Custodian sues school district for racism

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The night custodian at Isaac E. Young Middle School is suing his former supervisor and the New Rochelle School District over the handling of a situation that involved hanging nooses in management offices, according to the Journal News.

Robert Johnson, a black custodian, claims his now-retired white supervisor, Phil Carino, hung three nooses in a shared office space between September 2006 and July 2007, including one wrapped around the neck of a toy monkey, the story stated.

Johnson said: "Ever since I came forward and brought this up, I've been getting a lot of snippy looks from certain people. There's just been a lot of racial tension at work that shouldn't be there."

According to the story, Johnson is seeking $1.5 million in compensatory damages from the school district and $3.5 million in compensatory and punitive damages from Carino.

Though it took the school district nearly an entire year to discipline Carino after Johnson first complained, he was eventually suspended for three weeks without pay over the matter, the story noted.

A February 2008 report stated that Carino had become interested in making nooses when he read a World War II adventure story called "The Dirty Dozen," but that he had been unaware of the offensive historical connotations of the noose for African-Americans and that they were not directed toward Johnson.

After the media reported the noose incidents in February of last year, the district held a one-day seminar of diversity workshops in April 2008, the story added.

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School custodian uses taxpayer money for home repairs

QUEENS, NY — A 20-year veteran school custodian admitted to using taxpayer money to have custodians work on his home and purchase various supplies and charge them to the city, according to the Daily News.

Gerard O'Brien agreed to pay a $20,000 fine for the thousands of dollars worth of detergent, light bulbs, toilet paper and labor he charged to the New York City Department of Education (DOE), the story stated.

O'Brien said school custodial staff painted his house and installed shelves for him on DOE time; another custodian used a city-owned power washer to clean O'Brien's deck, also on Department of Education time, the story noted.

O'Brien billed the personal supplies he purchased to John Adams High School in Ozone Park, New York, with false invoices to cover his tracks, the story added.

O'Brien said: “I purchased items with DOE funds for my personal use, such as bug cleaner, weed killer and 60-watt bulbs, which items were not used at John Adams. From 2001 to the present, I submitted 10 to 15 false Best Paint invoices to the DOE.”

According to the story, O'Brien resigned in February when he faced "serious disciplinary charges" after the scope of his wrongdoings were realized.

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Broadway's first LEED-certified theater

NEW YORK — Henry Miller Theatre on West 43^rd Street in Times Square is the first performing arts venue to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, according to SustainableBusiness.com.

The 1,055-seat, 50,000-square-foot theater is located behind the preserved and restored neo-Georgian façade of the original 1918 theater planned by writer, producer and actor Henry Miller, the story stated.

Sustainable aspects of the theater include: 95 percent air filtration; carbon dioxide sensors to maximize fresh air supply; waterless urinals; and the selection of recycled and local building materials, the story noted.

Forty-five percent of the cement in the foundation was replaced with blast furnace slag, a by-product of iron manufacturing that significantly reduces the amount of CO₂ released into the atmosphere, the story added.

Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said: "This project sets the standard for environmental stewardship in theater design and, given the visibility of the project, it admirably recognizes Broadway’s potential to influence public opinion and inspire positive action."

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Hospitals must tell-all after death of senator’s son

MONTGOMERY, AL - The death of state Senator Bobby Denton's son led to the passage of a bill last week that will now require hospitals to report patient infection information, according to the Times Daily.

The senate bill passed the House by a 97-0 vote and also creates the Health Care Data Advisory Council, an agency subject to annual legislative review, the story reported.

The bill is named the “Mike Denton Infection Reporting Act,” after Denton's son, who died at age 42 of a staph infection that developed after a knee replacement.

“It means a lot to me personally and my wife; it leaves a legacy for Mike,” Denton said. “I wished it a long time.”

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Promising new treatment for MRSA

NEW YORK — A new drug-delivery system with an anti-microbial agent has been developed to treat Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and is showing promising results in mice, according to the United Press International.

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University infected mice with MRSA and administered treatment with the drug delivery system that uses biocompatible nanoparticles that are smaller than a grain of pollen to produce controlled and sustained amounts of nitrous oxide gas, the story stated.

According to the story, nitrous oxide, which is produced by many cells throughout the body, has several important biological functions, including killing bacteria, but its therapeutic potential has been difficult to harness.

The wounds of mice treated topically with nitrous oxide-containing nanoparticles improved significantly and had lower bacterial counts when compared to the control mice that received nitrous oxide-void nanoparticles or no treatment, the story noted.

Dr. Joel Friedman of Albert Einstein said: "The problem is that nitric oxide is very short-lived and, until now, methods to deliver it to targeted tissues in the proper dosages have proven elusive."

The results of the study were published online in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, the story added.

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Woman awarded $3.3 million in mold case

PHOENIX - A Scottsdale woman has been awarded $3.3 million in a lawsuit after mold in her apartment building made her sick, according to Sierra Vista Herald.

According to the story, Robin Minium, who claimed the mold left her permanently disabled, moved to the upscale apartment complex called Pillar at Scottsdale in 2000 and within two years was ill.

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New partnership seeks global sustainable products standards

FORT COLLINS, CO - The Alliance for Sustainable Built Environments and the Institute for Market Transformation to Sustainability (MTS) announced an educational partnership to advance global sustainable product standards, according to the Environmental Leader.

According to the story, the Alliance is a group of industry leaders who practice and are recognized for leadership in sustainability.

MTS is a nonprofit public charity of leading environmental groups, governments and companies that administers the Sustainable Materials Rating Technology (SMaRT), a consensus sustainable product standard that covers 80 percent of the world's products.

The partnership's, which is aimed at eliminating market confusion about green products and related greenwashing issues, first initiative is a marketing and educational program that defines and promotes sustainable products that are certified through life cycle assessment criteria, according to the story.

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