 National Association of Counties * Washington, DC / Vol. 30, No. 8 * April 27, 1998 
In court motions, Larry Naman said he plans to base his defense on "out-and-out political grounds" and compared his case to those of Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Naman told police he shot Wilcox because he was angered by her support of a sales tax to fund a new baseball stadium. Naman is a transient who is acting as his own attorney. CALIFORNIA
An audit has turned up a $1.2 billion error in the LOS ANGELES COUNTY pension system that will require the county to spend an additional $25 million a year to offset more than 20 years of underpayments, The Los Angeles Times reports. The strong performance of the stock market has left the fund with a surplus, however, so pension benefits to currently retired county employees are not in jeopardy.
The price tag to fix the Year 2000 problem in ORANGE COUNTY might top $14 million, The Orange County Register reports. The county has already spent $8 million. The Board of Supervisors learned that the bug will effect 70 of the county's 158 computer systems and some of them probably won't be ready when 2000 rolls around. The county recently hired extra programmers to make sure the accounting and payroll system will be ready to accept the 19992000 budget in December. COLORADO FLORIDA Although there is a dispute over the time of death, the medical examiner's office has ruled the woman was dead for about 14 hours before she was discovered by guards. In that time she was allegedly checked by several nurses named in the suit, who did not note a problem. The woman's family is seeking $10 million from the county, which is self-insured.
The ORANGE COUNTY clerk of court is installing a new telecommunications technology that will allow residents to pay traffic tickets and child support with a touch-tone phone and a credit card. The system will operate around the clock. MARYLAND Funding for the schools will be tight, however, because the state's school construction formula doesn't allow a county to use state funds for engineering and architecture fees, and the Assembly refused to make an exception. Officials said that without an exception, the county might only be able to build 10 schools, The Washington Post reports.
This year, WASHINGTON COUNTY is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its library system - the first county-wide system in the nation. Chartered in 1898, the Washington County Free Library also pioneered the use of the bookmobile, and is credited with being the first public library to take its books on the road. NEBRASKA The three-year-old law calls for assessments of 74 percent to 80 percent of market value for agricultural land and at least 92 percent of market value for all other property.
The question of whether an alleged harasser can be fired for testifying about the harassment is explored in the current issue of Countyline, the official publication of the Nebraska Association for County Officials. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that a male sales representative who involuntarily testified that he had sexually harassed a female receptionist was protected by Title VII's anti-retaliation provision. The bottom line, according to Shana Q. Wright-Avery of Lincoln, Neb., the author of the column: Employers should not rely on sworn testimony alone when making employment decisions. When faced with sex harassment allegations, employers always should complete an independent and prompt investigation, then take whatever steps are necessary to end the harassment. NEW HAMPSHIRE Jenifer Pierce, who works with the sexual assault program in SULLIVAN COUNTY, told a state Senate Judiciary Committee panel recently that the drugs are readily available to teens. "We do not know nor do we understand what is going on in their culture and subculture," she said. "We think it can't be as bad as this in New Hampshire, but I'm telling you - it is as bad as this in New Hampshire." NEW YORK The county executive noted that 1997 was the second consecutive year DWI deaths were cut, resulting in a two-year reduction of 40 percent in DWI fatalities. He also noted that DWI deaths for the first two months of 1998 are running 12 percent lower than last year. There were 26 DWI fatalities in 1997, compared with 29 in 1996 and 42 in 1995. There were a total of 6,201 DWI arrests in 1997, compared with 6,064 in 1996 and 4,999 in 1995. OHIO Flynt and his brother, Jimmy, both were charged with nine counts of pandering obscenity, three counts of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, two counts of conspiracy to engage in a pattern of corrupt activity and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters said. Flynt's 1977 conviction was thrown out on appeal and he was never retried. He opened a downtown Cincinnati store in October. VIRGINIA "We are grateful to Mr. Green's gift," said C.M. Williams, Jr., county administrator. "The park is a place for families to have picnics, play sports, and enjoy the Rappahannock River. It is truly an asset to the county." The donation was valued at approximately $2 million. (News From the Nation's Counties is compiled by Mary Ann Barton and Kevin Wilcox, senior staff writers.)
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ARIZONA