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Vioxx settlement heats up law fight
LANSING (AP) More than 1,000 Michigan residents could end up getting part of a $4.85 billion national settlement if they or their loved ones took the painkiller Vioxx. But that hasn't squelched a firestorm over the state's unique 1995 law shielding pharmaceutical makers from product liability lawsuits over drugs such as Vioxx. Michigan's law is the toughest in the country, allowing legal damages only if plaintiffs prove a company withheld or misrepresented information about a drug that would cause the Food and Drug Administration to not give or to withdraw its approval. That law seemed to pose an insurmountable barrier for Michigan residents who wanted to file claims that Vioxx had harmed them or a family member. But some took a chance on suing Vioxx manufacturer Merck & Co.
Jason Kline: Here's what to watch for during Indians spring training
Indians pitchers and catchers report to Winter Haven, Fla., on Friday for the first full-squad workout this weekend. That means we're barely a week away from finding out who is in the best shape of their life, who has had laser eye surgery, who is healthy, which veteran hurler has been trying out a new pitch and a slew of other spring-training clichs. Considering the Tribe's ho-hum offseason, that's about as good as it's going to get. It looks like 23 players from the 25-man playoff roster a year ago are back, which should make for familiar Opening Day roster, but a pretty boring Grapefruit League run. The top-11 players in at-bats and innings pitched return, the kind of stability managers and front offices love. It might be humdrum, but there's nothing wrong with essentially bringing back the same team that won 96 games last year.
EAST BAY ROUNDUP
MAYOR'S CHIEF OF STAFF TO LEAVE CITY: Dave Grenell, chief of staff to Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, plans to leave the city at the end of the year to study government policy abroad. Grenell, 34, will spend about eight months in nine European countries through the Marshall Memorial Fellowship, a 26-year-old program that encourages participants to work together on international and domestic policy challenges. Some of the best ideas, particularly in environmental and social issues, have originated outside the United States, spurring Grenell's interest to apply for the fellowship, he said. Ireland, for example, banned plastic bags years before San Francisco became the first city to prohibit it in this country. "I think government needs to be about pursuing the best ideas available to solve problems," Grenell said.
Preserved corpses most popular exhibit on planet
Telus World of Science president George Smith said most people will see beauty in the specimens rather than gore and expects the $26 tickets to sell out fast. University of Alberta anatomy professor Dr. Gail Amort-Larson expects the exhibit will be a hit with Edmontonians. "Medical students especially. At the university they only have the chance to see brain slices, nothing like this. This has the potential to be a transforming growth experience for anyone who sees it," she said. Go to www.bodyworldsedmonton.com for more. .
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