Local
An easier adoption system
House Bill 159, the adoption bill, passed through the Georgia Senate last Monday, sending the hopeful piece of legislation to Gov. Nathan Deal’s office for a signature or veto. HB159 passed in the Senate with a 53-2 vote and a unanimous vote in the House. The bill would make the adoption process in Georgia easier, shortening the time birth mothers have to change their minds on giving a child up. It also allows parents to reimburse birth mothers’ living expenses, and simplifies out-of-state adoptions, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
National
Purdue Pharma stops promoting OxyContin
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma has decided to stop encouraging physicians to prescribe the painkillers after the company has been continuously involved in lawsuits surrounding the nationwide epidemic of opioid abuse. Starting Monday, the company announced that its sales staff will no longer be promoting the drug to health care professionals according to USA TODAY.
Global
Russian jet crashes, killing 71 aboard
Minutes after take-off, a Saratov Airlines jet vanished and crashed into the village of Argunovo, south of Moscow. All 71 passengers aboard died, including a child and two teenagers. Investigators and emergency crews are working on the site to find the cause of the crash, recovering one of the flight recorders. Investigators say they don’t know weather the jet plummeted due to weather conditions, human error, or technical failure. According to BBC, contact with the plane was lost four minutes after take-off.
