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The past, present and future of birth control

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:16 GMT

In today’s Big Story Podcast, “the pill” has been around for more than 60 years now. And while it changed society, sparked a sexual revolution and helped reshape the workforce, the side effects can be challenging for those who take them. The past six decades have seen incredible medical advancements, but somehow hormonal birth control remains the go-to for a lot of people who menstruate — even though we keep discovering new side effects even today.Nicole Schmidt wrote about the birth control pill for The Walrus. “We’re kind of just starting to understand how vast the side effects really are,” said Schmidt. Why hasn’t the pill gotten much better over six decades? Why haven’t better alternatives come to market? What is possible in the world of birth control and science pushes further? And why, despite promising research, is there still no proper birth control for men?You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You can ...

Man dies after being found shot on street in West Loop

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:16 GMT

CHICAGO — A man has died after being found shot in the chest in the city's West Loop.Police responded to a person shot in the 100 block of North Clinton Street around 12:50 a.m. Thursday.Upon arrival, officers found the man on the street with a gunshot wound to the chest. According to police, the man was unresponsive and appeared to be about 40-years-old.He was transported to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, but was later pronounced dead. Pedestrian struck and killed on sidewalk in River North No one is in custody. Area Three Detectives are investigating.

Strikes on Gaza's southern edge sow fear in one of the last areas to which people can flee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:16 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli forces struck the southern Gaza town of Rafah twice overnight, residents said Thursday, sowing fear in one of the last places where civilians could seek refuge after Israel widened its offensive against Hamas to areas already packed with displaced people. United Nations officials say there are no safe places in Gaza. Heavy fighting in and around the southern city of Khan Younis has displaced tens of thousands of people in a territory where over 80% of the population has already fled their homes, and cut most of Gaza off from deliveries of food, water and other vital aid.Two months into the war, the grinding offensive has set off renewed alarms internationally, with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres using a rarely exercised power to warn the Security Council of an impending “humanitarian catastrophe” and urging members to demand a cease-fire.The United States has called on Israel to limit civilian deaths and displacement, saying too many Palesti...

Wisconsin judge rules 1849 law doesn't outlaw abortion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:16 GMT

(The Hill) - A Wisconsin circuit court judge has ruled that an 1849 law which classifies the destruction of a fetus by someone other than the mother as a felony does not outlaw abortions, returning the state's abortion access to its pre-Dobbs status.Dane County Circuit Court Judge Diane Schlipper on Tuesday reaffirmed a ruling she issued earlier this year, finding that an 1800's era law "does not apply to consensual abortions, but to feticide."Dane County Wis. Judge Diane Schlipper makes remarks during a case being argued by the State of Wisconsin which challenges a 174-year-old feticide law at the Dane County Courthouse in Madison, Wis. Thursday, May 4, 2023. Schlipper refused Friday, July 7, 2023, to toss out a lawsuit challenging Wisconsin's 174-year-old abortion ban, keeping the case inching toward the state Supreme Court in a state where debate over abortion rights has taken center stage. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File)After the Supreme Court overturned the lan...

The 5 highest-earning bachelor's degrees in Ilinois: Census data

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:16 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Throughout the U.S., the median household income is around $75,000, according to newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 5-year survey. Your income can, of course, vary due to several factors, like where you live, your gender, and the field you're in. Your highest level of educational attainment can also be impactful. Among American workers who have only a high school diploma or equivalent, the median income is less than $37,000, according to data the Census released Thursday, which was based on their widespread community survey. Those who have a bachelor's degree, however, report a median income of just under $65,000. How much you need to make to be ‘middle class’ in Chicago Some fields will, on average, pay you much more than that. Nationally, it's those with a degree in engineering that have the highest reported median average: Americans between the ages of 25 and 64 with a degree in that field earn about $111,600, Census data shows (this data is based on...

Watch in full: Candidates spar over the issues at fourth Republican debate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:16 GMT

(NewsNation) —  Four Republican presidential hopefuls took the debate stage Wednesday night in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for a last-chance effort to win over voters before the Iowa caucuses in just six weeks.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie appeared in person at the University of Alabama, looking to position themselves as a viable alternative to former President Donald Trump — the dominant GOP front-runner.Trump did not attend this or any of the previous debates, noting that he continues to dominate the polls and maintains a sizable lead over the rest of the party. Trump held a fundraiser in Florida instead. Where was Donald Trump during Republican debate? Moderators Elizabeth Vargas, the Peabody award-winning anchor of NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports;” Megyn Kelly, host of “The Megyn Kelly Show” on SiriusXM; Eliana Johnson, editor-in-chief of The Washington Free Beacon, ...

Hearing Thursday for woman suing Texas over abortion ban

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:16 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Kate Cox never thought she would seek an abortion in her journey to raise a big, loving family. As a 31-year-old mother of two young children in Dallas, she was thrilled to learn she and her husband had a third on the way in August. That joy, however, was cut short by a diagnosis.“It is not a matter of if I will have to say goodbye, but when. I do not want to continue the pain and suffering that has plagued this pregnancy," Cox said in a petition to a Travis County district court. "I do not want my baby to arrive in this world only to watch her suffer a heart attack or suffocation. I desperately want the chance to try for another baby and want to access the medical care now that gives me the best chance at another baby.”She learned her baby has full trisomy 18 -- a fatal chromosomal condition causing deformities and growth delays in fetal development. Babies with trisomy 18 are often stillborn or survive for only minutes or days, and their mothers are often at ri...

Two Central Texas cities named among 'coziest winter towns' in the country

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:16 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — While a white Christmas in Central Texas is unlikely, there's still plenty of opportunities to have a cozy holiday season.In fact, two local cities have been named among the 'coziest winter towns' in America in a new ranking by New York Travel Guides.Marble Falls ranks 40th on the list, while Fredericksburg ranks 96th. No other cities in Texas made the top 100. LIST: Holiday light events in Central Texas The website compared 575 small towns across the country and graded them in three categories: popularity during the winter with the public and photographers, 'cozy weather,' and cozy activities and atmosphere, such as festivals, historic performing arts theaters and coffee shops.Marble Falls has several holiday events throughout the season, including the Walkway of Lights. The display is open nightly until Dec. 31, featuring two million lights and more than 350 lighted sculptures.In Fredericksburg, the Christmas Nights of Lights runs nightly through Jan. 7. A 10-min...

Fire burns southeast Austin apartment; firefighter hospitalized

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:16 GMT

Editor’s note: The above video shows KXAN News Today’s morning headlines for Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin-Travis County EMS took an Austin firefighter to the hospital following a fire at a southeast Austin apartment complex Thursday morning, according to the Austin Fire Department.AFD said the firefighter's injury was non-life threatening and was not smoke or fire-related but gave no other details.According to AFD, fire crews were called to the Solaris Apartments on Burton Drive at Woodland Avenue just before 6 a.m. for a report of a roof on fire. AFD said the fire was contained to one apartment unit and no one was displaced. According to AFD, the apartment manager said the unit was not currently rented but AFD also said it was not known if the apartment was empty.Austin Fire Department respond to a fire at Solaris Apartments in southeast Austin. (Austin Fire Info)Austin Fire Department respond to a fire at Solaris Apartments in southeast Austin. (Austin Fire Info)...

Weekend cold front puts an end to recent warmth

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:16 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Couple more days of mild afternoon weather before Mother Nature pulls the rug out from underneath us.Afternoon highs will return to the upper 60s today under a sky mixed with filtered sunshine and high clouds. Winds will begin to increase out of the south late in the day today before they really get going on Friday.These gusty south winds will help boost temperatures to unseasonably warm levels - expect Friday afternoon highs to soar well into the 70s across the board.Weekend cold frontWHAT: Strong Pacific cold frontWHEN: Hill Country - 8AM-11AM / Austin-metro - 10AM-2PM / Eastern counties - 2PM-5PM IMPACTS: gusty north winds, low rain chance and cooler temperaturesSpotty rain showers will likely develop along and head of the cold front, mainly over the I-35 corridor eastward. Rainfall accumulation looks very light (a few tenths of an inch at best).Spotty rain squeezes out along and ahead of Saturday's cold frontGusty winds will hit next with winds out of the north ...