Elijah McClain paramedics convicted, racial biases of AI, expanded marijuana pardons and more
Paramedics who injected Elijah McClain with ketamine convicted of negligent homicide: The Colorado health workers had injected the 140-pound young adult with a dose appropriate for a 200-pound person, contributing to his death. Read CBS News‘ rundown of the trial that concluded Friday.
New FDA-approved test for opioid use disorder looks at “brain reward pathways:” The new test is intended for people considering use of opioids for short-term medical situations like recovery from surgery and may help those prone to opioid addiction understand this quality beforehand. (MedicineNet).
Judge to rule by the new year on Iowa’s book ban: A restriction on “pornographic” books in public schools has been too broadly interpreted by schools to focus too much on LGBTQ+ content, according to an attorney defending the state of Iowa against lawsuit by a family and the ACLU. (Iowa Public Radio).
AI facial recognition duplicates existing biases: A case against the national drugstore chain Rite Aid has highlighted how artificial intelligence duplicates implicit bias by building pre-existing prejudices into algorithms, Forbes writes.
Biden expands pardons for cannabis offenses: The president’s proclamation Friday pardons, for the first time, those with criminal records related to possession on federal properties, reports Marijuana Moment.
(photo credit: The White House through Wikimedia Commons, showing President Joe Biden signing the first marijuana offenses pardon of his term in October 2022.)
TPQC in nationwide spotlight, Byron Allen and BET, Iowa’s book ban
Moline’s TPQC featured in Time article about gender-affirming care and insurance: The Project of the Quad Cities, which began offering gender-affirming care for youth in September, shares with Time Magazine the soaring costs of malpractice insurance in light of growing bans nationwide on gender-affirming care for youth. Read the article here.
Byron Allen seeks to buy BET: The entertainment mogul made a $3.5 billion offer for the BET Media Group that also includes VH-1. Allen’s offer is the second he’s made this year and is inspired this time, The Deadline reports, by Paramount’s plans to sell the Black-identified media company to an investor group.
Iowa schools striving to meet new book ban deadline: “To Kill a Mocking Bird,” “Handmaid’s Tale,” and “Ulysses” are among the books already being removed from Iowa public school libraries as districts try to comply by the new year with a new state law that “bans any books in school libraries that describe or visually depict a sex act,” reports KCRG.
(photo credit: The Project of the Quad Cities landing page for gender-affirming care for youth)
Matthew Shepard stamp campaign, ending HIV/AIDS, and new Illinois Soul 101.1FM
Campaign launched for Matthew Shepard memorial stamp: Heralding the slain Wyoming youth as “an international symbol for acceptance (and) tolerance” for inspiring laws against hate crimes, the Matthew Shepard Foundation earlier this month launched a campaign for a U.S. Postal Services stamp in his honor. (Advocate)
Illinois Public Media to launch black-centric radio station: Illinois Soul 101.1FM, to launch Feb. 1, will feature programming to “connect listeners with relevant issues in the Black community through a mix of NPR news programs and music genres such as jazz, R&B, and gospel.” (Radio Ink)
World governments recommit to ending HIV/AIDS by 2030: Facing a global funding shortfall of $50 million, the UNAIDS coalition of world governments said this week that “fresh thinking and approaches are urgently required” to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by its stated goal of 2030 (Poz Magazine)
(photo credit: jiadoldol on Flickr)
Iowa City grants, Planned Parenthood in southern Illinois, Trump out in Colorado, kindergarten enrollment drops
Racial equity, social justice grant apps in Iowa City due Jan. 4: The city’s Human Rights Commission will award $100,000 in grant funds to groups and businesses focused on “encouraging, empowering, and engaging racial equity and social justice initiatives.” Read more from the City of Iowa City Government.
More abortion services, gender-affirming care in southern Illinois with new Planned Parenthood clinic: The Illinois group raised $40 million to fund the new Carbondale center and says the center “welcomes all patients regardless of their zip code.” (KHQA)
Fewer kids enrolled in kindergarten since pandemic: Home-schooling and the scheduling challenges triggered by entering kindergarten are some of the reasons why its enrollment has dropped nationwide by more than 5 percent since 2019 (The Hechinger Report).
Colorado ruling on Trump likely headed to U.S. Supreme Court: Election law expert Rick Hasen lays out why the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to review Tuesday’s historic ruling taking Trump off of Colorado’s presidential ballot. Read it in Election Law Blog.
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
