Why did the Hawaii Department of Human Services allow a foster child to live with a man with multiple felony convictions? Honolulu Civil Beat poses those questions in examining the disappearance of 6-year-old Isabella Kalua, whose sister says she found the girl dead in a dog cage in the family’s bathroom. Kalua’s body has disappeared, and her foster parents are suspected of murder.
Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker has sponsored legislation that would ease occupational licensure for the families of military personnel transferred to the state. In addition to helping military families, the bill could help the state convince the federal government to station new fighter jets there, according to Nexstar Media.
A Maine doctor has been suspended for spreading inaccurate information about COVID and signing bogus vaccination-exemption letters. According to the Portland Press Herald, the state Board of Osteopathic Licensure suspended Paul Gosselin Nov. 19 for 30 days. Gosselin has created a GoFundMe page in an effort to raise $100,000 for legal costs.
The New Hampshire Board of Nursing has relaxed background check requirements temporarily in response to a shortage of caregivers. According to New Hampshire Public Radio, the board requires new nurses to pass FBI background and fingerprint checks before practicing. These checks can take several weeks to be processed. Applicants may now begin to work as soon as they have scheduled an FBI fingerprint appointment.
The Michigan Senate unanimously approved legislation Dec.7 that allows health care workers with out-of-state licenses to work in the state during public health emergencies. According to The Detroit News, successful passage of the bill would replace an expiring exemption adopted in March 2020 by the state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.
An Oregon teacher was suspended in November for threatening to kill a 17-year-old student, bury him and make sure that no one ever found him. According to state disciplinary documents, Beaverton School District teacher April Horner sent texts containing the threats to the boy’s older sister. Horner had allowed the boy to live at her home during a period of turmoil at his own. The two eventually had a falling-out. The licensing board suspended Horner’s license for 30 days, imposed a three-year probationary period and required her to undergo a course on boundaries training.
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