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Seasonal traditions maintained in disaster-affected communities
Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & EnvironmentalThis past year we have witnessed many U.S. communities get turned upside down, even destroyed, by significant weather events. We have also witnessed significant developments on the climate change front, as the Paris Agreement lives on despite the deregulation of U.S. environmental protections that is underway, including clean water protections.
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Congress passes Action for Dental Health Act
Tammy Hinojos Oral & Dental HealthcareAll Americans deserve good dental health. Washington, D.C., agrees. Legislation aimed at improving oral health as well as access to oral health care — called the Action for Dental Health Act — is now law. President Donald Trump signed the bill on Dec. 11 after it was passed by Congress in November. The American Dental Association, which has led the Action for Dental Health initiative since 2014, approved of the bill’s passage.
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Addis Ababa takes Dubai’s crown as the gateway to Africa
Matt Falcus Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementTravelers are now more likely to pass through Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport when connecting to destinations in Africa than any other gateway thanks to a number of factors that have made it easier and more attractive to do so. The Ethiopian hub has taken the crown from Dubai International, which has for many years been the most common connecting point to the African continent. Africa’s largest and fastest growing carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, is helping to grow Addis Ababa through targeted expansion in its long-haul and regional network.
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VA, T-Mobile partner as government expands its telehealth efforts
Scott E. Rupp Civil & GovernmentMobile phone service provider T-Mobile has announced plans to provide 70,000 lines of wireless service to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in an effort to ensure that every VA location has a connection for telehealth services to veterans. According to a release issued by the company, military veterans drive "an average of 25 to 50 miles for healthcare visits today." Through its partnership, the VA healthcare system is attempting to create better, more efficient connections between patients and their provider.
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How is the ‘new NAFTA’ different?
Michelle R. Matisons ManufacturingThe idea of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was very controversial when first proposed during the Clinton administration and signed in 1994. It was the first North American trilateral trade bloc representing Mexico, Canada and the United States. NAFTA’s successor, called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), was signed by all three participating countries’ leaders at the G20 Summit on Nov. 30. The legislatures of all three countries must ratify the agreement before it goes into effect. We know USMCA is intended to make up for NAFTA’s shortcomings. But will it?
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December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityIt is a message that needs to repeatedly loudly and often: do not drive impaired. The holiday season is a time where there are frequent preventable tragedies due to impaired driving. For that reason, December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. On average, 29 people in the United States die each day in motor vehicle crashes that involve the use of alcohol. Every year, more than 10,000 lives are lost to drunk driving at a cost of $44 billion.
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CMS: US healthcare spending slows in nearly every corner of the market
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareHealthcare spending slowed in 2017 for the second consecutive year in the United States, with a limited growth rate of 3.9 percent — almost one percentage point lower than in 2016 — according to new statistics released by the federal government this month. Healthcare’s share of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) is 17.9 percent with total spending emerging at $3.5 trillion — the equivalent of $10,739 per person — but growing slower than the overall GDP. Why the slowing growth?
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Change has come with California’s Federal Milk Marketing Order
Ted Jacoby Food & BeverageThings have changed for milk producers and handlers in the Golden State. Milk marketing in the state is now governed by a Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO). The state order administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture will cease to exist. But a predicted rise in blend prices paid to California farmers does not necessarily mean everyone will make more money. The biggest change to come with the implementation of California's FMMO is that milk produced there will be priced based on the USDA's formula, which differs subtly from the old California scheme.
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What you need to know about the changes to exempt salary thresholds in…
Melanie Pol Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementIn 2017, the Department of Labor (DOL) scrapped U.S.-wide plans to increase the salary threshold for exempt employees following challenges from multiple states. The DOL has continued to postpone these plans. However, the states of California and New York have elected to raise their own exempt salary thresholds for 2019. The changes are effective from Dec. 31, 2018, and Jan. 1, 2019, in New York and California, respectively. This could mean that some of your workers may be eligible to overtime pay due to the increased salary-exempt threshold.
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UN climate talks polarized by protest, coal politics
Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & EnvironmentalAnother round of climate talks have begun in Katowice, Poland, at an event known as COP24. Thus far, the event has featured heated clashes with police and heated debates about the Paris Agreement, both regarding a heating planet Earth. There have been serious protests against dirty energy while more protests and behind-the-scenes controversies are brewing. Let’s begin with the protests, and then consider what’s happening behind the scenes at this historic gathering of world leaders, industry spokespeople, nonprofits, nongovernmental organizations, citizen activist groups, and direct action insurrectionaries.
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