In the wee hours this Sunday morning, a disaster unfolded on a stretch of I-75 just south of Gainesville. A brush fire had begun burning on Saturday afternoon in Paines Prairie Reserve, and consumed approximately 60 acres. The smoke from the brush fires settled into low-lying areas, including the stretch of I-75 that runs through the prairie lands between Micanopy and Gainesville. As midnight … [Read more...]
More Distortions and Distractions From the Chamber of Commerce
January 25, 2012 By
Earlier this month, the US Chamber of Commerce continued its campaign to distort the truth and to distract consumers from the real problems facing the American court system. The Chamber of Commerce is a lobbying group for some of the country’s biggest corporate entities, and devotes much time and energy to various schemes designed to limit consumers’ access to the courts. The most recent spin … [Read more...]
St. Petersburg Police Pursuit Leaves 1 Dead, 6 Injured
January 12, 2012 By
This Tuesday night, St. Petersburg police decided to pursue an individual who was supected of an unarmed purse snatching that had occurred the previous weekend. They knew the suspect’s name and address, but when the car he was a passenger in began to flee, the police did not decide that it would be safer to track him down later at his home. Instead, they began a high speed pursuit during the … [Read more...]
Most Hospital Errors Remain Unreported
January 10, 2012 By
A new study by the Department of Health and Human Services has found that only one out of seven adverse events affecting hospitalized Medicare patients is reported. Adverse events can include bedsores, hospital-acquired infections, medication errors and surgical errors. Despite an initiative by the Obama administration to curb medical errors, the new study finds that adverse events are rarely … [Read more...]
Dangerous Assisted Living Facilities Do Not Deserve State Funds
January 4, 2012 By
Instead of yanking funding from an assisted living facility after an elderly resident died from burns after being left in scalding tub water, the State of Florida imposed a relatively small fine. Later, when it was learned that a caregiver punched a mentally ill resident, at an ALF the State of Florida issued a warning, instead of stopping funding. Similar tales occur commonly in the assisted … [Read more...]
New Trucking Regulations But Same Old Problem
January 3, 2012 By
New trucking regulations implemented by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration have been released, but there's a problem. Just like the old regulations, the new ones permit an 11 hour daily driving limit. Consumer groups had pushed for a 10 hour per day driving limit. More than 4,000 people a year are killed in big truck accidents. Thirty to forty percent of these accidents can be … [Read more...]
