Stephen Junker, a 58-year-old Minnesota pastor and father of five, died weeks after being found face down in a cruise ship pool off the coast of Italy, a trip meant to celebrate his son's wedding. Junker was pulled from a pool aboard the Sun Princess cruise ship in mid-August, unresponsive and suffering from a spinal […] The post Minnesota pastor dies after spinal injury in cruise ship pool during son's wedding celebration appeared first on American Almanac .
Stephen Junker, a 58-year-old Minnesota pastor and father of five, died weeks after being found face down in a cruise ship pool off the coast of Italy, a trip meant to celebrate his son's wedding. Junker was pulled from a pool aboard the Sun Princess cruise ship in mid-August, unresponsive and suffering from a spinal cord injury. The Italian coast guard airlifted him to a hospital in Naples, where surgeons performed emergency spinal cord surgery. The operation could not reverse the damage. Junker was left quadriplegic and unable to breathe without a ventilator. On August 23, he was transferred to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for further treatment. But additional diagnostic testing delivered the worst possible news. His daughter…Open
Sen. Mitch McConnell's staff is aiming for the 84-year-old former Republican majority leader to return to the Senate when it reconvenes on Sept. 14, ending a nearly three-month absence that has cost the GOP a critical vote and drawn bipartisan calls for answers. Rep. James Comer, a fellow Kentucky Republican, told reporters on Sept. 3 […] The post McConnell's staff targets Sept. 14 Senate return after three-month health absence appeared first on American Almanac .
Sen. Mitch McConnell's staff is aiming for the 84-year-old former Republican majority leader to return to the Senate when it reconvenes on Sept. 14, ending a nearly three-month absence that has cost the GOP a critical vote and drawn bipartisan calls for answers. Rep. James Comer, a fellow Kentucky Republican, told reporters on Sept. 3 that McConnell's team has set the return date as a goal, though Comer acknowledged he has not spoken directly with the senator. The update, USA TODAY reported , came without any public confirmation from McConnell himself, and without a clear medical assessment of his fitness to serve. McConnell has not appeared in the Senate since June. He was hospitalized on June 14 after falling at his Capitol Hill…Open
According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, "once symptoms start, the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within about five days."
CDC and public health officials in several states are investigating a multistate outbreak of E. coli and Salmonella infections linked to alfalfa sprouts.
Federal health officials are investigating an unusual multi-pathogen food poisoning outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts from a Minnesota grower, a company the FDA had previously warned about unsanitary conditions. The CDC has confirmed 55 cases of illness across 15 states, with four people hospitalized after eating contaminated alfalfa sprouts produced by Everything Sprouts, a grower […] The post E. coli and salmonella outbreak tied to alfalfa sprouts sickens 55 people in 15 states appeared first on American Almanac .
Federal health officials are investigating an unusual multi-pathogen food poisoning outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts from a Minnesota grower, a company the FDA had previously warned about unsanitary conditions. The CDC has confirmed 55 cases of illness across 15 states, with four people hospitalized after eating contaminated alfalfa sprouts produced by Everything Sprouts, a grower based in Minnesota. The sprouts were sold under the Calco and Everything Sprouts brand names to restaurants and grocery stores. No deaths have been reported. Illnesses began in late May and continued through at least August 8. A food safety alert has been issued, and the CDC, FDA, and state-level public health officials in several states are actively…Open
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday the agency is aware of 55 cases nationally, including four people who have been hospitalized..
John Paris, the 58-year-old Earth, Wind & Fire drummer hospitalized since early August after a medical emergency, has awakened from a second induced coma, but his family says he still faces two major surgeries and a long road ahead. An update posted August 20 on the Standing for John Paris Facebook page described a recovery […] The post Earth, Wind & Fire drummer John Paris wakes from second coma, faces two major surgeries appeared first on American Almanac .
John Paris, the 58-year-old Earth, Wind & Fire drummer hospitalized since early August after a medical emergency, has awakened from a second induced coma, but his family says he still faces two major surgeries and a long road ahead. An update posted August 20 on the Standing for John Paris Facebook page described a recovery marked by setbacks as much as progress. Paris had briefly awakened from his first induced coma, only for his condition to destabilize, forcing doctors to sedate him again. He has since woken a second time and remains in intensive care, where his blood pressure has held steady and his breathing has stayed strong. The update, attributed to bandmember Verdine White, his wife Shelly Clark White, and longtime friend Tazz…Open
At least 41 people have been sickened in a Salmonella and E. coli outbreak linked to sprouts in Minnesota and Wisconsin, health officials in the two states said.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is again turning up the pressure on 84-year-old Sen. Mitch McConnell to prove he's still capable of effectively representing his constituents. The Weeknight hosts break down the timeline of McConnell’s absence from the Senate.
Four-time Olympic alpine skier Chemmy Alcott landed in a French hospital with a collapsed lung and a chest drain after a mistimed front flip off a five-meter diving platform turned a holiday into an emergency. Alcott, 44, was vacationing in Annecy, France, when she attempted the flip and hit the water hard, landing feet-first. The […] The post British Olympic skier Chemmy Alcott hospitalized with collapsed lung after vacation diving mishap appeared first on American Almanac .
Four-time Olympic alpine skier Chemmy Alcott landed in a French hospital with a collapsed lung and a chest drain after a mistimed front flip off a five-meter diving platform turned a holiday into an emergency. Alcott, 44, was vacationing in Annecy, France, when she attempted the flip and hit the water hard, landing feet-first. The former Team GB skier, who competed in four Winter Olympics and served as a BBC commentator during the 2026 Games, shared video of the incident and her hospital stay on Instagram, along with a characteristically dry account of what went wrong. The impact collapsed one of her lungs. Doctors inserted a chest drain, a tube used to remove trapped air and fluid from the chest cavity, and Alcott spent multiple nights…Open
