Woman wins harassment suit
A Seattle woman has been awarded $4.4 million in her harassment suit against Goodyear.
Melissa Sheffield says she was antagonized and harassed because of her sexual orientation at the Goodyear store where she worked in Seattle and says she was demoted after she complained.
Her attorney, Daniel F. Johnson, says the jury award sends a message to employers in Washington that discrimination and retaliation will not be tolerated.
Sheffield began working for Goodyear in 1994 and worked her way up to manager of a store near Northgate Mall.
Sheffield says the harassment began in 2003 when new managers were appointed to supervise her. One made sure she knew he didn’t like gays. She complained and eventually that manager was fired. At the same time, she was demoted and her pay was cut.
The company says her demotion stemmed from her own misconduct.
Power outage affects thousands
Thousands of Seattle City Light customers lost power for several hours Saturday evening because of downed power lines.
The utility says the power went out just after 5 p.m. to 10,000 to 11,000 customers. The outage was in the Capitol Hill area, extending eastward to Lake Washington.
Power was restored to all but a few hundred customers by about 8 p.m.
It’s not immediately known what caused the power lines to go down.
LONGVIEW, Wash.
Girl Scout cashews recalled for metal
Girl Scouts of Western Washington is recalling 10-ounce cans of Ashdon Farms cashews after small pieces of metal were found in some cans.
Girls Scouts in Pierce, Lewis, Thurston, Grays Harbor, Cowlitz, Washkiakum and Pacific counties have been selling the nuts. They were sold as part of a fundraiser.
Scouting officials say no injuries or illnesses have been reported in connection with the recall.
MEDFORD, Ore.
Parents charged after son’s injury
A couple whose 6-year-old son fractured his skull after his father dropped him off at a skateboard park have been indicted on felony criminal mistreatment charges.
Daniel R. Willis, 44, and June A. Willis, 49, also were charged with child neglect, a misdemeanor, in the October incident.
Daniel Willis said he and his wife were stunned and frustrated by the charges. He said they had no idea it was illegal to leave the boy and his 9-year-old brother alone at Bear Creek Skate Park.
“I don’t think I’m guilty of a crime,” he said. “I may have made an error in judgment.”
In addition to facing criminal charges, Willis said state Child Protective Services workers told him he could not be alone with his sons. “It’s shaken us up pretty good,” he said.
Willis said he works in real estate, and his wife is employed part time at a community college. When both parents are busy with work, they often leave the boys alone at the skate park for a few hours.
Oregon law does not set a minimum age for leaving children unsupervised. But if children are younger than 10, prosecutors have discretion to decide whether leaving them alone is criminal conduct.
William Aring Meyer, a former prosecutor who has defended parents accused of neglect, said standards of caring for children are constantly evolving.
“What was acceptable 10 years ago is not acceptable now,” Meyer said. “I think it makes it hard to know sometimes what is acceptable and what’s not acceptable.”
The couple are scheduled for arraignment Wednesday.
From wire reports