LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 30, 2001- 3 Intoxicated man attempts to flee police in neutral Police spotted a man standing in the middle of Fuller Road at approx- imately 3 a.m. Tuesday, according to Department of Public Safety reports. The man was standing outside of his car and upon spotting police got in his vehicle and attempted to drive away. He was unable to leave the scene because his car was in neu- tral. Police detained the man and discov- ered he had a blood alcohol count of .20 percent. A person with a .10 per- cent BAC is considered legally intoxi- cated. His passenger was also intoxicated. The man and his passen- ger, both 21 years old, had been drink- ing at a fraternity. The man was arrested for operating .a vehicle under the influence of alco- hol. Counterfeit football tickets purchased Police discovered 25 tickets received by Michigan Stadium staff Saturday for Michigan's foot- ball game against Ohio State were counterfeit, according to DPS reports. Investigators believe most of the counterfeit tickets were sold along State Street and the Interstate 94 area. PlayStation 2 stolen from dorm Two students said a PlayStation 2 and several other items were stolen from their West Quad Residence Hall dorm room Wednesday evening, according to DPS reports. The victims told police they only lock their door when they leave the building. DPS had no suspects. Trash can fire causes students to evacuate A fire in a West Quad Residence Hall trash closet Wednesday night forced residents to evacuate the build- ing, DPS reports state. Police discov- ered trash on the shelf of a closet had caught fire. A bulletin board was burned, but there were no injuries. Students were able to return once Occupational Safety and Environmen- tal Health officials arrived to assist police. DPS did not find any evidence of carbon monoxide. Skateboarder's safety concerns pedestrian A man walking on the third level of the Church Street parking garage Wednesday afternoon said he saw a person on a skateboard "jumping over things," DPS reports state. He was S afraid the skateboarder would be hit by a car. Female robbery suspect on loose A woman between the ages of 18 and 22 is wanted by the Ann Arbor Police for two robberies. The sus- pect, who has purple hair with a blond streak, robbed a woman of her purse using a box cutter Friday in the 700 block of Packard Road. The suspect also robbed another woman in the 700 block of East University Avenue Sunday with the help of two men. The suspect is approximately 5 feet tall and 120 pounds. She has bright blue eyes and wears heavy makeup. Rocks thrown at building A staff member at the College of Pharmacy said an unknown person was throwing rocks at the Church Street entrance of the building Wednesday morning, DPS reports state. Police found there was no dam- age to the south side entrance glass upon inspection. - Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter Jacquelyn Nixon. Thomas favored to lead House Democrats By Louie Meizlish Daily Staff Reporter Democrats in the state House of Represen- tatives are expected to hold a rare mid-ses- sion leadership election Tuesday to replace Minority Leader Kwame Kilpatrick. Kil- patrick is resigning at the end of the year to become mayor of Detroit. The minority leader's job is generally to serve as the leader of "the loyal opposition," but also to help deliver that party a majority of seats in the next election, said Bill Rustem of the Lansing think tank Public Sector Con- sultants. The favorite to win the election, Rep. Buzz Thomas of Detroit, will not be a House mem- ber after the 2002 elections. He is term-limit- ed after this session and will be running for the state Senate in 2002. There are two other candidates still in the running - Reps. Jack Minore of Flint and Doug Bovin of the Upper Peninsula's Glad- stone. Thomas, a former congressional aide and homebuilder, has been endorsed by the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus, which consists of 19 House members. Minore, a former Flint school teacher and city council member, has emphasized in tele- vision interviews that he, unlike Thomas, will be seeking re-election to the House. He can run for one more term before being term limited. "I have a laser-like focus on the House Democratic Caucus," he said. "Representa- tive Thomas, I think, has a problem with dividing his time between running for the Senate and leading the House caucus." Minore praised Kilpatrick's ability to coop- erate with House Republicans on many issues in the past year, but said he would be more vocal in opposition than Kilpatrick. Democrats need to "outline the key and core differences between Democrats and Republicans" in an election year, he said. Bovin, stressed his experience in various leadership posts, including his three years as assistant minority leader and as the former mayor of Gladstone. He also served as presi- dent of the National Association of Counties. "My whole background has been involved in leadership," he said. Bovin said he wants the caucus to be treat- ed more as an association because of term- limits as well as giving more decision-making power to the assistant lead- ers. But he acknowledged that being from the Upper Peninsula is a disadvantage because caucus members from that area have a harder time making it to party-building meetings. Ann Arbor Rep. Chris Kolb has endorsed Thomas. "Buzz is the strongest candidate to take us into the next session based on his legislative ability, policy abilities and his ability to strengthen the caucus based through fundraising and strategy," he said. Minore, like Thomas, has potential future factors working against him. Fellow Flint res- ident Bob Emerson is expected to be Senate Democratic leader after 2002, and some rep- resentatives have reportedly been wary of having both leaders from the same city. Rep. John Hansen of Dexter, however, emphasized that Emerson and Minore have been friends for 25 years, which he said could be beneficial in forging a beneficial relationship between the House and Senate. "I think that would be an advantage we'd have them" as leaders, he said. Hansen said it is possible that a currently undeclared candidate could win the top lead- ership post. "You never know what's going to happen in a caucus room when people start debating and cutting deals," Hansen said. 'U' researchers develop crash warning system By Lisa Hoffman Daily Staff Reporter A device that would attempt to increase automobile safety by emitting an audible sig- nal when a driver is in a potentially dangerous situation may sound good in theory, but not all shoulder-hugging drivers are sure it is some- thing they would appreciate. "I can see if you're crossing into an oncom- ing lane, but it would bother me because I do hug the side of the road," said LSA sopho- more Lacey Babcock. Babcock added that she feels the new system will greatly benefit safe- ty on the roads. Researchers at the University's Transporta- tion Research Institute are developing such a device, called the Road Departure Crash Warning System. The system's developers said they hope to lessen the number of off-road accidents by warning drivers of hazardous situations before they occur. These types of accidents account for 41 percent of all in-vehicle fatalities. "People need to recognize that road depar- tures claim a bigger toll on life and property" than any other vehicle accidents, said project director and Traffic Institute engineer Robert Ervin. "The details of the design are there to satisfy the function. They haven't existed before and are a synthesis of several elements." The system features video cameras and radar that will assess obstructions and possi- ble hazards in front of the car and on the roadside, including guard rails, parked cars and potholes. It will also contain digital maps of U.S. roads and a Global Positioning Satel- lite system. "As the vehicle goes down the road, the road system will consult the center and ask what the nature of the hazard is. We want the "We want to make driving safer and more convenient for the American popuIation." - Barry Kantowicz Director, University Traffic Institute risk of the car departing from the road. Traffic Institute Director Barry Kantowitz said he sees new technology allowing cars to manage the information they receive from this type of system. "We're not going to see a car drive by itself in the next 10 years," Kantowitz said. "In Europe, researchers are putting speed gover- nors in engines that slow down the car when it is going too fast." But this type of control doesn't work with Americans, he added. Instead, he said Ameri- can cars may see systems that turn off distrac- tions, like cell phones and the radio, when driving in hazardous situations. "We want to make driving safer and more convenient for the American population", Kantowitz said. The system, which is supported by a $10 million contract from the Federal Highway Administration, should be installed and tested in 11 test vehicles in about two years, Ervin said. The vehicles will most likely be passen- ger vehicles and will be driven by volunteer Michigan residents. The TRI is also looking at the capabilities and limitations caused by human factors on driving and ways to improve safety, thanks to a $16 million contract with the FHA. DAVID ROCHKIND/Daily University Traffic Research Institute engineer Bob Ervin checks for possible obstacles in his rearview mirror. He and other University researchers are developjng a crash warning system for drivers. warning to always be perceived as credible," Ervin said. He added that developers were concerned the audible signal may become a nuisance to driver's with a tendency to flirt with the shoulder. "If the roadside has potential hazards, the system will warn the driver a little earlier. If the situation is more benign, like roads through open farm land, then the system will let them go a little deeper on the shoulder, Ervin said. "We want the warning to always be per- ceived as credible," he added. Drivers will be warned when they are dri- ving too fast around curves or when outdoor temperatures drop below freezing, Ervin said. Both of these situations reduce the amount of friction between the tires and heighten the Masquerade to raise awareness and funds for HIV/AIDS center By Kara Wenzel Daily Staff Reporter The Michigan Masquerade, which sponsors and organizers say will be the "best ball of the fall," is taking place tomorrow evening at William Monroe Trotter House. The Masquerade, a fancy cos- tume ball, is a charity event planned to raise money for the HIV/AIDS Resource Center in Ypsilanti. The. event was planned Miciig ] to take place on World AIDS Day, Tmr",q a day designated W m MC in 1988 to bring messages of hope and understandingD_0, about the AIDS epidemic to the A preceedsi entire globe. Resource Cer "We planned this event to raise awareness about the continual impact HIV and AIDS is having on our society, and that includes men, women and people of color ... and also to raise money for a worthy cause such as HARC," said event planner Ken Stewart, a School of Public Health student. Stewart thought up the masquer- ade idea as an alternative to the United Way for members of the University community to donate to charity. The University's connec- tion with the United Way has come under criticism because it is an umbrella group that supports the Boy Scouts of America, a group that prevents homosexuals and atheists from being members. The Masquerade, which starts at 9 p.m. and runs until 1 a.m., will feature a reception with music and refreshments, a silent auction, gam- bling for charity and dancing. Stewart said the [asquerade items for the silent auction m, .;, x include a Tnu roundtrip ticket for one to a skts, $ f". spring break des- '', $7 tination, two tick- ets to the annual Michigan-Michi- °r f s gan State hockey game, CD bun- dles, T-shirts, gift certificates and gift baskets. Tickets to the event are available in advance until tonight at the Michigan Union Ticket Office for $5, and a limited number of tickets will be available at the door for $7. "Costumes are optional, so any- body with a ticket won't be turned away," Stewart said. Stewart urges attendees to come with "a fistful of dollars and plan to have fun." THE CALENDAR What's happening in Ann Arbor this weekend FRIDAY St. Nicholas Light Dis- play; Annual indoor-out- door light spectacular featuring more than three million lights, their research in Mexi- co, Noon - 1:30 p.m., Room 2752, School of Social Work SATURDAY Havdalah and Rock 'n' a.m. - Noon, Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor, 200 South First Street SUNDAY israeli Dancing; Join Tom SERVICES Campus Information Centers, 764-INFO, info@umich.edu, or www. umich. edu/-info Northwalk, 763-WALK. a 0-e - - eGv e.