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Environment and Science

Ian swamps southwest Florida, trapping people in homes

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the U.S., swamped southwest Florida on Wednesday, turning streets into rivers, knocking out power to 1.8 million people and threatening catastrophic damage further inland. A coastal sheriff's office reported that it was getting many calls from people trapped in flooded homes. Desperate people posted to Facebook and other social sites, pleading for rescue for themselves or loved ones. Some video showed debris-covered water sloshing toward homes' eaves. The hurricane's center made landfall near ...

Trucking regs waived to fight avian flu outbreak

ST. PAUL — In an attempt to protect the state’s poultry industry and prevent the spread of avian influenza, Gov. Tim Walz waived trucking regulations in an executive order on Wednesday. The order is part of the continued efforts to control and contain the current outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Minnesota. The outbreak poses a high risk to poultry but a low risk to the public, and there is no food safety concern for consumers. “We are taking swift action to contain the spread of avian influenza and support Minnesota’s poultry farmers and ...

DNR naturalist talks Wild about Wildlife

New Ulm Public Library will host a presentation called “Wild about Wildlife with DNR naturalist Scott Kudelka” on Tuesday, Oct. 4. at 6 p.m. in the library meeting room. Learn about the mammals that have adapted to survive in their natural environments and some of the more interesting facts about the animals who share the place we call home. This program is free and open to the public, no registration is required. Please call the library for more information at 507-359-8331

Vaccine appears to protect against monkeypox, CDC says

WASHINGTON (AP) — At-risk people who received a single dose of the monkeypox vaccine in U.S. efforts against the virus appeared to be significantly less likely to get sick, public health officials announced Wednesday, even as they urged a second dose for full protection. It was the first look public health officials have offered into how the Jynneos vaccine is affecting monkeypox, a virus that is primarily spread among men who have sex with infected men. "These new data provide us with a level of cautious optimism that the vaccine is working as intended," Rochelle Walensky, ...

New COVID vax available

NEW ULM — People age 12 and older are encouraged to get the new COVID-19 bivalent vaccine, which is now available to Brown County residents. Brown County Public Health Director Karen Moritz told the County Board Tuesday the updated COVID-19 booster can help restore protection that has decreased since previous vaccination and provide broader protection against newer variants. The new, updated — or bivalent — booster targets the most recent Omicron subvariants, BA 4 and BA 5, which are more contagious and resistent than earlier Omicron strains. Studies have found these variants ...

Blasts precede Baltic pipeline leaks, sabotage seen likely

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Denmark said Tuesday it believed "deliberate actions" by unknown perpetrators were behind big leaks — which seismologists said followed powerful explosions — in two natural gas pipelines running under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. European leaders and experts pointed to possible sabotage amid the energy standoff with Russia provoked by the war in Ukraine. Although filled with gas, neither pipeline is currently supplying it to Europe. "It is the authorities' clear assessment that these are deliberate actions -– not accidents," Danish Prime ...