April 17, 2016


News and Views


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bernie-sanders-im-tired-of-being-beaten-up-by-hillary-clintons-campaign/

Sanders "tired of being beaten up" by Clinton campaign
By EMILY SCHULTHEIS FACE THE NATION
April 17, 2016, 10:27 AM

Play VIDEO -- Bernie Sanders: Hillary Clinton “behind the curve” on raising minimum wage
Play VIDEO -- Full interview: Bernie Sanders, April 17

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday that the increasingly negative tone of the 2016 Democratic primary comes from his desire to stop being "beaten up" by his opponent, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

"You know, I have become a little bit tired of being beaten up by the negativity of the Clinton campaign," he said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "And we're responding in kind."

He added that there are "real differences of opinion," citing the two candidates' views on the federal minimum wage, the war in Iraq and fracking as key examples.

In the lead-up to Tuesday's New York primary, Sanders has taken the fight to Clinton in new ways, including the dust-up earlier in April when he said at a Philadelphia rally that she is not "qualified" to be president. He walked that back in the following days, saying she is "of course" qualified to be president but that he questions her "judgment" on a handful of issues.

Sanders said the Clinton campaign has distorted his views on several issues, including taking some of his past comments about Planned Parenthood out of context.

"After we have won eight out of nine caucuses and primaries, I think they made it clear that what their goal was, and I think I quote appropriately here, "Disqualify, defeat and then reunite the party later on,'" he said. "They've gone after us in every single area, in a way that just misrepresents my views."

The Vermont senator said he has "a real shot" at winning in New York on Tuesday, but also worked to lower expectations by noting the barriers to having a high turnout among Democrats that day.

"Even here in New York state you have a voting system which makes it impossible for independents to participate in the Democratic primary, that makes it impossible for people to register on the day of election which many states do, which is going to result in a lower voter turnout than I would like to see," he said.

Asked to explain his juxtaposition of Clinton's high-dollar speaking fees from Wall Street companies and her support for a $12 per hour minimum wage, instead of the $15 per hour he supports, Sanders said Clinton's hefty speaking fees help keep her removed from ordinary working people.

"Look, if you can go before Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley and end up after an hour's work, or 20 minutes' work, with a $225,000 check and that's your life--and then refuse to support the fight for $15, the need to have a $15-an-hour national min wage--well, I think you're living in a world far removed from where working people are," he said.

Given the recent focus on the candidates' support for the 1994 crime bill under President Clinton, Sanders said the law has undoubtedly contributed to the current criminal justice climate but that he voted for it because of other things contained in the bill.

"It's a big bill, and a lot of stuff in it," he said. "It had the Violence Against Women Act and when, during my tenure as mayor of Burlington, I worked very hard against domestic violence. It had the ban against assault weapons ... but there is no debate that that legislation has resulted in massive incarceration that we today have more people in jail than any other country, that we have a broken criminal justice system."

Sanders also spoke about his trip to the Vatican this weekend, where he met briefly with Pope Francis and spoke at a conference on social, economic and environmental issues.

"I learned that this is an extraordinary man whose vision is having an incredible impact on our world in terms of focusing on the needs of the poorest people in this planet," he said, adding that he was "very honored" to meet him.


EXCERPTS -- "You know, I have become a little bit tired of being beaten up by the negativity of the Clinton campaign," he said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "And we're responding in kind." He added that there are "real differences of opinion," citing the two candidates' views on the federal minimum wage, the war in Iraq and fracking as key examples. …. The Vermont senator said he has "a real shot" at winning in New York on Tuesday, but also worked to lower expectations by noting the barriers to having a high turnout among Democrats that day. "Even here in New York state you have a voting system which makes it impossible for independents to participate in the Democratic primary, that makes it impossible for people to register on the day of election which many states do, which is going to result in a lower voter turnout than I would like to see," he said. …. Sanders said Clinton's hefty speaking fees help keep her removed from ordinary working people. "Look, if you can go before Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley and end up after an hour's work, or 20 minutes' work, with a $225,000 check and that's your life--and then refuse to support the fight for $15, the need to have a $15-an-hour national min wage--well, I think you're living in a world far removed from where working people are," he said. …. Sanders said the law has undoubtedly contributed to the current criminal justice climate but that he voted for it because of other things contained in the bill. …. Sanders also spoke about his trip to the Vatican this weekend, where he met briefly with Pope Francis and spoke at a conference on social, economic and environmental issues. "I learned that this is an extraordinary man whose vision is having an incredible impact on our world in terms of focusing on the needs of the poorest people in this planet," he said, adding that he was "very honored" to meet him.”


I’m pleased that Sanders did manage to meet with the pope. He is the only US candidate who is really pushing for help of multiple types for the 99%, and is sticking to his guns in a series of issues which too many citizens here are dead set against. I have heard all my life the rancorous comments about “welfare queens,” usually considered to be black, and the screams about “big government.” I have always wondered how a country the size of the US could possibly have a “small government” that is even in a minor way up to the job of handling the needs of our society. We must continue to finance Social Security, subsidized housing for the poor, food aid and some kind of centrally managed medical care system which includes mental health care and preexisting conditions. There are so many ways that this country hasn’t done what we should, while we give money to the wealthy and big business by tax breaks and outright subsidies.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/philly-dad-confesses-to-shooting-daughter-4-after-son-5-blamed/

Philly dad confesses to shooting daughter, 4, after brother, 5, blamed
CBS NEWS
April 17, 2016, 9:20 AM

Photograph -- Philadelphia police gather at the scene of a shooting that left a four-year-old girl dead on Saturday, April 16, 2016. KYW


PHILADELPHIA-- A father has confessed to accidentally shooting and killing his 4-year-old daughter inside a home in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, a police source told CBS Philadelphia.

It happened around 2:30 p.m. Saturday inside a home along the 200 block of East Mayfield Street.

Investigators say the girl's father was playing with a gun when it went off and struck the girl in the face. She died inside the home.

Police say the man fled the scene after the shooting but was later taken into custody. His name has not been released at this time.

Police say a weapon was recovered inside the home.

It was originally reported that the girl had been shot by her 5-year-old brother.

Crystal Dougherty, a friend of the victim's family, told CBS Philadelphia the girl was well-liked in the neighborhood.

"She was a great big sister to her little brother," Dougherty said. "She was very smart, at four years old, she knows her alphabet, her colors."

Doughtery said the victim's family is close with people on the block.

"They are outgoing, they are supportive of others. They're there for me when I was going through rough times, I mean it's just, it's, they're there for everybody," she said.



CBS -- “Investigators say the girl's father was playing with a gun when it went off and struck the girl in the face. She died inside the home. Police say the man fled the scene after the shooting but was later taken into custody. His name has not been released at this time. …. It was originally reported that the girl had been shot by her 5-year-old brother. Crystal Dougherty, a friend of the victim's family, told CBS Philadelphia the girl was well-liked in the neighborhood."


Since when do men who are old enough to have two children “play” with guns?? Also, it’s odd for a mature man who had just been involved in a tragic accident, no matter how negligent it was, to try to flee the scene to avoid capture. Did he call 911 before he fled? In addition, somebody, presumably him, tried to blame the death on a four year old boy. Unless he is either insane or intellectually challenged to a significant degree, he should be punished for those three things in addition to the sad death of a little boy – his own son!



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/campaign-2016-taxes-show-bernie-sanders-gave-4-percent-of-income-to-charity-in-2014/

Taxes show Bernie Sanders gave 4 percent of income to charity in 2014
CBS/AP
April 15, 2016, 9:37 PM


Photograph -- U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks with media and supporters during his visit to the Vatican on April 15, 2016. REUTERS/STEFANO RELLANDINI

Play VIDEO -- Clinton, Sanders battle over minimum wage, Wall Street and guns
Play VIDEO -- Clinton and Sanders clash in feisty NYC debate


WASHINGTON --Bernie Sanders released his full 2014 federal tax return Friday, revealing that he mostly lives off a six-figure government salary and donated about 4 percent of his family's income to charitable causes.

Sanders and his wife, Jane, donated $8,350 to charity while reporting an adjusted gross income of about $205,000 that year, according to his tax return. The share of his family's income that went to charity was about half the percentage of income that his primary opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, gave to charitable groups.

The Sanders campaign released the return a day after a heated Democratic presidential debate in which Sanders pledged to release the single return but hesitated to say when he would release additional years of his taxes.

During Thursday night's debate in Brooklyn, Clinton was asked if she would release transcripts of paid speeches she gave to Wall Street banks. Clinton argued that she is being held to a different standard than other candidates in the race -- and that she'll release the transcripts of her speeches when other candidates are just as transparent, hitting Sanders for not having released his tax returns.

"There are certain expectations when you run for president. This is a new one, and I've said that if everybody agrees to do it -- because there are speeches for money on the other side, I know that," she said. "But I will tell you this, there is a long-standing expectation that everybody running release their tax returns, and you can go to my website and see eight years of tax returns and I've released 30 years of tax returns and I think every candidate, including Sen. Sanders and Donald Trump, should do the same.

Sanders then rebutted her, saying he would be more than happy to release his (nonexistent) transcripts from Wall Street speeches.

"You heard her, everybody else does it, she'll do it, I will do it," he said, to applause. "I am going to release all of the transcripts of the speeches that I gave on Wall Street behind closed doors -- not for $225,000, not for $2,000, not for two cents. There were no speeches."

Until Friday, Sanders had only released the summary of his 2014 tax returns. Clinton has released eight years of tax returns this cycle, with more years released when she was running for senate.

Sanders said at the debate that he would release his 2015 taxes this week. Asked about the reason for the delay on his other years of tax returns -- especially if they are as simple has he insists they are -- Sanders said his wife, Jane Sanders, usually does the couple's taxes and she has been "busy" with the campaign. It's an answer he has given before.

"The answer is, you know, what we have always done in my family is Jane does them, and she's been out on the campaign trail," he said. "We will get them out. We'll get them out very shortly."

Sanders contrasted his modest wealth with Clinton's multimillion-dollar income, a significant portion of which has come in the form of paid speeches to corporate and interest groups.

"I don't want to get anybody very excited. They are very boring tax returns," Sanders said. "No big money from speeches, no major investments. Unfortunately, I remain one of the poorer members of the United States Senate. And that's what that will show."

Sanders campaign didn't immediately respond Friday evening to emailed questions seeking additional details about Sanders' charitable giving.

Since 1976, every major party presidential nominee has released full tax returns. So far this year, though, Clinton is the only major-party presidential candidate who has released several years of full tax returns. GOP front-runner Donald Trump hasn't released any of his returns, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich have only released partial returns.

In 2014, the Clintons donated more than $3 million, nearly 11 percent of their income. Since 2000, the Clintons have given nearly $15 million to charity, tax returns show.



CBS -- “Sanders and his wife, Jane, donated $8,350 to charity while reporting an adjusted gross income of about $205,000 that year, according to his tax return. The share of his family's income that went to charity was about half the percentage of income that his primary opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, gave to charitable groups. …. Clinton was asked if she would release transcripts of paid speeches she gave to Wall Street banks. Clinton argued that she is being held to a different standard than other candidates in the race -- and that she'll release the transcripts of her speeches when other candidates are just as transparent, hitting Sanders for not having released his tax returns. …. "There are certain expectations when you run for president. This is a new one, and I've said that if everybody agrees to do it -- because there are speeches for money on the other side, I know that," she said. …. "I am going to release all of the transcripts of the speeches that I gave on Wall Street behind closed doors -- not for $225,000, not for $2,000, not for two cents. There were no speeches." …. Sanders contrasted his modest wealth with Clinton's multimillion-dollar income, a significant portion of which has come in the form of paid speeches to corporate and interest groups.”


“Sanders said his wife, Jane Sanders, usually does the couple's taxes and she has been "busy" with the campaign. It's an answer he has given before.” The writer of this article in a rather snarky sounding way said “an answer he has given before.” Whether or not that is true, Sanders did release his return the next day, this article says. As for charity gifts, Clinton gave 11% of her income as compared to half that by Sanders. And, finally, I think that ALL candidates should release income from sources such as Wall Street and large corporations every year, whether it’s a direct gift or payment for a speech. If Clinton actually got $225,000 for one measly speech, I assume others do as well, and that is a significant amount of money. With this much money floating around it’s no surprise that nearly every year there is at least one major scandal.




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/terror-in-molenbeek-schaerbeek-brussels-belgium/

Terror in Brussels: Hiding in plain sight
By RACHID HAOUES CBS NEWS
April 11, 2016, 6:00 AM

Play VIDEO -- Full Episode: CBSN Originals - Terror in Brussels
Photograph -- brusselsmap.jpg, Several European cities are just a quick train or drive away from Brussels, making it an ideal outpost for terror groups to plot and carry out attacks. CBS NEWS
Play VIDEO -- Molenbeek: Terror recruiting ground
Photograph -- brusselsguard.jpg, A military soldier stands guard near the office of the Molenbeek police department. CBS NEWS
Photograph -- brusselsgeraldine.jpg, Geraldine Henneghien, the mother of a foreign fighter who died in Syria, speaks to students at a Brussels school about the perils of radicalization. CBS NEWS


BRUSSELS -- Nearly overnight, one of Europe's major cities was transformed and it seems no one was able to stop it. Brussels' reputation as a lively city known for beer and chocolate has been eclipsed by the dark shadow of terrorism.

The attacks at the city's airport and subway on March 22 were a painful coda to November's deadly Paris attacks: many of the assailants who had carried out that massacre grew up in Brussels and now radicals from those same communities turned to a new target - their neighbors.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombings that left 32 dead and hundreds injured. The extremist group's ability to recruit in Belgium has been prolific. The country exports more foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq per capita than any other country. And it's no fluke that ISIS picked Brussels as its terror recruiting ground, according to Michael Privot, the director of the European Network Against Racism.

"If I was in the shoes of Daesh, I would establish myself in Brussels," said Privot, referring to ISIS by an alternate name. "It's really very practical in terms of connections and the fact that you can easily disappear in a very diverse population."

Brussels' geography allows terrorists easy access to some of Europe's major cities: Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, just to list a few. But its location isn't the only explanation to why it has become such a ripe target for radicalization.

"It's a series of factors," said Tewfik Sahih, a lifelong Schaerbeek resident. "The first one is socio-economic."

The districts of Molenbeek and Schaerbeek, which make up what's known as the "poor croissant" of Brussels, are home to a large population of Moroccan and Turkish immigrants. In Molenbeek, it's estimated that 1 out of 2 young men of Moroccan origin are without a job.

"When you have no life objectives, no long-term objectives, you try to find your quest for self elsewhere," said Sahih. "Many people feel discriminated [against] here. Some citizens here don't feel part of the national community."

The average age of Belgium jihadists ranges from 20 to 24, according to analysis by the Brussels-based Egmont Institute, a think thank specializing in international relations. Two of the Brussels terrorists were Belgian-born brothers of Moroccan descent: Brahim el-Bakraoui, 29, and Khalid el-Bakraoui, 27. Both had spent time in prison for violent crimes.

Mohamed Azaitraoui works with juvenile delinquents in Brussels, including those at risk of being radicalized. He explained that radicalization does not happen in official mosques because the mosques would be denounced and face problems from the police. Instead, recruiters work the streets and the internet.

"They choose someone who is available first, someone who has hate for the West," he said. "They prey on international conflict and use atrocious images of children to say, 'Look, our cause is to fight for the weak.' The recruiters are very welcoming and offer financial help. The young people look at them as a savior and become indebted so that when they're asked to go and commit and attack, they'll say yes."

Geraldine Henneghien is the mother of one of these young Belgian men who fell for the trap. Her son Anis became an ISIS recruit and wound up dead in Syria.

"The persons, they destroy my family, now they destroy my country," said Henneghien, who is part of a growing group of families whose children have left for Syria.

Since CBSN last spoke to her in December of 2015 after the attacks in Paris, Henneghien has been busy speaking to young students at schools to warn them of the perils of radicalization. As hard as it is for her to relive the death of her son, Henneghien believes it is her duty to expose the fraud the recruiters shill out.

"The young people we meet in school, they say, 'Oh we didn't know that it was so and now we know the truth,'" said Hennighen.

For the moment, Henneghien and the other parents are self-funding their efforts but hope to get financial aid from the government.



CBS -- “But its location isn't the only explanation to why it has become such a ripe target for radicalization. "It's a series of factors," said Tewfik Sahih, a lifelong Schaerbeek resident. "The first one is socio-economic." The districts of Molenbeek and Schaerbeek, which make up what's known as the "poor croissant" of Brussels, are home to a large population of Moroccan and Turkish immigrants. …. "When you have no life objectives, no long-term objectives, you try to find your quest for self elsewhere," said Sahih. "Many people feel discriminated [against] here. Some citizens here don't feel part of the national community." The average age of Belgium jihadists ranges from 20 to 24, according to analysis by the Brussels-based Egmont Institute, a think thank specializing in international relations. …. Mohamed Azaitraoui works with juvenile delinquents in Brussels, including those at risk of being radicalized. He explained that radicalization does not happen in official mosques because the mosques would be denounced and face problems from the police. Instead, recruiters work the streets and the internet. …. "The persons, they destroy my family, now they destroy my country," said Henneghien, who is part of a growing group of families whose children have left for Syria. Since CBSN last spoke to her in December of 2015 after the attacks in Paris, Henneghien has been busy speaking to young students at schools to warn them of the perils of radicalization. …. For the moment, Henneghien and the other parents are self-funding their efforts but hope to get financial aid from the government.”


This is the kind of thing that increases my hope about what is a complicated and insidious way of targeting the young. When mature Islamic citizens get out in front to help, the battle is closer to a solution. The elders are taking a direct and active role to convince young people that real evil is being done and that getting involved in a group like ISIS is a path to personal destruction. It also is not a legitimate patriotic urge to come into cities to bomb innocent citizens there. I hate to sound like an American, but democracy is the best, if not the only way, to a fair and effective government. That doesn’t mean that it can’t be a socialistic democracy, though, which I hope will soon come here with the election of Bernie Sanders. I know, it still isn’t a complete solution as there are racism, poverty, and a lack of jobs worldwide. They are part of human nature.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tennessee-mom-kelsey-mcmurtry-arrested-infant-hot-car-strip-club-audition/

Mom arrested for infant in hot car during strip club audition
CBS/AP
April 17, 2016, 9:53 AM

Photograph -- Kelsey McMurtry WTVF


NASHVILLE, Tennessee- A woman and her friend are facing charges after they left her infant in a hot car outside a strip club where she was auditioning.

CBS affiliate WTVF in Nashville reports 24-year-old Kelsey McMurtry was auditioning at club in downtown Nashville Thursday while her nine-month-old daughter sat in a locked car with the windows up. A passerby saw her and called police.

According to a warrant, it was 72 degrees outside when officers arrived and temperatures inside the car had reached 100 degrees. Witnesses estimated the baby was in the car 30 minutes.

When the child was removed from the car, police said she was found to be wearing a coat and was drenched in sweat.

She was treated at a hospital and placed with children's services.

McMurtry's friend, 19-year-old Summer Taylor, told police she was watching the child but witnesses disputed that.

McMurtry and Taylor both face child neglect charges.


CBS -- “According to a warrant, it was 72 degrees outside when officers arrived and temperatures inside the car had reached 100 degrees. Witnesses estimated the baby was in the car 30 minutes. When the child was removed from the car, police said she was found to be wearing a coat and was drenched in sweat. She was treated at a hospital and placed with children's services. McMurtry's friend, 19-year-old Summer Taylor, told police she was watching the child but witnesses disputed that.”


Too SAD! I hope they both have to go to prison for several years at least. Apparently, though overheated, the child wasn’t brain damaged. That’s the good news. I wonder what the friend was doing while NOT WATCHING the baby?



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/west-virginia-doctor-michael-kostenko-investigated-for-deaths-in-opioid-painkiller-epidemic/

West Virginia doctor investigated for deaths in opioid epidemic
By JIM AXELROD, ASHLEY VELIE CBS NEWS
April 13, 2016, 7:07 PM

Related:
Opioid overdoses kill 10 people in 12 days in Sacramento area
New guidelines aim to reduce epidemic of opioid painkiller abuse
Play VIDEO -- DEA investigates painkiller epidemic in West Virginia
Photograph -- axelroden0413.png, Dr. Michael Kostenko CBS NEWS
Photograph -- axelrodpainkillers.png, In a screengrab from one of Dr. Michael Kostenko's YouTube videos, a patient is given a prescription after a group session MICHAEL KOSTENKO/YOUTUBE


On Wednesday, dozens of medical nonprofit groups pleaded with hospital regulators to tighten national rules for prescribing painkillers. America has an opioid epidemic, and West Virginia is ground zero.

Doctors there write 138 prescriptions for every 100 people. Now, the state has launched a crackdown. Seven doctors have lost their licenses and 15 more are being investigated. CBS News sat down with one of them.

Meet Dr. Michael Kostenko. He's written more than 40,000 prescriptions for oxycodone in the last two years.

He says at any given time, he has between 800 to 1,000 active patients in his practice. Nearly 100 percent of them get prescriptions for oxycodone.

Court documents show that Kostenko is one of West Virginia's top ten prescribers of painkillers.

CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod asked him how many prescriptions he had written earlier in the year.

"Did you write 325 prescriptions the first week of January for more than 19,000 oxycodone pills?"

"Possibly," Kostenko replied. "It may well be."

Operating at the end of a narrow, unpaved, pot-hole filled, two-mile logging road, Dr. Kostenko hosts group sessions at his Coal Country Clinic. He posts videos of the sessions to YouTube, showing him explaining his approach to treating disease and pain through changes in diet and behavior.

After filling out a medical self-assessment, each patient pays $120 in cash. As the video shows, at the end of each class they're handed their prescriptions for pain medications. There are hardly ever private exams.

"There's very little that we need to do in private in our office," Kostenko explained to CBS News.

"You don't need to conduct a conversation, confidential about my use of pain medication, that wouldn't occur in private," Axelrod said. "Everyone is on the same pain medication," Kostenko told him.

In the last two years, three of Dr. Kostenko's patients have died after overdosing on a cocktail of pills -- including oxycodone -- prescribed by Kostenko along with pills prescribed by other physicians.

"Are you in contact with their primary care physicians to coordiante care?" Axelrod wondered. Kostenko told him no.

"Don't you have an obligation to talk to the other doctors? To make sure that cocktail isn't fatal," Axelrod asked. "If the conversation would be productive, absolutely," Kostenko replied.

"Well, the patient's dead," said Axelrod. "So how could the conversation be any less productive than what happened?"

"There should be better communication between all physicians dealing with these drugs. There just is not," Kostenko said.

The state has suspended Dr. Kostenko's license while they investigate the deaths, and decide whether to revoke his license. Robert Knittle, the Board of Medicine's executive director, says it's somewhat difficult to revoke or suspend a doctor's license in West Virginia.

"With prescription drugs, physicians can prescribe them. They're legal. It's not like cocaine or heroin."

Dr. Kostenko didn't seem to help his case when discussing one of the deaths with us. It was a woman being medicated by another physician -- a doctor Kostenko never consulted with.

"Do you bear any responsibility for that death?" Axelrod asked.

"Yes, I do," he said.

As he explains it, Kostenko wishes the hospital where his patient was being treated had reached out to him. He told us he didn't know how bad her condition was. New investigations have been opened into the overdose deaths of two other patients of Dr. Kostenko.



CBS -- "There should be better communication between all physicians dealing with these drugs. There just is not," Kostenko said. The state has suspended Dr. Kostenko's license while they investigate the deaths, and decide whether to revoke his license. Robert Knittle, the Board of Medicine's executive director, says it's somewhat difficult to revoke or suspend a doctor's license in West Virginia. …. Now, the state has launched a crackdown. Seven doctors have lost their licenses and 15 more are being investigated. CBS News sat down with one of them. Meet Dr. Michael Kostenko. He's written more than 40,000 prescriptions for oxycodone in the last two years. He says at any given time, he has between 800 to 1,000 active patients in his practice. Nearly 100 percent of them get prescriptions for oxycodone. Court documents show that Kostenko is one of West Virginia's top ten prescribers of painkillers. …. Operating at the end of a narrow, unpaved, pot-hole filled, two-mile logging road, Dr. Kostenko hosts group sessions at his Coal Country Clinic. He posts videos of the sessions to YouTube, showing him explaining his approach to treating disease and pain through changes in diet and behavior. After filling out a medical self-assessment, each patient pays $120 in cash. As the video shows, at the end of each class they're handed their prescriptions for pain medications. There are hardly ever private exams. …. In the last two years, three of Dr. Kostenko's patients have died after overdosing on a cocktail of pills -- including oxycodone -- prescribed by Kostenko along with pills prescribed by other physicians. "Are you in contact with their primary care physicians to coordiante care?" Axelrod wondered. Kostenko told him no. …. "There should be better communication between all physicians dealing with these drugs. There just is not," Kostenko said. The state has suspended Dr. Kostenko's license while they investigate the deaths, and decide whether to revoke his license. Robert Knittle, the Board of Medicine's executive director, says it's somewhat difficult to revoke or suspend a doctor's license in West Virginia.”


An alarming number of doctors just like these were operating in Florida a couple of years ago and the DEA got involved. The following article on this subject is very thorough and disturbing. The point is, though, that at least in Florida, the situation has been improved. It is still possible for doctors to prescribe drugs like Oxycodone, but there are tighter restrictions on them. This last year, though, the FL legislature voted in a law that increases the number of drugs required to trigger the mandatory minimum sentence for medical practitioners. See the article below: http://www.tbo.com/news/crime/florida-heals-from-pill-mill-epidemic-20140830/, Florida heals from pill mill epidemic, Sunday, Apr 17, 2016, “By Elaine Silvestrini | Tribune Staff Elaine Silvestrini August 30, 2014 Updated: August 31, 2014 at 04:33 PM.”

EXCERPTS

“TAMPA — The “patients” used to pour into Florida from across the country.

Just four years ago, Florida was the unofficial pill mill capital of the country with 93 of the top 100 oxycodone-dispensing doctors in the United States.

Oxycodone, a powerful narcotic intended to treat intense, short-term pain, was being passed out like candy as part of a prescription cocktail that was popular with addicts. It was being abused in all corners of Florida, which had become a destination for pill users from states with tougher regulations. …. In 2010 alone, manufacturers shipped more than 650 million oxycodone pills to Florida — more than 34 pills for every resident of the state.

In 2011, Florida had 856 pain clinics. Hillsborough County alone had 107. . . . .

For a time, law enforcement didn’t know what to do. And lawmakers in Tallahassee were frozen, unable to act because of strenuous objections in some quarters, including the governor’s office, that increased government regulation of prescription drugs would cost money and invade patients’ privacy.

But things began to change.

In August of 2010, Purdue Pharma, the primary maker of oxycodone, reformulated the drug to make it tamper resistant and tougher to abuse. No longer could the pills be crushed and snorted or injected.

In early 2011, law enforcement began aggressively cracking down, using laws against street drugs to prosecute doctors. Pain clinics were investigated and raided. Drug-dealing doctors were put on trial and sent to prison. Among the actions was “Operation Pill Nation,” led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and targeting rogue pain clinics in Florida.

Then, with a push from Attorney General Pam Bondi, the state Legislature passed several measures directed at the problem, and Gov. Rick Scott signed the bills into law, although he insisted on some limits.

Under the new laws, doctors were no longer allowed to dispense the most abused pills; penalties were stiffened for doctors who over prescribed. Pharmacists had to log them in a statewide database controlled by the Department of Health.

Although there have been struggles to fund it, authorities cite the implementation of the prescription drug monitoring database as the most significant development in helping to get the pain pill epidemic under control.

The effects of the changes were immediate. . . . There are now 367 pain clinics statewide, less than half the number in 2011. In Hillsborough County, there are 61, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

And oxycodone — still lethal — is no longer the leading overdose killer in the state. In 2012, 735 people died of oxycodone deaths in Florida, less than half the number just two years before, according to numbers from the Florida Medical Examiners Commission. . . . .
“The pill mill problem has gotten dramatically better in our state, dramatically better,” Bondi said. “Of course, we still have pain management clinics. We need good pain management clinics.”

Bruce Goldberger, chief of forensic medicine at the University of Florida, is part of a group that studied the drop in oxycodone deaths in Florida and has submitted its findings to a major medical journal in hopes of having the study published. Goldberger said the key finding was the actions taken by the drug manufacturer, law enforcement and state government in 2010 and 2011 reduced the number of deaths. “Those are lives saved,” he said. . . . . The clinics were cash-only businesses. At one clinic, first-time “patients” were charged $300 for an audience with a doctor who saw scores of people a day, giving them all the same potent prescriptions. The clinics had security guards, and at least one gave deli-style tickets to patients, who were sent away and called when their number was about to be served.

Some drug dealers rounded up homeless people and paid their clinic fees. They would take them from the clinic to pharmacies and then pay them for the pills.

Business was so brisk, pharmacies sometimes ran out of oxycodone.

One doctor told police she was paid $2,000 in cash, given to her in an envelope at the end of each day. She told investigators she didn’t normally perform medical exams before doling out prescriptions on pre-stamped pads at what she described as the “high volume” clinic. Although the operators of that clinic were prosecuted, the doctor died of a drug overdose before the case went to trial.

Pain clinic proprietors drove around in expensive cars and kept hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash in suitcases and plastic bags in their homes and vehicles.

Legitimate pain management doctors found it challenging to operate in such a corrupt environment. “I think the problem in Florida is you had all kind of doctors who may have had a medical degree, (but they) really had no specific training and were calling themselves pain management doctors … They really kind of hijacked what it means to be a truly credentialed and trained well-meaning doctor.”

He also said he’s concerned about a change in the law enacted in the last legislative session. Lawmakers, he said, were trying to address an issue relating to varying punishments based on the amount of a drug that is illegally distributed. The problem comes in the difference between oxycodone, which has concentrated amounts of narcotics in small doses, and hydrocodone, which has much smaller levels of controlled substances in larger pills.

Dirks said lawmakers increased the number of both oxycodone and hydrocodone pills that trigger mandatory minimum sentences, in other words, requiring convictions for higher amounts of drugs before higher sentences are imposed. “That, to me, is working in the wrong direction,” he said.

Bondi said she would be looking into how to address the issue in the next legislative session.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sheryl-swoopes-team-investigated-after-players-quit-en-masse/

Sheryl Swoopes' team investigated after players quit en masse
AP April 17, 2016, 1:53 PM

Photograph -- In this April 4, 2016, file photo, retired WNBA player Sheryl Swoopes speaks during the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2016 announcement in Houston, Texas. AP PHOTO/CHARLIE NEIBERGALL, FILE


CHICAGO- Loyola University plans to investigate its women's basketball program after allegations of player mistreatment surfaced involving the team coached by Sheryl Swoopes.

The investigation will be conducted by the university, team spokesman Leo Krause said Saturday.

The details of the allegations have not been released, but Krause confirmed that 10 of the 12 players that were expected to return from the current team have been granted or asked for releases to transfer from the private Chicago university.

Deputy director of athletics Jermaine Truax said in a statement released Friday night that the allegations are "more than concerning." Truax added that Swoopes is aware of the investigation and "will fully cooperate."

"We look forward to learning how we can resolve these allegations and improve the student-athlete experience within the women's basketball program," Truax said.

Swoopes has coached at Loyola for three seasons, and her teams have gone a combined 31-62. She was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this month.

She was hired in 2013 with only limited coaching experience, having served as an assistant at Mercer Island High School in Washington state in 2010, according to Loyola's website.

Swoopes led Texas Tech to the 1993 NCAA title and was the first player signed by the WNBA. She won four straight titles with the Houston Comets and earned three Olympic gold medals.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheryl_Swoopes

Sheryl Swoopes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sheryl Denise Swoopes (born March 25, 1971)[1] is a retired American professional basketball player and the head coach of the women's basketball team of Loyola University Chicago. She was the first player to be signed in the WNBA when it was created, [2] is a three-time WNBA MVP, and was named one of the league's Top 15 Players of All Time at the 2011 WNBA All-Star Game. Swoopes has won three Olympic gold medals. She was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.[3]
. . . .
Post-basketball playing career[edit]

In 2008, Sheryl Swoopes made an appearance on Shirts & Skins, a reality series on Logo TV. Swoopes mentored the San Francisco Rockdogs, a gay basketball team, and shared her experiences on basketball, family, faith, and coming out.[27]

In 2010, Swoopes was an assistant basketball coach at Mercer Island High School in Washington.[28]

Swoopes was a color analyst for the Texas Tech women's basketball broadcast during the 2012–2013 season.[29]

In 2013, Swoopes became head coach of the Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team. In April 2016, Loyola annnounced that it was investigating Swoopes after a report by the school newspaper which said that 10 of the team's players alleged mistreatment by Swoopes and have either transferred or want a release from their scholarships.[28][30]

Personal life[edit]

Swoopes was married from June 1995 to 1999 to her high school sweetheart, with whom she had a son, Jordan Eric Jackson, in 1997.

In October 2005 announced she was gay, becoming one of the highest-profile athletes in a team sport to do so publicly. Swoopes said, "it doesn't change who I am. I can't help who I fall in love with. No one can. ... Discovering I'm gay just sort of happened much later in life. Being intimate with [Alisa] or any other woman never entered my mind. At the same time, I'm a firm believer that when you fall in love with somebody, you can't control that."[31] She and her partner, former basketball player and Houston Comets assistant coach Alisa Scott, together raised Swoopes' son.[32] The couple broke up in 2011.[33][34]



CBS -- “Loyola University plans to investigate its women's basketball program after allegations of player mistreatment surfaced involving the team coached by Sheryl Swoopes. …. Deputy director of athletics Jermaine Truax said in a statement released Friday night that the allegations are "more than concerning." Truax added that Swoopes is aware of the investigation and "will fully cooperate." "We look forward to learning how we can resolve these allegations and improve the student-athlete experience within the women's basketball program," Truax said. …. She was hired in 2013 with only limited coaching experience, having served as an assistant at Mercer Island High School in Washington state in 2010, according to Loyola's website. …. Deputy director of athletics Jermaine Truax said in a statement released Friday night that the allegations are "more than concerning." Truax added that Swoopes is aware of the investigation and "will fully cooperate."


I really do want to know what type of “player mistreatment” was going on. The Wikipedia article states that for a relatively short time, three years I think, she lived as a lesbian despite an earlier marriage and at least one child, both before moving to Loyola.

It’s possible the students were subjected to unwanted sexual advances. I have always thought that sports, both male and female, sometimes include too much intimacy. If a person is gay, they could and probably do have a problem with being attracted to teammates or coaches. The girls may have felt threatened or coerced to keep silent. At least two of my female athletic teachers appeared to be, just possibly, gay. There was no behavior that was suspicious. There’s a fine line between a crime committed toward the student and an antigay attitude on the part of the management. In the Catholic Church priests are liable for performing gay sexual acts rather than for having homosexual urges. That is the fairest way, I would think, because gay people should not be banned from working in certain environments without cause. I do think that a work or home computer full of sexually explicit material of any kind or specific suspicious behaviors should disqualify a teacher for employment in grammar school or high school.