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NSPR News Brief: Oct. 26

Kat Masback / Flickr
Chlamydia (pictured), gonorrhea and syphilis are at a 20-year high in California.

Here's your daily briefing...

Update on Palm Springs bus crash … Half of the tires on the tour bus that smashed into tractor-trailer on Interstate 10 near Palm Springs, killing 13 people, were worn down to an unsafe level. That’s according to National Safety Board member Earl Weener. The Associated Press reports that yesterday Weener said the condition of the tires meant the bus 1996 bus could have been taken out of service because it was out of compliance. The cause of the crash remains undetermined.

Yuba County Jail lawsuit … Attorneys representing inmates at Yuba County Jail are asking a federal judge in Sacramento to reexamine a 1979 court order that promised condition improvements. According to the Associated Press, the jail has seen at least 41 suicide attempts over the last 2 ½ years — events lawmakers stated in their court filing as a sign of poor treatment. The court filing also points to isolating mentally ill inmates in windowless cells for weeks at a time as reason for revisiting the court order. The inmates attorneys say many of those jailed are awaiting trial or are being held for immigration violations. The county’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Marijuana: the state’s 401st commodity … That’s right, if recreational marijuana is legalized in California it will be regulated by the state Department of Food and Agriculture like medical marijuana is currently. According to Capital Public Radio, the state is still in the process for writing rules for medical marijuana. Those rules would eventually apply also to recreational marijuana if Proposition 64 passes in November. There are also currently 62 local ballot measures regarding taxation and regulation of marijuana on the ballot in anticipation of the proposition’s passage.

STDs on the rise in California … Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are at a 20-year high in the state. According to Capital Public Radio health reporter Ja’Nel Johnson, this is the second year in a row California has seen increases in these three sexually transmitted diseases, with chlamydia seeing the highest increase. The health department speculates the increase may be due to an increase in sexual partners, barriers to STD testing and a decline in condom use. Health departments are being issued $5 million in grants from CDPH to expand STD prevention, testing and treatment programs.