Jefferson County Bids for Release From HR Consent Decree
A motion filed just before the close of business Tuesday could end 45 years of scrutiny for Jefferson County.
County attorney Theo Lawson filed a joint motion that Jefferson County be removed from its consent decree, stating that the county not only complies with but in many cases exceeds the requirements of federal law regarding recruitment, hiring and promotion of qualified individuals.
Lawson called this a great day for the county.
“As a member of the African American community, I take deep pride in reaching this milestone,” he said. “I’ve witnessed the county turn a page in its history where hiring practices that were once inconsistent, arbitrary, biased and adversely impacted African Americans and women, have now been rectified.”
County manager Tony Petelos said Jefferson County has come a long way.
“We could not have done it without the support of the commissioners, both present and past, and of course with the leadership from Theo Lawson and his office,” Petelos said. “We have assembled a great team and it would be great to get out from under this cloud.”
The County filed its motion at 4:39 p.m. Tuesday jointly with plaintiff’s, intervenors and the Department of Justice. A statement from the county said that if the motion is granted by the court, it would end one of the longest-running consent decree cases in the country.
Jefferson County entered the decree on Dec. 29, 1982.
In this Icelandic drama, a couple quietly drifts apart
Icelandic director Hlynur Pálmason weaves scenes of quiet domestic life against the backdrop of an arresting landscape in his newest film.
After the Fall: How Olympic figure skaters soar after stumbling on the ice
Olympic figure skating is often seems to take athletes to the very edge of perfection, but even the greatest stumble and fall. How do they pull themselves together again on the biggest world stage? Toughness, poise and practice.
They’re cured of leprosy. Why do they still live in leprosy colonies?
Leprosy is one of the least contagious diseases around — and perhaps one of the most misunderstood. The colonies are relics of a not-too-distant past when those diagnosed with leprosy were exiled.
This season, ‘The Pitt’ is about what doesn’t happen in one day
The first season of The Pitt was about acute problems. The second is about chronic ones.
Lindsey Vonn is set to ski the Olympic downhill race with a torn ACL. How?
An ACL tear would keep almost any other athlete from competing -- but not Lindsey Vonn, the 41-year-old superstar skier who is determined to cap off an incredible comeback from retirement with one last shot at an Olympic medal.
Trump promised a crypto revolution. So why is bitcoin crashing?
Trump got elected promising to usher in a crypto revolution. More than a year later, bitcoin's price has come tumbling down. What happened?
