On Tuesday, a judge approved an $11 million settlement covering the families of the victims of the April 16, 2007, shootings on the campus of Virginia Tech. The settlement allows Virginia to avoid any further legal action as a result of the massacre carried out by Seung Hui Cho — a student with a history of mental problems, who killed 27 students and five teachers before committing suicide.
The settlement provides $100,000 plus medical expenses for the families of 28 of the victims who were killed, as well as the families of those wounded in the attack. It also promises a series of meetings between the families and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, state police and Virginia Tech officials to discuss the administrative and legal changes made since the shootings.
But some of the families of the victims and those wounded in the worst college-campus massacre in U.S. history were still not happy with the state and the school. According to the Washington Post, after the deal was announced, some families called for further investigation into the roles the state and university played in the shootings.
"This has nothing to do with money and everything to do with seeking the truth and complete accountability," Joe Samaha, whose daughter Reema was killed in the attacks, told the paper.
An investigation ordered by Kaine's office found that the university should have shut down the campus and issued more direct warnings to students and faculty after Cho killed his first two victims in a dormitory early on the morning of April 16. The investigative panel also said that the state's mental-health system had failed to ensure that Cho receive proper treatment for his mental-health issues.
The Post reported that lawyers for 20 of the families released e-mails on Tuesday indicating that Virginia Tech warned employees to stay inside after the shootings began but did not issue a similar warning to students.
"Lives could have and should have been saved," said Peter Grenier, a lawyer whose firm led the negotiations for the settlement.
Two families did not file claims against the state, and two others weren't satisfied with the settlement and could still pursue a lawsuit. Last fall, the families of the dead and wounded received one-time payments ranging from $11,500 to $208,000 from the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, which was funded by private donations after the shooting and will remain open for five more years to pay for scholarships.
In the wake of the shootings, a number of U.S. campuses upgraded their early warning and text messaging systems in an effort to provide students and faculty with faster access to information on urgent campus situations.
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According to recent reports, the shapley singer was so desperate to make it big in the U.S., like her peers Duffy and Amy Winehouse, she started a strict diet to shed the weight.
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The former Hole frontwoman had reportedly dropped all new tracks from her upcoming Nobody's Daughter LP, amid speculation she was unhappy with the material which emerged from sessions with songwriter Linda Perry.
But the rocker-turned-actress has rubbished the rumours, insisting she only had to retouch a small proportion of the new material after some recordings were leaked on the Internet.
She writes on her MySpace blog, "No 'scrapping' is going on, simply a few retakes, especially since all those recordings were leaked to the Net.
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CYBILL SHEPHERD is considering taking part in the next DANCING WITH THE STARS TV contest - if she can find the time to devote to rehearsing.
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George Takei, best known for playing Sulu on "Star Trek," will never forget the first time he saw Brad Altman, the man he plans to marry, more than two decades ago.
They were working out in a running club and he couldn't take his eyes off Altman, who had a "lean, tightly muscled" body, the 71-year-old actor told AP Radio in an interview.
Takei said he asked Altman to help him train for a marathon, they fell in love, and now they've been living together for 21 years.
Altman said he proposed by getting down on one knee in their kitchen while Takei was eating a sandwich after seeing on TV that the California Supreme Court had legalized same-sex marriage. It surprised Takei, who thought he would be the one who popped the question.
They bought each other turquoise and silver wedding rings.
Takei and Altman plan to marry Sept. 14 in the Democracy Forum at the Japanese National Museum in Los Angeles.
Walter Koenig, who played Chekov in "Star Trek," will be the best man and Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura, will be the matron of honor. Castmate Leonard Nimoy will be among the 200 guests, but probably not William Shatner. Takei has said Shatner didn't treat him and most of the cast very well.
Takei, who had a recurring role on NBC's "Heroes" last year, and Altman plan to honeymoon for a month in South America.
As for what they'll wear on their big day, Altman said they'll both walk down the aisle in white tuxedoes, which seemed to catch Takei off-guard.
"Well, now that you've announced it on the air, I guess it's settled," he said.
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