This is the Soul Winner Ministries building on E. Church Street, the Warming Center’s new location. (MHC Warming Center)
Martinsville’s warming center plans to move to Soul Winners International Ministries on Church Street for its Nov. 1 opening after receiving city approval Wednesday. Director Ariel Johnson said rent will be $2,800 monthly, compared with $5,000 proposed by the Salvation Army. The center shelters about 25 people nightly and must finalize an agreement, move supplies and secure insurance before opening.
(NEW YORK) — A dangerous heat wave is bringing prolonged extreme heat to the Midwest and the East Coast this week.
The extreme heat hits the Midwest first. On Monday, the heat index — what temperature it feels like — is forecast to soar to around 105 degrees in Minneapolis and over 100 degrees in Chicago.
By Tuesday, the feels-like temperature in Chicago will be closer to 105 degrees. Indianapolis and Green Bay, Wisconsin, will also feel like the triple digits.
There will be minimal relief overnight, especially in cities, which makes the heat even more dangerous.
Chicago has activated cooling centers throughout the city, including at community service centers, senior centers, libraries, city colleges and police districts.
On Wednesday, the extreme heat moves east, with the temperature forecast to reach near 100 degrees in Detroit and Washington, D.C.
With humidity, it will feel like the triple digits across much of the Interstate 95 corridor in the afternoon.
The heat will peak in the Northeast on Thursday, when the heat index is expected to reach around 105 degrees.
Extreme heat is considered the deadliest weather-related hazard in the U.S. At least 13,000 Americans have died from heat since 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Microscopic 3D render of Naegleria fowleri flagellate stage with twin flagella swimming in aquatic environment. (Stock photo koto_feja/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A North Carolina teenager has died after contracting a rare brain-eating amoeba called Naegleria fowleri that’s found in warm freshwater, state health officials said.
The teenager, whose identity was not released, died on Monday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday.
“We extend our condolences to the family, friends and community impacted by this loss,” the department said in a statement.
NCDHHS said last Thursday that the teenager was critically ill and that “once symptoms start, the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within about five days.”
Naegleria fowleri can be found in warm freshwater including ponds, lakes and rivers, and it grows best in hotter water, state health officials said. NCDHHS said Monday that it’s working with federal and local partners “to investigate all possible sources” of this case.
“The amoeba does not cause illness if swallowed but can be fatal if water with the amoeba in it is forced up the nose into the brain, which can occur by jumping into water, diving, water-skiing or other water activities,” NCDHHS said.
The U.S. usually sees fewer than 10 cases a year of Naegleria fowleri infection, also known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis or PAM, state health officials said.
The first symptoms can be severe headache, nausea, vomiting and fever, and later symptoms include stiff neck, seizures and coma, NCDHHS said.
Another girl, 8-year-old Lillian Smart in Louisiana, died in August from Naegleria fowleri, which she likely contracted while swimming in a lake, her family and state health officials said, according to The Associated Press.
