Tuesday, December 17, 2019

A bandage that heals broken bones

Researchers at Duke University have developed a bandage that can help retain a biochemical that aids the healing process, improving bone formation and reducing recovery time. The prototype bandage, which can be applied surgically to an injury site, contains adenosine, a biochemical that naturally rushes to injuries to aid the healing process. The bandage helps the adenosine stick around for a longer period without being metabolized into the body, giving the recovery process a boost. (New Atlas)

College costs soaring

Over the past 10 years, the cost of attending college has risen by 25.3% at private colleges and 29.8% at public colleges. Analyzing recent College Board data, two major factors behind rising tuition costs. For starters, “lackluster” state funding is a huge factor. From 2008 to 2018, 41 states spent an average of 13% less per student, or about $1,220. In addition, cost of living in the U.S. has steadily increased over the years, which not only affects students, but also college faculty and staff. (CNBC)

The truth about faster internet

Internet providers such as AT&T are gaming government tests aimed at assessing whether the companies deliver the speeds they advertise. Officials at the Federal Communications Commission, which administers the tests, say that the providers have successfully pushed the agency to “omit unflattering data,”. The companies can do so because the FCC relies on them to supply information about the speed plans being tested. (The Wall Street Journal)

Free transit comes to the US

Next year, Kansas City, Missouri, will become the first major city in the U.S. to offer no-fare transit. The city council voted to offer free bus rides to help increase mobility and boost economic activity in the area. Kansas City joins a host of towns and cities in Europe experimenting with fare-free transit, as part of a larger effort to reduce vehicle traffic. However, it’s unclear if these policies will increase ridership long-term and whether such programs may put excessive strain on transit systems. (CityLab)

Woman finds out she’s pregnant 9 days before giving birth

A woman in Memphis, Tennessee found out she was pregnant just nine days before she gave birth is calling her newborn son a miracle baby. “Me and my husband just figured it wasn’t in the cards for us to have children,” she said. However, they welcomed their little baby boy on December 2nd. She had given up on pregnancy because had two miscarriages. It wasn’t until the Saturday before Thanksgiving that she found out she was pregnant, and that not only was she pregnant, that she was 38 weeks along. “He’s the best gift that anybody could give me; best Christmas gift since Jesus”, she said. She was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome as a teenager, which is why she had no idea she was expecting. The condition caused her to have irregular menstrual cycles. Chalk also said her clothes didn’t fit her any differently during her pregnancy. Doctors said it’s not unheard of for women to not know they’re pregnant until days before they give birth, especially if they have conditions similar to polycystic ovary syndrome. (WHBQ)

Tractor-trailer hauling 35,000 pounds of M&M’s candy overturns on Tennessee interstate

A tractor-trailer hauling 35,000 pounds of M&M’s candy overturned on a Tennessee interstate highway last Friday (12/13) morning, authorities said. According to Knoxville police, the driver was heading east on Interstate 40 around 5:30am and swerved to avoid hitting something in the road. The I-40 Eastbound ramp to Papermill Drive was closed for several hours due to an overturned tractor trailer. The vehicle veered into a ditch, struck a concrete retaining wall near an exit ramp and fell onto its side, a Knoxville Police Department spokesman said. The truck then hit a second truck, which was parked along the shoulder of the exit ramp. The driver of the overturned truck was taken to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries. And for the record, the tractor-trailer was carrying M&Ms. No charges or citations are expected. (News Sentinel)

A runner who smacked a reporter’s backside on air now faces charges

The man accused of slapping a news reporter on the backside while she was reporting live in Savannah, Georgia, last week has been arrested and charged with sexual battery, according to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office. The man turned himself in on Friday (12/13) and was released on a $1,300 bond, according to the reporter’s employer. The man is accused of hitting reporter on her backside as she was reporting at the Enmarket Savannah Bridge Run and he was running in the event. The incident was caught on camera, and her reporting was momentarily interrupted by her stunned reaction. She filed a sexual battery complaint with the Savannah Police Department. The report says she “described the smack as a ‘smack and grab,’ advising that he also grabbed her buttocks in the same motion. She stated she felt a sharp sting after the smack and advised that it caused her to pause during the broadcast.” During an interview with her employer last week, the man apologized to her saying, “I am sorry. I did not mean to do this. I think you’re a great, great asset to this community and to the local media and to the national media. You’re very talented. You’re an amazing woman from what I’ve gathered, and I apologize.” The man has been banned from registering for all Savannah Sports Council owned races, according to council director. (WSAV)

Man who stole $88,000 from bank vault caught after he flashed stacks of bills on social media

A bank employee in Charlotte, North Carolina, allegedly stole $88,000 from the bank’s vault, according to a release from the United States Attorney’s Office, Western District of North Carolina. And he wasn’t bashful about advertising to his social media followers the life of luxury he was funding. The release said a criminal indictment was unsealed this week in federal court after the arrest of a 29-year-old man by the FBI in San Diego. The unsealed indictment alleges the thief stole cash out of the vault in separate allotments on at least 18 different occasions this year. Throughout July and August 2019, the thief used a social media account to post several pictures of him holding large stacks of cash, according to the release. He then allegedly committed loan fraud in connection with the purchase of a luxury automobile. The man’s numerous Facebook and Instagram photos depict him posing with stacks of cash, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office says he used the money to make a $20,000 down payment on a new Mercedes-Benz. He allegedly also falsified bank documents to obtain a car loan from another financial institution to cover the remaining balance of the vehicle, prosecutors said. His Facebook and Instagram posts from September show him posing with a white Mercedes-Benz in Hollywood, California. He was arrested about three months later on December 4th. According to details from the indictment contained in the release, he allegedly took bank customers’ cash deposits out of the bank vault for months. Many of those times, he deposited money into an ATM near the bank where he worked, according to the release. Detailing information from the indictment, the release says that he destroyed certain documents and that he made, or caused others to make, false entries in the bank’s books and records to cover up the theft. He has been charged with 19 counts of theft, embezzlement and misapplication, along with 12 counts of making false entries and two counts of financial institution fraud. Those crimes carry a maximum penalty of 30 years and a $1 million fine. He is also charged with transactional money laundering, which carries a penalty of 10 years behind bars and a $250,000 fine. He appeared in U.S. District Court in southern California earlier this month, according to the release, with the case set to be tried in North Carolina by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte. (Justice.gov)

3 bodies discovered buried at the Alamo in Texas

Three bodies buried in a monk burial room and church nave at the Alamo have been discovered, officials said. The bodies appear to belong to a teenager or young adult, an infant and a large adult, according to the Texas General Land Office and the Alamo Mission Archaeological Advisory Committee. The bodies were discovered during an archeological project to install moisture monitoring equipment in the complex while documenting the foundations of the 300-year-old structures, according to a news release. The bodies have not been moved. After they were discovered, a long-standing human remains protocol was activated, the on-site tribal monitor was notified and excavation was halted at the site, the release said. This is not the first time remains were discovered at that site, as in 1989 (later identified in 1995), according to the release. The Alamo, founded as a mission in 1718, is famous for being the site of an 1836 battle during the Texas Revolution. Although the garrison made up of colonists, soldiers and others was wiped out by Mexican troops, the battle eventually spawned modern Texas. The Alamo traces its roots to 1718, when Franciscan padres founded a Spanish mission that was originally called San Antonio de Valero. (Texas General Land Office)

Tuesday Comes To US With:

• A Christmas Carol Day (Story)
• Clean Air Day
• Wright Brothers Day