State Highlights: Ohio Troops Unprotected From Toxic Smoke Hail Proposed Screening Bill; Volunteers, Sheriffs Team Up In Los Angeles To Count Homeless

Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Troops Exposed To Toxic ‘Burn Pits’ Welcome New Federal Legislation
Sen. Sherrod Brown is co-sponsoring a bill introduced last week that would require the Pentagon to examine U.S. soldiers who may have been exposed to toxic smoke generated by open burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill, which failed to win congressional approval last year, attracted renewed interest last week when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from U.S. soldiers who claimed the smoke from burning tires and medical waste made them sick. (Torry and Gordon, 1/23)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Homeless Count: Seeking Out Hideaways Along An Urban Riverbed
The annual Los Angeles homeless count has come to be defined by legions of volunteers who hit the pavement to help quantify this crisis. But they’re not alone. A small group of Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies join up with outreach workers looking for homeless people in places that are hard to access or might pose a danger to volunteers. (Oreskes, 1/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Facebook CEO’s Foundation, Firms To Raise $500 Million For San Francisco-Area Housing
Companies and philanthropists in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, said they plan to raise $500 million for affordable housing, weeks after California Gov. Gavin Newsom called on the private sector to do more to address the region’s critical shortage of homes. The investment fund, which has raised $260 million so far, aims to help build at least 8,000 homes in five Bay Area counties within the next 10 years, according to its leaders. It also will work to preserve homes at risk of being redeveloped into more expensive properties. (Malas, 1/24)

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Partnership Seeks To Raise $540 Million To Develop Affordable Housing
The formation of the fund comes after years of criticism that fast-growing tech companies like Google and Facebook have exacerbated the Bay Area’s jobs-housing imbalance by luring thousands of residents to the region with high-paying jobs while doing nothing to help create new places for the workers to live. (Dineen, 1/24)

The Oregonian: Here’s Where To Get Vaccinated For Free, Discount In Washington County Before School Exemption Deadline 
Washington County residents of any income level can get vaccines in February before the state deadline for children to attend school. All school-age children in Oregon must have proof they have been immunized by Feb. 20 or they won’t be able to attend school. Parents can get exemptions based on specific criteria, such as medical reasons. (Harbarger, 1/24)

The Oregonian: Vancouver-Area Measles Count Up To 25, With 12 More Suspected Cases 
Two more children, at least one of whom was unvaccinated, have been diagnosed with measles, according to a Thursday update from Clark County Public Health. While there were no new confirmed cases Wednesday, the number of suspected cases kept rising, bringing people waiting for confirmation on whether they have measles up to 12 now. (Harbarger, 1/24)

The Star Tribune: TB Outbreak Tied To Minnesota St., Mankato Under Investigation
The Minnesota Department of Health is investigating a tuberculosis outbreak among eight people associated with Minnesota State University, Mankato. State health officials are asking clinics to look out for tuberculosis symptoms in college-aged individuals who have spent time at the university since August 2016. (Sawyer, 1/25)

Arizona Republic: UA Professor Sues Arizona Over Transgender Health-Care Exclusion
A University of Arizona professor who is transgender has filed a class-action lawsuit against the state over access to health care that his doctors have deemed medically necessary to treat his gender dysphoria. Russell Toomey, who is being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, is an associate professor of family studies and human development at UA and receives health-insurance coverage from the state. (Leingang, 1/24)

Los Angeles Times: Private Power Lines, Not PG&E’s, Caused Deadly Wine Country Fire, State Says
The 2017 fire that destroyed thousands of homes in Santa Rosa, Calif., and killed 22 people was caused by private power lines, not ones owned by utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric Co., a long-awaited state investigation released Thursday concluded. The finding by Cal Fire marks a bit of good news for the struggling utility as it prepares to file for bankruptcy due to huge potential liabilities related to last year’s Camp fire, which destroyed more than 90% of the town of Paradise and killed at least 86 people. (Serna and Luna, 1/24)

Boston Globe: Transgender Inmate Moved To Women’s Prison
The Massachusetts Department of Correction, under pressure from a federal lawsuit, said it has for the first time moved a transgender inmate from a men’s prison to a women’s prison. The prisoner’s lawyer, Jennifer L. Levi, said she believes the transfer also marks the first time a transgender prisoner in the United States has been moved to a prison that corresponds to her gender identity. (Levenson, 1/25)

Georgia Health News: Asthma Van Helps Keep Students Healthy — And In School 
Aaron gets regular check-ups from the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta medical staff in the Care Mobile van, provided by the Ronald McDonald House in partnership with the Atlanta pediatric system. The 40-foot-long van, which targets children with asthma, also visits other Atlanta public schools. (Miller, 1/24)

Nashville Tennessean: Pain Clinics Accused Of Injecting Patients For Profit May Shut Doors
A Nashville-area pain clinic company that is accused of pressuring patients into unnecessary injections to maximize profits is on the verge of closure as a result of an ongoing federal investigation, according to a company attorney. PainMD, which has about 4,500 patients and 85 employees, could soon be forced to make drastic cuts, including layoffs and shuttering some clinics, said attorney Jay Bowen. The company has 10 clinics in Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina. (Kelman, 1/24)

KQED: What It’s Like To Live In One Of The Most Polluted Places In California
Imperial County does not meet federal air quality standards, and state officials are working on plans to begin to decrease pollution. Only two other places in California have the same distinction: the San Joaquin Valley and the South Coast Air Basin, which includes most of Los Angeles County (Aguilera, 1/24)

Miami Herald: Tobacco Sales Age Raised To 21 In FL County
Students entering the University of Florida from high school who smoke will have to wait until they become juniors or seniors before they can legally buy tobacco near the campus. That’s because Alachua County, home to the Gainesville campus, has become the first county in Florida to raise the minimum age for tobacco sales from 18 to 21, News4Jax reported. (Cohen, 1/24)

Austin American-Statesman: McDade School District Disinfects Campuses After Flu Outbreak Sparks School Closures
On Wednesday evening, Marchbanks decided shut down the school district after a flu outbreak precipitously caused attendance levels to drop. Pre-K and kindergarten classes were hit the hardest with attendance levels dipping to 68 percent while first grade reported 78 percent attendance. (Mulder, 1/24)

Miami Herald: Drug Violations Get 4 Florida Medical Licenses Suspended
The Emergency Suspension Orders that the Florida Department of Health dropped on medical professional licenses so far in 2019 fall into two categories: student loan defaults and drug violators. (Neal, 1/24)

Boston Globe: Businesses Envision A Boom In CBD, The Non-Intoxicating Oil From Hemp
Touted as a wonder drug capable of easing anxiety, reducing inflammation, and preventing seizures, cannabidiol, or CBD, has been growing rapidly in popularity. Following approval of the 2018 federal farm bill, the American hemp CBD market alone is projected to reach $20 billion by 2020. (Tapp, 1/25)