A Tacoma man lost his state job as a network technician for the state Department of Information Services just a few months after being hired when his background check revealed an arrest in 1996 for drug possession, even though the charge was dismissed. Washington state law permits a person to request the courts to remove “non-conviction data” for prior arrests or dismissed charges two years after a case is resolved, but the man did not know of this and began the process too late to save his job.

Read the full story at: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/07/03/1250824/charge-was-dismissed-but-arrest.html

After violent incidents by students on campus, the University of North Carolina system and other higher education institutions are conducting criminal and other background checks on applicants, students, or faculty to help ensure campus safety.

Read the fully story at: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/07/01/background

ABC News reported a convicted murdered was very recently searching for singles on an online dating site until his past was revealed by a local paper. The dating site removed his profile once they were alerted to the man's past. A spokesperson said the dating site takes member security very seriously, but choose not to conduct background checks because of inaccuracies and incomplete information in the felony and sex offender databases.

Read the full story at: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/online-dating-sites-background-checks/story?id=11063166

The Albany County School District in Laramie, Wyoming is considering requiring that school volunteers submit to background checks. Requirements are still being determined, but most volunteers would be affected.

Read more at: http://www.laramieboomerang.com/articles/2010/06/10/news/doc4c107643075c7114179516.txt

From FOX 10 News televison station WALA in Bayou La Batre, Alabama comes a story about protests, complaints, and frustration from out of work fishermen that claim they are being pushed aside when it comes to jobs. Still, there's some good news as those in charge of the screening process are trying to make sure the right people get hired.

Read the full story at: http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/gulf_oil_spill/background-check-a-must-for-oil-workers

A Memphis school bus driver nearly lost her job due to a case of mistaken identity. She said a conviction for drug trafficking in Ohio was found during her background check. It seems that even though her name and date of birth was used, the information found during the background check belonged to another person. Fortunately, this was cleared up by providing additional information to the company that conducted the background check.

Read the full story at: http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/local/story/Mistaken-Identity-Could-Cost-a-Memphis-School-Bus/Fvivm0ik80-OfFE-0IuAGA.cspx

The state of New Jersey recently began hiring workers for its annual fair and most positions required criminal background checks.

Read the full story at: http://www.app.com/article/20100611/BUSINESS/100611041/NJ-State-Fair-plans-job-fair-for-Saturday

The recently passed health reform legislation includes a provision that will require state level background checks for employees of long term care facilities and providers. It also creates a nationwide system for the background checking of healthcare workers.

Read the full story at: http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/QUA-248902/Four-Health-Reform-Efforts-That-Could-Assist-Family-Caregivers##

While Oregon state governor Ted Kulongoski has signed legislation restricting the use of credit checks by employers, few others states have followed. The benefits of using credit checks for employment screening are controversial, but this remains a common practice.

Read the full story at: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_md_banning_credit_checks.html