| Two Suspects Face Gun Charges
Two Alboin residents are under arrest. They're charged with stealing guns from homes in Orleans County. Benith White, 38, and Vanessa Coger, 22, both face grand larceny and burglary charges along with criminal possession of stolen property and weapons charges. Police say the two stole several guns from homes in the towns of Murray and Gaines. Among the weapons taken, a 40 caliber semiautomatic hand gun. Investigators say more arrests are expected and federal charges could be pending in the case. Sh/amy
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Lindsay Lohan Leaves Rehab, Goes Partying
Lindsay Lohan has left rehab after more than a month at Malibu treatment center Promises. Lindsay's rep released this statement last night: “On Friday, July 13, 2007, Lindsay Lohan successfully completed her 45 days of residential and extended care treatment at Promises. She has transitioned to an intensive outpatient program, which includes attendance at daily AA meetings, outpatient therapy and daily testing. On her own, she has also made the decision in support of her sobriety to wear an alcohol monitoring bracelet. In part, she is wearing the bracelet so there are no questions about her sobriety if she chooses to go dancing or dining in a place where alcohol is served." Lindsay celebrated her 21st birthday July 2 with a low-key party with family and friends.
SC treasurer back from rehab in Ariz.; court appearance scheduled
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Suspended state Treasurer Thomas Ravenel, back in South Carolina following a 30-day stint at a rehab program in Arizona, was scheduled to make his first court appearance on a federal cocaine charge Tuesday. Ravenel's attorneys entered a not guilty plea earlier for the 44-year-old multimillionaire developer earlier this month. He is charged with possession with intent to distribute less than 500 grams of cocaine. Prosecutors have said Ravenel shared the cocaine with his friends and did not sell the drug. U.S. Magistrate Joseph McCrorey ordered Ravenel to appear in court within 48 hours of being released from treatment at the Sierra Tucson Center in Catalina, north of Tucson. It is a psychiatric hospital specializing in addiction and behavioral disorder treatment.
Court makes it easier for patients to enter rehab
Pennsylvanians battling drug and alcohol addiction will not need a second opinion from their HMO before entering treatment programs, a state appeals court ruled. In a unanimous decision released Thursday, Commonwealth Court ruled that group insurance companies and HMOs must cover drug and alcohol treatment costs for policy holders referred to detoxification, rehabilitation and outpatient programs by a doctor or psychologist. The ruling will help about 15,000 state residents with private insurance who seek substance abuse treatment each year, said Deborah Beck, president of the Drug and Alcohol Service Providers Organization of Pennsylvania. It's a really important decision that I think gives power back to doctors and psychologists, said Beck, whose Harrisburg-based organization represents licensed treatment centers and school-run counseling programs.
GlaxoSmithKline's Application For Rotarix(R) Is Accepted For Review By The FDA
GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review its Biologics License Application (BLA) for Rotarix(R), an oral candidate vaccine for infants to prevent rotavirus gastroenteritis. Severe, dehydrating gastroenteritis occurs primarily among children aged three to 35 months. Of children hospitalized with rotavirus, approximately 17 percent are younger than six months old. If approved, the GSK candidate vaccine could offer completion of the rotavirus vaccination series by four months of age. The rotavirus candidate vaccine is a live- attenuated vaccine derived from the most common human rotavirus strain. Published data show that immunity resulting from natural human rotavirus infection provides significant protection against moderate to severe disease, regardless of rotavirus strain.
The methadone debate
There are two striking findings from the three-part investigation of methadone treatment programmes for heroin addicts published by the Scottish Executive yesterday. These are not the numbers of people affected - some 21,000 receive a substitute prescription of methadone to help tackle their drug problem, a 10% increase on estimated figures from 2004. Of those, 7000 are living with children under the age of 16. It is illogical and illiberal to call for more comprehensive action to tackle the impact of drugs on individuals, families and communities, and then complain when more people receive treatment and services. But the two interesting findings from the reports are the level of agreement on the use of methadone itself, and the startling lack of monitoring of the treatment's effectiveness.
Volunteers Needed
Rape Crisis Center The Center will have its next volunteer training Sept. 15. A 20-hour course will prepare trainees as crisis line volunteers and/or hospital response advocates. Volunteers must be 18 years or older, have a phone and reliable transportation. For information, call 233-3000. CASA The Savannah/Chatham County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program needs volunteers to speak up in court for children's best interests and help ensure that they are placed in safe and permanent homes. There is also a need for bilingual volunteers to advocate for the increasing number of deprivation cases involving non-English speaking children and families. The new volunteer training for CASA will be 5-9 p.m. Thursdays Sept. 6-27, at the United Way Building, located at 428 Bull St.
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