Jury Finds Father Of Georgia School Shooting Suspect Guilty Of Murder
Colin Gray, who gave his teenage son a gun for Christmas, was found guilty Tuesday of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. His sentencing will take place at a later date. Other news from around the nation is on drug affordability in Virginia; mental health courts in California; and more.
AP:
Father Who Gave Gun To Georgia School Shooting Suspect For Christmas Is Guilty Of 2nd-Degree Murder
A Georgia man who gave his teenage son the gun he’s accused of using to kill two students and two teachers at a high school was convicted Tuesday of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Jurors took less than two hours to find Colin Gray guilty of all charges in the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, northeast of Atlanta. Gray now joins a growing number of parents being held responsible in court after their children were accused in shootings. (Martin, 3/3)
More health news from across the U.S. —
Stat:
Virginia Lawmakers Push New Approach To Prescription Drug Affordability Board
As more states look to contain the cost of prescription drugs, Virginia lawmakers are pushing an affordability board that they believe will go further than similar efforts attempted by other states. At the heart of the approach is a plan to use Medicare as a benchmark. Rather than start from scratch to identify medicines that are considered expensive, each year the board would target the same drugs that have been chosen by Medicare for price negotiations. The board would also set upper payment limits to create a ceiling on what would be paid. (Silverman, 3/3)
CalMatters:
Newsom Threatens California Counties For Failing To Use His New Mental Health Court
Frustrated by the slow adoption of one of his signature efforts to get Californians with severe mental illness off the streets, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday threatened to take funding from counties he said aren’t doing enough. Newsom called out 10 counties that he said are underperforming when it comes to CARE Court – a program he launched in 2023 that uses the courts to get people into mental health treatment. Counties that “haven’t gotten it done” in his view are: Los Angeles, Orange, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Bernardino, Kern, Riverside, Yolo, Monterey and Fresno. (Kendall, 3/3)
The Hill:
California Family Says Home Lab Belonging To Teen Trying To Cure Cancer Was Misread By FBI
A California family whose home was surrounded by FBI agents and SWAT Team members after “suspicious” items were found in its garage says there is nothing nefarious about the discovery. The investigation started on Feb. 23 when the landlord of the property, located in the gated Altair community in Irvine, called police to report “suspicious” materials. (Conybeare, 3/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Invasive 'Ankle Biter' Mosquito Spreading In California, Officials Say
Bay Area officials are warning residents to clear their yards of any items that carry standing water, as the non-native yellow fever mosquito — known as “ankle biters” for their penchant for biting the lower extremities — continues to spread across California, including parts of the Bay Area. The yellow fever mosquito, or Aedes aegypti, was first found in Southern California about 15 years ago and has since spread to about 25 counties, including Santa Clara, Contra Costa, Alameda and Solano, with detection in cities such as San Jose, Antioch, Livermore and Dixon, according to the California Department of Public Health. (Ho, 3/3)
The New York Times:
Offering Warmth And Care To The Homeless, As Cold Deaths Mount
As darkness settled over New York City on Sunday night, a hulking white van raced through Lower Manhattan. Its driver, Christians Perez, peered through the windows, looking for the subtle signs of hidden life on city streets. It’s something you can’t exactly teach: how to spot the homeless New Yorkers trying to blend into the night — people resting on bus stop benches, curled up on doorsteps, tucked into the shadows of scaffolding. (Goldberg, 3/3)
Politico:
Trump Administration Can’t Stop New York's Congestion Pricing, Court Rules
A federal court on Tuesday ruled against the Trump administration’s bid to halt New York City’s congestion pricing. The MTA’s congestion pricing program launched last January and is a first-in-the-nation tolling program for a defined area. The program aims to raise revenue for the MTA while reducing traffic and pollution. While initially controversial, public opinion has shifted in the year following the program’s implementation. Polls have found that even drivers — who were overwhelmingly against it — are increasingly supportive of the program thanks to its impacts on traffic. (Zhang, 3/3)
KFF Health News:
Lawmakers, Health Groups Resist Their States’ Rural Health Fund Plans
In the final days of 2025, governors around the country trumpeted the hundreds of millions of federal dollars they won from a new, $50 billion rural health fund. But plans to spend those nine-digit awards aren’t all warmly received. At least one group of Republican state lawmakers appears to have scuttled an initiative preapproved by federal officials. And at least one hospital association persuaded its state health leaders to alter who greenlights spending. Other critics are taking a more cautious approach. (Zionts and Tribble, 3/4)
KFF Health News:
Despite Their Successes, Some Mobile Crisis Response Teams Are In Crisis
It was a snowy afternoon in Bozeman, a city of nearly 60,000 nestled among the mountains of southern Montana. Temperatures hovered in the mid-30s. The city’s mobile crisis team had just gotten a call about a man walking around outside without shoes. The man’s family told the team he was having a mental health crisis and wouldn’t come inside. As they drove down the highway toward the city’s outskirts, team member Evan Thiessen spoke with the relative who had reached out. (Bolton, 3/4)
