Private prison company plans to leave Idaho
BOISE, Idaho – Private prison giant Corrections Corp. of America will leave Idaho after more than a decade marked by scandal and lawsuits surrounding its operation of the state’s largest prison.
The Nashville, Tenn.-based company will not bid on the next contract to run the Idaho Correctional Center south of Boise, CCA Vice President Brad Regens said in a letter Thursday to the Department of Corrections.
The decision came as Idaho State Police, aided by a forensic auditing firm, is investigating allegations of possible contract fraud and falsified staffing reports involving CCA.
A federal judge also has held CCA in contempt of court for failing to abide by the terms of a settlement agreement reached with inmates in a lawsuit claiming high rates of violence and chronic understaffing at the prison.
CCA spokesman Steven Owen said the company is taking steps to remedy staffing problems at the prison and is committed to reimbursing taxpayers for any unverified hours.
California OKs issuing licenses to illegals
LOS ANGELES –– California on Thursday joined the growing list of states that allow immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally to obtain driver’s licenses – a measure supported not only by Latino activists but by police chiefs and insurance authorities.
Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill in front of a cheering crowd of immigrants and their supporters, predicting other parts of the country will follow the example set by the nation’s most populous state.
The licenses, which are expected to become available no later than January 2015, will carry a special designation on the front and a notice stating that the document is not official federal identification and cannot be used to prove eligibility for employment or public benefits.
Ten other states have enacted measures to give driver’s licenses to immigrants in the country illegally, many of them in the past year, according to the National Immigration Law Center.
Restaurant stirs up controversy with burger
CHICAGO – A Chicago restaurant has cooked up a controversial burger of the month for October, garnishing it with an unconsecrated communion wafer and a red wine reduction sauce.
Kuma’s Corner, a foodie destination with just a few tables, names its hamburgers after heavy metal bands. For October, the restaurant chose to name the burger after the Swedish band Ghost. Members of the band dress in religious robes and wear skeleton face makeup.
It’s in poor taste, said Jeff Young of New Orleans, who runs the blog Catholic Foodie.
“It’s not, for us, the Eucharist,” Young said. “However this wafer is a symbol. There’s a cross on it. It’s like taking a flag and burning a flag.”
Luke Tobias, Kuma’s Corner director of operations, said the restaurant never wanted to offend anyone.
Associated Press
