Higgins subsequently sued in federal court, arguing that as a recovering alcoholic, the school's disciplinary action amounts to discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. He seeks reinstatement to the team and $100,000 in compensatory damages. Currently practicing alcoholics are not covered under the act's provisions.
9/11/99
Gray whales are no longer listed as an endangered species, but it is
still illegal to hunt them. An exception is made for certain Native
American tribes, for whom whale hunts long formed an important
cultural tradition. The Makah, of Washington State, decided to revive
their own dormant hunting ritual, aided not just by canoes and
harpoons but by modern motorboats and armor-piercing assault rifles.
The Makah managed to take a whale, despite the presence of
protesters who followed them in their own boats, attempting to prevent
them from doing so. Also present was a scattering of care-free
vacationers on water skis. Authorities escorted some protesters away
because their activities were bothering the whales, a violation of the
Marine Mammal Protection Act.
And in Colorado, where prairie dogs are officially classified as
a "pest" and thus legal to shoot on sight, state officials resisted
efforts to allow people to sell them as pets—especially to the
Japanese, who are willing to spend $200 per varmint. Oklahoma, Kansas
and Texas all allow such commerce, but not Colorado. A spokesman for
the state's Division of Wildlife explained, "You cannot give away or
sell any species of wildlife. They belong to the public."
9/8/99
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by a man who was rejected for a
job as a police officer because he scored too high on an intelligence
test. While Robert Jordan insisted this violated his rights, U.S.
District Judge Peter C. Dorsey accepted the rationale of the New
London, Connecticut, police department—that overly intelligent
candidates tend to get bored with police work and soon quit after
undergoing costly academy training.
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