Amazon Takes an Early Loss in New York Covid-19 Safety Suit
A Manhattan judge sided with the New York attorney general, denying Amazon’s bid to transfer a pandemic worker safety suit to Brooklyn.
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safety
US Soccer, MLS and NWSL to Test Concussion Substitutes
U.S. Soccer, Major League Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League are joining a trial program that will allow teams two additional substitutes for suspected concussions in each match.
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Some Businesses Want Masks On, Even as States Drop Mandates
Eighteen states currently have no mask requirements, including some that have never made face coverings mandatory, but many business owners are keeping their own rules in place.
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Electronic Shark Deterrents Can Save Lives (of Sharks Too)
Systematic use of electronic devices designed to repel sharks could prevent more than 1,000 people from being bitten by the apex predators in Australian waters over the next five decades, researchers said Wednesday.
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Federal Judge Orders Pause of California Lawsuits Over Cancer Warning Labels
Citing contradicting scientific evidence concerning the danger of the chemical acrylamide found commonly in junk food, the judge ordered a pause of new lawsuits against food companies that claim the warning labels mislead consumers and violate the First Amendment.
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No One Happy About Venue in Amazon Safety Suit
While the New York attorney general wants the case in Manhattan Supreme, Amazon says she should have thought of that before she “copy and pasted” a suit that the retail behemoth already faces in Brooklyn Fed.
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Popcorn Machine Nixed at North Dakota Capitol After Alarms
A popcorn machine has been removed from the North Dakota Capitol after it twice triggered fire alarms that brought firefighters to the building this week and caused legislators to evacuate.
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CDC Updates School Desk Guidance: 3 Feet Apart, With Masks
The agency says it reexamined its rule on 6 feet of social distancing that had been clearly burdensome for schools to implement.
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Instagram Boosts Child-Protection Tools, Including Age Prediction
Facebook-owned Instagram unveiled technology Tuesday aimed at preventing underage children from creating accounts and blocking adults from contacting young users they don’t know.
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Schools Weighing Whether to Seat Students Closer Together
U.S. guidelines that say students should be kept 6 feet apart in schools are receiving new scrutiny from federal health experts, state governments and education officials working to return as many children as possible to the classroom.
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Major European Nations Suspend Use of AstraZeneca Vaccine
Italy’s medicines regulator on Monday announced the precautionary, temporary ban on using AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine amid new reports of people developing dangerous blood clots after taking the shot.
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Mask Mandate
A Texas district court judge refused to grant Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request for a temporary injunction to block the city of Austin and Travis County’s mask mandate, saying the state hadn’t given local officials enough time to prepare their case. The judge will hear arguments on the AG’s request on March 26. Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently lifted the state’s requirement that masks be worn in public.
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Embracing Philadelphia’s Dark Side: Birders Push for a Change in Lighting
When bird-migration patterns turn the skies into a highway, brightly lit buildings give way to airborne roadkill. A group of nature enthusiasts hope local businesses will opt to change that.
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Covid in Jail
A class of San Diego County Jail inmates accuse Sheriff William Gore of refusing to release low-risk offenders who are at high risk of contracting the Covid-19 virus and failing to follow CDC guidelines for handling prisoners.
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Alaska Senate Takes Action Against Member Over Virus Rules
The Alaska Senate voted Wednesday to allow leadership to restrict access to the Capitol by Republican Sen. Lora Reinbold, who fellow lawmakers say has refused to follow measures meant to guard against Covid-19.
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Covid Safety
The San Francisco County Superior Court rejected the National Retail Federation, the Western Growers Association and other retail and agricultural industry groups’ requests for an injunction to block the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board from enforcing safety measures adopted to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
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Lawyers Urge Uniformity in Courts’ Pandemic Response
Remote technology use and pandemic safety measures lack uniformity across California courts, Tuesday’s state legislative hearing revealed.
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Amazon Hit With New Worker-Safety Claims in New York
Just a week ago, the online retail giant had filed suit to block the investigations supporting the New York attorney general’s latest filing.
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Tesla to Fix Touch Screens, Ending Spat With US Regulators
After initially refusing a request from U.S. safety regulators, Tesla has now agreed to recall about 135,000 vehicles because the large touch screens on the console can go dark.
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Immigrant Worker Advocates Demand Changes After Deadly Leak at Poultry Plant
After a deadly liquid nitrogen leak inside a Georgia poultry plant Thursday, legislators and worker advocacy groups called for changes to federal policies which they say prevented the plant’s many undocumented workers from getting necessary health care.
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