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Texas Tribune Daily Brief
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| Hundreds of Texas Dams at Risk of Failure |  | There are about 7,300 dams in Texas, but 60 percent of those are privately owned ' which means they may not be getting inspections as often as you think. A study by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality found 245 dams around the state are actually in really bad shape. Aging dams and severe drought are causing cracks, and there is concern that with all the rain and flooding happening now, it may be too much for smaller dams to handle. In 2013, the state legislature decided to ease regulations on rural property owners, so more than 3,000 dams are exempt from inspection. Even if the state could inspect all the dams, there is no money for repairs. The state hasn't funded repairs in five years.
Hundreds of Texas dams at risk of failure, WFAA.com 05/15/2015    | | Read Article: WFAA.com |
| 7 Investigates: Dangerous Chemicals Being Transported on East Texas Rail Lines | | Slower speeds and safer, sturdier rail cars are in the future for the rail cargo industry after a series of rule changes introduced by the United States Department of Transportation.The changes come after several explosive derailments of trains carrying crude oil through populated areas within the past few years. The government has asked rail companies to report to states if they transport a certain amount of crude oil through their state. East Texas shipments do not meet the reporting requirement, but other dangerous chemicals can still pass through East Texas cities. Major crude rail lines near East Texas include one near Interstate 45 and one near Shreveport. The rail carriers say 99 percent of rail cargo gets to its destination safely. But incidents over the past two years have those rail carriers in the spotlight. The derailment danger is something East Texas first responders keep in mind.
Cody Lillich, KLTV 05/15/2015 | | Read Article: KLTV |
| Employees Pay a Price to Retain Right to Sue | | Companies have been aggressively trying to stem the costs of lawsuits by asking and sometimes requiring employees to give up their right to take the boss to court. The U.S. arm of German pharmaceuticals firm Boehringer Ingelheim recently took the idea one step further, barring employees from receiving sales commissions if they didn't agree to pursue complaints against the company in arbitration, rather than in court. Employees could keep the right to sue the company, but they would pay a steep price: They became ineligible to receive 2014 incentive compensation. That commission-based pay could amount to as much as 25% of a person's annual salary, or typically $20,000 to $40,000 per employee, according to a person who has seen the policy.
LAUREN WEBER, WSJ Blogs 05/15/2015 | | Read Article: WSJ Blogs |
| Court Overturns $85M Award to Oregon Guardsmen | | The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned an $85 million jury award to a dozen Oregon National Guard soldiers who said they were sickened from guarding a water treatment plant during the Iraq War. The military contractor Kellogg, Brown and Root successfully argued that Oregon was not the proper jurisdiction for the case. KBR is based in Houston, and similar cases filed by soldiers from Indiana, West Virginia and South Carolina are pending in federal court there.
Associated Press, Yahoo News 05/15/2015 | | Read Article: Yahoo News |
| First Lawsuit Filed Over Deadly Amtrak Derailment | | An Amtrak employee who was injured in the deadly Philadelphia train derailment this week has filed a lawsuit against Amtrak. The derailment took place on Tuesday night and led to eight fatalities. The lawsuit was filed on Thursday and alleges that the plaintiff "suffered serious and permanent injuries including brain trauma, contusions and lacerations, as well as orthopedic and neurological issues and emotional trauma." The plaintiff was injured when the train derailed and his body was thrown around inside the train before hitting the ground. The lawsuit seeks over $150,000 in damages.
Alex Young, NJ.com 05/15/2015 | | Read Article: NJ.com |
| Uber Stole Ride-Sharing Idea, Lawsuit Says | | Uber is facing a lawsuit by an entrepreneur who alleges that he came up with the idea for the ride-sharing company. The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, alleges that Uber founders created the company "by stealing trade secrets and cutting out the entrepreneur who developed them." Uber was created in 2009, but the lawsuit alleges that he came up with the idea in 2002. The plaintiff contends that he is entitled to "a significant share of Uber's value," which is about $50 billion.
Carolyn Said , San Francisco Chronicle 05/14/2015 | | Read Article: San Francisco Chronicle |
| Medical Scopes Linked to Superbug Remain a Risk | | Patients across the nation continue to face considerable risk from medical scopes linked to deadly bacterial outbreaks due to basic design flaws and a lack of easy fixes, a federal panel was warned Thursday. Testimony from physicians and researchers came as the Food and Drug Administration and Olympus Corp., a leading scope manufacturer, took a barrage of criticism for allowing this situation to unfold in hospital after hospital.
CHAD TERHUNE AND MELODY PETERSEN, LA Times 05/15/2015 | | Read Article: LA Times |
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