Articles by Brenda Evans

Big Alcohol Lobbying California / PHOTO: North County Connection Big Alcohol lobbying in California made an impact during the 2011-2012 legislative session. Alcohol Justice, a self proclaimed industry watchdog, released a report of Big Alcohol's efforts in Sacramento. Bruce Lee Livingston, executive director and CEO of Alcohol Justice, is concerned with the negative impact of slight deregulation. “Our legislature continues to pander to the well-healed interests of Big Alcohol at the public’s e...

California District 19 Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson / PHOTO: Sen. Jackson's Facebook A proposed California initiative would lower the voter preregistration age to 15. Under the bill put forward by Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-CA), 15-year-olds could preregister when they get their learner's permit at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Pre-registrants would remain ineligible to vote until they turn 18. "I see this as an opportunity to encourage teens to make sure they register to vote," Jac...

A United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) study finding increasing mercury levels in Africa, Asia, and South America will be discussed in Geneva this week. According to the UN statement, the increase is mainly caused by the use of mercury to separate metal from ore in small-scale gold mining and by burning coal for electricity. A UNEP press release states, "mercury emissions from artisanal gold mining are significantly greater than 2008 reports" and has doubled since 2005. Rising gold pri...

PHOTO: ALAMY President Obama and Congress approved a one-year extension of a wind industry tax credit included in the fiscal cliff deal. The deal includes a “tax extender” that provides a 2.2-cent per kilowatt hour tax credit for energy produced at wind farms. According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) press release, wind set a new record in 2012 by installing 44 percent of all new electrical generating capacity in America and leading the electric sector. Natural gas only carrie...

Rep. Rick Larsen / PHOTO: Tom Williams The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill to extend spending levels for the Coast Guard and reauthorize the Maritime Administration. Congressman Rick Larsen (D-Wa) led the passage of the Coast Guard bill in early December. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) and Rep. John Mica (R-FL), was signed into law by President Obama on December 20. "This bill gives the Guard the resources they need to provide security and safety on our coasts...

Photo: Harvard University Drug and Alcohol Peer Advisors The National Institute of Health is working with an experimental antidepressant called AZD6765, using the properties of ketamine as a model. Clinical trials run by The National Institute of Health (NIH) have shown that the experimental drug relieves symptoms of depression within minutes. Previous studies done at Yale have shown that the club drug, ketamine, is a quick response antidepressant that acts through the brain's glutamate chemi...

Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne. Photo: MotorTrend Chrysler Group announced last week that the company's investment in engine production will create 1,250 jobs in Michigan. At the Mack I Engine Plant in Detroit, Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne announced that $198 million will be invested in the plant to produce the Pentastar V-6 engine. Marchionne said that this will create up to 250 new jobs at Mack I, "subject to market conditions." According to the Detroit Free Press, 200 workers from t...

President Obama wins Florida with 49.9 percent of the popular vote, taking the state's 29 electoral votes. The race was close, with only a 47,028 vote difference according to The Washington Post. [Editor's Update: Click here to read why IVN called Florida for Obama] Florida was the last state to be called, due in part to long lines at some polling locations and absentee ballots that needed to be counted in such a close race. According to Huffington Post, Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Pene...

Credit: Orlando Sentinel President Obama has won the vital swing state of Florida with 49.9 percent of the vote. Long after Obama accepted the nomination last night, the state finally processed all the ballots. The Washington Post reported, with all precincts accounted for, that Obama carried the state by a tiny margin. Mitt Romney received 49.3 percent of the vote. Florida has historically been a decisive state in presidential elections, although this year Obama swept the country before Flori...