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‘Opportunity zone’ tax breaks shown as duplicitous development…
Michelle R. Matisons Civil & GovernmentOpportunity zones are a new real estate tax scheme that government officials, city planners, and investment firms are using to convert low-income real estate or already developed areas into large tax break incentives. When Amazon announced plans to move to Long Island City, the controversial opportunity zone tax break, created from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, was cited as a possible incentive for that location. This caused a flurry of controversy, and Amazon gave up the idea, which includes paying zero taxes on gains from assets held for a decade, because it’s bad public relations.
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FDA issues public safety notification after exosome treatment sickens patients…
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareLast month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public safety notification regarding exosome products following multiple reports of serious adverse effects experienced by patients in Nebraska who received treatment with unapproved products derived from placentas. Derived from endosomes and present in all body fluids, exosomes are a form of extracellular vesicle. Clinics administer exosome therapies through intravenous injection, inhalation, or injection into joints or soft tissue.
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FAA seeks to take back the skies from rogue drones
Tory Barringer Transportation Technology & AutomotiveFor the past few years, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has had a growing problem with unidentified flying objects. Not the kind with little green men, but rather unmanned (and unregistered) aerial vehicles (UAVs) — "drones" for short. Originally designed for military applications, drones are now used widely for a variety of jobs, including aerial surveillance, bridge inspections, wedding photography and package delivery, among others. So how does the government keep track of more than a million remote-controlled flying machines? The answer, at least until recently, is "not very well."
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Study: Private hospital payment rates much higher than Medicare, Medicaid
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationRising healthcare costs be damned; the industry and federal regulators continue to attempt to reign in outlandish prices. But, according to a new study published in the journal Health Affairs, hospital payment rates to private insurance have grown much faster than to Medicare and Medicaid. Researchers reviewed payments for inpatient hospital stays, emergency department visits, and outpatient care from 1996 to 2016, finding private charges rose as much as five times the rate of Medicare during that period.
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New rules to aim to improve kidney disease care, increase number of organ…
Lynn Hetzler Healthcare AdministrationMore 113,000 Americans are on the waitlist for organs; about 20 die each day. The federal government recently proposed new rules to increase the availability of organs for those waiting for lifesaving organ transplants. The new rules focus on increasing use of organs donated after cardiac death (DCD) and on making it easier for the living to donate. The proposed rule change would also increase the number of kidney donations and revamp kidney care.
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Education predictions for the next year and beyond
Bambi Majumdar EducationThe beginning of every new year spawns a flurry of predictions. This year's predictions in education mark a definite shift in direction. According to experts, education will be moving away from one-size-fits-all assessments and memorizing facts to learning how to make a difference. In the next decade, solving complex problems will be most important for students. Forbes predicts that, instead of an obsession with testing and ranking, cohort education will involve place-based learning experiences. Experiential learning will slowly become the new normal.
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White Sands: America’s newest national park
Dave G. Houser Recreation & LeisureJust before Christmas 2019, White Sands National Monument in New Mexico became White Sands National Park. The official upgrade passed through Congress with little fanfare, hidden away in the small print of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020. The designation as America's 62nd national park is, however, lauded by proponents — road trippers, desert rats and photographers — who love to roam the 275-square-mile complex of sparkling, swirling white sand dunes.
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Boeing, transportation sector face dangerous manufacturing ‘double…
Michelle R. Matisons ManufacturingThe verdict is in on dismissed Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg's culpability in the mishandling that led to deadly 737 Max jet crashes in October 2018 and March 2019. Recently released emails combine with Muilenburg's departure to keep Boeing in the headlines. Muilenburg testified before Congress last October, and his departure sees him walking away with anywhere between $62 million and $80 million in compensation. This is controversial, considering Boeing crash victims are, by comparison, receiving a meager $50 million from the company.
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US economy adds 145,000 new hires; unemployment stays at 3.5%
Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementIn December, U.S. nonfarm payrolls grew by 145,000 after November's gain of 266,000, while the rate of unemployment remained at 3.5%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The total number of unemployed persons stayed at 5.8 million versus 6.3 million and a jobless rate of 3.9% a year ago. Meanwhile, hourly pay increases are tepid. "Year-over-year nominal wage growth was 2.9% — the lowest it's been in 18 months," according to Elise Gould, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., in a statement.
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The real reason a new K-12 teacher probably can’t afford to live…
Patrick Gleeson EducationThere are two different reasons a beginning teacher in this country likely can't afford to live on their salary. One reason is supremely self-evident: state by state and city by city, teachers are paid less than similarly educated and qualified professionals. The second reason isn't quite so obvious, but it underlies the first and it's quite grim. Teachers are underpaid because as a group, teachers are disrespected and disliked by significant segments of the U.S. population. The underpayment isn't just "a lack of funds." It's deliberate and intended.
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