By DEVI SHASTRI, Associated Press Health Writer

South Carolina’s measles outbreak exploded into one of the worst in the U.S., with state health officials confirming 99 new cases in the past three days.

Related Articles

A use-of-force review board clears the officer who fatally shot Ta’Kiya Young and her unborn child

Poor communities threatened by aging sewers see crucial aid slashed under Trump

Some flu measures decline, but it’s not clear this severe season has peaked

Freestanding birth centers are closing as maternity care gaps grow

GM hit with $6 billion in charges as EV incentives cut and emissions standards fade

The outbreak centered in Spartanburg County grew to 310 cases over the holidays, and spawned cases in North Carolina and Ohio among families who traveled to the outbreak area in the northwestern part of the state.

State health officials acknowledged the spike in cases had been expected following holiday travel and family gatherings during the school break. A growing number of public exposures and low vaccination rates in the area are driving the surge, they said. As of Friday, 200 people were in quarantine and nine in isolation, state health department data shows.

“The number of those in quarantine does not reflect the number actually exposed,” said Dr. Linda Bell, who leads the state health department’s outbreak response. “An increasing number of public exposure sites are being identified with likely hundreds more people exposed who are not aware they should be in quarantine if they are not immune to measles.”

Since the outbreak started in October, Bell has warned that the virus was spreading undetected in the area. Hundreds of school children have been quarantined from school, some more than once.

South Carolina is one of two active hot spots for measles. The other outbreak is on the Arizona-Utah border, where 337 people have gotten measles since August.

Last year was the nation’s worst year for measles spread since 1991, end-of-year data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. The U.S. confirmed 2,144 cases across 44 states.

And as the one-year anniversary of the Texas-New Mexico-Oklahoma outbreak approaches — which sickened at least 900 people and killed three — health experts say the vaccine-preventable virus is on the verge of making a lasting comeback in the U.S.

At that point, the U.S. would lose its status of having eliminated local spread of the virus, as Canada did in November. International health experts say the same strain of measles is spreading across the Americas.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

“Saturday Night Live” vet John Mulaney has postponed his three-night stand this weekend at the Armory following the fatal shooting of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross.

“What’s happening in your city is heartbreaking,” Mulaney wrote in an Instagram post Thursday evening that did not specifically mention ICE. “I hate to postpone shows in a town going through such awful challenges and such grief, because it feels unfair to the audience.

“Still, I don’t feel comfortable asking thousands of people each night to leave their homes, gather at the venue, and then make their way home when the situation is so unsafe.”

The new dates for the stand-up comic’s performances are April 10, 11 and 12 at the venue in downtown Minneapolis. Ticketholders can use their tickets for the new dates or return to the point of purchase for a refund.

A Chicago native, Mulaney worked as a writer for “SNL” from 2008 to 2013. He created the “Weekend Update” character Stefon with cast member Bill Hader, who portrayed the “city correspondent” offering outlandish nightlife options for New Yorkers.

In the years since, Mulaney has established himself as an in-demand comic with five acclaimed Netflix specials, four Emmy Awards, a pair of Broadway shows, a series of guest roles on “The Bear,” “Poker Face” and “Dickinson” and voice work in a handful of animated films.

“I am sorry to anyone who is disappointed,” Mulaney wrote. “I know a fun stand-up show could be a nice distraction, but it doesn’t sit right with me to put anyone at risk.”

Related Articles

Minneapolis schools will offer remote learning amid federal immigration enforcement

Hennepin County prosecutor calls on the public to share Renee Good shooting evidence with her office

Court records reveal details of ICE agent’s previous dragging incident in Bloomington

Gov. Tim Walz calls for ‘Day of Unity’ on Friday

Gov. Tim Walz authorizes National Guard to be staged, ready

By PATRICK AFTOORA-ORSAGOS

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A use-of-force review board cleared the Ohio police officer who shot and killed 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young, a pregnant Black mother who had been accused of shoplifting, according to a statement from the police department’s chief released this week.

The five-member review board, empaneled by Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford, found that Officer Connor Grubb did not violate department policy when he fatally shot Young on Aug. 24, 2023, during an encounter in a Kroger parking lot in a Columbus suburb.

“The deaths of Ta’Kiya Young and her unborn child were a profound tragedy for her family, our department, and the community,” Belford said in a written statement. “After receiving the complete investigation and evidence from BCI, the Use of Force Review Board conducted a thorough policy review and found no violation of department policy by Officer Grubb.”

Per the department’s policy, the board convened in December after a Franklin County jury acquitted Grubb on all counts, including murder, involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault in the death of Young.

Four of the board’s members work at law enforcement agencies in Franklin County, and one is a township trustee from Brown Township, according to Ryan Stubenrauch, a spokesman for the Blendon Township police.

Sean Walton, an attorney representing Young’s family, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Related Articles

Poor communities threatened by aging sewers see crucial aid slashed under Trump

Some flu measures decline, but it’s not clear this severe season has peaked

Freestanding birth centers are closing as maternity care gaps grow

GM hit with $6 billion in charges as EV incentives cut and emissions standards fade

Federal officers are leaving Louisiana immigration crackdown for Minneapolis, documents show

Bodycam recordings showed Grubb and Sgt. Erick Moynihan had approached Young’s car outside a Kroger about a report that she was suspected of stealing alcohol from the store. She partially lowered her window and protested as both officers cursed at her and yelled at her to get out. On bodycam video, Young could be heard asking them, “Are you going to shoot me?”

Then, she put on a turn signal and her car rolled slowly forward toward Grubb, who fired a single bullet through her windshield into her chest, the bodycam recording showed.

In the statement, Grubb said he positioned himself in front of Young’s vehicle to provide proper backup. He said he drew his gun after he heard Young fail to comply with Moynihan’s commands. When her car moved toward him, he said, he felt the vehicle hit his legs and shins and begin to lift his body off the ground as he shot.

Moments later, after the car came to a stop against the building, the officers are seen breaking the driver’s side window. Police said they tried to save her life, but she was mortally wounded. Young and her unborn daughter were subsequently pronounced dead at a hospital.

A full-time officer with the township since 2019, Grubb was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting.

Arlene Lillis, a 56-year-old Detroit Lakes, Minn., woman, died after a suspected shark attack at Dorsch Beach St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands on Thursday. The attack took place at around 4:28 p.m., according to a post made by the Virgin Island Police Department on their Facebook page.

A news report from the local paper, The Virgin Island Consortium, stated Lillis was pulled out of the water by Christopher Carroll, a nurse that was previously a lifeguard and happened to be staying at a nearby hotel. The article stated that Carroll heard screaming, ran to the beach and into the water to find Lillis near a large pool of blood. The article noted Carroll grabbed Lillis and brought her back to shore, at which point the extent of the injuries became apparent.

First responders were dispatched to the scene. Upon arrival, “Fire confirmed the female lost an arm during the attack,” the police department post stated in their Facebook post on the incident. “The female later succumbed to her injures. She was identified by next of kin as 56-year-old Arlene Lillis of Minnesota.”

The news article noted the next of kin was her husband, Richard Lillis.

Related Articles

Duluth police officer leaves force after allegations of sexual assault

3 takeaways from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s Minnesota visit

Hennepin County prosecutor calls on the public to share Renee Good shooting evidence with her office

Minnesota freezes provider enrollment for 13 Medicaid programs over fraud risk

Minnesota adds 8,900 jobs from Sept.-Nov.; state data release delayed