Jill Replogle is a researcher-reporter for FairWarning.
Good news for fearful fliers: serious runway incursions -- that is, near accidents -- were cut in half in the U.S. over the past fiscal year. Six serious runway incursions took place at the nation's airports in the 12-month period that ended Sept. 30, versus 12 the previous year, the [...]
After the West Virginia mine disaster in April that took 29 lives, the Obama administration launched a $23 million effort to improve enforcement of safety rules in the industry. In particular, it sought to reduce the two-year backlog of safety citations being appealed by mine operators. That initiative, however, is [...]
A panel looking into sudden acceleration hazards with cars and trucks made by Toyota Motor Corp. and other auto companies was told Monday by an academic expert that the risk of dying in a crash while driving a recalled Toyota is minimal, The Detroit News reports. Paul Fischbeck, a Carnegie [...]
Hans Petersen took a deadly misstep in April while checking his work on a rooftop solar power installation atop a Northern California public housing complex.
Have you ever wondered how federal regulators decide to push a mass recall of something like kids jewelry, toys or another product for children? A report by the Associated Press opens a window on the decision-making process at the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Through a Freedom of Information Act request, the AP [...]
If you use food stamps, some purchases are off-limits, including cigarettes and booze. New York City is seeking permission to add another no-no to that list: soda and other sugared drinks. The New York Times reports that the city, in a bid to combat obesity and related illnesses, has requested [...]
Supporting breast cancer awareness and research can be as easy as buying a bottle of pink vodka, as alcohol companies join other marketers in giving a portion of their proceeds to the charitable cause. But can you square that with the fact that alcohol contributes to breast cancer? The American [...]
Many youths held in juvenile detention centers are being given potent antipsychotic drugs generally intended to treat bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, even though they have not been diagnosed with either problem, according to an investigation by Youth Today. The investigation focused on five states that provided comprehensive information about their spending [...]
As flu season approaches, a study suggests somewhere the germ-wary might want to avoid: restaurants. In a national survey of 4,323 waiters, chefs and sandwich makers, 63 percent said they went to work ill within the past year. The survey is part of the report, "Serving While Sick," which was [...]
A medical device firm and its parent company have agreed to plead guilty and pay about $24 million for illegally testing bone cement on about 200 spinal patients, three of whom died in surgery, the Associated Press reports. The medical device company, Norian Corp., a subsidiary of Synthes Inc., will be sold [...]
Federal authorities are investigating whether major pharmaceutical firms are bribing foreign officials to try to win speedier drug approvals and boost their sales overseas, The Wall Street Journal reports. The newspaper reported that companies including Merck & Co., AstraZeneca PLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and GlaxoSmithKline PLC have recently disclosed that they [...]
Six months after an explosion killed seven workers at a Tesoro Corp. oil refinery in Washington, state regulators are seeking a fine of nearly $2.4 million from the company. The Washington Department of Labor & Industries said in a news release that the deadly April explosion "could have been prevented" and that the Texas-based company [...]
If you head into a bar in Tennessee, you no longer have to leave your loaded pistol behind. The state recently passed a law explicitly allowing loaded guns in bars, joining Arizona, Georgia and Virginia in permitting the weapon-toting practice. The development reflects, The New York Times reports, a new [...]
For the second time within two weeks, a crash involving a 15-passenger van used for a church trip has led to multiple deaths. Research has shown that these vehicles become less stable and more dangerous when loaded with 10 or more people. In the latest incident, a Georgia pastor and [...]
Haze, smoke and car exhaust may contribute to adult diabetes, even at pollution levels within federal limits, a recent large-scale study suggests. The study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, was conducted by researchers from Children's Hospital Boston. They evaluated adult diabetes rates and data from the Environmental Protection Agency [...]