The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, November 30, 1993 - 7 . Home sales highest in 14 years WASHINGTON (AP) - Contin- ued low mortgage rates and an improv- ing economy helped push the sales of existing homes to the highest level in more than 14 years in October. Despite such recent strength in hous- ing, however, the nation's top business economists predict the economy will be only slightly betterin 1994, although they said that will help keep down inflation and interest rates. Sales of previously owned single- family homesjumped 3.6 percent, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.08 million, the National Association of Realtors reported yesterday. That was up from a 3.94 million rate in September- stronger than the 3.91 million initial estimate-and the highest since 4.09 million in May 1979, the association said. Many analysts had expected an increase of only 1 percent. Realtors said sales advanced in ev- ery region of the country. HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS Canadian law prohibits media coveragi DETROIT (AP) - Several Cana- dian distributors refused to sell The Detroit News and Free Press because ofaCanadianjudge's ban on coverage of a sensational torture-murder case. The papers' Nov. 28 edition carried a front-page story on the case. Detroit Newspapers, which over- sees operations of The Detroit News and Free Press, said it sent papers over the border without trouble. Canadian distributors refused to sell them or re- moved the front section to avoid arrest, the News said Nov. 29. The case involves a couple accused of kidnapping teen-age girls, perform- ing sex acts and then torturing and killing them. The wife has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a plea bar- gain. Stoney Burke hands out fliers in the Diag for his new cable TV show, which is scheduled to MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily debut on Channel 9 Dec. 14 at 8 p.m. I Federal judge says decision stands in religious dispute eof trial Ontario Justice Francis Kovacs has blocked the public and foreign media from his courtroom in St. Catharines, just west of Niagara Falls, N.Y., under a law that allows judges to order a virtual blackout in an attempt to ensure a fair trial. He also has restricted the coverage of Canadian journalists. The News carried a Washington Post story on Karla Homolka's case and the upcoming murder trial of her husband, Paul Teale. The story was based on interviews of people with knowledge of what was said in court and on limited press reports. A Canadian edition of Thp Buffal* News didn't contain the Washington Post story, and many Canadians went to Buffalo to buy the U.S. edition, which contained the article. "All these cars with Ontario plates were out there when 1 pulled up this morning, waitingwfor me to open the door because of the article," said sales clerk Deborah Willis at Millender Cern- terPharmacy near the Detroit-Windsor tunnel. Some Canadians trying to take the papers back home were stopped by police at the border and forced to hand over copies. Homolka was sentenced last sum- mer to 12 years in prison on two counts of manslaughter for her role in deaths of two teen-age girls. Her husband, awaits trial on first-degree murder charges in the slayings including the rapes of 17 other women. Homolka has filed for divorce and is expected to testify against her hus- band. However, the litany of rapes and tortures he's charged of can't be pub- lished until after a verdict in Teale's case, thejudge ruled. Christina Bradford, managing edi- tor of The Detroit News, said about 24,000copies of the Sunday edition are sold each week in Ontario. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - A federal judge who said he has received death threats for ordering a picture of Jesus removed from a high school hallway rejected a plan yesterday to add portraits of other historical figures to the display. U.S. DistrictJudgeBenjamin Gibson in Feb- ruary ordered the picture removed from Bloomingdale High School. He said the settle- ment reached by lawyers while the case was on appeal "still violates the Constitution and pro- motes aparticular religion excessively by a public body." The lawsuit was filed last year by then-senior Eric Pensinger, who said the large framed picture that has been hanging in the public school's hallway for about 30 years violated the constitu- tional ban on government establishment of reli- gion. While the case was under appeal before the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, attorneys for Pensinger and the school district began settle- ment talks. Since Pensinger graduated in June, both sides believed there was a good chance the appellate court would dismiss the case. Two weeks ago, the sides agreed that the picture of Jesus could stay if similarly sized portraits of Abraham Lincoln and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. were placed on the same wall. The display also would carry a disclaimer stating that no public money was used to buy the pictures, and that they do not serve to endorse a particular religion. But Gibson refused to amend his earlier rul- ing, saying he believed the arrangement still "excessively entangles the government- in this case the school district - in religion." He noted that the proposed additional pictures were of primarily secular figures and did not adequately balance the religious nature of the picture of Jesus. "How can you compromise constitutional rights?" Gibson said. "This is not a fender-bender where you can split the difference." The appellate court is expected to rule in the coming weeks on the school's motion to dismiss the case. Gibson has allowed the picture, an inexpensiveprintofartist WarnerSallman's Head of Christ, to be covered with a cloth, rather than removed, during the appeal. The portrait had been donated to the school in the 1960s in memory of asecretary who had died. Neither side was particularly disappointed with Gibson's ruling yesterday since neither had been especially satisfied with the compromise. Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented Pensinger, said they only agreed to settle because they feared the case would be dismissed by the higher court. Attorney David Melton, who represents the school district, said board members had reluc- tantly agreed to the settlement in order to limit liability exposure should they lose. "There are certain members who wanted all along to roll the dice" and see what the appellate court would do, Melton said. During the hearing, Gibson said he had re- ceived letters from all over the country since his ruling in February. He said he had been under police protection after receiving death threats. Pensinger, who now works at a metal finish- ing factory, also has been the subject of harass- ment and threats in the small, conservative dis- trict near Kalamazoo since filing the lawsuit in October 1992. He was not in court yesterday. His attorney, Susan Fall, said Pensinger would have much preferred the picture taken down but was willing to go along with the settlement as "the lesser of two evils." "After what he's been through, he'd be very disappointed if the case is dismissed and we end up with the same display we started with," Fall said. No students have come forward to take up the cause, she added. In making his initial ruling in February, Gibson said he relied on the U.S. Supreme Court's 1971 ruling in Lemon vs. Kurtzman. That ruling said laws or government practices are unconstitu- tional if they have a religious purpose, primarily advance or promote religion, or excessively en- tangle government and religion. Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to re-examine that landmark ruling. ATETO IRTYA TUET!FLLOTTI SRE!YUmm m m m m N INSTFF ATTENTION FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS! FILL OUT THIS SURVEY! YOU CAN WIN STUFF! -, -____ ___ _ .1 The Daily is conducting a survey of first-year students for a special report on campus life and adjustments to college. We ask that you fill out this questionnaire only once. And be sure to fill out the other slip to enter the free food drawing. How many times do you order pizza per week? How many hours a night do you sleep on average? How many cups of coffee do you drink per week? How many times have you pulled an all-nighter this semester? Rate the dorm food from 1-10, 1 being the worst and 10 being the best. Do you like your roommate? 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We really appreciate your honest responses. Make sure you send in this part too so you can register to win a really cool and delicious prize. Drop off entries at the second floor of the Student Publications Building. Name: Local Phone: Year in School:_ Please put this one in the Drawing box. TELEVISIONS FOR RENT * 13" OR 19" Screens * Color and Cable Ready " Free Delivery Rent now until April 20 for: ONLY $76 CALL: 763-1661 or 624-2282 * T1 CIf C- N.!)1 Thinking about applying to Graduate School at the University of Michigan School of Education? If YES, come to a meeting Thursday, December 2, 6 p.m. Room 1322 (Tribute Room) School of Education Building Faculty and staff will be available to answer questions about programs, financial aid opportunities, and admission requirements. / fyou have questio1ns, cull:- OFFICE OF STUDENT SERVICES (313) 764-7563 1033 School of Education Building I C) 4 b / AS ' . , + - ?y /1 0,-C X y 1-~i 7 X ~ / L. ) / w / f Looks] Vivarin i S The big one's only could have pa class, but cram. F C 4 thos CO IR / , ike a night. y 12 hours away. You id more attention in tonight you've gotta irst, you better keep e eyes from closing. [evive with Vivarin. Safe as coffee, it helps keep you awake and mentally alert for hours. So when your most difficult problem to solve is how to tay awake...make it a Vivarin night! f . 2 I rl, / 'ca f (S c'Q Co .': Y. .... ... , - .,; f / . r s ta U 'A.. ?