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Acknowledging widespread concern on campus, USC President C.L. Max Nikias said Tuesday the university would “examine and address” a report in The Times that its former medical school dean abused drugs and associated with criminals and drug users. Nikias, speaking about the controversy for the first time in a letter to the campus community, said that “we understand the frustrations expressed about this situation” involving Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito and “we are working to determine how we can best prevent these kinds of circumstances moving forward.” (Parvini and Hamilton, 7/18)

A day after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy all but invited disabled recipients of state services to lobby for a new budget, some did: They targeted him in a demonstration that ended with the arrest of five protesters in his outer office at the Capitol. State Capitol police issued summonses for third-degree trespassing to five protesters, three of whom arrived in either wheelchairs or a motorized scooter, after they refused to leave. (Werth and Pazniokas, 7/18)

In June, Baker announced a suite of proposals to rein in MassHealth spending — including shifting 140,000 low-income people from MassHealth onto commercial insurance plans. ... Now, the governor has given them a two month deadline to take another look at his reforms, or face additional budget cuts elsewhere. (Bruzek and Chakrabarti, 7/18)

For the nearly 700 rural hospitals in the United States on the brink of financial collapse, relatively small amounts of money can be the difference between life and death. ... Rural America’s dwindling populations make it nearly impossible to keep these community institutions afloat. (Sable-Smith, 7/19)

Since the Boston Globe's report on unsanitary and dangerous conditions at the VA Medical Center in Manchester appeared over the weekend, attention has turned in part to the hospital's "four-star" rating... The ratings that result are based on improvement. (Biello, 7/18)

All around Valerie Joseph, there is a fleet of Uber cars rolling by on New York City streets. But though she could really use the ride-hailing app, Ms. Joseph said she does not bother because Uber has so few wheelchair-accessible cars to dispatch. “It’s plain unfair,” said Ms. Joseph, 41, who relies on a wheelchair. (Hu, 7/18)

Koenig is a Manchester Republican and the main sponsor of abortion legislation that’s being considered in the Missouri legislature’s current (though interrupted) special session... Among other things, Koenig’s bill would allow Missouri’s attorney general to file lawsuits if a clinic violates the state’s abortion laws. (Rosenbaum and Mannies, 7/18)

Western Health Advantage, the managed-health plan founded by Sacramento and Solano County doctors in 1996, is further expanding its coverage in the Bay Area and will partner with providers in the UCSF medical system and John Muir Health to cover more populous counties, CEO Garry Maisel said Tuesday. ... Those North Bay counties are home to roughly 911,132 residents, according to January 2017 population estimates by the California Department of Finance, compared with 4,429,303 in the counties now being added: San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda and Contra Costa counties. (Anderson, 7/18)

Kade and Kallan Maresh were sickened by a shiga toxin-producing bacteria on July 9, eventually sending them into acute kidney failure. State health officials are investigating the source for the E. coli that eventually led to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a complication of the bacterial infection. (Smith, 7/18)

St. Louis Park on Monday became the second city in Minnesota to approve raising the age at which people can buy tobacco from 18 to 21... It increases the fines for tobacco vendors who sell to underage buyers from $250 to $500 for an initial violation and from $500 to $1,000 for a second. (Otarola, 7/18)

Two Democratic lawmakers and a liberal advocacy group criticized Gov. Scott Walker on Tuesday for accepting a donation from a marijuana trade group on behalf of the Republican Governors Association at the same time he's championing drug testing for Medicaid and food stamp recipients. The state's budget-writing committee approved Walker's proposal to drug test able-bodied adults who want public assistance in May. (Price, 7/18)

More than eight months after adult recreational use marijuana was approved by Massachusetts voters, a group of state lawmakers has reached a compromise bill making changes to the law, setting the stage for the opening of retail cannabis shops on July 1 of next year... <span>Both the House and Senate are expected to approve the compromise later this week, with the bill likely landing on Gov. Charlie Baker's desk before the weekend.</span> (Brown, 7/18)