National Roundup

 Montana

Remington Arms praised by father for its rifle recall 
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A Montana man who sued Remington Arms Co. said the manufacturer should be commended for recalling the model rifle he claims was responsible for the death of his 9-year-old son.
Remington issued a nationwide recall in April of its Model 700 and Model Seven rifles equipped with the X-Mark Pro trigger that were manufactured between May 2006 and April 9, 2014.
Some rifles may have excess bonding agent that could cause them to accidently fire, the company said.
Stores carrying the rifles have shipped all their stock back to Remington to have the trigger mechanisms cleaned.
Richard Barber filed a lawsuit in the death of his son Gus, who was shot when a Model 700 bolt-action rifle discharged as the boy’s mother was unloading it in 2000. His lawsuit led the company to recall 2.5 million rifles in 2002 to modify a safety on bolt-action rifles made before 1982.
Remington insisted 2010 in response to new lawsuits and a cable television documentary that the trigger mechanism “has been free from any defect since it was first produced.”
Barber, from Manhattan, Montana, told the Billings Gazette in a story published Thursday the new recall is important because it signifies that Remington may be coming around.
“I support them in this. They shouldn’t be persecuted. They should be commended,” he said.
Remington spokesman Teddy Novin said the manufacturer has confidence in the design of the rifles’ trigger mechanism.
“We have established significant safety and technical resources to determine which rifles are affected and to minimize any risks. Our goal is to have every recalled firearm inspected, specialty cleaned, tested and returned as soon as possible,” Novin said in a statement.
A 2010 CNBC report found that more than 75 lawsuits had been filed against the company alleging the trigger was prone to fire without being touched. The documentary prompted additional lawsuits claiming problems with the trigger assembly.
In response to CNBC’s report, Remington called the Model 700 series one of the most “popular, reliable, accurate and trusted bolt-action rifles in the world,” with more than 5 million sold.

Massachusetts
Driver cited for using dummy in carpool lane 
QUINCY, Mass. (AP) — A commuter heading into Boston had a real dummy as a passenger.
State Trooper John Carnell was working a paid detail in Quincy on Thursday morning when he saw a vehicle enter the carpool lane on Interstate 93 north with a suspicious looking passenger.
Carnell pulled over the vehicle and found that indeed, the driver had propped up a jacket with a mannequin head on top in the passenger seat. The fake head even had a little mustache drawn on.
Vehicles using the High Occupancy Vehicle lane must have at least two occupants.
The driver, whose name was not made public, was issued a citation for operating on an excluded way.
 
Alaska
Man gets 2 years for his slingshot assault on police
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A 42-year-old man who fired a slingshot at Alaska State Troopers has been sentenced to two years in prison.
The Anchorage Daily News reports Jose Pacheco pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and was sentenced last week.
Troopers in mid-January took a 911 call reporting gun shots and people who had been hit.
At least seven troopers surrounded a house near Wasilla with Pacheco inside.
Troopers reported that after several hours, Pacheco broke out a window and fired the slingshot at officers, who at first thought they were avoiding gunshots. No one was injured.
Investigators determined Pacheco had also made the original 911 call.
Palmer Superior Court Judge Eric Smith sentenced Pacheco on Friday to five years in prison with three years suspended and three years of probation.
 
California
School board condemns essay on Holocaust 
RIALTO, Calif. (AP) — The school board of a Southern California district where students were told to write an essay on whether they believe the Holocaust really happened has called the assignment “horribly inappropriate.”
The San Bernardino Sun says Rialto Unified School Board president Joanne Gilbert read the remarks in a statement at a packed public meeting Wednesday night, where the board said it took “full responsibility” for the assignment given to eighth graders.
The district had already withdrawn the assignment and called it an error, but went further after a public comment session where Jewish groups, tolerance organizations and community leaders denounced the assignment.
Gilbert said eighth graders will undergo sensitivity training at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, and several other policy changes will be implemented.

Massachusetts
Lack of twin DN­A hinders Boston slaying trial 
BOSTON (AP) — The prosecution of a South Boston man charged with killing a beloved neighborhood grandmother is being hindered because his twin brother is refusing to submit a DNA sample to prosecutors.
Timothy Kostka (KOSS’-kuh) has pleaded not guilty to charges including murder in the April 2012 slaying of 67-year-old Barbara Coyne.
Prosecutors need a DNA sample from his fraternal twin, Christopher Kostka, to remove reasonable doubt from the case and rule him out as a suspect.
The Boston Herald reports that Christopher Kostka has refused to submit a DNA sample despite a court order to do so.
Christopher Kostka’s attorney says his client’s DNA is irrelevant to his brother’s trial and seeking it is in violation of his constitutional rights.
A court is scheduled to hear his appeal Friday.
 
Indiana
Judge says BMV wrongly pulled cop’s ‘0INK’ plate 
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A judge has ruled that Indiana officials violated a police officer’s constitutional rights by revoking his vanity license plate “0INK.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana has argued that decision infringed on Greenfield police Officer Rodney Vawter’s freedom of speech rights. Marion County Judge James Osborn issued his ruling Wednesday.
Vawter sued the Bureau of Motor Vehicles when it revoked his plate after three years, saying its content was “offensive or misleading.”
The BMV stopped offering vanity plates last July until the case was decided.