From Orlando to New York to California, Disney is making news and not all of it is good news. Yesterday, the announcement was made that Oklahoma was the first state invited honoree for Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival (I still think Disney Universe would have been better) and today, there’s a lot more grit in the news.
Disney Employee Charged With Sexual Battery
A maintenance man who worked at Disney World was arrested last Friday on charges of molesting a child. Police stated that Christian Johnson was arrested on charges of molesting a girl from the time she was 10 until she was 14. Another man, age 18, has come forward to state that Johnson also molested him at the age of 8.
Police reports indicate that Johnson admitted to the sexual relationship with the female victim and that he saw nothing wrong with it. He has denied any involvement with the male victim. Walt Disney World has put Johnson on leave pending the outcome of these charges. At this time, there is no indication that Johnson met either victim at the park.
New York City Parks Project
The Disney Company is going to team up with the division of the New York City Parks in order to provide funds and staff for at least ten playgrounds throughout the city. There will be sand boxes, building blocks and more playground equipment added so that the children of New York will have more opportunities for playing, getting active and enjoying the city parks.
Casino Proposed Near Disneyland
A formal proposal has been filed in California for an Indian tribe to build a casino complex in the Garden Grove area near Disneyland. The proposal would include a college scholarship for Garden Grove high school graduate as well as 10,000 permanent jobs and other infrastructure improvements to the local city area.
Disneyland is a huge attraction in the area and the casino could potentially be a large one as well. City directors are meeting with the tribe and the applications have been submitted to the government for the dispensation and licenses. There are many skeptics concerning the idea and not the least of which is a Casino in Disneyland’s back yard may not send the right message.
There has been no finalized decision on this matter.
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