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CORONAVIRUS

More kids are repeating a grade. Is it good for them?

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — As Braylon Price remembers it, he struggled with pretty much everything the first full school year of the pandemic. With minimal guidance and frequent disruptions, he had trouble staying on top of assignments and finishing homework on time. It was so rocky his parents asked for him to repeat sixth grade — a decision they credit with getting him on a better track. "At first I didn't really want to do it," said Braylon, now 13. "But then later in the year I thought it would probably be better for me if I did." The number of students held back for a year of ...

IRS providing COVID tax penalty relief

WASHINGTON — To help struggling taxpayers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Internal Revenue Service issued an Aug. 24 notice which provides penalty relief to most people and businesses who file certain 2019 or 2020 returns late. The IRS is also taking an additional step to help those who paid these penalties already. Nearly 1.6 million taxpayers will automatically receive more than $1.2 billion in refunds or credits. Many of these payments will be completed by the end of September. Besides providing relief to both individuals and businesses impacted by the pandemic, this step ...

Moderna sues Pfizer, BioNTech over COVID-19 vaccine patents

COVID-19 vaccine maker Moderna is suing Pfizer and the German drugmaker BioNTech, accusing its main competitors of copying Moderna's technology in order to make their own vaccine. Moderna said Friday that Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine Comirnaty infringes on patents Moderna filed several years ago protecting the technology behind its preventive shot, Spikevax. The company filed patent infringement lawsuits in both U.S. federal court and a German court. Pfizer spokeswoman Pam Eisele said the company had not fully reviewed Moderna's lawsuit, but the drugmaker was surprised by it, given ...

Students face food insecurity as pandemic aid ends

After federal waivers that provided school meals for all during the pandemic were not renewed, more than half a million Minnesota students and families will be going back to paying for school breakfast and lunch for the first time in two years. One in six children in Minnesota face food ...

Pfizer COVID shots appear 73% effective in children under 5

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine was 73% effective in protecting children younger than 5 as omicron spread in the spring, the company announced Tuesday. Vaccinations for babies, toddlers and preschoolers opened in the U.S. in June after months of delay. Only about 6% of youngsters ages 6 months through 4 years had gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by mid-August, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Health authorities authorized tot-sized vaccine doses made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech based on a study showing they were safe and produced high levels of ...

COVID changes — Sleepy Eye schools open with new guidelines

SLEEPY EYE — First- through eighth-grade students began school Monday at Sleepy Eye Public Schools. “Summer was nice, but we’re excited to have the kids back for another school year,” said superintendent John Cselovszki. “The custodians did a wonderful job getting the school ready. ...