Free Air Conditioner Programs Help Amid Life-Threatening Heat
To reduce the gap between the air conditioning haves and have nots, a growing number of programs are giving them out for free with waiting lists numbering in the thousands. And they view them as means to protect public health and reduce poverty.
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CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Boston woman says she was bitten by a rat while walking in Fenway area
A woman in Boston claims to have been bitten by a rat while she was walking down Mountfort Street in the Fenway area Friday night. "It's kind of like everyone's nightmare scenario but you don't really think it's going to happen to you," said Min Namgung. Namgung said she and her boyfriend were walking to their car around 8:30 p.m. when, "I feel like a really sharp pain on my left feet, and I was like 'Oh God what is this?'" She said she looked down and saw something scurry into the bushes. "I thought it was like a bunny; it was so big," she recalled. "My boyfriend pulls his phone out, puts the flashlight camera on, and I see it bleeding and I'm like 'Oh, that rat probably bit me.'" Namgung said she was wearing sandals when the incident occurred. Afterwards, she says she went to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center where a doctor gave her a tetanus and rabies shot. "I also need to take antibiotics, so I don't get any infections and stuff," she said. As of now, Namgung is doing better physically. However, she says she was stunned by the incident and shared her story on TikTok. "I'm now able to laugh about it, but at the moment, I was like freaking out. I was just like 'Woah, what just happened to me?'" Namgung's fears are heightened as Boston experiences an ongoing rodent problem. Namgung said she worries what happened to her could happen again. "This could happen to anyone," she said. "It is a city, and I see them quite a bit." In response to the incident, a spokesperson from Mayor Michelle Wu's office said, "The city is continuing to take an all of government approach to reduce rodent population across Boston's neighborhoods." Part of that approach was to recently install "rat-proof" garbage cans in different parts of the city. This summer, a city spokesperson told WBZ they're also working to address different hot spots where rodents may be living. Until the issue is resolved, Namgung said she'll be a little more hesitant to walk around the Fenway area. "I'm definitely going to be wearing,like, running shoes," she said.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Wisconsin officials confirm first measles cases of the year
Wisconsin's Department of Health Services confirmed nine cases of measles in Oconto County on Saturday, the first cases the state has seen this year. The Wisconsin DHS said all the cases were exposed to a common source while traveling out of state. They are currently working to notify anyone who may have been exposed to the virus. The DHS says there is no public point of exposure and risk to the community remains low. Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases, and in some cases can cause severe infections in the lungs and brain that can lead to cognitive issues, deafness or death. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes and full body rash. According to the Minnesota Department of Health website, there have been five cases so far this year. In June, a child with measles visited the Mall of America. The Center of Disease Control released new data on Thursday showing that vaccination coverage for MMR — which includes measles — dropped among kindergartners during the 2024-2025 school year. Vaccinations decreased in more than half of states. CBS reported in late June that measles cases hit a 30 year high. There was also a confirmed case in New Jersey and a possible outbreak in Colorado.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump revives presidential fitness test – will US students run a mile?
Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he is re-establishing the presidential fitness test, a way of assessing the fitness level of American students. The test was administered in public middle and high schools in the United States from 1966 to 2013, when the Obama administration replaced it with the presidential youth fitness program – a similar physical assessment program, but with more focus on health education. Related: Let them, creatine and fibermaxxing: the biggest wellness trends of 2025 (so far) The health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr – vaccine skeptic and key figure in the 'Make America Healthy Again' movement – will be in charge of administering the test. In a statement reported by the AP, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said the president 'wants to ensure America's future generations are strong, healthy, and successful' and that young Americans 'have the opportunity to emphasize health, active lifestyles – creating a culture of strength and excellence for years to come'. Below, what you need to know about the presidential fitness test. What is the test? Initiated by Dwight D Eisenhower in 1956, the test changed over the years, but generally consisted of five parts: a one-mile run, a shuttle run (moving as quickly as possible back and forth between two points), pull-ups or push-ups, sit-ups and the sit-and-reach (sitting on the ground with your legs outstretched and seeing how far down your legs your hands can reach). According to the Harvard Health blog, the aim of the test was to 'assess cardiovascular fitness, upper-body and core strength, endurance, flexibility, and agility'. Why did the government start testing children's fitness? The test derives from the Kraus-Weber test for muscular fitness, an assessment developed by Dr Hans Kraus and Dr Sonja Weber. The test was administered to thousands of students across the US and Europe. Researchers found that European students performed significantly better than their American counterparts: 57.9% of US students failed at least one of the test's six exercises, compared with only 8.7% of European students. According to a 1955 Sports Illustrated article, when Kraus presented his findings at the White House, President Eisenhower declared the problem 'a serious one'. The president seemed less worried about children's health and wellbeing than he did their combat preparedness. According to the Department of Health and Human Service's 50th anniversary booklet about the test, 'his chief concern seemed to be the vulnerability to the red army'. 'Our growing softness, our increasing lack of physical fitness, is a menace to our security,' Eisenhower said. Did the presidential fitness test make kids healthier? It doesn't seem so. A 2025 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that from 2007 to 2023, trends had 'significantly worsened' for 'child mortality; chronic physical, developmental and mental health conditions; obesity; sleep health; early puberty; limitations in activity; and physical and emotional symptoms'. And when it comes to competition with Europe, the US is faring even worse than it did before. Dr Christopher Forrest, one of the study's authors, told NPR that back in the 1960s, 'the chance that a child was going to die in the United States was the same as European nations'. But from 2010 to 2023, 'kids in the United States were 80% more likely to die', than those in Europe. Solve the daily Crossword
