Latest news with #Thota
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Train strike sparks travel mess in New York area
Train engineers seeking higher pay went on strike Friday in New Jersey, triggering travel misery for New York-area commuters in America's biggest metropolitan corridor. New Jersey's first state-wide transit strike in decades began a minute after midnight when contract talks fell apart, so many people showed up at stations unaware that trains were not running. Commuters scrambled to find alternative ways to get across the Hudson River into New York, looking at much higher fares to go by Uber or Amtrak, a national rail system. A ticket to Manhattan with the latter can cost $98. Rahul Thota, a 20-year-old computer science student, found himself stranded in the city of Trenton while trying to get to a doctor's appointment in another city. He cancelled it, then wondered how to make the 100 mile (160 km) trip back to his campus. "I can't afford to pay more than $100 to get the Amtrak ticket," Thota told The New York Times. "I'm a student. I have bills to pay." NJ Transit, the third-largest transit system in the United States, said 350,000 customers rely on its services each day. Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) union picketed outside rail stations as the strike set in. Many waved signs that accused NJ Transit executives of treating themselves to expensive perks while train drivers' wages lagged behind those of colleagues in other areas of America. The union said it has been locked in a years-long dispute with NJ Transit, with its members going five years without a raise. The union is seeking new contracts for around 450 engineers with hourly wages matching those of the neighboring Long Island Rail Road. "NJ Transit has a half-billion dollars for a swanky new headquarters," BLET National President Mark Wallace said in a statement. "They have money for penthouse views and pet projects, just not for their frontline workers. Enough is enough." Contract negotiations are due to resume Sunday. NJ Transit officials have said the wage hike requested by the union would end up costing the company and taxpayers millions. Governor Phil Murphy said the talks ended on a conciliatory note. "The fact that we're not agreeing doesn't mean that we're throwing chairs at each other. To the contrary, we just are at an impasse," he told a news conference Friday morning. NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri said the two sides are close to an agreement. "We are 95 percent there," he told the news conference. "We'll get there." The transportation company expects the strike to predominantly affect daily commutes for about 70,000 New York-bound passengers, while also disrupting the travel of many thousands more along its extensive network. The last statewide transit strike occurred in 1983 and lasted 34 days. bur/dw/md
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Husband's quick CPR saves 42 y.o. mom after ‘massive heart attack': Healthy You
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — When it comes to cardiac health, things like heart attacks and cardiac arrest can happen without warning. December 10 started out like any other day for Michelle Gresham. 'I was swimming at the Y the Saturday before. I had a Christmas party at work the Saturday before,' Gresham said. 'I had no signs or symptoms at all.' But that night, Gresham felt nauseous, passing out. For the 42-year-old mother, everything changed. 'I was just kind of in shock about being 42 years old and just having a massive heart attack. It's unheard of,' Gresham said. 'The only thing they could tell me was smoking, so don't smoke.' Her husband leaped into action with CPR, getting Gresham to United Regional, where Cath Lab Director and Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Venkat Thota says it was all hands on deck. 'There's no words to describe knowing that your husband saved your life,' Gresham said. 'When the patient calls 911, the EMT knows how to contact a, how to send the EKG from the field,' Thota explained. 'The ER physician contacts the cath lab; we come to the ER within 20 to 25 minutes because there is a window of opportunity to open the vessel.' In that window, Gresham suffered cardiogenic shock, prompting Thota to utilize a small catheter called the Impella. 'We are fortunate we have the latest technology in United Regional,' Thota said. 'We use this pump to do the angioplasty to open the blood vessels. Literally, this pump will always help in the cardiogenic shock.' 'If I had to be sent somewhere else, I wouldn't be here,' Gresham said. 'So thank goodness they have some devices like the Impella.' Gresham added that not only are the devices top-notch, but the care is, too. 'One of the nurses that took care of me during the two surgeries was Heather,' Gresham said. 'She came to see me in recovery, and my family was in tears just because of the care that she had provided for me.' Thanks to her husband's quick thinking and the team's empathy… 'Get your CPR license,' she said. 'Know how to do CPR. It's imperative.' …Gresham is getting stronger day by day. According to Thota, the most common symptoms to look out for are excruciating chest pains and a sudden onset of shortness of breath, especially in women. In cases like Gresham's, however, acting fast with CPR and dialing 911 can be lifesaving. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
