Photo: GettyPublic health officials are urging people to reconsider New Year’s Eve gatherings citing the spike in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant.On Tuesday, the US hita recordhigh seven-day average with a total of 265,427 new COVID cases reported.“Omicron and delta are coming to your party,” Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said according to theWashington Post.“So you need to think twice about how many people will be gathered together, keeping social distancing if you’re at a party....

Instagram.Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Facebook is haltingits plans to launch a kids' version of Instagramfollowing a report about the “toxic” effects that the popular app has on adolescents. Six months after Facebook introduced its plans for “Instagram Kids,” which would be tailored to children under the age of 13, the social networking company said they have paused their plans to ensure the safety of its young users. “We started this project to address an important problem seen across our industry: kids are getting phones younger and younger, misrepresenting their age, and downloading apps that are meant for those 13 or older,” Mosseri continued....

Photo: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty A bear charged at a family of four on Thursday, chasing a 10-year-old boy and mauling the child before the family fought the animal off using bear spray,National Park Serviceofficials said. It is unclear what caused the bear to attack, but staff told theJackson Hole News&Guidethat the bear was with at least one cub and was likely foraging near the trail at the time of the incident....

Kevin Costnerand his family enjoyed a rare night out together! The actor, 64, stepped out with his wife Christine Baumgartner and their three children Cayden, 12, Hayes, 10 and Grace, 9, for the Los Angeles premiere ofThe Art of Racing in the Rainon Thursday. The actor stars inThe Art of Racing in the Rainas the voice of Enzo, a dog who wants to be reincarnated as a human and tries to help his human family, Denny and Eve Swift (Milo Ventimiglia and Amanda Seyfried) through their ups and downs....

The family of a 4-year-old boy who is recovering from cancer has a generous donor to thank for helping change their lives and get them back on their feet. “The ENT was like, ‘Oh, no, rhabdomyosarcoma is really rare. It’s like one in a million cancer. You don’t need to worry about that,'” Heather recalls. “And then I did need to worry about it.” Adds Shaw: “We just had no idea what was about to hit us at all....

Kian Faghih.Photo: GoFundMe The family of a young boy battling stage 4 cancer is pleading for help to fund an experimental — and possibly life-saving — treatment for him as time runs out. Kian Faghih was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer that develops in the muscles, two years ago when he was just 9, according to a GoFundMe page set up on his behalf. Since then, Kian, now 11, has continued to battle the disease, which recently “returned with a vengeance and has multiplied throughout his lungs,” his sister Dana Faghih said on the page....

Manuela “Mona” Rodriguez.Photo: GoFundMe The settlement concerns the civil lawsuit between the parents and the school district, which alleges excessive force, negligence and civil rights violations resulting from Gonzalez’s alleged decision to fire his handgun into a vehicle containing Rodriguez after he witnessed her having an altercation with another teenage girl. Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Officestated in a release at the time that the gunshot wounded Rodriguez in the back of the head, leaving her brain dead....

Wongel Estifanos.Photo: GoFundMe The family of Wongel Estifanos, the 6-year-old girl whodied after suffering injuries on a Colorado amusement park ride, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. The family alleges in the lawsuit that Glenwood Caverns declined to provide the State of Colorado with written complaints made to the park about ride operators in 2018 and 2019. Caplis says the family only learned about those complaints because witnesses came forward due to the media attention surrounding Wongel’s death....

Katie Thurston.Photo: Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Katie Thurston was all about women empowerment long before she went onThe Bachelor. The 29-year-old made a bold statement when she got out of the limo, vibrator in hand, on night one — and she’s only continued to impress fans with her determination to stand up for what’s right and her ability to defuse drama. So when leadMatt Jameseliminated her during their one-on-one dateon Monday night’s episode, fans immediately began calling for her to be the nextBachelorette....

After what ’s feel like year of waiting — and a ten since , for better or bad , they last graced the Ag screen — the Fantastic Four are back in action in our very first look at their MCU first appearance . And it ’s one that ’s whisk them to the stars and back . This morning Marvel unveiled the first public footage fromThe Fantastic Four : First Steps , Matt Shakman ’s first theatrical MCU release after he grow and directedWandaVision ....

Photo: WJHL The father of Summer Wells, who went missing in June, 2021, is breaking his silence after being released from jail for a DUI charge. “I don’t really want to celebrate her birthday without her,” Donald said. “She was definitely going to be tall, probably as tall as me, I’d say because she was growing so fast. I’m sure she would be the same person. And she didn’t have any qualms about taking on her brothers, that’s for sure....

Photo: Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock The man who shot and killed his three children, their chaperone, and himself at a Sacramento, Calif. church on Monday has been identified. The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office identified David Mora, 39, as the father and shooter. Local authorities say Mora fatally shot his three daughters — Samia, 13, Samantha, 10, and Samarah, 9 — and their chaperone, Nathaniel Kong, 59, during a supervised visit with his kids....

Photo: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster While fielding calls from excited children and families about Santa’s location on Christmas Eve, PresidentJoe Bidenand First LadyJill Bidenheard a father of four say, “Let’s go Brandon,” a phrase that’s become apopular euphemism among some Republicans for an offensive insultdirected at the president. Now the caller, Jared Schmeck, is facing criticism for what Dr. Biden’s press secretary called “classless, disrespectful, [and] juvenile” behavior. Schmeck, meanwhile, says he’s “being attacked for utilizing my freedom of speech....