Court: Official’s notes can stay private
DUNCAN TOWNSHIP (AP) — The Michigan Court of Appeals says handwritten notes taken by a township official for personal use are not public under the state’s Freedom of Information Act.
The court recently upheld a decision by an Upper Peninsula judge, who said notes taken by a Duncan Township trustee in 2009 were for his own use and not part of the township’s public record.
The court says Frank Pentti’s notes were not read into the record, not shared with other township board members nor viewed by the clerk, who compiled meeting minutes.
Pentti says he’s been taking notes since his college days.
Pentti now is the supervisor in Duncan Township. It’s not clear why resident Doug Hopkins wanted the notes.
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Gay, lesbian service members sue government
BOSTON (AP) — A group of married gay current and former military personnel has sued the federal government, seeking equal recognition, benefits and the same support as married heterosexual couples.
The lawsuit filed last week in federal court in Boston says the government’s Defense of Marriage Act violates their constitutional rights and asks the military to recognize their marriages.
The suit was filed by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis says gay and lesbian service members deserve the same protections as heterosexual couples because they make the same sacrifices.
Under current law, the Pentagon is required to ignore same-sex marriages.
The suit names as defendants the Secretary of Defense, the U.S. Attorney General and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
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Man calls police to report date as burglar
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Thousands of California inmates have joined a hunger strike at Pelican Bay State Prison, officials said.
Prisoners at the specialized maximum security unit at Pelican Bay began refusing meals on July 1 in protest of their conditions. Inmates in 13 of the state’s 33 prisons then refused state-issued food in solidarity.
A prison spokeswoman said 6,600 inmates joined the strike at its peak.
The Pelican Bay hunger strikers are protesting conditions in the Security Housing Unit, where inmates are kept in isolation in windowless cells that are soundproofed to discourage communication.
Unit inmates are demanding an end to long-term solitary confinement and forced interrogations about gang activity.
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Family files lawsuit in man’s death
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — The family of an Appomattox County man who died after being shot by a Taser has filed a multimillion-dollar negligence lawsuit against the county and a sheriff’s deputy.
The lawsuit filed in Albemarle County claims Daniel Russell was shot after Appomattox Deputy Denney Wright initiated a traffic stop following a domestic-related call in October 2010.
The suit says Russell was subjected to unreasonable force. It says Russell went into cardiac arrest, slipped into a coma and died on June 30.
The lawsuit also names the stun gun’s manufacturer and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The Daily Progress reports a county attorney declined comment on the lawsuit. Sheriff’s Capt. W. Todd Craft says the officers involved acted within department policy.
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