Jeers: to intransigence. It’s a text message parents never want to get from their teen: in a newly released 911 call recorded during the horrible Parkland, Fla. shooting of Feb. 14, where 17 people were killed, the mother of a 17-year-old girl responds to a message from her daughter, who was then under fire in her classroom. “Three shot in her room. Oh my God. Oh my God.” The horrific crime has led to calls from many Americans for beefed-up gun controls, longer wait times for weapon purchases and raising the age of those permitted to buy rifles from 18 to 21. Responding to the proposed school safety bill last week, the National Rifle Association called it “a display of bullying and coercion.” Don’t expect major change anytime soon.
Jeers: to something being lost in translation. So, it seems the provincial government and the 4,000-strong public service union CUPE are speaking different languages and thus have been unable to secure a new employment contract, 2 ½ years after talks began. Provincial Finance Minister Tom Osborne says the language in government’s offer is exactly the same as was in the contract recently ratified by NAPE, including a no-layoff clause for the duration of the agreement — which CUPE was seeking. CUPE says the government has tacked on additional language to the clause. The government says there is no additional language. Someone’s got it wrong, here. Figure it out, folks. Thousands of people’s livelihoods depend on you.
Cheers: to making a point. Kenny Green, who was convicted of manslaughter in the death of 47-year-old Joey Whalen in St. John’s in 2013, received an out-of-court settlement of $45,000 from the provincial government last week in compensation for injuries he sustained a beating he received at the hands of fellow inmates in a prison chapel brawl in 2014. Among Green’s arguments for a settlement were the fact that his safety was comprised in the “filthy and decrepit” Her Majesty’s Penitentiary, which he argued lacks air conditioning, adequate staffing and proper space. Being housed there, his lawyer contends, constitutes “inhumane, cruel and unusual punishment.” Until HMP is replaced with a 21st-century facility, expect more court challenges, and more settlements.
Cheers: to consequences. Think jury duty is optional? Think again. On Thursday in St. John’s, five of six people were made to pay for having failed to show up for jury selection in the recent trial where Anne Norris was found not criminally responsible in the death of Marcel Reardon. (The sixth person had grounds for exemption). OK, so $50 apiece is not a huge fine. Still, it sends a clear message that you can’t just ignore the summons. And remember, try shirking jury duty and you could be given a fine of up to $1,000, six months in jail, or both.
