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The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is issuing a desperate plea for blood donations following the devastating effects of winter storm Uri last week as it blanketed the area with snow, ice, and historic low temperatures.“ We were greatly impacted by the winter storm,” said Cameron Palmer, community development coordinator for the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. “We went several days without the ability to collect and now we’re down to less than a one day’s supply of blood,” he said. The drive and walk-in donations were canceled, he said, because the facilities were dependent upon water and electricity. Without those, they couldn’t host the life-saving blood drives. (Taylor, 2/27)

People who smoke even occasionally are more likely than nonsmokers to have a serious type of stroke caused by a ruptured blood vessel — 27 percent more likely if they smoke up to 20 packs a year, according to research published in the journal Stroke. The average American smoker, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smokes 14 cigarettes daily, which means about 255 packs a year. The type of stroke examined by the researchers, known as a subarachnoid hemorrhage, occurs when a weakened blood vessel ruptures and bleeds into the space between a person’s brain and skull. Most often, this results from an aneurysm, an abnormal bulge in a blood vessel. (Searing, 2/28)

Jennifer Boychuk and her husband own The Mint Fox Cookies and Ice Cream shop on Clearwater Beach, and they are excited to welcome the spring break crowd this year. They’ve hired three part-time staffers and are switching to their summer schedule, keeping their doors open another two or three hours a day. (Najarro, 3/1)

The Trader Joe’s employee appealed directly to the CEO. In a letter citing a medical journal and experts who study respiratory transmission of the coronavirus, Ben Bonnema called on the grocery chain’s head, Dan Bane, to adopt more stringent safety protocols. Among his requests: improving filtration, requiring masks without exception and adopting a “three-strikes” policy for removing uncooperative customers from stores. (Shammas and Knowles, 2/28)

When a New Jersey student said she hadn't had enough to eat, she highlighted a problem at home, and one that affects some 18 million children nationwide. A New Jersey third-grader burst into tears in the middle of her virtual class, confessing to teachers and fellow students that she was starving.  "This 9-year-old just couldn't take it anymore," said former New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno, who manages the Fulfill Food Bank. That heartbreaking moment led an entire community to help, including Guadagno. (George, 2/28)

When Congress released a report this month finding that popular baby foods contain worrisome levels of toxic heavy metals, the reaction was swift. Scary headlines blared from the New York Times to the Daily Mail, lawsuits were filed within days and throngs of parents, already beleaguered from the stresses of the pandemic, took to social media with the fire of a thousand suns. “You knowingly sell food that hurt babies for profit,” one mom wrote on a baby food company’s Instagram page. “You are MONSTERS.” (Evich, 2/28)

Gwyneth Paltrow has been following an "intuitive fasting" regimen and taking supplements after having "COVID-19 early on," she has revealed in her latest post on Goop, the lifestyle website she launched in 2008. The Hollywood actress' remarks have been criticized by health experts who said there was a lack of evidence to support her suggested "healing" remedies. (Kim, 2/25)