Health

October 15, 2019

Alzheimer's research: The setup and setbacks

A select timeline of research, discovery, salesmanship and spending. Said Zaven Khachaturian, a former director of Alzheimer's research at the National Institute on Aging: 'Every major pharmaceutical company put money into the amyloid idea, and they all failed because the idea was flawed ... It became gradually an infallible belief system ... that's not very healthy for science when scientists ... accept an idea as infallible. That's when you run into problems.'

October 15, 2019

The invention of a disease and the pursuit of one molecule

In the 1970s, the founder of the National Institute on Aging convinced a nation that senility was really Alzheimer's and could be cured. Research money flowed to one theory, leaving alternatives unexamined — today it's come up short.

September 17, 2019

As concerns rise over youth vaping, Juul quickly puts together an army of lobbyists

With state and federal governments looking to restrict vaping, the nation's largest e-cigarette maker pushed back with a multimillion-dollar advocacy campaign.

February 7, 2019

In cities on the Great Lakes, water pipes are crumbling and poor people are paying the price

Americans are struggling to afford their rising water bills, and thousands of poor families have had their service shut off. This growing crisis has a dark irony: It's especially acute in a region where water is most abundant — the Great Lakes.

November 5, 2018

Missouri leads the country in removing voters for 'mental incapacity'

People placed in adult guardianship can lose their right to vote, and in Missouri, this happens far more than in any other state.

September 17, 2018

Most states have done little to stop e-cigarette use among kids despite risk of nicotine addiction

Only 13 states are spending to stop vaping among teens. Others blame lack of funding, despite billions from the tobacco settlement over the years. Meanwhile, the FDA has begun to move against makers and sellers.

July 24, 2018

Cops' psychological testing cited in lawsuit

Family: Minneapolis didn't properly assess mental fitness of officers involved in daughter's death.

January 31, 2018

Minneapolis increases psychological testing for police officers

The city's police department has hired a new psychologist to improve the way it screens recruits after an APM Reports investigation revealed that its procedures didn't meet national standards.

December 20, 2017

Some states training police to use words, not guns

A follow up to an APM Reports investigation finds that five additional states have mandated de-escalation training for officers, bringing the total to only 21.

December 14, 2017

Minneapolis police recruits get less psychological testing than they used to

The protocol is less rigorous than best practices nationally and the evaluator lacked the proper license. Police leaders are moving to replace him for another reason: They believe he screened out too many minority candidates.

May 5, 2017

Most states neglect ordering police to learn de-escalation tactics to avoid shootings

In 34 states, training decisions are left to local agencies. Most, though, conduct no, or very little, de-escalation training. Chiefs cite cost, lack of staff, and a belief that the training isn't needed.

May 5, 2017

Three case studies: When police untrained in de-escalation shoot unarmed people

A review of 31 cases shows more than half of officers involved had fewer than two hours of training past five years.

$EPA reverses course, highlights fracking contamination of drinking water$

December 13, 2016

EPA reverses course, highlights fracking contamination of drinking water

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today issued a final report on the connection between hydraulic fracturing and contamination in drinking water. After stressing in June 2015 that there was no "widespread, systematic impact" on water, the agency now is emphasizing that fracking can affect drinking water under some circumstances.

$EPA's late changes to fracking study downplayed risk of polluted drinking water$

November 30, 2016

EPA's late changes to fracking study downplayed risk of polluted drinking water

Early versions highlighted contaminated drinking water and vulnerabilities from fracking. The final version turned out differently: Fracking had not "led to widespread, systemic impacts." Oil and gas cheered the findings.

May 12, 2007

A Burden to Be Well

The effects of mental illness are well documented. But until recently, there has been little said about the siblings of the mentally ill. Now researchers are starting to look at the "well-sibling" syndrome.

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