Portland abortion clinic sued after nurse’s inappropriate behavior
A former employee of Lovejoy Surgicenter is suing the company for $165,000 after managers failed to act on her reports of her supervisor’s inappropriate behavior. Kimberly Binnington, a former surgical technician at the Portland abortion clinic, claims her supervisor, Evie Gradwohl fondled a sedated patient’s breasts and drew a bird in marker on another patient.
Binnington also endured harassment from Gradwohl, which she reported multiple times. When no action was taken, Binnington quit on June 2.
Gradwohl, 36, was terminated in July, according to The Oregonian.
Portland schools no longer competing in Race to the Top
Without the support of the district’s union, Portland Public Schools must give up its chance in the federal government’s Race to the Top initiative, which could have provided $40 million in grants to the school district. The Oregonian reports the district’s union did not support the use of test scores in teachers’ evaluations, a requirement for the grant. Additionally, teachers and district officials could not agree on how the money from the grant would be implemented.
The Race to the Top initiative was started in 2009 as a national competition encouraging innovative education programs. The Hillsboro and Canby districts still plan to compete for the grant.
Job growth increases in Oregon
With the addition of approximately 158,000 new jobs, Oregon companies’ job growth has increased 38 percent from September, according to a report from Automatic Data Processing, Inc. The payroll firm reports this is the biggest job growth on file since February, according to The Oregonian.
The data does not take into account government job growth.
Former employee accused of stealing from cemetery
A 53-year-old man is accused of stealing from Finley-Sunset Hills Mortuary and Memorial Parks after selling burial plots that had already been sold, according to The Oregonian. The funeral home claims Michael Robert Swartz pocketed a substantial amount of money from this scheme while working for the company in 2009.
Finley-Sunset Hills provided plots in other locations to the families who had paid him. He worked for the company for eight years before his employment ended in 2011.
Portland architect proposes unconventional approach in earthquake safety
Despite the major earthquake scientists believe will strike Oregon, many schools buildings are unprepared for earthquake safety. Portland architect Ben Kaiser is working to solve this problem and is gaining attention for his unusual but affordable plan in earthquake safety. He has proposed designing steel cages that would be dropped into schools from the roof to create safe zones for students and installing sensors for advance warning.
Schools are considering Kaiser’s solution, along with more conventional approaches, according to The Oregonian.
Fifty-seven percent of Oregon’s schools are at high risk of coming apart in the event of a substantial earthquake, according to state reports.
Top 5: News from around Oregon on Nov. 1
Samantha Matsumoto
October 31, 2012
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