BRIEFLY : LOCKHEED WORKERS OK HALF OF JUDGMENT.Under pressure from a Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. judge, 38 Lockheed workers who won a $760 million judgment in a lawsuit against five oil companies agreed to take half that amount, a court clerk A court clerk, in British English clerk to the court or in American English clerk of the court is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining the records of a court. Another duty is to swear in witnesses, jurors, and grand jurors. said Friday. Superior Court Judge Richard Hubbell warned the plaintiffs in a ruling Monday to accept the reduced award, which he characterized as ``fair and reasonable,'' or prepare for a new trial. They came to a decision sometime this week, the clerk said. In August, jurors ordered Exxon, Unocal, Shell, Ashland and DuPont to pay the group of current and former Lockheed workers the unprecedented punitive damages Monetary compensation awarded to an injured party that goes beyond that which is necessary to compensate the individual for losses and that is intended to punish the wrongdoer. amount. The workers claimed they suffered side effects Side effects Effects of a proposed project on other parts of the firm. from chemicals they were exposed to while working in a Lockheed Skunk skunk, name for several related New World mammals of the weasel family, characterized by their conspicuous black and white markings and use of a strong, highly offensive odor for defense. Works program Noun 1. works program - a program to provide jobs on public works paid for by government funds program, programme - a system of projects or services intended to meet a public need; "he proposed an elaborate program of public works"; "working mothers rely on the day which produced the F-117A stealth fighter. - City News Service Ride-share program expansion in place The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's ride-sharing incentive program, offering up to $120 in gift certificates, has expanded to commuters working in the 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. , Glendale and north Los Angeles County. Rideshare 2000, available to companies with fewer than 250 employees, gives $2 certificates for each day someone commutes via alternate transportation. Eligible participants are employees who drove to work alone during the past 90 days. To earn rewards, they must get to work by car pool, public transit or commuter rail, bicycling, walking or telecommuting telecommuting, an arrangement by which people work at home using a computer and telephone, transmitting work material to a business office by means of a modem and telephone lines; it is also known as telework. at least five times per month during a three-month trial period. The coupons are redeemable at participating supermarkets, discount stores and gas stations. For information, call (213) 922-2811 or fax to (213) 922-2849. - Daily News Gang probation unit pushes for weapons Los Angeles County deputy probation officers working in the gang suppression unit want to be armed, a spokesman said Friday. Probation Department spokesman Craig Levy said the agency is considering the matter. About 300 officers work in the unit, transporting criminals to and from hospitals, jails, courts and other places. Sometimes they pick up gang members at their homes. Officers could get the weapons if the county's chief probation officer issues a directive or if the Board of Supervisors or the Legislature passes a measure requiring the officers to be armed. - City News Service Hurricane relief aid still stranded in L.A. About 300 tons of donated food, water and medical supplies for the victims of Hurricane Mitch Hurricane Mitch was one of the deadliest and most powerful hurricanes on record in the Atlantic basin, with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (290 km/h). The storm was the thirteenth tropical storm, ninth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the 1998 Atlantic are stranded in Los Angeles, waiting for funds to transport them to Central America, aid officials said Friday. The United Way of Greater Los Angeles announced the creation of an emergency fund to pay for getting supplies shipped or flown to the hurricane-devastated areas. People wishing to donate can call (800) 563-7117. - Associated Press Turkey offer phony, bank executive says Don't believe everything you read. Fliers on telephone poles, in phone booths and at shelters along major Los Angeles bus routes promising a free holiday turkey - and listing a Wells Fargo phone number - are bogus. ``This is a hoax that someone has gone to a lot of trouble to pull off,'' said Paul Watson, a Wells Fargo executive whose phone number appears on the fliers. - City News Service Pedestrian tunnels filthy, activist says Elementary school students must walk through pedestrian tunnels littered with human feces, urine and needles used by drug addicts or risk crossing busy South Los Angeles South Los Angeles is the official name for a large geographic and cultural area lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central Los Angeles, and is still sometimes called South Central. streets, a community activist said Friday. By using the tunnels, which serve four schools, the children risk contracting diseases, said Najee Ali, director of Project Islamic Helping Oppressed op·press tr.v. op·pressed, op·press·ing, op·press·es 1. To keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority: a people who were oppressed by tyranny. 2. People Everywhere. Parents want the tunnels cleaned up and locked at night, Ali said. Mayor Richard Riordan called conditions at the tunnels unacceptable and has instructed the director of the Department of Public Works to find a solution, said Riordan spokesman Deane Leavenworth. - City News Service |
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