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Would Truck Only Lanes Fix Congestion?

May 20 2016

Would Truck Only Lanes Fix Congestion?

“Dedicated truck lanes that are only for trucks should be everywhere. Seriously, that’s the first thing I think of and that should be everywhere, not just even because the ports are going to be congested,” Trish Anderson, 53, a truck driver from Mississippi, said while resting at an Ontario truck stop.

“It would make it easier because you don’t have to deal with all the cars. If it’s all trucks, and everyone’s in the same mindset, you don’t have to dodge traffic.”

With goods movement from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach expected to double in the next decade, logistics industry experts are looking at ways to address an expected tsunami of freight through the region’s already congested freeways and streets.

Twenty-year traffic forecasts, according to an informational post on the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SABBAG) website, indicate that several Southern California freeways, including the 60 and I-15 in San Bernardino County, will experience increases in truck volumes so great, they’ll take up the roadways’ entire capacity.

Dedicated truck toll lanes have been proposed by Southern California transportation officials, but to build them, according to the SANBAG’s online post, the public cost is likely to exceed $5 billion, of which at least $1.2 billion would be for truck lanes within San Bernardino County.

Renee Miri, 60, a truck driver from Michigan, said truckers wouldn’t mind paying tolls for a dedicated truck lane. “Dedicated truck lanes would be great if you had two lanes where you could pass other trucks because trucks always want to pass,” Miri said. “Trucks would probably pay tolls because sometimes it takes us five hours to get out of Los Angeles to Barstow when we pick up in L.A. That’s just nuts.”

“We’re not advocating for specific improvements other than additional capacity to help meet freight demands,” said Will Kempton, executive director of Transportation California and a former director of Caltrans. “Our program is concerned about the conditions of the roadway, and there are suggestions about dedicated truck lanes in terms of toll operations to allow for that.”

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Death Tolls Rise On Anti-Diarrhea Drug

May 18 2016

Death Tolls Rise On Anti-Diarrhea Drug

Death Tolls Rise On Anti-Diarrhea Drug as some people are taking extremely large doses of the anti-diarrhea medication Imodium in an attempt to get high, or to self-treat an addiction to painkillers, in what experts call a dangerous but growing trend.

Although the drug is safe in doses used to treat diarrhea, in large doses it can cause serious side effects, including breathing and heart problems, and even death. A new report describes two cases of people who died after overdosing on Imodium, also called loperamide, which is sold over-the-counter.

Death Tolls Rise On Anti-Diarrhea Drug such as Loperamide that is a opioid drug, meaning it belongs to the same class of drugs as some prescription painkillers. Regular doses of the drug won’t cause a “high” because only a tiny amount gets into the blood stream. But at very large doses, the drug can get into the blood stream and brain, and cause effects similar to those of opioid painkillers, the researchers said.

The new report describes two cases, a 24-year-old man and a 39-year-old man, who took very large doses of loperamide in an attempt to treat their opioid addictions. When the 24-year-old man was found, his heart had stopped beating. The 39-year-old man reportedly gasped for air before collapsing, which suggest that he experienced a sudden irregular heartbeat, the researchers said.

Although both men received emergency medical services at their homes, they died before they got to the hospital, the report said.

“People looking for either self-treatment of withdrawal symptoms [for opioid addiction] or euphoria are overdosing on loperamide with sometimes deadly consequences,” study co-author William Eggleston, a clinical toxicologist at the Upstate New York Poison Center. “Our nation’s growing population of opioid-addicted patients is seeking alternative drug sources, with prescription opioid medication abuse being limited by new legislation and regulations.”

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Synthetic Marijuana Blamed for Man’s Death

May 16, 2016

Synthetic Marijuana

Some 8,000 Spice poisonings were reported in the US last year, which the Guardian calls “one of the drug’s most damaging years since its introduction to the United States almost a decade ago.” In one suspected case, a Mississippi man died after taking a single toke.

Indeed, potency is hard to predict and “the risk of overdosing is high,” reports the Las Cruces Sun-News, which explains that because Spice is typically sold (at gas stations, for instance) as “herbal incense” that is labeled as not for consumption, it’s out of the purview of the FDA and USDA.

Spice is a mix of herbs (shredded plant material) and manmade chemicals with mind-altering effects. It is often called “synthetic marijuana” or “fake weed” because some of the chemicals in it are similar to ones in marijuana; but its effects are sometimes very different from marijuana, and frequently much stronger.

Of the almost 8,000 poisonings from synthetic cannabinoids reported last year, New York claimed 1,729, while Mississippi reported 1,362 with 17 suspected deaths. Overdose symptoms include kidney failure, stroke, irregular heartbeat, violent outbursts, and paranoia, and the Guardian notes that the screening limitations mean confirmed cases typically occur only when epidemiologists get involved.

Because the chemicals used in Spice have a high potential for abuse and no medical benefit, the Drug Enforcement Administration has made many of the active chemicals most frequently found in Spice illegal. However, the people who make these products try to avoid these laws by using different chemicals in their mixtures.

Spice is a new drug and research is only just beginning to measure how it affects the brain. What is known is that the chemicals found in Spice attach to the same nerve cell receptors as THC, the main mind-altering ingredient in marijuana. Some of the chemicals in Spice, however, attach to those receptors more strongly than THC, which could lead to a much stronger and more unpredictable effect.

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FedEX Driver Who Hit California Highway Patrol Officer Arrested for DUI

5/13/16

FedEX Driver Hit Officer Arrested for DUIA FedEx truck driver who struck and seriously injured a California Highway Patrol officer in Sacramento has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Gregory Anthony Ramirez, 41, of San Lorenzo was arrested and charged with driving under the influence at the time of the collision, the CHP said. Ramirez was booked into the Sacramento County Jail for felony driving under the influence, causing injury and possession of a controlled substance. His bail is set at $50,000.

The CHP said Officer Vincent Smith, an 18-year veteran of the agency, remained hospitalized. The officer was trying to move two vehicles off the eastbound lanes of the highway near 15th Street after they had collided just after 3 a.m., the CHP said.

The rear of the officer’s patrol vehicle was mangled by the impact from the FedEx truck, but the officer was on foot when he was hit, according to CHP. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the FedEx truck struck the officer directly or whether it struck only his patrol vehicle, causing it to hit the officer.

It’s the second major Sacramento crash involving a FedEx big rig in several months. In December, the driver of a FedEx tractor-trailer on southbound Interstate 5 lost control in rainy weather and the truck jumped the center divider, striking a northbound vehicle and killing its driver.

“FedEx Ground is committed to safety as our top priority and we hold anyone providing service on our behalf contractually responsible for operating safely and complying with the law. We are fully cooperating with investigating authorities and will take the appropriate action to address this matter,” FedEx spokesperson Davis Westrick said in a statement.

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Teen Dies of Overdose of New Type of Ecstasy Called MasterCard

5/10/16

Ecstasy Called MasterCardAn English teen died after taking a type of ecstasy, called “MasterCard,” according to police officials, who issued a dire warning Monday to anyone considering popping the deadly pills.

The young woman, whose name and age were not immediately released, was found on the brink of death at 5 a.m. Monday morning after partying at a Manchester nightclub called Don’t Let Daddy Know, Metro reported. She later died at a local hospital.

Police she ingested the pill, which is pink and has a circular shape similar to the credit card company’s logo.

“Sadly, we know it is very unlikely that the girl was the only person to have taken this drug last night,” Greater Manchester Police Detective Helen Bell said.

Ecstasy is a popular party drug that gives users a euphoric-like high that can distort time and cause heightened sexual experiences. People who use Ecstasy usually take it as a capsule or tablet, though some swallow it in liquid form or snort the powder.

Ecstasy can affect the body’s ability to regulate spikes in the body temperature, that can occasionally result in liver, kidney, or heart failure, and possibly death. Many users will take a combination of Ecstasy with other drugs and or alcohol not knowing the possible dangers.

“We are appealing to anyone who may have taken this form of ecstasy, known as ‘MasterCard’ to get checked out urgently,” Bell added. “Even if you took it some hours ago, this pill will still be in your system and could be seriously harming your health.”

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Having Problems Quitting Smoking? Heavy Drinking May Be The Reason.

5/4/16

Quitting Smoking

A small study of Polish men revealed that people that are alcohol dependent process nicotine in their bodies quickly, making it harder for them to quit.

In 2011 and 2012, the researchers studied 22 white male smokers at an inpatient alcohol addiction treatment center in Poland. They analyzed participants’ urine samples to gauge nicotine levels and metabolism at one, four and seven weeks after detoxing from alcohol.

“We didn’t measure what was happening when people were drinking, but after they stopped, their elevated rate of nicotine metabolism slowly subsided,” said lead author Noah R. Gubner of the Center for tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco.

“When nicotine metabolism is higher, people tend to have a harder time quitting smoking,” Gubner stated. The speed of nicotine processing declined by about half over the seven-week period, even though the men did not change how many cigarettes they were smoking per day.

The results might be useful for helping recovering alcoholics quit smoking, they add. More research is needed to know if nicotine replacement therapy is more effective after people stop heavy drinking, however. The researchers write in Drug and Alcohol Dependence that heavy alcohol use may trigger the enzyme in the body primarily responsible for metabolizing nicotine. And faster nicotine processing could explain the poor rates of quitting smoking among people who are alcohol dependent.
 Quitting alcohol and quitting smoking are complicated undertakings, and nicotine and alcohol could have some synergistic effects on reward and pleasure, Gubner said. Also, heavy drinking can affect decision-making, including the decision to smoke less or not at all.
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CSX Freight Train Derails

5/2/16

CSX Freight Train Derails

A huge CSX train car plowed into the car in front of it early Sunday, resulting in the cars veering off the tracks and on top of each other.

CSX crews continued to clear rail cars from tracks near the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station Monday, a day after a freight train crashed off the tracks and spilled hazardous material.

The derailment near Rhode Island Avenue and 9th Street NE about 6:40 a.m. Sunday spilled three chemicals onto the tracks, forcing the closure of the Metro station and causing disruptions to Amtrak and MARC service.

Sixteen cars slammed off the tracks near a heavily populated neighborhood. No injuries were reported, and the chemicals pose no immediate danger to the public, D.C. Assistant Fire Chief John Donnelly and CSX spokeswoman Kristin Seay said.

“The safety of the community, first responders and CSX employees remains our priority,” Seay said in a statement. About 750 gallons of sodium hydroxide, more commonly known as lye, leaked from one of the derailed tanker cars, CSX said. Another derailed car leaked a non-hazardous calcium chloride solution. A third car seeped ethanol, a fuel additive.

The cause of the derailment was not immediately clear. The 175-car train with 94 loaded cars was en route to Hamlet, North Carolina, from Cumberland, Maryland. CSX said Monday that 16 cars were affected, not the 15 the company previously reported.

Once the rail cars are moved, CSX crews will lay new track and then dig up and haul away soil contaminated by the chemicals. The CSX operation center is expected to remain near the derailment site through at least Thursday. Cleanup work will continue around the clock. The investigation into the cause of the derailment may not be complete until next year, officials said.

 

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14 Year-old Left Blinded After E-Cigarette Explodes

April 23, 2016

14 Year-old Blinded E-Cigarette Explodes

A 14-year-old has been blinded in one eye and potentially faces permanent damage to his hands after allegedly testing an e-cigarette at a mall kiosk in Brooklyn, New York. The latest in a string of similar incidents, the teenager’s injury may raise questions over the safety of the devices as well as how much they are marketed to youth.

Adolescents who try e-cigarettes may be more than twice as likely to move on to smoking conventional cigarettes as those who have never tried the devices, previous research has found. About 2 million middle and high-school students tried e-cigarettes in 2014, triple the number of teen users in 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last year.

Many U.S. states already ban sales of e-cigarettes to minors, but vendors need clear guidelines to follow for preventing underage purchases to make these policies more effective, said Adam Leventhal, director of the University of Southern California Health, Emotion and Addiction Laboratory in Los Angeles.

“In addition to the health hazards of vaping nicotine, other forms of nicotine ingestion like swallowing can be deadly,” Leventhal said. “The high concentration of nicotine in some e-liquids if swallowed or absorbed into the body through other means is toxic, especially for infants and toddlers, who may be the siblings of older children who might be purchasing e-liquids and not aware of such hazards.”

Leor Domatov said he was trying out an e-cigarette at the Plaza Vapes kiosk in Brooklyn’s Kings Plaza Mall when it exploded in his hands and face. Domatov, who is only 14, wouldn’t have legally been able to buy one of the products because state and local law forbids the sale of e-cigarettes to minors. Domatov’s father hired Marc Freund, a partner at Lipsig, Shapey, Manus and Moverman, to reportedly sue the kiosk owner and mall.

Employees at the kiosk reportedly distribute promotional cards advertising the company’s Instagram account and packaging that resemble popular breakfast cereals. The employee who allowed Domatov to test the e-cigarette had only been on her second day at the job.

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Orlando to Consider Decriminalizing Small Amounts of Marijuana

April 18, 2016

Orlando Decriminalizing MarijuanaOrlando Mayor Buddy Dyer discussed a possible new civil citation process for misdemeanor violations that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. Dyer, along with Orlando Police Chief John Mina and Organize Now, talked about the issue at a news conference at City Hall.

The process, which also will be discussed at a City Council meeting Monday afternoon, would decriminalize possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, allowing officers to issue citations, rather than make arrests. Under the new proposal, anyone found with 20 grams of the drug or less would not be arrested if it was a first offense. Instead, they would only get a ticket, starting at $50. Fines would increase, and a possible court hearing would be mandated, for repeat offenders. The city of Tampa and Volusia County both approved similar ordinances last month.

Supporters say it would give a lot of people a second chance and prevent them from ending up with a criminal record. Currently the charge for cannabis possession is a criminal offense and can result in jail time of up to a year.

“The third option is not as harsh as an arrest, which can result in jail time and the possibility of lifelong criminal record, but it still holds the offender responsible for their behavior,” Dyer said.

Of the 43,000 Orange County Jail bookings last year, about 6,700 were related to drug possession and, of those, only a few hundred were for misdemeanor marijuana possession.

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Court Date Set for Co-Pilot Suspected of Being Intoxicated

April 14, 2016

Co-Pilot Being IntoxicatedBack in March an American Airlines Co-Pilot was arrested on the tarmac as passengers looked on after failing a breathalyzer test. The flight was about to leave the Detroit Metropolitan airport was headed to Philadelphia, was immediately canceled.

A Transportation Security Agent was the first person to witness the pilot acting suspiciously. Minutes before the flight was scheduled to take off, the airport police were contacted. The co-pilot reportedly failed the initial onsite breathalyzer test. The co-pilot also reportedly failed a second test after being arrested.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said that John Maguire will be arraigned and have a pre-trial hearing May 11 in Romulus, where the airport is located. He’s been charged with operating under the influence of alcohol stemming from the March 26 incident. Authorities say he had a blood-alcohol level twice the legal limit.

FAA rules state that “no person may operate or attempt to operate an aircraft” within eight hours of having consumed alcohol or “with a blood alcohol content of 0.04 percent or greater.” The agency recommends that pilots wait 24 hours from the last use of alcohol before flying.

Defense attorney Frank Manley says he’s taking the case “very seriously” and doing “everything necessary to protect the public and Capt. Maguire.” Manley adds his client “has an outstanding record as a professional pilot.”

“This is a serious matter and we are assisting local law enforcement and the Federal Aviation Administration with the investigation,” American Airlines said in a statement. “We will handle this matter appropriately as the safety and care of our customers and employees is our highest priority.”

Related Article

Pilot Arrested After Failing Breathalyzer

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