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Anheuser-Busch has welcomed a new Clydesdale foal at Warm Springs Ranch (3118 25270 Highway 98, Booneville; warmspringsranch.com). The new foal — a sweet little boy — will be joining more than 70 other Clydesdales at the 300-plus-acre breeding and training facility.

ST. LOUIS -- The father of a US Marine killed in Afghanistan is making sure his son will always be remembered. Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz and twelve other US service members were killed during a suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, in August of 2021. Jared's birthday is coming up and there is an event to [...]

Over and over again, we see politicians browbeat companies until they agree to support terrible legislation. Back when FOSTA was being debated, there was tremendous pressure from the media and Congress for tech to support it, falsely claiming that without it they were enabling sex trafficking. Eventually, after a ton of pressure was put on […]

A rural Missouri man was arrested in Kentucky over the weekend and will be extradited to face charges for the murder of his brother.

Laws mandating cursive be taught in schools vary across the Bi-state.

by Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica, and Michael D. Sallah, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.

Reeling from one of the most catastrophic recalls in decades, Philips Respironics said it will stop selling sleep apnea machines and other respiratory devices in the United States under a settlement with the federal government that will all but end the company’s reign as one of the top makers of breathing machines in the country.

The agreement, announced by Philips early Monday, comes more than two years after the company pulled millions of its popular breathing devices off the shelves after admitting that an industrial foam fitted in the machines to reduce noise could break apart and release potentially toxic particles and fumes into the masks worn by patients.

It could be years before Philips can resume sales of the devices, made in two factories outside Pittsburgh. The company said all the conditions of the multiyear consent decree — negotiated in the wake of the recall with the Department of Justice on behalf of the Food and Drug Administration — must be met first.

The move by a company that aggressively promoted its machines in ad campaigns and health conferences — in one case with the help of an Elvis impersonator — follows relentless criticism about the safety of the machines.

A ProPublica and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette investigation found the company held back thousands of complaints about the crumbling foam for more than a decade before warning customers about the dangers. Those using the machines included some of the most fragile people in the country, including infants, the elderly, veterans and patients with chronic conditions.

“It’s about time,” said Richard Callender, a former mayor in Pennsylvania who spent years using one of the recalled machines. “How many people have to suffer and get sick and die?”

Philips said the agreement includes other requirements the company must meet before it can start selling the machines again, including the marquee DreamStation 2, a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, device heralded by Philips when it was unveiled in 2021 for the treatment of sleep apnea. The settlement, which is still being finalized, has to be approved by a court and has not yet been released by the government.

The FDA said it could not comment until the agreement is finalized and filed with the court. The DOJ could not be immediately reached for comment.

It remains unclear how the halt in sales will impact patients and doctors. The company’s U.S. market share for sleep apnea devices in 2020 was about 37% — behind only one competitor, medical device maker ResMed, according to an analysis by iData Research. Philips has dominated the market in ventilator sales, the data shows.

One global market report on Monday referred to the agreement as “very punitive” and noted, “It will be very difficult for Philips to recover its U.S Respironics market position.”

After the announcement, the company’s stock prices plunged by 7% in early trading.

Philips did not address the safety of the recalled devices in its announcement, but the company has previously said that new testing shows the foam causes no “appreciable harm” to patients. The FDA has challenged those claims, saying the company’s tests are not “adequate.”

The settlement comes just weeks after federal lawmakers called for an immediate criminal probe of Philips by the DOJ, and the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, said it will launch an inquiry of the FDA’s oversight of medical device recalls for the first time in years.

ProPublica and the Post-Gazette identified thousands of reported cases of cancer, respiratory illnesses and liver and kidney conditions among users of the recalled machines, as well as more than 370 reports of deaths.

The news organizations found that scientists inside Philips repeatedly raised concerns about the foam and that the company’s own testing called into question its safety claims.

The news organizations also reported that a new and different foam used in the DreamStation 2 and millions of other replacement machines sent out by Philips in the wake of the recall was found to emit dangerous chemicals as well, including formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. The company has said the new foam is safe, but scientists involved in the testing have again raised alarms and the FDA has said additional safety tests are still needed.

In its announcement, the company said it would provide ongoing service and parts for machines already in the hands of doctors and patients and continue selling its devices outside the United States subject to requirements in the agreement.

“Resolving the consequences of the Respironics recall for our patients and customers is a key focus area and I acknowledge and apologize for the distress and concern caused,” said Roy Jakobs, CEO of parent company Royal Philips. “We are fully committed to complying with the consent decree, which is an important step and provides a clear path forward.”

The announcement was the latest in a series of developments at Philips since the recall prompted a global health emergency that sent millions of patients scrambling to find replacement machines and assess the risk of long term exposure.

Philips has discontinued some of the recalled devices, including ventilators and, just last week, the widely promoted DreamStation Go, a portable CPAP.

In an online update and email to U.S. customers, Philips said the decision to pull the devices off the market in the United States was a “strategic” choice that “streamlined” its portfolio. The email reignited anger and frustration among patients and doctors.

“They used to be one of the most respected industry leaders,” said Dr. Radhika Breaden, a sleep medicine specialist in Oregon. “They have lost the trust of many of our sleep patients and many professionals in the sleep field.”

Michael Korsh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette contributed reporting.

Update, Jan. 29, 2024: This story has been updated with additional information provided by the FDA.

CARLINVILLE - Aryanna Harris, a senior sports management major from Springfield, Illinois, is the recipient of Blackburn College’s 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Student Leadership Award. Presented annually, this award honors students who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and service to the ideals of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the College. Harris was announced as the award recipient during Blackburn’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation in January. Harris was surprised but honored to be recognized for her leadership on campus. “I am blessed and grateful to have been chosen to receive this award. If it weren’t for those who believed in me and saw me for the person I truly was, I wouldn’t be here today” “ she said. “I believe in everyone, even when they don’t believe in themselves, and as long as I am here, I will continue to make sure that people are as successful as possible. Dreams are never unreachable,

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Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper have decided to spend more time together. The two rockers have announced a new summer leg of their Freaks on Parade tour. The 2024 trek, which will once again…

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St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell is seeking to overturn the conviction of death row inmate Marcellus Williams — using a relatively new state law that allows prosecutors to intervene in cases where they believe someone was wrongly convicted. Williams was found guilty of the 1998 murder of former Post-Dispatch writer Felicia "Lisha" Gayle.  Bell filed a motion to vacate that conviction in St. Louis County late Friday. As he writes, DNA evidence discovered in 2017 has cast serious doubt on the jury's conviction.

There is one week left to submit your nomination for the St. Louis Business Journal's 2024 HR Awards program. These awards recognize the important work individuals, companies and organizations do in the field of human resources to make area firms successful. Submit your nomination here. The deadline to nominate someone for this program is Monday, Feb. 5. All HR Awards honorees — companies and people — must be based in the St. Louis area, which includes the city of St. Louis and St. Louis, St.…

ALTON - A recent CNN/Kaiser Family Foundation research survey found that 90% of Americans feel the United States is in a mental health crisis. Unfortunately, it’s safe to say that the nation’s newest public health threat has enveloped the Riverbend region as well. Case in point, the Psychological Services Department at OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Services has realized two (2) consecutive years of therapy and counseling resource expansion by 1,400% since December 2021. In addition, patient utilization of mental health and wellness services at OSF Saint Anthony’s increased by at least 37% between 2022-2023. “OSF Saint Anthony’s is committed to meeting and serving the mental health needs of the entire Riverbend region,” says Staci Knox, LCSW, Manager, Psychological Services, OSF Saint Anthony’s. “Mental health is one of the top community health priorities identified in our current community health needs assessment (CHNA). Just as well

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After a six week break, U2 returned to Las Vegas for their U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere residency on Friday, January 26, and treated fans to a song they’ve never performed before.…

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The governor is asking lawmakers to approve a $53 billion spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

CHICAGO - Tax season can be fraught with paperwork, deadlines, and sometimes con artists. As the first day for filing kicks off, it’s important to be cautious. “Just like throughout the year, you should take precautions to safeguard your personal information when it comes to tax documents,” says Comptroller Mendoza. “Scammers often use scare tactics to try and get taxpayers to hand over private information and money.” Several current scams aim to look like official communication from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). They include: Receiving a cardboard envelope in the mail with a note on IRS letterhead, stating “about your unclaimed refund.” The letter will likely include contact information and a phone number that does not belong to the IRS, and request you provide sketchy “filing” information such as a photo of your driver’s license, Social Security number, and other personal information. The IRS says the letter

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul and District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb co-led a coalition of 18 attorneys general in support of California’s prohibition on carrying firearms in health care facilities, parks, places of worship, public transit and other sensitive places. Raoul and the attorneys general filed an amicus brief in Carralero v. Bonta. The brief urges the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to overturn a lower court’s decision that bars California from enforcing its restrictions on carrying firearms in these places. “People deserve to feel safe while at places of worship or while their children play at parks. That is why I am urging the U.S. Court of Appeals to uphold this prohibition on firearms in such sensitive places,” Raoul said. “I will continue to advocate against the scourge of gun violence that has become common in too many communities around Illinois and across the nation.” In the brief, Raoul

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Aisha Sultan details a few times she's shown up too early for a party — and thought a musical would be a rock concert.