Rescuers free dozens trapped on Ecuador cable car

• July 7, 2023

By Gerardo Lemos | CNN

Dozens of people trapped in gondolas on one of the world’s highest cable car systems in Ecuador have been rescued, according to a statement from government officials Friday.

Firefighters were alerted around 4 p.m. local time Thursday of a technical failure that affected the Quito Cable Car, with at least 70 people trapped, the Quito municipality said in a statement. They launched a rescue effort in the highlands soon after.

“In total, the authorities rescued 27 people who had been suspended in the gondolas when the service was inoperative and 47 people who had been left without transportation on top of the mountain,” the statement said.

The mayor of Quito, Pabel Muñoz, said the rescued people do not show signs of hypothermia or injuries.

He also ordered to suspend the cable cars’ operation until investigations have been carried out.

Photos released by Quito authorities show emergency workers huddled in the dark, with the city mayor on site, as rescue efforts continued through Thursday night..

Those rescued were being transferred to a safe place and received medical evaluations, the municipality added.

The Quito Cable Car, also known as the Telefériqo, reaches more than 3,947 meters (12,950 feet) above sea level, making it one of the highest cable cars in South America, according to its official website.

The ride travels more than 2,500 meters (about 1.55 miles) over an 18-minute journey that offers a view of the Quito cityscape and the surrounding mountains, the site says.

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Black workers in US account for 90% of recent rise in unemployment 

• July 7, 2023

By Catarina Saraiva and Alex Tanzi | Bloomberg

The unemployment rate for African Americans jumped for a second straight month in June as workers left the workforce amid early signs of a cooling labor market.

That cooling has been uneven: The number of unemployed African Americans has increased by 267,000 since April, meaning they account for close to 90% of the 300,000 increase in overall joblessness during that period.

SEE MORE: US slowed hiring but still added a solid 209,000 jobs in June

Black unemployment rose to 6% in June, the highest since August, and was once again nearly double that of White workers, whose rate fell to 3.1%, a Labor Department report showed Friday.

Black workers are often among the first to be fired as the economy begins to weaken, research shows, and the recent declines in employment could be a canary in the coal mine for the broader labor market.

READ MORE: Employers don’t have to protect workers’ families from COVID, California court rules

“If conditions continue to weaken, or even accelerate, the gains won by Black workers and other vulnerable groups could diminish quickly,” said William Rodgers, director of the St. Louis Fed’s Institute of Economic Equity.

The unemployment rate for Hispanic and Asian workers also rose, to 4.3% and 3.2% respectively. But that’s partly because those workers entered or returned to the labor market.

Black Americans, however, are leaving the workforce after months of improvement in their labor participation culminated in a 15-year high earlier this year. Employment for that group declined by 3% in three months, one of the largest drops on record.

Black unemployment has risen 1.3 percentage points since reaching a record low in April. That jump is the fastest increase in since the pandemic largely shut the US economy down in early 2020.

The increase in the gap between Black and White unemployment — a closely watched benchmark of inequality in the labor market — also marks a reversal from the narrowest level ever in April.

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Video shows Britney Spears inadvertently hit herself in the face in Las Vegas Wembanyama encounter

• July 7, 2023

By TIM REYNOLDS | AP Basketball Writer

LAS VEGAS — No charges will be filed following a brief investigation of the altercation involving pop star Britney Spears, San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama and a member of the player’s security team, Las Vegas police said Friday.

Spears said she was struck by a security guard as she tried to approach Wembanyama near a restaurant in a Las Vegas casino complex on Wednesday night. Wembanyama said a person — he later was told it was Spears — grabbed him from behind.

Spears filed a police report, alleging battery. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department said its investigation is over and “no charges will be filed against the person involved.”

Police say surveillance video shows Spears inadvertently hit herself in the face after her hand was pushed off Wembanyama.

Wembanyama is scheduled to make his NBA Summer League debut for the Spurs in Las Vegas on Friday night. The 7-foot-3 French teen was the No. 1 pick in last month’s NBA draft and is entering the league with as much acclaim as anyone since LeBron James in 2003.

The altercation happened Wednesday night; Spears said she recognized Wembanyama at another hotel earlier in the evening and when seeing him again at the Aria Resort & Casino she “decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success.”

Spears said, “His security then back handed me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses off my face.”

Spears said in posts on Twitter and Instagram that the run-in was “super embarrassing,” and denied grabbing Wembanyama, saying she only “tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.” She also said that she was hopeful of getting an apology from the team or the security guard who she said was involved.

Wembanyama had a different account of the events. He said security advised him to not stop for anyone as he walked into the restaurant, mindful that pausing could cause a stir and allow a crowd to build. He said one person was shouting “sir, sir” to him, “and that person grabbed me from behind,” he said.

He was told hours later that person was Spears. He never saw her, he said, because he never turned around.

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CSUF’s Master of Social Work programs get almost $10 million boost

• July 7, 2023

Cal State Fullerton’s Master of Social Work program is already making an impact in preparing the next generation of social workers, clinicians and behavioral health practitioners to serve the Orange County community.

But after recently being awarded nearly $10 million in grants, MSW at CSUF will be uniquely positioned to provide even more support in the area of mental health in a post-pandemic reality.

With the receipt of a $4.75 million grant from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information, CSUF will look to expand the capacity of its MSW program through the Master of Social Work Expansion Project.

The first of several initiatives slated for these funds will allow for an increase in enrollment in the MSW program by approximately 15 to 20 students each year over the next three years.

Additionally, the grant allows for the development of a Latinx Certificate Program that formalizes training and fieldwork experience with the Latinx population. As a part of this program, funding will be available for a study-abroad component in which students will be able to practice their skills and interact with local communities in a Spanish-speaking country.

“The bilingual and bicultural clinicians that our program would be producing will be better prepared in serving the Latinx population when they enter the job market,” said CSUF Department of Social Work chair, Mikyong Kim-Goh.

Mikyong Kim-Goh, chair of the CSUF Department of Social Work (Courtesy of CSUF News Media Services)

Another component this grant will support is the creation of the Pupil Personnel Service credential specifically for those MSW students interested in working in a school-based setting as a social worker.

The final area in development with these grant funds is the designation of advance standing. This will allow the CSUF MSW program to admit students with bachelor’s degrees in social work from accredited programs and provide them the opportunity to expedite their timeline for completion of the MSW degree from two years to approximately 12 months.

The second grant awarded to CSUF’s MSW program is $5 million from CalOptima to help establish the OC Behavioral Health MSW Stipend Program. Each year over the next five years, a group of MSW students will be selected to receive a stipend that can be applied to tuition, living expenses, textbooks and supplies.

“The stipend is going to help a great deal, just given that a lot of our students are working while they are completing this MSW program, which is very, very difficult to do,” Kim-Goh said. “This is going to relieve a lot of financial barriers and ultimately benefits the Orange County region because most of our graduates stay in this area to become part of that behavioral health workforce in the county.”

Coming out of the pandemic, the need for mental health services has become more crucial than ever, and compounding the issue is a shortage of trained professionals to help meet those needs. Kim-Goh said that specifically in the public sector, recruitment and retention of social workers is becoming increasingly difficult, with the OC Health Care Agency reporting a nearly 25% vacancy rate for these positions. She believes CSUF’s receipt of the grant funding will not only allow for program growth but will help add qualified individuals in this field.

“With our program expanding, and also producing bilingual and bicultural practitioners, once they graduate from the MSW program, it’s a way to at least partially address the workforce shortage issues in Orange County,” Kim-Goh said.

Established in 2007, CSUF’s MSW program remains the only one of its kind in Orange County offered through a public university. A program with a highly competitive selection process, there are currently approximately 250 students enrolled in the full-time and part-time degree paths.

“In terms of affordability, I think we are providing this excellent curriculum and education,” Kim-Goh said. “We have a top-notch faculty, but at a price that’s incomparable.”

An additional aspect of CSUF’s MSW program that sets it apart is that more than half of the Titans currently enrolled are of Latinx heritage, with 15-20% coming from Asian Pacific Islander backgrounds. This means nearly three-quarters of the MSW students are from communities of color, a direct reflection of the Orange County population they are training to serve.

“Orange County demographics have been changing a lot in the last 20 years or so, and we really need the clinicians, the social workers and behavioral health practitioners who have those cultural and linguistic skills to be able to communicate and provide services and meet the needs of those communities,” Kim-Goh said. “I’m very proud of what we have done, and I think we have a top-notch program.”

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No FasTrak device? No problem, as LA Metro allows all drivers to use freeway toll lanes

• July 7, 2023

A decade of pay lanes on the 10 and 110 freeways in Los Angeles County have pleased millions of riders in a hurry, even as sticklers criticize the loss of “free” ways that are deemed a California legacy, and even as inadvertent ExpressLane users balk over high tolls, fines and fees.

On June 22, the LA Metro board made it easier to use ExpressLanes by eliminating the need for a FasTrak transponder, or the need to sign up your vehicle. Now  any motorist can use the lanes without a transponder or a Metro account and simply be billed for a congestion toll plus an $8 processing fee per trip — avoiding penalties.

Those carpoolers with two or more occupants can still use their transponder to signal overhead beacons, and the occasional CHP patrol, that they are riding free and will not be billed for the trip, or cited. Carpool occupancy restrictions apply on each freeway.

An action led by Fourth District Supervisor and LA Metro board member Janice Hahn that was approved June 22 by an 8-0 vote eliminated the $25 penalty charged by Metro each time someone drives in the ExpressLanes without a transponder, even if they did it unknowingly.

The action also means a CHP officer cannot pull someone over for not having the device or not having an account with Metro, a citation that costs $250, according to Hahn’s office.

Hahn, who said this will make the Metro system “less intimidating,” said the impetus was to open the toll lanes to the occasional user, or those visiting Los Angeles.

“I felt some people thought about it at the last minute,” she said at the Metro meeting in June. “Or say someone was on their way to the hospital. Can we help them out? I think we will see more people taking advantage of the ExpressLanes when they need them.”

Exactly 10 years ago, LA Metro received federal dollars to convert a 14-mile stretch of bus and carpool lanes along the 10 Freeway and an 11-mile stretch of the 110 Freeway into pay lanes called ExpressLanes. The 10 Freeway lanes run in the west San Gabriel Valley from the 605 Freeway to the 101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles. The 110 Freeway lanes run from Adams Street in South Los Angeles to the 91 Freeway in the South Bay.

Reports in 2018 showed single-occupancy drivers escaping bumper-to-bumper traffic by moving into lanes previously available only for carpoolers and buses — and paying to do so. Of all ExpressLane users, 65 percent were solo drivers with a transponder.

From March 2020 until recently, Metro conducted a pilot program allowing solo drivers access to the ExpressLanes as long as they paid congestion tolls and a $4 processing fee, but no penalties. That $4 fee will be raised to $8 in the next few weeks, Metro officials reported.

From September 2021 to August 2022, Metro reported an additional 899,954 trips on the two ExpressLanes systems. “The data support the conclusion that the (pay-as-you-go pilot) resulted in more ExpressLanes trips by drivers that did not have the FasTrak (transponder),” according to a Metro report released last month. The report estimated the pilot program produced a 2.4% increase in trips.

Riders going to and from LAX may be more apt to move left, out of crowded, regular lanes and pay the congestion tolls on the 110 Freeway ExpressLanes. Others traveling east on the 10 Freeway on a weekday late afternoon may use the 10 ExpressLanes. One of those is transit-watcher Carter Rubin, who lives in Santa Monica and does not have a transponder, but may jump into the pay lanes on the way to the Claremont Colleges.

“When I do occasionally drive out to places like Claremont and my alma mater, Pitzer, I would be more likely (to use ExpressLanes) now that the transponder isn’t required, since I don’t own a transponder,” he wrote in a message.

An overhead camera system takes a picture of the pay-as-you-go user’s license plate. The congestion toll plus $8 processing charge is then sent in a bill by mail to the car’s registered owner. If not paid on time, delinquent fees are added, spiking the bill.

Likewise, the camera detection system assesses the carpoolers by determining the number of people in the vehicle and compares that to the switch setting on the transponder.

On the 10 Freeway, carpoolers with three or more occupants ride toll-free all hours, while cars with two occupants pay a toll during peak hours but ride toll-free during off-peak hours. On the 110 Freeway, vehicles with two or more occupants ride toll-free all hours.

Using an algorithm, congestion tolls vary and are set higher when traffic is greater. Conversely, the toll is less when traffic is lighter. A congestion toll ranges from $0.30 to $8, according to Metro. The average toll between March 2022 and February 2023 was $2.92 per trip, said Patrick Chandler, Metro spokesman.

“We try to control volume by the pricing in the tolls. The busier it is, the more the toll. That is the tool we use,” said Mark Linsenmayer, deputy executive officer overseeing the Metro ExpressLanes. Tolls are also adjusted by distance traveled in the lanes.

There are 60 express toll lanes across the United States, according to the Reason Foundation. Metro’s first entry into congestion pricing 10 years ago could be followed by more ExpressLanes on other freeways, plus other iterations.

Metro is studying a plan to add a toll to certain roads that lead into Downtown Los Angeles or Westside communities. Traffic would be reduced by 24 percent if vehicles were charged a $4 toll during peak hours to travel the freeways and major roadways entering West Los Angeles and Santa Monica, according to a 2019 Southern California Association of Governments study.

Most transit agencies in the state require a transponder, with LA Metro breaking the trend.

Eli Lipmen, executive director of Move LA, a supporter of transit, said he uses a transponder to travel freeways in Orange County and the Bay Area and on the Golden Gate Bridge. All the toll lanes in Orange County require a transponder, often a thin sticker with a bar code.

Motorists on the future 405 Express Lanes in Orange County between the 73 and 605 freeways must have a transponder, as do drivers  using existing 91 Express Lanes, Joel Zlotnik, spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority, told the Orange County Register. The 405 lanes are scheduled for completion later this year.

Trains, buses — and charging solo drivers — are tools to reduce driving miles, traffic and air pollution, Lipmen said.

He agrees with getting more use out of Metro’s ExpressLanes and with congestion pricing in general.

“Do I pay $5 or $10 for the faster trip? Or do I take public transit next time? You are making a decision,” he said, adding, “The only way to manage or reduce traffic is to charge for it.”

Related links

When the 405 Express Lanes open up, some motorists will avoid the toll
110, 10 Freeway ExpressLanes are slowing down and officials aren’t sure of the fix
On 10 Freeway, cheaters and solo drivers clogging ExpressLanes may prompt big changes from Metro
LA supervisor wants to ‘decriminalize’ Metro’s Express Lanes on 110 and 10 freeways by letting drivers use them without first registering
If you are forced to pay $4 to drive into West L.A., traffic would be reduced, study says

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Tour de France: Philipsen wins his 3rd stage, Vingegaard stays in yellow

• July 7, 2023

BORDEAUX, France — It was not so long ago that Jasper Philipsen was nicknamed “Jasper Disaster.”

In the space of a week at the Tour de France, he has morphed into “Jasper The Master,” dominating the sprints with ease.

The Belgian rider secured a hat trick of stages on Friday by claiming yet another mass sprint in Bordeaux.

Philipsen was expertly led to the front by his Alpecin–Deceuninck teammate Mathieu van der Poel then comfortably countered a move by veteran sprinter Mark Cavendish.

Biniam Girmay completed the stage podium, and defending champion Jonas Vingegaard kept the yellow jersey.

Philipsen has won five mass sprints in a row on the Tour after claiming two stage wins last year.

“If you told me this one week ago I would think you’re crazy, but so far it’s a dream for us, a dream Tour and we just continue and hopefully we can add another one,” Philipsen said. “I think from now I’m looking to Paris also.”

Philipsen was given the nickname by Alexander Kristoff when they raced together because he caused a lot of crashes.

“Then he was a little clumsy. And he also forgot a lot of things,” Kristoff told Het Laatste Nieuws. “Then he lost his sunglasses, or couldn’t find his toiletry bag, or forgot his shoes. He was often a disaster, a disaster. The nickname was meant as a joke, not an insult.”

Philipsen made no such mistake when Cavendish hit the front in the finale. He calmly returned onto his wheel and overtook Cavendish to deny the rider known as the “Manx Missile” a record 35th Tour stage win.

Cavendish equaled Merckx’s record of 34 wins on the 2021 Tour, 13 years after his first success. Cavendish, who has never won the Tour, unlike five-time champion Merckx, will retire at the end of the season.

“He (Cavendish) was really strong and I would have also loved to have seen him win, and I think everybody,” Philipsen said. “He’s up there, in good condition.”

After two grueling days of brutal climbing across the Pyrenees, the super flat 170-kilometer (105-mile) Stage 7 looked like the perfect occasion for the main contenders to enjoy a day off inside the peloton.And they made the most of it to relax.

Vingegaard waved to TV cameras and blew kisses to fans, while second-placed Tadej Pogacar chatted with Van der Poel on the long sections across the Landes forest. On a very hot day in southwestern France, Van der Poel and Philipsen put ice cubes in their jerseys.

After their epic duel over the past couple of days in the Pyrenees, Vingegaard and Pogacar were happy to rest their legs but remain vigilant in the last 30 kilometers when the race animated ahead of the final sprint.

There was no major changes in the general classification: Vingegaard kept his 25-second lead over the two-time champion. Jai Hindley remained in third place, 1 minute, 34 seconds off the pace.

It was a bit unclear at the start of the stage whether the breakaway ignited by the quartet of Simon Guglielmi, Nelson Oliveira, Mathieu Burgeaudeau and Jonas Abrahamsen would grow bigger, but no other rider looked interested in joining their collective effort.

One by one, following their team’s instructions via radio connected to their earpieces, the fugitives sat on, leaving Guglielmi alone at the front.

Given the profile of the stage, Guglielmi’s breakaway was born dead since it looked certain from the start that he would be caught once the sprinters’ teams launched the chase. But it put the French rider in the spotlight, with the bunch riding at a casual pace until the intermediate sprint, with 82 kilometers left.

Guglielmi was caught further down the road after Pierre Latour and Nans Peters escaped from the bunch in the chase. After Guglielmi got dropped, the pair prolonged their effort for a while but were ultimately swallowed.

Saturday’s hilly Stage 8 from Libourne to Limoges in central France could favor a breakaway before the fight resumes between Pogacar and Vingegaard during Sunday’s ascent of the Puy de Dome.

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Study: Depression after traumatic brain injury may not be the same as depression from other causes

• July 7, 2023

A new study suggests that depression after traumatic brain injury may not be the same as depression related to other causes, according to researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

The study of 273 people found that brain circuits associated with depression were different between people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and those without TBI.

“Our findings help explain how the physical trauma to specific brain circuits can lead to development of depression,” said study leader Shan Siddiqi, of the Brigham’s Department of Psychiatry and Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics.

“If we’re right, it means that we should be treating depression after TBI like a distinct disease,” Siddiqi added. “Many clinicians have suspected that this is a clinically distinct disorder with a unique pattern of symptoms and unique treatment response, including poor response to conventional antidepressants — but until now, we didn’t have clear physiological evidence to prove this.”

The study included 273 adults with TBI, usually from sports injuries, military injuries, or car accidents. People in this group were compared to other groups who did not have a TBI or depression, people with depression without TBI, and people with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Study participants went through a resting-state functional connectivity MRI, a brain scan that looks at how oxygen is moving in the brain. These scans gave information about oxygenation in up to 200,000 points in the brain at about 1,000 different points in time — leading to about 200 million data points in each person.

Based on this information, a machine learning algorithm was used to generate an individualized map of each person’s brain.

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The location of the brain circuit involved in depression was the same among people with TBI as people without TBI, but the nature of the abnormalities was different.

Connectivity in this circuit was decreased in depression without TBI and was increased in TBI-associated depression. This implies that TBI-associated depression may be a different disease process, leading the study authors to propose a new name: “TBI affective syndrome.”

“I’ve always suspected it isn’t the same as regular major depressive disorder or other mental health conditions that are not related to traumatic brain injury,” said David Brody, a co-author of the study and a neurologist at Uniformed Services University. “There’s still a lot we don’t understand, but we’re starting to make progress.”

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Malaria in the US: A Mayo Clinic expert offers insight, tips on prevention

• July 7, 2023

Deb Balzer | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News Network

Malaria, a severe and potentially fatal disease most often caused by the bite of an infected mosquito, has been reported in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a health advisory because there have been instances of people getting infected with Plasmodium vivax malaria in Florida and Texas, even though they hadn’t traveled outside the country. Malaria does not spread from person to person.

“Malaria is caused by parasites in the genus Plasmodium, that are usually injected into people through the bite of a mosquito,” says Dr. Bobbi Pritt, director of the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Pritt says most people become infected with Plasmodium parasites through the bite of an infected Anopheles species mosquito.

“Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest of the Plasmodium parasites. But occasionally, Plasmodium vivax can also cause human fatalities, and all of the malaria species can cause quite severe disease. Malaria is usually transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles female mosquito. The parasite is injected into the bloodstream through the mosquito’s bite when she takes a blood meal. Less commonly, people can get infected with malaria through a transfusion receipt of an infected blood product or organ donation by receipt of an infected organ,” she says.

These parasites invade red blood cells, leading to fever, chills, body aches and fatigue. Additional symptoms may include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Without timely treatment, the infection can worsen, resulting in organ failure, coma or death.

Malaria is found in many parts of the world, mainly in the tropics and subtropics. Although historically, malaria has been found in many other parts of the world. The mosquitoes that transmit malaria are still present in the U.S. today.

It was eliminated in the U.S. in 1951 through public health efforts. Most cases are now imported from endemic countries; however, sometimes, the disease is brought back to the U.S. by mosquitoes or travelers who are already infected.

Testing for malaria

Early treatment for malaria is crucial. Dr. Pritt says laboratory testing is necessary for definitive diagnosis of malaria.

“The gold standard test for detecting malaria is conventional thick and thin blood films prepared on glass slides and then looked at through a microscope,” says Dr. Pritt. “Every laboratory in the U.S. that sees patients that potentially have malaria should be able to provide testing locally. We offer confirmatory testing here at Mayo Clinic, but it should never be used as the initial test. It should only be used for confirmation.”

Mosquito bite and malaria prevention:

Dr. Pritt says those living where the malaria outbreak occurs should take steps to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.

Protect yourself from malaria and other vector-borne diseases by avoiding mosquito bites.

Consider these tips to prevent mosquito bites:

— Remove standing water where mosquitoes could lay eggs.

— Remove items that hold water, such as vases and flowerpot saucers.

— Use an outdoor insect spray made to kill mosquitoes in areas where they rest, including dark, humid areas; under patio furniture; the carport; or in a garage.

— Keep mosquitoes out of your home by ensuring window screens are intact, and keep doors closed.

“It’s also important for physicians seeing patients in those areas to keep malaria in their differential diagnosis, even if the patient hasn’t traveled outside of the U.S., at least while this outbreak is occurring until it’s contained, Dr. Pritt adds.

Some treatments can help prevent mild malaria cases from becoming more severe, but there isn’t an absolute way to guarantee malaria prevention.

“There is not currently a good preventive vaccine that is 100% effective for malaria, although there are a number of people working on vaccines, and there is a vaccine that’s used in some parts of endemic areas that offers some protection against severe disease,” she says.

___

©2023 Mayo Clinic News Network. Visit newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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