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Officer down! How do your state’s benefits compare?

Sandie Doptis and Jack Gaffigan Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

When there is an officer down incident, kind-hearted nonprofit and departmental associations always attempt to provide financial assistance to the survivors of a line-of-duty death through fundraisers utilizing banks, radio shows and telemarketing. The funds dispersed to the surviving widows and children pale in light of the fact that the majority of the states provide special public safety death benefits and full four-year college scholarships within their respective university systems to all survivors. This article focuses solely on state death benefits, and in particular the one-time, lump-sum death benefit — if the state has one — payable to the survivors of an officer killed in the line of duty.

Backlash begins after union victories for teachers

Michelle R. Matisons Education

Recently, Los Angeles teachers went on strike for smaller class sizes, higher salaries, and more nurses, librarians, counselors, and community schools. And guess what? It worked. For now. On Jan. 22, the six-day strike that closed schools for 34,000 Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) students ended. This was a victory for the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), which ratified the new contract with 81 percent of the vote. But after a solid year of effective actions by teachers' unions across the country, a backlash is brewing.

Are hospitals compliant with patient access to medical records?

Christina Thielst Healthcare Administration

Are U.S. hospitals compliant with federal and state regulations in their medical records processes? That is the central question in a cross-sectional study of 83 hospitals featured in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital Rankings for 2016-2017. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act establishes the patient’s right for access of their protected health information within 30 days and in the format they prefer. In the study, researchers attempted to conduct scripted interviews (simulating a patient experience) with each medical records department, but three were deemed nonresponsive.

Active shooter training for officers will be a key focus in 2019

Bambi Majumdar Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

Law enforcement officers across the country are undergoing intensive active shooter training sessions. With the unfortunate increase in violence in schools and public places, it is no surprise that these sessions will be a key focus for all law enforcement agencies in 2019. Recent active shooter incidents and their tragic consequences have been sobering learning experiences, but experts are using those experiences to create preventive programs. They have extracted and analyzed data from after-action reports and officers involved in the cases. The analytical reports are used to develop improved, faster and better ways for first responders to respond to an active shooter scene.

Partial federal government shutdown ends but political impasse remains

Seth Sandronsky Civil & Government

Last Friday, President Trump signed a bill in effect through Feb. 15 that ends the 35-day partial federal government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history. What is likely to or could happen over the next three weeks as border security talks between the president, GOP and Democrats proceed? What are the prospects for a resumed shutdown if both sides fail to reach a compromise? We turn to Frank Knapp, head of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce. "The (4.8 million) contract federal workers will not get any back pay," he said in an email to MultiBriefs.

The increasing load of the small-town school leader

Brian Stack Education

Every year for the past several years, I have been asked to justify to the elected officials in my New Hampshire school community why with a declining enrollment I am not recommending a reduction in school administrator positions at my high school. It is hard to explain to someone not in the field that the amount of responsibility and workload of a school principal does not correlate directly with the size of a student population. Some aspects of the job do — such as managing student discipline and evaluation of staff. Yet, other aspects of the job do not.

Housing America part 1: The decline of public housing

Lucy Wallwork Construction & Building Materials

Just as in other parts of the world hit by the shockwaves of the Industrial Revolution, the call for public housing in the U.S. was born in the late 19th century out of an urgent attempt to put an end to the urban misery faced by factory workers. With rising levels of homelessness in the U.S. today another crisis is looming but the response this time around is a more ambiguous one. This first part in a series on housing in America tells the story of how public housing began in the U.S. and how it got where it is today. Future articles will look at other aspects of housing in the U.S. in more detail.

World Economic Forum recognizes green manufacturing solutions

Michelle R. Matisons Manufacturing

This week, President Trump boasted that 2018’s 284,000 new manufacturing jobs indicate he has a "magic wand" for job growth. This number, which reflects the greatest annual manufacturing growth since 1997, sounds good. But are they sustainable jobs in line with global emissions reduction goals? Not necessarily. When GM announced plant closure plans, it stated that it is preparing to manufacture greener electric vehicles, pitting jobs against the environment. But, according to many attending this week’s World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, jobs and the environment do not have to be at odds. Or do they?

Fire fast, even in an employee market

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Pay is up. Jobs are increasing. And the opportunities of the gig economy continue to unsettle traditional job paths. None of this changes the fact that it is better for culture, retention and the bottom line to fire fast. But how do we balance the imperative to fire fast with the more basic need to have staff? Here are a few tips on how to fire fast, even in an employee market.

Want to hunt in the Western states next season? Apply for your tags soon

John McAdams Recreation & Leisure

Even though deer season remains open in some parts of the country, it’s not too early to start planning for next hunting season. Specifically, application season is rapidly approaching for most of the Western states. So, if you'd like to hunt deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, mountain goat, or bighorn sheep next fall in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming, then pay close attention to the upcoming application deadlines to make sure you don't miss out on the chance to draw a tag.

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