Kids get HIV drugs after needle attack
Philadelphia Nineteen elementary schoolchildren who were pricked with a needle by another student are taking strong drugs to fight HIV after one of the children tested positive for the virus, officials said.
Although authorities said the odds of the other children getting HIV from the needle were extremely low, the drugs would reduce the amount of the virus in the blood or slow the progress of the disease. The drugs do not cure HIV or prevent its transmission.
“It may be in there, but it never gets a chance to set up cells in your body,” said Roger Pomerantz, head of the infectious-disease division at Jefferson Medical College.
The 8-year-old girl who stuck her Taylor Elementary schoolmates Wednesday was suspended and will probably be moved to another school, officials said. They were unsure why she pricked the other students with her mother’s diabetes testing needle.
Authorities have ruled out the possibility that the child who tested positive for the virus, which causes AIDS, could have been infected by the needle prick.
LAX police officer dies in struggle with suspect
Los Angeles An airport police officer was killed Friday as he struggled with a suspect who stole his patrol car and slammed into a fire hydrant, officials said.
The officer had been hanging partly outside the car when it crashed near Los Angeles International Airport, said Deputy Chief Michel Moore of the Los Angeles Police Department.
The officer was not immediately identified. It was the first death in the 59-year history of the airport police department, which is an agency separate from the LAPD.
The suspect, William Sadowski, 46, underwent surgery at a hospital and was expected to be booked for investigation of murder, Moore said.
Sadowski gained control of the police car after the officer stopped him and they got into a fight, Moore said. After he crashed the officer’s car, Sadowski carjacked a sport utility vehicle, hit a curb and flipped over, police said.
Police were still investigating why the officer had stopped Sadowski, who has a previous arrest for grand theft in 2003, Moore said.
Girl Scouts sue for cookie payments
Waukesha, Wis. Girl Scout cookies aren’t free.
One scout group has filed small-claims lawsuits against people who failed to pay up.
Christine Slowinski, communications director for the Girl Scouts’ Great Blue Heron Council, said the legal action Thursday came only after several efforts to collect the money from sales of cookies in the annual fund-raising campaign over the past two years.
The amounts owed by two couples and three other women ranged from $301.42 to $1,485.68.
“We call many times before taking this step,” Slowinski said. “We send them letters. When all else fails, this is our last resort.”
Form letters that preceded the legal action read, “Please note that nonpayment for Girl Scout cookies represents fraud,” and advised the non-payers to arrange a repayment plan.
Pets and pet lovers can breathe a little easier
Fairfield, Conn. Man’s best friend has a new friend in Fairfield – the fire department.
Firefighters have 15 new oxygen masks for dogs and cats that can be used to treat animals overcome by smoke inhalation during a fire.
“A pet’s part of the family. I know, I have a dog and it’s part of the family,” Fire Chief Richard Felner said. “We’re here to take care of families and their pets. That’s what we do.”
The Best Friends Pet Resort chain donated the masks. The company has given about 450 sets of masks so far to fire departments in 11 states.
The masks come in three sizes, one for cats, one for small dogs and one for big dogs.