Extra Extra
FDA’s medical experts had industry ties
“Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration convened a committee of medical experts to weigh new evidence concerning the potential dangers in popular birth control pills including Bayer AG’s Yaz and Yasmin. The committee concluded by a four-vote margin that the benefits of drugs with drospirenone, the synthetic hormone in question, outweigh the risks.…
Read MoreRisks and benefits vary for citizens along Keystone XL route
“If the Keystone XL oil pipeline were approved today, residents in the six states along its route would not receive equal treatment from TransCanada, the company that wants to build the project.“ “In Kansas, for example, lawmakers gave TransCanada a 10-year tax exemption, which means the state won’t receive any property tax revenue from the…
Read MorePartisan candidates treated differently in Virginia
This month, members of the General Assembly are gathering in Richmond, while “legislators are buzzing about the exclusion of four major Republican candidates from the presidential preference ballot in Virginia on Super Tuesday.” “Missing in that conversation is any discussion of a loophole that gives political parties power to say whether or not candidates have…
Read MoreDrug trial research often concealed
John Fauber of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that “drug research, even from clinical trials sponsored by the federal government, routinely is suppressed, harming patients and increasing health care costs, according to new data highlighting an ethical controversy that continues to plague the field of medicine.” “The current situation is a disservice to research participants,…
Read MoreEmergency managers overpaid in cash-strapped community
An investigation by the Flint Journal in Michigan reveals that several state-appointed emergency managers are being paid six figure salaries. Residents of the “cash-strapped” communities question the high salaries, and many have sued the state. “By law, the pay of Michigan’s five emergency managers — ranging from $132,000 to $250,000 — is set by the…
Read MorePolice raking in thousands for questionable overtime
“The call it “piling on”: Police officers, looking to pad their paychecks with overtime, add their names to arrest reports and other investigative paperwork, no matter how minor their role. Then, when a case arises in court, they get called to testify – and possibly paid overtime.” The Philadelphia Inquirer has learned that this could…
Read MoreMillions paid to influential chairman
Accounting by the Journal Sentinel and MedPage Today shows that a University of Wisconsin-Madison chairman has received more than $25 million in royalties from Medtronic, a medical device firm, since 2003. “Additionally, UW Hospital spent $27 million for Medtronic spinal products from 2004 to 2010, according to documents obtained through an open records request. And…
Read MoreBeer tax money in UT not always used accordingly
“A review by The Salt Lake Tribune has found that perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars of Utah’s beer tax money have been diverted to other causes or rolled into everyday city or county activities in. In some cases, the recipients seemingly stretched the interpretation of the statute to justify how they spent the money.…
Read MoreCPS returns child; makes fatal mistake
“Case files from Sacramento County Child Protective Services, recently obtained by The Sacramento Bee show how a two-year old girl died. However, the records do not explain how the agency made the decision to return the child to care that led to her death.“ After countless reports of abuse and neglect, including 8 missed doctor’s…
Read MoreCO teachers union receives millions in subsidies
“Taxpayers in Colorado’s largest school districts have spent more than $5.8 million during the past five years to subsidize the activities of local teachers unions. The expenses resulted from years of agreements that require tax money to pay for everything from full-time union leaders’ salaries and benefits to providing leave for some teachers to attend…
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