against the latest edition of Trump’s travel sanctions, which CAIR called “Trump’s ‘Muslim ban 3.0.’” CAIR continued its claim that the travel restrictions are part of a white supremacist agenda that specifically targets Muslims, despite the fact that the restriction is not actually a permanent ban and does not include include the two countries that hold one-quarter of the world’s Muslim population.
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Russian internet trolls not only used social media accounts to promote President Donald Trump’s election bid, they also operated accounts supporting the candidacies of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein. Special Counsel Robert Mueller issued an indictment for 13 Russian nationals affiliated with three Russian companies suspected of interfering in the 2016 election. …
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The judge in the trial of the man accused of planning the bombing of the USS Cole on Friday shut down the proceedings over his inability to get defense lawyers back to the death-penalty case. Air Force Col. Vance Spath has for months now disagreed with the Chief Defense Counsel for Military Commissions, Marine Brig. Gen. John Baker, over the general’s decision and authority that released three lawyers of record from the case in October when they asked to resign over an ethical issue. On Nov. 1, after Baker refused to return veteran death-penalty defender Rick Kammen and civilian attorneys Rosa Eliades and Mary Spears to the case — the judge sentenced the general to 21 days of confinement in his quarters for disobeying an order.
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LifeZette reported on the cancellation at Staten Island’s P.S. 65, also called The Academy of Innovative Learning. The much-anticipated dance was pulled from the New York school’s schedule over administrator concerns that the event could violate the Department of Education’s gender-neutral policy. The event has now been officially rescheduled — with some notable changes.
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President Trump said Friday he was heading to Florida to meet with victims of the school shooting massacre there this week, as Washington struggles with how to prevent repeated episodes of deadly gun violence. “I will be leaving for Florida today to meet with some of the bravest people on earth – but people whose lives have been shattered.”
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By Bo Carr There is much discussion about healthcare nationally and regionally as questions surround the future of the Affordable Care Act (Obama-care), state expansion of Medicaid, strategies to solve the opioid crisis, and the shuttering of area hospitals. But December 31, 2017 marked the end of a benefit for state employees, leaving educators, in particular, uncovered and with few options. Most teachers do not realize that Medicare and other major medical insurance policies do not cover the custodial care most seniors will require, like home health care, respite care, adult day care, assisted living, nursing home, or hospice care. Tennessee’s Dave Ramsey writes in his blog, “As people age or become ill, they sometimes need help doing daily tasks like getting dressed, bathing and more. Long-term care (LTC) provides people with those services—but it’s expensive. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the estimated cost for end-of-life care in 2016 ranged between $217,820 and $341,651. Most health and disability insurances won’t cover long-term care, but long-term care insurance will.” Teachers accessing the state’s 2018 health benefits website, partnersforhealthtn.gov, will find group insurance plans like major medical, dental, and disability. Long Term Care, which was once an affordable, accessible plan available…
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