NEBAR HADNET, Ethiopia — The cruel realities of war and drought seem to have merged for Tinseu Hiluf, a widow living in the arid depths of Ethiopia’s Tigray region who is raising four children left behind by her sister’s recent death in childbirth. A two-year war between federal troops and regional forces killed one of … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia, which has the highest rate of adult cigarette use in the nation, could become the 12th state to ban smoking in vehicles with children present under a bill that won final legislative passage Thursday. The Republican-dominated House of Delegates passed the bill on a 66-33 vote without debate. It now … Read more
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Democratic lawmakers walked out of a Kentucky committee hearing Thursday when the GOP-led panel took up a bill to expand access to prebirth and newborn services for pregnant women carrying nonviable fetuses that are expected to die before or soon after birth, in a state that bans abortion in such cases. The … Read more
Virginia high school teacher Joe Clement keeps track of the text messages parents have sent students sitting in his economics and government classes: — “What did you get on your test?” — “Did you get the field trip form signed?” — “Do you want chicken or hamburgers for dinner tonight?” Clement has a plea for … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s GOP-controlled state Legislature voted Saturday to allow some students who don’t attend traditional public schools to be exempt from state vaccination requirements that have long been held up as among the most strict in the country. The bill was approved despite the objections of Republican Senate Health and Human Resources … Read more
Several U.S. discount retailers recalled packages of ground cinnamon after federal health officials warned that they were contaminated with high levels of lead. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a safety alert for six brands of cinnamon, including those sold at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores. The move followed massive recalls last fall … Read more
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — It’s not just Israeli bombs that have killed children in war-ravaged Gaza — now some are dying of hunger too. Officials have long warned over the risk of famine in the Palestinian territory that’s been under Israel’s bombardment, offensives and siege for the past five months. Hunger is most acute in … Read more
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama lawmakers facing public pressure to restart in vitro fertilization services in the state advanced legislation to shield providers from the fallout of a court ruling that equated frozen embryos to children. Committees in the state Senate and House on Tuesday approved identical bills that would protect providers from lawsuits and criminal … Read more
Childhood lead exposure, primarily from paint and water, is a significant health concern in the United States, but a new study has identified a surprising additional source of lead exposure that may disproportionately harm children: firearms. A team led by researchers at Brown University found an association between household firearm ownership and elevated lead levels … Read more
Children prenatally exposed to anesthesia for maternal surgery during pregnancy were significantly more likely than unexposed children to receive a diagnosis of a disruptive or internalizing behavioral disorder including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, behavioral disorders, developmental speech or language disorders and autism, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health … Read more
