News Roundup 12/11/19 Cont.
More Americans are dying at home rather than in hospitals
Since the early 1900s, more Americans have been passing away in their homes rather than in a hospital. According to a report written on Wednesday by New England Journal of Medicine, deaths in nursing homes also have declined. Deaths in homes rose from 24% to 31%. The percentage of deaths that occurred in hospitals fell from 40% to 30% over that period, and in nursing homes the rate went from 24% to 21%. Warraich and Duke University graduate student Sarah Cross used government health statistics on deaths from natural causes, no accidents or homicides, from 2003 through 2017.
Sources: Associated Press
Reese Witherspoon honored at Women in Entertainment gala
Reese Witherspoon received the prestigious Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment breakfast gala on Wednesday. She was handed the award by her friend, actress Kerry Washington, for excelling in film and her philanthropic efforts. Witherspoon stated she was grateful to receive an award named after Lansing, the former Paramount Pictures CEO and the first woman to head a Hollywood studio. During her speech, Witherspoon told women “this is our time.”
Source: Associated Press
Weinstein’s bail hiked over allegations he disabled monitor
On Wednesday a judge increased Harvey Weinstein’s bail over allegations of him mishandling or disabling his electronic ankle monitor dozens of times in recent months. Judge James Burke gave Weinstein three options to cover a new bail of up to $5 million, and warned him that he’ll face jail time if other issues crop up. Weinstein was originally released on $1 million bail, and agreed to meet the obligation by putting up $2 million in cash and other assets through a bail bondsman. Weinstein’s lawyer stated he is scheduled for back surgery on Thursday to relieve his pain from a car crash that occurred in August, and that he will recover in time for the Jan. 6 start of his trial on rape and sexual assault charges.
Source: Associated News
Texas inmate executed for killing prison supervisor in 2003
On Wednesday evening, an inmate in Texas was executed by lethal injection. Travis Runnels, 46, was convicted of slashing the throat of 38-year-old Stanley Wiley on Jan. 29, 2003. He was executed at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. When Runnels was asked if he had any final words, he responded with "No." Prosecutors say Runnels killed Wiley because he didn’t like working as a janitor at the shoe factory. They said Runnels wanted to transfer to a job at the prison barber shop and was angry at Wiley because that hadn’t happened.
Source: Associated Press
Fewer kids report sex abuse in US juvenile detention centers
A new federal report has found the number of kids who claim to have been sexually victimized in juvenile detention centers has dropped across the U.S. compared to previous years. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics report released on Wednesday, high rates of sexual abuse persist in 12 facilities stretching from Oregon to Florida. It analyzed data collected during more than 6,000 anonymous interviews last year at nearly 330 juvenile detention facilities. Young people were asked about any type of sexual harassment, either by staff or other kids. Bureau of Justice Statistics unit chief Erica Smith, stated it’s too early to see if the drop is tied to a federal law that in 2012 began requiring states to meet standards designed to reduce and prevent sexual abuse behind bars.
Source: Associated Press