Headlines
ME: Plan to Speed Travel With Toll Road in Maine Hits a Nerve
MI: Anti-privatization suit dismissed
PA: Allentown water privatization draws concerns at hearing
VA: Privatizing Va. facility is a flawed idea
NY: Community college janitor fired
ME: Plan to Speed Travel With Toll Road in Maine Hits a Nerve
The idea of an east-west highway has been kicking around for decades. But a proposed private road has a good chance of becoming reality, and opponents say it would ruin the state. Opponents say a major thoroughfare slicing through the state would destroy the very qualities of peacefulness, natural beauty and remoteness that make this region desirable in the first place. “It would just completely change ‘the way life should be,’ ” said Chris Buchanan, referring to the state’s unofficial slogan. Ms. Buchanan is the statewide coordinator for Stop the Corridor, a coalition opposing the highway. “Maine is a rural state,” she said, “and this is a businessman who is trying to make it the Northeast trade gateway.”That is exactly what others hope Mr. Vigue (pronounced VIG-you) can achieve. New York Times
MI: Anti-privatization suit dismissed
A state appeals court Friday overturned an Ingham County judge and dismissed a lawsuit attempting to halt the privatization of nursing aide jobs at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. In October, Ingham Circuit Judge Paula Manderfield issued a preliminary injunction halting the privatization, saying she feared it would cause “irreparable harm” to the more than 600 veterans who live in the state-run home. But a three-court panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals overturned the injunction and sent the case back to Manderfield with instructions that she grant a state motion to dismiss the case. Tony Spallone, a Vietnam veteran who lives at the home, testified that nursing aides hired by contractor J2S Group of Grand Rapids don’t get enough training and don’t stay on the job long because they make about $10 an hour. The court heard about injuries to veterans because of improper lifting techniques and other mistakes by J2S employees…The appeals court ruled that Spallone can’t show he has a protected right to receive adequate care at the home because “he is free to leave the home at any time.” The panel also said Manderfield’s ruling was based on “the mere apprehension of future injury” and is speculative. Detroit Free Press
PA: Allentown water privatization draws concerns at hearing
Thursday marked the first public hearing for Allentown’s proposal to privatize its water and sewer plants in order to make up for pension shortfalls. Meeting the minimal municipal obligation of $18 million in 2013 alone would require a property tax increase of 35 percent, Pawlowski said…The proposed 50-year lease is expected to bring an immediate $160 million to $180 million, but residents were concerned about water quality and the fate of the city’s water and sewer work force. LehighValleyLive
VA: Privatizing Va. facility is a flawed idea
Virginia is considering an especially problematic privatization bid – to turn over the management of the Virginia Center for Behavioral Rehabilitation, a secure facility for the civil commitment of people who have completed sex offense sentences…While Virginia leaders may find the prospect of saving money attractive, there are a number of potential problems with privatization. GEO has a long and troubling record of cancelled contracts and lawsuits, abuse and neglect of people in its facilities. GEO contracts at three facilities were recently ended in Mississippi, including a youth facility that a federal judge described as having “allowed a cesspool of unconstitutional and inhuman acts and conditions to germinate.” VCBR personnel are already concerned about safety with double bunking. An incident at the Florida GEO facility of an assaulted resident’s cries for help going unanswered for 15 minutes may offer a glimpse into the facility’s future under GEO management. The Daily Progress
NY: Community college janitor fired
…The incident brings to light a possible flaw in the city’s effort to privatize the maintenance force in some of its public colleges. Joseph is one of many janitors who are screened and hired by private companies and are not subject to the same background checks that the city provides for its college staffers. Joseph, for example, was hired by a private contractor, Perfect Building Maintenance, and began working at LaGuardia in June 2008. Perfect Building Maintenance holds a five-year contract to provide custodial services at LaGuardia. That contract expires next year, and the company declined to comment for this story.A spokeswoman for LaGuardia said that Perfect Building Maintenance does conduct background checks, but the company would not confirm whether Joseph got one. New York Daily News