National Roundup

Georgia Author says she survived home invasion attempt ATLANTA (AP) - An Atlanta woman who is a nationally known designer and lifestyle author says she has survived a home invasion attempt. Media outlets report that Danielle Rollins says the break-in occurred Saturday night. She says two men broke through her backyard fence at her Buckhead home. Around 9 p.m., she noticed one of her doors had been tampered with and she heard male voices in the backyard. She says her armed security guard chased the men away. The security guard told Rollins the men dropped a bag containing guns, mace and ties. Atlanta police weren't able to find the would-be burglars Saturday night. Rollins' back window is still boarded up from an attempted burglary that took place three weeks ago. Ohio @ROUND UP Briefs Headline:Police: Theft suspect bit off part of man's ear YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) - Police in northeast Ohio say a man trying to stop someone from breaking into his friend's vehicle had part of his ear bitten off by the suspect, who then fled. The injured man needed more than 20 stitches for his wounds after the confrontation early Sunday morning at an apartment complex in Boardman Township, a Youngstown suburb. The vehicle owner, Joshua Puntel, tells WKBN-TV that he and his friend saw the attempted break-in through a window and confronted the would-be thief, who apparently was trying to steal a stereo. He says his friend pinned the stranger to the ground while Puntel went to get a weapon, and he found his friend injured when he returned. The suspect hasn't been found. Pennsylvania Police academy's latest class has only 2 blacks PITTSBURGH (AP) - Less than 6 percent of the new police officers graduating in Pittsburgh's latest training academy class are black, but diversity activists say the department is making strides in minority recruitment. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports Monday's graduating class of 34 officers had only two black recruits. However, the next class coming out of the academy has 40 recruits, 10 of whom are black. Brandi Fisher, president of the Alliance for Police Accountability, says the upcoming class shows the department's improvement in recruiting. The city has been criticized for a lack of diversity in its police ranks. The city settled a $1 million lawsuit this year filed by the American Civil Liberties Union that claimed police hiring policies discriminated against blacks. Minnesota Lawsuit filed stemming from precinct protests MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Two women who say officers hit them in the face with nightsticks during the recent demonstrations outside a Minneapolis police precinct are suing the city. The lawsuit says the incident took place one night during the 18-day encampment outside the Fourth Precinct where demonstrators protested the death of Jamar Clark who was shot by police Nov. 15. Plaintiff Carrie Athanasselis says she and her daughter, Camille Williams, were struck as police tried to move protesters in an alley outside the precinct. The Star Tribune reports the lawsuit claims an officer grabbed Williams' cellphone as she tried to record the incident, threw it on the ground and hit it with a nightstick. The federal lawsuit alleges use of excessive force and free speech violations. The city, in an initial legal response, says the women did not comply with orders to move. Wisconsin @ROUND UP Briefs Headline:Bill penalizes immigrant 'sanctuary cities' MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Republican legislators in Wisconsin say they will continue pursuing a bill penalizing communities that block law enforcement from inquiring about immigration status or cooperating with federal immigration authorities. The bill seeks to prevent so-called "sanctuary cities" in which policies prevent them from helping federal authorities deport immigrants living in the country illegally, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. Under the bill, communities could be challenged in court and could face the loss of shared revenue of $500 to $5,000 each day they aren't in compliance. Critics say the bill conveys the wrong message to immigrant communities and could undercut efforts by local law enforcement to investigate crimes and build relationships. Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Milwaukee-based immigrant rights group Voces de la Frontera, said the bill could leave municipalities open to lawsuits if citizens don't think enough is being done locally to police federal immigration policy. Bill author Rep. John Spiros, R-Marshfield, said the bill doesn't require communities to enforce federal immigration law. "What people are saying this bill does, it doesn't do," Spiros said. "It's not there to get rid of illegal aliens. It's really those who commit a crime." It's not clear whether any Wisconsin cities would be affected by the legislation. The bill has a line that says it wouldn't apply to municipalities with existing policies or previously adopted resolutions. Madison passed a resolution in 2010 calling on the county sheriff to stop reporting immigration status to federal authorities, though the resolution had no legal effect. The state legislation was scheduled for a public hearing of the Assembly Committee on Urban and Local Affairs earlier this month. Spiros said he asked it be removed from the agenda so the committee could book a larger room. The committee plans to hold a public hearing on the bill Jan. 20 New York Fordham opposes suit over mental health records ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Fordham University has asked a federal judge to dismiss a graduate student's lawsuit over demands for mental health records for re-admission following medical leave. Fordham says Emily Pierce's refusal to share records violated its re-entry requirements and ability to assess whether she was capable of returning. Pierce seeks $10 million in damages. She says the university violated her civil rights, discriminating against her because of her mental illness. She provided a psychiatrist's letter saying she was fit to return. Her suit also names the U.S. Education Department's Office of Civil Rights, saying it has been investigating her discrimination complaint for two years but has gone silent. Pierce, who studied at the Graduate School of Social Services, alleges her federal complaint led to retaliation by Fordham, a Jesuit school in the Bronx. Published: Thu, Dec 31, 2015