Black firefighter, city settle suit
A black firefighter who was served dog food in his spaghetti by fellow firefighters will be paid more than $2.7 million to settle a lawsuit alleging racial harassment and discrimination within the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The award, approved 11-1 Wednesday by the Los Angeles City Council, is the latest in a recent string of settlements of lawsuits by firefighters claiming discrimination, harassment and retaliation against those who complain.
It is believed to be the largest payout for misconduct in the history of the department, which was long considered among the nation’s finest, but has been dogged for years by complaints of hostility toward black and female firefighters.
The lawsuit, by firefighter Tennie Pierce, 51, alleges that firefighter Jorge Arevalo mixed canned dog food into Pierce’s dinner at their station two years ago; that Capt. John Tohill purchased the dog food; and that Capt. Chris Burton knew about the trick but did nothing to warn Pierce. All three men were present when Pierce ate the dog food.
Rockville, Md.
Sniper Malvo sentenced again
Sniper Lee Boyd Malvo was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for six murders in Maryland that were part of a three-week shooting spree that terrorized the Washington area in 2002.
In a brief statement, Malvo apologized and said he was a different person than the impressionable teen who killed at the command of John Allen Muhammad, his accomplice and mentor.
“I’m truly sorry, grieved and ashamed for what I’ve done,” said Malvo, his voice breaking.
Malvo, 21, pleaded guilty in October to the murders in Montgomery County, where the series of 13 shootings began and ended in October 2002.
It is unlikely, however, that Malvo will serve time in a Maryland prison. He has already been sentenced to life in prison in Virginia for sniper shootings there and was sent to Maryland last year for a new trial on the condition he be returned after his case ended. That could happen within the next several days, said Darren Popkin, Montgomery County’s chief deputy sheriff.
Honolulu
Transgender woman wins seat
A Hawaii woman won a seat on the state Board of Education and, according to national advocacy groups, a place in history as the nation’s highest-ranking transgender elected official.
Kim Coco Iwamoto, a 38-year-old attorney, did not tout her gender status in the campaign but has advocated for transgender youth and related issues. She came in third Tuesday in the competition for three seats on the 14-member board, which governs the islands’ 285 public schools.
Iwamoto has a law degree from the University of New Mexico. She was featured in a handbook on transgender policy for her advocacy of special restroom facilities on the school’s campus after she was harassed for using the women’s bathroom.