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Why it's easier to get sick during Colorado's cold, dry winters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:19 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The Front Range isn't exactly known for its humidity, and the cold just makes the dry conditions even worse.You might think that this can only cause some dry skin and itchiness here or there, but the dry air can make it easier to get sick. Why does it feel so dry during the winter in Colorado? FOX31 spoke with Dr. Scott Joy, chief medical officer of HCA Healthcare Physician Services Group's Continental Division, about why this is and what you can do.Dry air makes it easier to get sickWhen the air is dry, it dries out more than just your hands or your elbows. It also dries out the membranes in your nose and throat, as well as the natural secretions that act as a protective barrier to viruses and bacteria, according to Joy.This can cause cracks to form in the skin, Joy said. These cracks can let bacteria and viruses in, including the flu and COVID-19. Colorado has the world’s largest elk population, but it wasn’t always that way And, given how dry it is already, C...

More people are using CBD. There's still little research on benefits and risks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:19 GMT

CBD use increased 50% in the past four years, according to a new survey published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. About 1 in 5 survey respondents said they used CBD in the past year. People who use cannabis are more likely to report using CBD, CBG and other hemp-derived compounds, the survey, done by NORC at the University of Chicago, showed. Also, people who live in a state where marijuana is illegal are more likely to use delta-8 THC, a mildly intoxicating sibling of delta-9 THC, which is the psychoactive compound in marijuana.“Although there are a lot of survey studies out that show this increased use, we don't have a lot of good data on what effects any of these things have, either harmful or beneficial," said Angela Bryan, a University of Colorado-Boulder professor who has studied the public health implications of cannabis legalization for more than a decade. She was not involved in the JAMA study. Colorado has the world’s largest elk population,...

Wet and Windy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:19 GMT

We’re still in the early stages of a very unsettled weather pattern. We’re caught between a lingering front, distant high pressure, and an approaching low pressure disturbance. The front moved closer to south Florida on Wednesday with periods of rain. The moisture will stubbornly stay intact, but there will be breaks in the rain (especially into Thursday). Meanwhile, the windy impacts are going to continue. Winds could even gust as high as 50 mph on Thursday! These gloomy, wet and gusty times will intensify (and peak) on Saturday as a low pressure area moves out of the Gulf and into Florida. It won’t be until late Sunday that conditions improve with drier and calmer weather. It’s worth noting how unusual it is to have a rain event of this magnitude in December. This is, of course, firmly within south Florida’s Dry Season. Furthermore, December ranks as our 3rd driest month of the entire year. Typically, we only pick up a couple inches of rain...

#BelgianGate: Investigation at risk as Qatargate suspects turn the tables on prosecution

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:19 GMT

BRUSSELS — A year into the biggest scandal ever to hit the European Parliament, two of the highest-profile suspects in the corruption probe have launched an all-out assault to bring down the investigation.They may very well succeed.In media interviews and court filings, Eva Kaili, a Greek lawmaker, and Francesco Giorgi, her partner and a former parliamentary assistant, have accused prosecutors of mishandling the investigation into allegations that lawmakers and their accomplices accepted money from Qatar, Morocco and Mauritania in exchange for influencing decisions in the European Parliament.Kaili, who denies any wrongdoing, maintains her advocacy for Qatar was part of her job as a representative of the European Union and that the investigation into her actions breached the parliamentary immunity enjoyed by sitting MEPs. Her lawyers have argued that the testimony provided by the operation’s alleged ringleader, Pier Antonio Panzeri, as part of a deal with investigators, cannot b...

Europe’s true beliefs on Ukraine are put to the test

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:19 GMT

BRUSSELS — As long as it takes? Or as long as we feel like it? For nearly two years, the EU has promised to support “Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes” — taking in millions of Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s war of aggression, supporting Kyiv with financial and military aid, rallying diplomatic support across the world, and shrinking its economic and energy ties with Russia.  But the bloc’s 27 member states are now struggling to agree unanimously on a longer-term €50 billion aid package for Kyiv, as well as on opening the door to future membership as this week’s European Council summit commences. At a time when $60 billion in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine is stuck in the U.S. Congress, support from Brussels is essential to Kyiv’s continuing fight against Russia. The decision to open the EU’s door to Ukraine could also be existential to the future of the bloc, as it means incorporating a country of nearly 40 million peo...

Meet the Tory mafia trying to blow up Rishi Sunak

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:19 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak just survived the most dangerous moment of his premiership. That doesn’t mean his Tory enemies are waving the white flag.The British prime minister was handed an 11th-hour reprieve on Tuesday night when Tory rebels threatening to vote down his flagship immigration laws chose to sit on their hands, allowing the bill to clear its first House of Commons hurdle.But already, a so-called “five families” of mafia-style Tory MP gangs who want the laws toughened up are gearing up for the next fight. “The threat remains,” said one potential rebel MP, who wants the legislation rewritten before a final Commons vote — known as the bill’s third reading — early next year.“If too many people are dissatisfied they could vote against at third reading,” the MP warned, claiming the five-strong union of rebel factions “absolutely can bring it down, easily” if it chooses to do so.The battle has been triggered by Sunak’s pledge to stop undocumented migrant...

US House votes to formalize impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:19 GMT

House Republicans on Wednesday formally greenlit an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, their biggest step to date toward trying to remove the president from office.Every Republican supported the 221-212 vote, which legally will further empower House GOP subpoenas. It comes at a critical juncture: The conference is preparing to make a decision as soon as January about whether or not to draft articles of impeachment.It’s a win for Speaker Mike Johnson, who managed to unify his conference after battleground-district Republicans spent months resisting a formal inquiry — leading his predecessor to backtrack and start the investigation unilaterally.“This is an important step. The impeachment power resides solely with the House of Representatives. If a majority of the House now says we’re in an official impeachment inquiry … that carries weight. That’s going to help us get these witnesses in,” Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said ahead of the vote.Republicans are months into their imp...

White House adviser Jake Sullivan and Saudi crown prince MBS meet over Gaza crisis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:19 GMT

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan traveled to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to two U.S. officials.The meeting came as the Biden administration works to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from expanding into a broader conflict within the Middle East, said the U.S. officials, both of whom were granted anonymity to speak about the visit. The trip also comes as international ships in the Red Sea have come under increasing attacks by Houthis in nearby Yemen.The U.S. views Saudi Arabia as a key partner in the region in managing those tensions, and had previously worked with the nation on efforts to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians, the U.S. officials said.Saudi Arabia had been in talks to normalize relations with Israel prior to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, a process that Biden officials have since said they are eager to eventually resume.“Before Oct. 7 our team was working very hard on normalization between Israel an...

Santa, Mrs. Claus visit patients at Shriners Children’s in Boston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:19 GMT

The holidays were in full swing at Shriners Children’s in Boston Wednesday as, for the 21st, year, the Boston Firefighters Burn Foundation brought Santa and Mrs. Claus to visit patients at the hospital. The burn foundation is a nonprofit group made up of Boston firefighters. On Wednesday, firefighters were on hand to help as Santa and Mrs. Claud arrived in a ladder truck before traveling up the side of the Shriners building to kick off their visit.“Especially where most of our patients are burn survivors, having this positive relationship with firefighters and this community helps the kids to really find resilience,” said Jacqueline Raferty of Shriners Children’s Boston.“We see all the joy that they bring to the kids when they come here,” Raferty continued. “So, we’re really grateful.” With kids getting to spend some time with Santa and Mrs. Claud, the staff at Shriners Children’s said they’re just happy they can help bring some holiday happiness to children who need it.&n...

Senate passes defense policy bill with 5.2% pay raise for troops, the biggest boost in decades

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:19 GMT

By KEVIN FREKING (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed a defense policy bill Wednesday that authorizes the biggest pay raise for troops in more than two decades, but also leaves behind many of the policy priorities that social conservatives were clamoring for, making for an unusually divisive debate over what is traditionally a strongly bipartisan effort.Lawmakers have been negotiating a final bill for months after each chamber passed strikingly different versions in July. Some of the priorities championed by social conservatives were a no-go for Democrats, so negotiators dropped them from the final product to get it over the finish line. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 87-13 It now heads to the House, where opponents have been more vocal about their concerns.Most notably, the bill does not include language blocking the Pentagon’s abortion travel policy and restricting gender-affirming health care for transgender service members and dependents. Re...