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Dozens in 16 states charged with health care fraud schemes, including $1.9B in bogus claims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and TOM MURPHY (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has charged dozens of people in several health care fraud and prescription drug schemes, including one totaling $1.9 billion and a doctor accused of ordering fake ankle braces for a patient whose leg had been amputated, officials said Wednesday.The scheme involving the submission of nearly $2 billion in bogus claims is one of the largest health care fraud cases ever brought by the Justice Department, the agency said. It’s one of several announced as part of a crackdown in states around the country. In total, 78 people in 16 states were charged in a series of separate cases, which also included an alleged scheme to buy back HIV medication from patients and then resell the pills.The defendants targeted vulnerable people and used the money they made to buy exotic cars, jewelry and yachts, federal investigators said. The federal government seized millions of dollars in cash, autom...

Smoke from Canada wildfires is increasing health risks in Black and poorer US communities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Smoky air from Canada’s wildfires shrouded broad swaths of the U.S. from Minnesota to Pennsylvania and Kentucky on Wednesday, prompting warnings to stay inside and exacerbating health risks for people already suffering from industrial pollution.The impacts are particularly hard on poor and minority communities that are more likely to live near polluting plants and have higher rates of asthma. Detroit, a mostly Black city with a poverty rate of about 30%, had the worst air quality in the U.S. on Wednesday, leading the Environmental Protection Agency to warn that “everyone should stay indoors.”“The more breaths you’re taking, you’re inhaling, literally, a fire, camp smoke, into your lungs,” said Darren Riley, who was diagnosed with asthma in 2018, a few years after arriving in Detroit.“Many communities face this way too often,” said Riley, who is Black. “And while this wildfire smoke allows, unfortunately, many people to feel this burden, this is a burden that far too l...

Poor air quality from wildfires upends summer activities new reality sets in

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

Canadian wildfires triggered dangerous plumes of smoke and air pollution in parts of the country Wednesday, forcing many people to avoid the outdoors as poor air quality warnings cancelled some mail deliveries and curbed school recesses and sports training.A slew of disruptions followed special air quality statements from Environment Canada impacting large regions of central Canada, much of it stemming from forest fires over northeastern Ontario and Quebec.The agency said “high risk” conditions were not expected to improve in some areas until Thursday when air quality was still forecasted to pose “moderate risk” in much of Ontario. It all pointed to another day of a recommended moratorium on neighbourhood jogs and playground visits, especially for those with lung or heart disease, older adults and children who are at higher risk of adverse health effects.Ontario’s chief medical officer Dr. Kieran Moore suggested people get into the daily habit of checki...

The largest US banks would survive a severe recession, the Fed’s ‘stress tests’ show

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s 23 largest banks passed the Federal Reserve’s so-called stress tests this year, a sign that the nation’s banking system remains resilient despite the recent banking crisis that led to the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic Bank. The Fed’s report issued Wednesday did show some relative weakness among the midsize banks and “super regional” banks, with some getting a passing grade with a smaller cushion than usual. Those results could raise eyebrows among investors and policymakers. Fed policymakers also hinted that they could make the tests harder in future iterations, due to the banking crisis earlier this year.“We should remain humble about how risks can arise and continue our work to ensure that banks are resilient to a range of economic scenarios, market shocks, and other stresses,” said Michael Barr, the Fed’s vice chair for supervision, in a statement. The “stress tests” have be...

Nursing homes accused of mistreating residents, misusing $83 million in lawsuit from New York AG

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The operators of four nursing homes in New York misused more than $83 million in government funds and neglected residents, including some who were malnourished or were left to sit for hours in their own urine and feces, state Attorney General Letitia James said in a lawsuit Wednesday. The lawsuit filed in Manhattan accuses owners and operators of Centers Health Care of using Medicaid and Medicare funds to enrich themselves, their relatives and associates instead of for the care of the residents. James claims understaffing at the homes contributed to neglect.“Residents were left alone and on their own, often unaided and unsupervised, leading to dangerous falls and broken bones. Residents lived in squalor, surrounded by neglected food trays, vermin and the smell of human waste,” James said at a news conference held with residents’ relatives.The spokesperson for Centers Health Care did not immediately comment.The four homes in the lawsuit are Beth Abraham Center for...

Collision conference working to amplify Indigenous voices in the tech space

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

The annual Collision conference taking place this week in Toronto is working to amplify Indigenous voices and start-ups in the tech space.Over 120 people have been invited through the Indigenous Attendee Program which aims to take an equitable approach to increasing the representation of Indigenous peoples in the technology.Community Manager for the Collision Conference, Katie Bolgar, said they have been building their presence within the Indigenous tech space for the past couple of years.“It’s really important for us to gently question our world that serves Indigenous tech space better,” said said Bolgar.The program, which provides free tickets and bursaries to cover travel and accommodation for up to 10 start-ups, was put in place to remove any barriers that exist for Indigenous groups.“I think we found we learned that representation was nowhere near what it’s supposed to be. Technically given that Toronto is our home so for us it was very much commun...

Florida inmate gets 1 year and 3 months in federal prison for threatening to kill judge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida state prison inmate already serving a three-decade sentence will serve an additional one year and three months in federal prison for threatening to kill a federal judge and his family.Curtis Brown, 35, was sentenced Tuesday in Jacksonville federal court, according to court records. He pleaded guilty in December to threatening to murder a federal judge in retaliation for performing his official duties and to mailing a threatening letter.According to court documents, Brown was serving a sentence for drug trafficking in the Florida State Prison in Raiford in November 2021 when he sent a handwritten letter to a federal judge’s chambers. The letter stated that the judge’s “recent refusal to grant warranted relief” gave Brown no other choice but to use his federal stimulus money to pay for someone to kill the judge.The letter stated that if Brown could not get to the judge in time, then Brown would settle for a member of the judge’s family, prosecutors ...

Controversial Cayman Islands legislator and former premier charged with rape and indecent assault

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A controversial legislator and former premier of the Cayman Islands was charged Wednesday with rape and indecent assault, according to authorities.McKeeva Bush pleaded not guilty to charges that police said stem from an incident in 2000. Police issued no other comment aside from a brief press release noting that the “senior politician” appeared in court via Zoom.Bush told The Associated Press in a statement that he rejected, denied and pleaded not guilty to what he called “this evil plot” and “malicious accusation.”“All I have to say in relation to this, the latest in the series of malicious charges against me is the “Truth will come out,” he wrote. “This is done by someone I have never had any contact with.”The arrest was the former premier’s most recent brush with the law.Bush was investigated and found not guilty nearly a decade ago on charges including theft and abuse of office. He also pleaded not guilty to groping a female employee at a casino in F...

Shortening of internet gambling future stuns Atlantic City casinos

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Atlantic City’s casinos are trying to understand why New Jersey lawmakers plan to drastically shorten the length of time that internet gambling can continue to be conducted in the state.In a move made without public announcement or debate, a state Assembly panel on Tuesday amended a bill that would have extended New Jersey’s internet gambling law, which was set to expire this year, for another 10 years. Instead, the panel shortened that time frame to just two years.No explanation was given, and top Democratic leaders did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday and Wednesday. It is unclear when a final vote might be held.There was some speculation among Atlantic City casino and political officials that the move might represent potential leverage over the city in terms of possibly raising the amount of gambling taxes collected by the state in the future. That rate is 8% on in-person winnings from gamblers at casinos, 13% for online sports bet...

Eby ‘profoundly worried’ as B.C. port union issues strike notice covering 7,400 staff

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

VANCOUVER — Federal ministers and British Columbia Premier David Eby are urging the province’s port workers and employers to find a way to avert job action after the workers’ union issued a 72-hour strike notice and said its members were ready to walk out on Saturday.The strike notice issued Wednesday by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada affects about 7,400 terminal cargo loaders and 49 of the province’s waterfront employers at more than 30 B.C. ports including Canada’s busiest, Vancouver.In a joint statement, Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said they support the collective bargaining process and urged both sides to hash out a deal at the bargaining table. “Everyone — the employer, the union, the mediators, and the government — understands the urgency and what is at stake for Canadians and our supply chains,” the statement said. “The parties are responsible for moving goo...