LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, April 11, 2000-3 CRI ME Students rush to file taxes amid exams Patient hears voices, threatens *nurse at hospital A hemodialysis patient at Univer- sity Hospitals threatened a nurse Thursday night, according to Department of Public Safety reports. The patient, who said he was "hearing voices," was gone upon the arrival of psychiatric care providers. Signs stolen from *Med Center area Numerous street and traffic signs were stolen from the Medical Cen- terarea early Saturday morning, DPS reports state. Four no parking signs were removed from the ground and one stop sign was miss- ing. DPS did not report having any suspects. *Research subject bites employee A dog being used for research bit a University employee in Medical Science Building I on Friday evening, DPS reports state. The employee received treatment at the University Hospitals' emergency room. Unknown person *uses ATM card A woman reported that an unknown person used her ATM card without her permission Thursday afternoon, DPS reports state. The card was used at the University Cred- it Union machines in the Michigan .Union and Pierpont Commons. DPS does not have any suspects. *Woman injured in fall at Stockwell A female subject received medical treatment at University Hospitals after she fell and struck her head at Stockwell Residence Hall on Satur- day night, DPS reports state. Fire alarm pulled *at Grad Library An accidental fire alarm was acti- vated Saturday morning at the Har- lan Hatcher Graduate Library, DPS reports state. A DPS unit responded and reset the alarm, and there was no report of any suspects. Trespasser found in Stockwell lounge A man unaffiliated with the Uni- versity was found in a Stockwell Residence Hall lounge Thursday afternoon, DPS reports state. The man was advised of trespassing laws and escorted from the building. Security officers stop gas theft University Hospitals security gents detained a earful of suspects after the owner of the Marathon Sta- tion at Maiden Lane and Broadway accused them of stealing gas. None of the suspects had any outstanding warrants. A report onwthe incident was filed. Packages stolen from West Quad * Several packages were stolen at West Quad Residence Hall on Thursday night, DPS reports state. DPS has no suspects and the con- ents of the packages were not reported. Trash can found smoldering in Arb A 55-gallon plastic trash recepta- cle was found smoldering in ichols Arboretum on Thursday morning, DPS reports state. The fire melted the plastic container and burned itself out before being found. - Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter David Enders. By Jodie Kaufman Daily Staff Reporter - While many students are trying to figure out which classes to CRISP into and how to pull another all-nighter to study for their next exam, they may overlook another concern - getting their tax forms completed by the fed- eral deadline. Although some students are fortunate enough to have their parents take care of their financial statements, many must learn to deci- pher their 1040s from their W-2s on their own. "My parents do it for me, which is OK for now, but next year I will have to do it on my own," LSA senior Erica Riddle said. Unfortunately, neither students nor anyone else cannot avoid paying taxes. But Certified Public Accountant Mike Raham of Weidmayer, Schneider, Raham and Bennett in Ann Arbor said students "should sit down. and gather all their tax documenta- tion." "I really haven't got any magic," Raham said. This year, taxpayers have two extra days to get their completed forms to the IRS, since the annual deadline of April 15 falls on a Sat- urday. Without an extension, all forms must be postmarked by midnight Monday, Sutter said. CPA Frank Sutter recommends that stu- dents speak with their parents before filing for dependency. When a student earns less than $4,300, there is a $2,750 deduction,. Either the parents or student can file for this, Sutter said, "One person can take a Social Security number for dependency only," Sutter added. With the deadline less than a week away, many students seem to be on top of things. LSA senior Nick Farr said he has been completing his own taxes since he was 18 years old. He said he now turns to the Internet for quicker completion. "I did my taxes on the Web, and they have most of the information from last year, so I only had to answer a few questions," Farr said. Michigan Treasury Department spokes- woman Bridget Medina said one third of tax- payers have filed their returns online this year. "It makes a huge difference. You can get refunds in about seven days, versus eight weeks for a paper copy," Medina added. "Most software has error checks, which is much more convenient, and helps avoid more delays," Medina added. Online forms for electronic filing are avail- able through many tax preparers and a list of Michigan's accountants who offer this service is located at www.treasurv.state.mi.us. So far this year, Medina said about 2.5 mil- lion of the 5.5 million taxpayers in Michigan have turned in their tax forms. "Historically one million people turn them in on the deadline," Medina said. MeCain voters in no rush to side with Gore or Bush ROSEVILLE (AP) - Cast adrift by John McCain's failed candidacy, many of his supporters say they're unenthu- siastic about the remaining presiden- tial candidates and in no hurry to side with somebody new. In interviews from Missouri to New Jersey, McCain backers said they admired his Vietnam War record and his promise to scrub the political sys- tem. Many knew little else about the Ari- zona senator, but that hardly mattered. He has become, in a sense, a political mirage dancing in the eyes of voters thirsting for alternatives after the pri- maries narrowed their major-party choices to Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore. "I can't listen to Gore; he's too bor- ing. I can't vote for Bush; he's too shifty-eyed," said Karen Morley, a hos- pital administrator eating lunch at a diner in the Detroit suburb of St. Clair Shores. "McCain has got to be better, but I'll probably end up settling for Gore." After he left the race with seven pri- mary victories, McCain's supporters became a major target of both Gore and Bush. Mostly independent-minded voters, McCain backers could be piv- otal in what is expected to be a tight race. Recently, for example: A month after quitting, the Ari- zona senator scored about one-fifth of the GOP primary vote in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, two key general elec- tion states. a McCain was favored more than Gore and Bush by voters who describe themselves as uncommitted in a hypo- thetical matchup of congressional can- didates, McCain still gets major news coverage, as when he campaigned over the weekend for Rudolph Giu- liani in the New York Senate race and said in a speech at Columbia University yesterday that Hillary Rodham Clinton would be a star in the Senate but is just too liberal. Candidates nationwide are clamor- ing for his help this summer. Seven months before the election, The Associated Press interviewed self-described McCain backers in five states that analysts say could determine the election: Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Amy Schumacher of St. Clair Shores was sitting on the ledge of a cement planter outside a mall in Macomb County, a swath of blue-col- lar Detroit suburbs that swing between Democratic and Republican presiden- tial candidates. She had purple-tinted sunglasses, fingernails painted in 10 different shades and a coffin-shaped purse. "He was an original like me, I think," she said of McCain. "He seemed to be his own man." McCain voters say they plan to take their time deciding on a candidate. And many urged him to withhold his endorsement of the fellow Republican Bush, the Texas governor. "It would look like he's falling into the political scene," said Mike Wescott co-owner of the Goal Line bar in East Stroudsburg, Pa. "I would rather see him work in the Senate and campaign for other Republicans rather than standing there shaking hands with Bush," Wescott said. Mindful of the sentiment, McCain and Bush are tiptoeing toward a recon- ciliation after their primary battle. A few self-described McCain sup- porters said they backed Ross Perot or other third-party candidates in the past. MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily Ann Arbor resident Abby Schlaff discuss their 14 day School of America fast in the Henderson Room of the Michigan League. 1anationalp itest By Josie Gingrich Daily Staff Reporter Orange, apple, kiwi strawberry and grape juices are among those fill- ing the stomachs of four protesters, who are in day six of a 14 day juice- only fast. The fast is aimed at attract- ing attention to the highly criticized School of the Americas. The nationally organized protest is sponsored locally by the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, which is planning events for each of the 14 nights of the protest. Four community members are fast- ing in protest of SOA, a United States military school based in Columbus, Ga., which trains officers of Latin American armies. Protesters claim SOA graduates have been responsible for thousands of civilian deaths in Central and South America. Local fasters gathered last night in the Michigan League's Henderson Room to hear a Colombian speaker talk about the political situation in the South American nation. Despite the fact the speaker was not able to attend, fasters presented their case to the audience and focused particularly on the atroci- ties that have occurred in Colum- bia. "Columbia, by most people's analyses, has the current worst human rights situation in the hemi- sphere," said fasting participant Abby Schlaff, an Ann Arbor resi- dent and University alum affiliated with Amnesty International. "More labor organizers are killed in Columbia than the rest of the world combined." "It's an evil, bad thing," Schlaff said. "Even though the situation is very complicated, at some level, it's very simple. A small number of peo- ple control a large number of resources. The U.S. has always stood on the side of those who have every- thing." Protesters spoke of the impor- tance of expressing public officials to government officials, even though the requests often fall on deaf ears. "There's a pattern present here that nobody in power wants to see, said Jim Kalafus, an Ann Arbor resident who is participating in the protest. "The American people don't want to face up to what happens in the rest of the world" Schlaff said legislators are in denial about the purpose of the SOA. "You have to think they're lying to us or they're lying to themselves,"she said. "They maintain the School of the Americas can be reformed and it was never that bad." Protesters also emphasized the importance of vocal protest. "We all have to speak out and say this is ridiculous," Schlaff said. "All of us have a voice and we need to speak out." Four members of the audience were Colombian citizens who were hoping to hear the speaker, identified only as Pedro, talk about the current status of their home country. Instead they talked about their own situation. "In Columbia we have fear to talk," Ann Arbor resident Jose Penaranda said. "We are in the mid- dle of a war. We don't know what to do or where togo" Penaranda spoke of being trapped for 16 hours in a battle between the guerrillas, composed chiefly of drug traffickers and the United States sub- sidized Colombian army. But he said many people have the wrong impres- sion of Colombians. "People think all Colombians are drug traffickers," she said. "But Colombia is full of good people." THE CALENDAR What's happening in Ann Arbor today EVENTS Hebrew Table, Sponsored by Hillel, Middle Eastern, North African Studies and the Department of Near Eastern Studies, lecture by Ursula Dreibholz, department of Groupe de Francais, fluent French speakers to speak French, Cafe Zola, 112 W. Washington. 7:30 p.m., 996-1848 I i Now."