National Roundup

Texas Sierra Club sues state for upping plant emissions AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- An advocacy group has filed a court challenge against Texas' environmental regulatory agency after it agreed to allow four coal-fired power plants to emit more pollution. The Sierra Club argues in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality didn't allow for public comment or look closely enough at the plants' emission controls and their impacts on air quality. The Austin-American Statesman reports that the lawsuit relates to permit amendments approved Dec. 16. Sierra Club attorney Ilan Levin says coal plants in Texas have been asking for permit amendments so they can increase emissions during startup, shutdown and maintenance. TCEQ spokesman Terry Clawson says the permits were legally amended. Texas has more coal-fired plants than any other state and leads the nation in greenhouse gas emissions. Ohio Muslim inmates settle meal preparation suit COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A Muslim death row inmate has settled a lawsuit that accused the Ohio prison system of denying him meals prepared according to Islamic law while providing kosher meals to Jewish prisoners. Ohio had previously decided to remove all pork products from prison menus in response to the lawsuit, though inmates weren't seeking a ban on pork. Details of the settlement announced Wednesday afternoon weren't released. Neither the inmate's lawyer or the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction would comment. The state argued as recently as last month that providing the meals, known as halal, could bankrupt the state's food service system because thousands of inmates have declared themselves Muslim. Attorneys for Abdul Awkal (ab-DUHL' AW'-kuhl) and a second inmate argued that the state was exaggerating the cost. Pennsylvania More players join NFL concussion suits; file in PA PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A third lawsuit has been filed in Philadelphia by retired NFL players over brain injuries allegedly caused by on-field concussions, a week before U.S. judges decide whether to consolidate similar cases filed around the country. At least eight similar lawsuits have been filed in New York, New Jersey, Georgia and Florida. The lawsuits claim the National Football League hid evidence linking concussions to permanent brain injuries. Two-time Super Bowl champion Jim McMahon and hundreds of other players have signed on. They say they have symptoms ranging from memory loss to depression to degenerative brain disease. The suit filed Wednesday involves seven players, including former Philadelphia Eagles Ron Solt, Joe Panos and Rich Miano. The NFL hopes to consolidate the lawsuits in Philadelphia, where the first suit was filed last year. Ohio Ex-death row in mate faces retaliation charges TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- A Scotsman released from an American prison after spending two decades on Ohio's death row is back in trouble in the same place where he was sentenced to death nearly 25 years ago. Authorities in northwest Ohio's Putnam County say Ken Richey left a threatening phone message at a county office on New Year's Eve. The sheriff's office says Richey was arrested Wednesday in Tupelo, Miss., where he now lives, after a grand jury in Ohio indicted him on charges of retaliation and violating a civil protection order. The Lima News reports he could face up to 10 years if convicted. Richey walked free in 2008 under a plea deal after a federal court overturned his death sentence. He'd been convicted of starting a fire that killed a toddler. Arizona Judge orders sta te to proceed on pot dispensaries PHOENIX (AP) -- An Arizona judge says the state must proceed with allowing creation of dispensaries authorized by its voter-approved medical marijuana law, a step that may remove a major impediment to full implementation. The order issued late Wednesday by Judge Richard Gama of Maricopa County Superior Court overturns some of the state's planned restrictions on who can qualify for dispensary licenses, including restrictions based on residency and financial background. Would-be dispensary operators challenged both Gov. Jan Brewer's decision to not award dispensary licenses and the restrictions in the state's dispensary rules. Brewer can appeal Gama's ruling. A spokesman did not immediate return a call for comment Thursday. The state implemented parts of the law, allowing people to possess and use marijuana for medical purposes. Kentucky Lawyer: Amish ja ilings in Kentu cky "unnecessary" LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- An attorney representing a group of Amish men says it was "unnecessary" for a western Kentucky judge to send the men to jail for refusing to pay recent traffic fines when they have a case on appeal to the Kentucky Supreme Court. The men have a religious objection to using a state-mandated reflective triangle on their buggies. Nine were jailed from three to 13 days last week in Graves County for refusing to pay fines for breaking the law. Bill Sharp, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney in Louisville, says the recent cases could have been postponed to let the high court rule on the appeal. The Amish men believe the orange signs conflict with their conservative religious beliefs. Graves District Judge Deborah Crooks declined to comment on the jailings. Maryland Deputy defends stun gun use in death case BALTIMORE (AP) -- A former Frederick County sheriff's deputy has testified in a wrongful death case that he used a stun gun on a prone and unresponsive man because he believed he posed a credible threat. The Frederick News-Post reports that former Cpl. Rudy Torres testified Wednesday, the second day of the civil trial in federal court in Baltimore. The parents of 20-year-old Jarrel Gray allege Torres used excessive force to subdue their son after responding to a reported fight near Frederick in November 2007. Torres was called as a plaintiffs' witness. He testified he initially shocked Gray because he refused to show his hands and lie down on the ground. Torres says he shocked him again after Gray dropped to the ground, face down, with his hands beneath his body. Published: Fri, Jan 20, 2012