I asked an AI for a training plan, and a human coach saved me from a back injury

Nicole Glennon before a session at Saint Studio. Photo: Moya Nolan

Chatbots are rapidly becoming a popular tool used to outsource routine tasks. And many times I’ve wished I could outsource my fitness routine. I’m not a big gym fan, but when an email arrived in my inbox inviting me to form a team for a Hyrocks-style fitness challenge to raise money for an Irish cancer … Read more

5 takeaways from Maine’s new wildlife control plan

5 takeaways from Maine's new wildlife control plan

The state of Maine recently released a 10-year blueprint for protecting and managing native flora and fauna, from the smallest beetle to popular giants like elk to apex predators like great white sharks. “Maine’s most vulnerable wildlife is at a crossroads,” state Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Judy Camuso said in a statement last Friday. … Read more

‘Multiple systemic problems’: Providence health insurance confusion letter suggests flaws in plan

'Multiple systemic problems': Providence health insurance confusion letter suggests flaws in plan

In a letter several weeks ago, the man who manages health care benefits for state employees and their families listed a number of ways that a major Oregon-based health insurance company is failing them. Ali Hassoun, director of the Oregon Public Employees Benefits Commission, wrote in a Feb. 26 letter to Providence Health Plan that … Read more

How a foster child insurance plan threatened an 8-year-old’s cancer treatment

Brittany, Jason and Ollie Super

Ollie Super has been in and out of cancer treatments since being diagnosed with neuroblastoma while in foster care as a toddler. Now the 8th and 2nd graders are working on it again. Her cancer returned late last year. Ollie’s parents, who adopted her in 2020, tried to enroll her in a clinical trial using … Read more

Fresno Unified retiree sues district over changes to health plan

Leqi Zhong's profile picture

Fresno Unified retirees filed a class action lawsuit against the school district, alleging it caused serious harm to retirees’ health and well-being by switching retirees’ healthcare plan to a Medicare Advantage plan in 2023. [–> The lawsuit, filed by Emily Brandt, a retired Bullard High School English teacher, represents a class of 6,200 retirees. The … Read more