Friday, December 9, 2005
News 3 SUVs weak spot
in Ford's future
LIVING FOR M\/USIC .. FRIDAY FOCUS, PAGE 1(
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Whitney Dibo on Ann
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Arts 5 Iron&Wineand
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One-hundredffteen years ofeditorialfreedom
www.mzcnaandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXVI, No. 46 2005 The Michigan Daily
Lennon
exhibit
comes
to town
Daily Arts Writer
John Lennon might be one of the most
recognizable musicians in the world, but
few know that .,,,,,,,,,,,,,_,
hisartaone So This is Xmas
compared to SOTiISX a
Pablo Picasso's. John Lennon
Lennon's travel- Art Exhibit
ing art exhibit, Dec. 8 -11
"So This Is 217 N. Main St.
Xmas," opened
yesterday in
Ann Arbor and will continue through
Sunday.
The free exhibit, located at 217 North
Main St., showcases the line-drawing
talents of the man who was half of pop
music's greatest songwriting team and fea-
tures videos and music from the legendary
Beatle. The exhibit opens just in time for
the 25th anniversary of his tragic murder.
"John has a great history with Ann
Arbor, and Yoko (Ono, Lennon's widow)
specifically wanted us to come to Ann
Arbor to commemorate his death," said
Rudy Siegal, a planner for the exhibit.
"John and Yoko had a really special time
in this area."
In 1971, Lennon made an extremely
rare, post-Beatles live appearance at
See LENNON, Page 7
Harrison
guilty of
indecent
exposure
Football player to appear in court again
Monday on felony charges of being a
sexually delinquent person
By Nate Sandals
Daily Sports Writer
Former Michigan football player Larry Harrison returned to Ann Arbor
this week to face multiple charges for exposing himself to girls outside their
houses near campus.
On Wednesday, Harrison was convicted of indecent exposure, a misde-
meanor, in Washtenaw County Circuit Court.
Assistant Washtenaw County Prosecutor Blaine Longsworth brought
the case against Harrison, charging him with exposing himself to multiple
women on the 1300 block of Minerva Street on the night of Dec. 6, 2004.
The jury deliberated for about two hours before returning with a guilty ver-
dict. A conviction of misdemeanor indecent exposure can carry a sentence of
up to one year in prison. Judge Archie Brown presided over the three-day trial.
Harrison, 21, is not through dealing with the law. Judge Brown scheduled
a Monday trial for the felony charge of being a sexually delinquent person,
someone who repeatedly commits sexual acts without regard to conse-
quences or the acts' effect on others. A conviction on the felony charge
could carry a sentence of anywhere from one day to life in prison.
In addition to the felony charge, Brown will preside over three pretri-
al hearings for similar indecent exposure charges on Monday. State law
requires the same judge to hear all cases regarding similar charges.
Longsworth will prosecute the felony trial but would not divulge any of
the prosecution's tactics.
"The charge is different, so it is logical that there will be some differ-
ences from the misdemeanor case," Longsworth said. "But beyond that, I
won't speak on the prosecution's case against Mr. Harrison."
Longsworth said Harrison's behavior warranted further prosecution.
Harrison's defense attorney Anthony Chambers did not return messages
requesting a comment yesterday.
All of the charges stem from a series of incidents that took place during
fall semester of last year near Central Campus.
Harrison, a Detroit native, transferred to North Carolina A&T State Uni-
versity this fall following his suspension from the Michigan football team
in December of last year. He is now enrolled as a student at the Division
I-AA school in Greensboro, N.C., where he played on the football team this
past season. He recorded 39 tackles and one sack in 11 games.
The North Carolina A&T Athletic Department has not yet released a state-
ment on the conviction.
"We will have a statement when the whole matter is resolved," said
Wheeler Brown, associate athletic director at North Carolina A&T.
Brown went on to say there have been no discussions regarding Harri-
son's status on the football team. North Carolina A&T hired a new football
coach last Monday, and Brown did not expect the Harrison matter to be
brought up for at least a week.
Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr suspended Harrison indefinitely
from the Michigan football team last December following his arraignment
See HARRISON, Page 7
JLH-MY , UH LIy
Gabe Kleer looks at a drawing by John Lennon at the "So This Is Xmas" exhibit yesterday. The exhibit showcases
the line-drawing talents of the late Beatle.
Legal tussle over MCRI continues
State Court of Appeals rejects
request to reconsider placing
initiative on next year's ballot
LANSING (AP) - Opponents of a proposal
that would ban some affirmative action programs
in Michigan said yesterday they will appeal to
the state Supreme Court after again losing a deci-
sion in an appeals court.
The Michigan Court of Appeals rejected a
request to reconsider its earlier order that the pro-
* posal be put on the November 2006 ballot. The
appeals court, in an order released late Wednes-
day, again ordered a state elections board to put
the proposal on the ballot.
The Board of State Canvassers has not com-
plied with the order and apparently does not plan
to act until all appeals are exhausted.
"At this point, nothing has really changed," said
George Washington, a lawyer representing the
pro-affirmative action group BAMN. "The bot-
tom line is we're now appealing to the Supreme
Court, where we always thought we'd be."
The ballot proposal, backed by the Michigan
Civil Rights Initiative, would ban race and gen-
der preferences in government hiring and univer-
sity admissions.
MCRI executive director Jennifer Gratz said
canvassers should obey the appeals court ruling
and quickly approve the proposal for the ballot.
"The board should do what is right and certify
the petitions," Gratz said.
The appeals court order also said the secretary
of state's office "shall take all necessary mea-
sures" to put the proposal on the ballot.
The canvassers failed to approve or reject the
MCRI's petitions this summer, prompting the
group to seek court action to get on the ballot.
The appeals court ruled in MCRI's favor in
October. The elections board is obligated to cer-
tify the petitions, the appeals court said, because
there is no dispute that the form of the petitions
is proper and that the MCRI collected enough
signatures to make the ballot.
State elections bureau staff in July had rec-
ommended to the canvassers that the petitions
be certified. But a vote to approve the petitions
failed to win a bipartisan majority of the four-
person board, which has two Democrats and two
See MCRI, Page 7
Airbus becomes
more popular
with students
I
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL
By Drew Philp
Daily Staff Reporter
At the end of the winter semester
of his freshman year, LSA junior Ben
Gottlieb couldn't find a ride to the air-
port to return to his sunny home in
Hawaii.
Instead of paying for a $50 cab ride,
Gottlieb chose Airbus, a service spon-
sored by the Michigan Student Assem-
bly that takes students to Detroit Metro
Airport before and after breaks. This
Thanksgiving break, Airbus increased
its ride service by 38 percent over last
year, providing a total of 1,862 rides to
and from the airport.
This winter break, Airbus is plan-
ning a record 88 airport trips and
expects more passengers than it had
last year.
"In the past, we have had overfilled
busses," said Josh Kersey, the adminis-
trative executive for airbus. "This year,
we have scheduled almost 50 percent
more than last year."
Hitch a Ride
Buying Airbus tickets
for winter break
Students who need a ride
to Detroit Metro Airport after
finals can purchase Airbus
tickets at the Michigan Union
Ticket Office.
Students can use their
Mcards to buy walk-on seats,
but space is limited for stu-
dents without a reservation.
E The cost of a ticket to
the airport is $7, while a
return trip is $10.
improvements to its services besides
providing more rides. New buses
AARON SWICK/Daily
A scene from a dress rehearsal of Alicyn Warren's "Mirror Story" yesterday. The performance is an electronic opera that tells the story of a
young woman on her deathbed and will be performed today and tomorrow In the Video and Performance Studio In the Duderstadt Center.
Some seniors ready to say goodb to 'U'