Train engineer distracted
The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that Brendan Bostian, the engineer of an Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia last year, suffered from a lack of “situational awareness,” immediately prior to the incident.
The derailment occurred at 9:21 p.m. May 12, 2015, in North Philadelphia. Eight passengers were killed and more than 200 were injured.
The train had just entered the Frankford Junction curve at a speed of 106 mph where the speed is restricted to 50 mph when the locomotive and all seven passenger cars derailed.
The engineer’s license of Bostian, who is gay, remains indefinitely suspended.
The board announced its findings during a May 17 meeting in Washington, D.C. The board said that Bostian may have been distracted due to radio chatter about a nearby SEPTA train struck by a projectile.
An attorney for Bostian, who’s the target of multiple civil suits, couldn’t be reached for comment.
The board also said that emergency responders transported victims to hospitals without coordination, and that better coordination among Philadelphia police, fire and hospital officials is needed.
Pride dinner scheduled
An LGBTQ+ Shabbat dinner to celebrate Pride will be held next month in Center City.
The event is sponsored by J. Proud, a program led by the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia.
The event begins with cocktails at 6 p.m. June 3 at the National Museum of American Jewish History, 101 S. Independence Mall East. Tickets are $20 and $14 for students and people 65 and older.
“We are looking forward to having a beautiful Shabbat dinner to celebrate Pride at the National Museum of American Jewish History,” said Phoenix Schneider, director of the JFCS’s LGBTQ Initiative. “We can look forward to enjoying food catered by Miss Rachel’s Pantry and being inspired by our fabulous speaker, Mark Segal. It will certainly be a special evening to remember.”
For more information, visit http://phillyprideshabbat.eventbrite.com.
Sanctions sought in sex-abuse case
Discovery disputes continue in the case of Rhonda Miller, who claims her son was sexually abused by a former counselor at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Germantown.
Miller claims that Percy Outland inappropriately touched her son during a field trip to the Kimmel Center in May 2015.
Outland allegedly followed the 12-year-old boy into a restroom at the center and attempted to have sexual contact with him.
The BGC wants Miller to produce materials pertaining to the matter, which her attorneys allegedly haven’t provided.
Attorneys for the BGC are requesting sanctions against Miller’s attorneys. A hearing on the request is scheduled 10 a.m. June 1 in Room 483 of City Hall.
Outland, 40, is charged with simple assault, unlawful contact with a minor and related offenses. He remains free pending a trial, which hasn’t been scheduled. n
— Timothy Cwiek
West Laurel Hill hosts breast cancer event
A local cemetery that has supported LGBT organizations like the Independence Business Alliance and DVLF is now hosting an event for breast-cancer awareness.
Youth org. releases model policy for trans students
The Pennsylvania Youth Congress, a statewide LGBT organization, launched an online resource May 20 for school districts looking for guidance on transgender and gender expansive students.
Dignity for All is available at http://dignityforall.payouthcongress.org.
The project includes a model policy for Pennsylvania school districts to use as an outline when drafting their own policies for transgender students.
It also includes background information on gender identity and the experiences of transgender Americans, federal law and state policy on the issue and organizations from which school districts could seek trainings.
DVLF opens grant cycle
DVLF, an LGBT philanthropy organization, opened its grant cycle this week for local organizations with projects aiming to serve emerging needs in the community.
Applications for funding are due by 5 p.m. July 27. They’re available here: http://ow.ly/sVZN300zVzP.
Eligible organizations must be 501c3 nonprofits that serve people in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware or Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania; Burlington, Camden or Gloucester counties in New Jersey; or New Castle County in Delaware. At least 75 percent of the people helped by the organization must be LGBTQ-identified.
For more information, visit www.dvlf.org.
— Paige Cooperstein