Amazon will soon make prescription drugs fall from the sky when the e-commerce giant becomes the latest company to test drone deliveries for medications.

The company said Wednesday that customers in College Station, Texas, can now get prescriptions delivered by a drone within an hour of placing their order.

The drone, programed to fly from a delivery center with a secure pharmacy, will travel to the customer’s address, descend to a height of about four meters — or 13 feet — and drop a padded package.

Amazon says customers will be able to choose from more than 500 medications, a list that includes common treatments for conditions like the flu or pneumonia, but not controlled substances.

The company’s Prime Air division began testing drone deliveries of common household items last December in College Station and Lockeford, California. Amazon spokesperson Jessica Bardoulas said the company has made thousands of deliveries since launching the service, and is expanding it to include prescriptions based in part on customer requests.

Later on Wednesday, Amazon announced it will also launch drone delivery at a third U.S. location and cities in Italy and the United Kingdom by the end of next year. The company said it will disclose the exact locations in the coming months.

Amazon Prime already delivers some medications from the company’s pharmacy inside of two days. But pharmacy Vice President John Love said that doesn’t help someone with an acute illness like the flu.

“What we’re trying to do is figure out how can we bend the curve on speed,” he said.

Amazon Pharmacy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Vin Gupta says the U.S. health care system generally struggles with diagnosing and treating patients quickly for acute illnesses, something that was apparent throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Narrowing the window between diagnosis and treating makes many treatments more effective, he said.

Amazon is not the first company to explore prescription deliveries by drone. The drugstore chain CVS Health worked with UPS to test deliveries in 2019 in North Carolina but that program has ended, a CVS spokesman said.

Intermountain Health started providing drone deliveries of prescriptions in 2021 in the Salt Lake City area and has been expanding the program, according to Daniel Duersch, supply chain director for the health care system. Intermountain is partnering with the logistics company Zipline to use drones that drop packages by parachute.

Companies seeking to use drones for commercial purposes have faced hurdles from regulators who want to make sure things are operating safely. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos had predicted a decade ago that drones would be making deliveries by 2018. Even now, the e-commerce giant is only using the technology in a small number of markets.

Lisa Ellman, the executive director of the Commercial Drone Alliance, an industry group that counts Amazon as one of its members, said to date, regulatory approvals have been limited to specific geographic areas and “in terms of their scope and usefulness to companies.”

That said, she noted regulators have also been issuing more approvals. Last month, the FAA gave the OK for Zipline and UPS to fly longer-range drones.

Walmart has also been working to expand its own drone deliveries.

Also on Wednesday, Amazon unveiled a new drone called MK30 that, by the end of next year, will replace the drones it currently uses to delivery packages. The company says the new drone flies further, is smaller and quieter, and also has enhanced delivery capabilities.

Amazon has said its drones will fly as high as 120 meters, or nearly 400 feet, before slowly descending when they reach the customer’s home. The drone will check to make sure the delivery zone is clear of pets, children or any other obstructions before dropping the package on a delivery marker.

Amazon has been growing its presence in health care for a few years now.

Aside from adding a pharmacy, it also spent nearly $4 billion to buy primary care provider One Medical. In August, the company added video telemedicine visits in all 50 states.

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A rare drone attack jolted Moscow early Tuesday, causing only light damage but forcing evacuations as residential buildings were struck in the Russian capital for the first time in the war against Ukraine. The Kremlin, meanwhile, pursued its relentless bombardment of Kyiv with a third assault on the city in 24 hours.

The Russian Defense Ministry said five drones were shot down in Moscow and the systems of three others were jammed, causing them to veer off course. President Vladimir Putin called it a “terrorist” act by Kyiv.

The attack, while causing only what Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said was “insignificant damage” to several buildings, brought the war home to civilians in Russia’s capital. Two people received treatment for unspecified injuries but did not need hospitalization, Sobyanin said, adding that residents of two high-rise buildings damaged in the attack were evacuated.

Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the wider Moscow region, said some of the drones were “shot down on the approach to Moscow.”

Ukraine made no direct comment on the attack, which would be one of its deepest and most daring strikes into Russia since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than 15 months ago.

Putin said Moscow’s air defense “worked in a satisfactory way,” but added it was “clear what we need to do to plug the gaps” in the system.

“The Kyiv regime … attempts to intimidate Russia, Russian citizens and strikes at civilian buildings,” he said during a public event. “It is, of course, a clear indication of terrorist activity.”

Putin charged that Ukraine launched Tuesday’s attack in response to Russia striking Ukraine’s military intelligence headquarters in Kyiv over the weekend. But Andrii Cherniak, a Ukrainian intelligence representative, said the Kremlin’s forces failed to hit the building because its missiles were shot down.

Asked by The Associated Press whether there was high-level concern that the invasion of Ukraine was endangering Russian civilians, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said only that attacks on Russia reinforced the need to prosecute what the Kremlin calls the “special military operation.”

Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Endowment said the Kremlin’s policy is to play down the attacks, reflecting Putin’s belief voiced more than once that the Russian people were patient enough to “understand everything and endure everything.”

Moscow residents reported hearing explosions before dawn. At one site of a crashed drone in Moscow southwest, police fenced off an area near a residential building and put the drone debris in a cardboard box before carrying it away.

At another site, apartment windows were shattered and there were scorch marks on the building’s front.

It was the second reported strike on Moscow since May 3, when Russian authorities said two drones targeted the Kremlin in what they portrayed as an attempt on Putin’s life. Ukraine denied it was behind that attack.

Last week, the Russian border region of Belgorod was the target of one of the most serious cross-border raids since the war began, with two far-right pro-Ukrainian paramilitary groups claiming responsibility. Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said a man was killed and two others were seriously wounded Tuesday by the Ukrainian shelling of a building hosting temporarily displaced residents of the region.

Officials in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar near annexed Crimea said two drones struck there on Friday, damaging residential buildings.

Other drones have reportedly flown deep into Russia multiple times. In December, Moscow claimed it had shot down drones that targeted military air bases in the Saratov and Ryazan regions in western Russia.

Ukrainian military analysts, though unable to confirm Kyiv had launched the drones against Moscow, said the attack may have involved UJ-22 drones, which are produced in Ukraine and have a maximum range of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).

Analyst Oleh Zhdanov said some UJ-22s are capable of reaching “Moscow and beyond,” although he noted they can fly only half as far and carry half the payload of the Iranian-made Shahed drones used in the war by Russia.

Even so, Zhdanov told AP that “the myth has been dispelled” of the Russian capital’s invulnerability.

Since February, when a UJ-22 crashed 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Moscow, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly approached the Russian capital.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday the U.S. was still gathering information about the drone strike but reiterated that “as a general matter” the U.S. administration does not support Ukraine using American weaponry in Russian territory.

“We do not support the use of U.S.-made equipment being used for attacks inside of Russia,” she said. ”We’ve been very clear about that, and we’ll continue to do that. And we have been clear not just publicly but privately clear with the Ukrainians.”

She declined to comment on whether administration officials have spoken to Ukraine officials about the Moscow incident.

Jean-Pierre also noted that Russia on Tuesday launched its 17th round of airstrikes on the capital of Kyiv this month, noting that “Russia started this unprovoked aggression, this unprovoked war against Ukraine.”

A U.S. defense official said the drone strikes would not not affect the weapons aid packages the U.S. is providing Ukraine to include drone ammunition. The official said the U.S. has committed to supporting Ukraine in its effort to defend the country and Ukraine had committed to not using the systems inside Russia, so the aid would likely continue unchanged. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Ukrainian officials said Tuesday’s pre-dawn air raid on Kyiv killed at least one person, wounded 11 others and sent residents scrambling into shelters again.

At least 20 Shahed drones were destroyed by air defense forces in Kyiv in the latest attack. Overall, Ukraine shot down 29 of 31 drones, mostly in the Kyiv area, the air force said.

Before daylight, buzzing drones could be heard in the city, followed by loud explosions as they were taken down by air defense systems.

The heavy destruction in Kyiv contrasted with what was seen in Moscow. In the Ukrainian capital, burned-out cars, glass and debris littered the street outside a building where apartments were wrecked; in Moscow, only a few broken windows and scorched outer walls were evident, with repairs and repainting being done quickly to affected buildings.

A woman in Kyiv’s Holosiiv district was killed when she went onto her balcony “to look at drones being shot down,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a Telegram post.

A high-rise in the same district caught fire after being hit by debris either from drones or interceptor missiles. The building’s upper two floors were destroyed, and people were feared buried in the rubble, the Kyiv Military Administration said. More than 20 people were evacuated.

Resident Valeriya Oreshko told AP that even though the immediate threat was over, the attacks had everyone on edge.

“You are happy that you are alive, but think about what will happen next,” the 39-year-old said.

A resident who gave only her first name, Oksana, said the whole building shook when it was hit, advising others: “Go to shelters, because you really do not know where (the drone) will fly.”

___

Associated Press writers Vasilisa Stepanenko in Kyiv, Ukraine; David Rising in Bangkok; Tara Copp in Washington and Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed. Kozlowska reported from Tallinn.

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Drones that the Kremlin said were launched by Ukraine flew deep inside Russian territory, including one that got within 100 kilometers (60 miles) of Moscow, signaling breaches in Russian defenses as President Vladimir Putin ordered stepped-up protection at the border.

Officials said the drones caused no injuries and did not inflict any significant damage, but the attacks on Monday night and Tuesday morning raised questions about Russian defense capabilities more than a year after the country’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

Ukrainian officials did not immediately take responsibility, but they similarly avoided directly acknowledging responsibility for past strikes and sabotage while emphasizing Ukraine’s right to hit any target in Russia.

Although Putin did not refer to any specific attacks in a speech in the Russian capital, his comments came hours after the drones targeted several areas in southern and western Russia. Authorities closed the airspace over St. Petersburg in response to what some reports said was a drone.

Also Tuesday, several Russian television stations aired a missile attack warning that officials blamed on a hacking attack.

The drone attacks targeted regions inside Russia along the border with Ukraine and deeper into the country, according to local Russian authorities.

A drone fell near the village of Gubastovo, less than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Moscow, Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the region surrounding the Russian capital, said in an online statement.

The drone did not cause any damage, Vorobyov said, but it likely targeted “a civilian infrastructure object.”

Pictures of the drone showed it was a small Ukrainian-made model with a reported range of up to 800 kilometers (nearly 500 miles) but no capacity to carry a large load of explosives.

Russian forces early Tuesday shot down another Ukrainian drone over the Bryansk region, local Gov. Aleksandr Bogomaz said in a Telegram post.

Three drones also targeted Russia’s Belgorod region on Monday night, with one flying through an apartment window in the capital, local authorities reported. Regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said the drones caused minor damage to buildings and cars.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine used drones to attack facilities in the Krasnodar region and neighboring Adygea. It said the drones were brought down by electronic warfare assets, adding that one of them crashed into a field and another diverted from its flight path and missed a facility it was supposed to attack.

Russia’s state RIA Novosti news agency reported a fire at the oil facility, and some other Russian reports said that two drones exploded nearby.

While Ukrainian drone strikes on the Russian border regions of Bryansk and Belgorod have become a regular occurrence, other strikes reflected a more ambitious effort.

Some Russian commentators described the drone attacks as an attempt by Ukraine to showcase its capability to strike deep behind the lines, foment tensions in Russia and rally the Ukrainian public. Some Russian war bloggers described the raids as a possible rehearsal for a bigger, more ambitious attack.

Andrei Medvedev a commentator with Russian state television who serves as a deputy speaker of Moscow’s city legislature and runs a popular blog about the war, warned that the drone strikes could be a precursor to wider attacks within Russia that could accompany Ukraine’s attempt to launch a counteroffensive.

“The strikes of exploding drones on targets behind our lines will be part of that offensive,” Medvedev said, adding that Ukraine could try to extend the range of its drones.

Russia hawks urged strong retaliation. Igor Korotchenko, a retired Russian army colonel turned military commentator, called for a punishing strike on the Ukrainian presidential office in Kyiv.

Another retired military officer, Viktor Alksnis, noted that the drone attacks marked the expansion of the conflict and criticized Putin for failing to deliver a strong response.

Also on Tuesday, authorities reported that airspace around St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, was temporarily closed, halting all departures and arrivals at the main airport, Pulkovo. Officials did not give a reason for the move, but some Russian reports claimed that it was triggered by an unidentified drone.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it was conducting air defense drills in western Russia.

Last year, Russian authorities repeatedly reported shooting down Ukrainian drones over annexed Crimea. In December, the Russian military said Ukraine used drones to hit two bases for long-range bombers deep inside Russian territory.

Speaking at Russia’s main security agency, the FSB, Putin urged the service to tighten security on the Ukraine border.

In another development that fueled tensions across Russia on Tuesday, an air raid alarm interrupted the programming of several TV channels and radio stations in several regions. Russia’s Emergency Ministry said in an online statement that the announcement was a hoax “resulting from a hacking of the servers of radio stations and TV channels in some regions of the country.”

Meanwhile, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press appeared to show a Russian warplane in Belarus that Belarusian guerrillas claimed to have targeted as largely intact.

Tuesday’s high-resolution images from Planet Labs PBC showed no immediate signs of damage to the Russian A-50 early warning and control aircraft after what Belarusian opposition activists described as an attack on the Machulishchy air base Sunday outside the Belarusian capital of Minsk.

Belarusian activists supporting Ukraine alleged that the aircraft was seriously damaged. Russian and Belarusian officials did not comment on the claims.

In Ukraine, four people were killed and five others wounded Tuesday by renewed Russian shelling of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said in a Telegram.

A 68-year-old man was also killed as Russian forces shelled Kupiansk, a town in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said.

The fiercest fighting continued to be in eastern areas of Ukraine, where Russia wants control over all four of the provinces it illegally annexed in September.

Ukrainian officials said Russian forces have deployed additional troops and equipment, including the latest T-90 battle tanks, in those areas.

In a video address, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked U.S. industrialists for supporting Ukraine and voiced hope for their support in rebuilding the country after the war. Zelenskyy noted that the country faces a “colossal task” to restore hundreds of thousands of damaged sites, including “whole cities, industries, productions.”

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The Hemet City Council rolled on like a slow freight train Tuesday night, but not in any boring way. It took almost an hour getting out of the station. However, it wasn’t long before the business at hand got underway. The City Attorney stated that one legal item was agreed to by a a 5-0 vote.

Next came public comments:

Citizen #1 stated that he had previously been told that he couldn’t run for city council because you could not live in a trailer but Mr. Petty running in District 5 is living in a trailer, “ I’m just asking if I had a trailer at my place of business would that qualify me?” He was told that you couldn’t live in an RV unless it were in a park and he was further advised that Code Enforcement was looking into that issue.

Citizen #2 stated that he was a nobody, not important on social media and didn’t own any hospitals. Further, “I am not a resident of the City of Hemet and do not live within the sphere of influence. There is a group going around called Hemet United, who are advocating increasing the physical side of the City of Hemet. They are circulating a petition for signatures and are near completion of making this happen. If this plan comes to fruition, the City of Hemet will be required to provide police and fire services.” He went on to delineate the numbers of costs that would bring on without the income to cover them. He was definitely against any annexation any time soon.

Citizen #3 Spoke against Measure ”H,” which is on the November ballot. She quoted Measure U, stating that the City Council should devote 100% of the proceeds to public safety. She said that in the past six years, Measure U has brought in $65,000.00 and still none of the promises made by the City Council has been kept in expending Measure U. She further asked, “Where is the annual audit? I haven’t seen it. She stated that there were fewer police officers in 2021 than in 2017. She said further, “We have a chaotic city government. Every other City in the county has had a city manager for at least five years. Hemet can’t keep one a year. So until the City gets some leadership, I cannot vote for Measure “H.”

Citizen #4 promoted Candy Corner at Valley Wide on October 27th.

Citizen #5 Commented about appointing a new City Treasurer to replace Sue Savage. She suggested that the Council should reach out to the community to get more applicants for the job instead of settling for the one applicant currently available.

Citizen #6 Spoke about an outsider’s view that Hemet is not good and that the Post Office (among other buildings) is a disaster. He asks for solutions.

Citizen #7 Spoke about tree limbs creating darkness on the streets at night, making it dangerous for women and children to walk along the streets.

Citizen #8 Spoke about the founding fathers and how they have affected us today.

Citizen # 9 Spoke in favor of the Ramona Bowl and coming events. Asking for candy donations for one event.

Citizen #10 Spoke in favor of alternatives to abortion. Definitely pro-life

Citizen #11 Spoke in favor of Casa Loca at the Ramona Bowl and also of the Ramona Pagent’s 100th Anniversary and that tickets are currently available.

Next came presentations of proclamations:

1. Declare that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2. Declare that October is Emotional Awareness Month

3. Declare that October is Adopt-a-Dog month

4. Declare Water Professionals Appreciation Week

5. Declare Fire Prevention Week

VOTES:

• Passed 5-0 – Council received and filed the City of Hemet Warrant Registers Investment Report for July 2022

• Passed 5-0: Adopted a resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California approving the City’s Classification and Compensation Plan for employee salary ranges

• Passed 5-0: Adopted a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, approving the application for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Older Adult Home Modification Grant Program for $942,000 and Authorize the Interim City Manager to Execute all Documents

• Passed 5-0: A resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, Approving an Amendment to the City’s Classification and Compensation Plan to include the new position. Environmental Compliance Coordinator

• Passed 5-0: A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, Approving an Agreement for Repair Services with Bravo Sign & Design, Inc., and authorizing the Interim City Manager to Execute the Agreement and authorizing the Interim City Manager to approve purchase orders in support of the Agreement and Deputy Fire Marshal, and Approving authorizing the Finance Director to Establish a Supplemental Appropriation in Liability Insurance Account 683-2200-2725 for $67,154.91 and an additional Supplemental Appropriation in Fund 685 in the amount of $19,250 Including a 10% Contingency, to Remove and replace the Damaged Welcome to Hemet Monument Sign (Also adding the Ramona Pageant to the sign),

• Passed 5-0: Adopt the Resolution Establishing the Hemet Fire and Life Safety Agency and the Department of Life Safety, Amending the Classification and Compensation Plan to add the New Position of Chief Building Official/Deputy Fire Marshal, and Approving Budget Amendments in Support Thereof.

• Passed 4-1: Adopted a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, Designating the Code Enforcement Division to Serve as an Enforcement Agency Under AB 1276 (Passed reluctantly) Passed 5-0 Adopted a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, Approving a Grant of Easement and Right-of-way to Eastern Municipal Water District (“EMWD”) for Pipelines, Equipment, Structures, and/or Appurtenances.

• Passed 5-0: Adopted a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, approving the First Amendment to the Agreement for Services between the City of Hemet and HR Green Pacific, Inc. For a Contract Amount annually of $100,000 and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement for a One-Year Term with month-to-month extensions.

• Passed 4-0: Adopted a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, authorizing the Finance Director to record a supplemental appropriation of $7,910 in support of the completion of the FY21-22 AB 1600 Report (Linda Krupa voted “No.”

• Passed 5-0: Appointed Dale Gilman to fill the vacant City Treasurer seat.

• Passed 4-1: Appointed Staci Olsen and George Schaefer to the Measure “U” Citizen Oversight Committee.

• Passed 5-0: Adopted a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, authorizing acceptance of Grant Funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (SAFER GRANT) for $7,071,090.00; and Authorizing the City manager, or designee, to Execute any Necessary Documents to meet the Grant Requirements.

The Council started late and ended late, but oh, the results. I believe the City was served well Tuesday night. Just sayin’

rustystrait@gmail.com

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