More Chicago-area pools have met state and federal requirements for safer pool drains and are allowed to open. After a year-long effort sparked by the drowning deaths of children who were trapped underwater by the suction from drains, most pools in Illinois are winning regulatory permission to reopen with new drainage systems — just in time for summer, too.

Last year, the federal government recalled 1 million pool and spa drain covers following a Chicago Tribune investigation. On Oct. 1, Illinois shut down 563 pools considered out of compliance with its version of the federal ...

The SUV is packed. Inner tubes, water wings, beach towels, and other equipment to guarantee fun in the sun and water are stowed. All riders are strapped in their seat belts. Accidents and injuries are the furthest thing from your mind.

We hate to spoil this idyllic picture, but are impelled to share these sobering statistics: According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), “a projection of traffic fatalities in 2011 shows that of an estimated 32,310 people who died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2011, the largest number – 8,970 – occurred during the July-August ...

We’re pleased to congratulate Pop Warner -- an organization that enrolls more than 285,000 children ages 5 to 15 in its football leagues and has produced more than two-thirds of the players now in the National Football League -- on its recent announcement.

Pop Warner has become the first youth football organization to officially limit contact during practices. Based on the advice of the group’s Medical Advisory Board and views from regional and local administrators and coaches, these rules will be in place for the 2012 season:

1. 1. No full-speed head-on blocking or tackling drills ...

Because of our experience representing the families of nursing home residents, who have been the victims of abuse or neglect, we’re always on the lookout for news on the topic.

Here’s the latest brouhaha: despite their stated commitment to residents’ welfare, groups aligned with the nursing home industry and those responsible for monitoring Medicaid payments can’t seem to agree on how to allocate the state’s tight budget.

In an opinion column in the Chicago Tribune, Bob Gallo, the state director of AARP, places blame for the Medicaid crisis on the nursing home ...

A construction worker is injured on the job. His back pain prevents him from returning to work. Because his employer provides excellent health insurance, the worker is quickly seen by a physician. So far, so good. But when the doctor continues to prescribe a narcotic painkiller, or opioid, the worker may actually be delayed in returning to his job. The insurer is likely to balk at the rising costs incurred by this worker and others like him who do not return to work for months, if ever.

According to a June 3 story in the New York Times, “Workplace insurers spend an estimated $1.4 billion ...

Anthony Cutrano’s untimely death is a tragedy. The 52-year-old Palos Heights resident was co-founder of the Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run and one of the creators of a memorial wall dedicated to military personnel killed in the Middle East conflicts. Cutrano, who for the past ten years had dedicated himself to raising awareness of the contributions of U.S. armed forces, died of injuries from a motorcycle crash in Grundy County. He lost control of his Harley-Davidson on an inclined curve.

According to a Chicago Tribune article on May 28, Cutrano was not wearing a helmet when he ...

On May 25, a 15-year-old Chicago girl was swept by a wave into Lake Michigan and drowned. Two days later, a 10-year-old boy died after rescue divers pulled him from Jericho Lake in Montgomery. These two tragedies remind us all that lakes, rivers, and beaches, combined with a lack of swimming skills, present a fatal danger of drowning accidents -- particularly to children and teens.

The most recent statistics from the State of Illinois were compiled in 2006, and it’s likely they haven’t improved significantly. The study found that drowning is the leading cause of accidental death ...