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The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 3A


Take one down, pass it around

Various devices,
equipment stolen
from 'U' hospital
Department of Public Safety reports
from Tuesday show telephones and
blood pressure machines were stolen
from the University Hospital. Hospital
staff reported the thefts, but DPS has
no suspects. The phones are valued at
$320 each, and no value is known for
the blood pressure machines.
Suspect with
illegal substances
caught in Arb
DPS officers encountered a person
not affiliated with the University in the
Nichols Arboretum after hours, it was
reported on Tuesday. The person was
taken to the DPS station and released
pending warrant authorization for vio-
lation of controlled substances, which
DPS suspects to be marijuana. DPS
will not know the identity of the sub-
stance until test results return.
Drunken person
passes out in
League bathroom
DPS reports from Sunday indicate
that a person passed out in the first-floor
men's bathroom of the Michigan
League. Building staff found the person,
who was unaffiliated with the Universi-
ty, and notified DPS. The suspect, who
was alone, was read trespass rights and
taken to the University Hospital.
Engineering
banner stolen
from N. Campus
A banner reading, "Celebrating 150
Years of Engineering Excellence," was
reported stolen from the Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science
building Monday, according to DPS
reports. The banner was stolen from
the atrium of the building, and DPS
has no suspects in the theft.
Markley resident
victim of harassing
notes, graffiti
A Mary Markley Residence Hall
resident reported to DPS Monday that
he has received threatening notes, graf-
fiti and phone calls. DPS could not
release more details about the case, as
the report is incomplete at this time.
Visitor's vehicle
stolen from State
Street lot
DPS reports show that a person
reported Tuesday that her vehicle was
taken without permission. The car, a
green-colored 1996 Pontiac Grand Am,
was taken from a lot in the 3000 block
of State Street. DPS is following up on
leads in the case.
Computers stolen
from Media Union
According to DPS reports, a com-
puter was stolen Tuesday from the sec-
ond-floor area of the Media Union on
North Campus. The value of the com-
puter is unknown and there are no sus-
pects in the case.
Suspect breaks
padlock on gate
An unknown suspect cut a padlock

from a gate on Liberty Street, accord-
ing to DPS reports from Tuesday. Staff
reported the incident. Only the lock
was damaged in the incident.
Staff discover
woman sleeping
in Angell Hall
DPS reports from yesterday indi-
cate that a female subject was dis-
covered sleeping in Angell Hall by
staff. DPS arrested the suspect and
turned her over to the Ann Arbor
Police Department, which had a
valid warrant for her.
Disorderly man
arrested at
Dentistry building
Staff of the School of Dentistry
reported to DPS yesterday that a man
was acting loud and disorderly in the
lobby area of the building. DPS
responded to the call, and was trans-
ported to Washtenaw County Jail,
where he was lodged for a warrant.

Justice Dept
looks into
ich. cross
Federal government, NAACP ipect
issues of race relations after incident
targeting biracial couple
CHESTERFIELD TWP. (AP) - The burning of a
cross outside the home of a black man and his white wife
has prompted a U.S. Department of Justice examination
of race relations in Macomb County.
Diane Mitchum of the department's Community Relations
Service was to meet with Police Chief Steve Robbins,
Macomb NAACP President Ruthie Stevenson and others,
The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens reported yesterday.
"We meet with a variety of people in the community

TRELVOR(CAMPBELLUaily
LSA juniors Katie Conlon and Brittany Ritter volunteer their time at the beer-tasting fundraiser for the University
chapter of Habitat for Humanity at the Ann Arbor Brewing Company yesterday.
Bush faces citizens' fiscal criticis-m

and look for ways to
lower tensions and
reduce racial prob-
lems," Community
Relations Service
spokesman Daryl
Borgquist said.
The agency could
recommend actions
such as forums, public
statements and
increased youth educa-
tion programs.
"I'm excited about
them coming into the
area," Stevenson said.
The FBI and town-

"We meet with a
variety of people
in the community
and look for ways
to lower tensions
and reduce racial
problems:'
- Daryl Borgquist
U.S. Department ofJustice
Community Relations Service

FLINT (AP) - Allies of Democrat John
Kerry in this down-on-its-luck industrial state
are armed with depressing statistics on unem-
ployment and poverty, hoping to persuade
voters to blame President Bush for the hit on
their pocketbooks.
In Michigan, 6.6 percent of workers are
unemployed, with the strain sharpest in com-
munities that have suffered plant closings and
manufacturing cutbacks as jobs moved over-
seas.
There is widespread anger, spreading into
conservative areas, that Bush is not doing
enough to keep those jobs at home or help the
poor.
"There's a lot more they could be doing
rather than fattening the rich man's pocket,"
said Michael Rucker, who was fired from his
job at a packing plant.
As Rucker stood in line for help at a state
work force development office in Flint, sever-
al cars circled its expansive parking lot, wait-
ing for a space to open.
"I thought Bush was doing pretty good, but
when you don't have a job, that makes a dif-
ference," said Chuck Westerfeld, as he

smoked a cigarette outside the building.
Westerfeld said he makes ends meet by
doing odd jobs but needs one with benefits
because his girlfriend is pregnant.
He isn't sure who he'll vote for in Novem-
ber.
Kerry plans to discuss his ideas for creating
jobs during a visit to the state Friday, with
particular emphasis on the manufacturing sec-
tor that has sent jobs abroad.
Republican Rep. Candice Miller, chair-
woman of Bush's Michigan campaign,
acknowledged that the state economy needs to
improve to give Bush a boost.
Economists predict improvement in coming
months, she said, and January's 6.6 percent
unemployment rate was down a full percent-
age point from December.
"If the economy goes south, that's not a
good thing for my guy," Miller said. "But if
the economy gets good, that's a bad thing for
the Democrats."
Miller said Bush doesn't have to win the
state, but that Kerry must to win the presidency.
In 2000, Democrat Al Gore narrowly
defeated Bush in Michigan, one of more than

a dozen battleground states Bush and Kerry
are targeting for the general election in
November.
Other key states, including Ohio, Pennsyl-
vania and Missouri, also are suffering eco-
nomically.
In 2000, Michigan's annual unemployment
rate was below the national average, at 3.5
percent compared to 4 percent.
After Bush, the rate crept upward, as did
the nation's, and stood above 7 percent for the
last seven months of 2003.
January's 6.6 percent rate was a full point
higher than the national rate of 5.6 percent.
Poverty also is higher. Under President
Clinton, the number of residents receiving
public assistance steadily decreased to
589,000 in 2000, from 1 million in 1992. That
number is now at 910,000.
A survey last month by Lansing-based
EPIC/MRA showed that a majority of Michi-
gan voters gave Bush negative ratings on the
economy in every region of the state. Only 38
percent rated Bush's handling of the economy
as excellent or good, compared to 61 percent
who said it was fair or poor.

ship police, meanwhile, continue investigating last
week's burning of a wooden cross on the front lawn of
the home of Jason and Nancy Halliburton.
A racial slur was spray-painted on the attached garage.
Authorities have no suspects in the incident, Robbins said.
Federal officials heard about the incident and wanted
to respond because public cross burnings have become
fairly uncommon, Borgquist said.
Biracial couples and families that move into previously all-
white neighborhoods are targeted most frequently, he said.
Blacks comprise 2.7 percent of the population in
Macomb County, compared with 14.2 percent statewide,
according to the 2000 Census. In Chesterfield Township,
3 percent of residents are black.
The presence of a federal official specializing in heal-
ing racial tensions should help the NAACP, which is
planning a series of public forums on racial issues in
Macomb County, Stevenson said.
The first forum is scheduled for April 17 in Clinton
Township. Forum topics will be decided by those who
attend and won't be limited to certain subjects, Steven-
son said.

'Mich. busness coalition opposes
propnosed cigarette tax increase

Corrections:
M A quote from an article on Page 10 of yesterday's Daily, starting "I'm a little
bit more conservative ..." should have been attributed to Jon Urbanchek.
. An article on Page 1 of yesterday's Daily should have said lecturers have until
April 3 to vote on whether to strike.
Please report any errors in the Daily to corrections@michigandaily.com

LANSING (AP) - A proposal to
raise the state's cigarette tax by 75
cents a pack faces opposition from
a Michigan business coalition.
The proposed tax increase is a
key piece of Gov. Jennifer
Granholm's. plan to balance the
state budget for the fiscal year that
starts Oct. 1.
The tax increase "T'here
could raise up to $295
million, wiping out Way to
roughly a quarter of the trimi
state's projected deficit.
The business coalition reform
said state leaders should
do more to cut spending govern
before considering an
increase in taxes.
"There is a long way Mic
to go in trimming and
reforming state gov-

afraid to make cuts," Boyd said.
"She is not."
It is unclear if the cigarette tax
hike can pass in its current form.
Some Republicans say they'd pre-
fer to cut budgets first, then decide
how large of a cigarette tax increase
is needed.

is a long
gomn
ng and
ing state
mene'
- Tricia Kinley
chigan Chamber of
Commerce

Senate Majori-
ty Leader Ken
Sikkema (R-
Wyoming) has
supported past
cigarette tax
increases and is
not opposed to
another increase,
spokesman Bill
Nowling said.
But it remains
to be seen what
level of tax

to push that through.
House Commerce Committee
Chairman Clark Bisbee (R-Jackson)
has said he won't allow his panel to
send the cigarette tax increase bill
to the full House.
Johnson could direct the bill to
another committee or have it sent
directly to the Michigan House floor.
There also have been suggestions
that if other sources of revenue
could be found - such as allowing
video slot machines at Michigan
horse tracks - support for the ciga-
rette tax could wane.
"To suggest they are tied together
is too strong," said state Rep. Jack
Minore (D-Flint).
"But is there some linkage in
some peoples' minds? Yes."
Allowing horse tracks to offer
more types of gambling also has
drawn opponents.
Polls indicate the cigarette tax
increase has broad public support.
"It is supported even by some
smokers, because it could help them
quit," said Ronald Davis, director of
the Center for Health Promotion
and Disease Prevention at Henry
Ford Health System in Detroit.

ernment," said Tricia Kinley of the
Michigan Chamber of Commerce.
"We don't believe any tax increases
are necessary."
The Michigan chamber joined
forces yesterday with several other
groups, including the Michigan
Retailers Association and the
Michigan Grocers Association, to
oppose the cigarette tax hike.
The coalition, which calls itself
the Michigan Business Alliance for
Fair Taxes, said the tax increase
could lead to lost jobs for small and
mid-size retailers.
The coalition predicted more
Michigan residents would travel to
other states to buy cheaper ciga-
rettes and illegally bring them back
into the state.
That could especially harm small
retailers near the Ohio and Indiana
borders, it said.
The Michigan chamber also
opposes the cigarette tax hike
because it would cancel a law that
allows the state's Single Business
Tax rate to resume annual reduc-
tions once the state's rainy day fund
ha 2509Smillion balance.

increase would be supported, Nowl-
ing said.
House Speaker Rick Johnson (R-
LeRoy) has proposed an increase of
81 cents per pack that would make
Michigan's cigarette tax the highest
in the nation at $2.06.
But Johnson may have to work
around opposition in his own party

Attention: Pre-Med/Pre-Nursing Students
Excellent opportunity to work with doctors in a camp
infirmary setting, as a Camp Health Officer.We
will pay for the short certification course.
Enjoy working in a beautiful Northern
Michigan setting.

f The U of M Synchronized Swimming Team;
Is proud to host
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Mar. 25-26 $5
Mar. 27 $10 Adult/$5 Student, Senior, Kids
EVENT SCHEDULE:
Mar. 25 8am-Spm Solo/Duet/Trio Semi-Finals
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Michigan Head'Pain &
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conducting an in-clinic research
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Participants must be 18 to 60 years
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the daily The
m ensapuzzlenceon
Review