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U.S. NEWS Thursday 3 November 2022
21 new coffins found in search for Tulsa Massacre victims

By Ken Miller last year, with nearly three
Associated Press dozen coffins found.
(AP) - The search for re- Fourteen sets of remains ex-
mains of victims of the 1921 humed from those coffins
Tulsa Race Massacre has were selected for DNA test-
turned up 21 additional ing, and two had enough
coffins in unmarked graves DNA to begin sequencing
in the city’s Oaklawn Cem- and start developing a ge-
etery, officials said. nealogy profile.
Seventeen adult-size The current search includes
graves were located Friday reexhuming and removing
and Saturday, Oklahoma to a lab at the cemetery
State Archaeologist Kary the other 12 remains in an
Stackelbeck said Monday. effort to collect more us-
Additionally, the city an- able DNA in an effort to
nounced Tuesday that four eventually identify them.
graves, two adult-size and All the remains will be re-
two child-size, had been buried, at least temporarily,
found. at Oaklawn, where the pre-
The coffins, then the re- vious reburial was closed to
mains, will be examined to the public, drawing pro-
see if they match reports tests from about two dozen
from 1921 that the victims people who said they are
were males buried in plain In this image provided by the City of Tulsa, Crews work on an excavation at Oaklawn Cemetery descendants of massacre
caskets. searching for victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022, in Tulsa, victims and should have
“This is going to part of our Okla. been allowed to attend.
process of discriminating (City of Tulsa via AP) The massacre wiped out
which ones we’re going to under way. The types of than 1,000 homes were cades of mass unmarked generational wealth, and
proceed with in terms of coffins and gender of the burned, hundreds were graves, but previous victims were never com-
exhuming those individu- victims have not been de- looted, and a thriving busi- searches found no remains. pensated, but a pending
als and which ones we’re termined, according to the ness district known as Black The current search began lawsuit seeks reparations
actually going to leave in city’s statement. Wall Street was destroyed. in 2020 in areas identified for the three remaining
place,” Stackelbeck said in A violent white mob target- Historians have estimated with ground-penetrating known survivors. They are
a video statement. ed Black people during the the death toll at 75 to 300. radar as possibly contain- now more than 100 years
The work, by hand, was still massacre, in which more Rumors persisted for de- ing coffins and resumed old.q

CVS, Walgreens announce opioid settlements totaling $10B

By Geoff Mulvhill should have flagged as how Maine uses its opioid exact amount depends on them to help while staying
Associated Press inappropriate. With settle- settlement funds, said more how many governments focused on their business.
(AP) - The two largest U.S. ments already proposed money to address the prob- join the deals. “We are pleased to resolve
pharmacy chains, CVS or finalized between some lem will help. In her state, Both noted they have these longstanding claims
Health and Walgreen Co., of the biggest drugmakers she said, the needs include been addressing the crisis and putting them behind
announced agreements and distribution compa- more beds for medical de- through such measures as us is in the best interest of
in principle Wednesday to nies, the recent develop- tox and for treatment. starting educational pro- all parties, as well as our
pay about $5 billion each ments could be the among Neither Woonsocket, grams and installing safe customers, colleagues and
to settle lawsuits nationwide the last multibillion-dollar Rhode Island-based CVS disposal units for drugs in shareholders,” Thomas Mo-
over the toll of opioids, and settlements to be an- nor Deerfield, Illinois-based stores and police depart- riarty, CVS chief policy of-
a lawyer said Walmart, a nounced. Walgreens is admitting ments. And both said the ficer and general counsel,
third pharmacy behemoth, They also would bring the wrongdoing. settlements would allow said in a statement. q
is in discussions for a deal. total value of all settle- The plans spring from me-
The prospective settle- ments to more than $50 bil- diation involving a group
ments are part of a shift in lion, with most of it required of state attorneys general.
the legal landscape sur- to be used by state and Before they move ahead,
rounding the opioid epi- local governments to com- state and then local gov-
demic. Instead of suspense bat opioids, which have ernments would need to
over whether companies in been linked to more than sign on. So far, the detailed,
the drug industry would be 500,000 deaths in the U.S. formal deals have not been
held to account through over the last two decades. presented to the govern-
trials or settlements, the big “It’s one more culprit of the ment entities so they can
question is now how their overdose crisis that is hav- decide whether to join.
money will be used and ing to pay their dues,” said Under the tentative plans,
whether it will make a dif- Courtney Gary-Allen, orga- CVS would pay $4.9 billion
ference in fighting a crisis nizing director of the Maine to local governments and
that has only intensified. Recovery Advocacy Proj- about $130 million to Na-
The deals, if completed, ect. “Average Americans tive American tribes over a
would end thousands of have been paying it for a decade. Walgreens would
lawsuits in which govern- long time.” Gary-Allen, who pay $4.8 billion to govern- A CVS Pharmacy is shown in Mount Lebanon, Pa., on Monday
ments claimed pharma- is a member of a council ments and $155 million to May 3, 2021.
cies filled prescriptions they that will help determine tribes over 15 years. The (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)