The governor had been sounding the alarm for more than a month. But by mid-November, it was clear to Michelle Lujan Grisham that she would need to take extreme measures to head off the "most serious emergency that New Mexico has ever faced."With covid-19 cases rising exponentially and hospital beds dwindling, she dragged her state back to the darkest days of spring, when restaurant dining was banned, nonessential businesses were closed and residents were ordered to stay inside unless absolutely necessary.She hoped it might be enough to avert catastrophe this winter."New Mexico has crushed...…The governor had been sounding the alarm for more than a month. But by mid-November, it was clear to Michelle Lujan Grisham that she would need to take extreme measures to head off the "most serious emergency that New Mexico has ever faced."With covid-19 cases rising exponentially and hospital beds dwindling, she dragged her state back to the darkest days of spring, when restaurant dining was banned, nonessential businesses were closed and residents were ordered to stay inside unless absolutely necessary.She hoped it might be enough to avert catastrophe this winter."New Mexico has crushed...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateIntensive care availability plummeted in the Bay Area on Wednesday to fall under 15% for the first time, forcing the entire 11-county region under the state stay-at-home order. And as of Thursday night, more than 98% of California will be shut down as the pandemic rages on.The state mandate will affect only five counties in the Greater Bay Area region: Napa, Monterey, San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Solano. The other six counties had preemptively adopted stay-at-home directives earlier this month.ICU bed availability dropped to 12.9%...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateIntensive care availability plummeted in the Bay Area on Wednesday to fall under 15% for the first time, forcing the entire 11-county region under the state stay-at-home order. And as of Thursday night, more than 98% of California will be shut down as the pandemic rages on.The state mandate will affect only five counties in the Greater Bay Area region: Napa, Monterey, San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Solano. The other six counties had preemptively adopted stay-at-home directives earlier this month.ICU bed availability dropped to 12.9%...WW…

SEQUIM, Wash. - One morning last year, Brent Simcosky stepped out of a pickup truck in the middle of a sprawling field off Highway 101, stood in grass that brushed his knees and imagined an oasis from the scourge of opioids.The epidemic had struck particularly hard here in Clallam County, where generations of families from the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe live along the waterways of the Salish Sea. Simcosky, health director for the 537-member tribe, had too often seen the battered faces of neighbors and community members addicted to black tar heroin that sells for $5 a hit or to pain pills...…SEQUIM, Wash. - One morning last year, Brent Simcosky stepped out of a pickup truck in the middle of a sprawling field off Highway 101, stood in grass that brushed his knees and imagined an oasis from the scourge of opioids.The epidemic had struck particularly hard here in Clallam County, where generations of families from the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe live along the waterways of the Salish Sea. Simcosky, health director for the 537-member tribe, had too often seen the battered faces of neighbors and community members addicted to black tar heroin that sells for $5 a hit or to pain pills...WW…

Editor's Note: This story originally published in 2021.More electricity in Texas was generated from wind power than coal last year, another sign of the rapid emergence of renewable energy in the state.Since 2015, the amount of wind-generated electricity has more than doubled in Texas, and last year 23 percent of the state’s power came from wind turbines.About 18 percent of electricity generated in 2020 came from coal, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas reports.Five years ago, wind contributed less than 12 percent of the state’s power, while 28 percent of electricity generated in 2015...…Editor's Note: This story originally published in 2021.More electricity in Texas was generated from wind power than coal last year, another sign of the rapid emergence of renewable energy in the state.Since 2015, the amount of wind-generated electricity has more than doubled in Texas, and last year 23 percent of the state’s power came from wind turbines.About 18 percent of electricity generated in 2020 came from coal, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas reports.Five years ago, wind contributed less than 12 percent of the state’s power, while 28 percent of electricity generated in 2015...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe "Bad Dad Jokes" sign that stands proudly in front of Tom and Ann Schruben's Maryland home has become a neighborhood destination in recent months.The jokes Tom scribbles each morning are supposed to be bad - and they are - but people love them anyway, which is why there is a steady stream of people ambling or driving by the family's Kensington home on any given day.Example: A rabbit, a priest and a minister walk into a bar. The bartender looks at them and says, "Is this a typo?"Tom started posting the jokes as a way to...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe "Bad Dad Jokes" sign that stands proudly in front of Tom and Ann Schruben's Maryland home has become a neighborhood destination in recent months.The jokes Tom scribbles each morning are supposed to be bad - and they are - but people love them anyway, which is why there is a steady stream of people ambling or driving by the family's Kensington home on any given day.Example: A rabbit, a priest and a minister walk into a bar. The bartender looks at them and says, "Is this a typo?"Tom started posting the jokes as a way to...WW…

Roughly 65,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas members will lose in-network access to CHI's Texas locations, including its flagship Baylor-St. Luke’s Medical Center, by the end of Wednesday as negotiations stall in a dispute over health care costs.The hospital network and insurer announced in October that they would part ways. CHI St. Luke’s CEO Doug Lawson said at the time that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, along with another insurance carrier, Molina, were paying the hospital system "significantly" less than its competitors for the same services.“Our goal throughout these negotiations...…Roughly 65,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas members will lose in-network access to CHI's Texas locations, including its flagship Baylor-St. Luke’s Medical Center, by the end of Wednesday as negotiations stall in a dispute over health care costs.The hospital network and insurer announced in October that they would part ways. CHI St. Luke’s CEO Doug Lawson said at the time that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, along with another insurance carrier, Molina, were paying the hospital system "significantly" less than its competitors for the same services.“Our goal throughout these negotiations...WW…