Area briefs

A new partnership spearheaded by the United States Postal Service and the Postal Inspection Service, that brings together 20 public and private organizations, has unveiled a consumer education campaign aimed at preventing Americans from falling victim to fraud schemes involving counterfeit financial instruments.

To help citizens better recognize and avoid potential scams, the Postal Inspection Service collaborated with financial institutions, consumer advocacy groups and businesses to create the Alliance for Consumer Fraud Awareness.

The Alliance has launched a consumer education campaign designed to provide information on the more prevalent scams and how to avoid them. The campaign consists of national television, print, and online advertisements supporting the message that financial scams do not work in person, but rather require the anonymity of the Internet. The Alliance has set up an interactive Web site, FakeChecks.org, where consumers can educate themselves.

If consumers believe they have been defrauded by a scam, they can report fraudulent activity at the Alliance Web site, FakeChecks.org or by calling the Postal Inspection Service at 1-800-372-8347.

Nevada receives $1.4 million grant for Medicaid

Nevada Medicaid has been awarded a two-year federal Medicaid Transformation Grant of $1,488,033. The grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will assist Division of Health Care and Financing and Policy in developing a statewide interoperable health information technology platform, which will enable the exchange of clinical data to create greater efficiencies in health-care delivery by reducing redundancy and enabling the sharing of data to improve health-care quality.

The Medicaid Transformation Grant program was funded by Congress as a part of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to assist states in transforming Medicaid programs primarily through the use of health information technology.

Suspect shot during pot probe

FORTUNA, Calif. (AP) - Authorities say two Humboldt County sheriff's deputies were placed on administrative leave Wednesday after one of them fatally shot someone they encountered during a marijuana-growing investigation.

The sheriff's department says the person who was killed confronted the deputies with a shotgun on land owned by the Pacific Lumber Company near Larabee Valley, about 30 miles east of Fortuna. One of the deputies fired his service weapon, striking the suspect.

The department did not release the names of the victim or the deputies, but plans to hold a news conference at the county jail in Eureka this morning to provide more details about the incident.