Only some people know that PVC products are popular in the furniture industry due to their superior performance. Furniture is made to be more helpful with the right PVC fittings. The overall appearance has undergone significant enhancement due to strategically locating PVC fittings. This prompted expanded development in plans and convenience of these fittings. So…
The number of three-wheeled scooter models we see today proves that times have changed. Bicycles with training wheels were once the craze among children. It was even regarded as a “rite of passage” because of its popularity. It’s a standard home video in which the dad tries to keep up with the child while he…
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today issued a reminder to New Yorkers to remember to file their taxes as the city and the nation enter the last week of the 2023 tax season. The reminder comes on the heels of Mayor Adams’ successful push last year in Albany to expand and enhance the New…
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Yesterday, God’s Love We Deliver, the NYC metropolitan area’s only provider of medically tailored meals from Harlem to Hollis. This incudes nutritional counseling for individuals living with and affected by severe and chronic illness, was visited by the Honorable Denis McDonough, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs and New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), as part of…
We often invoke the expression “What’s past is prologue” to suggest the continuity of the Black experience from one generation to another. Well, a good example of that occurred recently in the Republican-led Tennessee House when two representatives thrust their fists in defiance after being banished for supporting gun control.
No, Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were not on the victory podium like Tommy Smith and John Carlos were in Mexico during the Olympics, but their action, along with brandishing bullhorns on the state House floor resonated with a similar conviction and determination.
They were joined by a white woman Rep. Gloria Johnson, who was not removed from the House, which drew accusations of racism.
This incident comes in the wake of notable Democratic victories in Wisconsin and Chicago, where Brandon Johnson became the Mayor-elect. The expelled Justin Jones has been reinstated, and there’s a good chance Justin Pearson will also return to his seat after a vote by the Memphis commission.
As we move closer and closer to the 2024 elections—and Biden, who has not announced a rerun, though he has told some friends he will—all of these positive developments should not be ignored by the Democratic National Convention. The other day Biden announced that the convention will be held in Chicago which is another indication of the past is prologue.
In several ways the election date is way down the road, but it will be here sooner than you expect. Either way, the DNC has to take advantage of the energy and political savvy employed in Tennessee and make sure an impetus is given to the increasing number of young citizens poised to enter the political arena.
On April 7, two-time Emmy nominated actor, producer, comedian, pastor, author , and Christian hip-hop artist Kel Mitchell , released his new single “Go Time,” on all digital streaming platforms. “Go Time” is an upbeat and inspirational hip-hop track and anthem for positive self-talk. The new single arrives on the heels of the recent announcement that Mitchell will reprise his iconic role from the ‘90s cult classic film, Good Burger, alongside Kenan Thompson, in a sequel slated to go into production this Spring. Says Mitchell, “Go Time’ is a daily reminder to use your faith and more when God says move!”
Keisha Knight Pulliam gave birth to her second child , a boy, on April 9, which was the “Cosby Show” alum’s 44th birthday, according to various news outlets. Pulliam posted a video on social media from her hospital bed, in which her husband, actor Brad James, was still clad in hospital scrubs. Pulliam, who currently stars on “House Of Payne,” also has a six-year-old daughter, Ella, who she shares with her ex-husband, former NFL player Ed Hartwell. Pulliam met James on the set of the TV movie “Pride and Prejudice: Atlanta” in 2019. The couple got married in September 2022.
The Living Legends Foundation (LLF) Presents its 10th Annual A.D. Washington Scholarship Golf Tournament on April 14 at the Crystal Golf & Country Club in Hampton, Georgia, located in the Greater Atlanta area. Golfers from across the country will compete in a day of golf and networking while supporting the mission of the Living Legends Foundation, which also celebrated its 30th anniversary in October 2022. The proceeds from the golf tournament will benefit the Living Legends Scholarship Program for Black college students at any accredited institution pursuing careers in the music industry, specializing in marketing, communications, distribution, and more -affiliated areas
That was some kind of high-class expensive Easter vacation that Lori Harvey and her boyfriend “Snowfall” star/producer Damson Idris, who is also currently starring on the new “Swarm” series, experienced in the Turks and Caicos Islands, reports the Daily Mail. The hot couple stayed at the luxury resort Amanyara,where two to six-bedroom villas go for over $3,000 per night
WASHINGTON (AP) — When the COVID-19 public health emergency ends in the U.S. next month, you’ll still have access to a multitude of tests but with one big difference: Who pays for them.
For the first time, you may have to pick up some or all of the costs, depending on insurance coverage and whether the tests are done at home or in a doctor’s office.
But there’s still time to get some free tests before the May 11 change, and there could still be free ones available afterward. Some state and local governments may continue to distribute free home tests through clinics, libraries and community centers. And the federal government, for now, is still sending free tests through the U.S. Postal Service to households that haven’t already received two shipments.
And don’t discount those old tests you haven’t used. The expiration date on the package may have been extended. The Food and Drug Administration’s website provides a list to check and see which tests are still good.
Here’s a look at what the end of the government’s emergency declaration on May 11 means for testing:
AT-HOME TESTS
The biggest changes will be for over-the-counter tests, which account for the vast majority of screening in the U.S. today.
Since early 2021, the federal government has required all private insurers to cover up to eight COVID-19 tests per month. That requirement will soon go away. Coverage is also scheduled to lapse for tens of millions of seniors in the federal government’s Medicare program, though some members of Congress are pushing to extend the benefit.
While some private insurers may continue to cover all or some home tests, there will be no longer be a nationwide rule. A two-pack of tests typically costs between $20 and $24.
“What we will see is a hodgepodge of approaches by different insurance companies, which is going to make it difficult for individuals to know what they’re going to be paying,” said Christina Silcox, of the Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy, which recently issued a report on the outlook for testing.
One exception will be for those enrolled in the government Medicaid program for low-income individuals and families, who will continue to receive free tests until September 2024.
IN-OFFICE TESTS
Americans can also expect to pay more for any COVID-19 tests performed at a hospital, clinic or doctor’s office.
Insurers have been barred from charging copays, or any other cost-sharing fees related to COVID-19 testing. That requirement also ends next month.
While insurers will still cover basic testing costs, some people could face new fees for a portion of the test’s price or for the services of the health professional performing it. Lab tests have typically ranged between $70 and $100 and some of that could be passed along to patients.
COVID-19 vaccines and drugs will remain free because they are not paid for through insurance, but by the federal government. One concern is that uncertainty around testing costs could lead to delays in treatment. Current treatments for high-risk patients, like Paxlovid, generally need to be taken within the first few days of symptoms to be effective.
If people are worried about testing costs, “they may wait a couple days to see if things clear up and miss that five-day treatment window,” Silcox said.
TESTING CAPACITY
The U.S. struggled to build up its test manufacturing capacity during the first two years of the pandemic, with demand waning after each surge. Experts worry that the country could again be caught flat-footed after the federal government stops purchasing tests in bulk.
Only after the U.S. government said it would buy 1 billion tests did production stabilize, reaching a peak of 900 million monthly tests in February 2022.
“Those bulk purchases basically guaranteed the market for test manufacturers,” said Jennifer Kates, a senior vice president with the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation.
As of September, manufacturers were still producing over 400 million tests per month, far exceeding U.S. testing levels, according to Duke researchers.
Companies including Abbott Labs say they will be able to ramp up test production as needed. But the company declined to discuss specific production targets or how they will be impacted by the end of the health emergency.
Congress has shown little willingness to buy more tests and the Biden administration did not propose new spending in its latest budget.
“That upfront guarantee by the federal government that takes care of testing volatility won’t be there anymore,” Kates said.
TESTING TECHNOLOGY
The hundreds of different COVID-19 tests authorized by the Food and Drug Administration over the last three years will remain available after May 11. That’s because the FDA OK’d those products under a separate emergency measure that isn’t affected by the end of the national declaration.
Still, FDA officials have been encouraging test makers to apply for full regulatory approval, which will allow their products to stay on the market indefinitely. Last month, the FDA formally approved the first rapid COVID test.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
The Republican was scheduled to meet with lawyers for Attorney General Letitia James, who sued Trump last year. Her lawsuit claims Trump and his family misled banks and business associates by giving them false information about his net worth and the value of assets such as hotels and golf courses.
Trump and his lawyers have said the Democrat’s lawsuit against him is politically motivated and legally baseless. He and the company have denied doing anything wrong. James declined to answer a question about the planned deposition at a news conference on an unrelated matter Wednesday.
“Anyone in my position not taking the Fifth Amendment would be a fool, an absolute fool,” he said in the session, which was recorded on video and later released publicly. Trump predicted a “renegade” prosecutor would try to make a criminal case out of his answers, if he gave them.
“One statement or answer that is ever so slightly off, just ever so slightly, by accident, by mistake, such as it was a sunny, beautiful day, when actually it was slightly overcast, would be met by law enforcement at a level seldom seen in this country, because I’ve experienced it,” he said.
A trial for the lawsuit is scheduled for October.
It is unclear whether Trump might answer any questions in his second deposition, which will be conducted in private if it takes place as planned.
The NBA playoffs are an unmistakably different animal than the regular season. Teams are preparing for a singular opponent. Scouting is meticulous and centrally focused on eliminating or minimizing opponents’ strengths, and exploiting their weaknesses. Nuanced and evident adjustments are made from game to game.
Ultimately, exceptional players and notable performances determine outcomes of long series. So as of today, discount that the Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers three out of the four times they played each other during the regular season. The teams are evenly matched and their best-of-seven playoff series that begins this Saturday, with Game 1 in Cleveland tipping-off at 6 p.m., could surface as the most compelling of all the Round 1 matchups.
The storyline prominently discussed is the Knicks failing to acquire New York native Donovan Mitchell in a trade last summer, and the Cavaliers ultimately swooping in to obtain the four-time All-Star guard who was 10th in the NBA in scoring in this season at 28.5. But new scenarios will emerge as the series progresses.
The Cavaliers, which were 51-31 in the regular season, are the No. 4 seed in the East. The Knicks, winners of five of the final seven games, ended at 47-35, the franchise’s best record since going 54-28 in the 2012-13 campaign, and entering the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s No. 5 seed.
The Knicks’ prospects of winning four games over the next roughly two weeks against the Cavaliers will be determined by the performances of All-Star forward Julius Randle and point guard Jalen Brunson has been sensational in the lead role, especially as a first-time, full-time starter this season after leaving the Dallas Mavericks and signing with the Knicks as a free-agent last summer.
Randle, the Knicks’ leading scorer and rebounder at 25.1 and 10 rebounds, respectively, hasn’t played since March 29 after spraining his left ankle at Madison Square Garden against the Miami Heat.
“He did some [at practice]. Making steady progress. Taking it day-to-day,” said Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday, non-committal on Randle’s return for Game 1. “So when he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go.”
Brunson, posting impressive stats of 24.2 points and 6.2 assists, missed the Knicks’ last three regular season games to rest a sprained right hand. Displaying mental and physical toughness all season, Brunson has declared he’s ready for the postseason. “Good, getting better. I’m able to do whatever I need to do,” he told reporters earlier this week.
