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Maryland is suing the company that produces the waterproof material Gore-Tex often used for raincoats and other outdoor gear, alleging its leaders kept using “forever chemicals” long after learning about serious health risks associated with them. The complaint, which was filed last week in federal court, focuses on a cluster of 13 facilities in northeastern Maryland operated by Delaware-based W.L. Gore & Associates. It alleges the company polluted the air and water around its facilities with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances , jeopardizing the health of surrounding communities while raking in profits. The lawsuit adds to other claims filed in recent years, including a class action on behalf of Cecil County residents in 2023 demanding Gore foot the bill for water filtration systems, medical bills and other damages associated with decades of harmful pollution in the largely rural community. “PFAS are linked to cancer, weakened immune systems, and can even harm the ability to bear children,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement. “It is unacceptable for any company to knowingly contaminate our drinking water with these toxins, putting Marylanders at risk of severe health conditions.” Gore spokesperson Donna Leinwand Leger said the company is “surprised by the Maryland Attorney General’s decision to initiate legal action, particularly in light of our proactive and intensive engagement with state regulators over the past two years.” “We have been working with Maryland, employing the most current, reliable science and technology to assess the potential impact of our operations and guide our ongoing, collaborative efforts to protect the environment,” the company said in a statement, noting a Dec. 18 report that contains nearly two years of groundwater testing results. But attorney Philip Federico, who represents plaintiffs in the class action and other lawsuits against Gore, called the company’s efforts “too little, much too late.” In the meantime, he said, residents are continuing to suffer — one of his clients was recently diagnosed with kidney cancer. “It’s typical corporate environmental contamination,” he said. “They’re in no hurry to fix the problem.” The synthetic chemicals are especially harmful because they’re nearly indestructible and can build up in various environments, including the human body. In addition to cancers and immune system problems, exposure to certain levels of PFAS has been linked to increased cholesterol levels, reproductive health issues and developmental delays in children, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Gore leaders failed to warn people living near its Maryland facilities about the potential impacts, hoping to protect their corporate image and avoid liability, according to the state’s lawsuit. The result has been “a toxic legacy for generations to come,” the lawsuit alleges. Since the chemicals are already in the local environment, protecting residents now often means installing complex and expensive water filtration systems. People with private wells have found highly elevated levels of dangerous chemicals in their water, according to the class action lawsuit. The Maryland facilities are located in a rural area just across the border from Delaware, where Gore has become a longtime fixture in the community. The company, which today employs more than 13,000 people, was founded in 1958 after Wilbert Gore left the chemical giant DuPont to start his own business. Its profile rose with the development of Gore-Tex , a lightweight waterproof material created by stretching polytetrafluoroethylene, which is better known by the brand name Teflon that’s used to coat nonstick pans. The membrane within Gore-Tex fabric has billions of pores that are smaller than water droplets, making it especially effective for outdoor gear. The state’s complaint traces Gore’s longstanding relationship with DuPont , arguing that information about the chemicals' dangers was long known within both companies as they sought to keep things quiet and boost profits. It alleges that as early as 1961, DuPont scientists knew the chemical caused adverse liver reactions in rats and dogs. DuPont has faced widespread litigation in recent years. Along with two spinoff companies, it announced a $1.18 billion deal last year to resolve complaints of polluting many U.S. drinking water systems with forever chemicals. The Maryland lawsuit seeks to hold Gore responsible for costs associated with the state’s ongoing investigations and cleanup efforts, among other damages. State oversight has ramped up following litigation from residents alleging their drinking water was contaminated. Until then, the company operated in Cecil County with little scrutiny. Gore announced in 2014 that it had eliminated perfluorooctanoic acid from the raw materials used to create Gore-Tex. But it’s still causing long-term impacts because it persists for so long in the environment, attorneys say. Over the past two years, Gore has hired an environmental consulting firm to conduct testing in the area and provided bottled water and water filtration systems to residents near certain Maryland facilities, according to a webpage describing its efforts. Recent testing of drinking water at residences near certain Gore sites revealed perfluorooctanoic acid levels well above what the EPA considers safe, according to state officials. Attorneys for the state acknowledged Gore’s ongoing efforts to investigate and address the problem but said the company needs to step up and be a better neighbor. “While we appreciate Gore’s limited investigation to ascertain the extent of PFAS contamination around its facilities, much more needs to be done to protect the community and the health of residents,” Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain said in a statement. “We must remove these forever chemicals from our natural resources urgently, and we expect responsible parties to pay for this remediation.” Lea Skene, The Associated Press
InspireMD Announces Appointment of Accomplished Medical Technology Executive Scott R. Ward to its Board of DirectorsINGLEWOOD — Clippers reserve guard Jordan Miller took his place at the key for shooting drills before Tuesday’s practice. During the drill, players pass the ball back and forth to each other. Just a routine drill or so he thought. Miller was about to toss the ball to the next player when he looked up and saw Kawhi Leonard ready to catch his pass. “I’m passing it to Kawhi. Oh, snap,” Miller said of his initial reaction to seeing the six-time All-Star on the court. Leonard took part in limited practice on Tuesday, his first appearance in team drills since last season when his right knee flared up during the playoffs. The two-time NBA Finals MVP has missed the first 25 games this season as he works his way back into playing shape after having an offseason knee procedure that left him dealing with inflammation . “He just kind of snuck his way onto the court, you know, very Kawhi-like,” Miller said. “It’s great to have another leader on the court. He’s been leading off the court, obviously, but for him to be in the drill, participating with us, it’s just a different feeling.” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said Leonard looked “good” in practice, taking part in offensive and defensive work, but without contact. Lue added that while Leonard has gotten better, he will not play against the Denver Nuggets on Friday. Asked what boxes the 33-year-old forward still needs to check before he can suit up for a game, Lue said he needs to “do a lot more things to really get back on the floor. We just want to make sure he’s 100%; we don’t want to get him out there at 70%, 75%. “So, let’s just take our time, make sure we get it right. Like I said, our medical staff – with Maggie Bryant, Todd Wright, Jasen Powell – those guys have done a great job just making sure that he’s checking every box, not speeding through it, not skipping steps. We’re not going to let him skip steps.” Leonard’s surprise appearance, even in a limited capacity, was a morale boost for the rest of the team. “It gave us energy and like at this point, where we are, we can take all the energy we can get,” Miller said. “So, it’s good to have him back on the court. “At the end of the day, we all want the best for him. Whenever that is, whenever he can play with us, that’s great. But, at the end of the day, we just want what’s best for him.” Leonard, who sat out the entire 2021-22 season because of a torn ACL in his right knee and has missed 204 of a possible 460 games since joining the Clippers in 2019, did not speak to reporters. Like the rest of the team, Lue could sense a change at the Clippers’ training facility. Related Articles “It raised our energy just for our guys to see him on the floor,” Lue said. “It brought a juice to our team, so we needed that jolt, especially going through the schedule we’ve been through, so it was really good to see him out there.” The Clippers have been able to stay competitive in the stacked Western Conference without their star player. Although they have dropped their past two games, including a 28-point blowout to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Clippers (14-11) are sixth in the conference and limiting opponents to a fifth-best 107.4 points per game. That will enable Leonard to take a slower approach to getting back into the flow. He will not have to carry the team right away and return to averaging 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists like he did last season before suffering knee problems. “But at some point, you need him to be Kawhi Leonard,” Lue said. “I think he can do that. And just seeing the year he had last year – playing 68 games – and how he played at a really high level. So, we just got to get him back to that. It’s going to take some time, and he can’t get frustrated with the process.” The Clippers got more good news as All-Star point guard James Harden (groin), guard Amir Coffey (shoulder), guard Kris Dunn (illness) and backup center Mo Bamba (injury management) all took part in Tuesday’s practice. Harden, Coffey and Bamba all sat out Sunday night’s loss to the Houston Rockets. Dunn played 22 minutes but came down with an unspecified illness. Forward Derrick Jones Jr. was diagnosed with a right hamstring strain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.The journey to becoming a doctor has been a long one for Torres Strait Islander man T'kido Titasey. or signup to continue reading Born in Atherton, north Queensland and growing up on Thursday Island, Dr Titasey set his heart on practising medicine from a young age. "I realised that we're quite disadvantaged up there and a lot of my family are sick with chronic diseases that increase mortality and morbidity dramatically," he told AAP. "I knew I wanted to do something in health and I was pretty hell bent on being a doctor when I was younger." He started studying medicine at James Cook University in 2013, but dropped out of the course. "I was a bit young and immature and enjoyed college life more than I did the study," Dr Titasey said. "I had a few family issues that unfolded and I couldn't get through, so I did nursing and loved it." As a nurse, he spent time at Townsville Community Hospital, where a number of Indigenous patients had cardiovascular issues. Driven to know why there were such a disproportionate number of Indigenous patients, and supported by his wife and family to take the leap, he applied for his second chance at being a doctor. After years of hard work, graduating from the University of Queensland with his Doctor of Medicine in early-December felt "unreal", Dr Titasey said. It was his mentors at university and his family, who supported and cheered him on through the difficult moments, that kept him going. "I've had some pretty rough days during med school, and that's to put it lightly. It hasn't been easy, but they're always there in your corner, listening to you, encouraging you to keep going and doing whatever they can to make sure you succeed," he said. Dr Titasey is thinking about pursuing ophthalmology, treating issues affecting the eye and vision. While it's a change from his cardiac background, he'll be able to take the skills he honed as a nurse into his future practice. "As a nurse you learn to ... really see the person, not just their medical condition," he said. "We learn how to interact with patients and families, we learn how to work really well in a team environment and they're also essential skills that you need to work as a doctor." Dr Titasey hopes to see more Torres Strait Islander people in the field. Before he graduated he was one of three Torres Strait Islander students taking on the degree at the University of Queensland. "I just really want to encourage any Torres Strait Islanders to give it a crack, because the feeling that I got when I was back in TI [Thursday Island] as a final-year medical student ... it's the most rewarding experience," he said. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. 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Analysis: After Juan Soto's megadeal, could MLB see a $1 billion contract? Probably not soon For the second straight Major League Baseball offseason, a norm-shattering contract has been the talk of the winter , with Juan Soto agreeing with the New York Mets on a $765 million, 15-year deal that's the richest in baseball history. David Brandt, The Associated Press Dec 10, 2024 2:35 PM Dec 10, 2024 2:50 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message FILE - New York Yankees' Juan Soto talks with agent Scott Boras before Game 1 of the baseball World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File) For the second straight Major League Baseball offseason, a norm-shattering contract has been the talk of the winter , with Juan Soto agreeing with the New York Mets on a $765 million, 15-year deal that's the richest in baseball history. It comes almost exactly one year after the Los Angeles Dodgers forked out a princely sum of $700 million on a 10-year, heavily deferred deal for two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. They are believed to be the two richest contracts in pro sports history. The way it's going, a contract approaching $1 billion doesn't seem out of the question. But several factors are working against it — at least in the near future. There's reason to believe the megadeals for Ohtani and Soto are unicorns in the baseball world. Both players are uniquely talented, surely, but both also had unusual circumstances propelling their value into the stratosphere. Ohtani is the greatest two-way player in baseball history, capable of improving any team on both sides of the ball. He's also the rare baseball player who has true international appeal . His every move ( like his unexpected marriage announcement ) is followed closely in his native Japan, adding another 125 million potential fans who buy merchandise, watch him play and help fill the Dodgers' coffers. Then there's Soto — a four-time All-Star and on-base machine who won a World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019. The X-factor for him is he became a free agent at the prime age of 26, which is extremely hard to do under current MLB rules. Players have to be in the big leagues for six years before testing free agency. The precocious Soto debuted at 19 with the Nats, making him part of a rare group of players who reached the highest level of professional baseball as a teenager. That accelerated his free agency timeline. It's rare for players to debut that young, and rarer still for them to develop into stars and test the open market the first chance they get. Two recent examples are Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, who both reached free agency in 2019. Machado signed a free-agent record $300 million contract with San Diego, and Harper overtook him days later with a $330 million contract to join the Phillies. Most players debut in the big leagues from ages 22 to 26, which means free agency comes in their late 20s or early 30s. A typical example is Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is one of this generation's great players but didn't hit the market until he was 30. Judge played three seasons of college baseball for Fresno State before getting drafted by the Yankees in 2013 at age 21 — already two years older than Soto was when he made his MLB debut. It took a few years for the budding superstar to reach the majors, and he was 25 when he had his breakout season in 2018, smashing 52 homers to earn AL Rookie of the Year honors. By the time he reached free agency after the 2022 season, he had already passed age 30. It's a major factor that led to him signing a $360 million, nine-year deal with the Yankees, which seems downright reasonable these days after the Ohtani and Soto deals. Two major trends are colliding that will make it harder for guys like Soto to hit free agency in their mid 20s. First, MLB teams have been more likely in recent years to take college players early in the draft, betting on more experienced talents. Just 10 high school players were drafted among the top 30 picks in the 2024 draft . Second, teams are more eager to lock up young, premium talent on long-term deals very early in their careers, well before they hit free agency. Sometimes before they even reach the majors. Since Soto, just two players have debuted in MLB before their 20th birthday — Elvis Luciano and Junior Caminero. Luciano hasn't been back to the majors since his 2019 cup of coffee. Caminero is now 21 and has only played in 50 big league games. Among those that debuted at 20: Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a $340 million, 14-year deal with San Diego in 2021, years before reaching the open market. Milwaukee's Jackson Chourio got an $82 million, eight-year deal before even reaching the big leagues. Young stars Corbin Carroll ($111 million, eight years with Arizona), Bobby Witt Jr. ($288 million, 11 years with Kansas City) and Julio Rodriguez ($209.3 million, 12 years with Seattle) also got massive guarantees early in their 20s to forgo an early free agency. The exception and wild card: Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be a 26-year-old free agent next offseason. Guerrero hasn't been as consistent in his young career as Soto, but a standout 2025 season could position him to threaten Soto's deal. More likely is that the player to pass Soto isn't in the majors yet — and might not even be in pro baseball. When 25-year-old Alex Rodriguez signed his record $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas in 2001, it took over a decade for another player to match that total, when Albert Pujols got $240 million over 10 years from the Angels in 2012. For many players, passing up life-changing money in their early or mid 20s is too enticing, even if it means that they might not maximize their value on the free agent market later in their careers. Soto was determined to test the market. He famously turned down a $440 million, 15-year offer to stay with the Washington Nationals in 2022, betting that he could make even more as a free agent. Not many players would turn down that kind of cash. Then again, that's what makes Soto so unique. And it's also why his $765 million deal could be the industry standard for some time. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb David Brandt, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Get your daily Victoria news briefing Email Sign Up More Baseball Left-hander Max Fried agrees to $218 million, 8-year contract with Yankees, AP source says Dec 10, 2024 3:07 PM Shortstop Willy Adames and San Francisco Giants finalize $182 million, 7-year contract Dec 10, 2024 3:01 PM Nolan Arenado open to switch from third base to first and leaving Cardinals for a team he approves Dec 10, 2024 2:05 PM