Minnesota
Minnesota musicians find love through cochlear implants
MINNEAPOLIS — It’s a story with a very unexpected ending, between a guitar player and a clarinet player who are hard of hearing.
A medical device brought the two musical strangers into harmony in more ways than one.
It’s a story that starts with a girl who loved music, yet couldn’t quite hear.
“It was difficult in school. I think it affected my learning, my self-esteem, but I didn’t want anybody to know I had hearing loss,” Marcia Norwick said.
But Norwick played on.
“I struggled with words, but not with music,” she said.
She wore hearing aids for years until she heard about cochlear implants. The electronic devices carry noise past the damaged part of the ear straight to the hearing or cochlear nerve.
Her results were so good, her audiologist asked her to convince someone else he needed an implant, too.
“She asked me if I would be interested in talking with her father-in-law and I said, ‘Certainly.’ So I gathered all my materials and it was all business,” Norwick said.
Mike Mullins was a music lover, too, and then his hearing hit a fever pitch, too.
“I turned to one of my brothers and I said, ‘The flute is off-key.’ And he listened a while longer and he said, ‘No, no she isn’t,’ and the longer I listened and continued to check, of course she was right where she should be,” Mullins said.
Afraid of hearing bad news, he put off getting help, relying on his wife to navigate life.
“She became my ears. She did my hearing for me,” Mullins said.
When he lost his wife, he lost his way.
“My sons and grandkids and then my daughter-in-law who is an audiologist and they knew there was a solution and so they pushed me,” he said.
He got implants and started taking classes with Norwick. They bonded over their hardware and their music.
“Not hearing causes many people not to be able to engage in the things that they love doing,” Mullins said. “I am doing the things I love doing and it’s the implant that has caused that to happen.”
Partners in implant education, they are now partners in life, hoping others will listen to their story.
“It’s OK to have your hearing checked and it’s OK to wear hearing aids and it’s OK to hear and to admit that you can’t hear,” Mullin said.
“The implant, it’s given you your life back,” Norwick said to Mullins. “It certainly was a win-win-win.”
Cochlear implants are an option only for people with severe hearing loss.
Minnesota
Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech live updates: How to watch, odds, predictions for Mayo Bowl
From NFL to NCAA: The biggest sports controversies of 2024
Reporters from USA Today share what they think the biggest controversy in sports was in 2024.
Sports Seriously
The Minnesota Golden Gophers and Virginia Tech Hokies will face off in Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Friday with a mayonnaise bath for the winning coach on the line.
Will Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck or Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry receive a head full of Duke’s mayonnaise?
The Hokies (6-6) will be without over a dozen starters who either entered the transfer portal, opted out of the bowl game or suffered injuries following the team’s 37-17 win over Virigina, including starting quarterback Kyron Drones and RB Bhayshul Tuten, the Hokies’ season rushing leader. Pry said the Hokies will showcase many young players that will offer fans “a good look at what our team can be in the fall” next season.
The Gophers (7-5) are coming off a 24-7 win over Wisconsin in late November.
This marks the first matchup between Minnesota and Virginia Tech. Here’s everything you need to know:
When is the Mayo Bowl between Minnesota and Virginia Tech?
The Duke’s Mayo Bowl game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Virginia Tech Hokies kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
How to watch Minnesota and Virginia Tech in the Mayo Bowl
The Duke’s Mayo Bowl game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Virginia Tech Hokies will be televised nationally on ESPN.
Live streaming is available on Fubo, which has a free trial.
Watch Minnesota take on Virginia Tech with a Fubo subscription
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Minnesota
Weapon seized by police at elementary school in Fosston, Minnesota; 11-year-old detained
FOSSTON, Minn. — Police detained an 11-year-old after a gun was located at the elementary school in Fosston, Minnesota.
According to a report from the Fosston Police Department, the incident occurred on Thursday, Jan. 2. Fosston is a town in northwest Minnesota, approximately 45 miles west of Bemidji and 70 miles east of Grand Forks.
When police arrived at the school, a weapon was located and seized and the male suspect detained.
The release said the incident is under investigation.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
Minnesota
Norovirus outbreaks doubled in Minnesota in December over 2023
(FOX 9) – The holidays are behind us, but one thing you still want to be vigilant about is the rise in illnesses after spending time with loved ones.
Sickness outbreaks
What we know: Health experts are keeping an eye on COVID-19, the Flu and RSV.
Meanwhile, they’ve noticed an outbreak of norovirus, also known as the stomach flu.
“We’re at about 60 outbreaks reported, and that means more than 1,200 people were sick,” said Amy Saupe, Senior Epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health.
While that’s a small portion of all the illnesses in the state at the time, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) says it’s seen twice as many outbreaks reported as it typically would see for the month of December.
“We’re seeing the test positive rates and the total positive tests in these large laboratory systems increasing,” said Dr. Frank Rhame, Infectious Disease Physician with Allina Health.
What you can do
Sickness prevention: Experts say the best way to protect yourself from getting unwanted vomiting and diarrhea, is by doing the basics.
“Always wash your hands 20 seconds, soap and water before eating anything, just in case you’ve touched something that might have norovirus on it,” said Saupe.
Experts also say if you’re sick – don’t prepare food for others.
As for respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, RSV and the Flu?
“We are lower now than we were at this time last year,” said Melissa McMahon, Epidemiology Supervisor with the Minnesota Department of Health.
But lower doesn’t necessarily mean your chances are lower.
MDH says COVID-19 has been fairly high, but steady in the last month. The flu and RSV are both on the rise just in the last two to three weeks.
“It is kind of common to see that increase right after the holidays, people tend to travel a lot. They get together in big groups,” said McMahon.
Health experts add they don’t expect the rise in illnesses to end until at least March. But they do expect an uptick in the next couple of months.
The Source: Minnesota Department of Health officials
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