CDC: Potentially Zika Carrying Mosquitoes Could Inhabit All but 10 States This Summer

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The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated a report last week illustrating on U.S. maps that the two mosquitoes with the potential to transmit the Zika virus, as well as other viruses such as dengue and chikungunya, could inhabit areas this summer that include parts of all but ten states in the United States.

The report on Zika and pregnancy also states: “Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals in the world because of the diseases they spread.” (but see recent article debunking the pregnancy defect link HERE)

Much of U.S. territory–from California to Virginia to Maine–is in the potential range of the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which have the potential to transmit the Zika virus. Of the two, the CDC says, the Aedes aegypti mosquitos are the “more likely to spread viruses.”

The CDC also verified to CNSNews.com via email that the map of potential exposure includes all but 10 states in the United States.

Only Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, and Utah are outside the potential range of both of these mosquitoes. The highlighted areas of the map, the CDC stressed, “represent CDC’s best estimate of the current potential range” of the mosquitoes and “are not meant to represent risk for spread of the disease.” The maps have been updated from “a variety of sources.” (Read more from “CDC: Potentially Zika Carrying Mosquitoes Could Inhabit All but 10 States This Summer” HERE)

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UPDATE: Alaska Air Responds to Story Regarding AK Air Customer Service Manager ARRESTED for Child Sex Abuse

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(Editor’s update: Alaska Airlines contacted Restoring Liberty on 4/6/16 and stated that it has no record of the person described below being employed or otherwise working for them) Candy, condoms, and narcotics were some of the items that suspects brought with them when they traveled to have sex with children, according to detectives who recently conducted an undercover online child sex sting that targeted child sex predators.

17 people were arrested during “Operation April’s Fools” which was conducted March 29 through April 4 in Polk County. An arrest warrant was issued for an 18th suspect.

Among those arrested were a Walt Disney World Security Guard, a Discovery Cove theme park janitor, a technician at Florida Hospital, a football coach, an Alaska Airlines customer service manager who brought LSD and cocaine with him, according to investigators . . .

During the operation, undercover detectives posted fictitious ads or profiles on various social media platforms, websites, and mobile phone applications, posing as children, or as custodians of children.

Detectives say that despite the repeated warnings and media coverage of past operations, numerous men responded to the ads and then proceeded to chat online, email, text, and talk on the phone with the undercover detectives who posed as children or custodians of children online. (Read more from “AK Customer Service Manager ARRESTED for Child Sex Abuse” HERE)

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After Rapper Says Palin Should Be Gang-Raped by Black Men, Sarah Shows Her Why You Don’t Mess With Alaska

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In a series of tweets that have since been deleted, Rapper Azealia Banks called for the brutal gang-rape of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin. It was all supposedly a response to an article that quoted Palin as saying “African Americans accepted slavery willingly.”

The problem is that the article in question was satire…

So, Sarah Palin took to Facebook to dish out an epic response:

Hey Female Rapper – listen up, little darling. No one has any idea what you're wigging out about in these bizarre,…

Posted by Sarah Palin on Tuesday, April 5, 2016

(Read more from “After Rapper Says Palin Should Be Gang-Raped by Black Men, Sarah Shows Her Why You Don’t Mess With Alaska” HERE)

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Alaska’s Religious Liberties Bill Frozen in Committee, Not Moving Forward

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In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last summer that legalized gay marriage across the nation, including Alaska, the Alaska Legislature has been moving a bill through various committees to protect clergy and others authorized to marry a couple in Alaska. Specifically, House Bill 236 clarifies that no one can be coerced into marrying a couple or facilitating a marriage or marriage celebration.

House Bill 236 is at a critical stage. Now in the House Rules Committee, which is chaired by Rep. Craig Johnson, the next step would be for Rep. Johnson to schedule the bill for consideration by the full membership of the House. As of April 4, the bill had not been scheduled for such consideration. If the measure passes the House it would then go to the Senate. The legislative session ends April 17.

The measure specifically states that there is no compulsion to “solemnize a marriage or provide services, accommodations, facilities, goods or privileges” for the purpose of celebrating a marriage. Any person who refused to marry a couple would not be subject to criminal or civil liabilities for their decision nor could they be penalized by having their tax exempt status, or state or local contracts and licenses revoked.

Juneau Bishop Edward Burns testified in favor of the bill last week. According to a report from the Alaska Dispatch, Bishop Burns said that following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage in all 50 states, his diocese ended its 75-year-old policy of allowing couples from other faiths to get married in its churches and chapels.

Bishop Burns said Alaska needs a bill to exempt clergy from civil or criminal liability for refusing to perform marriages for same-sex couples, the Dispatch reported.

Several states have made moves to legally protect clergy and others following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision. It was a ruling that religious liberty advocates say could impact the freedom of churches and clergy to refuse to perform or facilitate same-sex weddings and receptions. (For more from the author of “Alaska’s Religious Liberties Bill Frozen in Committee, Not Moving Forward” please click HERE)

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Alaska Air Expected to Announce Virgin America Deal Today

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Alaska Air Group Inc. is expected to announce Monday that it won the auction for Virgin America Inc., besting rival JetBlue Airways Corp. in a frenzied bidding process that culminated in a cash price of about $2.5 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.

This new chapter in airline consolidation amid low-fare carriers comes at a premium. The deal signed Friday night, according to one of the people, was more than $1 billion over Virgin America’s VA, +0.88% market capitalization on Friday, which had started to rise last month on takeover speculation.

Bidding between Alaska Airlines’ ALK, -0.01% parent and JetBlue JBLU, +0.99% was feverish, this person said, with the price continuing to rise. Alaska prevailed in part because of its clean balance sheet, which will allow it to more easily borrow funds for the acquisition, the person said. (Read more from “Alaska Air Expected to Announce Virgin America Deal Today” HERE)

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Sarah Palin Just Gave Another Big Update on Her Husband Todd

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Less than three weeks after a severe snowmobile crash which sent her husband to the hospital, Sarah Palin posted an update on her husband’s condition to Facebook.

She began by saying, “So grateful for your prayers and support during Todd’s recovery! He’s in a good place – on the couch – insisting if there’s any good season for injury, it’s now.”

So grateful for your prayers and support during Todd’s recovery! He’s in a good place – on the couch – insisting if…

Posted by Sarah Palin on Thursday, March 31, 2016

In the post, Palin said NCAA March Madness and catching up on episodes of Deadliest Catch and Bering Sea Gold have been a great distraction for him, as well as awesome motivational therapy . . .

She continued, saying the kindness that has been shown during the days since the crash has greatly touched Todd.

He agreed, saying, “It’s overwhelming and I’m not worthy of these well-wishes. I wish I could repay people for caring. Makes me want to do more for others, especially when they’re down and out. Maybe that’s part of the purpose in all this.”

In an expression of his gratitude for the support and encouragement received, Todd Palin said, “I can’t thank you guys enough. The past few weeks showed us it’s not just family circling the wagons; I don’t think we’d ever realized that before. People out there who are hurting a hundred times worse than I was can use our prayers and any kind gesture. Maybe I can only repay by offering the same to you.” (Read more from “Sarah Palin Just Gave Another Big Update on Her Husband Todd” HERE)

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1st-Graders Suspended for Plotting to Poison, Kill Classmate

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A group of first grade students at Winterberry Charter School in Anchorage, Alaska, hatched a plan to poison and kill one of their classmates, according to the principal.

The three students, who have since been suspended, planned to use silica gel, thinking it was toxic, according to KTUU . . .

An email sent from the principal to parents read, “Three students in the class were planning on using the silica gel packets (these are not actually poison, but the students believed they were) from their lunchtime seaweed to poison and kill another student.” (Read more from “1st-Graders Suspended for Plotting to Poison, Kill Classmate” HERE)

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Alaska Airlines Cancels Flights After Volcano Erupts

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Alaska Airlines said Monday it has cancelled more flights because of a massive cloud of volcanic ash from Alaska’s Pavlof Volcano that spewed into the air.

The Seattle-based airliner said it has canceled 41 flights involving six Alaska cities until the airline can evaluate weather reports after daylight Tuesday. The cancellations include all flights to and from Fairbanks . . .

Pavlof Volcano, one of Alaska’s most active, is 625 miles southwest of Anchorage on the Alaska Peninsula.

The volcano erupted Sunday afternoon, and by Monday morning an ash cloud had stretched northeast more than 400 miles into interior Alaska.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the volcano, located erupted at 4:18 p.m. local time (8:18 p.m. ET). The agency said that the eruption also led to tremors on the ground. (Read more from “Alaska Airlines Cancels Flights After Volcano Erupts” HERE)

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Sarah Palin to Be a New ‘Judge Judy’ in Courtroom-Based Reality Show

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Never far from a glowing screen, Sarah Palin may be coming to a TV dial near you: She will star in a new Judge Judy-style courtroom reality show in 2017, according to a publicist for a Montana production company.

The former governor of Alaska, who’s already starred in her own reality shows since the end of her vice-presidential campaign in 2008, signed a production deal last month with a Montana-based company called Warm Springs, according to Howard Bragman of Fifteen Minutes P.R., a veteran public-relations executive who represents Warm Springs.

Palin’s show, still unnamed, would feature Palin in a nationally syndicated daytime show premiering in the fall of 2017.

But first she has to make a pilot, meet with TV stations across the land and sell it and herself to them. Which shouldn’t be too difficult, Bragman says, even though Palin is not a lawyer.

“She’s sold millions of books, one of which sold over 2 million copies, she’s a proven ratings draw, she has close to 6 million followers on social media, she has a huge audience and you can say that audience corresponds well with a daytime audience,” Bragman said Tuesday. (Read more from “Sarah Palin to Be a New ‘Judge Judy’ in Courtroom-Based Reality Show” HERE)

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Wow: Sarah Palin Just Gave Startling Update on Her Husband Todd, It’s Tough to Read…

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Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin gave an update Thursday about her husband’s condition, following his serious snowmobile accident over the weekend.

The 51 year-old former “First Dude” Todd Palin suffered multiple broken ribs, a broken shoulder blade and clavicle, and knee and leg injuries in the Sunday wreck . . .

Thank you for lifting Todd up in prayer. He’s still in ICU under care of a superbly skilled staff. A long surgery repaired numerous breaks in Todd’s upper body, docs essentially lifted and secured every rib with steel bands, anchored the broken clavicle with plates and rods, set aside repair of a broken shoulder for later (also later are more minor things like ACL/MCL knee injuries), still mechanically inflating one collapsed lung while other bruised lung, liver, etc., are watched; chest drain is working overtime to keep things clear. [See Sarah’s full post below]

She added, “some gnarly incisions to enter his innards will be reminders of how life can change in the blink of an eye. (And skating through TSA detectors with bionic parts will now be anything but the blink of an eye!)” (Read more from “Wow: Sarah Palin Just Gave Startling Update on Her Husband Todd, It’s Tough to Read…” HERE)

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Sarah Palin’s Most Recent Update on Todd

“A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.” – Irish Proverb

Thank you for lifting Todd up in prayer. He’s still in ICU under care of a superbly skilled staff. A long surgery repaired numerous breaks in Todd’s upper body, docs essentially lifted and secured every rib with steel bands, anchored the broken clavicle with plates and rods, set aside repair of a broken shoulder for later (also later are more minor things like ACL/MCL knee injuries), still mechanically inflating one collapsed lung while other bruised lung, liver, etc., are watched; chest drain is working overtime to keep things clear.

Requiring a bit more than our usual fix-all up here – Duct tape – some gnarly incisions to enter his innards will be reminders of how life can change in the blink of an eye. (And skating through TSA detectors with bionic parts will now be anything but the blink of an eye!)

So thankful for today’s medical technology including 3-D X-rays, temporary pain blocks and epidurals. I’m voting for their continued use until a resting position is found that allows minimal wincing with each breath.

We say Mat-Su Regional Hospital (https://matsuregional.com) is the best place to start life – all our babies are Mat-Su born – and these ER and ICU days show our local medical experts are most outstanding at continuing life, too… by the grace of God.

It’s all good though, and I hope whatever challenges you face today – physical, emotional, financial – you’ll have confidence in the care around you, and you’ll apply Todd’s consistent advice: “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

Your care for Todd is more appreciated than I can express. Thank you. And thank you to the still-mysterious snowmachiner(s) who came upon the wreck and provided critical help that night. I hope to meet you soon!

– Sarah

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