TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalASU prof (former priest and former Yale prof) resigns over past sex abuse
Jaime Lara, a professor of medieval and Renaissance studies at Arizona State University, resigned after it was discovered that he was a defrocked priest who had been accused of sexually abusing minors years ago.
The Dioceses of Brooklyn released a statement saying that Lara, who was ordained as the Rev. James Lara in 1973, was removed from active ministry in 1992. Other former priests were also named.
The disclosure appears to be the first time the diocese has formally acknowledged the names of priests laicized, or defrocked, for child sexual abuse. At least five people who say they were abused by Lara have applied for compensation.
Lara is accused of sexually abusing three children ranging from 9 to 11 years old at St. Francis Xavier Church in Brooklyn between 1979 to 1981.
Read more: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/news/asu-prof-resigns-over-past-sex-abuse/article_8a9cb358-ce38-11e7-b36d-0b58a974d703.html
The professor appears to have recovered from the allegations and lived a comfortable life. I wonder if the same can be said for the children that made the accusations?
Many clients claim sex abuse at Massage Envy spas
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — More than 180 people across the United States have filed sexual assault lawsuits, police reports and other sexual misconduct complaints against Massage Envy spas, their employees and the national company, according to an investigative report by the website BuzzFeed News.
The website reported that many of those who complained believed their claims were mishandled or ignored by employees and owners of individual Massage Envy spas and by the national company.
Dozens of women reported digital and oral penetration. More than 100 reported that massage therapists groped their genitals, groped their breasts, or committed other explicit violations.
Adam Horowitz, a lawyer who has handled more than two dozen sexual misconduct lawsuits involving Massage Envy, said Monday that he received 25 calls from alleged new victims following the report's publication.
Read more: http://tucson.com/news/report-many-clients-claim-sex-abuse-at-massage-envy-spas/article_969509be-d44e-11e7-8bf8-e76a5f85f54b.html
Sen. John McCain: Politicizing Navajo event is an 'insult'
Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona is tweeting that President Donald Trump's "politicizing" of a ceremony honoring Native American veterans was "an insult to their sacrifice."
McCain doesn't cite the president by name in his tweet Tuesday. He says the nation owes a debt of gratitude to the Navajo Code Talkers for helping secure victory over tyranny and oppression during World War II.
He then adds: "Politicizing these genuine American heroes is an insult to their sacrifice."
During a White House event Monday, Trump revived past mocking comments he's made about Sen. Elizabeth Warren for claims she made about being part Native American.
Read more: http://tucson.com/news/state-and-regional/sen-john-mccain-politicizing-navajo-event-is-an-insult/article_a7e83d41-c0c9-54ab-8b01-f6ada552d99c.html
Rep. Raul Grijalva's office quietly paid $48,000 workplace settlement
A former employee of Rep. Raúl Grijalva worked just three months for the Tucson Democrat in 2015 but quietly received a settlement worth five months' salary after complaining of a hostile work environment and Grijalva's frequent drunkenness, a Washington Times report says.
The complaint wasn't about sexual harassment, Grijalva noted in a written statement. The woman worked in Grijalva's Washington D.C. office.
The news comes amid a growing scandal about how members of Congress are able to use taxpayer money to quietly settle complaints against them. The uproar has been about payouts for sexual harassment paid out through salaries, which are less noticeable than a lump-sum settlement. The Office of Compliance has paid $17.2 million in settlements over the last 20 years, but not all were for sexual harassment, and not all were for problems in congressional offices, the Washington Post reported.
The Times report did not name the woman who complained about Grijalva. She threatened to sue over Grijalva's frequent drunkenness creating a hostile work environment, the Times report said. After making that threat, the report says, Grijalva's office stopped paying her in an effort to force a settlement, which eventually was reached: Resuming paying her salary for five months -- a total of $48,395.
Read more: http://tucson.com/news/local/report-rep-ra-l-grijalva-s-office-quietly-paid-workplace/article_dbf11be2-d44e-11e7-b592-47e04e5e0238.html
Grijalva issued a statement which is included at the link.
Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls to discuss education at Tucson town hall
The two Democratic contenders to become Arizona’s next governor will be in Tucson Thursday for a town hall to discuss public education.
The event, which is sponsored by the Arizona Education Association, will happen at Pueblo High School, 3500 S. 12th Ave., from 6 to 7:45 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30.
Republican Gov. Doug Ducey was not invited to the event, according to AEA spokesperson Sheenae Shannon.
The two Democrats running to unseat Ducey are Sen. Steve Farley, a longtime state lawmaker from Tucson, and David Garcia, the 2014 Democratic nominee for superintendent of public instruction.
Read more: http://tucson.com/news/local/dem-gubernatorial-hopefuls-to-discuss-education-at-tucson-town-hall/article_ee5ed043-ac2f-5636-836c-a1e8e5ef5f46.html
Environmentalists sue Forest Service to overturn Rosemont Mine approval
Four environmental groups sued the U.S. Forest Service Monday, charging that its approval of the proposed Rosemont Mine violated 10 environmental laws and seeking to have the approval overturned.
The 75-page lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, directly challenges the service's statement in its June decision approving the mine that it won't violate environmental laws.
The Forest Service has long stated that it can't say "no" to the mine as long as it meets all applicable federal laws and regulations.
Coronado Forest Supervisor Kerwin Dewberry declined to comment on the suit Monday, saying the agency typically doesn't comment on pending litigation except in formal legal responses.
Read more: http://tucson.com/news/local/environmentalists-sue-forest-service-to-overturn-rosemont-mine-approval/article_c390e24a-d399-11e7-924a-b337a2b40360.html
Men cleared of terrorism ties in 2015 border case that riled some conservatives
The arrests of six Middle Eastern men caught entering the United States illegally from Mexico two years ago set off alarm in border states and in some right-wing blogs and other media outlets.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey called it a matter of national security and invoked the Islamic State group in a statement calling for stepped-up border security in response to the arrests. Conservative publications like the Washington Examiner reported on the men from "Middle East terror hotbeds," while Fox News questioned whether "Islamic State militants could be probing security."
Now, documents obtained by the Associated Press through a public records request reveal the men were fleeing violence and persecution in their homelands and were cleared of any terrorism ties. They also were physically and verbally abused by two Mexican smugglers with a history of crossing the border illegally and went days without food and water, the records show.
The case highlights the highly politicized nature of the U.S.-Mexico border as hysteria sometimes overtakes facts in an era where President Donald Trump, during his campaign, labeled Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals. Some blogs incorrectly reported the men were released. Others tied them to the Islamic State.
Read more: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/border-issues/2017/11/27/middle-east-border-crossers-cleared-terrorism-ties-2015-border-case-riled-some-conservatives-ducey/897817001/
Buckeye police officials accused of corruption, tampering with crime statistics
Buckeye has hired an independent investigator to look into reports that senior police leaders ordered officers to falsify crime statistics in an effort to make the West Valley city more appealing to potential residents and businesses.
Buckeye officials also have asked the private investigator to examine more than a dozen allegations of wrongdoing and corruption that have created a "hostile work environment."
The wide-reaching claims came from "numerous employees" within the city's 93-officer Police Department in a recent letter to the city manager and members of Buckeye's City Council.
That letter, obtained by The Arizona Republic, contains a range of allegations about senior law-enforcement officials, including claims that department heads inconsistently reprimand officers across ranks who commit major policy violations and operate side businesses that present clear conflicts of interest.
Read more: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/southwest-valley/2017/11/27/buckeye-hires-private-eye-investigate-allegations-police-wrongdoing/844390001/
Insys founder and Arizona billionaire charged in opioid scheme can remove GPS monitoring
BOSTON — The founder of a pharmaceutical company charged with leading a nationwide conspiracy to bribe doctors to prescribe an opioid pain medication has won his bid to remove his electronic monitoring bracelet.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer Boal in Boston said Monday that prosecutors have shown no evidence that John Kapoor of Arizona-based Insys Therapeutics Inc. intends to flee. Prosecutors said at a hearing this month he should remain on GPS monitoring because he's a flight risk.
Kapoor and other Insys executives are accused of offering kickbacks to doctors to write large numbers of prescriptions for a fentanyl-based pain medication that's meant for cancer patients.
Defense attorney Brian Kelly said Kapoor is grateful for the ruling and looks forward to fighting the charges.
Read more: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2017/11/27/insys-founder-and-arizona-billionaire-charged-opioid-scheme-removes-gps-monitor/900194001/
Legislator: Don't allow children to marry
Saying 18 is plenty young enough, a Scottsdale lawmaker wants to repeal existing Arizona laws that allow children of any age to get married.
The proposal by Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, would make it illegal for the clerk of superior courts in any of the state’s 15 counties to issue a marriage license to anyone younger than 18. Specifically, H2006 would undo laws that allow anyone age 16 or 17 to marry with permission of a parent.
But the measure also addresses the fact that in Arizona, there actually is no minimum age. All it takes is permission of a superior court judge.
“Why do we need to allow underage marriages to happen?” Ugenti-Rita asked. “What is the public benefit to that?”
Read more: http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2017/11/22/legislator-dont-allow-children-to-marry/
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Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
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Current location: Bryan, Texas
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