August 2019

Judge orders drugmaker to pay $572M in opioid lawsuit

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma judge on Monday found Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries helped fuel the state’s opioid crisis and ordered the consumer products giant to pay $572 million, more than twice the amount another drug manufacturer agreed to pay in a settlement.

Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman’s ruling followed the first state opioid case to make it to trial and could help shape negotiations over roughly 1,500 similar lawsuits filed by state, local and tribal governments consolidated before a federal judge in Ohio.

Administration ends protection for migrant medical care

BOSTON (AP) — The Trump administration has eliminated a protection that lets immigrants remain in the country and avoid deportation while they or their relatives receive lifesaving medical treatments or endure other hardships, immigration officials said in letters issued to families this month.

Critics denounced the decision as a cruel change that could force desperate migrants to accept lesser treatment in their povertystricken homelands.

G-7 nations pledge $40M to fight Amazon fires

PORTO VELHO, Brazil (AP) — The Group of Seven nations on Monday pledged tens of millions of dollars to help fight raging wildfires in the Amazon and protect its rainforest, even as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accused rich countries of treating the region like a “colony.”

The international pledges at a G-7 summit in France included $20 million from the group, as well as a separate $12 million from Britain and $11 million from Canada. Ottawa has also offered to send firefighting planes to Brazil.

Police defend warning shot as Hong Kong divide widens

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police on Monday defended pulling out their guns and firing a warning shot during antigovernment protests over the weekend, and lawmakers on each side

Young Afghan women barely remember Taliban, but fear a return

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Two yellow burqas are on display at a television station in Kabul, bright versions of the blue ghostlike garments some women in the capital still wear.

NATIONAL BRIEFS

Average US price of gas down 8 cents per gallon to $2.66 CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline has dropped 8 cents per gallon (3.8

NFL 2019: Luck’s retirement creates opening in AFC South

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The popular pick to win the AFC South all offseason had been Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts. Then Luck retired. That threw the door wide

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Calendar Guidelines Items for Community Calendar must be submitted during regular weekday business hours at least two weeks prior to the day of the event. Events run in the order

How much pot in that brownie? Chocolate can throw off tests

(AP) - How much marijuana is really in that pot brownie? Chocolate can throw off potency tests so labels aren’t always accurate, and now scientists are trying to figure out

Study finds films lag significantly in Latino representation

NEW YORK (AP) — Latinos make up 18 percent of the U.S. population and 24 percent of its frequent moviegoers, yet they rarely see themselves on movie screens. A new