May
New bill bans texting while driving; but is it enough?
May 8, 2012Governor Robert Bentley is expected to sign a bill banning texting while driving on Tuesday. The signing will take place at a ceremony held outside the state capitol. Under the new law, sending text messages, instant messages, and emails while driving a vehicle will be punishable by small fines—from $25 for a first offense to [...]
May
New attempts made to educate drivers on dangers of distracted driving
May 6, 2012As concern over distracted driving—driving while texting, talking on a cell phone, eating, or engaging in any other activity that diverts a driver’s attention—continues to grow, law enforcement agencies have taken to holding educational presentations aimed at encouraging drivers to stay focused on the road. The Madison County’s Sheriff’s Office will be offering such sessions [...]
Apr
Mad cow identified in American dairy animal
April 26, 2012The case of American mad cow disease reported Tuesday by the Department of Agriculture was the first in six years. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack maintained that the California dairy cow was never introduced into the food supply, either human or animal. The infection was discovered during routine, random testing mandated by the USDA. The variant [...]
Apr
Former Alabama football player settles with student
April 24, 2012Rolando McClain, a former Alabama football player and current member of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, has reached a settlement with Stanford Matthew Mangham over a 2008 incident in which McClain allegedly struck Mangham with a vehicle. Mangham’s claims also included allegations of physical assault. According to Mangham, McClain hit the Alabama student twice on November [...]
Apr
Merck assessed additional fine in Vioxx case
April 23, 2012Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. has been ordered to pay a $321.6 million criminal fine for marketing the painkiller Vioxx for rheumatoid arthritis before the Food and Drug Administration had approved the medication for that use. The fine, ordered by US District Judge Patti B. Saris, will be added to a $628 million civil settlement [...]
Apr
Report: FDA to strengthen ongoing evaluation of drugs
April 23, 2012According to a news release from the Food and Drug Administration, a new report by the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) outlines a shift in the agency’s approach to evaluating drug safety, subjecting those approved, “postmarket” drugs to the same level of scrutiny as “premarket” drugs that have not yet received approval. [...]
Apr
Homeowners association may be liable in Trayvon Martin case
April 12, 2012George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who admitted to the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Zimmerman may be civilly as well as criminally liable for Martin’s death, depending on the outcome of his trial; according to David Ovalle of The Miami Herald, Zimmerman is expected to [...]
Apr
Toxins found in mislabeled nail products
April 11, 2012California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control issued a report on Tuesday detailing the results of an investigation into the presence of the so-called “toxic trio” in several supposedly non-toxic brands of nail polish. The three chemicals—toluene, dibutyl phthalate, and formaldehyde—have been associated with birth defects and other chronic ailments. The investigation detected toluene in 10 [...]
Apr
FDA mandates additional warning labels for synthetic hormone used in birth control
April 11, 2012In the past, hormonal birth control—the pill, for example—contained natural hormones, most commonly estrogen and progestin. Hormonal contraception prevents pregnancy by using these hormones, in essence, to trick the body into behaving as though it is already pregnant; as a result, ovulation does not occur. Anyone who has taken birth control pills, or used any [...]
Apr
Children’s bicycle carrier seat recalled
April 6, 2012The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of the Topeak Babyseat II Bicycle Carrier Seat, a popular model sold at such stores as REI, J&B Imports, and Action and Hawley, among others. The recall was prompted by a serious design flaw that could cause lacerations or partial amputations of the user’s finger. [...]
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