Class-action case sought in dispute on Teflon risks

DES MOINES, Iowa – Owners of Teflon-coated pots and pans in 15 states are seeking to have their cases combined in a $5 billion class-action lawsuit claiming DuPont Co. failed to disclose possible health risks from using the nonstick cookware. The lawsuits claim DuPont continued to tell the government and consumers for years that Teflon was safe even though its own studies showed the material could become toxic when heated “enough to fry an egg,” according to a Des Moines attorney, who represents six plaintiffs from Iowa.

Georgia: State to offer Bible classes

Georgia became what is believed to be the first state to offer government-sanctioned elective classes on the Bible, with Gov. Sonny Perdue signing a bill into law Thursday. The governor also signed a bill permitting the display of the Ten Commandments at courthouses, an issue that has raised thorny constitutional questions. Critics say the measures blur the line between church and state. National civil rights groups said they want to see how the laws are implemented before deciding whether to challenge them in court.

Kansas: School slaying plot alleged

Five teenage boys accused of plotting a shooting rampage at Riverton High School on the anniversary of the Columbine massacre were arrested Thursday after a message authorities said warned of a gun attack appeared on the Web site MySpace.com. Deputies found guns, ammunition, knives and messages in the bedroom of one suspect, officials said. Authorities also found documents about firearms and references to Armageddon in two suspects’ school lockers. The sheriff said he would ask prosecutors to bring charges of conspiracy to commit murder against the teens, ages 16 to 18.

Missouri: Abortion law challenged

Abortion-rights advocates argued before an appeals court Thursday that a South Dakota law requiring abortion doctors to warn patients about the procedure forces physicians to give inaccurate information and infringes on their free-speech rights. A panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis heard the challenge by Planned Parenthood of South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota. The law would require doctors to tell women that abortions end human lives and cause serious psychological problems.

California: T-shirt ban upheld

Schools in the western U.S. can forbid a high school student from wearing a T-shirt with a slogan that denigrates gay and lesbian students, a sharply divided federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled Thursday. In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said that a T-shirt which proclaimed “BE ASHAMED, OUR SCHOOL EMBRACED WHAT GOD HAS CONDEMNED” on the front and “HOMOSEXUALITY IS SHAMEFUL” on the back was “injurious to gay and lesbian students and interfered with their right to learn.”

Illinois: The loneliness gene

If you’re feeling lonely, perhaps you should blame your genes. That’s what scientists at the University of Chicago and in the Netherlands found when they studied twins to see whether there is a genetic predisposition to loneliness. There is. Researchers found that about 50 percent of identical twins and 25 percent of fraternal twins shared similar characteristics of loneliness. That’s powerful evidence that feeling lonely can be inherited.

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A grave marker for Blaze the horse. (Photo provided)
After Darrington woman’s horse died, she didn’t know what to do

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Driver sentenced in 2021 crash that killed Everett couple

Danielle Cruz, formerly of Lynnwood, gets 17½ years in prison. She was impaired by drugs when she caused the crash that killed Sharon Gamble and Kenneth Weikle.

A person walks out of the Everett Clinic on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The Everett Clinic changing name to parent company Optum in 2024

The parent company says the name change will not affect quality of care for patients in Snohomish County.

Tirhas Tesfatsion (GoFundMe) 20210727
Lynnwood settles for $1.7 million after 2021 suicide at city jail

Jail staff reportedly committed 16 safety check violations before they found Tirhas Tesfatsion, 47, unresponsive in her cell.

Diane Kay Thompson, center, listens during their sentencing at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Marysville woman sentenced to 2 years for running over, killing husband

Diane Thompson pleaded guilty to manslaughter. “My home was taken, my daughters hate me and I have no money to my name,” she said.

The Marysville Municipal Jail is pictured Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville weighs mandatory jail time for repeated ‘public disorder’

The “three strikes” proposal sets a minimum sentence of 30 days in jail for crimes like public drug use and trespassing.

Cash is used for a purchase at Molly Moon's Ice Cream in Edmonds, Washington on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
County Council delays vote on requiring businesses to take cash

Concerns over information and enforcement postponed the council’s scheduled vote on the ordinance Wednesday in Snohomish County.

Thrill-seekers fly through the air on a ride during opening day of the Evergreen State Fair on Thursday, August 24, 2023, in Monroe, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Evergreen State Fair attendance dips 9% from 2022

Slightly over 228,000 people attended the fair this year in Monroe, down from 253,000 last year and 355,000 in 2019.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Darrington in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
New fire east of Darrington closes stretch of rural road

The Tenas Creek fire, which started late last week, was 90% contained Wednesday after burning 38 acres.

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