Latest news with #MaryGrant
Globe and Mail
30-06-2025
- Climate
- Globe and Mail
Europe scorches in record-breaking heatwave
As the midday temperature in Rome climbed to 38 C, about 100 tourists took refuge in a wedge of shade next to the Arch of Constantine near the Colosseum. Some were carrying umbrellas to shield themselves from the blazing sun. Others sat wilting on the cobblestones. Nearby, tourists picked up bottles of water from an Italian Red Cross tent with an ambulance parked next to it. Mary Grant, a sales receptionist from Boynton Beach, Fla., was regretting her visit to Rome. She had assumed that June, the month before high summer, would be warm but not blast-furnace hot. 'It's hotter here than Florida,' she said. 'This is real heat. I felt like I would collapse at one point. I took three cold showers before I left our hotel this morning. Our room has no air-conditioning.' Even Australian tourists were complaining. 'Umbrellas and cold water is how we survive,' said Kirsten Dunkley, a visual artist from Melbourne. 'It's uncomfortable here even by Australian standards.' The tourists in Rome had it easy compared to those in Spain and other parts of Europe, which is enduring a heat wave that is setting records or near records for the month of June. Spain on Saturday set a June record of 46 C (114.8 F) in Andalusia, in the southern part of the country. In Barcelona, a woman died of possible heat stroke after sweeping a road on Saturday. Heat alerts were in place in France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy and Greece. Even England was experiencing sweltering temperatures. Wimbledon was preparing for unusually high temperatures at the start of the tennis championship. The opening day record of 29.3 C, set in 2001, could be beaten. French and Greek firefighters were battling wildfires made worse by the heat wave. Late last week, Greece deployed 130 firefighters and a fleet of water-bomber aircraft to fight a blaze south of Athens, near the Temple of Poseidon. Météo-France, the country's weather service, put a record 84 of 101 regional department on orange alert heatwave – the second-highest level – on Monday. French Ecology Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher called the heat wave 'unprecedented.' Meteorologists were expecting temperatures of 40 C or greater in parts of Europe this week. In Rome, Red Cross employees were handing out 'Heat Wave' brochures published by the civil protection agency. They advised Romans and visitors to stay indoors against between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., take cool showers, drink lots of water and avoid fizzy, sugary drinks and alcohol. On Sunday, the Italian Health Ministry placed 21 out of 27 monitored cities, including Milan, Rome and Naples, under its highest heat alert. On the same day, temperatures in the Tor Vergata area of suburban Rome reached 40 C degrees, well above the typical summer highs of about 30 C. Rome is offering free access to city swimming pools for those over 70 and the city of Ancona, on the Adriatic Sea, is delivering dehumidifiers to anyone suffering from the heat and humidity. Hospital admissions were 20 per cent higher in the hottest Italian regions, including Tuscany. Many of the patients were elderly people suffering from dehydration. Meteorologists say a 'heat dome' is a least partly responsible for the unusually high temperatures in Western Europe. The dome is a high-pressure system that traps hot air, acting like a lid. As it shifts eastward, it draws in hot air from North Africa. European summers are getting longer and warmer as increases in heat-trapping carbon gases raise average temperatures over pre-industrial levels. Spain's state weather agency, AEMET, first warned of a 'progressive and notable rise in maximum temperatures' and little precipitation almost four weeks ago. Its own data confirms the warming trend. The agency recorded only two extreme heat waves in the month of June between 1975 and 2000. Since then, the number has climbed to nine. The last three years were the hottest on record for Spain Forecasters at Météo-France have a similar view. Its projections suggest a ten-fold increase in extreme heat days by 2100 over the 1976-2005 reference period, with hot days coming as early as May and as late as October. 'The heat waves in the Mediterranean region have become more frequent and more intense in recent years, with peaks of 37 degrees or even more in cities,' Emanuela Piervitali, a researcher at the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), told AFP news agency. 'A further increase in temperature and heat extremes is expected in the future, so we will have to get used to temperatures with peaks even higher than those we are experiencing now.'
Daily Mail
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Country star Kelleigh Bannen reveals she is pregnant with her second child as she details downside of IVF journey
Kelleigh Bannen has something to sing about. The country crooner has announced she was expecting her second child. The hitmaker, 44, who welcomed her first child, Mary Grant, 18 months in 2023, broke the news to her fans on Friday. In an interview with People, the Church Clothes singer revealed she and her husband Jeff Grossman, needed some medical help to grow their family. 'Our journey to parenthood involved IVF [in vitro fertilization], which means you know everything too soon!' the Today's Country host told the outlet. 'I feel like I've known I'm pregnant for ages at this point, even though we still have a ways to go. But I'm so overjoyed we are here. So thankful.' The experience, so far, has been a sweet one. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kelleigh Bannen (@kelleighbannen) 'I cannot get enough carbs and sweets when I'm pregnant, so I'm baking bread all the time,' she explained. 'Now that summer is here, I'm experimenting with peach cobblers, trying to perfect my recipe. Baby and I both enjoy taste testing each trial recipe!' Bannen revealed she is expecting a little sister for Mary Grant, who was also conceived through IVF. 'We are still playing with the order of the first name vs. the middle name, but we definitely plan to use a family name,' the Welcome to the Party singer divulged, without going into much detail. 'It's a name I'm very excited we get to pass down to her.' Like any parent, Bannen has been struggling to balance her very full work like with her home life. 'I recently spoke with Thomas Rhett about parenting and he said he lives by the mentality of "be where your boots are," which has really stuck with me,' Bannen explained. 'When I'm in an interview or making music, I want to be fully focused there, and when I'm home with my daughter I want to be fully focused on her as much as possible.' 'I don't think it's possible to have the perfect balance at all times,' she admitted, 'but I'm lucky to be able to do while also being a mom. I always hold onto that.' Sharing the good news on social media, the expectant mom revealed she was 'overjoyed' the new baby would be arriving in the early fall. 'There was a time we didn't know if we'd ever get to be parents, so to have the chance to add another baby into the mix is just so amazing,' said the grateful mom.
The Verge
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Verge
Trump wants to weaken protections against forever chemicals in drinking water
The Trump administration plans to weaken drinking water rules meant to protect Americans from 'forever chemicals' that have been linked to cancer, reproductive risks, liver damage, and other health issues. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the nation's first legally enforceable federal drinking water limits on the most common types of forever chemicals. Today, the EPA announced an about-face. The agency now wants to exclude several types of the chemicals from the rule, including so-called GenX substances initially intended to replace older versions of forever chemicals but that ended up creating new concerns. It also proposed extending compliance deadlines for the two most prevalent forms of forever chemicals, and says it'll establish a 'framework' for more exemptions. Health and environmental advocates slammed the proposed exclusions and enforcement delays as a threat to Americans. 'Today's decision is a shameful and dangerous capitulation to industry pressure that will allow continued contamination of our drinking water,' Mary Grant, water program director at the nonprofit Food & Water Watch said in a press statement. 'This will cost lives.' 'A shameful and dangerous capitulation to industry pressure' There are thousands of different types of forever chemicals, also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Companies have used them for decades to make products such as nonstick pans, food packaging, and fabric protector water, stain, and heat-resistant. As a result, forever chemicals are estimated to have trickled into at least 45 percent of the nation's tap water and are present in most Americans' blood streams. The Biden-era standards set limits for just five widely used types of chemicals: PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, and HFPO-DA (also known as ' GenX Chemicals '), plus mixtures of several chemicals, including perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS), found in floor wax, carpeting, and carpet cleaners. Some manufacturers have already pledged to stop using PFAS after facing a slew of lawsuits. The company 3M agreed to a $450 million settlement with the state of New Jersey on Tuesday over PFAS pollution. In April, the EPA said it would launch new efforts to study the chemicals and consider guidelines to limit pollution from manufacturers. At the time, advocacy groups were wary that the agency might simply delay action by calling for more studies — especially as the Trump administration attempts to slash the agency's staff, budget, and research department. Advocates have been pushing for drinking water limits since President Donald Trump's first term as a growing body of evidence pointed to the health risks. Now, it's clear the agency doesn't want to enforce existing forever chemical rules for drinking water. The initial compliance date for those rules was 2029. The EPA now says it only plans to keep limits for PFOA and PFOS, and move the compliance deadline back to 2031 to relieve pressure on small water systems. As their name suggests, forever chemicals are difficult to destroy and the Trump administration says its proposal would save money. 'This commonsense decision provides the additional time that water system managers need to identify affordable treatment technologies and make sure they are on a sustainable path to compliance,' National Rural Water Association CEO Matthew Holmes said in the EPA press release. 'We are on a path to uphold the agency's nationwide standards to protect Americans from PFOA and PFOS in their water. At the same time, we will work to provide common-sense flexibility in the form of additional time for compliance,' EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a press release. The agency says it'll put out a more detailed proposal 'this fall,' with the goal of finalizing the rule in spring 2026.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Eastern names Tong, Grant as commencement speakers
WILLIMANTIC — Attorney General William Tong and Dr. Mary Grant will be honored for their service and leadership when they speak at Eastern's 2025 commencement ceremonies. At the university's 135th Undergraduate Commencement on Tuesday, May 20, at the XL Center in Hartford, renowned higher education leader Grant will receive an honorary degree and deliver the keynote address. Tong will be honored with the University's inaugural Distinguished Public Service Award at the graduate ceremony on Saturday, May 17, on Eastern's campus.
