Saturday, May 18, 2013
Flame Retardants May Affect Toddlers' Mental Development
Health & Medicine / Environment Glenys Webster of Environmental Health News — Sat, May 18, 2013 at 11:31 AM
Flame retardants in breast milk are associated with slightly lower mental development scores in fourteen-month-old children, reports a new study from Spain. The chemicals were measured in the first milk called the colostrum. On average, children with higher exposures scored two points lower on the mental development scale than less-exposed children. The scale measures age-appropriate advances, including performance abilities, memory, and early language skills. The average mental development score is 100, and two-thirds of children score between 85 and 115 points.
Traffic Noise Increases Risk of Diabetes
Health & Medicine / Environment / Transportation Craig Butt of Environmental Health News — Sat, May 18, 2013 at 7:19 AM
Noise from honking cars and police sirens can disrupt sleep, but it also may increase the chance of developing diabetes, according to a large study from Denmark. The researchers compared noise levels from road traffic to the incidence of diabetes in 57,000 people. As the noise levels increased, so did the risk for developing the disease. The risk increased by 8 to 11 percent for every 10-decibel (dB) increase in road noise. A decibel is a measure of loudness and intensity of sound.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Friday Must Reads: FEMA Moves to Chop Down 82,000 Trees in Berkeley and Oakland Hills; Lead Ammunition Ban Clears Assembly
Politics / Health & Medicine / Environment Robert Gammon — Fri, May 17, 2013 at 7:02 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Officials from FEMA are moving forward with a controversial plan to chop down more than 80,000 trees in the Berkeley and Oakland hills — 22,000 in Berkeley and 60,000 in Oakland — as a fire safety measure, according to the California Progress Report. The proposal would clear-cut large swaths of eucalyptus groves in Strawberry and Claremont canyons, and would pour up to 1,400 gallons of herbicides in the hills to prevent the non-native trees from growing back. FEMA has quietly held two public meetings already on the proposal and is planning to hold a final one tomorrow — Saturday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Claremont Middle School, 5750 College Ave. in Oakland.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Thursday Must Reads: Bay Area Housing Market Remains Red Hot; Oakland Council Shelves Plan to Audit the City Auditor
Politics / Business / Environment Robert Gammon — Thu, May 16, 2013 at 7:01 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. The Bay Area housing market remained red hot in April, as the median home sales price soared to $510,000 — its highest point in five years and a 30.8 jump over the same month a year ago, the Chron$ reports. A relatively small number of homes on the market are continuing to spark fierce bidding wars. However, the region’s median home price is still short of its peak of $650,000 in the summer of 2007. The low point was $375,000 in March 2009 during the height of the foreclosure crisis.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Wednesday Must Reads: Assembly Speaker Perez Rewarded Big Fundraisers; Brown’s Budget Boosts Spending for Schools, But Nothing Else
People / Education / Environment Robert Gammon — Wed, May 15, 2013 at 7:00 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Speaker John A. Perez rewarded politicians who raised the most funds to help elect more Democrats last year with prime jobs in the Assembly, the Center for Investigative Reporting reports. In all, Perez’s efforts pumped $5.8 million into campaigns to help Democrats win a super-majority in the Assembly. And then Perez handed out choice positions to the biggest fundraisers. San Diego Democrat Toni Atkins donated the most money — $282,000 — and Perez made her Assembly majority leader. Most of the cash raised by Democrats came from special interests with business in front of key committees in the Assembly.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Appellate Court Appears Ready to Rule Against Drakes Bay Oyster Farm
Breaking News / Environment Robert Gammon — Tue, May 14, 2013 at 12:49 PM
A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco appears to be ready to rule against a controversial oyster farm in Point Reyes, according to reporters and environmentalists who attended today's hearing. Scott Graham, a longtime, respected journalist for the The Recorder legal newspaper, tweeted after the hearing: "Sounds like win for the govt and enviros." And Pamela MacLean of Trial Insider wrote, " The days may be numbered for the popular Drakes Bay Oyster farm, if the questions Tuesday from three judges on 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals are any indication." The Obama administration and environmentalists want the courts to uphold then-Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's decision last fall to not renew Drakes Bay Oyster Company's lease in Point Reyes in order to make way for the first marine wilderness on the West Coast.
Tuesday Must Reads: Brown to Propose Big Boost in Education Spending; Feds to Probe Bay Bridge Bolt Scandal
Media / Education / Transportation Robert Gammon — Tue, May 14, 2013 at 6:55 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Governor Jerry Brown will propose a major boost in education spending later this week when he unveils his budget plan, the AP reports. The billions in new spending will be financed by a $4.5 billion increase in tax revenues this year. Brown wants to direct more than a $1 billion toward schools in low-income areas. In addition, he wants to spend another $1 billion to implement new, more rigorous academic standards.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Monday Must Reads: Badly Designed Bolts in New Bridge Tower, Too; Frazier Was Going to Seek Jordan’s Ouster
Law Enforcement & Crime / Environment / Transportation Robert Gammon — Mon, May 13, 2013 at 6:53 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. The signature tower of the new Bay Bridge contains more than four hundred giant steel bolts that may be inferior to the 32 rods that have already snapped, SF Gate reports. The 400-plus bolts in the tower had been dipped in hydrochloric acid even though doing so violated industry standards. The acid can make steel more brittle and susceptible to failure, but instructions from Caltrans to forgo the acid baths apparently never made it to the Alabama manufacturer of the rods. It’s too late to replace the rods, however, because they’re no longer accessible in the tower. If the giant bolts break during an earthquake, it could be catastrophic.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Sean Whent Appears to be the Right Choice to Lead OPD
Politics / People / Law Enforcement & Crime Robert Gammon — Fri, May 10, 2013 at 4:54 PM
Some news media have portrayed the rapid change in leadership at the Oakland Police Department this week as evidence that the city is in “crisis.” And while it’s clear that OPD has been in crisis for a long time, the selection of Deputy Chief Sean Whent to take over as interim police chief today, replacing Acting Chief Anthony Toribio just two days after he took over for retiring Chief Howard Jordan, is a smart choice. In fact, the mistake that Mayor Jean Quan and City Administrator Deanna Santana made was that they should have appointed Whent to the top job on Wednesday.
Friday Must Reads: Consultants Criticize OPD’s Failure to Investigate Crimes; Berkeley Schools Slash Acclaimed Cooking and Gardening Program
Law Enforcement & Crime / Food / Education Robert Gammon — Fri, May 10, 2013 at 6:56 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. A team of high-priced consultants, led by William Bratton, the former head of the New York and Los Angeles police departments, criticized OPD’s failure to adequately investigate crimes — a problem that has plagued the department for years. Bratton’s team issued a set of recommendations that it promised would reduce crime in the city, calling on OPD to beef up its investigative units and assign detectives to cover smaller areas of the city. As the Express has repeatedly reported, OPD has one of the worst records for solving crime in the nation.
