Lab tech possibly exposed to Ebola

Lab tech possibly exposed to Ebola

ATLANTA

A laboratory technician at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was being monitored Wednesday for possible accidental exposure to the Ebola virus that came during an experiment, officials said Wednesday evening.

The person working in a secure laboratory in Atlanta may have come into contact with a small amount of a live virus, CDC spokeswoman Barbara Reynolds says in an emailed statement. CDC officials said the experiment material was on a sealed plate but wasn’t supposed to be moved into the lab the technician was working in.

There was no exposure outside the lab, and scientists notified CDC officials of the potential problem Tuesday, Reynolds said.

The possible exposure is under internal investigation and has been reported to Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell, Reynolds said. Additional employees have been notified, but none has required monitoring.

Blizzard in Hawaii

HONOLULU

Some people in Hawaii are dreaming of a White Christmas.

A blizzard warning is in effect for the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. The National Weather Service says up to 7 inches of snow could accumulate.

Though snow on the mountains is common, a blizzard with significant accumulation is unusual.

Israel strikes Gaza after sniper fire

JERUSALEM

Israeli forces on Wednesday struck targets in the Gaza Strip, killing a Hamas militant, after its troops came under attack by Palestinian snipers while patrolling the Israeli side of the border, the military said.

It was the first deadly clash between the sides since a 50-day war over the summer and came days after Israel carried out its first postwar airstrike in Gaza in response to renewed rocket fire.

The Israeli military said air and tank units attacked targets Wednesday after the sniper attack. It said one soldier, a member of a Bedouin Arab unit, had been seriously injured.

US Census: South, West states are fastest-growing

Eight of the fastest- growing states are in the South or West, according to the latest U.S. census data, and five of those growing are Sun Belt states as the nation continues its political, economic and social redistribution.

The U.S. Census Bureau produces population estimates each year, statistics the agency says help planners make policy decisions during the period between the mandated counts every decade.

The decennial count is used to apportion congressional seats among the states, though the decision on how to carve specific districts is left to the states themselves where rival parties often compete for control.

Though the data are just an estimate, they still indicate ongoing trends, and this year’s numbers, from July 1, 2013 to 2014, are no different.

For example, the recent recession hit real-estate prices hard in the South; thus, as prices have rebounded, so has the region.

The availability of jobs also has been a major reason people move: North Dakota, where there is a sizable energy boom, is the fastest- growing state at 2.16 percent, according to the latest data released this week.

Combined dispatches