Maryland became the 18th state to repeal its death penalty on May 2, after Gov. Martin O’Malley signed a long-awaited bill to rid its criminal code of capital punishment, according to a story in The Baltimore Sun. O’Malley had supported the repeal since 2007 and failed in a previous attempt to overturn the law in…

Riding a motorcycle is fabulous. The freedom, the lure of the open road, the beauty of being one with the weather, with the earth, with the world, are all incredible attractions of this enjoyable sport. For some riding a motorcycle is just a way to get to work or school, while for others it is…

Five years ago, a Reading, Berks County man was working as a temporary employee in a Berks County recycling plant when he attempted to clear a paper jam in a shredding machine by reaching in to remove the jammed paper. But as he reached in with his left hand to remove the clog, a co-worker…

A 42-year-old Reading construction worker was doing his job, working in an excavated trench where a house foundation was being built, when it collapsed suddenly and trapped him against a concrete wall, causing fatal injuries in June 2009 in Berks County. Almost four years later, the man’s family has reached a $5 million settlement with…

Every year, thousands of women undergo surgery to correct a medical condition known as pelvic organ prolapse (POP) – when the cervix, uterus, bladder or other reproductive organs slip down into the vagina due to the weakening of pelvic muscles. To treat such patients, surgeons often have turned to surgical mesh products that allow the…

A family drive to New York turned tragic in March 2008 for a Philadelphia doctor when the rented minivan she was driving suffered a major mechanical failure in its front suspension and steering, causing the van to go out of control and plunge down a ravine. The crash, which left the doctor with little use…