The coldest start ever to the wheat-growing season in Kansas and freezing weather across the southern Great Plains are compounding damage to U.S. crops already hurt by the worst drought since the 1930s. The News-Herald
"Over the past decade, prosthetic technology has advanced significantly, with computerized knees and ankles that adjust to terrain and activity. Lighter and more malleable materials have allowed amputees to wear synthetic legs longer -- and even run marathons .... Part of that revolution has been the view, now widely accepted, that athletic endeavor -- whether competitive or recreational -- helps amputees recover emotionally, psychologically and physically, even if they were not athletic before their injuries." New York Times
"A week after losing her left foot in the second Boston Marathon bomb blast, 32-year-old dance instructor Adrianne Haslet-Davis is vowing that her injury will not keep her from doing what she loves. 'I can't let some (expletive) come along and steal my whole life,' Haslet-Davis told the Boston Herald. 'So, I'll dance again. And next year, though I've never been a runner, yes, I plan to run the marathon.'" New York Daily News
"More than 180 people were injured in the attack last week, with at least 13 people losing a limb or part of one. Right now, doctors are focused on recovery and making sure the victims are medically stable. But once the wounds heal, many of the patients will begin the process of being fit with a prosthetic device. 'This is not just about learning how to walk,' Steve Fletcher, CPO, director of clinical resources at the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics, told CBSNews.com. 'It's a significant emotional, psychological and physical recovery.'" CBS News
"Bill Gates on Monday joined top administration officials in promoting open access to agricultural data as a way to increase global nutrition and food security. The Microsoft co-founder and chairman helped launch a two-day conference with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Chief Technology Officer Todd Park to introduce and grow a new online database that allows farmers, ranchers, scientists and policymakers to freely access publicly funded information." Washington Post
"A Davenport, Iowa jury today awarded the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) damages totaling $240 million - the largest verdict in the federal agency's history - for disability discrimination and severe abuse. The jury agreed with the EEOC that Hill County Farms, doing business as Henry's Turkey Service subjected a group of 32 men with intellectual disabilities to severe abuse and discrimination for a period between 2007 and 2009, after 20 years of similar mistreatment. 'The verdict sends an important message that the conduct that occurred here is intolerable in this nation, and hopefully will help to restore dignity and acknowledge the humanity of the workers who were mistreated for so many years,' said EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien." U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
"The Justice Department may update the 1990 American With Disabilities Act (ADA) to outline how state and local government Websites can make "services, programs or activities" accessible to people with disabilities, according to DOJ guidance at Reginfo.gov. A notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) is scheduled for July 2013." eWeek