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Is North Korea on a ‘collision’ School suspensions: Business, labor reach course with vow to restart Does racial bias feed the immigration deal on guest nuclear reactor? school-to-prison pipeline? workers. Will it stand? PAGE 4 PAGE 11 PAGE 12 Volume 15, Issue 4 April 3-9, 2013 Lt. Steve Rushfield possible scapegoat forsome higher-upsinthecourtsystem By Rolando Larraz signed to that marshal’s court. one has done anything to hold them on duty, no one has lost their rank Las Vegas Tribune Yes, to that marshal’s court be- accountable. or their job. In Las Vegas, it’s not who you cause the judge apparently has no Now Lt. Steve Rushfield be- Judge Steve Jones was accused know, it’s who knows you. Or even opinion and no say-so as to that comes the fall guy by being and arrested more than one time for better, who likes you. And some- marshal’s conduct and will never transfered to another Clark County accusations of domestic violence times, it’s who is afraid of you be- reprimand him or order him to stop Court’s department under the spe- and was transfered from Family cause you either know too much or acting so abusively, giving the im- cific protection of Family Court Court to Juvenile Court, even because you may have more pow- pression that he approves the Judge Frank P. Sullivan in Depart- though the voters elected him to erful connections. marshal’s actions. ment O, to secure his retirement Family Court. Every day police officers, city In the old courthouse, by the after 25 years of service with the Now Judge Jones has been sus- marshals, North Las Vegas, judge’s chambers, there were holes courts. pended from the bench because the Henderson and even Mesquite po- in the wall made by the heads of Lieutenant Rushfield, during his feds have indicted him in another lice officers verbally and physically those abused by Judge Mosley’s long career, built his reputation and unrelated case; but he’s still a abuse citizens during their shift – marshal, who was also moonlight- upon being a decent officer, protect- judge, being protected by county for one reason or another – on a ing as a bouncer at Olympic Gar- ing judges as well as visitors to the officials. daily basis. dens. Clark County Courts, then later at In a Family Court video, Court A few years back, Las Vegas The Las Vegas Tribune never the Regional Justice Center, and Hearing Master Patricia Doninger Tribune kept Judge Don Mosley’s mentioned the marshal’s second job now in Family Court. shows her lack of consideration and bailiff (that’s what we called them because it never heard that he was Lieutenant Steve Rushfield Lieutenant Rushfield must have respect for people that are going in those days; they are marshals to- abusive with the patrons of that es- have had a very bad reputation and created a very powerful enemy be- through Family Court when she ig- day) on the front page because of tablishment, but the newspaper was have been known, in many if not cause while other marshals, staff nores the plea of the lady that was his abusive behavior toward pris- concerned for the well-being of the most cases, for being unfair by not members, and even judges were ex- being abused by the marshal while oners and anyone else who had the court visitors. following or enforcing the statutes onerated for abusive behavior for she played around with the little girl misfortune of having their case as- For years Family Court judges and rules of civil procedure, but no broken rules and regulations while (See Scapegoat, Page 5) My Point In Atlanta cheating scandal, one of View By Rolando Larraz culpritmaybestandardizedtesting What is your name? the officer asked me; and like a very good citi- Some educators say the Atlanta cheating scandal is a warning sign of the dangers and perverse zen I gave the officer my first and incentives that can result from a policy that stakes so much on standardized testing results. my last name while I was pulling my ID out so the officer could see By Amanda Paulson rewards associated with high test that I was being as truthful as pos- Christian Science Monitor scores,” prosecutors said in a writ- sible. BOULDER, COLO. — Former ten statement. It all happened inside the yard Atlanta educators and administra- The indictments, and the images of Public Storage at 2727 South tors are turning themselves in to of former teachers and principals Decatur and Sahara Avenue, where authorities Tuesday after being in- turning themselves in to jail by I met a lady that wanted to buy dicted last week in a widespread Tuesday, bring to a head one of the some of the furniture that I had cheating scandal. biggest cheating scandals in recent stored there since I moved out of In all, 35 teachers, principals, education history, since it first be- my home eighteen months ago. and administrators were named in gan to emerge three years ago. I asked the officer what his name the 65-count indictment, mostly But Atlanta is certainly not the was, and he paused and pointed to under racketeering charges, which only district or school that has been his name tag. “Officer Rodriguez,” painted a broad portrait of corrup- tainted by cheating. And some edu- he told me, putting his face down tion, cheating, and retaliation cators say it serves as a stark warn- like he was embarrassed about what against educators who refused to ing sign of the dangers and perverse he was ready to speak out of his participate or were whistle-blowers. incentives that can result from a Photos of some of the 35 defendants in Atlanta’s school cheating scandal mouth when I asked him if “Of- The 35 defendants, which in- policy regime that stakes so much decorate a board at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta. The defendants ficer” was his first or middle name. clude formerAtlanta schools super- on standardized testing results. are named in a 65-count indictment that alleges a broad conspiracy “We do not give our first name intendent Beverly Hall, “conspired “This said that something about involving cheating on standardized tests in Atlanta Public Schools. for security reasons,” Officer Un- to either cheat, conceal cheating or our incentive system and our ac- Teachers. the predominant, and some would known Rodriguez told me. Dummy retaliate against whistleblowers in countability system is way off,” “Standardized testing should say the only, factor in assessing me; I forgot that Rodriguez is a po- an effort to bolster CRCT [state test] said Randi Weingarten, president play a role, but it has now become whether schools are successful, lice officer and as so many other scores for the benefit of financial of the American Federation of whether teachers are successful, police officers often say, “I was in and whether students are success- fear for my life”; but I did not say FannieMaerecordprofit:Howlong ful,” she said. that to Officer Unknown (I assume “Hopefully, this is now pulling that is his first name) Rodriguez the curtain away from what teach- because I had a plane to catch and I until it pays back bailout money? ers and parents have been saying for did not want to miss my flight, as I two or three years now, which is would have if we kept talking, so I By Mark Trumbull But now, as housing markets are $116 billion in financial support that we are fixating on testing, as just smiled and went on my merry Christian Science Monitor recovering, so are their fortunes. from the US Treasury since the firm opposed to being fixated on teach- way. The mortgage giant Fannie Mae Fannie Mae has drawn some (See Fannie May, Page 6) ing and learning.” When Officer Rodriguez asked said it racked up its highest profit The scandal in Atlanta has me for the buyers’ name and I told ever during the 2012 calendar year gained particular attention since it him that she called my office num- – a signal of housing-market recov- seems to have been so widespread, ber, he wanted my cell phone to ery that raises hopes that US tax- and to have emanated from the very verify that I was telling the truth that payers will recover billions of dol- top, where Dr. Hall, the former su- I did not have the lady’s telephone lars in bailout funds from the com- perintendent, allegedly governed by number. pany. fear and pushed principals to de- Can anyone imagine that! A po- Fannie Mae on Tuesday reported liver results by any means neces- lice officer, regardless of what his earnings of $17.2 billion for the sary. During the decade she led the first name is, wanted to grab my year. district, she replaced 90 percent of telephone and check all incoming The firm, along with a sibling the principals, and focused unre- and outgoing calls that I have in my corporation named Freddie Mac, is lentingly on test scores. cell phone! at the heart of a US mortgage mar- The seeming turnaround that Hasn’t Officer Rodriguez ever ket that imploded during the finan- those scores saw brought her sig- heard of the Journalists Shield cial crisis. The two firms received nificant accolades and financial re- Law? Please allow me to shed some some of the biggest taxpayer bail- Fannie Mae earned $17.2 billion in 2012, the biggest annual profit in (See Cheating, Page 6) light behind your uniform, your outs in 2008.

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