Charlottesville, VA (November 30, 2012). The JNS Publishing Group is pleased to announce that the December issue of Neurosurgical Focus is dedicated to Concussion: Pathophysiology & Sequelae. Guest editors Paul S. Echlin (Elliott Sports Medicine Clinic, Burlington, ON, Canada), M. Sean Grady (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA), and Shelly D. Timmons (Geisinger Medical Center/Neurosurgery, Danville, PA) selected 11 articles for this issue that focus on methods of diagnosing concussion and evaluating its consequences, structural and functional changes that can ...

Employee sues clothing retailer for racial discrimination A former employee of a clothing chain is suing the company for racial discrimination, alleging that she was fired from her job for being African American. According to the complaint, the employee overheard the executive vice president of the company telling her district manager that the employee "wasn't the right fit for the store" and that it would be preferable to hire someone "with blond hair and blue eyes." The employee says she was fired from her position soon after that conversation. Allegedly, ...

Facebook Increasingly Tied to Divorce Facebook and other social media websites have become integrated into the everyday lives of most Americans. Some keep in touch with loved ones far away, others keep friends and family up to date on their daily lives and some use social media to network with individuals in their field of work. The use of social media does not always have positive results, however. For example, a recent study uncovered that approximately one-third of divorces filed in the United States today mention the word "Facebook." Social Media Used ...

Safe driving tips for winter weather in Massachusetts Cold winter weather can often be accompanied by dangerous driving situations, and it is especially important to keep safety in mind when driving during the winter months. While driving in snow and ice can be nerve wracking, there are many precautions a driver can take to increase safety. Perhaps the most important thing to remember during the winter months is that a person should only drive when it's absolutely necessary. Avoiding driving when the weather is extreme is the easiest way to stay safe. However, if ...

New York's Domestic Incident Report Repository is live, raising concerns Law enforcement officials, legislators, state prosecutors and victims' advocates are hailing New York's new electronic Domestic Incident Report Repository as a win for the state. However, advocates of the DIRR may overlook the negative implications the database may have on those included on domestic reports, including those accused of committing domestic violence and those who are innocent but implicated in a report. What is the Domestic Incident Report Repository? The Domestic Incident Report ...

Former NHL analyst pleads guilty to DWI, avoids deportation to Canada The arrest and subsequent plea of a former NHL player on DWI charges prompts a look at New York's tough DWI laws and how an experienced criminal defense attorney can help those accused of DWI build successful cases. Former NHL player and ESPN hockey analyst Matthew Barnaby pled guilty to driving while under the influence of alcohol, refusing a breath test, failing to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles of a change in address and driving with unsafe tires. According to ESPN, Barnaby was visibly ...

What makes a DUI checkpoint illegal? The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that DUI sobriety checkpoints are constitutional, despite challengers who claimed the stops violate the U.S. Constitution's prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures. In what many attorneys refer to as the Fourth Amendment's "DUI exception," law enforcement agencies may set up checkpoints and stop vehicles to ensure the driver is not intoxicated, even without any specific reason to believe that a driver may be under the influence of alcohol. Still, there are limits on how DUI ...

Saving lives with Florida's 911 Good Samaritan Act In September 2011, 18-year-old football player Joey Boylan died after ingesting a lethal combination of prescription drugs. Afraid to call the police for fear of punishment, six of his friends decided to carry the unconscious Boylan into the home where they were partying and try to revive him. Unsuccessful, they put him on a bed and went to sleep while Joey slowly died of a drug overdose. Nine hours after Joey initially collapsed, his friends called 911. Sadly, Joey Boylan's case is not unique. Many people have died ...

Supreme Court to rule on validity of warrantless blood alcohol tests When an officer suspects that you are driving drunk, can you be forced to undergo a blood test against your will? This is the legal issue that is currently before the United States Supreme Court. The decision, which could affect how DUI suspects are treated nationwide, will decide whether the Fourth Amendment protects against compulsory blood tests in such a situation. The case, Missouri v. McNeely, started when a Missouri highway patrol officer pulled over Tyler McNeely for speeding one night. During ...

An Overview of Prenuptial Agreements in Virginia A prenuptial agreement, or prenup, is a contract between spouses that governs what their property and financial rights will be with regard to one another in the event of divorce, death or any other potential circumstance agreed upon by the couple. Topics often covered in a prenuptial agreement include: -Real estate -Division of bank accounts -Rights to past and future pensions and retirement accounts -Spousal support -Inheritance rights -Responsibility for debts Who Needs a Prenuptial Agreement? Traditionally, ...

Work Zones Increase Risk of Accidents for Workers and Drivers Drivers in Illinois are more than familiar with construction work zones and probably identify them more as an inconvenience than as area of increased traffic accident risk. But, every year in Illinois more than 7,000 motor vehicle crashes occur in work zones. Last year 24 people died in work zone traffic accidents. Of those deaths 21 were drivers and passengers of vehicles, one was a pedestrian in a work zone and two were construction workers. Therefore, being aware of roadside construction signs and slowing ...

Motorists: Exercise Caution When the Car Breaks Down Coming upon a stopped or stalled car within traffic is unexpected--and a possible catalyst for disaster. In a recent fatal accident near Zebulon, North Carolina a car that had run out of gas late at night was sitting partially in the traffic lane of the highway. A car ran into the stopped car, spun out of control, was struck by another vehicle causing it to burst into flames. The driver of that car died, and three other people were also injured in the accident. This tragedy is a sobering reminder that drivers need ...

Fatal Massachusetts DUI accidents illustrate penalties for drunk driving Two Massachusetts drunk driving accidents earlier this year show the potentially severe penalties awaiting those convicted of driving under the influence in the state. These penalties increase dramatically when a driver, passenger or pedestrian is injured or killed in an accident involving intoxication. A recent example involved Jay Franklin, of Upton, Massachusetts, who was driving in Westfield when he was involved in an accident while driving with three passengers. The crash occurred early on ...

Massachusetts increasing its monitoring of prescription painkillers Massachusetts' Online Prescription Monitoring Program collects prescribing and dispensing information for prescription medications that are subject to abuse, such as painkillers and stimulants. The idea behind reporting is to prevent the same person from obtaining controlled substances from multiple sources and to track doctors and pharmacies that have a tendency to "overprescribe" potentially abusive drugs. Essentially, the PMP program looks to reduce the number of "doctor shopping" ...

Unnecessary medical tests and treatments can harm patients Have you ever called your doctor because of a small concern only to be sent through a barrage of testing before even being seen by the physician? Have you ever been told by your doctor that you received unnecessary treatments because of a false positive on a test? If so, you are like many Americans who have been subjected to overtreatment by their physicians. While, on the surface, receiving unnecessary tests may seem like erring on the side of safety, they can actually have harmful consequences for the patient. ...

Four tips for a better co-parenting relationship after divorce For couples with children, divorce does not end a relationship but instead changes its focus. Although they no longer relate to one another in the context of marriage, in order to provide the best possible care for their children, divorced parents must learn to forge a new relationship as co-parents. The following tips may help smooth the transition for divorcing parents and help them provide a stable, healthy environment for their children. Model mutual respect Particularly in the immediate aftermath ...

Nevada's drug courts celebrate 20 years of success In the twenty years since its inception, the Nevada drug court program has become widely regarded as one of the state's most successful tools for helping to keep people out of prison. At a ceremony marking the anniversary of Nevada's drug courts, Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Cherry said that no other court program "has had such a positive impact on the criminal justice system, the prison system and crime in general than Nevada's drug courts," the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported recently. The ...

Post-divorce parenting: How to make it work A divorce is a difficult process for everyone. But when going through a divorce with children, some of the most challenging work happens after the divorce. You and your former spouse need to negotiate how you will parent separately as co-parents. Accepting different parenting styles You and your former spouse may have very different styles of parenting. Remember that you probably cannot change the way your co-parent is parenting, so you need to learn to accept it. Your children may actually benefit from experience two ...

Tips for Co-Parenting After a Pennsylvania Divorce In many cases after divorce, people would like nothing more than to never talk to their ex-spouses again. Those who have children cannot simply ignore their ex-spouses after divorce, however. Under many Pennsylvania child custody arrangements both parents spend time with the children. Therefore, parents need to learn how to have a relationship with their ex-spouses that allows them to raise their children together. People can follow steps to make co-parenting after divorce more successful. Focus on the Child Parents ...

Steep fines for underage drinking under new Pennsylvania law In an effort to reduce underage drinking and public intoxication, Pennsylvania legislators teamed up with law enforcement agencies in college towns across the state to develop a new underage drinking law that is set to go into effect on December 24, 2012. The new policy is meant to send a strong message to college students and others under the age of 21 by imposing heavy fines on those who are caught violating the state's liquor laws. Under the new law, the maximum fines for public drunkenness or underage ...

Chicago Enacts New Firearm Law -- Again Lawmakers in Chicago turned their attention to gun control once again recently after months of frequent shootings in the summer of 2012. The Chicago City Council amended the Chicago gun ordinance in late July, the latest in a string of changes that aim to strike a balance between public safety and personal freedom. Frequent Change in Chicago Gun Law Chicago lawmakers outlawed the sale and possession of handguns in 1982, and the ban remained in place for nearly three decades before it was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court ...

Distracted Driving in Georgia: More Than Just Cellphones Cellphone use and texting while driving have gotten a great deal of media attention in Georgia and around the country recently, and for good reason: Texting while driving increases the risk of accidents by a factor of 23, according to a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, and the risky habit has grown alarmingly widespread in recent years. But while cellphones remain a growing threat on Georgia roads, they are far from the only source of dangerous distractions for drivers. Georgia Distracted ...

Potential Pitfalls of Group Benefits Coverage Under ERISA If you have group medical, disability or life insurance coverage through your employer, chances are good that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, more commonly known as ERISA, sets administrative standards and claim hurdles for that coverage. ERISA does not mandate employers to give coverage, but rather sets standards for private pension and employee benefit plans if one exists. Some people question how effective ERISA actually is in the face of sub-standard coverage or when an insurance claim ...

Senate investigates tax practices of Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has begun an inquiry into the tax accounting practices of two of the nation's largest corporations. Leading the charge is Senator Carl Levin, D-Mich., who claims Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard both use loopholes in the corporate tax laws to move profits offshore and avoid paying taxes. However, the subcommittee investigation did confirm the companies are acting within the letter of the law. Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard have used the tax investigation ...

Controversial public lands bill dies in Pennsylvania Senate With the end of the 2011 to 2012 Pennsylvania legislative session comes the death knell of a controversial, confusing land-use bill about when local governmental bodies can sell off certain public lands. The bill would have amended the state Donated or Dedicated Property Act of 1959 to clarify that municipalities can sell without court approval public lands that were bought but that have no restrictions or covenants that the parcels be preserved for public use such as for parks. Without the requirement of ...