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Lead: A winter surge of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is active across New Jersey, with emergency room visits and hospital admissions rising since early October and peaking through January. As of Jan. 31, state data list 304 hospitalizations, concentrated among children under 4 and adults 65 and older. More than half of New Jersey counties … Read more

Lead: Russian authorities have identified three people they say were involved in the shooting of Lt Gen Vladimir Alexeyev on the north‑western outskirts of Moscow on Friday. Alexeyev, 64 and the deputy head of the GRU, was taken to hospital, underwent surgery and has since regained consciousness. The Investigative Committee named Lyubomir Korba as the … Read more

Lead: Russian authorities say an assassination attempt on Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev, the 64-year-old first deputy head of the GRU, occurred in Moscow on Friday, leaving him wounded but reported out of immediate danger after surgery. The Investigative Committee alleges a suspect born in Ukraine carried out the shooting and was arrested in Dubai after … Read more

Wallace Shawn, the 82‑year‑old New Yorker known both for terse film turns and an uncompromising career as a playwright, was repeatedly recognized on the city streets during a December outing that a photographer captured on Dec. 11, 2025. Alone in a plain black parka and a moth‑holed gray cap, Shawn drew a string of enthusiastic … Read more

Lead Polls opened at 09:00 local time on 8 February 2026 as Portugal holds its presidential run-off between Socialist Party leader Antonio Jose Seguro and Chega leader Andre Ventura. About 11 million registered voters at home and abroad were eligible to vote, with exit polls expected around 21:00 GMT and most official tallies by 00:00 … Read more

Lead: Newly released Justice Department emails dated Feb. 8, 2026 show that Ghislaine Maxwell, long associated with Jeffrey Epstein, played a substantive behind-the-scenes role in launching the Clinton Global Initiative in 2004. The documents indicate she joined budget discussions, coordinated with event producer Publicis Groupe and arranged a $1 million wire to pay for the … Read more

Lead Costco has quietly become a reliable source for practical smart-home gear, and this round-up identifies five widely available items that deliver measurable value. In recent years interest in smart home technology has surged—about seven in 10 people say they are interested and over 90% now own at least one smart device—while the market is … Read more

Lead North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party will convene its Ninth Congress in Pyongyang in late February 2026, state media reported Sunday after a Saturday meeting of top party leaders that included Kim Jong Un. The decision, announced by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), marks the first full party congress since January 2021 and is … Read more

BRIEF: On Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, No. 8 Houston beat No. 16 BYU 77-66 at the Marriott Center in Provo, handing the Cougars their fourth straight loss and further complicating BYU’s Big 12 season. The defeat dropped BYU to 17-6 overall and 5-5 in conference play after the team began 5-1 in the Big 12. … Read more

Lead By 2026, app stores are more crowded than ever, and many genuinely useful utilities remain buried beneath the noise. This roundup highlights 10 lesser-known Android and iOS apps that the reporter tested and found to meaningfully improve everyday phone use—boosting convenience, privacy, or creativity. The selection focuses on practical wins rather than repeat recommendations … Read more

Lead: A new research note by UC Irvine PhD student Schuyler Louie and San Francisco Fed researchers John Mondragon, Rami Najjar, and Johannes Wieland finds that rising average incomes — particularly at the top of the distribution — explain house-price growth more than shortages of housing units. Using metro-area data from the mid-1970s through 2024, … Read more

On Sunday in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Lindsey Vonn’s attempt to claim an Olympic medal ended when she crashed 13.4 seconds into the women’s downhill final on the Tofane course. Racing nine days after rupturing the ACL in her left knee and competing in a brace, Vonn did not finish the 1.6-mile run and was airlifted from … Read more

Lead Democrat Chasity Verret Martinez won Saturday’s special election for Louisiana House District 60, defeating Republican Brad Daigle and taking the seat vacated by Chad Brown. Martinez, an Iberville Parish Council member since 2023, captured 62% of the vote — 5,159 of 8,328 ballots cast — with results still unofficial pending certification by the Louisiana … Read more

Lead The Pokémon Company is expected to host its annual Pokémon Day presentation on February 27, 2026 (typically around 9:00 AM EST), and fans anticipate a major reveal. Industry and community signals point to a tenth-generation announcement aimed at the Nintendo Switch 2, plus release windows and updates for several side titles. The broadcast historically … Read more

Lead: On Feb. 7, 2026, at an AAA television taping, a masked mystery turned violent when one El Grande Americano assaulted another in a backstage and ringside sequence that upended a Rey de Reyes four-way qualifying match. The incident saw one Americano handcuff his counterpart to a ringpost and seize his tournament slot before going … Read more