ST. PAUL — A former lawmaker who is the longest-serving woman in the history of the Minnesota House has suffered a stroke. Former Rep. Mary Murphy, DFL-Hermantown, experienced a stroke last week and is in comfort care following complications, House Speaker Melissa Hortman said in a Facebook post late Monday. Hortman said Murphy remains hospitalized until she can be transferred to a hospice care facility. ADVERTISEMENT “Mary has had some visitors. Her family hopes that Mary could feel and appreciate their presence,” Hortman said. “While heart-wrenching, the family has determined that hospice is the best solution. Mary will receive comfort care at the hospital until she can be placed in a hospice care facility, which they expect to happen soon.” Murphy, 85, is the second-longest-serving member of the Minnesota House and the longest-serving female legislator. She was first elected in 1976 and was defeated in her bid to represent the Duluth-area seat in 2022 by 33 votes. She’s also a former history and social studies teacher. Murphy was supposed to participate in last week’s Electoral College voting last week at the Capitol, an honor bestowed by party officials. She didn’t attend and an alternate was elevated. Hortman said Murphy’s family is grateful for the love and support shown by her friends, colleagues and community. This story was originally published on MPRNews.org ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .
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President-elect Donald Trump has revealed that his administration will attempt to “eliminate” Daylight Saving Time in the US. Taking to Truth Social, the Republican claimed daylight savings time was “inconvenient” and that he hoped to “eliminate” it. “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate daylight saving time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t!” Mr Trump wrote. “Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation.” Daylight saving time - putting the clocks forward one hour during the summer half of the year to make the most of the longer evenings - has been in place in nearly all of the United States since the 1960s, but has been a topic of debate in recent years. Some lawmakers want to stay on standard time year-round, more are on record calling for remaining on daylight saving time all year, while others want to keep the status quo. President Joe Biden never took a public position on the issue. In March 2022, the US Senate voted unanimously to make daylight saving time permanent but the effort stalled in the House after lawmakers said they could not reach consensus. A bipartisan group of senators in March made a new push to make daylight saving time permanent. Supporters of remaining on daylight saving time argue it would lead to brighter afternoons and evenings and more economic activity during the winter months. Critics say it would force children to walk to school in darkness since the measure would delay sunrise by an hour. Proponents of eliminating daylight saving time say the twice-annual changing of clocks causes sleep disturbance and health issues. Congress has not held any new hearings on the issue for more than two years and the Senate would need to take up the issue again. Year-round daylight saving time was used during World War Two and adopted again in 1973 in a bid to reduce energy use because of an oil embargo, but was unpopular and was repealed a year later. In America, daylight saving time commences in March, on the second Sunday, and ends of the first Sunday in November. - With Reuters
The “Bushwick Birkin” has landed in Soho. Telfar — a New York-based brand beloved by the likes of Beyoncé , Dua Lipa, Oprah and Bella Hadid — is opening its first-ever storefront downtown at Broadway and Canal Street on Saturday. Crowned a cult must-have by the fashion set for two decades, the brand will debut its 10,000-square-foot brick-and-mortar equipped with a Telfar TV studio and a fully stocked “bag bar,” with a floor-to-ceiling display of every tote Telfar has ever produced — plus a coveted limited-edition purse. The brand’s sporadic drops have caused pandemonium, but Clemens told The Post in an interview that opening the store is a “huge milestone.” “The store tells the whole story,” he said. “It’s not just bags — it’s a cultural phenomenon and it’s a total look — 20 years in the making.” With its embossed “T” logo, the faux leather bags were the hottest of 2023 , selling out within minutes of each highly anticipated drop online. But at the flagship, near which street vendors hawk fakes, customers can purchase the handbag, lovingly nicknamed the “Bushwick Birkin,” without the stress of their preferred color, size or style selling out before checkout. Plus, a new limited-edition bag — reportedly a style that consumers have been demanding in recent years — is slated to be unveiled at the opening on Saturday, which Telfar noted is the “eve of our 20th anniversary.” The brand’s “Rainbow” style debuted at a pop-up in 2022 and drew legions of eager fans, who spilled out onto the street, shutting down traffic , and exited the store with armfuls of “Shopping” totes. This time around, the fashion label urged prospective patrons not to storm the storefront on opening day, and those who can’t miss the event will be required to RSVP for a specific time slot in order to enter. As of Friday, many of the “extremely limited” tickets for general admission were sold out. “YOU DON’T HAVE TO COME TO THE OPENING,” Telfar posted on social media , where the label also warned that the wait just to get in will likely surpass two hours . “IT WILL BE OPEN FOREVER.” “That was crazy. It was beautiful but this is different,” he told The Post. “This is our Flagship Store in NYC — we want to spread that energy over the other 365 days of the year.” One moment that won’t be forever is a spectacle slated for Saturday. In the alley behind the store, Telfar will host a talent show of sorts, allowing fans an opportunity to put on a performance. Winners could cut the line and win a tote if liked by the throngs of people and the judges, composed of founder Telfar Clemens, his friends and undisclosed New York icons. “It’s going to be a show for real,” he told The Post. “A celebration and open mic — and we have some wild surprises in store. We wanted to mark the day.” At the bag bar — which creative director Babak Radboy described to Vogue Business as operating similarly to “how you get into a club” — every tote in every color will be available for purchase, regardless of online availability, and lucky shoppers will also be able to preview new launches before the bags debut online. During events, the bag bar can process up to 4,000 orders in a single day — bandwidth that seems necessary given Telfar’s track record. Devout loyalists of the brand — many of whom have taken to social media to express their excitement for the flagship — will likely want to be on line. However, the store opening will be livestreamed as a celebration on the label’s 24-hour channel, Telfar.TV . The element of community and collaboration is an intentional aspect of the interactive brick-and-mortar, which also features a space to hang out or shoot content and ‘fit checks, which can then be broadcast to the store’s LED displays. But the real reason for a permanent Telfar storefront is to experience apparel IRL, rather than URL. Despite the brand operating as an online retailer and selling products through a drop model, Clemens wants to showcase all the label has to offer from head to toe. When asked what has been the most exciting part, Telfar said it’s been doing the work. “To be honest it’s the stuff behind the scenes,” he told The Post. “We have been building an atelier for the last three years so we can return to full 360 collections on our own terms — and do it 100% independently. That’s why the store is so central — you are never going to understand TELFAR by walking into an existing store.” Produced in the brand’s 13,000-square-foot atelier, seasonal collections of garments and accessories will be available to shop as well. At the Soho flagship, customers can browse the label’s Wilsons Leather collaboration, the Telfar Denim collection, the Performance athletic wear capsule and its athleisure apparel. And though the brand has skyrocketed in fame thanks to the internet, Telfar hopes his store fosters connection IRL. “We are so excited to have that come together in one place,” he told The Post, “and have people put down their phones and feel something.”Pocket-Sized Powerhouse: A Review of the LumeCube XL COB LED Light
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Questionstorm as a Method of TeachingMany Black Friday deals are already live at retailers, and we've rounded up the best deals you can find today. These include PlayStation 5 Consoles, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Metaphor: ReFantazio, SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless, Elden Ring, Astro Bot, iPad (10th Generation), and more. PlayStation Console Deals Are Now Live There are many PlayStation 5 console bundles on sale today, with the start of early Black Friday deals, making this the best time of 2024 to pick up a new console. You can purchase a PlayStation 5 Digital Edition for $374.99, saving $25 and scoring a free game at no extra cost. Or, you can opt for the PlayStation 5 Disc Console, which is priced at $424.99. Sony also has the PlayStation VR 2 on sale today, with the Horizon Call of the Mountain Bundle priced at $349.99 at Best Buy. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for $39.99 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was one of 2024's biggest games, continuing the story from 2020's Final Fantasy VII Remake. Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, and Red XIII begin their journey outside Midgar, meeting characters like Yuffie, Vincent, and Cid alongside the way. This experience offers well over 100 hours of content, with 36 sidequests and a main story over 40 hours long. Plus, there are dozens of minigames to discover. Metaphor: ReFantazio for $49.99 Metaphor: ReFantazio is the latest game from Persona 3, 4, and 5 Director Katsura Hashino and the team at Atlus' Studio Zero. For the first time since launch, you can score the game at a discount, saving $20 this Black Friday. In our 9/10 review , we stated, "Refining the Atlus RPG formula of weaving tough turn-based combat into compelling social sim mechanics, Metaphor: ReFantazio doesn’t just send a powerful message across its political drama, it becomes a beautiful expression of the real impact storytelling can have on all of us." 50% Off SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless The SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless Headset is perfect for any PC or PlayStation gamer. This model includes a wireless base station, which allows you to connect two devices at once and simultaneously switch between them. Additionally, the Arctis Pro Wireless supports hot-swappable batteries, so you can swap and continue playing with no downtime needed for charging. Elden Ring for $19.99 Elden Ring is on sale for an all-time low price today at Amazon, with PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox copies available for $19.99. Additionally, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Edition is $30 off. This package includes the base game and the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. In our 10/10 review , we said "Elden Ring is a massive iteration on what FromSoftware began with the Souls series, bringing its relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path." Astro Bot for $49.99 Astro Bot is on sale for the first time since launch, and there has never been a better time to pick up one of the PlayStation 5's best games . Building off Astro's Playroom, Astro Bot features many new abilities and bosses to fight, with over 300 bots to rescue across the galaxy. You'll find planets modeled after beloved PlayStation games like Ape Escape and Uncharted, and even surprise third-party bots like Leon S. Kennedy from Resident Evil 2 . Ghost Cipher Special Edition Xbox Controller for $49.99 Best Buy has the Ghost Cipher Special Edition Xbox Controller for just $49.99 today. This is one of the best Xbox controllers you can buy, as it offers a unique design and maximum comfort. Not only can you use this controller with Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, but you can also pair it with a PC or mobile device. With its transparent design, this is sure to be a talking point for any Xbox fan. JBL Quantum 360 Headset for $59.95 Right now, you can save over 50% off the JBL Quantum 360 Wireless Gaming Headset. This headset features a detachable boom mic, memory foam ear cushions, and a 22 hour battery life. Plus, there is a game audio / voice chat control on the side, allowing you to get a perfect balance between the two. Both the Xbox and PlayStation editions of the headset are available on sale, so you can pick accordingly depending on your console of choice. iPad (10th Generation) for $249.99 The Apple iPad can be an incredibly useful device if you're needing something bigger than a phone. Powered by the A14 Bionic, you can sketch, create presentations, and watch content all day long, with up to 10 hours of battery life supported. The 10th Generation iPad includes support for Touch ID, Apple Pencil, Magic Keyboard Folio, and more.
Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton is used to showing up, playing hard and letting the spotlight shine on other players. This week has been different for Laughton, a 12-year veteran who has spent his full career with the Flyers. He is coming off a career-best, four-goal performance that led to his teammates giving him a standing ovation after the game in the dressing room. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Cardlytics reports that card-linked cash-back offers represent a strategic stocking stuffer for smart shoppers navigating the expensive holiday landscape. Click for more. Holiday spending hacks: How to unwrap savings without sacrificing festive cheer
Renuka Rayasam | (TNS) KFF Health News In April, just 12 weeks into her pregnancy, Kathleen Clark was standing at the receptionist window of her OB-GYN’s office when she was asked to pay $960, the total the office estimated she would owe after she delivered. Clark, 39, was shocked that she was asked to pay that amount during this second prenatal visit. Normally, patients receive the bill after insurance has paid its part, and for pregnant women that’s usually only when the pregnancy ends. It would be months before the office filed the claim with her health insurer. Clark said she felt stuck. The Cleveland, Tennessee, obstetrics practice was affiliated with a birthing center where she wanted to deliver. Plus, she and her husband had been wanting to have a baby for a long time. And Clark was emotional, because just weeks earlier her mother had died. “You’re standing there at the window, and there’s people all around, and you’re trying to be really nice,” recalled Clark, through tears. “So, I paid it.” On online baby message boards and other social media forums , pregnant women say they are being asked by their providers to pay out-of-pocket fees earlier than expected. The practice is legal, but patient advocacy groups call it unethical. Medical providers argue that asking for payment up front ensures they get compensated for their services. How frequently this happens is hard to track because it is considered a private transaction between the provider and the patient. Therefore, the payments are not recorded in insurance claims data and are not studied by researchers. Patients, medical billing experts, and patient advocates say the billing practice causes unexpected anxiety at a time of already heightened stress and financial pressure. Estimates can sometimes be higher than what a patient might ultimately owe and force people to fight for refunds if they miscarry or the amount paid was higher than the final bill. Up-front payments also create hurdles for women who may want to switch providers if they are unhappy with their care. In some cases, they may cause women to forgo prenatal care altogether, especially in places where few other maternity care options exist. It’s “holding their treatment hostage,” said Caitlin Donovan, a senior director at the Patient Advocate Foundation . Medical billing and women’s health experts believe OB-GYN offices adopted the practice to manage the high cost of maternity care and the way it is billed for in the U.S. When a pregnancy ends, OB-GYNs typically file a single insurance claim for routine prenatal care, labor, delivery, and, often, postpartum care. That practice of bundling all maternity care into one billing code began three decades ago, said Lisa Satterfield, senior director of health and payment policy at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists . But such bundled billing has become outdated, she said. Previously, pregnant patients had been subject to copayments for each prenatal visit, which might lead them to skip crucial appointments to save money. But the Affordable Care Act now requires all commercial insurers to fully cover certain prenatal services. Plus, it’s become more common for pregnant women to switch providers, or have different providers handle prenatal care, labor, and delivery — especially in rural areas where patient transfers are common. Some providers say prepayments allow them to spread out one-time payments over the course of the pregnancy to ensure that they are compensated for the care they do provide, even if they don’t ultimately deliver the baby. “You have people who, unfortunately, are not getting paid for the work that they do,” said Pamela Boatner, who works as a midwife in a Georgia hospital. While she believes women should receive pregnancy care regardless of their ability to pay, she also understands that some providers want to make sure their bill isn’t ignored after the baby is delivered. New parents might be overloaded with hospital bills and the costs of caring for a new child, and they may lack income if a parent isn’t working, Boatner said. In the U.S., having a baby can be expensive. People who obtain health insurance through large employers pay an average of nearly $3,000 out-of-pocket for pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care, according to the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker . In addition, many people are opting for high-deductible health insurance plans, leaving them to shoulder a larger share of the costs. Of the 100 million U.S. people with health care debt, 12% attribute at least some of it to maternity care, according to a 2022 KFF poll . Families need time to save money for the high costs of pregnancy, childbirth, and child care, especially if they lack paid maternity leave, said Joy Burkhard , CEO of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, a Los Angeles-based policy think tank. Asking them to prepay “is another gut punch,” she said. “What if you don’t have the money? Do you put it on credit cards and hope your credit card goes through?” Calculating the final costs of childbirth depends on multiple factors, such as the timing of the pregnancy , plan benefits, and health complications, said Erin Duffy , a health policy researcher at the University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. The final bill for the patient is unclear until a health plan decides how much of the claim it will cover, she said. But sometimes the option to wait for the insurer is taken away. During Jamie Daw’s first pregnancy in 2020, her OB-GYN accepted her refusal to pay in advance because Daw wanted to see the final bill. But in 2023, during her second pregnancy, a private midwifery practice in New York told her that since she had a high-deductible plan, it was mandatory to pay $2,000 spread out with monthly payments. Daw, a health policy researcher at Columbia University, delivered in September 2023 and got a refund check that November for $640 to cover the difference between the estimate and the final bill. “I study health insurance,” she said. “But, as most of us know, it’s so complicated when you’re really living it.” While the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover some prenatal services, it doesn’t prohibit providers from sending their final bill to patients early. It would be a challenge politically and practically for state and federal governments to attempt to regulate the timing of the payment request, said Sabrina Corlette , a co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. Medical lobbying groups are powerful and contracts between insurers and medical providers are proprietary. Because of the legal gray area, Lacy Marshall , an insurance broker at Rapha Health and Life in Texas, advises clients to ask their insurer if they can refuse to prepay their deductible. Some insurance plans prohibit providers in their network from requiring payment up front. If the insurer says they can refuse to pay up front, Marshall said, she tells clients to get established with a practice before declining to pay, so that the provider can’t refuse treatment. Related Articles Health | Which health insurance plan may be right for you? Health | California case is the first confirmed bird flu infection in a US child Health | Your cool black kitchenware could be slowly poisoning you, study says. Here’s what to do Health | Does fluoride cause cancer, IQ loss, and more? Fact-checking Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claims Health | US towns plunge into debates about fluoride in water Clark said she met her insurance deductible after paying for genetic testing, extra ultrasounds, and other services out of her health care flexible spending account. Then she called her OB-GYN’s office and asked for a refund. “I got my spine back,” said Clark, who had previously worked at a health insurer and a medical office. She got an initial check for about half the $960 she originally paid. In August, Clark was sent to the hospital after her blood pressure spiked. A high-risk pregnancy specialist — not her original OB-GYN practice — delivered her son, Peter, prematurely via emergency cesarean section at 30 weeks. It was only after she resolved most of the bills from the delivery that she received the rest of her refund from the other OB-GYN practice. This final check came in October, just days after Clark brought Peter home from the hospital, and after multiple calls to the office. She said it all added stress to an already stressful period. “Why am I having to pay the price as a patient?” she said. “I’m just trying to have a baby.” ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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