BRIEFLY : LAUSD TO TOUGHEN POLICY ON PESTICIDES.A Los Angeles Board of Education member agreed Thursday to withdraw a motion on the use of pesticides at schools after parents and environmental groups complained that the proposed policy was too lax. Instead, board member Julie Korenstein and the Environmental Health and Safety Committee agreed to meet with parents to come up with a tougher policy. ``The motion wasn't nearly as stringent as it needs to be,'' said Wendy Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. , a Sherman Oaks resident and parent who took part in a news conference in front of the Los Angeles Unified School District's headquarters Thursday. Cohen and other parents became concerned when several children at Sherman Oaks Elementary School Sherman Oaks Elementary School is a public K-5 elementary school in Los Angeles, California. Sherman Oaks Elementary is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. were sprayed with a strong pesticide March 30. Cohen and others say that was not the only spraying of children, and they say the LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) uses harmful pesticides too liberally. David Tokofsky, a board member who sits on the environmental committee, said he believes the district's practices should be carefully examined. ``I think there is big trouble here,'' he said in an interview. - Daily News Arson-murder jury gives up on penalty The jury that convicted ex-Glendale fire Capt. John Orr of murder and arson in a South Pasadena hardware store fire deadlocked 8-4 Thursday in favor of the death penalty. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Perry declared a mistrial A courtroom trial that has been terminated prior to its normal conclusion. A mistrial has no legal effect and is considered an invalid or nugatory trial. It differs from a "new trial," which recognizes that a trial was completed but was set aside so that the issues could be in the penalty phase and set sentencing for Sept. 17. The District Attorney's Office must decide whether to ask for a retrial retrial n. a new trial granted upon the motion of the losing party, based on obvious error, bias or newly-discovered evidence. (See: newly-discovered evidence) of the penalty phase with a new jury. If not, Orr will be sentenced to life in prison without parole. Orr, 49, was convicted last month of four arson-murder charges for the Ole's Home Center fire, plus 23 arson counts stemming from a series of other blazes, including the 1990 College Hills fire in Glendale. - City News Service Judge kills lawsuit over reward money A judge on Thursday threw out a lawsuit filed against the city of Los Angeles
The 22-year-old woman testified against Oscar Lopez, who killed a Taft High School student in 1992. Police investigators asked that the $25,000 reward go to a confidential witness in the case, not to her. Deputy City Attorney Dion O'Connell said Municipal Court Judge Susan Isacoff granted the city's motion to dismiss the case. O'Connell had argued that the payment of a reward is a discretionary act and not part of a contract. The woman's attorney, who asked her name not be published for fear of gang retaliation, could not be reached for comment. - Daily News Firefighter injured in rescue rehearsal A 20-year-old county firefighter became tangled in a rope and suffered neck injuries Thursday during a water-rescue exercise at a San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. filtration plant, a spokesman said. The accident happened about 1:30 p.m. at the plant near San Fernando Road San Fernando Road is a major street in the city and county of Los Angeles. It starts off in Castaic as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita and the Newhall Pass, where upon its intersection with Sierra Highway near the junction of the Golden State (I-5) and the and Sepulveda Boulevard, Inspector Ed Loney said. Firefighters were playing the roles of victims and rescuers in the exercise, he said. The firefighter was taken to Providence-Holy Cross Medical Center in good condition. - City News Service Holden wins round in harassment case A state appellate panel ruled in favor of Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden on Thursday in a sexual harassment sexual harassment, in law, verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature, aimed at a particular person or group of people, especially in the workplace or in academic or other institutional settings, that is actionable, as in tort or under equal-opportunity statutes. lawsuit brought against him and three of his deputies by a former receptionist. Marlee Beyda claimed that Holden aroused himself while groping grope v. groped, grop·ing, gropes v.intr. 1. To reach about uncertainly; feel one's way: groped for the telephone. 2. her and once tried to have sexual intercourse sexual intercourse or coitus or copulation Act in which the male reproductive organ enters the female reproductive tract (see reproductive system). with her at his apartment in Marina Del Rey. But a Superior Court judge cleared the councilman in a trial without a jury Nov. 27, 1995. The Second District Courts of Appeal ruled against Beyda in the second round of the lawsuit. A copy of the ruling was not immediately available. Beyda was one of three women who accused Holden of sexual harassment. One of those lawsuits was dropped, but one by a former aide continues. - City News Service |
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