Two more top Baltimore County officials are leaving as County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. sets up his new administration. Fire Chief Kyrle Preis and planning director Andrea van Arsdale announced this week that they are retiring. They were two of the department heads who were not included in a list of appointments and reappointments that Olszewski sent to the Baltimore County Council last week.
- PUB DATE: 12/14/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Baltimore Sun

Southwest Airlines recently found itself in hot water and had to apologize for the actions of one of its employees. That person, a gate agent, had joked with coworkers about the unusual name of one of the passengers on the flight, and later posted a picture of that passenger’s boarding pass to her personal social media account.
- PUB DATE: 12/14/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1

The city of Houston has alleged in a legal claim that the voter-approved charter amendment granting firefighters equal pay to police officers is unconstitutional and preempted by Texas’ local government code, echoing a similar contention from the Houston Police Officers’ Union. The claim, filed in state district court as part of the police union’s lawsuit against the Houston Professional Fire Firefighters Association and the city, comes 10 days after a judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking implementation of Proposition B, which passed with 59 percent of the vote last month.
- PUB DATE: 12/14/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Houston Chronicle

Gifford (IL) Fire Protection District top control pumper-tanker. Freightliner M2 cab and chassis; Cummins L9 350-hp engine; heavy-duty aluminum body with galvanized steel subframe; APR 2,000-gallon polypropylene tank.