Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 15

A GLsjxTStarViYibuiK Casper woman gets $359,000 in harrassment suit In her action, Smith said that even Mangus' male co-workers warned him his remarks could make him liable for sexual harassmenta. The lawsuit claimed that Mangus made the following statements to Smith, among remarks: must be a sad piece of you can't even keep a man." need to come back in a better mood. Get a little over the weekend." After a four-day trial last week before Federal Judge C. A Brimmer, the jury deliberated slightly more than, two hours before returning a verdict in favor of Smith and awarding her $270,000 in compensatory damages and 189,000 in lost fringe benefits. We were thrilled," said Les Bowron, one of Smith's attorneys.

Bowron said late Tuesday the award does not include attorney fees which are awarded sepa rately to the winning side in civil rights cases. Bowron said the case is "significant" in that the jury ruled in Smith's favor solely because of verbal sexual abuse. The jury heard no claims that Smith was forced to seek psychiatric treatment because of emotional damage, for example. Bowron said the jury was unimpresssed with Norwest's claims it doesn't condone sexual harassment and took steps to avoid repeat episodes. "They just didn't do anything.

They sat on it," he said. The jury heard evidence that Norwest provided no sexual harassment training to its managers even after Smith filed the lawsuit, Bowron said. Norwest attorney Bruce Willoughby said Tuesday his client hasn't decided whether to appeal the jury verdict. 0 By JOAN BARRON Star-Tribune capital bureau CHEYENNE A federal Jury awarded $359,000 to a Caaper woman and against her former employer for allowing a "sexually hostile work environment." Debbie L. Smith was awarded the judgment against Norwest Financial Wyoming, Inc.

and its parent company, Norwest Financial an Iowa Corporation, for failing to protect her from verbal sexual abuse by Curtis Mangus, manager of Norwest's Casper office. Smith's civil rights lawsuit said she complained to Mangus about his comments and later to his supervisor but nothing happened and she eventually quit her job as a commercial lending officer on Jan. 13, 1995 after nearly two years with the Norwest office. Casper brothers reach plea in Denny's shooting The Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS Two brothers who seized a restaurant, killing one customer and wounding four others, then held dozens of others hostage, have filed plea agreements accepting terms of life in prison without parole plus 300 years. "The only way they'll get out of prison is in a pine box which is as it should be, in my view," Marion County Prosecutor Scott Newman said.

The plea agreement reached Monday means that Ronald A. Mathisen 29, and Thomas A. Mathisen, 26, both of Casper, will avoid the death penalty but also give up their rights to appeal. New shoes "The bottom line is both Mathisens have signed their lives away," Newman said. Ronald Mathisen agreed to plead guilty in Marion Superior Court to murder, four counts of attempted murder and one count each of kidnappings and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

Thomas Mathisen was to plead guilty to murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and five counts of kidnap- 'The only way they'll get out of prison is in a pine box 4 SCOTT NEWMAN, MAXION COUNTY nosEctmn it (i "i- -v II r-. 1 i ping. The murder charge carries the life sentence. Each of the other counts carries a 50-year sentence to be served one after the other. The crime occurred May 23, 1994 at a Denny's Restaurant on the city's northeast side.

Police said Thomas Mathisen shot and wounded the restaurant manager, and Ronald Mathisen opened Are in the dining room, killing Alfred Smith, 71, and wounding Justin Basicker, 5, and two other customers. Ronald Mathisen had been scheduled to go to trial next week and his brother next month. The plea agreement will spare victims the trauma of reliving the ordeal, prosecutors said. And because the pair did not have extensive criminal records it might have been difficult to obtain death penalty convictions, Newman said. And finally, the county will save perhaps half a million dollars in costs for the trials and appeals.

"The families of the victims won't have to endure two trials of a month each," Newman said. "They also won't have to endure years of parole hearings and a decade of appeals." Police said the brothers were fleeing Casper after stealing money from an adult book store where they worked. They had one dollar left and were desperate when they went to the restaurant. "There was a total lack of planning, totally random, totally senseless," Newman said. "They chose Indiana at random.

They were totally suicidal when they got here." David Hennessy, the defense attorney for Ronald Mathisen, said his client "accepts full responsibility for what he did." Thomas Mathisen's lawyer, Patrick Murphy, could not be reached immediately for comment. Innovative program concentrates on families' care for premature infants 0 TMCM MelMtOYSter-Tritoune Wayne Walker of Davenport, Okla. shoes a horse Tuesday afternoon to prepare for the Senior Pro Rodeo in Glen nock. The rodeo began at 5 p.m. Tuesday and continues today from 9 a.m.

until the early afternoon. About 490 cowboys and cowgirls from around the United States will be participating. Senior Pro Rodeo members must be 40 or older to participate. 400 bikers terrorize residents, police in Steamboat Springs Horse Inn, taking over every one of its rooms and its parking lot. They set up barricades and posted armed guards to keep outsiders away, residents said.

When two bikers were shot inside the hotel Saturday, their comrades refused to let police inside, except to carry out the wounded. Police weren't allowed to view the crime scene or conduct any type of investigation. "They blocked our way in," said Denver police officer James Wattles, one of those who responded to the call for help. "They told us we weren't getting in without a fight They outnumbered us by far. They finally let us in the next day, but all the evidence had been removed." Donald Dinehart, 43, was shot in the arm, leg and chest He was airlifted to Denver Health Medical Center, where he was listed in fair condition on Sunday.

Larry Lajeunesse, 41, was shot in the hand and underwent surgery at Routt Memorial Hospital, where he remained in good condition. Police said the bikers told them the two men were ambushed by a gunman as they slept The gunman escaped out a second-story window. "Most of these guys have bad reputat ions, and they're well -deserved," said Wattles, of the Denver Police Intelligence Unit "They're a forgotten breed." One local resident was punched in the face by bikers after he responded to a verbal taunt The bikers, part of a group that had rented the Overlook Lodge and its parking lot also used a baseball bat to break the rearview mirror off of his car and smash its rear window, police said. The man refused to press charges. On Thursday, bikers beat four men one seriously and stabbed a fifth during a brawl at Murphy's Exchange, a local tavern.

When five Steamboat Springs police officers began interviewing witnesses, a group of bikers began to surround the officers in a threatening manner, a town official said. It was enough to scare local officials. When police tried to investigate the shooting on Saturday morning, nearly 100 bikers again began to flank the officers. "So we called for more support again." City Council President Kevin Bennett said "We never were under siege. But we were watching closely at what they were doing and we felt the need to take appropriate action." The Associated Press STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo.

Few residents are complaining that the Hell's Angels and their outlaw biker friends have left town. It's safe to say the police are breathing a bit easier, as well. For four days, 400 outlaw motorcyclists held this secluded mountain town in northwestern Colorado hostage. Police and local residents said two shootings, a stabbing, beatings and numerous traffic violations took place after the bikers roared into town Thursday afternoon. Few residents were willing to speak publicly about what happened, fearing reprisals from the bikers.

The local police force of about 15 officers became so worried that they put out a statewide call for help, drawing an estimated 125 extra officers from across Colorado to help restore order. Beginning on Thursday, members of the Hell's Angels and other outlaw motorcycle clubs came to town for the club's annual "World Tour," a warm up for the annual biker rally in Sturgis, S.D., which began today. The bikers set up headquarters at the Iron The Associated Press Idaho Infants born prematurely can be frightening to their parents, scared by their fragility. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Boise's St. Luke's Regional Medical Center is a place where their fears are put aside.

Last year, the center was designated one of nine training sites worldwide for evaluating and caring for pre-term infants, known as the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program. The technique developed by Harvard psychologist Heideliese Als uses an individual and personal approach to intensive care. At St. Luke's NICU, the lights are dimmed, colorful blankets and quilts cover incubators and beds. It is relaxing.

the baby and the family. That's at the center ol the program," said Karen Smith, its coordinator. "In the past, intensive care units had the tendency to distance parents from the baby. "We re-create that atmosphere of containment as if they were inside Mom," Smith said. "We use everyday English, not in medical terms, but in plain and simple terms." Observation is another key.

The program teaches parents to relate to their babies as individuals, enabling them to understand their infant's behavior, to interpret what the baby is doing. "The parents are the babies' advocates; they are going to be with the baby forever," Smith said. "They have so much more confidence when they go home." About half of the 600 babies who wind up in intensive care each year become part of the program. So far, only children who are at highest risk born before the 30th week of pregnancy receive this high level of observation. But everyone enjoys the benefits of the care as new findings are passed on, Smith said.

Overall, she is very happy with the results of the program, which was started at St. Luke's five years ago. About 150 "graduates" and their families gathered Thursday for the 14th annual MCU Graduates Reunion Picnic, organized by the Parents' Support Group several parents who had children at NICU and decided to keep the family close by sponsoring regular get -toget hers. Panel approves three high-tech school-college projects Jorgenson award created for the other $38,000 in new project monies throughout the year. BOCES Chairman Jack Wold said Members also agreed to create an award in memory of I'niversity of Wyoming Casper College education professor Sue Jorgenson.

who died last month in a car accident The award, which will carry a $500 stipend, will be given to an outstanding senior UW CC educa tjon major selected by the fatuity Skip Gillum, Casper College dean of academic affairs and IW CES administrator, said he hnjd the award's first recipient could be named bv this fail. grant requests from Roosevelt High School one that would have created a mathscience block class built around aviation, and a proposal to purchase graphic arts equipment for the school back to the teachers proposing them. Neither proposal had enough of a link to Casper College to justify a BOCES grant panel members said. The $11,641 in grants comes out of a $50,000 new project fund in BOTES' overall $309,000 budget which comes from a non vot-er-approved half-mill property tax and through grants. Teachers and other school officials can apply (BOCES) will: Pay for calculus software to be used by students at Casper College and Kelly Walsh High School.

Train high school and college instructors, along with students, how to use the high-tech multimedia equipment already purchased by BOCES and the schools. Buy interactive television equipment allowing Roosevelt High School students to take college pre-algebra and non-lab science courses over cable television The panel referred two other By SUSAN STANTON SlarTribv staff writer CASPER Three grants that will allow high school students easier access to college-level courses and technologyliterate teachers were approved for funding Tuesday by a joint panel of Casper College and Natrona County school district board members. Projects paid for by the approximately $3,000 $4,000 each in grants from the local Board of Cooperative Education Services City Edit K.C. Comnton. For information, questions and comments about this page, call the city desk at (307) 2fiW)585 or (fWO) 442-6916; email crtyeiribx-om; fax (307) 20WI568..