PLENTY OF people were upset about the verdict in the boar-vs.-motorcycle crash. But everybody has to admire the courage and determination of Adam Rogers.

When he went off on a late-night motorcycle ride in 2003, a series of unfortunate accidents left him seriously disabled. And that’s all it was: an accident. The jury erred when it decided the people of California owed Rogers and his lawyers $8 million. The judge erred when he ruled the jury, in weighing responsibility for the accident, could not consider a motorcycle inherently more dangerous than a car. And the legal system should never have permitted Rogers’ attorneys to keep anybody off the jury who thought people, including motorcycle riders, should take more responsibility for their own actions and misfortunes.

But giving $8 million to Rogers, a former competitive kickboxer, is far better than a lot of other things that are done with taxpayers’ money. We wish him the best.

Editorial: Paying for school choice

NOTHING COULD be worse for a youngster with brains and ambition that being trapped in a failing, gang-ridden school where his classmates don’t make any effort to learn and the teachers barely try to teach.

So of course we understand why the state Legislature might think it’s a brilliant idea to let the best students from the state’s 1,000 worst schools transfer to a nearby school which is a success.

But here’s the thing: There must be money to pay for it.

Of course, the last thing the state Legislature is going to be willing to do is cut funding for the bad schools the students are leaving. If anything, they’ll try to increase the money those schools are allotted.

Furthermore, they have long fought the idea of giving all parents yearly education vouchers for their children that could be used in any school.

But the bill passed on an emergency basis would allow students to move from poorer districts to richer ones without any accompanying funding for the first year, and with reduced funding during subsequent years.

Lesson for the day: Carmel school administrators should start screaming bloody murder.

Editorial: Wrong on both counts

FOR SOME reason, Monterey County Weekly has taken an inordinate interest in allegations by a Carmel municipal employee that she was discriminated against on the job. This newspaper’s reporter par excellence, Mary Brownfield, broke the story. But MCW has devoted extensive resources to following it ever since.

Too bad, then, that its headline on a story this week about the settlement in the case was utterly and embarrassingly wrong.

The headline said, “Striking Rich — Carmel’s Guillen suspended, city fined, in settlement of long-running harassment suit.”

Guillen was not suspended. And the money paid by the city to settle the suit can in no way, shape or form be called a “fine.”

Could this be a case of MCW reporting what it wished happened, instead of what actually happened?