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‘They are my records’: Patients question why they have to pay to access certain medical files

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:39:57 GMT

In our Speakers Corner report, a man is asking about medical records and why there is sometimes a fee to access them.“Who owns these records? Is it me, OHIP, or the clinic?” asked Eric Hudson, who recently tried to get copies of an X-ray he had done.“I had X-rays done of my knee and I wanted to see the copies of it.”But in order to do so, he had to pay a fee, which he has paid for other records in the past.“I thought, why should I be doing this? I don’t understand, they are my records, which the government paid for and they should be shared for free.”While you can typically get doctor’s notes and test results for free, clinics are within their right to charge a fee for other records, such as copies of X-rays.“Because copying or transferring medical records is an uninsured service, physicians are entitled to charge patients or third parties a fee for obtaining a copy of their medical records,” according to The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO)But there are li...

Firefighters battle smoke and heat to control a major wildfire in Spain’s tourist island of Tenerife

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:39:57 GMT

SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Canary Islands (AP) — Firefighters in Spain’s Canary Islands are battling dense smoke and high temperatures to try to control the worst wildfire in decades on the main tourist island of Tenerife, officials said Friday.The fire started late Tuesday in the north of the island and has forced authorities in eight municipalities to order the evacuation of more than 4,500 people and the confinement of thousands more. Confinement means residents are strongly advised to stay indoors with windows closed.No injuries have been reported so far. The fire is located in a steep and craggy mountain area with pine trees, with several municipalities on its flanks, including El Rosario, Arafo and Candelaria to the east, and La Orotava to the west. Access for firefighters is extremely difficult.Television images and videos posted on social media have showed the flames coming down a hill close to houses in small neighborhoods and a massive cloud of smoke rising from the are...

Top-secret briefing on foreign interference left out key documents: Green leader

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:39:57 GMT

OTTAWA — Green Party Leader Elizabeth May says a top-secret briefing on foreign interference did not allow her to access key intelligence documents.Former special rapporteur David Johnston had released an initial report on alleged meddling in Canadian elections in May, along with a confidential annex of evidence that he said opposition party leaders who obtained relevant clearance could review.May and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh have both received top-secret security clearance, and May was the first to attend a confidential briefing on Wednesday. She told reporters this morning that the briefing included just two documents and 25 pages in total, which cited intelligence reports that she was not allowed to read.May says she is asking the Privy Council Office for access to all such records, saying it’s otherwise impossible for any politician to assess the credibility of Johnson’s findings.The B.C. MP is critical of whoever has been leaking intelligence to media, as well as what she...

Biden administration sharply expands temporary status for Ukrainians already in US

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:39:57 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Biden administration on Friday announced a major expansion of temporary legal status for Ukrainians already living in the United States, granting a reprieve for those who fled Russia’s invasion.The move is expected to make 166,700 Ukrainians eligible for Temporary Protected Status, up from about 26,000 currently, the Homeland Security Department said. To qualify, Ukrainians must have been in the United States by Aug. 16, two days before the announcement. They are eligible for work authorization.The temporary status was originally scheduled to expire on Oct. 19, 2023 but is being extended 18 months to April 19, 2025. “Russia’s ongoing military invasion of Ukraine and the resulting humanitarian crisis requires that the United States continue to offer safety and protection to Ukrainians who may not be able to return to their country,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.The expansion comes as the administration extends Temporary Protected Stat...

1 week left to claim your piece of $725 million Facebook settlement: Here's how

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:39:57 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Don't procrastinate any longer, Facebook users (and ex-Facebook users). You have just one week left to file a claim in the class action lawsuit the social media company agreed to settle earlier this year.Facebook parent company Meta agreed to pay the sum to settle claims it allowed people’s personal data to be shared with third parties. The most famous third party to get access was Cambridge Analytica, a consulting firm that supported Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. While Meta agreed to the payout, it denies any wrongdoing.The deadline to file a claim is Friday, Aug. 25, 2023. Facebook’s $725M settlement is huge, but how much will you actually get? If you file a claim by mail, it has to be postmarked by that date. If you file it online, it needs to be done by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time the night of Aug. 25.If you think you've made a mistake on the claim form, you can also edit it before the deadline.Millions of Americans qualify for a payment. The criteria is ...

WGN's Tom Skilling featured in 'The Lincoln Laureate' podcast series

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:39:57 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — WGN-TV chief meteorologist Tom Skilling is being featured in the debut episode of 'The Lincoln Laureates' podcast series.The episode, released Friday, kicks off Season 3 of the podcast and features Skilling as one of the Lincoln Academy’s newest Lincoln Laureates."The Lincoln Laureates podcast series serves as an audio textbook that deepens the honor the Laureates have brought to Illinois. During this episode of The Lincoln Laureates, listeners get a deeper understanding of a scientist with an unlikely destination," according to the release,In the podcast, hosted by broadcast journalist Bob Sirott, Skilling shares stories and explains the evolution of his career as a meterologist — which began at WGN 45-years ago."I've had the amazing opportunity to work in a profession that has advanced more in the last 50 years than in all the time since Aristotle wrote the first treatise on meteorology,” Skilling told Sirott in the podcast.Listen to the podcast below:

'Momfluencer' Culture

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:39:57 GMT

Sara Peterson talks about her new book, Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture It looks at how momfluencer culture impacts women psychologically as consumers, as performers of their stories, and as mothers.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Survey: One-third of Americans have a tattoo

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:39:57 GMT

Look at the person to your left. Look at the person to your right. Odds are one of you have at least one tattoo.A new Pew Research Center survey shows sporting some ink has become broadly accepted among Americans in recent decades. What's more, it's a trend which seems to span fairly evenly across a variety of demographics. NOAA releases fall weather predictions for Chicago, Illinois The survey found 32% of adults have a tattoo with 22% have more than one. This can be roughly compared to a 2010 survey which showed 23% of adults had a tattoo, however it can't be a direct comparison because of noted changes to the center's survey mode.As for who is most likely to have a tattoo, the survey broke down their results by: gender, race and ethnicity, age, education, income, religion, and sexual orientation. Those demographics were further broken down by likelihood to have one tattoo versus more than one tattoo. Though the combined percentages show a decent amount of variance, single tatto...

Boil water notice for 2 neighborhoods in Brushy Creek MUD

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:39:57 GMT

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect Brushy Creek MUD's clarification that the notice is in effect for the two neighborhoods that reported low pressure.WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Complaints about a loss of pressure in two neighborhoods led to the Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District issuing a boil water notice for only the customers in those areas. According to a news release Friday morning, the district advised people living in the Highland Horizon and the Enclave at Highland Horizon neighborhoods to bring any water they'd like to consume to a rolling boil and then keep it going for two minutes before anyone drinks it, washes their hands or face and brushes their teeth. Thursday was the third-hottest day ever recorded in Austin Brushy Creek MUD shared the boil notice came "out of an abundance of caution" after people reported a loss of water pressure at their homes in those two specific neighborhoods. However, the district noted its water towers remain ...

APD releases bodycam footage from SWAT incident when officer, suspect both shot

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:39:57 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department has released bodycam footage from an incident in which an officer and a suspect were shot during a welfare check in southeast Austin, which led to a SWAT stand-off.In addition to sharing the body camera video on its YouTube page, the department also identified the officers who fired at the suspect, 56-year-old Dwayne Brzozowski. Detective Daniel Jackson was one of them and was also hurt. Detective Christopher Van Buren also fired his gun. Jackson has been with APD for eight years and 11 months, and Van Buren had worked there for 10 years and three months.Both were placed on administrative leave, which is the department's protocol when officers fire their weapons while on duty. APD is conducting both a criminal investigation and an administrative investigation into what happened.What happened Earlier this month, two APD detectives responded to a “check welfare” call on Channel Island Drive. The caller said he had not seen his neighbor fo...