TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalExide Technologies faces $2.45M in penalties as part of plan for former battery recycling plant
Frisco, Texas -- Exide Technologies faces more than $2.45 million in penalties over violations at its now-closed plant in Frisco.
The penalties are part of a proposal that will be considered at the April 15 meeting of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The six violations issued in 2013 relate to Exide’s handling and storage of hazardous waste at its site along Fifth Street.
The state’s proposed agreed order is the latest step in the cleanup process in Frisco, where extensive contamination exists from the plant’s decades of operations. The order also calls for keeping the hazardous waste in the Class 2 landfill on site for long-term monitoring. State regulators say the other option — digging up the waste and transporting it to another permitted facility — is impractical and carries a risk to people and the environment.
The state’s action comes on the heels of Friday’s U.S. bankruptcy court ruling in Delaware that confirms the company’s plan of reorganization. The confirmation allows the company to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy once it meets all of the conditions set out in the plan.
Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/frisco/headlines/20150330-exide-faces-2.45m-in-state-penalties-as-part-of-plan-for-former-frisco-plant.ece
Public Integrity Unit bill stalls in Senate
A Republican bill to transfer the Public Integrity Unit out of Travis County has snagged in the Senate, where the legislation does not have enough support to force a floor vote — at least for now.
The author of Senate Bill 10, Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, acknowledged Monday that she is still trying to line up support from Republican senators but added that she remains confident of success.
Read more: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/public-integrity-unit-bill-stalls-in-senate/nkh84/ (subscription required)
Justice Department Files Lawsuit Alleging that Southeastern Oklahoma State University Discriminated
Source: US DOJ
Justice Department Files Lawsuit Alleging that Southeastern Oklahoma State University Discriminated Against Transgender Woman
The Justice Department announced today the filing of a lawsuit against Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Southeastern) and the Regional University System of Oklahoma (RUSO) for violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by discriminating against a transgender employee on the basis of her sex and retaliating against her when she complained about the discrimination. Attorney General Eric Holder announced in December 2014 that the Department of Justice takes the position that Title VII’s prohibition against sex discrimination is best read to extend the statute’s protection to claims based on an individual’s gender identity, including transgender status.
According to the United States’ complaint, filed in federal district court in Oklahoma City today, Rachel Tudor began working for Southeastern as an Assistant Professor in 2004. At the time of her hire, Tudor presented as a man. In 2007, Tudor, consistent with her gender identity, began to present as a woman at work. Throughout her employment, Tudor performed her job well, and in 2009, she applied for a promotion to the tenured position of Associate Professor. Southeastern’s administration denied her application, overruling the recommendations of her department chair and other tenured faculty from her department. The United States’ complaint alleges that Southeastern discriminated against Tudor when it denied her application because of her gender identity, gender transition and non-conformance with gender stereotypes.
“By standing beside Dr. Tudor, the Department of Justice sends a clear message that we are committed to eliminating discrimination on the basis of sex and gender identity,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “We will not allow unfair biases and unjust prejudices to prevent transgender Americans from reaching their full potential as workers and as citizens. And we will continue to work tirelessly, using every legal tool available, to ensure that transgender individuals are guaranteed the rights and protections that all Americans deserve.”
In 2010, Tudor filed complaints regarding the denial of her application for promotion and tenure. Shortly after it learned of her complaints, Southeastern refused to let Tudor re-apply for promotion and tenure despite Southeastern’s own policies permitting re-application. At the end of the 2010-11 academic year, Southeastern and RUSO terminated Tudor’s employment because she had not obtained tenure.
Tudor filed a charge of discrimination with the Oklahoma City Area Office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging that Southeastern’s decisions were unlawful. The EEOC investigated the charge and determined that there was reasonable cause to believe discrimination occurred. The EEOC’s attempts at conciliation were unsuccessful, and it referred the matter to the Department of Justice.
This lawsuit was brought by the Department of Justice as a result of a joint effort to enhance collaboration between the EEOC and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division for vigorous enforcement of Title VII.
“The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the civil rights of all Americans, including transgender Americans,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division. “Discrimination against employees because of their gender identity, gender transition, or because they do not conform to stereotypical notions about how men and women should act or appear violates Title VII. Retaliating against an employee for complaining about unlawful discrimination, as happened in this case, is also unacceptable under Title VII.”
“This is a tremendous example of how collaboration between EEOC and the Department of Justice leads to strong and coordinated enforcement of Title VII,” said EEOC Chair Jenny R. Yang. “This case furthers the EEOC’s Strategic Enforcement Plan, which includes coverage of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals under Title VII's sex discrimination provisions as a national enforcement priority.”
“The American workplace must be a level playing field free from discrimination – a place where employees compete based on their merit,” said Director Holly Waldron Cole of the EEOC’s Oklahoma City Area Office. “Here, the decisions about Dr. Tudor’s employment should have been based on her qualifications, not on impermissible bias and stereotype.”
As alleged in the complaint, Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination includes discrimination because of gender identity or because an employee has completed a gender transition or is undertaking a gender transition. Title VII also prohibits an employer from discriminating against an employee because her behavior or appearance does not conform to traditional gender stereotypes. In addition, Title VII prohibits employers from retaliating against employees, like Tudor, who lodge complaints about discriminatory treatment. Through its lawsuit, the United States seeks both monetary and injunctive relief.
Attorney General Eric Holder announced in December 2014 that the Department of Justice takes the position that Title VII’s prohibition against sex discrimination is best read to extend the statute’s protection to claims based on an individual’s gender identity, including transgender status.
More information about Title VII and other federal employment laws is available on the website of the Employment Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division (www.justice.gov/crt/about/emp/).
The continued enforcement of Title VII has been a priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Additional information on the Civil Rights Division’s work is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt/.
Read more: http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-lawsuit-alleging-southeastern-oklahoma-state-university
I am posting the full text from the US DoJ Website since a government Website is a public release and not considered to be copyrighted material.
I posted separate articles from Dallas Voice in the Oklahoma and LGBT groups.
ETA: If any LBN hosts believe that I need to trim the post to four paragraphs, please contact me.
R. Kelly gets sued for canceling show in Dallas
Local fans were disappointed when R. Kelly canceled an upcoming performance at the Musical Hall at Fair Park set for April.
Now, a concert promoter is suing the R&B legend for allegedly backing out of the show and stiffing him on a six-figure deposit. TMZ reports:
Austin says the real insult came when the self-proclaimed Pied Piper of R&B returned the deposit … $30,000 SHORT!!
Austin wants R. Kelly to either perform at the concert or pay back the money his team allegedly skimmed from the deposit.
http://dallas.suntimes.com/dal-entertainment/7/75/94253/r-kelly-gets-sued-canceling-show-dallas
DoJ charges Oklahoma university with trans discrimination
The Department of Justice filed discrimination charges today (Monday, March 30) on behalf of Rachel Tudor against Southeastern Oklahoma State University. They charge is gender discrimination.
Tudor claims she was denied tenure because she is transgender, according to Reuters.
Tudor was an assistant professor of English at the school and was denied tenure in 2011. The school claimed she hadn’t published enough, even though she had more peer-reviewed work than her department chair. School officials also claimed they couldn’t substantiate that Tudor actually did some of the work she claimed she did on her application for tenure.
Tudor told Dallas Voice at the time that the works in question were in the school library with her name on the cover.
http://www.dallasvoice.com/doj-charges-oklahoma-university-trans-discrimination-10192821.html
Cross-posted in the LGBT Group.
DoJ charges Oklahoma university with trans discrimination
The Department of Justice filed discrimination charges today (Monday, March 30) on behalf of Rachel Tudor against Southeastern Oklahoma State University. They charge is gender discrimination.
Tudor claims she was denied tenure because she is transgender, according to Reuters.
Tudor was an assistant professor of English at the school and was denied tenure in 2011. The school claimed she hadn’t published enough, even though she had more peer-reviewed work than her department chair. School officials also claimed they couldn’t substantiate that Tudor actually did some of the work she claimed she did on her application for tenure.
Tudor told Dallas Voice at the time that the works in question were in the school library with her name on the cover.
http://www.dallasvoice.com/doj-charges-oklahoma-university-trans-discrimination-10192821.html
Cross-posted in the Oklahoma Group.
Occupy Hong Kong: Six Months Later
Six months have passed since the outbreak of the pro-democracy Occupy protests in Hong Kong, and a small but determined group of activists wants to make sure their struggle isn’t forgotten.
On the sidewalks by the legislative chamber and government offices in Admiralty, a collection of tents has remained since police cleared the site in December. It was here on Sep. 26 that students scaled a wall to try to enter Civic Square, a place that had been sealed off by the government. Two days later, tens of thousands poured into the main roads, prompting police to use tear gas, on a day now remembered as “928” by activists.
Over the weekend, crowds turned out at the encampment, and to a second protest site in Mong Kok, to observe the anniversary of the protests. There were seminars on democracy and photo and art exhibitions to commemorate the date.
The tents have been growing in number, from about 70 in December to over a hundred now, stretching back out on to the side of the main thoroughfare on Harcourt Road. Some of the more permanent occupants are familiar faces to the protesters, such as Bob Kraft, an American pastor. Others drop in and out.
Read more: http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2015/03/30/what-occupy-hong-kong-looks-like-six-months-later/
Mayoral candidate arrested for ‘666’ taggings booted from debate with Rawlings, Ronquillo
Richard Sheridan, the write-in mayoral candidate arrested Friday for decorating two Dallas LGBT landmarks with the Mark of the Beast, will not be allowed to participate in Tuesday’s candidate forum at the Belo Mansion. That leaves just the two men actually on the ballot: Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and the man who wants his seat at the horseshoe, Marcos Ronquillo.
Rob Crain, the Dallas attorney who put the panel together for the Dallas Bar Association, says he actually called Sheridan Friday morning to rescind the invitation — before Dallas police announced that he’d been arrested for spray-panting a “666? on the Legacy of Love Monument at Cedar Springs and Oak Lawn and in the driveway of the Cathedral of Hope near Dallas Love Field in June. Crain says he left Sheridan a phone message and sent him an email letting him know he could stay home. Crain says neither have elicited a response so far. Sheridan tells Unfair Park he’s still showing up anyway — because of course he is.
Of course, the question remains: How’d a write-in candidate with a history of passing out anti-gay leaflets at Dallas City Hall, leaving threatening messages for reporters and getting kicked out of Dallas City Council chambers ever make it onto a Dallas Bar Association panel in the first place?
Crain doesn’t really want to get into it. But, he points out, when he initially called the Dallas City Secretary’s Office to get a list of officially recognized candidates, Sheridan was on that list; hence the invite. (He’s actually a write-in.) But in recent days the Dallas Bar Association became very familiar with his past behavior — including August’s admission to The Dallas Morning News that, yes, he had something to do with the vandalism still being investigated by police as a hate crime. That led to his being booted from the panel.
Read more: http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com/2015/03/mayoral-candidate-arrested-for-666-taggings-booted-from-debate-with-rawlings-ronquillo.html/
Related threads:
Dallas mayoral candidate Richard Sheridan arrested for June 2014 ‘666’ taggings (anti-gay vandalism)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/107824193
Dallas “666” anti-gay tagging suspect says they are ‘act of love,’ but blames another person Texas Group
http://www.democraticunderground.com/107820144
Dallas “666” anti-gay tagging suspect says they are ‘act of love,’ but blames another person LGBT Group
http://www.democraticunderground.com/113739798
Dallas police release description of suspect who tagged 11 sites with '666' in anti-gay hate crime
http://www.democraticunderground.com/107819381
House Democrats Target Alternatives to Abortion Program
As the Texas House prepares for a floor fight Tuesday over its budget, a flurry of amendments filed by Democrats seeks to defund the state's Alternatives to Abortion program.
A group of Democratic lawmakers filed more than a dozen amendments to either reduce or eliminate funding for the program, which provides "pregnancy and parenting information” to low-income women. Under the program, the state contracts with the Texas Pregnancy Care Network, a nonprofit charity organization with a network of crisis pregnancy resource centers that provide counseling and adoption assistance.
Since September 2006, the program has served roughly 110,000 clients. The network features 60 provider locations, including crisis pregnancy centers, maternity homes and adoption agencies.
State Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, said she filed an amendment to defund the entire program because the state is giving more money to “coerce women” into a “political ideology instead of providing information and services” at a time when Texas women’s access to health services is being reduced.
Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/2015/03/30/house-democrats-target-abortion-program-budget/
Rep. Drew Springer Wants to Revoke Same-Sex Benefits for Public School Employees
[div style="width:40%;"]
Rep. Drew Springer (R-Muenster) used the above graphic to promote a 2013 bill to defund school districts that offer domestic partner benefits.
Rep. Drew Springer (R-Muenster) is again trying to bar Texas school districts from offering benefits to the same-sex partners of employees.
Springer has introduced a budget amendment that would eliminate state funding for districts that violate the Texas Constitution, which prohibits recognition of same-sex partnerships.
The amendment is similar to a bill Springer authored two years ago, which cleared committee but was never considered on the floor. Under Springer’s budget amendment, the education commissioner, in consultation with the attorney general, would decide whether districts have violated the Constitution. Districts would have 60 days to correct the problem.
According to Equality Texas, Springer’s amendment is aimed at the Austin, Pflugerville and San Antonio school districts, which offer “plus-one” benefits that are inclusive of same-sex partners. But the group says those benefits are in line with a 2013 opinion from former Attorney General Greg Abbott, which found that such programs are only illegal if they create or recognize a status similar to marriage.
Read more: http://www.texasobserver.org/drew-springer-wants-to-revoke-same-sex-benefits-for-public-school-employees/#.VRmF4hQWC-A.twitter
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
Home country: United States
Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 03:57 AM
Number of posts: 112,150
