🌡️ Manatees and power plants

Good morning. This is Shades of the Day, the daily newsletter that summarizes and organizes the different shades of perspective in news and culture so that you can see the big picture quickly.

Here at Shades we believe that seeing multiple points of view is the best way to stay informed. The easiest (and most fun!) way to do that is with the Shades mobile app, where this newsletter’s content is pulled from.

It’s Wednesday, April 3 — here’s what you’ll find in today’s newsletter:

• The recent meningitis surge

• The problem of manatees being drawn to power plant discharge

• 4 quick hits of news from the last 24 hours

- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)

🚨 The meningitis surge

Meningitis cases are spiking, and the CDC is on high alert. How worried should we all be?

🚨 The CDC sounded the alarm about an uptick in cases of meningitis. The NY Post said the agency told docs to be on the look out for a specific invasive meningococcal disease.

🚨 You can read the CDC alert here. In 2023, 422 cases of invasive serogroup Y meningococcal disease were reported in the U.S. — the highest since 2014.

🚨 But Gothamist said people have options: Vaccines and boosters exist to protect people from meningococcal disease.

🚨 The NYT’s take: Bacterial meningitis can turn deadly fast. But it's also really rare — it doesn't pose a huge threat to the general public.

🌡️ Manatees and power plants

Florida manatees seek warmth near coal power plants, but as we go green, their cozy spots are closing. What should we do?

🌡️ Florida manatees are unusually drawn to the warm discharges of power plants. BBC says scientists are now working to wean them off this dangerous dependency.

🌡️ Tampa Bay Times: Their survival is at risk as we move to green energy. We have to find a middle ground, because these creatures should be protected.

🌡️ Florida Springs Institute thinks it's a real conundrum. It's a unique symbiosis but there seems to be no long term solution.

🌡️ But Palm Beach Post has solutions. Maybe we can maintain current natural springs and thermal basins used by manatees in winter times? Or even build artificial ones?

Quick hits

🇯🇵 Japan issues an evacuation advisory in Okinawa following an earthquake and tsunami warning.

🐔 Cal-Maine Foods halts egg production at a Texas facility due to bird flu, affecting millions of chickens.

🏭 General Electric concludes its breakup into three public companies, ending the iconic Jack Welch era and reshaping an industrial giant.

🏰 Disney faces a pivotal board vote that could challenge CEO Bob Iger and alter the company's direction.

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