WATER WARS

Protesters rally against water shutoffs outside the Detroit water department in May. The group chanted, "Water is a human right." (Jessica J. Trevino / Associated Press)

Thousands go without water as Detroit cuts service for nonpayment

"It's frightening, because you think this is something that only happens somewhere like Africa," said Hill, a single mother who is studying homeland security at a local college. "But now I know what they're going through — when I get somewhere there's a water faucet, I drink until my stomach hurts."

Hill is one of thousands of residents in Detroit who have had their water and sewer services turned off as part of a crackdown on customers who are behind on their bills. In April, the city set a target of cutting service to 3,000 customers a week who were more than $150 behind on their bills. In May, the water department sent out 46,000 warnings and cut off service to 4,531.

PSYCHO ACTIVE

Professor Colleen Loo. Photo: Grant Turner, Mediakoo

‘Game changing’ drug could be effective in suicide prevention

A drug traditionally used as an anaesthetic and sometimes used recreationally could be effective in preventing suicide and lifting the mood of severely depressed patients, according to a UNSW academic who has trialled the drug in Sydney.

Ketamine, which has the street name ‘special K’, has been shown to be effective in most patients who were part of the trial, at least temporarily. The participants were suffering from Major Depressive Disorder and had exhausted all other medical treatments.

“This is a game-changer in treating depression,” says UNSW Professor Colleen Loo, who is the lead author of a study published in the World Journal of Biological Psychiatry. “The real advantage here is that the effect is almost instantaneous and that it appears to work on the majority of patients.”