Hospitals around the country are at an increased risk of being victim to coordinated ransomware attacks.

There is, according to a joint advisory created by the FBI, Department of Health and Human Services and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, “credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat” to American hospitals and healthcare providers. They are advising them take the necessary precautions to protect their networks.

NPR reports that number of U.S. hospitals have recently been hit by cyberattacks using a software called Ryuk ransomware, which encrypts the data and locks it up. These attacks hurt online systems, resulting in many paying up to millions of dollars to restore their services.

Officials are recommending to not pay ransoms, as it doesn’t guarantee recovery and could encourage future attacks.

The FBI says that attacks of this nature have increased in recent years, targeting hospitals, school districts, and other organizations.

https://www.npr.org/2020/10/29/928979988/u-s-hospitals-targeted-in-rising-wave-of-ransomware-attacks-federal-agencies-say

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/07/trump-polls-dire-picture-427416

Like, I get what the article is about, but aside from headline and sub-header I don’t really see a clear lead in this article, unless it was buried pretty heavily. It didn’t actually talk about what the article wanted to get across until the fourth paragraph (that being the actual results of the polls). The sub-heading in the article also doesn’t feel like it uses very objective terminology. This bleeds into the article itself and some parts feel kind of aggressive at times.

Greta Thunberg accused world leaders of not doing enough to counteract the current climate change crisis.

Thunberg, a student climate-change activist from Sweden, gave the speech yesterday in Katowice, Poland where she said politicians currently care only about “what is politically possible” instead of “focusing on what needs to be done.”

She asserted that “our civilization is being sacrificed” for the people in power to “continue making enormous amounts of money.” She added that the planet is being sacrificed so that they can live in luxury.

She said that they are “not mature enough to tell it like it is,” instead leaving that “burden” to her generation.

She ended the speech stating that “change is coming, whether you like it or not,” and further asserted that the “real power belongs to the people.”

https://www.espn.com/afl/story/_/id/29956057/afl-2020-port-adelaide-jack-watts-retires-due-physical-emotional-toll

The article was about 2008’s No. 1 Draft pick Jack Watts retiring, citing the physical and emotional toll his injury last season as his reasoning. The lead is pretty alright, but the structure of the article itself isn’t as good, in my opinion. I personally feel that the information about his scandals off the field don’t really have TOO much to do with the article and should maybe be put below his and others’ statements or just omit it entirely. It would be one thing if the article implies that those are the real reason for his retirement, but I don’t really get that vibe. Other than that, it’s pretty okay.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-2020-justin-westhoff-retirement-port-adelaide-veteran-calls-time-stats-age-career/news-story/c6bf464509308d506871eaadefab464f

Article was about Port Adelaide’s Justin Westhoff announcing his retirement at the end of the season. Lead was good; article was decently written and had lots of quotes from the player. Article was about a sports team from a sports organization so is hopefully pretty accurate (though I did see the video and knew about it before reading the article). Doesn’t really affect me, as I don’t really care about that team, but someone who liked Port Adelaide might find it of some more use/interest.

Recent scientific studies have shown certain psychedelic drugs to be effective in treating individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Recently, Forbes reported that treatment developer NeuroPharm Inc. announced it would be conducting clinical trials on the treatment of PTSD in veterans. The first drug they will be studying is psilocybin, the main psychedelic compound found in different varieties of mushrooms.

This is not the first time that psychedelics have been thought to be able to treat mental illness. Dr. Rakesh Jetly, Head of the Centre of Excellence on Mental Health in Ottawa, told Forbes that they have been used for years to help treat different mental illnesses.

Citing studies of the usage of MDMA to treat PTSD and psilocybin for depression, he stated, “In fact, there are many well-designed and executed studies that have been published in peer-reviewed journals. Prestigious universities and academics are heavily involved in the studies.”

Vice also reports that there has been recent research presented by the Medical University of South Carolina’s Dr. Michael Mithoefer that shows the efficacy of both MDMA and psilocybin in treating PTSD. He conducted six phase 2 clinical trials which resulted in findings showing that those who took MDMA showed more improvement among patients than those who didn’t.

In addition to the study above, Melissa Pandika of Mic reports that while the legal status of these drugs is an obstacle to overcome, there seem to be a number of clinical trials for MDMA that are moving to phase 3 trials, which is the final phase of trials before they get FDA approval. This is helpful news for some, as some people believe that the current pandemic will cause a number of individuals to develop PTSD.

A local firefighter broke his leg while helping remove a cat from a tree.

The firefighter, Bob Harwood, climbed 50 feet up an oak tree after receiving a call to retrieve the Decker Family’s cat from it.

After retrieving the cat, Harwood fell 15 feet when a dead tree limb broke, breaking his left leg in the process. He is doing ‘just fine’ after being admitted to St. Luke’s Hospital.

The cat, belonging to the twin daughters of Charlie and Kim Decker of 11th Ave., is doing fine as well after landing on Harwood in the fall.

UPDATE: An autopsy shows that Moyer had suffered from a heart attack which may have lead to the collision. Dorothy has been released from the hospital with Maxine scheduled to be released. Radin is still in critical condition.

A South Sioux City man died in an automobile collision yesterday.

The man, Moyer Quick, passed away in a collision on Highway 28 when his vehicle collided with a truck driven by Randy Radin at 11 A.M.

Moyer’s two passengers, Dorothy Quick and Maxine Steuerwald, along with Radin were transported by ambulance to the Sioux City General Hospital. Dorothy is reported in “good” condition and Maxine in “fair” condition. Radin is listed as being in “critical” condition with a fractured skull in addition to internal injuries.

The accident is still under investigation.

Recent scientific studies have shown certain psychedelic drugs to be effective in treating individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Recently, treatment developer NeuroPharm Inc. announced that it would be conducting clinical trials on the treatment of PTSD in veterans. The first drug that they will be studying is psilocybin, the main psychedelic compound found in different varieties of mushrooms.

This is not the first time that psychedelics have been thought to be able to treat mental illness. Dr. Rakesh Jetly, Head of the Centre of Excellence on Mental Health in Ottawa, says that they have been used for years to help treat different mental illnesses. Bringing up studies of the usage of MDMA to treat PTSD and psilocybin for depression, he stated, “In fact, there are many well-designed and executed studies that have been published in peer-reviewed journals. Prestigious universities and academics are heavily involved in the studies.”

There has also been recent research presented by the Medical University of South Carolina’s Dr. Michael Mithoefer that shows the efficacy of both MDMA and psilocybin in treating PTSD. He conducted six phase 2 clinical trials which resulted in findings showing that those who took MDMA showed more improvement among patients than those who didn’t.

While the legal status of these drugs is an obstacle to overcome, there seem to be a number of clinical trials for MDMA that are moving to phase 3 trials, which is the final phase of trials before they get FDA approval. This is helpful news for some, as some people believe that the current pandemic will cause a number of individuals to develop PTSD.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — The South Iowa Highway Patrol ordered a ban of handheld radar guns yesterday over concerns that troopers could develop cancer from exposure to the radiation waves emitted by the devices.

The ban, which affects 70 radar guns being withdrawn from service, was ordered as a precaution while studies of the possible links between the usage of such guns and cancer are being conducted. This comes two months after two months after three officers filed worker’s compensation claims, stating that they had developed cancer from using the units.

Spokesman Adam Smith said of the ban, “The feeling here is to err on the side of caution until more is known about the issue,” and that “the whole situation is under review.”

Troopers will continue to use radar units with transmitters mounted to the outside of their cruisers.