Midday Roundup: Lesbians sue after daughter born black

Unwanted. A white Lesbian couple filed a wrongful birth lawsuit this week against a sperm bank that mixed up their vial with that of an African-American man. The mother, Jennifer Cramblett, said in court filings that she loves her now-2-year-old daughter, she just wishes she was white. Cramblett claims she lives in small, all-white town where her child stands out for being biracial. According to The Chicago Tribune, Cramblett said she feels particularly uncomfortable having to take her daughter to an all-black neighborhood to get her hair cut. Having a biracial child has been such an inconvenience to her that she “lives each day with fears, anxieties, and uncertainty about her future and Payton’s future,” according to court filings. The sperm bank did apologize to Cramblett and refunded her money after the mistake was discovered.

Culture clash. The Secret Service director who just resigned had Disney World vision in a post-9/11 world, according to a report by The Washington Post. Critics of Julia Pierson, who left her position yesterday after several scandals over presidential security, say she downplayed security threats and wanted agents to appear less intimidating. She even requested too little funding for the agency, prompting Republicans, in a rare move, to add funding to a budget request from the Obama administration.

Falling rocks. Doctors examining the bodies of 47 people killed by a volcanic eruption in Japan said most of them died after being struck by rocks and boulders. Mount Ontake unexpectedly erupted Saturday, catching many hikers at the volcano’s summit by surprise. Rocks flew through the air at 190 mph as the hikers fled through hot, falling ash. Seismologists had detected activity at Mount Ontake before the eruption, but nothing that would have suggested a large event was imminent.

Episcopal meltdown. Strife between management and faculty is making a wreck of the Episcopalian General Theological Seminary in Manhattan just when it seemed to be recovering from near financial ruin. Eight of 10 full-time faculty members walked off the job Friday to protest the new dean, who they say is controlling, offensive, and manipulative. The seminary’s trustees responded Monday by firing the professors, leaving 140 students with almost no teachers, according the The New York Times, which chronicles some of the complaints against the Rev. Kurt H. Dunkle, dean and president. Among them are Dunkle’s canceling of daily Mass at the seminary and alleged vulgar references to women and minorities.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.