The Michigan Daily - Monday, January 6, 1999 - 7A
.S. jets fre and miss Iraqi aircrat in no-fly zone
WASHINGTON (AP) - Four U.S. Air
Force and Navy jets fired on - and missed -
four Iraqi MiGs testing the "no-fly" zone over
-southern Iraq yesterday in the first such air con-
frontation in more than six years.
The Iraqis "beat a hasty retreat" following
.re early morning clashes, which occurred in
o separate incidents just 15 minutes and 62
miles apart, said Pentagon spokesperson
Kenneth Bacon.
In all, between 13 to 15 Iraqi aircraft
attempted to violate the no-fly zone in a rash of
eight .incursions that Bacon termed "suspi-
cious." While dismissing any ability to "psy-
choanalyze" Iraqi President Saddam Hussein,
Bacon said the moves could have been aimed at
luring U.S. and British aircraft within shooting
range of surface-to-air missile batteries, or may
' marks of his "frustration" in the wake of the
surprise December air attacks by U.S. and
British forces.
On Capitol Hill, Gen. Henry Shelton, chair
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he believed the
current provocations by Iraqi aircraft reflected
the fact that "they lost the initiative which we
feel they are trying to regain now."
He told the Senate Armed Services
Committee that the U.S. missiles were fired "at
a distance,"and were near the limit at which they
are effective.
Asked by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) if the
United States shouldn't try to destroy the air-
fields used by Iraqi aircraft, Shelton said: "We
have those kinds of plans on the shelf" should
President Clinton decide to take such action.
But Shelton sidestepped a direct question on
whether the United States should try to target
Saddam Hussein directly.
At the Pentagon, Bacon said the first inci-
dent occurred at 2:15 a.m. EST southwest of
Baghdad and involved two U.S. Air Force F-
ISs that fired off one Sparrow and three AIM-
120 missiles at two Iraqi MiG-25s. The Iraqis
had turned their radar on the American air-
craft, prompting the missile firings, Bacon
said. Such a use of radar can indicate intent to
attack.
In the second event, two U.S. Navy F-14s
fired on two other MiG-25s, using two AIM-54
Phoenix missiles. That incident took place
southeast of Baghdad after the Iraqi planes
"dipped" into the no-fly zone, Bacon said. All of
the Iraqi planes turned quickly after being fired
upon, Bacon said. "They escaped without being
shot down," he said.
The Navy planes, based on the aircraft carri-
er Carl Vinson, returned safely. The other planes
"The president has made it clear we will
enforce the nofly zones vigorously. "
- David Leavy
White House National Security Council spokesperson
also returned safely, but U.S. officials declined
to say exactly where on land they were based.
The official Iraqi News Agency said Iraqi
planes "confronted and clashed with the aggres-
sive British and American aircraft" before "the
aggressive aircraft withdrew. All of our air force
planes returned to base safely."
The incident marked an escalation of ten-
sions between Iraq and the United States and
Britain over enforcing the "no-fly" zones in
northern and southern Iraq. Iraq considers4 the
restrictions illegal and has vowed to defy them.
President Clinton has said U.S. and British
forces will continue banning Iraqi flights in the
restricted zones, arguing that Saddam Hussein's
military still represents a threat to minority Kurds
in the north and Shiite Muslims in the south.
David Leavy, spokesperson for the White
House National Security Council, said: "The
president has made it clear we will enforce the
no-fly zones vigorously. The Iraqi violations are
at their own peril."
'Record-low
temperatures
hit Michigan
DETROIT (AP) - From inside, it
didn't look bad: The sun was shining
bright, the sky was blue and much of
the snow still glistened white.
Take a step outside, however, and
all that could be felt was a numbing
cold. Many cities and towns never
got into double digits yesterday, with
Detroit recording a record low of 10
below zero. The previous record for
Jan. 5 was eight below zero, set in
1981.
"I hate it," attorney Susan Rack
said as she was walking back to her
car in downtown Detroit.' Clad in a
long coat, boots, a hat and mittens,
Rack lamented for last month's
warmer temperatures.
"I want our Florida weather back,
said Rack, who lives in Inkster.
On Dec. 5, Detroit had a record
high of 65 degrees, and it was 69 a
day later. Yesterday, Andy Resendez
was trying to use a snow blower to
clear a downtown sidewalk but gave
up.
"It's too much," he said. "We need
a snowplow"
Resendez, of Detroit, had been
called into work because a colleague
had gotten too cold.
"You can't stay out here for long. A
couple of hours is the max, he said.
But Paul Wright, who was waiting
for the bus, didn't mind the chill.
"I'm comfortable,"he said, clad in a
hat, long coat, galoshes and with a
scarf wrapped around his face."I prefer
A cold weather to hot weather. I bundle
up. I may look badly, but I'm warm."
At Detroit Metropolitan Airport in
Romulus, yesterday's high as of 5
p.m. was zero, the National Weather
Service reported.
Iron Mountain had recorded the
state's lowest temperature, 20 below.
Copper Harbor had the state high at
31 degrees. The next highest temper-
ature was 18 degrees at Alpena,
Manistee, Pellston and Sault Ste.
Marie.
The high in Grand Rapids had
reached only four degrees, a degree
below the previous record low high
of five set in 1912.
In Lansing, the high was just three
degrees, well below the previous
record of six set in 1912.
Roads were still slick and snow
covered, and many motorists found
their commutes took more than twice
as long as normal. .
Just as the season's first real chill
set in, The Heat and Warmth Fund
announced it will start its 1999 cam-
paign today. Last year, the organiza-
tion raised nearly $2,700,000 to help
Detroit-area families pay their heat
bills.
After a brief respite with tempera-
tures in the 30s on Friday in lower
Michigan, the temperature will fall
down to the 20s again this weekend,
said Jeff Boyne, a National Weather
Service meteorologist. Northern
Lower Michigan will have tempera-
tures in the 20s on Friday and
between five degrees and teens over
the weekend, Boyne said.
A new storm could possibly hit the
state tomorrow evening and Friday.
. "We'll probably get some snow,
but the question is how much," he
said.
For today, forecasts call for lower
Michigan to be doused with 2 to 4
inches of snow. About 4 to 8 inches
could fall on shorelines along Lake
Michigan, and the Upper Peninsula
should get 2 to 4 inches.
AP PHOTO
A thick sheet of ice blankets a bench on the shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland earlier this week. Single-digit temperatures
with wind chills of 20-30 degrees below zero across the Midwest kept people Indoors.
STORM
Continued from Page 1A
Pickel. Tickets can be issued to residents who fail to meet
snow and ice removal requirements.
"Tickets are a last resort - we want people to clean their
sidewalks," Pickel said.
Pickel said he thinks the ordinance is important for a rea-
son other than the obvious inconvenience of blocked walk-
ways.
"If an emergency crew needs to get in to a house or build-
ing, slippery walkways can delay entry where every second
might be critical," Pickel said.
The first Storm of 1999 is being classified by the
National Weather Service as a blizzard.
"It's the third most snow we've had since 1889," said
University and NWS observer Dennis Kahlbaum.
Kahlbaum said a blizzard is categorized by winds of
more than 32 miles an hour, very low temperatures and large
amounts of powdery and blowing snow.
More snow was expected to fall last night. "It looks like
about I to 3 inches," Kahlbaum said, adding the temperatures
are projected to be in the 20s until the weekend.
"This storm is known as a clipper," Kahlbaum said of the
expected mid-week storm. Clippers move fast but efficiently
produce much snowfall, he said.
To compound the hazardous weather conditions, a wind
chill advisory was in effect for Washtenaw County until last
night.
Extremely low temperatures combined with windy con-
ditions can pose a threat to students spending time outdoors.
Department of Public Safety spokesperson Beth Hall said
it is important to protect extremities such as fingers, ears and
feet from the cold. Also, those planning on shoveling snow
should take caution.
"No matter what kind of physical shape you are in, you
should take frequent breaks" Hall said. "A number of people
suffer heart attacks while shoveling."
Snowy walkways could also result in missing mail. Some
carriers may not be able to access boxes and must return the
mail to the post office.
"We ask carriers not to jeopardize their safety' Ann
Arbor Postmaster Jim Gibbons said.
Ain Arbor residents who are expecting important letters
can pick up their mail at the post office. Gibbons did not
encourage all customers to visit the front desk of the post
office to retrieve their mail as there are not enough hands
there to serve everyone.
Gibbons said the snow makes this "one of the least fun
times of the year."
Residents who have not been receiving mail should
expect regular service to resume today "just in time for the
next snowstorm," Gibbons said. "We just ask customers to be
patient."
House
GOPs
nominate
Hastert
The Washington Post
WASHINGTON - House
Republicans unanimously nominated
Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) as their
leader yesterday, thereby ensuring he
will become the speaker of the 106th
Congress when it convenes today.
The message of the day was clear:
Hastert will bring unity and civility
back to the House. In a closed session
on the House floor last night, GOP law-
makers praised Hastert for his ability to
forge consensus and promote the pas-
sage of meaningful legislation, accord-
ing to members who attended.
"He can unify the House of
Representatives," declared Republican
Conference Chair J.C. Watts of
Oklahoma at a news conference after
the vote, where more than 100 lawmak-
ers gathered behind Hastert to applaud
him. "He's the right man at the right
time.
Hastert, who received standing ova-
tions, reminded his colleagues during
the private session of President
Abraham Lincoln's famed admonition
that "a house divided against itself can-
not stand."
The lawmakers who spoke on
Hastert's behalf noted his skills as a
coach and that he agreed to take on the
leadership post only after being pressed
to do so.
"Let's just make sure we don't try to
change Denny, Rep. Thomas Ewing
(R-Ill.) said, according to Rep. Rick
Lazio (R-N.Y.).
Lawmakers described Hastert as a
dramatic departure from predecessor
Newt Gingrich of Georgia.
"We're moving away from the Newt
era, which was a very centralized
speakership," Ewing said in an inter-
view.
Gone, too, was Gingrich's revolu-
tionary rhetoric. Appearing before the
cameras with wife Jean, Hastert
pledged to find a "middle ground" with
Democrats in an effort to restore the
public's faith in Congress. "I'm going
to meet the Democratic leadership and
the Democratic Caucus halfway, and I
expect them to come halfway to meet
me," he said.
Even Majority Whip Tom DeLay of
Texas, a fierce Clinton critic, said that
"nothing's non-negotiable" with the
White House and praised Hastert for
planning to meet regularly with top
Democrats. "He's already figuring out
how to be speaker of the whole House,
not just Republican speaker, which is
why we need him right now,' DeLay
said.
Rep. Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill.) who
has worked with Hastert on the
Government Reform and Oversight
Committee, said he believes the speak-
er-designate could "work in a non-
politically destructive way."
The two lawmakers studied drug
interdiction efforts in Latin America
last May, Blagojevich recalled, and
Hastert later helped him obtain funding
for a community prosecution program
in a federal spending bill when Clinton
was unable to get the provision through
the House Judiciary Committee.
"You get a feeling that he's going to
do the right thing," Blagojevich said.
"His own demeanor and his own per-
sonality radiate civility. He's just basi-
cally a nice guy," said Rep. Ray
LaHood (R-Ill.), another Hastert friend
who helped organize a retreat during
the last Congress aimed at restoring
decorum in the House. "He does not
come into the job radioactive, contro-
versial from the get go"
LaHood predicted Hastert would set a
bipartisan tone in his acceptance speech
a. }.. I +.. - - 'i- nn c+ 4 A C
California governor proposes plan to up diversity
4 0.
California may guarantee UC
admission to the top 4 percent
of students at each high school
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A year after the end
of affirmative action at the University of
California, Gov. Gray Davis is proposing to
"ensure diversity and fair play" by guaranteeing
mission to the top 4 percent of students at each
gh school in the state.
The Democrat announced the proposal at his
inauguration Monday in a clear break with his pre-
decessor Pete Wilson, a Republican who backed
Proposition 209. The voter-approved measure dis-
mantled racial and ethnic preferences in UC
admissions.
Currently, UC, with 129,000 students at eight
i i. A& 'i mr,
undergraduate campuses, admits the top 12.5 per-
cent of all high school graduates statewide, an
applicant pool that tends to be filled with students
from affluent, top-performing schools.
The proposal to take 4 percent from every
school could be boon to blacks and Latino/as at
inner-city and rural schools that send few students
to college.
The new proposal also would change the way
graduates are ranked by putting less emphasis on
standardized verbal and math exams and more
weight on SAT2 scores, which tests students'
knowledge in three subjects of their choice.
"We believe that it will result in a student body
that is more representative of the state's diverse
population without sacrificing academic excel-
lence," said Charles McFadden, spokesperson for
the UC system.
The proposal is meant as a way around
Proposition 209. Undergraduate enrollment of
blacks, Latino/as and American Indians has
dropped 9.5 percent since the measure took effect.
"We will seek to ensure diversity and fair play
by guaranteeing to those students who truly excel
by graduating in the top 4 percent of their high
school - whether it's in West Los Angeles or East
Palo Alto:' Davis said. "Those kids who excel will
automatically be admitted to the University of
California."
The proposal is subject to approval by
California's 26-member Board of Regents, though
the first Democratic governor in 16 years will have
considerable influence.
Not only does Davis preside over the board, but
three fellow Democrats also sit on the board, and
he can appoint 10 members during the next four
years. A vote by the regents is scheduled for
March.
Ward Connerly, a black regent who was appoint-
ed by Wilson and led the campaign to end affir-
mative action, said that he has yet to make up his
mind about the 4 percent proposal but that he is
considering supporting it because it might moti-
vate low-income students.
"There is very little culture of achievement in
low-income neighborhoods, especially a culture of
academic achievement;' he said. "This could put a
prize out there."
At the same time, he said that unless the state
also providedmore financial aid, the proposal
would probably be of more benefit to white
rural students than inner-city blacks and
Latino/as. And he said he fears a dumbing-down
of UC.
Jiott: Senate to go forward with trial tomorrow
IMPEACH
Continued from Page 1A
from presiding over the trial on
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
mornings, sources said.
Lott later closeted himself in the
Capitol, and, in a race against the clock,
met throughout the day and into the
*ght with senators from both parties,
trying to cobble together a plan for an
impeachment trial that he vowed would
"proceed expeditiously and fairly."
"I am ... seeking common ground
and a non-partisan approach to the
grave matters before us," Lott said. But
ravn n bi red }i rened remarks
will serve as jurors.
The flurry of meetings yesterday
occurred in the largely deserted Senate
side of the Capitol as senators darted in
and out of various hide-away offices.
As the negotiations intensified, Lott
also consulted by telephone with con-
stitutional scholars.
Democrats and Republicans are
scheduled to caucus among themselves
today. Out of those meetings, especially
that of the GOP senators, who hold a 55-
45 edge in the chamber, a more detailed
plan for the trial likely is to emerge.
The senators' sense of urgency was
prompted by more than tomorrow's
start date.
continue the trial, the proceeding could
be adjourned and then a censure resolu-
tion taken up - presumably leading to
a reprimand of Clinton for his conduct
in the Monica Lewinsky affair.
The Constitution requires 67 votes,
or a two-thirds majority of the Senate,
to convict a president and remove him
from office. But a vote to adjourn an
impeachment trial requires a simple
majority of 51 votes.
As envisioned by the vaguely word-
ed proposal by Sens. Joseph Lieberman
(D-Conn.) and Slade Gorton (R-
Wash.), the whole trial could be over
within a week.
But in the face of growing opposi-