Health and Public Safety

December 11, 2006 - A report by West Virginia investigators into the cause of the blast that killed 12 miners at the Sago Mine in January was supposed to be released today, but that release has been delayed after victims' relatives expressed dissatisfaction with the reports findings, CNN reports:

December 4, 2006 - The Environmental Protection Agency has begun closing some of its scientific libraries, effectively preventing scientists and the public from accessing essential information on toxic pollution, according to an action alert from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

November 29, 2006 - Earlier today, I reported on the 600,000 kids in 17 states that are at risk of losing health insurance, thanks to a $921 million shortfall in federal spending for the Children's Health Insurance Program.

November 29, 2006 - The State Children's Health Insurance Program, by most measures, has been a big success. Jointly funded by states and the federal government, SCHIP now covers over 4 million kids, most of whom otherwise wouldn't have access to health care.

November 24, 2006 - Farmers across the South stand to lose millions of dollars as a result of a North Carolina biotech firm's quest to genetically modify rice -- and now the company is blaming the farmers and God for the crisis.

October 25, 2006 - North Carolina communities with significant numbers of people of color are more than twice as likely to be located near landfills and other solid waste facilities, according to new research from UNC-Chapel Hill. It was the first study of its kind to be conducted in the state, where controversy has been building recently over the siting of such facilities.

October 23, 2006 - McDonald's has cooked up a deal with Hummer, and public health and environmental advocates aren't "lovin' it." Here's how a new parody website launched by the Environmental Working Group starts: