Nearly 26 Years After Columbine High Massacre, Death Toll Rises By One
A coroner has determined that the cause of death for Anne Marie Hochhalter, who was paralyzed in the 1999 Colorado school shooting and died last month, was "best classified as homicide." Hochhalter, 43, had sepsis related to the two gunshots she suffered. Her death raises the victim toll to 14, not including the two shooters.
CBS News:
Columbine Shooting Survivor's 2025 Death Classified As Homicide, Partly Attributed To Wounds From Massacre, Coroner Says
The mass shooting at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, has now claimed another life, according to a report Wednesday from the Jefferson County Coroner's Office. The autopsy released Wednesday in the Colorado county stated that "the manner of death" for Anne Marie Hochhalter — who was found dead in her apartment in Westminster on Feb. 16 — "is best classified as homicide." The report states Hochhalter died due to the medical condition sepsis, with complications from her paralysis due to the two gunshots she sustained in the Columbine shooting all those years ago being deemed a "significant contributing factor." Until now, the number of people killed by two teenage gunmen in the shooting in the southern part of the Denver metro area was 12 students and one teacher. The shooters took their own lives. (Gionet, 3/12)
The Colorado Sun:
Colorado Limit On Sale Of Semiautomatic Guns Clears First House Hurdle After Tweaks
A bill that would ban the manufacture and restrict the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms in Colorado cleared its first committee Tuesday in the state House after being tweaked. Senate Bill 3 was amended to ease the vetting process for buyers seeking to purchase semiautomatic rifles, shotguns and pistols that can accept detachable ammunition magazines that would otherwise be outlawed by the measure. (Paul, 3/12)
KFF Health News:
Hospital Gun-Violence Prevention Programs May Be Caught In US Funding Crossfire
Seven years ago, Erica Green learned through a Facebook post that her brother had been shot. She rushed to check on him at a hospital run by Denver Health, the city’s safety-net system, but she was unable to get information from emergency room workers, who complained that she was creating a disturbance. “I was distraught and outside, crying, and Jerry came out of the front doors,” she said. Jerry Morgan is a familiar face from Green’s Denver neighborhood. He had rushed to the hospital after his pager alerted him to the shooting. As a violence prevention professional with the At-Risk Intervention and Mentoring program, or AIM, Morgan supports gun-violence patients and their families at the hospital — as he did the day Green’s brother was shot. (Wolf, 3/13)
Stat:
Measles Outbreak Likely Larger Than Reported, Experts Say
The growing measles outbreak centered in West Texas, with cases reaching into New Mexico and now Oklahoma, is the country’s largest in six years. But experts say that even with more than 250 cases reported across the three states, the outbreak is likely much larger. (Joseph, 3/12)
Wyoming Public Radio:
Mountain West Communities May Be At Risk Of Measles Outbreaks
The measles outbreak has only struck a remote corner of our region, in New Mexico. But federal data shows many states in the Mountain West may be more at risk. Public health officials say 95% of a community needs to be vaccinated in order to be protected from measles. Nationwide, the average rate among kindergartners was an estimated 92.7% in the last school year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the Mountain West, the average rate was just under 90%. (Merzbach, 3/12)
The Current:
Georgia DFCS Relied On Controversial Laboratory For Drug Tests Crucial To Custody Decisions
Kristen Clark-Hassell had already endured plenty of loss before she appeared in Camden County Juvenile Court in early 2021. Her first husband, a diver for the Navy, was killed in a motorcycle accident; her second died in a standoff with police. But nothing prepared the 44-year-old St. Marys mother for the moment when the Camden judge, acting on the recommendation of Georgia’s child welfare agency, removed her newborn daughter from her care to a foster home. (Shore, 3/3)
North Carolina Health News:
NC House Bill Would Expand Access To Early Screening For Prostate Cancer
Sherrie Wood and her husband, Kenneth, were newly married when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003. He experienced extreme back pain and problems with urinating for over a year, but his general practitioner only treated the symptoms. After all, he was only in his early 40s. (Vitaglione, 3/13)
AP:
Alzheimer's Association Pairs Up With New Mexico In US Pilot Program To Raise Awareness
New Mexico has paired up with the Alzheimer’s Association in a pilot U.S. initiative aimed at raising awareness about a disease that affects several million people across the nation, including family members and friends who often provide countless hours of unpaid care. The joint campaign — a year in the making — features billboards, digital ads and social media posts. It was unveiled Wednesday, days after authorities confirmed that actor Gene Hackman died at his Santa Fe home of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease. (Bryan, 3/12)
The Colorado Sun:
Colorado Mom Seeks Better ER Care For Kids In Mental Health Crisis
Laura Love is both haunted and motivated by the decision to take her 13-year-old son Sam Aden to an emergency room after he shared feelings of despair in early 2022. “We had no idea what to expect once we got there, we just knew that when your kid is experiencing a mental health crisis you take them to the ER,” Love said. “What we found was an environment that wasn’t hope-based, it was based in fear.” (Cada, 3/12)
ABC News:
Death Of Kentucky Teen Sparks Investigation Into Possible Sextortion Scheme
The Kentucky teen's father said the offender made AI-generated images of Eli Heacock, sent them to the teenager and demanded $3,000 or else the pictures would be released or his family would be harmed. (Forrester, 3/12)
