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

Amazon takes another shot at health care, this one a virtual 

(AP) Amazon is taking another shot at becoming a regular health care source for customers with the launch of a service centered on virtual care. The e-commerce giant says its Prime customers can now get quick access to a health care provider through a program that costs $9 a month or $99 annually. The announcement this week arrives less than a year after Amazon announced the $3.9 billion acquisition of

NC voter rolls look different than they did eight years ago

NC NEWSLINE - The latest data show that North Carolina's voter rolls continue to grow at a steady pace. However, because a growing number of voters do not designate their race, in some ways we know less about today's voters than in the past. Overall, the state has seen a net increase of almost 1 million voters since October 2015. This figure accounts for deaths and other removals, as well

SC Sen. Tim Scott Ends Presidential Bid

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott abruptly announced late Sunday that he was dropping out of the 2024 race, a development that surprised his donors and stunned his campaign staff just two months before the start of voting in Iowa’s leadoff GOP caucuses. The South Carolina senator, who entered the race in May with high hopes, made the surprise announcement on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Night in America” with Trey Gowdy, one of

What to know about Elijah McClain’s death and the cases against police and paramedics

BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) - A jury on Monday acquitted a Denver-area police officer of manslaughter, following trial testimony that he put Elijah McClain in a neck hold before the Black man was injected with the powerful sedative ketamine by paramedics and died. It was the second of three trials against first responders indicted by state prosecutors in the 23-year-old massage therapist's death in August 2021. The local district attorney initially

Pharmacists prescribe another round of US protests to highlight working conditions

(AP) - Drugstore workers around the country started calling in sick Monday to highlight a lack of support from their employers, protest organizers said. The extent and impact of the demonstration, which is planned until Wednesday, were not clear as of Monday afternoon. Pharmacists and technicians for dozens of drugstores had called in sick as of midday, said Lannie Duong, a pharmacist who is helping to organize the protest. She

Toyota Announces Additional 3,000 Jobs, $8 Billion Investment in Randolph County Battery Manufacturing Site

Expansion Brings a Total of 5,100 jobs and $13.9 billion to Toyota's First and Only Battery Plant RALEIGH: Toyota has announced plans to invest an additional $8 billion in its electric battery manufacturing site in Randolph County, including hiring another 3,000 employees. This historic announcement comes on the heels of Governor Cooper's meeting with Toyota President Koji Sato during the SEUS/Japan Conference in Tokyo earlier this month. Toyota's total investment

Women in Congress call for more action on Breast Cancer prevention, treatment

WASHINGTON - Members of Congress shared their experiences and called for bipartisan legislative action Thursday in recognition of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Leaders of the congressional Bipartisan Women's Caucus organized a press conference to highlight prevention and treatment of breast cancer. "Each one of us here today are tributes to our friends, our loved ones, our family members who have fought and some that have survived, and unfortunately