State Highlights: Drugmakers Fined By Nevada For Not Reporting Pricing Data; Some In Flint Still Don’t Have Safe Water

Stat: Nevada Fines 21 Companies For Not Providing Drug-Pricing Data 
For the first time since requiring drug makers to report pricing data about their diabetes medicines, Nevada officials plan to impose fines totaling more than $17 million on 21 companies for failing to supply information required by a controversial state law. Earlier this week, the state Department of Health and Human Services wrote each of the drug makers that they face hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties for not submitting required information, while several others will be fined for failing to meet a deadline. Each drug maker is entitled to an informal dispute resolution before the cases are referred to the state attorney general. (Silverman, 10/3)

PBS NewsHour: Why Flint Residents Are Still Dealing With Water Worries, 5 Years After Lead Crisis
Since 2014, Flint, Michigan, has been synonymous with tainted water. Five years on, not all of the city's residents have access to safe water. Some wait for hours in line to obtain bottled water, while others deal with the physical and emotional fallout of exposure to high lead levels from corrosion of city pipes. (Yang, 10/3)

Politico Pro: 340B Drug Discount Model 'Rather Perverse,' Newsom says
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday the drug revenue model that some safety-net hospitals and other health organizations rely upon is "rather perverse," making clear his dissatisfaction with the federal 340B program that his Medi-Cal drug overhaul would undercut in California. Newsom has ordered a systemwide shift to fee-for-service Medi-Cal drug purchasing by 2021, a move that would save the state money but effectively gut the federal 340B drug discounting program that generates $150 million for community health centers alone, they said last week. (Hart, 10/3)

KCUR: Growing Meth Problems In Western Kansas Prompting The DEA To Open A New Office 
Two years after closing an office in Garden City, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration announced this week it’s coming back to town. The agency’s new setup comes at a time when methamphetamine seizures are on the rise in Finney County and the area’s seen some drug-related shootings. Plus, states are grappling with the fallout of billions of opioids distributed throughout the U.S., and western Kansas has few drug rehabilitation options. (Boyer, 10/3)

The CT Mirror: Tong Investigating Do-It-Yourself Rape Evidence Kits
Attorney General William Tong announced Thursday he is investigating whether the manufacturers of do-it-yourself rape kits have falsely represented that evidence collected with the kits is admissible in court. Tong said he is seeking information from two manufacturers of these kits — the MeToo Kit Company based in Brooklyn and PRESERVEkit in New Jersey — about “representations and implications” that their kits will yield evidence that would be admissible in criminal prosecution. (Megan, 10/3)

Los Angeles Times: Immigrant Detainee Suffers Brain Hemorrhage And Dies In ICE Custody In San Diego
A 37-year-old man from Cameroon died Tuesday in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, after undergoing treatment for a brain hemorrhage since Sept. 26 at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center. Nebane Abienwi was being detained at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, according to an ICE news release. He was rushed to the emergency room a week ago after experiencing a hypertensive event in the middle of the night, according to the news release. (Fry, 10/3)

The Oregonian: Starbucks Sued For $10,000 After Allergic Customer Says He Was Served Almond Milk 
A 34-year-old man who has a life-threatening allergy to nuts filed a $10,000 lawsuit against Starbucks this week, saying he had to rush to a Portland emergency room after he ordered a coffee with soy milk but was given almond milk instead. Max Scher said he’s a regular Starbucks customer and when he orders coffee with soy milk, he regularly tells the staff, “Hey, I have an allergy. Please be careful.” (Green, 10/3)

KQED: Top State Lawmakers Question Chevron Oil Spill Fine
The heads of the state legislative committees that oversee much of California's oil and gas industry are questioning whether a fine issued by state regulators against Chevron this week, for a massive uncontrolled release of crude petroleum in a Kern County oil field, will be effective.California's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources on Wednesday announced that it slapped the San Ramon-based oil giant with a $2.7 million fine for illegally allowing releases of large amounts of oil at one of the company's well sites in the Cymric Oil Field between May and July. (Goldberg, 10/3)

Georgia Health News: Covington Plant Had 8-Day Leak Of Toxic Gas; State Reports On Sterigenics Leaks
A medical supply sterilizing facility east of Atlanta that is under scrutiny for toxic emissions had an eight-day leak last month of ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing substance. The City of Covington on Wednesday released a report on the September ethylene oxide leak at the BD facility, which the company said was about 7 pounds per day, or 54 pounds in all. (Goodman and Miller, 10/3)

Sacramento Bee: California College Students Cope With Housing, Rent, Food Crisis
Faced with tuition escalation and fast-rising rents – particularly in Sacramento – higher-education students find themselves struggling to get a decent night’s sleep, find permanent shelter and put food in their stomach so they can focus enough in class to make it to graduation. Nearly 40 percent of Sacramento-area college students struggle to find affordable housing. (Bizjack and Morrar, 10/3)