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Humbly request prayers for my wife, Connie. A few days ago she developed a terrible cough, and she went to the ER. An EKG and an MRI revealed fluid in her lungs and around her heart. The cardiologist diagnosed it as congestive heart failure. Her injection fraction was only 30. She's going to likely be out on disability for at least a few weeks and will have a long slog recuperating. She's currently comfortable, and getting Lasix, antibiotics, and potassium IV. I'd like some of my fellow Freepers to kindly pray along with me.

Sally Kellerman, the actress best-known for her role as Hot Lips Houlihan in the 1970 film M*A*S*H, has died at the age of 84. News of Kellerman’s passing was confirmed by her son. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the actress died “at an assisted care facility in Woodland Hills [California] after a battle with dementia.” Born June 2, 1937, Kellerman was attracted to the entertainment industry at an early age. “I came out of the womb singing and acting,” she declared in her 2013 autobiography, Read My Lips: Stories of a Hollywood Life. Read More: Sally Kellerman, Hot Lips Houlihan...

A yearslong staffing crisis in the state medical examiner’s office in Baltimore is leading to unprecedented delays in autopsies, an emergency request to federal officials for help and now a legislative push for more workers. To deal with “bodies piling up,” one lawmaker said the statewide agency that investigates sudden and unexpected deaths has turned to a ready source of labor — contractors “flown in from out of state” and recent retirees earning $850 per autopsy. State officials say that labor pool is vital to clearing cases. But lawmakers and union representatives deride the vacant positions across state government generally...

The United States Marshals Service goes after some of the worst people in this country. They’re the guys who go after the fugitives and serve federal arrest warrants. They see some of the worst this nation has to offer. So, if gun control proposals worked as advertised, you’d think US Marshals would be those most interested in backing them. And yet, in Maryland, one is taking issue with the proposed ban on unserialized firearms.

As COVID-19 hospitalizations climb into uncharted territory, fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant, Maryland’s medical work force is increasingly diminished by illness and exposure, burnout and turnover. Gov. Larry Hogan has responded with pleas for people to get vaccinated and boosted and wear masks to spare the hospitals. The state opened several testing sites near hospitals so people would stop flooding emergency rooms with nonemergencies. Hogan’s also sending Maryland National Guard troops to hospitals to perform nonmedical tasks and relaxing guardrails on licenses for medical workers, particularly nurses.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a 30-day state of emergency on Tuesday to fight a surge in COVID-19 cases, mobilizing 1,000 members of the Maryland National Guard to help state and local health officials. Hogan made the announcement as Maryland hit 3,057 hospitalizations for COVID-19 — a record high in the state and an increase of more than 500% in the last seven weeks. The governor said projections show that hospitalizations for virus cases could reach more than 5,000. “The truth is that the next four to six weeks will be the most challenging of the entire pandemic,” Hogan said...

Deputy State Fire Marshals arrested a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania man early Christmas Eve after setting multiple Christmas wreaths on fire at a local Hagerstown cemetery. Peter J. Custer, 43, is charged with Second Degree Malicious Burning, Malicious Destruction of Property Under $1,000, and Trespassing on Private Property. Witnesses called 911 just after 1:00 a.m., after driving by Cedar Lawn Memorial Park in Hagerstown and saw Custer standing by a fire. Washington County Sheriff's Office and the Office of the State Fire Marshal responded and concluded that Custer took plastic wreaths from three or more burial plots, placed them on an access...

VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth will retire after the last concert of his Las Vegas residency in January. "I'm throwing in the shoes," Roth told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday (August 1). "I'm retiring. This is the first, and only, official announcement. … You've got the news. Share it with the world." He added: "I'm not going to explain the statement. The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows." Roth also reflected on the passing of his longtime bandmate, legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who died of cancer a year ago. "I...

George Frayne, best known under his alias as Commander Cody and leader of the group Commander Cody and His Planet Lost Airmen, died yesterday at age 77 following a battle with cancer. "Early this morning, as I lay my head upon his shoulder, George’s soul took to flight," his wife confirmed in a Facebook post, noting that a pair of memorial events will be planned for both the East and West coasts. "I am heartbroken and weary, and I know your hearts break, too. Thank you so much for all the love you gave and the stories you shared."

Please say a special prayer for my mother, who is going in for back/spinal surgery next Friday. This will be her third try at correcting the damage done after 40+ years of being a registered nurse, spending hours on her feet in patent leather nursing shoes, lifting and carrying patients when needed and essentially premanently injuring herself in the process. She is an 81-year-old cancer survivor who has had two previous surgeries, and can now barely walk without the constant assistance of my live-at-home sister. She has become dependent on Percocet to help relieve the pain. With God's help and...

New Maryland bill would rename 'Indian Head Highway' to 'President Barack Obama Highway' © Getty Images State senators in Maryland recently introduced legislation that seeks to rename Indian Head Highway after former President Obama. Senate Bill 213, introduced by Democratic state Sens. Arthur Ellis and Obie Patterson, would require the Maryland State Highway Administration to designate the highway, also known by some as Maryland Route 210, as “the President Barack Obama Highway.” The change would cost roughly $12,500 to cover the costs for the design, construction and installation of the signs for the highway, which runs through parts of Maryland...

Merry Christmas and God Bless JimRob and all my fellow Freepers here. 2020 has been an existential Hell. It's now midnight here on the East Coast - Christmas Eve. I would ask of you one thing, and I know it's a tough one: plase, let's enjoy the spirit of the holiday. The lights, the gifts, the carols, the blessings you have received (and yes, they're around you if you look - start with the family under your roof), but most importantly, the respect and love in your heart for the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To that...

Why is Earth pulsating every 26 seconds, and why canÂ’t scientists explain it after 60 years? This is an enigma wrapped in a periodically predictable mystery motion. It could be a harmonic phenomenon, a regular seismic chirp caused by the sunÂ’s energy, or a beacon drawing scientists to its source to begin a treasure hunt. âž¡ The world is weird. We'll show you how it works. In the early 1960s, a geologist named Jack Oliver first documented the pulse, also known as a "microseism," according to Discover. Oliver, who worked at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory at the time, heard...

(FOX NEWS) -- In the increasingly hectic and stressful year of 2020, people are seeking calm wherever they can find it — from frolicking through the fields to adopting plants. But now there’s another natural way to restore your cortisol levels: cow-hugging. People in several parts of the world have begun to embrace the alleged wellness trend, which reportedly originated in the Netherlands, where it is known as “koe knuffelen.” According to the BBC, the practice of cuddling cows is supposed to reduce stress in humans by releasing the bonding hormone oxytocin.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is extending the order requiring facial coverings in public places until Nov. 8. The governor announced the extension at a press conference today in Montgomery. Ivey and State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris issued the mask order effective July 16 as the state saw increasing numbers of coronavirus cases. The order was extended twice, most recently on Aug. 27, and was set to expire Friday. It is now extended through Sunday, Nov. 8. Ivey mentioned the national election as one reason for extending the order past Nov. 3. “I want everyone to (vote) and to be...

By WSFA Staff | August 27, 2020 at 9:40 AM CDT - Updated August 27 at 6:39 PM MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Alabama’s amended safer at home order, which includes the mandatory use of face masks in public, has been extended for five more weeks through Oct. 2. “We are seeing significant drops in hospitalizations and daily COVID-19 numbers,” said Gov. Kay Ivey in announcing the decision. “I have no doubt this is a result of our mask ordinance.” Ivey’s extension was immediately praised by the Alabama Hospital Association. “Our hospitals are extremely grateful,” said AHA President Dr. Donald E....

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) – With the rising number of coronavirus cases across Alabama every day, Gov. Kay Ivey has put into effect a statewide face mask requirement. During a press conference Wednesday, Ivey said that between June 29 and July 13, the total number of COVID-19 cases statewide rose by 50% and that in the first nine days of July, the state averaged 1,000 new cases per day. As of Wednesday, there have been 58,225 COVID-19 cases reported across Alabama since late March. “Despite our best efforts, we are seeing increased cases every day are still occurring and we’re almost...

*sigh* OK. On Friday, 6/26, I underwent an upper GI endoscopic exam for my Hemo/oncology specialist, to check for varices, bleeders, portal hypertension, etc. After I came out of the fog, they unhooked all with wires, tubes, etc., and allowed me to dress. The endo doc came by and said, with the exception of some 'changes' due to GERD (which has been treated for years), nothing was amiss. In the midst of shaking the fuzz out of my ears, they mentioned that I'd have a follow-up for it. Here's where it gets good: They called me this afternoon to confirm...

H.L. Mencken, a contrarian polemicist and the consummate critic, who wrote prolifically and prodigiously from 1899 until 1948, may no longer seem relevant, but the fault would not be his. Mencken was a well-read bon vivant with a taste for Teutonic philosophy and a fidelity to immutable truth. He was also a brilliant satirist and a writer whose facility with the English idiom and grasp of intellectual history are unsurpassed. How can a phenom like Mencken appeal in our age, The Age of the Idiot? He can’t: He should, but he can’t. Henry Louis Mencken cannot appeal to the bumper...

This is my first vanity post, so bear with me. I just think a lot of us need to decompress from this COVID-19 donnybrook, the whole current state of civil upheaval, the so-called 'peaceful' riots, shootings, and lootings, and sundry other manufactured irritants in our lives. I, for one, retreat to music, either from CD or online playlists, and was wondering: what are you currently listening to that is lessening your bile and lowering your blood pressure? Is it rock, classical, country, pop, chamber, ambient, opera, electronica? Who are your favorite artists in any given genre? Are they a known...