Texas Tribune Daily Brief
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| USGS: 7 Small Earthquakes Shake Central Oklahoma |  | The U.S. Geological Survey has recorded seven small earthquakes shaking central Oklahoma in a span of about 14 hours. The temblors are part of an increase in earthquakes across Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas that some scientists say could be connected to the oil and gas drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, and especially the wells in which the industry disposes of its wastewater.
Associated Press, Houston Chronicle 07/14/2014    | | Read Article: Houston Chronicle |
| New Report Shows Texas Drivers Are Pretty Bad | | Texas ranks in the top 10 among a list of the worst drivers in the nation according to a new poll bycarinsurancecomparison.com. Texas came in at number 4 with low rankings for fatality rate, failure to obey traffic signals and seat belts and careless driving. The state's worst driving factor is drunk driving. The data was compiled from various sources such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Motorists Association, and Mothers Against Drink Driving. It was then turned into a score in each category and ranked.
Staff, Houston Chronicle 07/14/2014 | | Read Article: Houston Chronicle |
| After Lapses, C.D.C. Admits a Lax Culture at Labs | | Recent revelations have created a crisis of faith in the CDC, prompting calls for an independent body to investigate such episodes in the future, as well as for sweeping changes at the agency and to a sprawling web of research labs that has grown after the 2001 terror attacks led to an intensified focus on microbes that could be used as biological weapons.
RICHARD FAUSSET and DONALD G. McNEIL Jr., The New York Times 07/14/2014 | | Read Article: The New York Times |
| Electronic Health Records Ripe for Theft | | America's medical records systems are flirting with disaster, say the experts who monitor crime in cyberspace. A hack that exposes the medical and financial records of hundreds of thousands of patients is coming, they say - it's only a matter of when. As health data become increasingly digital and the use of electronic health records booms, thieves see patient records in a vulnerable health care system as attractive bait, according to experts interviewed by POLITICO. On the black market, a full identity profile contained in a single record can bring as much as $500.
DAVID PITTMAN , Politico 07/14/2014 | | Read Article: Politico |
| Prosecutors' Case Against GM Focuses on Misleading Statements | | Federal prosecutors are developing a criminal fraud case hinged on whether General Motors made misleading statements about a deadly ignition switch flaw, and are examining activity dating back a decade, before GM's 2009 bankruptcy, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation.
Emily Flitter and Karen Freifeld, Reuters 07/14/2014 | | Read Article: Reuters |
| Lawsuit Over 1996 Car Crash Results in $18 Million Award | | Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co was tongue-lashed in a decision last month by a Pennsylvania judge is now contesting his ruling that it pay $18 million in punitive damages after a long court battle over faulty repairs to a family's vehicle in 1996. The co asked Berks County Judge Jeffrey K. Sprecher to reconsider a decision. Sprecher ruled in June that he agreed with Daniel and Sherri Berg that Nationwide had concealed evidence about faulty repairs to their Jeep Grand Cherokee, tried to cover up the conduct of its employees and relied on a strategy to discourage policyholder challenges in court by artificially inflating the cost of suing the company. Sprecher ruled in June that he agreed with Daniel and Sherri Berg that Nationwide had concealed evidence about faulty repairs to their Jeep Grand Cherokee, tried to cover up the conduct of its employees and relied on a strategy to discourage policyholder challenges in court by artificially inflating the cost of suing the company. In his ruling, Sprecher said Nationwide spent more than $3 million to defend its actions in a claim over the Bergs' Jeep that it should have replaced for $25,000.
Associated Press, PennLive.com 07/14/2014 | | Read Article: PennLive.com |
| Tracy Morgan Files Lawsuit Against Walmart | | Actor Tracy Morgan has been released from a rehabilitation center the news came after Morgan filed a lawsuit against Walmart Stores Inc. over the New Jersey highway crash that left one man dead and several injured last month. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in New Jersey by Morgan and three other survivors of the crash, claims Walmart was negligent when the driver of one of its tractor trailers struck Morgan's limousine.
Javier Panzar , LA Times 07/14/2014 | | Read Article: LA Times |
| Psych Ward Held Sane Man for 20 Years, Suit Claims | | A man who says he was never mentally ill is suing doctors who kept him in a Nebraska psychiatric ward for nearly 20 years, the AP reports. John Montin, 52, is seeking roughly $33 million in damages and lost wages, saying doctors incorrectly diagnosed him as delusional and gave him needless treatments. He was released a year ago when a regional doctor reviewed his case and said Montin had been misdiagnosed the whole time.
Neal Colgrass, Newser , USA Today 07/14/2014 | | Read Article: USA Today |
| Women Want State's Help in Pelvic Mesh Fight | | There are thousands of women across the country who are engaged in lawsuits against manufacturers of pelvic mesh implants after suffering severe complications, including extreme pain, bleeding and infections. In Texas, a coalition of "pelvic mesh survivors" has asked Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to pursue legal action against Johnson & Johnson, one of the largest implant makers. The women say Johnson & Johnson violated a state law that prohibits deceptive business practices, citing the company's "knowledge of the inherent danger" of the mesh implants and the cost to Texans of subsidizing care for women treated at taxpayer-funded facilities. A spokesman for the attorney general, declined to comment specifically on the matter, citing a continuing investigation.
Alexa Ura, Texas Tribune 07/14/2014 | | Read Article: Texas Tribune |
| Some Victims Get Nothing from GM's Compensation Plan | | The families of three people who died in GM vehicles with an ignition switch flaw will get nothing from the automaker's compensation fund. Neither will 13 who were injured. That's because those cars were not part of the automaker's infamously botched recall. GM has proposed a settlement for the families of those who died in one of the 2.6 million autos that were recalled in February. That recall was issued ten years after automaker knew of the flaw. Victims or their families can seek a settlement with the fund as long as they waive their right to sue. But GM recalled another 11.6 million vehicles in June for similar ignition switch problems, linked to 3 deaths and 13 injuries. Victims killed or injured in these vehicles are not entitled to participate in the fund, which is being helmed by victim compensation expert Ken Fienberg.
Katie Lobosco , CNN 07/14/2014 | | Read Article: CNN |
| Got a Rash? iPad, Other Devices Might be the Cause | | Unexplained rash? Check your iPad. It turns out the popular tablet computer may contain nickel, one of the most common allergy-inducing metals. Recent reports in medical journals detail nickel allergies from a variety of personal electronic devices, including laptops and cellphones. But it was an Apple iPad that caused an itchy body rash in an 11-year-old boy recently treated at a San Diego hospital, according to a report in Monday's Pediatrics. Nickel rashes aren't life-threatening but they can be very uncomfortable, and they may require treatment with steroids and antibiotics if the skin eruptions become infected, said Dr. Sharon Jacob, a dermatologist at Rady Children's Hospital, where the boy was treated.
Lindsey Tanner, Associated Press, Yahoo News 07/14/2014 | | Read Article: Yahoo News |
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