AM Prep-Kickers

Detroit’s giant slide is back. There will probably be fewer bruises this time

DETROIT (AP) - Ready, set, go! A six-lane giant slide has reopened in Detroit at Belle Isle state park. In 2022, the slide made headlines after viral videos showed riders flying and bouncing down the bumpy ramp. It got a mention on Jimmy Kimmel’s TV show and even inspired a song. Among the changes are padding to the slide, new sacks for riders — and no more wax. Eleven-year-old Eliseah Griffin says her ride was “awesome” but “kinda scary.” A 66-year-old woman was disappointed. Lorraine Edwards wanted a more risky ride.

Meet some of the world’s cleanest pigs, raised to grow kidneys and hearts for humans

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) - Some of the world’s cleanest pigs are being raised in the Virginia mountains to supply kidneys and hearts for animal-to-human organ transplants. Revivicor is one of several companies genetically engineering pigs so their organs are more humanlike and less likely to be rejected. The pigs breathe air and drink water that’s better filtered against contaminants than what’s required for people. Even their feed gets disinfected – all to prevent them from picking up any possible infections that might ultimately harm a transplant recipient.

West Virginia governor’s bulldog gets her own bobblehead after GOP convention appearance

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s English bulldog is getting her own bobblehead. The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee announced the plans Friday. It comes after Babydog’s appearance on stage with the governor at the Republican National Convention in the city on Tuesday night. The bobblehead will be available in December for $30 and the museum says it is accepting preorders. Justice regularly brings his 4-year-old dog to public appearances. Babydog was a gift from Justice’s children in 2019. The 60-pound dog quickly became the star of the governor’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

Frozen treats, cold showers and lots of ice; Florida zoo works to protect animals from summer heat

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Zoos in hot weather states are working hard during the summer to keep their animals cool. At the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society in Florida, keepers throw big piles of ice into the black bear enclosure for the animals to wallow in. Otters get ice blocks and frozen fish in their water to play with and eat. Zoo offiicals say tigers get some especially interesting treatment. The big cats are fed frozen cow bones in a block of ice with sides of frozen goat milk. Zookeepers also are showering giant tortoises with cool water, which they can feel through their shells.

Do you really have to wait to go swimming after eating?

In spite of what you may have heard as a kid, you don’t really have to wait 30 minutes after eating to go swimming. Doctors say there’s no need in most cases to wait. That old warning stems from worry that people might drown or struggle because blood will be diverted to their full stomachs instead of their muscles. But Dr. Matthew Badgett of the Cleveland Clinic says people will still have plenty of blood flowing to their muscles after eating. That said, those who plan to swim laps may want to wait to avoid cramps.