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Bounce-house rentals not all fun and games
“As children’s birthday parties ballooned into themed events and pricey productions in recent years, bounce houses became must-have entertainment for some parents. But as the bounce house rental business has grown locally, so have the number of unlicensed operators. At least 170 of these businesses advertise their services in the Houston region, but only 30…
Read MoreThousands of physicians still practicing despite misconduct
The nation’s state medical boards continue to allow thousands of physicians to keep practicing medicine after findings of serious misconduct that puts patients at risk, a USA TODAY investigation shows. Many of the doctors have been barred by hospitals or other medical facilities; hundreds have paid millions of dollars to resolve malpractice claims. Yet their…
Read MoreEven Small Amounts of Precipitation Dump Raw Sewage into Potomac River
Don’t believe the signs city officials have posted at the four outfall spots that dump raw sewage into the Potomac River. The truth is much worse.
Read MoreExtra Extra Monday: Mentally ill inmates, sex predators unleashed, civil liberties violations
Sex Predators Unleashed | Sun-Sentinel“Another child is dead. This time, a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl, a year younger than Jimmy Ryce. A 1999 law passed after Jimmy was raped and murdered at age 9 is meant to protect Floridians from sex offenders by keeping the most dangerous locked up after they finish their prison sentences. But…
Read MoreTaken
A New Yorker article states: “The basic principle behind asset forfeiture is appealing. It enables authorities to confiscate cash or property obtained through illicit means, and, in many states, funnel the proceeds directly into the fight against crime. But the system has also given rise to corruption and violations of civil liberties. Over the past…
Read MoreNew York Promised Help for Mentally Ill Inmates — But Still Sticks Many in Solitary
“In New York, inmates diagnosed with ‘serious’ disorders should be protected from solitary confinement. But since that policy began, the number of inmates diagnosed with such disorders has dropped,” according to a ProPublica report.
Read MoreCostly perk forces DWP to shell out extra if it gives work to outside contractors
The Los Angeles Times reports: “It’s no secret Los Angeles Department of Water and Power employees are paid well. But a little-known clause in their union contract ensures they can work extra hours and collect even higher wages when private contractors are hired to help them get the job done.”
Read MoreLocked in Terror
The Fresno Bee reports: “The Fresno County Jail has been a place of terror and despair for mentally ill inmates who spiral deeper into madness because jail officials withhold their medication. About one in six jail inmates is sick enough to need antipsychotic drugs to control schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and other psychiatric conditions, but many…
Read MoreVictims’ Dilemma: 911 Calls Can Bring Eviction
“Aiming to save neighborhoods from blight and to ease burdens on the police, municipalities have adopted ordinances requiring landlords to weed out disruptive tenants,” The New York Times reports.
Read MorePortland drug informant’s cases fall apart after questions about his credibility, whereabouts
“Police and prosecutors say checks-and-balances ensure the integrity of the system. But defense attorneys — whose clients faced years in prison because of Jackson’s work — say police wasted thousands in taxpayer dollars putting so much faith in a dubious undercover source,” The Oregonian reports.
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