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DAILY 03-09-10 MD SU B5 BLACK
TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 2010
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Senate panel kills bill that would protect company from asbestos lawsuits
sion to garner support for the questions that made it clear with the American Legislative named in more than 300,000 as- glass container manufacturer
by Anita Kumar bill, HB 629. The House of Del- which way they were leaning. Exchange Council, a conserva- bestos claims; it paid $600 mil- that argues it would pay more in
egates narrowly passed the bill The vote came in the last week tive group that has been pushing lion in expenses and has been hit asbestos claims if Crown Cork
RICHMOND — A Virginia Sen- last month. of the legislative session after the Crown Cork bill in state legis- with higher interest rates on bor- was no longer held liable, op-
ate committee on Monday killed The proposal — one of the few company officials made an ag- latures across the nation since rowing, according to company posed the bill as did trial lawyers,
a proposal championed by House that Howell (R-Stafford) put his gressive last-minute push, argu- 2006. Howell served as the documents. manufacturers and some unions.
Speaker William J. Howell that considerable power behind — ing they would have to close Vir- group’s national chairman last “Crown would have no way of Since 2007, Crown Cork has
would have helped protect a For- would limit liability for Philadel- ginia factories if the bill did not year. knowing that 10 years in the fu- spent more than $100,000 on
tune 500 company from asbestos phia-based Crown Cork & Seal, pass and asking plant workers to Crown Cork, which invented ture the greatest mass tort in the lobbyists to get the bill passed
lawsuits. which employs 300 workers at a show up at the hearing wearing the bottle cap, bought a small, history of the world would rear and donated more than
The Senate Commerce and La- pair of plants in Virginia. white stickers saying “Save family-owned company for $7 its head,’’ William Gallagher, the $100,000 to 46 Virginia legisla-
bor Committee voted down the Senators, including Commit- Crown Cork.” million in 1963. company’s general counsel, told tors or their political action com-
measure 13 to 2 with just one Re- tee Chairman Richard L. Saslaw Howell’s chief of staff, G. Paul Before the sale, that company, senators Monday. mittees, according to the Vir-
publican and one Democrat sid- (D-Fairfax), were unusually terse Nardo, said the speaker pursued Mundet, had been involved in as- “You didn’t just arrive here ginia Public Access Project, a
ing with Howell, who had quietly in their meeting, cutting off the the proposal because of his long- bestos insulation for years, com- from Mars,” Saslsaw responded a nonpartisan tracker of money in
maneuvered behind the scenes company’s general counsel and standing interest in tort reform pany officials said. few minutes later. politics.
for much of the legislative ses- asking him a series of pointed and because of his involvement Crown Cork has since been Owens Illinois, a Fortune 500 kumaranita@washpost.com
No signs of baby panda yet for zoo
Poor oversight
Staff keeps Mei Xiang
alleged in Md.
comfy with hopes of
embryo in a few weeks
by Michael E. Ruane
police tuition aid
Mei Xiang, the female giant police from B1 that the training courses were
panda, ambled into the narrow valuable, involved advanced pub-
cage and, as trained, rolled onto more comprehensive guidelines lic safety techniques, and that
her back. National Zoo biologist and monitoring are put in place.” there was “nothing inappropriate
Laurie Thompson sat near her Montgomery County Council about the way the guns were
head, feeding her apple slices members criticized the way in sold” to class participants.
from a plastic bowl. Veterinarian which government administra- As for whether the training
Jessica Siegal-Willott knelt by the tors ran the program. “The exec- companies should have been sub-
bear’s hind legs, running an ultra- utive branch just kind of puts ject to formal procurement rules,
sound sensor over her shaved ab- these programs on autopilot and the administration said that the
domen. hopes everything will work out Tuition Assistance Program is a
As the fuzzy, gray-and-black im- because the intentions are good,” “fringe benefit” for employees.
ages flickered on the monitor, Li- said Council member Michael The program “is far removed
sa Stevens, the zoo’s curator of Knapp (D-Upcounty). from the county’s procurement
primates, leaned forward and “There is nobody over there system, which governs the acqui-
peered at the screen. The black minding the store,” said Council sition of service, goods and con-
blob in the middle was the pan- member Valerie Ervin (D-Silver struction, by the county,” Fir-
da’s bladder. There, faintly, were Spring). estine wrote.
the “horns” of the uterus. What Problems in the tuition pro- Kight, the sheriff, called Da-
was not there, just yet, was any gram were discovered in July by gley’s report thorough but said
evidence of an embryo. Sheriff Raymond M. Kight. Two he was concerned that the county
Which was fine, for now. deputies reported that they had administration wasn’t taking it
Four weeks after the zoo’s star attended a two-day firearms seriously enough. “That was a lot
giant panda, Tai Shan, was sent to training class whose best feature of money to just be giving out
China, leaving a void at the panda was the deal they could get on a and not know where it was go-
house, scientists have embarked handgun — $99 for a Glock val- ing,” Kight said. “They better do
on the process of monitoring Mei ued at several times that, Kight something about it. The adminis-
Xiang, 11, to see if she might bring said. tration, they’re treating it like it’s
forth a replacement. Kight reported his findings to just an oversight.”
She was artificially inseminat- the county agency that runs the Although Applied Sciences re-
ed Jan. 9 and 10 with semen from program, the Office of Human ceived more than $404,000, Da-
the zoo’s male panda, Tian Tian, Resources. The county launched gley reported that the company
12. They are Tai Shan’s parents. an investigation. So did Dagley, “was never required to comply
Monday morning, as birds who had clashed with the agency with procurement’s informal or
chirped and Mei Xiang munched over the county’s troubled police
apples and burped, the zoo con- officer disability program.
ducted its second ultrasound on Dagley drew three conclusions
“That was a lot
her, mostly to establish a data in his report:
of money to just
foundation for later and to make a71 Lack of management oversight
sure all was normal. and inadequate internal controls
be giving out and
An embryo, at this stage prob- enabled county law enforcement
ably microscopic, would not be officers to purchase pistols and
not know where
potentially visible for weeks, the rifles for personal use, appar-
scientists said. ently subsidized with county
it was going.
But the procedure was an in- funds.
dication that this year’s panda
They better do
a71 Management did not monitor
pregnancy vigil — more momen- whether law enforcement offi-
something about
tous, perhaps, than in times past
GERALD MARTINEAU FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
cers took training classes while
— has begun. Laurie Thompson feeds Mei Xiang while Jessica Siegal-Willott checks the panda’s ultrasound. being paid for duty.
it.”
A new cub would be a coup for a71 County government depart-
Raymond M. Kight, Montgomery
the zoo, as well as a public sensa- sounds,” she said. “The whole goal in the uterus. up in December, and the two ments and its Ethics Commission
County sheriff, on the police tuition
tion. Plus, pandas often bear is to follow the changes in her re- Once that happens, a cub could bears are supposed to be returned have not taken action sufficient
assistance plan
twins, officials said. productive tract through preg- be born within 40 to 50 days, Ste- to China, from whence they came to ensure that employees and
Even the zoo’s new director, nancy, or pseudo-pregnancy, vens said. Or the pregnancy could in 2000. training companies are in com-
Dennis Kelly, showed up Monday which . . . pandas are prone to.” be false, or failed — a case where In the meantime, Stevens said pliance with ethics, personnel
for a peek at the 7:30 a.m. pro- A pseudo-pregnancy is when an embryo is observed and then the zoo is trying to create a quiet and procurement regulations. formal solicitation procedures
cedure. an animal exhibits signs of preg- reabsorbed. and serene atmosphere for Mei In response to the report, the for goods or services of $5,000 or
Mei Xiang seemed accustomed nancy but is not really pregnant. The average length of the over- Xiang. county said Dagley violated more,” according to the report. Of
to the drill. As soon as the door Other bears, and creatures such all period is three to six months, The female panda has been sep- county law by releasing a copy of the nine companies identified in
opened to the examining cage, the as badgers and peccaries, under- Stevens said, adding “all our lives arated from Tian Tian, who tends the report to council members the report, seven received pay-
241-pound animal entered and go pseudo-pregnancies, said zoo are on hold through this whole to irritate her. And the zoo wants before the administration had ments of more than $5,000. The
got onto her back. As Thompson research veterinarian Pierre Co- process.” to minimize noise around her. submitted its response. “Not only tuition payments for many police
kept her busy with the apple mizzoli, who performed the artifi- She noted that the zoo seems High-pitched noise — the equiv- does your early release of the re- officers were governed by special
slices, Siegal-Willott, wearing cial insemination on Mei in Janu- changed since the departure of alent of warning sounds in the port indicate a common lack of rules written into the collective
blue surgical gloves, pushed the ary. Tai Shan, 4, who was sent to a wild — can be especially upset- courtesy,” wrote Chief Adminis- bargaining agreement between
sensor across panda’s abdomen. Now, Stevens said, “our goal is breeding program in China on ting, Stevens said. trative Officer Timothy Firestine, the police union and the county.
“One of the important things is to actually see, confirm, there’s Feb 4. Although he was born at The zoo has inseminated Mei “it is inconsistent with the law For other county employees, the
to look at changes [in the uterus], cubs present, before they’re actu- the zoo, he remained, by agree- Xiang numerous times in the under which you operate.” funds for tuition were available
over time,” Stevens whispered as ally born.” ment, the property of China. past. But Tai Shan, a male, born in Firestine took exception to on a “first-come, first-served ba-
the ultrasound began. A panda’s In the coming weeks, the zoo “The place seems empty” with- 2005, is her only offspring. some conclusions in the report, sis” until money in the budget
uterus has two so-called horns, will watch for a rise in the panda’s out him, she said. Stevens said a new cub would which the county received two was depleted, according to the re-
each of which might harbor an level of the hormone progester- The zoo is also facing the end of be “absolutely fantastic.” weeks ago, and said the adminis- port. For fiscal 2009, the county
embryo. one, which may be a hint that a the 10-year lease of the two adult “It’s what we work for,” she said. tration has strengthened its in- budgeted $775,350 but spent
“We’re doing weekly ultra- fertilized egg has been implanted giant pandas. That agreement is ruanem@washpost.com ternal controls and management more than $1 million, the report
oversight of the program. The ad- said.
ministration has acknowledged The county sometimes was
that the discounted guns might charged different amounts for
PETULA DVORAK
have been subsidized by taxpay- the same course, according to the
er-funded tuition-assistance report. For an “executive protec-
Panda, schmanda — octopods are more like it for Washington
money. But that was because a tion training” class, a firm
key training company in ques- charged the county $452 for each
tion — Applied Sciences for Pub- of two employees, $535 for one
dvorak from B1 channel. from an octopus dude in the warm fuzzies for our lic Safety — “defrauded” the employee, and $650 each for 11
The octopus is actually a Vancouver. Better Canada than eight-armed friend yet, consider county into allowing it to hap- others, the report said. Firestine
been the curator of the zoo’s fascinating creature, less cute China, right? the merchandising pen, officials said. responded that the three employ-
invertebrates exhibit since its perhaps but far more cerebral The animal needs only a tank, opportunities. “There should have been great- ees with the lower charges had
opening 23 years ago. than many other zoo chilled water, frequent water “Oh, they can be on T-shirts, er management oversight,” Coun- less money left in their yearly al-
He can hope. inhabitants. Kind of like policy changes and monitoring — costs mugs, key chains — anywhere a ty Executive Isiah Leggett (D) lotment than the other 11 em-
It’s a tough road to celebrity wonks. already built into the exhibit’s panda can go,” Peters begins to said. But, “when it first came to ployees, who hadn’t used tuition
for the humble invertebrate. They are the only invertebrate budget, Peters said. And the dream. He has never had an our attention, we acted on it im- funds so far that year.
“Yeah, we’ve got the clam. The to have shown the ability to solve octopuscam is already up. animal go that big. mediately. . . . We’ve taken it as The contract with the police
anemone. The nautilus. The puzzles and mazes, and some “All they eat is frozen fish; What about a naming contest? far as our legal options would al- union also allowed police em-
cuttlefish,” sighed Peters, who scientists are pursuing the that’s cheap. Not like all that Only when an animal is really low the county to take it. We’ve ployees to apply directly with the
asked me not to print what he theory that their changing of bamboo,” Peters slips in. big does the zoo run a contest. In sought to get the money back.” county’s Office of Human Re-
thinks about the pandas. colors and patterns is a complex We have to pay China a million the past, the octopus got a name Last week, county attorneys sources to be part of the program.
“I’ve been holding back,” he language. bucks a year to rent its pandas, the staff or volunteers picked: sued Applied Sciences for fraud, That meant that applications
huffed. “But the octopus, now And an octopus has three who reside in a compound that Octavia, Caroline or Hercules. seeking $400,800 in compensa- were approved by human re-
that really is a charismatic, hearts, just like some of our city’s cost more than $3 million to Washington, we can do better. tory damages and $500,000 in sources staff members who “did
amazing animal.” tireless nonprofit do-gooders. build and costs about $350,000 Imagine what Octopalooza can punitive damages. Last year, the not always have sufficient subject
Our octopus is just a They have a couple hundred annually to run — more high do for the city as a whole. I county’s police department matter knowledge or expertise”
three-pound, fist-sized suckers — independent, complex maintenance than the mean, it’s not like our launched a probe into whether to assess the courses, according
youngster, and the zoo is still muscles that can be seen up close Kardashians. restaurants can get in on the police officers took training to the report.
unsure of gender. But who cares when stuck to the glass of its The octopus, however, is frenzy and serve Pandaburgers, classes while being paid. Leg- Police union officials blame the
if it’s male or female, as long as tank. None of that “Is that him?” fiscally sound. right? gett’s office last week vowed to county administration for the
we no longer have to deal with “No, just a shadow” They have a lifespan of four or But a nice grilled octopus dock police officers’ leave time if program’s troubles.
all those excruciating details of disappointment you get at the five years — that is just about salad? A little tako nigiri? it is determined that they took “You’re management. You’re in
panda fertility? We’ve suffered panda habitat. right for Washington’s attention That’s my kind of zoo animal. the classes while on the clock. charge. Don’t approve it,” said
through more talk of swabs, And check this out: The span. And when they croak, no An attorney for Applied Sci- Walt Bader, who helps represent
estrus, ultrasounds and octopus is completely estrus reports; just call octopus E-mail your name suggestions for our ences declined to discuss the law- the union.
insemination than the cost-efficient. dude up north! new octopus to suit. The company’s former attor- larism@washpost.com
commercials on the Lifetime The zoo bought it for $1,000 Okay, so if you’re not feeling dvorakp@washpost.com. ney, Walter Booth, said last year morsed@washpost.com
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