Bobby Brown Busted again for DUI

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John M. Heller of Getty images.

Whitney Houston’s former husband, Bobby Brown, was again indicted after he was spotted driving recklessly in Los Angeles streets.

According to news reports, Bobby was pulled over by cops after he was seen driving aimlessly and erratically last Thursday. Police claimed that they immediately smelled the strong odor of alcohol in Bobby. Therefore, he was given a series of sobriety tests, which he repeatedly failed.

Consequently, he was taken under the custody of the apprehending officers.

Incidentally, the DUI arrest is Bobby’s third following his first offense way back in 1996 and another one just last March this year. Subsequently, Bobby has sought rehab treatment for his addiction issues.

Whether he got depressed over his estranged wife’s death or there must have been some other reason behind his alcohol dependency, it is not confirmed.

Bobbi and Whitney Houston was married for a little more than 14 years. They had a child named Bobbi Kristina.

Meanwhile, speaking about the couple’s only child, it could be remembered that Bobbi Kristina and her boyfriend was reportedly involved in a car accident more than a month ago.

Further details regarding the incident remain undisclosed until present. However, according to previous reports, Bobbi Kristina and her boyfriend, Nicholas “Nick” Gordon, were seen arguing while the car was moving when the accident occurred.  Allegedly, Nick’s Camaro was wrecked following the incident.

Going back with Bobby’s DUI arrest, the news regarding the same allegedly surfaced just a day after his daughter announced her pregnancy with her boyfriend Nick. Nick is Whitney Huston’s adopted child. After the latter’s death, the two became close to each other and ended up as lovers. In fact, recent news claim that the two were engaged and were actually planning a wedding.

Meanwhile, a Los Angeles injury lawyer here who has monitored the late singer’s career and how she developed a family was likewise rejoicing now that everything about her family seems like getting smooth—except for Bobby.

Incidentally, Bobbi Kristina’s grandmother, Cissy Houston, was initially keeping off Bobbi Kristina from her inherited funds. However,the two reportedly settled their personal issues and in fact, Cissy is now permitting her granddaughter to take over her millions.

Merced County Proclaims October as Railroad Safety Month

Merced County is where two of California’s major railroads, BNSF Railway and Union Pacific, continuously rumble down to deliver freight to far destinations.

Incidentally, approximately 103 accidents happen annually in California, more than half of which ends in deaths, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. Other than that, the data also revealed that California was listed as the state with the most number of railroad trespassing incidents last year.

During a meeting last Tuesday, Merced County officials voted unanimously to pass an item proclaiming October as Railroad Safety Month.

Basically, such campaign is being conducted to spread awareness to the public.

According to one of the campaign’s advocates, Supervisor John Pedrozo, he, on behalf of his other colleagues, wants people to remember how important it is to stay off railroad tracks and observe the law.

Moreover, Pedrozo disclosed that the said initiative was kept alive by a former railroad employee from Bakersfield, Bob Alexander, who was very dedicated in educating people about the importance of train safety. In fact, Alexander was actually working with a non-profit organization, Operation Lifesaver, before he died last March.

Operation Lifesaver was founded in 1972 to spread awareness to communities over the state regarding rail safety and reduce accidents, injuries, and fatalities.

Advocates of the said initiatives believe that by spreading awareness to the community—including the city councils, students, and drivers—railroad and other train accidents can be avoided.

Also, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) reminds residents near railroads that crossing over railroad tracks could mean trespassing since they are considered as private properties. In addition, there are properly designated public crossing for cars and pedestrians.

Meanwhile, aside from the advocates of the said campaign, a Los Angeles pedestrian accident lawyer also agrees that parents play a very significant role in educating children. He stressed that parents are considered the most responsible parties in teaching their young children about railroad safety precautions.

Another California School Bus Accident Injures 17

Just a few days following the Ventura school bus accident, another school bus crash occurred in Victorville, California.

According to recent reports, at least 16 children and the bus driver was injured in the said accident.

A spokesperson from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) told that the accident was reported at around 2 o’clock in the afternoon, Thursday.

Initial investigation revealed that the accident occurred when a U-haul truck pulling out of the driveway struck the school bus.

CHP officer Joaquin Zubieta said that the school bus tried to swerve to avoid the crash but unfortunately failed.

Apparently, the U-haul truck was driven by a mother while her daughter was sending signal from the rear of the vehicle to aid her in pulling the truck from the driveway. Subsequently, a miscommunication occurred between the mom and the daughter, which resulted in the collision.
   
As a result of the collision, two children incurred serious injuries and were transported to Loma Linda University Medical Center. Meanwhile, the other 14 and the driver who sustained minor injuries were also transported to nearby hospitals.

On the other hand, the mother and the daughter were left unscathed.

Apparently, the school bus was carrying a total of 40 children bound home from Galileo Academy in Victorville when the accident happened.

After the crash, parents were called to be informed about the incident and were asked to pick up their kids as well.

In the meantime, the crash is still under investigation.

Truck accidents are definitely one of the most disturbing road accidents. This could be attributed to trucks being the biggest vehicles in the roadways.

Meanwhile, a Los Angeles accident attorney was grateful that nothing dire happened to the children since in most accidents involving trucks and other huge vehicles like buses, the result often becomes debilitating and sometimes fatal.

Walmart Faces New Employment Discrimination Raps

In recent news, Walmart was reportedly facing another employment discrimination lawsuit on the basis of gender filed by its female employees.

According to reports, three Tennessee long time female employees of Walmart recently filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the giant shop retailer before the federal court of Nashville.

According to the charge, complainants Cheryl Phipps, Bobbi Millner, and Shawn Gibbons have spent between 11 and 26 years working for the company’s retail stores in three different towns in Tennessee. They claimed that they were being denied for promotions, accusing the huge retailer of intentionally discriminating against women.

Aside from being passed over for promotions, they were also paid less than men who were doing similar jobs as theirs. The women further claimed that although they informed the retailer’s management about their concerns, the latter failed to act on the matter. 

Allegedly, the women were told by a store manager that they cannot be promoted to management post since it was a man’s job.

The women are seeking for unspecified damages in their lawsuit and are anticipating that the said lawsuit will help hundreds of thousands of other women who suffered employment discrimination from Walmart stores.

Incidentally, it is not the first time that Walmart is being sued for employment discrimination on the basis of gender by its female employees.

It can be recalled that in 2011, the Supreme Court dismissed a class action lawsuit against the giant retailer brought by an overwhelming 1.5 million female employees. It was in fact, the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in the U.S. history.

According to the said ruling, the court found that the women’s jobs were too varied to qualify as a class action lawsuit. However, the same did not bar possible future class action lawsuits such as this one.

On a related note, a Los Angeles labor lawyer explained that as opposed to harassment, which deals with proper legal actions taken against the employee, employment discrimination claim arises from actual employment practices including promotions, wages, and benefits.

California Governor Vetoes 3-foot Bicycle Passing Bill

The new California bill that was approved by the State’s Senate last month was recently vetoed by the Golden State’s Governor, Jerry Brown.

The bill called SB 1416, which would supposedly require vehicle drivers to yield 3 feet of space to bicyclists on the road particularly when they are passing from behind, was returned unsigned to legislature last September 28.

Nevertheless, Gov. Brown explained his part about vetoing the bill to the California State Senate. In his memo quoted below, Gov. Brown noted:

“Crossing a double yellow line is an inherently dangerous act that increases the risk of head-on collisions. When a collision occurs, it will result in a lawsuit where the state is likely to be sued as a ‘deep pocket.’ By making it legal to cross a double yellow line, that weakens the state’s defense to these lawsuits,”

Incidentally, the said bill expressly allows vehicle to cross a double yellow line, according to Gov. Brown. He also added that although he approved of better bicycle safety, legally permitting vehicles to cross a double yellow line when passing would eventually expose California lawsuits that might stem from head-on collisions.

Furthermore, Gov. Brown also noted that the state’s Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) had recently offered amendments to the proposed bill that would protect the state from possible lawsuits. However, rumors have it that the bill’s author, Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) is more likely to disagree to the changes of the bill.

It could be recalled that last year, a similar bill was likewise passed in the State Senate but was similarly vetoed by the California governor due to its speed limit requirement. As a result of which, advocates of the said bill removed the speed limit and then introduced this modified one, which was recently denied by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Meanwhile, a Los Angeles bike accident lawyer here speculates that probably the next bill favoring bicyclists’ safety on the road would be customized enough to pass the Governor’s strict approval after it has been denied a couple of times.