Announcements | 
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Share with your FB friends: Perils of ‘Bounce Houses’ |
| NY accident, other mishaps illuminate perils of inconsistently regulated ‘bounce houses’, AP 6-7-11. They look like harmless fun — fluffy, inflated castles, ships and slides filled with children jumping around carelessly, their parents letting their guard down a bit during playtime. But an accident that sent three of the huge toys aloft on a breezy afternoon on New York’s Long Island, left a woman seriously injured and hurt 12 other people is drawing attention to the little-known hazards of the inflatable playthings sometimes called “bounce houses” and the inconsistent regulations covering them. |
Products |
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EPA Plans to Ban the Most Toxic Rodent Control Products |
| The EPA said it is taking the step to reduce the thousands of accidental exposures every year from rodent-control products such as D-Con and Hot Shot in an effort to protect children and pets. The agency had given pesticide manufacturers until last week to research, develop and register new products for residential consumers that would be safer for children, pets and wildlife. Since that call for new safety standards in 2008, some manufacturers have released products with new bait delivery systems and less toxic baits, the agency said. Associated Press, The Washington Post 06/08/2011 | Read Article: The Washington Post |
Laws/Cases |
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Denver City Council Approves Lawsuit Settlement |
| The Denver City Council has approved a $117,500 settlement in a lawsuit filed by a man who was allegedly beaten by police officers in 2008. The plaintiff alleged in his suit that he was beaten by either a flashlight or club by two local police officers. The settlement was approved 8-3 by the council. Staff Report, Denver Post 06/07/2011 | Read Article: Denver Post |
Nurse Testifies: Doc's Cases Delayed Often |
| A whistleblower nurse told jurors on Tuesday that she tried for months to get hospital officials to investigate a doctor before anonymously reporting him to the Texas Medical Board, which prompted the doctor's friend — the sheriff — to target her and another nurse in a criminal investigation. Anne Mitchell testified during the trial of Winkler County Sheriff Robert L. Roberts Jr., who is accused of retaliating against her and Vickilyn Galle after they sent an unsigned letter about Dr. Rolando Arafiles Jr. to the board in 2009. The letter said Arafiles was unethical and endangering patients, alleging he used herbal remedies and tried to use hospital supplies for at-home procedures. BETSY BLANEY, AP, Odessa American 06/08/2011 | Read Article: Odessa American |
Harris Co. to Pay Mother $3M in Taser Death |
| Harris County will pay $3 million to a woman whose schizophrenic son died while he was in the custody of deputies. Shirley Nagel sued the county after her son died in 2005. Precinct One deputies were serving a mental health warrant and said Joel Don Casey resisted. Deputies Tasered him 18 times and his hands and feet were bound. The medical examiner said Casey died from psychotic delirium and heart disease that was impacted during the restraint. Nagel won her suit in 2009 and the county appealed, but an appeals court upheld the ruling Tuesday. Laura Weisman , KHOU-TV 06/08/2011 | Read Article: KHOU-TV |
Two Railroad Companies Accused of Price Fixing |
| A lawsuit has been filed against two railroad companies accusing them of conspiring together to drive up the cost of shipping coal and other products. The suit, filed against Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Co. and Union Pacific Railroad Co., claims the companies have been working together since 2003 to "fend off competition for freight services and increase transportation costs." The lawsuit states the companies violated federal antitrust laws and demands they pay triple damages for freight overcharges. Karen Gullo, Bloomberg 06/07/2011 | Read Article: Bloomberg |
San Diego Settles Suit over Motorcycle Death |
| The city of San Diego has agreed to a $1.8 million settlement with a local family over the death of a motorcyclist in April 2009. The lawsuit claimed the city could have prevented the accident by installing a traffic signal at the intersection where the incident occurred. Records show that a dozen accidents occurred at that intersection between 2006 and 2009. Craig Gustafson, San Diego Union Tribune 06/07/2011 | Read Article: San Diego Union Tribune |
Rough and Unwarranted Strip Search Prompts Suit |
| A lawsuit has been filed against employees at a Clay County, Ky. jail over an illegal strip search. The lawsuit claims the plaintiff was subject to a "rough, painful rectal and vaginal cavity search" that was completely unwarranted. The suit also claims the officers used racial slurs toward the plaintiff, and she claims her initial arrest was also unjust. Bill Estep, Lexington Herald-Leader 06/08/2011 | Read Article: Lexington Herald-Leader |
Issues |
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GAO Report Examines Alleged Assaults at VA Facilities |
| The GAO reported that there have been nearly 300 alleged cases of sexual assaults at Veterans Administration facilities over a three-year period through 2010, and that many of the alleged incidents were not reported up the chain of command by VA police. Among the events examined were 67 incidents of alleged rape, 185 incidents of alleged inappropriate touching, eight incidents of alleged forceful medical examinations and 24 other alleged sexual assaults. Nearly two-thirds of the rape allegations were not reported to the VA inspector general as required by VA regulations. In all, 284 sexual assault cases were reported to VA police from January 2007 through July 2010, though not all the cases have been substantiated. Steve Voger, The Washington Post 06/08/2011 | Read Article: The Washington Post |
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