Morning y’all. Rather than brave the gross, cold weather, I’m working from home in the tiny circular turret next to my bedroom with a space heater blasting. One of the things I love about Cincinnati is not only that weird old houses like the one I live in still exist, but that I can afford to live in one on a journalist’s salary. That’s crazy.
But enough about me. What’s happened in the past 24 hours? A lot.
First, prosecutors have offered seven of the Greenpeace activists arrested for hanging anti-palm oil banners from Procter & Gamble headquarters last spring a plea deal. That deal would cut their charges from felony vandalism and burglary, which carry a penalty of more than nine years in jail, to a misdemeanor charge of criminal trespassing, which is punishable by no more than 30 days in jail and a $250 fine. Nine activists in total gained access to P&G headquarters in March, hanging protest banners decrying the company’s role in deforestation related to their use of palm oil. Some protesters repelled down the side of the building. Prosecutors say the group did tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage to windows in the building, though lawyers for the group deny this. They say the activists were simply exercising their First Amendment rights. One activist has since died in California and another took an earlier plea deal. A Dec. 12 hearing on the deal has been scheduled for the remaining seven.
• More than 100 people turned out last night for a rally downtown in honor of Eric Garner, who died in July after a New York City police officer put him in a chokehold. A grand jury Wednesday announced it would not indict officer Daniel Pantaleo, who administered the hold. That has led to protests in New York City and around the country, including here. You can find our full coverage of the rally here.
• It seems we’re all about courts today. Special prosecutors in the case of former Juvenile Court Judge Traci Hunter want to send her to jail for up to 18 months. Hunter is in Hamilton County court right now for sentencing, and prosecutors are going after her aggressively. Hunter was convicted of one felony count of having an unlawful interest in a public contract in October. Her attorney has made three motions for a retrial since, citing procedural mistakes by the court and jurors who have recanted their guilty verdicts. Hamilton County Judge Norbert Nadel has declined those motions, however. Hunter says she will appeal her conviction.
UPDATE: Hunter has been sentenced to six months in Hamilton County jail.
• As anger over police use of force continues around the country, the Justice Department yesterday released the results of a year-and-a-half long investigation into the Cleveland Police Department. What they found was not good, and you can read our coverage of it here. The short version: The DOJ says the force has had numerous incidents of excessive force brought on by “systemic failures” within the department. CPD will be monitored by an independent panel as it makes court-enforceable reforms to its policing practices. The report comes as the department is under scrutiny for yet another controversial use of force incident: the death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice at the hands of Cleveland Police Officer Timothy Loehman.
• The national economy added more than 320,000 jobs last month, government data released yesterday says, putting the nation on track for its best job growth in 15 years. Unemployment stayed at 5.8 percent, the lowest it’s been since 2008. Many analysts take the boost as a sign the economy is continuing to recover from the deepest and most far-reaching recession in decades. That growth came in a number of different sectors, lending credence to the assertion that the economy is growing more robust. Housing prices are rising, fuel prices are falling and local and state governments are hiring again. However, despite the good news, wages did not rise at all when adjusted for inflation. That’s been a stubborn problem for workers since the recession and one that feeds into a continued debate about the country’s income inequality.
• Finally, you remember former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, right? Whether or not you agree with the Bush-era leader’s politics, it seems fair to say he seemed like a low-key bloke, harmless and even approachable. At least I thought so until I saw his Christmas card this year. Dude looks like you just snatched some bacon out of his mouth while calling his mum a strumpet. I want to see the outtakes. Also, thank god I don’t send Christmas cards because they would all be at least this terrifying.
This article appears in Dec 3-9, 2014.