News Briefs

 

Local News Briefs 

Legislation for CCSF

Legislation was introduced in the State Assembly on Feb. 22 that would provide emergency funds to community colleges experiencing low enrollment while under probation or show cause sanctions from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.

Known as Assembly Bill 1199, it is sponsored by Assemblyman Paul Fong, D-Cupertino and could get sent to committee as early as March 26, according to the legislature’s website. (Sara Bloomberg)

Mural planned

City College’s Art department, along with Lick-Wilmerding High School and the Ocean Avenue Association are in the planning stages of a potential mural to be depicted on Ocean Avenue’s retaining wall.

The committee, including City College’s Nancy Elliott and Lick-Wilmerding’s Christy Godinez, is currently delegating on issues involving space, involvement, the nature of the mural and most importantly, funding.

Potential muralists include not only City College and Lick-Wilmerding students but also celebrated artists Chris Johanson and Barry McGee.

Johanson and McGee recently visited the college for a collaborative exhibition at the Ocean Campus’ art gallery.

“We’re just trying to work out the budget,” said Elliott, who is an artist and member of the Art department faculty. “We’ll see what happens.” (Jandean Deocampo)

Bomb Scare

A suspicious package was reported to police on Feb. 28 at Riordan High School and traffic was blocked for a couple of hours along Phelan and Judson Avenues until police determined there was no bomb threat.

City College was not evacuated and there was no immediate threat to the college, police officials said.

Police received a report shortly after 11 a.m. of a suspicious bag in a Riordan High restroom on Phelan Avenue.

As rumors of a bomb spread inside the high school, someone pulled the fire alarm and students and teachers filed out onto the school’s football field.

“We were going to our third class of the day and we heard the fire alarm go off. So we evacuated the building and treated it like a regular fire drill,” Pete Hernandez, a student at the high school said.

Police, firefighters and a bomb squad with a team of bomb-sniffing dogs arrived at the scene just after noon. Firefighters were unaware of the specifics of the situation when they were called.

“I thought it was a protest [at first],” firefighter John Chung said.  As of 1:30 p.m., Chung still hadn’t been told anything.

By 2:15 p.m., students and teachers were told that there was no threat.

“There was no bomb,” Capt. Tim Falvey of the Ingleside police station said. “But there was a student’s gym bag that was mistaken for one.”

Neither school officials nor police alerted parents about the incident until hours after the initial report to police. Many parents and siblings of Riordan students at City College and in the area were distressed due to the lack of communication.

City College student Ana Ortiz witnessed the police approach the scene.

“I saw cop cars speeding up to Phelan Avenue from Geneva [Avenue], and they were followed by a large truck that was marked bombsquad on the side,” Ortiz said. (Alex Lamp)

World News Briefs

By Madeline Collins

Bangladesh

Dhaka- Two more protesters were killed Friday March 1, bringing the death toll to at least 44 since the previous day. The clash between protesters and police began over the death sentence given to Delwer Hossain Sayedee, top leader of Jamaat-e-Isalmi, the country’s largest Islamic party. Sayedee was sentenced for mass killings and rape allegedly committed during the independence war over 40 years ago. Jamaat campaigned against independence from Pakistan but denies committing any of the crimes committed during the 1971 war. Jamaat has asked supporters to gather at mosques for a special mass prayer in honor of the protesters killed. It was reported by Private Ekattor TV that Jamaat supporters have set up roadblocks throughout the country that is blocking travel. Jamaat has also called for a nationwide strike to have the verdict dismissed.

Information courtesy of SF Gate

Puerto Rico

San Juan- The advance of gay rights throughout the United States has spread to Puerto Rico. A bill is is being pushed through to legislature by the Popular Democratic Party that would outlaw discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation. Health insurance to live-in partners of workers in the executive branch of the government regardless of gender is already provided. However the island’s Supreme Court last week narrowly upheld a law that bars same-sex couples from adopting children. Many Puerto Ricans feel uncomfortable with the changes. Church groups rallied 200,000 people in February against a move to include gay couples under domestic violence laws.

Information courtesy of USA Today

Russia

Moscow- Thousands rallied in Moscow to support the ban on U.S. adoptions of Russian children in response to the death of a 3-year-old adopted Russian boy in Texas.  The January death was ruled an accident. The death of the boy occurred one month after a ban on international adoptions was passed in Moscow in response to a U.S. law that targeted alleged Russian human rights violators. The boy, Maxim Kuzmin, was found unresponsive by his mother, Laura Shatto, outside their home where he had been playing with his younger brother. Four doctor’s have reviewed the autopsy and agreed that the death was unintentional. Protesters claim that this death supports the need for the ban, some holding signs with pictures of Russian children that have died in the U.S. and demand that Maxim’s half-brother be returned to Russia. Yulia Kuzmina, the boy’s biological mother, lost parental custody of Maxim and half brother Kirill Kuzmin over negligence and serious drinking problems.

Information courtesy of SF Gate