History professor criticized over Pentagon bombing remark
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) -- A University of New Mexico history professor who was heavily criticized for telling a class on the day of the terrorist attacks, "Anyone who can blow up the Pentagon has my vote" is retiring this month, complaining of constant harassment. Richard Berthold, a 55-year-old tenured professor, was forced to apologize for the remark, which he called "an incredibly stupid joke." The university also barred him from teaching freshmen. "Constant harassment by persons in authority at the university is now driving me into retirement," he said in a statement Monday. He has taught at the university for 30 years. Provost Brian Foster said Berthold is not being forced out. Berthold stayed off campus for a brief period after his remark while police investigated obscene and threatening calls to the history department. He also said he was assaulted in front of his home.
Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez vetoes vote on city smoking ban
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) -- Mayor Martin Chavez has vetoed a proposal that would have let city voters decide whether to ban smoking in bars, restaurants and other public places in New Mexico's largest city. The complexity of the ordinance made it a poor choice for a referendum, Chavez said in vetoing it Monday. The mayor also said he feared the debate over smoking would overshadow more important issues in the October municipal elections. Chavez said he would support a ban on smoking in restaurants. Councilor Brad Winter, who proposed the referendum, said he would ask the council to overturn Chavez's veto. An override would take six votes from the nine-member council. The referendum had been approved on a 6-3 vote of the council last month.
Fraternity members sued over binge-drinking death
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) -- The mother of an Old Dominion University freshman who died after a night of binge drinking has sued members of his fraternity and the owners of the house where he died. The lawsuit, filed by Kandi Sterling in Norfolk Circuit Court, lists 44 defendants and seeks $1.35 million. Terry Stirling, 19, of Ruckersville, Va., choked to death on his vomit two years ago after a night of fraternity-related partying in a house near the ODU campus. Two defendants, Vernon J. Flora and Scott W. Fresco, are described as owners or landlords of properties where pledge activities are believed to have occurred, according to the lawsuit. The owners knew or should have known about the activities, the lawsuit says. Fresco could not be reached for comment.
Nation's only unionized peep show workers picket San Francisco club, demand better pay
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Workers at the nation's only unionized peep show walked the picket line, arguing that a contract offer by management at the Lusty Lady is too skimpy. The dancers are complaining the club's latest contract offer cuts hourly wages and eliminates their one day of sick pay. Sick pay was one of the victories the union won when workers approved their first contract with management in 1997, a year after unionizing. The Exotic Dancers Union, a chapter of the Service Employees International Union, Local 790, wants management to restore $3 an hour in pay cuts made during the past 20 months, back to a top scale of $27 an hour. The club said the cuts were "revenue-based," but dancers say management has failed to justify the cuts financially by opening the club's books. The union also wants the club to institute a hiring cap so there are enough shifts to go around, and to change the way schedules are made. A man who answered the phone at the Lusty Lady refused comment.
Death toll from crash in Mexico grows to 21 people SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS, Mexico (AP) - The death toll from a bus crash in southern Mexico grew to 21 people, rescue officials said Tuesday. The bus, carrying mostly schoolteachers, lost control Monday and tumbled down a steep hillside. Nineteen people were declared dead at the scene, and two others died later at hospitals. The bus crashed shortly after leaving Tuxtla Gutierrez, 430 miles (690 kms) southeast of Mexico City. Most of the passengers were schoolteachers who planned to protest a lack of funding for education.
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