National Roundup

Massachusetts National Grid agrees to $1M settlement with state BOSTON (AP) -- The state attorney general's office has reached a $1 million agreement with National Grid to settle allegations that the utility responded poorly to a snowstorm the day after Christmas. The storm on Dec. 26 left more than 113,000 of the utility's customers without power. The settlement includes payments of $50,000 each to the United Way and Red Cross for their assistance in responding to the outages; reimbursement to communities for storm-related costs; and $150,000 over three years to train public safety responders to deal with electric outages and downed wires. None of the costs will be passed on to ratepayers. Attorney general Martha Coakley says the agreement ensures the mistakes made during the storm do not happen again. A National Grid spokeswoman says the utility is committed to reliable service. Illinois 57 Chicago security guards get 200K in OT dispute CHICAGO (AP) -- A federal judge has ruled a company that tried to avoid paying overtime to 57 Chicago-area security guards by making them sign independent contractor agreements must pay them more than $203,000. U.S. Department of Labor officials said in a release Tuesday that Judge Virginia M. Kendall's ruling against International Detective & Protective Services included more than $101,577 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages. The judgment also imposed a permanent injunction that forbids the company from violating in the future the overtime and record-keeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Authorities say the company misclassified employees in an attempt to avoid paying time-and-a-half overtime. A telephone listing for a Chicago office of International Detective & Protective Services was disconnected Tuesday. Missouri County seeks strict limit on sexual businesses HILLSBORO, Mo. (AP) -- New strip clubs and other sexually oriented businesses in an area south of St. Louis could face limits on their operating hours that go beyond an already restrictive state law. Proposed regulations in Jefferson County would require new adult entertainment businesses to close between 10 p.m. and 11 a.m. If adopted, that would exceed the mandates of a 2010 state law that such businesses close between midnight and 6 a.m. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday that the Jefferson County proposal also would go beyond the requirements in St. Charles County, which currently are the most stringent in the St. Louis area. That county requires sexually oriented businesses to close between 11 p.m. and 9 a.m. The Jefferson County proposal would affect only new businesses in unincorporated parts of the county. Councilwoman Terri Kreitler, who is sponsoring the proposal, said about a half dozen such businesses currently operate there and she doesn't want to see more arrive. "They are lewd and awful. I'm talking nasty stuff," said Kreitler. "We want a better reputation," she said. Jefferson County Sheriff Oliver "Glenn" Boyer said he hasn't had significant problems with the adult businesses, but he also doesn't have the officers to do many routine checks on them. He said most of the calls for police service at such businesses happen late at night. Mike Ocello, who is president of VGA Holding Corp. which owns several adult entertainment businesses nationwide, said he's troubled by the growth of restrictions on his industry. He said forcing such businesses to close early would be economically damaging because many people like to frequent them late at night. Ocello, of Mehlville, is a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging Missouri's new law, which not only limits hours, but also prohibits full nudity and alcohol at adult stores and strip clubs. A Cole County judge upheld the law in a decision earlier this year, but the case is on appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court. The lawsuit contends Missouri's law violates First Amendment freedoms of speech and expression and was passed in violation of the Missouri Constitution because a legislative committee didn't meet to hear a challenge to its estimated financial impact. Attorneys representing Missouri have argued that similar laws have been upheld elsewhere and said the Legislature can choose not to follow its own procedures. Tennessee Zoo appeals TOSHA citation after trainer death KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Knoxville Zoo officials are contesting state citations and fines that followed the killing of a zoo worker by an elephant. The Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the zoo $12,600, not all of which was related to a Jan. 14 incident in which Stephanie James was thrown against steel girders by a female African elephant named Edie. In filing a formal notice of contest with TOSHA, Knoxville Zoo Executive Director Jim Vina said the zoo disagrees with the citations and conclusions of the investigation that led to them. Vina noted that three other reviews of the incident that caused James' death, including one by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, concluded the zoo followed established safety protocols for elephant handling at the time of the incident. Florida State Bar pushing lawyers into the digital age TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- The Florida Bar wants lawyers to join the digital age. The state Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on a bar proposal for lawyers to exchange most pleadings by email instead of on paper. It's being billed as the first significant change in the way law is practiced in Florida in well more than a century. A lawyer for the state's public defenders argued that criminal cases should be exempted until the court system itself goes digital. Assistant Public Defender John Morrison of Miami said that way taxpayers would have to pay for only one transition, not two. Questions also were raised about security. The proposed rule would not prohibit lawyers from making paper copies, but they would have to exchange documents by email instead of the U.S. Postal Service. Published: Thu, Jun 9, 2011