Saturday, December 22, 2007
hLesbian’s T-shirt stirs concern, draws in ACLU
RICHMOND, Va. — A lesbian high school student says she was asked by a teacher to cover up a lesbian-themed T-shirt or face suspension, and now a civil liberties group has taken up her cause. Bethany Laccone, 17, above, said she was asked to cloak a logo of two interlocked female symbols while attending a hotel management class this month at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth. She’s a senior at nearby Woodrow Wilson High School, where she has not faced a similar ultimatum. In a letter sent Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia asked Norcom administrators to remove any mention of the incident from Laccone’s records and agree not to similarly censor other students. ACLU leaders want administrators to clarify that students can express political views. The school’s dress code prohibits “bawdy, salacious or sexually suggestive messages.” The ACLU gave the school until Jan. 11 to respond or possibly face further action.
Pardons urged for Jena 6
NEW ORLEANS — Members of the Congressional Black Caucus called on Gov. Kathleen Blanco to pardon Mychal Bell and five other teenagers known as the “Jena 6.” Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee said in a letter to Blanco this week that Bell and the other teens have paid their debt to society and should be immediately pardoned. “They and their families have suffered enough, as has the State of Louisiana and the town of Jena,” the letter reads. Blanco’s press secretary, Marie Centanni, said Friday in a statement the governor cannot grant a pardon or commutation without a recommendation to do so from the state Pardon Board. Blanco leaves office Jan. 14. The next Pardon Board meeting is scheduled for Jan. 17.
Mich. husband convicted
MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. — A man who tearfully stood before TV cameras and repeatedly denied any involvement in his wife’s disappearance was convicted Friday of killing her. Stephen Grant, 37, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Tara Grant, 34, at the home they shared in the Detroit suburb of Washington Township. Grant displayed no outward emotion. He faces life in prison but could be eligible for parole. Prosecutors sought a first-degree murder conviction, which carries a mandatory sentence of life without parole.
British airport workers
vote to stage 3 strikes
LONDON — Workers at some of Britain’s busiest airports have voted to stage three strikes in the new year in a dispute over pensions, union officials said Friday. The staff at seven airports, including London’s Heathrow and Gatwick, decided to take action after airport operator BAA PLC announced its intention to change its employee pension plan, the Unite union said. The union said the strikes would lead to severe disruptions during a normally busy period. BAA called on the union to return to talks. The first strike will be for 24 hours on Jan 7; the second will be for 24 hours on Jan. 14, and the third will be for 48 hours starting Jan 17. Edinburgh, Stansted, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton are the other airports affected.
Belgium tightens security
BRUSSELS, Belgium — Belgian police detained 14 suspected Islamic extremists Friday and the government said they were plotting a jailbreak to free an al-Qaida prisoner convicted of planning to attack U.S. military personnel. Authorities tightened security, warning of a heightened threat of attacks despite the arrests. Police stepped up patrols at Brussels airport, subway stations and the downtown Christmas market, which draws large crowds of holiday shoppers. “Other acts of violence are not to be excluded,” said Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt. The U.S. Embassy warned Americans “there is currently a heightened risk of terrorist attack in Brussels,” although it said it had no indication of any specific targets. In a series of overnight raids around the country, police picked up 14 suspects and seized arms and explosives.
Associated Press