US FDA approves Pfizer's oral Covid antiviral pill Paxlovid for high-risk adults

PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia firefighter and his band got the chance of a lifetime this weekend down the shore.Randy Ballinger and his bandmates of "Jersey Calling" opened the inaugural two-day Adjacent Festival in Atlantic City, performing both Saturday and Sunday."They said all right you guys can go, and we just broke right into song and did what we do," said Ballinger. "Music is our passion so if it’s ten people or 10-thousand we’re going to play."RELATED COVERAGE: Philadelphia firefighter severely injured in ladder fall gets invitation to perform at NJ music festivalOrganizers said 20-thousand people are attending the festival each day.

Accident or crime scene cordon tape, police line do not cross. via Getty Images JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) - The director of a southern Indiana funeral home where 31 decomposing bodies and the cremains of 17 others were found pleaded guilty Friday to more than 40 counts of felony theft.Randy Lankford, owner of Lankford Funeral Home and Family Center in Jeffersonville, faces a proposed sentence of 12 years: four years in prison and eight years of home incarceration, Clark County Circuit Court Judge N.

BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. - A trio of suspects posed as police as they robbed a home in Bucks County, getting away with two of the homeowner's firearms, according to officials.Police say the three men entered a home on Reliance Place in Hilltown Township Thursday after identifying themselves as part of the sheriff's department.One of the men was armed with a handgun as they ransacked the house, authorities say.MORE HEADLINES:Several items were stolen, including two handguns registered to the victim, who was forced to the ground with his hands tied behind his back.

OCEAN COUNTY, N.J. - An 11-year-old boy had to be airlifted to a local hospital after being hit by a vehicle, whose driver is now being charged for trying to flee the scene.Giancarlos Fernandez, 19, is accused of hitting the boy on his bike near Barnegat Avenue and Freemont Avenue in Seaside Heights Friday evening.The 11-year-old was thrown to the pavement after "becoming embedded in the vehicle's windshield."MORE HEADLINES:He was airlifted to a local hospital for serious injuries, but is said to be in stable condition.Police say the driver tried to flee on foot following the crash, but was apprehended by officers a few blocks away.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A traffic nightmare played out in North Carolina Thursday after a mobile home tumbled from its truck and blocked vehicles and drivers. The West Mecklenburg Fire Department released pictures showing the disaster west of Charlotte on Interstate 485.Authorities said the truck carrying it fahd crashed and the structure stilt into the four lanes of traffic. RELATED: 2 missing after massive fire at North Carolina construction site, fire chief saysOfficial told local news outlets that four people sustained minor injuries. Storyful contributed to this report.

ceremony in their backyard in -35 C weather.That’s how Kay and Curtis Ballance celebrated their “perfect” wedding day.The couple got married at their home in Grand Prairie, Alta., in February this year just seven weeks after giving birth to their first daughter.Kay Ballance said their preference was to have no guests at all and to just tie the knot at the courthouse, but in Alberta, you are required by law to have a marriage ceremony – which is what they ended up doing.“The size of our wedding, it actually turned out to be perfect,” said Curtis Ballance.“The very important people in our lives were there and yeah, just the smaller the better.

BRISTOL, Pa. - A Pennsylvania community held a vigil Friday for a local infant who prosecutors say died after being beaten and shaken several times by his own father."The community is heartbroken over this, I mean, it’s a small town, everybody knows everybody," Stephane Scancella said. Authorities say on Wednesday night officers from the Bristol Borough Police Department responded to home on 100 block of Radcliffe Street for reports of a 4-month-old in cardiac arrest. Officers administered CPR and rushed the baby to Lower Bucks Hospital where he was pronounced dead just after midnight. Tyler Sullivan (Bucks County District Attorney's Office)  Tyler Sullivan, 30, was charged with homicide and two counts of aggravated assault in the case. Following an examination of the infant, a doctor found that the child had suffered several injuries, including bruises and abrasions throughout the body. Investigators concluded that Sullivan had violently shaken the baby on at least two occasions Wednesday, and at least six additional times over the past six weeks. MORE LOCAL HEADLINES"We all have bene heartbroken about this mom losing her son, especially the way she did," Scancella said. Neighbors day the baby's 22-year-old mother and Sullivan were engaged to be married. "We have to do something for this mother and her family," Scancella said. "It’s heart-wrenching."

WILDWOOD, N.J. - Many are keeping up with the tradition of spending Memorial Day Weekend down the shore."The whole family is coming down. We’re all going to be crammed in the house, sharing seats and making breakfast. It’s what we love to do," said Todd Patterson.

GILBERT, S.C. - A school bus collided with a tanker truck Thursday in South Carolina, sending at least 18 people, mostly children, to the hospital, authorities said.The bus was carrying 36 passengers when it collided with the tanker at about 4 p.m. at an intersection near Gilbert in Lexington County, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.Dramatic video shows the school bus pull out in front of the tanker truck before the crash. At least 17 children and one adult were taken to Lexington Medical Center for treatment, the hospital told WIS-TV.

A 17-year-old boy who was reportedly stabbed outside a Philadelphia high school on Friday was driven to a nearby hospital by police. PHILADELPHIA - A teenage boy is recovering after police say he was stabbed outside a high school in West Philadelphia on Friday. Investigators say the 17-year-old was stabbed one time in the backside outside of Parkway West High School just after 2:30 p.m. The teen was taken by police to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center where he was placed in stable condition, according to police. Authorities have not said what caused the stabbing.

David Johnston says his decision to recommend against a public inquiry into foreign interference was based on “unprecedented” access to raw intelligence, Canadian national security officials and their political masters.

PHILADELPHIA - Emergency crews are responding to a large junkyard fire sending smoke into the air in Southwest Philadelphia. Multiple cars are reportedly on fire in the junkyard. SKYFOX flew over the junkyard on South 61st Street, where large flames from the 2-alarm blaze and explosions could be seen. The Philadelphia Fire Department has not released any official information on the size of the fire or the response from crews. Residents in the area have been urged to take precautions to avoid exposure to the smoke. MORE LOCAL HEADLINESAccording to the Philadelphia Health Department, people in the area should avoid going outdoors, avoid excessive activity, close all windows and doors to minimize indoor pollution and recirculate air with fans. The smoke from the flames may be especially troubling for children, the elderly, individuals who are pregnant and those with respiratory conditions. This is a developing story.

Celine Dion has officially announced the cancelation of her Courage World Tour after her continuous battle with an incurable neurological disorder. The iconic 55-year-old singer took to Instagram to update fans on her health condition.

FILE-Doctor Caitlin Bernard in Indianapolis on Sept. 28, 2022.

The American tourist was snorkeling when she was bitten by a shark in Turks and Caicos, a report says. (Getty Images) An American tourist has lost her leg after being bitten by a shark while vacationing in Turks and Caicos, police say.The 22-year-old female from Connecticut and a friend were snorkeling in the waters off Providenciales island Wednesday when they were attacked, The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force said in a statement posted to Instagram, that later appeared removed on Friday.The statement added that a resort employee on the island "indicated that the female victim had her leg bitten off by a shark."The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force and an ambulance responded to the scene. PENNSYLVANIA TEENAGER SURFING IN NEW JERSEY SUFFERS INJURIES FROM POSSIBLE SHARK ATTACK: REPORTSThe Turks and Caicos islands are a popular Caribbean vacation destination.

mortgage rates are ratcheting up the pressure on Canadian landlords, especially young investors who are facing the harsh side of the interest rate cycle for the first time.A report released Thursday by Royal LePage shows higher payments are even pushing some housing investors to consider selling off their properties. But for 32-year-old Karim Najjar, that decision is about more than just writing off the loss on an investment.Najjar moved to Ottawa from Edmonton in 2017 and jumped into the housing market a year after he arrived.His timing into the market was good, Najjar recalls, as home prices soared in his first few years of ownership.

PHILADELPHIA - A vice principal from West Philadelphia is going viral for all the right reasons. His name is Arnold Ford, and he’s creating a bond and a safe space for his loving students at Mastery Charter Mann Elementary. The school is equipped with newly installed security cameras that can capture a wide range of things. Recently, they’ve been capturing adorable acts of kindness and caring from Vice Principal Ford. "We’ve been doing this for years," Arnold explained. "The interactions that you see on the cameras, we’ve been doing that for years.

PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Police Department is asking for the public's help to identify a shooter and a person of interest in connection with a fatal shooting on a SEPTA bus in Philadelphia. The shooting took place on Wednesday night inside a bus on the 5200 block of Germantown Avenue, police say. According to investigators, a confrontation between the suspect and a young man broke out on the bus before shots were fired. Officials say responding officers found the victim on the floor of the bus bleeding from a gunshot wound to the chest. The victim was rushed to Einstein Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.  Related According to investigators, eight passengers were on the bus at the time of the shooting.The City of Philadelphia is offering a $20,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect. Authorities say police are also searching for a person of interest in relation to the investigation. RELATED: Ski masks banned from SEPTA property, Transit Police Chief says: 'You will be engaged by police'Police released surveillance video of the shooting on Friday in an effort to get information on the suspect and person of interest or information from potential witnesses. Anyone with information is urged to contact Philadelphia police at 215-686-8477. A man was shot and killed on a SEPTA bus in Germantown, police say.

REHOBOTH BEACH, DE - JANUARY 2: Beach goer gather by the ocean the beach on an unseasonably warm day on January 2, 2021 in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, face masks are required on the boardwalk and strongly rec Delaware's low elevation mixed with crowded beaches and limited exit routes make the state particularly vulnerable to massive flooding, but officials hope an influx of federal infrastructure money will trigger future evacuation plans automatically via artificial intelligence.The Biden administration was set to announce a total of $53 million in grants Thursday to Delaware and seven other states aimed at high-tech solutions to traffic congestion problems.

This illustration image shows tablets of opioid painkiller Oxycodone delivered on medical prescription taken on September 18, 2019 in Washington,DC. - Millions of Americans sank into addiction after using potent opioid painkillers that the companies CHARLESTON, W. Va - A Pennsylvania doctor was sentenced to six months in federal prison Thursday for his role in a pain pill prescription scheme.Dr.

New Delhi: India registered 461 fresh COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, according to an update by the union health ministry on Friday. The nation has seen a decline in active cases, currently at 5,707. Since the onset of the pandemic three years ago, over 44.9 million Indians have been infected, with death toll at 531,856.

Cold Lake but in the summertime the city, located 280 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, shines.“We’ve got a beautiful beach and a lot of people come up here to camp and to fish,” said Cold Lake mayor Craig Copeland.Over the next several years, thousands of people could be coming to the area of Alberta to work as well.The city has been home to a Royal Canadian Air Force based for decades — the military says 4 Wing Cold Lake is the busiest fighter base in Canada.People who live in Cold Lake either, for the most part, work at the military base or in oil and gas — but soon, Cold Lake could become major hub for clean energy as site of one of the largest carbon capture and storage facilities in the world.“It has the right geology,” Pathways Alliance president Kendall Dilling said.

UPPER MERION, Pa. - Two Philadelphia men are wanted for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise from high-end retail stores at the King of Prussia Mall over the last several months. Anthony Abner,35, and Brian Hughes, 32, are connected to at least seven thefts and strong-armed robberies, five of which happened between February and May. In one incident, authorities say the men stole over 40 pairs of Octane jeans and merchandise totaling more than $15k. They're accused of hitting big-name store located inside the mall like Sunglass Hut, GAP. During the stretch of robberies, police said the men have become physically aggressive. In one case, police say an unidentified man working alongside Hughes forcibly pushed a 77-year-old Optical World employee against a wall before grabbing 10 pairs of glasses. That theft, according to police, totaled more that $18k. "In this day and age, the world is going through things, things we’ve never gone through, and so I think security is the number one priority everywhere," Amber Diaz of Port Richmond said.Court documents show the pair is also wanted for at least one theft at a Sunglass Hut in Cherry Hill. Upper Merion Police say there are several active warrants our for Abner and Hughes.

HOUSTON - LaTonya Floyd, the sister of George Floyd, who was killed by then Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, said she forgives him for what happened to her brother. She told that exclusively to FOX 26 cameras who were at an event where a screening of a short documentary of the George Floyd sculpture was premiered. During an event in Houston on Wednesday night, George Floyd's Sister, LaTonya Floyd, forgave former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for his actions back in May 2020.She said, "I know America may think I'm crazy for saying this, but I gotta get this off my chest. At this point, three years down the line, I do forgive Derek Chauvin for what he did, it's not okay that he did. Ok, but I have to forgive him in order to move forward in my life.

DOWNINGTOWN, Pa. - A student-run club is raising awareness on mental health to support fellow peers and faculty at a local high school.Allie Hathaway is the founder of the Mindset Matchup club at Bishop Shanahan High School in Downingtown."It was never really talked about until now and I just feel like breaking the stigma earlier in people’s lives is something that could make a difference later on," said Hathaway.The 18-year-old senior plays lacrosse and wanted to create a safe space for students to open up and support one another.A New Jersey high school opened a wellness center to help students navigate mental and emotional struggles felt by teens in their formative years."Being a student athlete is just so tough sometimes, but that’s why I started it so that we all have a place where we can all go together," said Hathaway.Hathaway collected over 100 student signatures to launch the first ever club at her high school focused on mental health. In its first year, there were nearly 100 active students who participated."It really is kind of a perfect storm of things that created this mental health crisis in America," said Dr.

HOUSTON - The man charged in the death of Migos rapper Takeoff has been indicted on a murder charge, officials confirm.According to the Harris County District Attorney's Office, Patrick Xavier Clark was indicted by a grand jury Thursday morning.CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX 26 NEWS APPPatrick Xavier Clark, left, charged with the murder of Migos rapper Takeoff, right. (Harris County Sheriffs Office/Erika Goldring/Getty Images)Takeoff, whose real name is Kirsnick Khari Ball, was killed on Nov.

Alexis Flores is wanted for the kidnapping and murder of a 5-year-old Philadelphia girl who was found strangled to death in an apartment in August 2000. (FBI / File) PHILADELPHIA - Federal authorities have raised their reward offer for a man accused in the kidnapping and murder of a Philadelphia girl in the summer of 2000. Alexis Flores, a handyman who came to the United States from Honduras, was allegedly involved in the July 2000 kidnapping of 5-year-old Iriana DeJesus. Investigators say DeJesus was found strangled to death near an apartment building in August. Flores is believed to go by several aliases, including Mario Flores, Mario Roberto Flores, Alex Contreras and Alesis Contreras.

WASHINGTON - About 10% of people appear to suffer long COVID after an omicron infection, a lower estimate than earlier in the pandemic, according to a study of nearly 10,000 Americans that aims to help unravel the mysterious condition.Early findings from the National Institutes of Health’s study highlight a dozen symptoms that most distinguish long COVID, the catchall term for the sometimes debilitating health problems that can last for months or years after even a mild case of COVID-19.Millions worldwide have had long COVID, with dozens of widely varying symptoms including fatigue and brain fog. Scientists still don’t know what causes it, why it only strikes some people, how to treat it -– or even how to best diagnose it.

FILE - The drug Paxlovid against COVID-19 from the manufacturer Pfizer is lying on a table. (Fabian Sommer/picture alliance via Getty Images)WASHINGTON - Pfizer received full approval on Thursday for its COVID-19 pill Paxlovid that's been the go-to treatment against the coronavirus.More than 11 million prescriptions for Paxlovid have been dispensed since the Food and Drug Administration allowed emergency use in late 2021.

The health package My first port of call was the mobile app. but it had no mechanism to book an appointment for the check-up. In fact, it had no mention of a complimentary health check-up.

MOSCOW, IDAHO - MAY 22: Bryan Kohberger enters the courtroom for his arraignment hearing in Latah County District Court, May 22, 2023 in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022.(Photo by Zach The parents of Bryan Kohberger, Michael and Maryann Kohberger, were called to testify in front of a Pennsylvania grand jury this week in connection with the May 2022 disappearance of a woman found dead in April, according to local reports.Dana Smithers, 45, was last seen leaving a friend's house in Monroe County the evening of May 28. Almost a year later, her remains were recovered in Stroudsburg – a Poconos community about a 30-minute drive from the Kohberger family home in Albrightsville.Kohberger began a Ph.D.

The Sixth Street Viaduct at dusk in Los Angeles, California. (Jill Connelly/Bloomberg via Getty Images) LOS ANGELES - A 17-year-old boy died last weekend after falling from an iconic bridge in Los Angeles and police are saying that the teen was attempting to share his climb up the 6th Street Bridge via social media.The teen fell "when climbing upon one of the arches, in order to post, apparently, a social media broadcast," Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said at a Tuesday's meeting of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners.

Drivers with certain medical problems must declare them to the DVLA or risk being hit with hefty fines - and a possible licence surrender.

township of Norwich, Ont., has resigned after council voted to enact a controversial bylaw forbidding non-government flags, including Pride flags, on municipal properties.Ward 2 Coun. Alisha Stubbs announced her immediate resignation Tuesday night in protest of the council’s decision to support the bylaw at the end of the meeting in the rural southwestern Ontario community located east of London.“I refuse to participate in this any longer, to the dog whistles and blatant discrimination, and to the hypocrisy of decisions made for peace while many citizens feel fear,” said Stubbs in her resignation as she packed her possessions.“Use your power for good,” she continued.“When you hear of people in our community that feel unsafe, believe them.

PHILADELPHIA - Investigators with the Philadelphia Police Department are searching for a suspect accused in an attempted carjacking, police say. According to officials, the incident occurred on May 18 at 4 p.m.

FILE-Doctor Caitlin Bernard in Indianapolis on Sept. 28, 2022.

The Shell Oil Co. Pennsylvania Petrochemicals Complex under construction in Monaca, Pennsylvania, U.S., on Friday, July 23, 2021.