National Roundup

Louisiana
Court: Mayor can remain free during appeal
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled that New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu can remain free while his overriding contempt of court appeal is being resolved.
The state Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a state judge “abused” his discretion when he denied a request to suspend his contempt of court ruling against Landrieu as the result of a decades-old legal dispute with city firefighters.
The high court instructed Civil District Court Judge Kern Reese to grant the appeal, which puts the threat of house arrest on hold while appeals courts examine the issue.
On Sept. 4, Reese said the mayor would have to spend weekends confined to his home because the city hadn’t produced a suitable plan to pay $75 million, plus interest, owed to firefighters.

South Carolina
Prosecutor says shooting decision could take weeks
ANDERSON, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina prosecutor says it will likely be weeks before she decides if a police officer should face charges in the shooting death of a 19-year-old man during a drug sting.
Solicitor Chrissy Adams said in a statement Monday that she still has questions for state and federal agents looking into the shooting.
Adams says she’s also waiting for the state Supreme Court to rule on a request from the teen’s family that she be removed from the case.
Zachary Hammond was shot by a Seneca officer in July. Officer Mark Tiller says Hammond drove at him, threatening his life.
Hammond’s family says the teen was shot after his car passed Tiller. They say Adams should be removed from the case because Hammond was shot by an officer in her jurisdiction. Tiller is white, as was Hammond.

Alaska
Man called 911 after being mauled by bear
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A 62-year-old man used his cellphone to call 911 after he was mauled by a bear while walking a neighbor’s dog in Alaska woods, authorities said Monday.
Danny High of Funny River, Alaska, was in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg said his family doesn’t want details released about his injuries.
High didn’t have a gun or bear spray when he was attacked Sunday, authorities said.
“He called 911 to report that he’d been injured in a bear mauling,” Central Emergency Services Capt. Terry Bookey said.
Alaska State Troopers described High’s injuries as major when he was flown from the scene to Anchorage. Troopers were unable to find the bear.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game spokeswoman Cathie Harms said High was accustomed to walking the dog through the area, which has a series of four-wheeler trails where bears have been seen many times. At one point, the neighbor saw the dog but not High and became concerned, Harms said.
The dog, Leila, is owned by Diane Deming, who told Anchorage television station KTUU the dog returned from the walk by itself, scratching at the front and back doors. Deming didn’t know what had happened, and neighbors later learned of the attack after a helicopter and other emergency vehicles arrived.
A Fish and Game biologist was among the officials who inspected the vicinity. The biologist was unable to identify the area where the attack occurred, Harms said.
Agency officials were trying to confirm if the attack was committed by a brown bear or black bear and were going on the assumption that it was a brown bear, she said.

California
Company settles federal sex harassment suit
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles-based international call center company agreed to pay $600,000 to settle complaints from male and female workers who said they endured sexual harassment that included groping, propositions and an unwanted lap dance.
In a consent decree approved Friday in federal court, VXI Global Solutions settled a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of six women and three men.
Women were groped, propositioned for sex and subjected to lewd comments about their bodies in behavior that dated back five years, the EEOC said. Comments were made about having a threesome with a worker and someone joked about raping a colleague, it said.
At least seven of the employees who complained were fired after being intimidated or disciplined, officials said.
The company, which has 15,000 employees in the U.S., Asia and Latin America, did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement.
The company has always denied the allegations and it made a business decision to settle rather than litigate, company attorney Aileen Tang said in a statement.
The EEOC said when the suit was filed last year that it was unusual to have sexual harassment directed at both men and women.
Female supervisors made repeated sexual advances toward the men, provided unwanted backrubs and, in one instance, tried to perform a lap dance, the lawsuit said.
When men spurned the attention, their sexual orientation was questioned, the agency said.
Under the consent decree, the company agreed to revise its policies and procedures regarding sexual harassment and retaliation, and train all employees nationwide. It will also survey employees in Los Angeles, Texas and Ohio offices.
The company has offices in China, the Philippines, Colombia, Guatemala and El Salvador.
The EEOC will monitor the company for four years to make sure it complies with the law.

Pennsylvania
5 frat members arrested in hazing death
POCONO SUMMIT, Pa. (AP) — Five fraternity members, including its former national president, have been charged in the Pennsylvania hazing death of a freshman pledge from a New York City college.
Police said Tuesday they’re arresting suspects in waves, moving from least to most culpable. A grand jury recommended charges for 37 people in the December 2013 death of Chun “Michael” Deng, a student at Baruch College.
Authorities say staggering the arrests will keep courts from being overwhelmed.
Former Pi Delta Psi President Andy Meng and four members were charged Tuesday with hazing, conspiracy and hindering apprehension.
Police say fraternity members waited an hour to take Deng to the hospital after he fell unconscious while weighted down and forced to run a gauntlet.