Project Return CEO steps down next month
After more than a decade at the helm of Project Return and a year after bringing the nonprofit program to Chattanooga, Bettie Kirkland is stepping down as CEO at the end of October.
Project Return was founded in 1979 by Nashvillians Bill Barnes and Don Beisswenger. Under Kirkland's leadership, the nonprofit has launched two employment-creating social enterprises, through which Project Return is the best first employer after incarceration, and a third enterprise known as PRO Housing, an innovative affordable housing initiative. The Nashville-based program expanded to Chattanooga in 2021.
"Thanks to (Kirkland's) leadership and vision, the future is bright for Project Return and its ability to have an even greater impact on the lives of all we serve, and on the community at large," Charles Story, chair of the board of Project Return, said in an announcement of Kirland's resignation.
Last year, Project Return was one of 10 nonprofits internationally to be named by Fast Company to its "World's Most Innovative Companies" List.
Candy maker cited for OSHA violations
Ferrara Candy Co. has been cited for alleged safety violations at its Bellwood, Illinois, candy factory, two years after being placed in a severe violator enforcement program over safety issues, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Wednesday.
OSHA said Ferrara exposed workers to amputation hazards at the facility because it did not utilize energy control procedures before workers cleared jams and serviced equipment.
OSHA inspectors found the alleged violations after an April complaint of unsafe working conditions. The agency has proposed the company pay penalties of more than $200,000.
"Ferrara Candy Co. knows its workers can suffer debilitating injuries, such as amputations, when machines are not properly de-energized before servicing or maintaining them," said Angeline Loftus, OSHA director for the Chicago North Area, in a statement. "Yet, company personnel continue to expose employees needlessly to these hazards."
The company was also cited for not providing an eyewash station and for allowing workers to operate powered industrial vehicles in states of disrepair.
New Biogen drug shows promise for Alzheimer's
Shares of Biogen and other drugmakers researching Alzheimer's disease soared Wednesday after Japan's Eisai Co. said its potential treatment appeared to slow the fatal disease's progress in a late-stage study.
Eisai announced results from a global study of nearly 1,800 people with early-stage Alzheimer's.
The drugmaker said early results showed that its treatment, lecanemab, reduced patient clinical decline by 27% when compared to a placebo or fake drug after 18 months of the infused treatment. Patients were monitored using a scale that measures how they do in areas like memory, judgement, problem solving and personal care.
The company is already seeking an accelerated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the agency is expected to decide by early next year. Eisai and Biogen will co-promote the drug.
The initial results appear to be "quite robust" and will likely support regulatory approval, Mizuho Securities analyst Graig Suvannavejh said in a research note.
A statement from the Alzheimer's Association called the findings the most encouraging to date for potential treatments of the underlying disease causes.
Alzheimer's is a progressive neurological disease with no known cure. Long-standing treatments on the market just manage symptoms, and researchers don't fully understand what causes the disease.
— Compiled by Dave Flessner