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After the crystal ball drops on New Years Eve in New York City, it will rise again, sparkling in red, white, and blue to usher in 2026 and kick off months of celebrations for the nations upcoming 250th birthday. The patriotic touches at this year’s Times Square gathering, including a second confetti drop, will offer an early glimpse of whats ahead: hundreds of events and programs, big and small, planned nationwide to mark the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Im telling you right now, whatever youre imagining, its going to be much more than that, said America250 Chair Rosie Rios, who oversees the bipartisan commission created by Congress in 2016 to organize the semiquincentennial anniversary. Its going to be one for the ages, the most inspirational celebration this country and maybe the world has ever seen. Rios and her group worked with the Times Square Alliance business district and One Times Square, the building from where the ball is dropped, to make the changes to this year’s ceremonies. They’re also planning a second ball drop event on July 3, the eve of the nation’s birthday, in the same beautiful style that Times Square knows how to do it,” Rios said. It will mark the first time in 120 years there will be a ball drop in Times Square that doesn’t occur on New Year’s Eve, she said. A New Years Eve ball was first dropped in Times Square in 1907. Built by a young immigrant metalworker named Jacob Starr, the 700-pound (318-kilogram), 5-foot- (1.5-meter-) diameter ball was made of iron and wood and featured 100 25-watt light bulbs. Last year, the Constellation Ball, the ninth and largest version, was unveiled. It measured about 12 feet (3.7 meters) in diameter and weighs nearly 12,000 pounds (5,400 kilograms). The only years when no ball drop occurred were 1942 and 1943, when the city instituted a nightly dimout during World War II to protect itself from attacks. Crowds instead celebrated the new year with a moment of silence followed by chimes rung from the base of One Times Square. This year, the stroke of midnight will also mark the official launch of America Gives, a national service initiative created by America250. Organizers hope to make 2026 the largest year of volunteer hours ever aggregated in the country. On the following day, America250 will participate in the New Years Day Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, with a float themed Soaring Onward Together for 250 Years.” It will feature three larger-than-life bald eagles representing the countrys past, present and future. We want to ring in this new year from sea to shining sea. What better way to think about it than going from New York to California, Rios said. This has to be community-driven, this has be grassroots. Were going from Guam to Alaska, from Fairbanks to Philadelphia, and everything in between. President Donald Trump has also announced the Freedom 250 initiative to coordinate additional events for the 250th anniversary. Rios said she sees the wide range of celebrations and programs planned for the coming months, from large fireworks displays and statewide potluck suppers to student contests and citizen oral histories, as an opportunity to unite a politically divided nation. If we can find something for everyone … having those menus of options that people can pick and choose how they want to participate,” she said. Thats how were going to get to engaging 350 million Americans. Susan Haigh, Associated Press
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As cases of a new, highly contagious “super flu” surge across the nation this holiday season, more and more Americans are looking for ways to treat the symptoms, which include everything from fever and chills, to headaches and vomiting. A variant of influenza A H3N2, called subclade K, which is being blamed for an early and severe flu season in the United Kingdom, has hit residents in New York, Rhode Island, Colorado and Louisiana the hardest, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While flu vaccines usually have an efficacy rate of 40% to 60% an early report from the U.K. estimates this super flu strain has an efficacy rate of 32% to 39% in adults, and 72% to 75% in children, Northeastern University associate clinical professor, Brandon Dionne said. Four antiviral drugs recommended by the CDC to treat the flu There are four FDA-approved antiviral drugs recommended by CDC to treat flu this season: Tamiflu (oseltamivir); Xofluza (baloxavir); Relenza (zanamivir); and Rapivab (peramivir). Tamiflu (oseltamivir) is most commonly prescribed in the U.S. Xofluza (baloxavir) is a pill, given as a single dose by mouth, and is approved for early treatment of uncomplicated flu in people 5 years and older. (It is not recommended for treatment of flu during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, in those with progressive illness, or in hospitalized patients.) Relenza (zanamivir) is a powdered medication that is inhaled and approved for early treatment of flu in people 7 years and older. It is not recommended for people with breathing problems like asthma or COPD. (Oseltamivir and zanamivir are given twice a day for five days.) Rapivab (peramivir) is given once intravenously by a health care provider, and is approved for early treatment of flu in people 6 months and older. CDC recommendations Antiviral drugs work best when started within 1 to 2 days after flu symptoms begin; and the CDC recommends prompt treatment for people who have flu (or suspected flu) and are at increased risk of serious complications such as: pregnant women, people with asthma and chronic lung disease, diabetes (including gestational diabetes), or heart disease.
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Graphite mines in the United States largely closed down seven decades ago. Mining the ubiquitous mineral found in everything from nuclear reactors to pencils seemed to make little sense when it could be imported inexpensively from other nations, especially China. That view is changing now. Demand for graphite, a key material in the lithium-ion batteries that power everything from phones to electric cars, is surging as trade tensions with China persist. With federal officials concerned about the steady supply of a number of critical minerals, several companies have plans to mine graphite. In New York, Titan Mining Corp. has mined a limited amount of ore from a deposit in snowy woods about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the Canadian border, aiming for commercial sales by 2028. Company officials believe the geopolitical winds are at their backs to sell graphite concentrate for high-tech, industrial, and military uses. That could include heat-resistant coatings in factories, anodes in large lithium-ion batteries connected to electrical grids, and lubricants for military vehicles, according to the company. We believe there is a real opportunity here, said company CEO Rita Adiani. We have the ability to supply a significant portion of U.S. needs. And thats largely because you cant see China now as a reliable supply-chain partner. Trade tensions with China rose this year as President Donald Trump‘s administration imposed higher tariffs, though those tensions eased somewhat after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in October during a regional economic summit in South Korea. The northern New York deposit is in a rural region with a rich history of graphite, iron ore, and garnet mining. The iconic yellow Ticonderoga pencil was named for a town several hours east of this deposit, where graphite was mined long ago. Titans Joel Rheault recently held up a rock from the newly mined area. It was an ordinary-looking flecked fragment of schist, glinting slightly in the sun. But it was comprised of roughly 3% graphite. You can see how gray the rock is here, said Rheault, the companys vice president of operations. Thats because of that graphite. A critical mineral Graphite can conduct electricity and withstand high temperatures, making it useful for a host of commercial and military applications. As such, the Department of Energy has said the need for graphite is critical, and the Department of the Interior lists it as one of 60 critical minerals, along with more than a dozen rare earth elements. Forecasters also expect global graphite demand to continue soaring in the next decade, alongside the battery boom. That includes both mined, or natural, graphite and manufactured, or synthetic, graphite, which tends to be purer but pricier. Lithium-ion batteries anodes can use a mix of both. China dominance in supplying both of natural and synthetic graphite has worried U.S. policymakers for years. Concerns spiked recently when China placed new export controls on graphite and several other minerals, only to relax them for a year. Federal officials trying to shore up supply chains for critical minerals like graphite included a tax credit for critical mineral production in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. More recently, the Trump administration struck critical mineral deals with other countries to diversify supplies. It also has emphasized critical minerals through government funding and streamlined reviews. Whats happening now needs to happen, said Gregory Keoleian, co-director of the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan. I think you just dont want to be completely reliant on other countries when you have resources that you could develop. Multiple active projects Most U.S. graphite mines were closed by the 1950s. Right now, no U.S. graphite mines regularly produce a commercial product, according to the U.S. Geological Survey National Minerals Information Center. But the center says the Titan mine is one of five active projects, including two in Alabama and one each in Montana and Alaska. Westwater Resources this fall announced it retained an engineering firm to lead the permitting process for mine development at the Coosa Deposit in Alabama. The Graphite One Inc. project in Alaska is at the site of what state officials say is the largest known large-flake graphite deposit in the United States. When we are sitting with one of the largest graphite deposits in the entire world theres no reason why we need to rely on China for our graphite, said Anthony Huston, president and CEO of Graphite One. Titan has an advantage because its New York graphite deposit was discovered several years ago at the site of its existing zinc mine. The company was able to start limited graphite mining under its current permits while seeking additional permits for full-scale mining. The federal government this fall approved the New York mine for fast-tracked permitting, saying it would build a strategically significant domestic supply chain for graphite. The U.S. Export-Import Bank also said it would consider lending up to $120 million for construction and pledged $5.5 million for a feasibility study. Titan expects to eventually produce about 40,000 metric tonnes (44,092 tons) of graphite concentrate a year, which the company says is roughly half the current U.S. demand for natural graphite. We have indications, effectively, that 100% of the output from this facility could be sold, Adiani said. Michael Hill, Associated Press
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