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Announcements
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TTLA Annual Conference has moved to
June 1-3 in Austin
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We’ll be hosting all the events you’ve come to expect from
our December conference. Between the 2-day CLE, parties, meetings,
legislative update & special events, you’ll leave the live music
capital of the world feeling energized, connected, and bad to the bone!
Check out the CLE program agendas for Wednesday and Thursday, which
include a live video presentation with David Ball plus family friendly
events to make this a true vacation opportunity. Click on the headline
to register!
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Products
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Hewlett-Packard Recalls Additional
Laptop Batteries
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Hewlett-Packard has announced a recall of 162,600
Lithium-ion batteries used in laptops due to a risk of overheating and
injury. The company said that since a similar recall was issued in May
of last year, there have been 40 reports of batteries that have
overheated and ruptured, in some cases causing severe burns. In total,
HP has recalled 286,600 laptop batteries since May 2009. Dwight
Silverman, Houston Chronicle 05/31/2011
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Read Article: Houston Chronicle
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Experts Say Cellphones Are Possibly
Carcinogenic
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An international panel of experts says cellphones are
possibly carcinogenic to humans after reviewing details from dozens of
published studies. The statement was issued in Lyon, France, by the
International Agency for Research on Cancer after a weeklong meeting of
experts. They reviewed possible links between cancer and the type of
electromagnetic radiation found in cellphones, microwaves and radar.
The agency is the cancer arm of the World Health Organization and the
assessment now goes to WHO and national health agencies for possible
guidance on cellphone use. The group classified cellphones in category
2B, meaning they are possibly carcinogenic to humans. Other substances
in that category include the pesticide DDT and gasoline engine exhaust.
MARIA CHENG, AP , Austin American Statesman 05/31/2011
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Read Article: Austin American Statesman
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Laws/Cases
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3 Injured Workers to be Paid $7M for 2008 Oil
Line Rupture
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Three contract workers burned in a 2008 oil line rupture
at Citgo’s East Plant have reached a $7 million settlement with the
company that designed the equipment. The oil release occurred in 2008
when contract worker Jose Herrera tried to hook up a cleaning device to
a crude vacuum unit. The connection point broke and Herrera and two
other workers, Aaron Salinas and John Davis, were burned when gallons
of hot crude oil spewed out. Last week, Refined Technologies Inc., the
company that designed the injection cleaning device, agreed to pay the
settlement. Under the settlement agreement, Herrera and his family will
receive the bulk of the sum and the two other workers, who weren’t as
severely burned, will receive smaller portions. Herrera, now 50,
suffered burns to his face, neck and arms and underwent more than a
year of skin grafts. Mary Ann Cavazos, Corpus Christi Caller
Times 05/30/2011
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Read Article: Corpus Christi Caller Times
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Mirasol Homes Suit Settled
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The companies that built the failed Mirasol Homes
development have agreed to pay homeowners and the San Antonio Housing
Authority $20M to settle claims of shoddy construction. The agreement,
approved by the housing authority's board of directors, will give the
66 homeowners enough money to pay off mortgages or repair their homes
and will allow the housing agency to remake the ailing West Side
neighborhood. The housing authority had accused national homebuilding
giant KB Home and local developer Magi Realty of scrapping orders for
custom-built homes in favor of plans for tract-built houses that were
poorly constructed with cheap materials. Housing officials and city
leaders cast Monday's settlement as a triumph of the underdog against
corporate interests. Karisa King, San Antonio Express News
05/25/2011
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Read Article: San Antonio Express News
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Man Loses Leg in Grain Bin, Awarded
$1.6 Million
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A Pennsylvania jury has awarded $1.6 million to a local
man who lost his leg in an accident while working in a grain bin in
Kansas. The plaintiff slipped and fell while working in the bin,
getting his leg caught by the drag chain in the conveyor system. The
lawsuit contented that the makers of the conveyor system failed to
provide adequate protection for workers in the grain bins and did not
warn them of the risks of injury. Staff Report, PR Newswire
05/31/2011
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Read Article: PR Newswire
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Suit: Man's Arm Trapped in Subway
Train Door
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A New York man has filed a lawsuit against the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority after his arm got caught in the
door of a subway train in Brooklyn last August. The man claims he was
forced to rip his arm out from the door - breaking it - before he was
smashed into the platform wall. The plaintiff suffered multiple
fractures in his left arm as well as bumps and bruises. The suit is
seeking unspecified damages. Oren Yaniv , New York Daily News
05/30/2011
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Read Article: New York Daily News
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Man Files Suit After Being Tased by
Patrol Officer
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A Salt Lake City man has filed a lawsuit against a state
trooper, claiming he was wrongfully Tased by the officer while he was
sitting in his car during a traffic stop. The plaintiff claims the
officer told him to step out of the car to take a sobriety test, but
the man said he wished to speak to a lawyer before taking any tests. At
this, the officer Tased the man, the lawsuit states. The officer used
"excessive force" and violated the man's constitutional
rights, the suit says. Erin Alberty, The Salt Lake Tribune
05/30/2011
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Read Article: The Salt Lake Tribune
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Wal-Mart Employees File Suit Over
Firings
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Six former employees of Wal-Mart stores in Utah have filed
a lawsuit against the retail giant, claiming they were unjustly fired
for defending themselves at work. Three of the employees were involved
in an incident where a shoplifter pulled a gun on them and they were
forced to disarm him, the suit says. Wal-Mart policy says employees may
not use force on shoplifters, but the lawsuit says this policy is out
of date and does not provide workers and customers with any sense of
security while shopping. Roxana Orellana, The Salt Lake
Tribune 05/28/2011
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Read Article: The Salt Lake Tribune
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Issues
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Radiation Contamination in 2
Montgomery County Water Systems
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Two public drinking water systems in Montgomery County
have been reported as being contaminated with radiation. Long-term
exposure to the radionuclide contaminants within the water has been
linked to an increased risk of cancer, according to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. The Hulon Lakes Subdivision and Vista Verde Water
Systems, both near Lake Conroe, have exceeded the Maximum Contaminate
Levels (MCL) as regulated by the EPA. James Ridgway Jr, Conroe
Courier 05/30/2011
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Read Article: Conroe Courier
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