Final U.S. Tally: Nearly 107,000 Overdose Deaths Last Year
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 106,699 Americans died from overdoses in 2021, a 16% increase from the year prior.
| AP
Science and Health
Cats Are Curtailing Chicago's Rat Problem
A Chicago-area humane society is strategically relocating outdoor cats to areas that will repel rats out of residents' home and businesses.
After A Life-Altering Diagnosis, 4 People Found Hope On The Other Side
Four people share what happened in the aftermath of a life-altering diagnosis and how they have continued to live with their new normal.
Rats Are Seemingly Taking Over U.S. Cities
Why does it seem like the rat problem is such a stumper for so many U.S. cities, and what can be done do to solve it?
| Scripps News Staff
Your Chocolate May Contain Heavy Metals — How Worried Should You Be?
Consumer Reports set out to test lead and cadmium levels in 28 different dark chocolate bars. Even organic chocolate showed high levels.
Tens Of Thousands Without Power After California Earthquake
Officials say there was some damage to buildings and infrastructure, but the scale of damage is minimal compared to the strength of the quake.
| AP and Scripps News Staff
What To Know About Over-The-Counter Hearing Aids
New access to hearing aids over the counter has raised questions on eligibility and the difference between them and ones from the doctor's office.
Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake Rocks Parts Of Northern California
The quake occurred overnight near Ferndale, a small community about 210 miles northwest of San Francisco. No injuries were immediately reported.
| AP
How To Order Free At-Home COVID Tests Ahead Of The Holidays
In an attempt to shrink the post-holiday surge in COVID cases, the Biden administration has reinstated the government's free at-home testing program.
How Science Can Help You Stick To That New Year's Resolution
On average, Americans stick to their New Year's resolutions for 32 days. But there are ways to break the mold.
| Dan Grossman
Malaysia Landslide Death Toll Rises To 24, 9 More Missing
Rescuers worked in teams Saturday to comb through debris as deep as 26 feet.
| AP
How Are Genetic Tests Changing Families?
Algorithms identify those who share many genetic markers, making them very likely to be close relatives.
| Eli Kintisch and Cat Sandoval
Landslide At Malaysia Campground Kills 18, Leaves 15 Missing
More than 90 people were sleeping on an organic farm when dirt tumbled from a road about 100 feet above the site and covered about 3 acres.
| AP
Huge Berlin Aquarium Bursts, Unleashing Flood Of Devastation
The 82-foot-tall AquaDom was described as the biggest cylindrical tank in the world and held more than a thousand tropical fish before the incident.
| AP
South Cleans Up From Tornadoes As Blizzards Advance North
The storms are expected to hobble the Midwest with wintry weather for days and push up the East Coast into New England.
| AP and Scott Withers
Another Drought Emergency Has Been Declared In Southern California
The water district serving 19 million people in and around Los Angeles is telling residents to conserve water to avoid worse restrictions.
U.S. Deaths Fell This Year, But Not To Pre-COVID Levels
Current reports suggest U.S. deaths may be down about 3% from 2020 and about 7% compared to 2021.
| AP
White House Reveals Winter COVID-19 Plans, More Free Tests
COVID-19 cases have shown a marked increase after the Thanksgiving holiday.
| AP and Scripps News Staff
3 Dead In Louisiana As Storm Spawns Tornadoes In The South
The punishing storms barreled eastward Wednesday after killing a mother and son in the northwestern part of the state a day earlier.
| AP and Scott Withers
Health Officials Revise Tool To Track Severe Obesity In Children
Updated growth charts released Thursday by the CDC now extend to a body mass index of 60 — up from previous charts that stopped at a BMI of 37.
| AP
What The Historic Protests Against Xi Jinping Could Mean For China
As Xi Jinping begins his third term, widespread protests and the response to "zero-COVID" could give a look into China's future and Xi's legacy.
| Scripps News Staff
WFTS: Gov. Ron DeSantis Takes Aim At COVID-19 Vaccine Makers
Gov. Ron Desantis has asked Florida's supreme court to impanel a grand jury to investigate COVID-19 vaccine makers.
| Vanessa Araiza and WFTS
COVID, RSV, Flu Surge Causing Medicine Shortages, Especially For Kids
As respiratory illnesses continue to surge, some pharmacies are running out of liquid versions of medicine that kids commonly use when sick.
Masks Might Be Coming Back As 'Tripledemic' Surges
Heading into the holidays, cases of respiratory illness are surging, and authorities are urging people to take preventive measures.
U.S. Scientists Announce Fusion Energy Breakthrough
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for the first time produced more energy in a fusion reaction than was used to ignite it.
| AP
Ukrainian Center Offers Dog Therapy For Children Traumatized By War
An 8-year-old dog named Bice goes to a rehabilitation center weekly to help children traumatized by Russia's war in Ukraine.
| AP and Meg Hilling
China To Drop Some Travel Tracking As It Relaxes COVID Rules
China recently said it's ending many of its COVID measures. It has enforced some of the world's tightest virus restrictions over the last three years.
| AP
Researchers Develop A Fentanyl Vaccine That May Block High
University of Houston researchers say they've created a vaccine that appears to block synthetic fentanyl from entering the brain.
| Scripps News Staff and AP
Scientists Say Eruption Of Hawaii Volcano Continues To Ease
The inactive front of the lava flow may inch northward very slowly as it continues to settle, officials said.
| AP and Scripps News Staff
NASA's Orion Capsule Blazes Home From Test Flight To Moon
The mission should clear the way for astronauts on the program’s next lunar flyby, set for 2024.
| AP and Clayton Sandell
