NEWS BRIEFS
Monacan teen's parents sue VCU, Richmond Times-Dispatch

The parents of a Monacan High School student are suing the sponsors of a local Urban Journalism Workshop in U.S. District Court on the grounds that their daughter was excluded was excluded from the educational program because of her race. Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and the Richmond Times- Dispatch ran the workshop, which was held last summer. VCU, Media General, Inc., the parent company of the Richmond Times-Dispatch (RTD), the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund and eight individuals, including RTD president and publisher Tom Silvestri, are named as defendants in the case.

Although the journalism workshop was aimed at minorities, 15-year-old Emily Smith allegedly received an acceptance e-mail in April after she applied. However, about a week later, VCU professor Bonnie Davis contacted Smith via phone to ask about her race. When Smith responded that she was Caucasian, Davis allegedly told her that she could not attend the workshop due to her race.

The lawsuit is asking for the court to order the defendants to stop treating workshop applications differently based on race and for Smith to be admitted into next summer's workshop. Smith's parents, Jane and Steven Smith, are also seeking compensatory damages. An amount was not included in the lawsuit.

The class action lawsuit was filed jointly by the Smith family and the Center for Individual Rights, a nonprofit Washington, D.C. law firm, that's known for battling affirmative action.

Judge sentences teen to prison

Nineteen-year-old Peter Kamau Mukuria will serve three years in prison for stealing a pickup truck involved in a high-speed police chase that resulted in the death of Willie Charles Moore.

Last month, Chesterfield Circuit Judge Herbert C. Gill sentenced the Chesterfield teen to 20 years in prison with 17 years suspended.

Mukuria stole a Ford pickup on June 8 from a house off of Lucks Lane. When pursued by police, he led officers on an 11-mile chase at speeds of up to 85 mph. The pursuit ended in south Richmond when Mukuria crashed into the rear of a car, killing Moore.

Mukuria had previously pled guilty to driving under the influence, refusing to take a breath test, hit-and-run driving and driving on a suspended license.

He will face a murder charge in Richmond for killing Moore on Nov. 15. Moore, 27, was the father of a four-year-old son.

Pedestrian killed

An Ashland man was killed while crossing the southbound lanes of Jefferson Davis Highway on Oct. 2 at about 7:20 p.m. Jonathan Dale Goodale, 40, died at the scene after he was struck by a 2002 Ford driven by Wei Dong Zhou, 43, of the 100 block of Briarcliff Court in Colonial Heights.

The crash remains under investigation.

Dupont employees test positive

PFOA, a controversial manmade chemical, has been found in the blood of some employees at DuPont's Spruance plant. The company offered blood tests to its employees after an employee union expressed concern about the chemical. Of the 89 employees who accepted the blood testing, some had varying levels of PFOA, short for perfluorooctanioc acid, in their blood. DuPont declined to release exactly how many employees tested positive for the chemical.

PFOA is a common substance used in the production of Teflon, weatherproof clothing and nonstick cookware.

The effects of being exposed to high levels of PFOA are still questionable. Some studies show that PFOA may cause liver, developmental and reproductive problems in laboratory animals.