Texas Tribune Daily Brief
| | |
| Researchers, State Differ on 3 Houston Cancer Clusters |  | A team of researchers analyzed Texas cancer registry data and mapped cases. Some dots clustered along the same highways or streams. In an article of the journal Cancer recently published online, they're reporting preliminary findings of "a striking cluster of cases" in those three greater Houston locations. But if you ask the state of Texas, there are no such clusters.Each year, state and federal officials receive more than 1,000 reports of potential cancer clusters. In Texas, the burden for investigating those reports falls to the Department of State Health Services. The agency has conducted more than 260 cluster investigations since 2004. These investigations are designed only to determine if there is more of a specific cancer in an area than expected - not what is causing the cancer. Though the reports are limited in scope, they can have major implications. They have fueled contentious debates over the long-term health impacts of fracking, of living near chemical plants and of drinking polluted water. In some cases, the state's methodology has been criticized as too conservative by independent researchers.
Susan Carroll, Houston Chronicle 06/08/2015    | | Read Article: Houston Chronicle |
| Hoover Dam Artist Awarded $1.3M in Lawsuit | | An artist who alleges he was cheated out of royalty payments after construction of a sculpture which commemorates the workers who built Hoover Dam was awarded almost $1.35 million in a lawsuit. A Las Vegas jury ruled in favor of the plaintiff who alleged that his work was used without permission for merchandise and marketing. When the plaintiff agreed to create the "High Scaler" sculpture for a $166,000 fee, he was guaranteed a share of the proceeds from any merchandise based on his work. The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiff never received any share of the profit from these sales.
Henry Brean, Las Vegas Review Journal 06/04/2015 | | Read Article: Las Vegas Review Journal |
| Md. Couple Files Suit Over Snake Infestation | | A couple from Maryland have filed a lawsuit after discovering that the home they recently purchased is infested with snakes. The couple filed suit against their realtor after purchasing the home in Annapolis in December 2014 for $410,000. The family did not discover the snakes until the weather became warm. The lawsuit alleges that the realty company knew about the snake infestation but failed to notify them before purchasing the home.
Stephanie Ramirez, USA Today 06/03/2015 | | Read Article: USA Today |
| Company Faces Lawsuit for False Marketing to Students | | A lawsuit has been filed against an Indiana-based company for allegedly preying on nursing students with ineffective study guides and consultations. The lawsuit, filed by the New York Attorney General's office, alleges that the company marketed the ineffective material and consultations to as many as 2,000 nursing students at Excelsior College. The lawsuit also contends that The College Network falsely implied that it was affiliated with the school. The lawsuit alleges "illegal and deceptive business practices" to induce nursing students and seeks to bar the company from advertising or doing business in New York.
Casey Seiler, Albany Times Union 06/04/2015 | | Read Article: Albany Times Union |
| Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Against District of Columbia | | The family of a man who died of a heart attack near a Washington, D.C. fire station has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the District. The 77-year-old man suffered a heart attack in a shopping center parking lot across the street from a fire station on Jan. 25, 2014. According to the lawsuit, when bystanders sought help from firefighters across the street, they were turned away and told that they must call 911 before the firefighters would assist. An ambulance came to assist the man, but he later died. The lawsuit seeks $7.7 million from the District.
Hamil R. Harris and Dana Hedgpeth, The Washington Post 06/03/2015 | | Read Article: The Washington Post |
| |
