Wednesday, January 30, 2013
The morning report — drug testing, sexual discrimination
Posted by Max Brantley on Wed, Jan 30, 2013 at 6:46 AM
A roundup of the morning mail:
* WHO WE GONNA DRUG TEST?: The U.S. attorney's office announced a guilty plea by a Little Rock medical clinic nurse who'd helped a clinic official illegally obtain hydrocodone (25,000 pills worth over time). Once more: If drug abuse be legislators' concern, abuses are more likely among those with ready access than among people the legislators want to oppress simply because they have lost their jobs and are seeking legal compensation provided by the unemploment insurance system.
* LAWSUIT AGAINST ARKANSAS TECH: Interesting filing in federal court, a lawsuit by Gidget Pambianchi, challenging her firing as woman's softball coach at Arkansas Tech. She alleges action was taken against her as retaliation for attempting to fire a male assistant coach who'd harassed a player. She said he filed a sexual harassment complaint against her after she moved to fire him over harassment of a player. She suggests her firing — for alleged lack of control of players (despite worse player misconduct in major male sports that didn't have fallout for male coaches) — was triggered by Tech President Robert Brown's discovery she was a lesbian, though her supervisor had known for years she was a lesbian in a committed relationship. The complaint says "Arkansas Tech had a practice and policy of treating men different than women; gay different from straight, with regards to the application of its sexual harassment policy." Her sex discrimination complaint says male coaches weren't subjected to the same standards and one university official was not punished despite "his extramarital sexual affair with a subordinate." The suit says the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had reviewed her complaint and give her clearance to sue.
* SCHOOL SECURITY GUARD ARRESTED: Here's the LRPD report on the arrest of a Horace Mann Middle School security guard accused of putting his hand in the pants of a 14-year-old student.
Speaking of...
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A post-racial world? Gay people treated fairly? Read on
June 2, 2013Belatedly, I'd like to catch up on a couple of depressing articles I read yesterday in the New York Times. /more/
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Gay TV producer at center of Imboden controversy to speak in LR
May 25, 2013I was happy to get this Facebook note today from Bryant Huddleston, the Imboden native and California TV producer, whose tentative invitation to speak at the Sloan-Hendrix High School graduation fell apart because a couple of School Board members (and many in the community apparently) didn't think it right to have a gay man speak to high school graduates, who included his sister. /more/
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Arkansas church makes national news for opposition to gay Scouts
May 22, 2013The Boy Scouts of America may decide tomorrow to lift its ban on gay scouts (though not gay scout leaders). /more/
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UPDATE: IRS harassment not limited to Tea Party
May 15, 2013This is NOT by way of excuse, but it's important context. The IRS hasn't limited harassment of nonprofits to Tea Party and related groups. /more/
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Monday night's Pomp and Circumstance open line
May 13, 2013Imboden high school graduation is uneventful after flap over gay speaker. /more/
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Morning report: Prescription drug watch
May 13, 2013The morning again begins slowly. But among others: * MONITORING DOCTORS' PRESCRIPTION PRACTICES: Pro Publica has published with the Washington Post a deep look at doctors' prescription practices under Medicare. /more/
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Civil rights in Imboden: A new lesson for Sloan-Hendrix students
May 5, 2013Rooting around on the school district website this morning, I noted a link with contact information for the school district, should you like to write the school district or Superintendent Mitch Walton, who reportedly forced the issue. /more/
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NBA player Jason Collins comes out
April 29, 2013The decision by NBA journeyman Jason Collins to announce he is gay is making headlines all over today. /more/
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Head Start budget cuts announced
April 27, 2013A roundup to start this rainy Saturday morning:'* BECAUSE NO CONGRESSMAN USES A HEAD START CENTER: Administrators of Head Start agencies received word yesterday that budgets for the remainder of this fiscal year would be reduced 5.27 percent and that agencies could expect a similar cut in the 2014 budget barring action by Congress. /more/
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Mark Pryor: Worse than Tom Cotton on gay rights
March 28, 2013A campaigner for U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor told me weeks ago there'd be moments undoubtedly when people of my political persuasion would be unhappy with some of the positions he took in his re-election campaign. /more/
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