Ransomware attack prompts multistate hospital chain to divert some emergency room patients elsewhere

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A ransomware attack has prompted a healthcare chain that operates 30 hospitals in six states to divert patients from at least some of its emergency rooms to other hospitals, while putting certain elective procedures on pause, the company announced. In a statement Monday, Ardent Health Services said the attack occurred Nov. 23 and the company took its network offline, suspending user access to its information technology

Shippers anticipate being able to meet holiday demand

(AP) Carriers like the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and United Parcel Service have capacity to meet projected demand this holiday season, which is cheery news for shippers and shoppers alike. Like last year, there's expected to be little drama compared to struggles during the pandemic when people hunkered down at home and turned to online shopping while major carriers including the Postal Service simultaneously struggled with absences and a flood

Commission says North Carolina sports betting likely won’t begin in January

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - With licensing applications yet to be received and rules yet to be approved, legalized sports betting in North Carolina isn't expected to begin in early January as the state's new gambling laws permitted. Legislation approved by the General Assembly this year said the North Carolina State Lottery Commission, which is tasked with regulating the new mobile and in-person sports gambling, has until next June 15 to

Governor Cooper Announces New Lithium-Ion Battery Plant Planned for Morrisville

RALEIGH, N.C. - Forge Nano, Inc., a leading materials science company that enables peak performance products through atomic-level surface engineering, intends to launch a new lithium-ion battery business, called Forge Battery, in Wake County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company and its investors plan for an initial investment of more than $165 million to build a lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in Morrisville bringing hundreds of high-paying clean energy jobs

The bird flu outbreak isn’t over, but it’s less severe, helping egg and poultry prices recover

AP - OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Nearly 5 million chickens, turkeys and other birds have been slaughtered this year because of a persistent bird flu outbreak that began in 2022, but as big as that number may sound, it's far less than the number of birds killed last year which means consumers aren't seeing as much impact on poultry and egg prices. The 4.6 million birds killed this year compares

NC gears up for challenges ahead of Medicaid expansion on Dec. 1

NC Health News If not for Medicaid, the majority of residents of Robeson County wouldn't have health insurance. Fifty-four percent of people in this rural community - home to 116,530 at the 2020 Census - are beneficiaries of the government-funded program. The county had 63,549 Medicaid enrollees in October, the eighth highest number recorded of the state's 100 counties.  Even more are expected to join the rolls after Medicaid expansion

States grapple with racist language in real estate deeds

  Stateline.org Lisa Boccetti is horrified by the restrictive covenant that is in the deed to her 1950s ranch house in Raleigh, North Carolina: It states that the land cannot be sold or occupied by Black people. The property "shall not be sold to negroes or to any person or persons of negro blood, and said premises shall not be occupied by negroes or persons of negro blood, except domestic

USDA Launches Initiative to Enhance Competitiveness of the U.S. Specialty Crops Industry

WASHINGTON-Agriculture Deputy Secretary Torres Small today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is initiating a new effort to further support the U.S. specialty crops sector and increase the competitiveness of its products as part of the Biden-Harris Administration's efforts to build new, more and better markets that catalyze opportunity for American farmers. "We all count on America's specialty crops for reliable access to nutritious, fresh foods," said USDA

Surgeons have performed the world’s first eye transplant

(AP) - Surgeons have performed the world's first transplant of an entire human eye, an extraordinary addition to a face transplant - although it's far too soon to know if the man will ever see through his new left eye. An accident with high-voltage power lines had destroyed most of Aaron James' face and one eye. His right eye still works. But surgeons at NYU Langone Health hoped replacing the