Reopening Griffith Observatory; A “Vexatious Litigant”?; The Oakland Bay Bridge; Bush’s Environmental Plans; Jews Who Fought in World War II
Reopening Griffith Observatory
The Griffith Observatory is being remodeled to enlarge and improve the facility. It will reopen to the public in 2006. Larry talks with the Observatory director, Dr. Ed Krupp, to get an update on the construction and to preview the experience provided to Observatory visitors when the new facility opens.
A “Vexatious Litigant”?
A Judge issued a decision on Thursday, calling Jarek Molski, a disabled man, a “vexatious litigant.” Molski, who has filed 400 lawsuits under the Disabilities Act, can no longer file lawsuits without permission from a judge. Did Molski go too far in suing venues such as restaurants, banks and bowling alleys for violating his rights under the Disabilities Act? Were his suits fair, or is this a case of an out-of-control litigant? Experts Eve Hill, Professor of law at Loyola Law School and executive director of the Western Law Center for Disability Rights, and Bob Pugsley, Professor of Law at Southwestern University School of Law, join Host Larry Mantle to discuss the topic.
The Oakland Bay Bridge
Bay Area residents may end up paying a high percentage of the costs of retrofitting the Oakland Bay Bridge, to the tune of 78 percent of the $5 billion project. The state would usually pick up 80 percent on such a major public works project, but a dispute has arisen over who will pay for esthetic choices in the bridge’s construction. Sean Holstege, Transportation Reporter for the Oakland Tribune, Doug Suisman, principal of Suisman Urban Design, an architectural and design firm that specializes in projects that enhance urban areas, and Chris Murray, director of government affairs for the San Bernardino, join Larry to discuss the Oakland Bay Bridge.
Bush’s Environmental Plans
Recently President Bush rolled back protections for California Salmon. Now comes news that Republican legislators are preparing to curb the powers of the Endangered Species Act. What is the environmental agenda of President Bush and other Republican legislators for the next four years? Larry Mantle talks with John Kostyak of the National Wildlife Federation, and Brian Kennedy, Communications Director for the House Resources Committee.
Jews Who Fought in World War II
Larry Mantle talks with author Deborah Dash Moore about her new book GI Jews: How World War II Changed A Generation (Harvard University Press). Moore details how over a half-million Jews entered the U.S. armed forces during the Second World War and what they experienced.