Health & Safety

Health & Safety

U.S. maternal deaths keep rising. Black women are most at risk

10:23am July 10, 2023

The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate of the world's high-income countries. Death rates remain the highest among Black women, and have more than doubled over the last 20 years.

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The Fury 325 roller coaster at Carowinds amusement park is seen on Monday, July 3, 2023,

Health & Safety

Crack in North Carolina roller coaster may have formed 6-10 days before closure, commissioner says

9:12am July 10, 2023

by Hannah Schoenbaum, Associated Press

An ongoing investigation by North Carolina's Department of Labor found that a large crack in the support column of a towering roller coaster had been visible for at least a week before the amusement park shut it down for repairs.

Local representatives gather in Beckley, W.Va., to select a regional representative for the nonprofit council that will be responsible for distributing funds from the state's opioid settlement. Around the country, state councils like this will decide how to spend $50 billion in opioid settlement funds.

Here's who controls the $50 billion opioid settlement funds in each state

5:00am July 10, 2023

by Aneri Pattani

As money is funneled to states, opioid councils wield significant power in determining how it gets spent. They face concerns about conflicts of interest and lack of representation by affected groups.

Ammon Bundy speaks to a crowd of supporters in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Idaho militia leader Ammon Bundy is due back in court. But will he show up?

5:00am July 10, 2023

by Kirk Siegler

The antigovernment militant is scheduled to appear in a Boise, Idaho, court Monday on charges stemming from a tense protest that led to the lockdown of one of the state's large hospitals.

Research shows ten minutes of daily meditation can help people manage stress and cultivate happy memories.

Here's how 10 minutes of mindfulness can help make or break a family vacation

4:20pm July 09, 2023

by Allison Aubrey

Research shows it's possible to generative positive emotions and memories, even amid strife and anxiety. If you're planning a family vacation, a simple meditation exercise can help you keep your cool.

Health & Safety

Featuring kids is good business for influencer parents, but at the cost of their future

8:01am July 09, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

Online accounts featuring children and their families generate millions of dollars for some influencer parents. What are the effects on kids?

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Edgard Gouveia at the PxP Festival in Berlin, where he organized a circle dance. He's a believer in the power of games and is currently developing a global game "to get communities to come together and use hands-on actions to restore the environment."

Health & Safety

Why a game in which you look for a real, live pink elephant could help save the world

7:02am July 09, 2023

by Ari Daniel

That's a community-wide game Edgard Gouveia remembers from his boyhood in Brazil — and uses as a model in his efforts to heal the world through gameplay.

Finalists of NPR's Student Podcast Challenge explore mental health

4:59pm July 08, 2023

This year, for the first time NPR's Student Podcast Challenge offered a special prize for the best student podcasts about mental health. The finalists had important things to say.

Health & Safety

The readily available herbal supplement Kratom is facing wrongful death lawsuits

8:09am July 08, 2023

by Peter Haden

Several families of people who fatally overdosed on the herb kratom are now suing the gas stations and vape shops that sold it to their loved ones.

Calliope Holingue is researching the microbiome among kids with autism. She's part of a growing field of research seeking to understand the gut-brain axis.

Studying the link between the gut and mental health is personal for this scientist

6:00am July 08, 2023

by Joanne Silberner

Calliope Holingue researches how the microbiome and mind affect each other. She's part of a growing field, exploring how that connection could ultimately improve treatments for mental conditions.