MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014 - JULY 13, 2014
riversideindependent.com
VOLUME 1, NO. 10
Latest settlement with Rite Aid reaches More than half a billion half million mark by Vickie Vértiz dollars targeted to upgrade transportation and drive job growth
-Photo by Jennifer Schlueter
In the latest of two major lawsuits, pharmacy chain Rite Aid reached a settlement with Riverside County and two other counties over claims that it did not follow consumer protection policies. The accusations involved licensed Rite Aid pharmacists who did not discuss prescriptions with new patients or the new medication of existing patients. The company will pay almost a half-million dollars to settle the lawsuit, an amount that
will be split between Riverside County and San Diego and Alameda Counties, the two other counties involved. Riverside County will receive $158,500. The complaint was initiated by a California Board of Pharmacy investigation. District attorneys in Alameda, Riverside, and San Diego counties sued the company after an undercover investigation that confirmed the allegations. The state pharmacy board requires that pharmacists speak with new patients about their prescriptions and with existing
– 6:00 p.m. During the event, a select group of the region’s leading artists will each get a box full of
The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has allocated $510 million to 83 transportation projects that will put people to work improving the state’s highways, bridges, and public transit. One of the highlights of the meeting was the CTC revising its funding estimate upward for the State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP) for the 201415 fiscal year from $2.2 billion to approximately $2.4 billion. The revision was in response to the new state budget, which provides $351 million in new transportation funding through the early repayment of loans made to the General Fund. The new funding includes $210 million for the SHOPP, which pays for transportation safety projects, pavement repair and preservation work, and upgrades bridges; $27 million for Caltrans maintenance projects; $100 million for city and county transportation; $9 million for bicycle and pedestrian projects under California’s new Active
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patients about their new medications. The settlement was approved Friday, June 27, in San Diego and alleged that Rite Aid pharmacists did not consult with customers who were getting new prescriptions or changing dosages of their existing ones. Like all other drugstore chains, Rite Aid must comply with state standards. Rite Aid admitted no wrongdoing. The company says it cooperated with the District AtPlease see page 2
Riverside Art Museum’s Brush Off Fundraising Event 7 artists compete to each create an assemblage work of art with “junk” in 2.5 hours The Riverside Art Museum invites the community to celebrate seven artists who will face off at the museum to each create an assemblage piece of sculpture. A panel of three
judges will choose who will be winner and who will receive the “brush off.” The Brush Off event will be held at the Riverside Art Museum on Sunday, August 10, 2014, from3:00 p.m.
New state budget also increases transportation funding by $351 Million