NEWS
ON CAMPUS
Tour to explore
observatory
There will be a tour of the historic
Detroit Observatory on East Ann
Street Sunday at 1 p.m. The build-
ing, which is more than 150 years
old, was recently restored and list-
ed in the National Register of His-
toric Places. The public is invited to
attend the open house.
NU professor to
speak on Ottoman
Literature
Tijana Krstic, a history professor
from Northwestern University and a
University graduate, will speak on "Cir-
cumventing the Catalogue: Research in
Ottoman Manuscript Libraries in Tur-
key and Bulgaria" at 11 a.m. The lecture
will take place today in room 3050 of
the Frieze Building.
CRIME
NOTES
Parking structure
fire totals two cars,
damages three
Several cars caught fire in a hospital
parking structure Wednesday at about
2:30 p.m., the Department of Public
Safety reported. The fire completely
destroyed two vehicles and damaged
three others. Two ceiling lights in the
structure were also destroyed. The cause
of the fire is still under investigation.
E-mail phishing
scam targets '
A University affiliate lost about
$600 yesterday as the result of a com-
puter phishing scam, DPS reported.
The victim sent information about his
bank account after receiving an e-mail
that appeared to be from his bank. The
phisher then allegedly used the infor-
mation to access his account.
Thieves make out
with $2,000 worth
of banners
Ten Music School anniversary ban-
ners were stolen from various lamp posts
around town, DPS reported. The banners
were stolen between last September and
last week. Each banner had an estimated
value of $140. The apparatuses used to
hang the banners, which were also sto-
len, were valued at $60 each.
THIS DAY
In Daily History
Michigamua
attorneys meet
with administrators
Feb. 24, 2000 - The senior honor
society Michigamua, the University
administration and the legal counsel
for Students of Color Coalition met yes-
terday to continue discussion on where
Michigamua will be allowed to hold its
meetings.
According to University spokesman
Nick Delgado, the lawyers have spent
two days presenting their parties' pro-
posals.
Bruce Elliot, the attorney repre-
senting Michigamua, said he is unable
to comment on the details of today's
meetings.
"As a rule, I really don't discuss cases
or legal situations," said Elliot, a 1972
University graduate and former Mich-
igamua member. He added that the
attorneys are expected to meet again
today.
The SCC has been occupying rooms
in the upper level of the Michigan Union
used by Michigamua and Pheonix, a
senior honor society for women.
A proposal was released by the Uni-
versity to the SCC yesterday through
Deputy General Counsel Liz Barry that
is a modified version of a plan outlined
by interim Vice President for Student
Affairs E. Royster Harper last week.
Th'e proposal calls for the establish-
ment of a panel that would "determine,
under what cnnditinns if anv. should a
The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 24, 2006 - 3
State employees
blamed for release
of suspected. killer
Accused serial killer released
from prison Jan. 10 allegedly
killed man and pregnant wife
LANSING (AP) - The state Department of
Corrections suspended two managers and a cleri-
cal worker yesterday as part of an investigation
into the release of a man now accused in a mur-
derous crime spree.
Department spokesman Russ Marlan said one
manager made the decision to release Patrick
Alan Selepak from prison - despite a policy
that says prisoners in his situation do not need to
be released. The department is not releasing the
names of the employees.
Selepak, 27, and his fiancee, Samantha Jean
Bachynski, 19, were to be arraigned yesterday in
Macomb County on murder charges in last week's
deaths of a man and his pregnant wife last week.
Selepak and Bachynski also are suspects in the
slaying of another man.
Selepak was arrested Nov. 8 on parole violation
charges. His parole officer recommended that
Selepak go back to prison, but no parole hearing
was scheduled within 45 days of his arrest. He
subsequently was released Jan. 10.
The Department of Corrections revised its
parole policies last year after the state Supreme
Court ruled in 2003 that it must hold a hearing
for - but does not have to release - any prisoner
accused of a parole violation, Marlan said. The
hearings are supposed to be held within 45 days.
One employee who was suspended heads the
department's parole supervision unit in Lansing.
"We believe our employees in that unit were
aware of that Supreme Court decision," Marlan
told The Associated Press, who added that it was
unclear why Selepak was released.
The Detroit Free Press first reported yesterday
that the decision to release Selepak because he did
not get a hearing within 45 days contradicted the
Michigan Supreme Court ruling.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm said yesterday the
error was unacceptable.
"It was a human error inside the Department of
Corrections that led to a human tragedy," she told
reporters in Detroit.
Granholm said she has asked the department to
investigate and make policy changes "to ensure
that kind of error never occurs again."
Also yesterday, angry lawmakers said they will
hold hearings to press state officials about why he
had been released.
Sen. Alan Sanborn (R-Richmond) said he was
outraged that a "bureaucratic oversight" by the
department resulted in the slaying of three inno-
cent people.
Northwest aims to save jobs, keep flights
A Bankrupt airline company
still trying to strike a deal
with pilots, flight attendants
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Northwest Airlines
Corp. and its pilots have agreed to a framework that
would allow the airline to increase regional jet fly-
ing and save pilots' jobs, though pay issues remain
unresolved, according to a published report.
Chief executive Doug Steenland told the Star
Tribune for a story published yesterday that the
deal "addresses the pilots' concerns over jobs, out-
sourcing and making sure that the replacement air-
craft for the DC-9 gets flown (by Northwest pilots),
and that represents significant progress."
The "lion's share" of job-protection issues have
been resolved, including saving pilot jobs in the
event of a merger, the sale of part of Northwest's
business or code-sharing arrangements with other
airlines, he said.
Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest is Michigan's
leading passenger air carrier and handles a
majority of travelers at its Detroit Metropolitan
Airport hub. be no deal if jobs are outsourced.
Northwest and the Air Line Pilots Association "This regional jet flying issue is so crucial to our
have been negotiating since early January and the careers that any negotiated agreement that would
pilots are taking a strike lose any of that flying
authorization vote that con- regio a f n would be a significant
cludes Tuesday. This regional jet flying setback for our pilots,"
If the pilots and flight issue is So rto said Wade Blaufuss, a
attendants fail to reach spokesman forthe union's
agreements with North- our careers that any Northwest branch.
west by today, a bankrupt- Steenland pledged to
cy judge could void their negotiated agreement ... continue working with
existing labor contracts Duane Woerth, presi-
and allow the airline to Would be a significant dent of the parent union,
impose new pay rates and n to win congressional
work rules. U.S. Bankrupt- shock to our pilots." approval of a bill that
cy Judge Allan Gropper would give Northwest
also could give the parties - Wade Blaufuss more time to make con-
a second extension to con- tributions to its under-
clude their talks. Northwest union spokesman funded pension plans.
Northwest intends to The pilots previously
The pension changes are among several conces-
sions the pilots have accepted. In 2004, the pilots
agreed to a 15 percent pay cut. Since mid-Novem-
ber, an additional interim pay cut of about 24 per-
cent has been in effect.
Now, Northwest wants $358 million in annual
concessions in a long-term contract.
Steenland acknowledged "there are still signifi-
cant open issues that we have to address," includ-
ing bridging the gap between the two sides on the
total-concessions. "We remain hopeful that we'll
be able to reach agreement," he said.
Blaufuss said the pilots also want a negotiated
deal, an outcome he stressed depends largely on
the airline's management. "If Northwest does not
back off from the remaining open issues, then they
can expect us to do what's necessary to defend our
careers," he said.
Meanwhile, negotiators for the Professional
Flight Attendants Association are "slowly" mov-
ing toward an agreement with management, but
the union remains at odds with Northwest over the
hiring of foreign workers, said Andy Damis, the
attendants union's secretary-treasurer.
replace its DC-9s, which are more than 30 years
old, with Bombardier or Embraer regional jets.
The company wanted to shift those regional jets to
a new subsidiary, but the pilots have said there will
agreed to freeze their pension plan at current ben-
efit levels. They are in negotiations with Northwest
concerning the company's contributions to 401(k)-
style plans for future retirement benefits.
Murdered- child
was abused by
adoptive parents
Neighbors say parents
were "cruel" and boy was
often left hungry
LANSING (AP) - Ricky Holland
had two sets of parents in his short life.
One failed him. The other is charged
with killing him.
When the 7-year-old's decomposed
body was recovered from a roadside
ditch in rural Ingham County in late
January, nearly seven months after he
went missing, the awful truth began
to emerge:
* Ricky never had a chance.
His adoptive parents - the ones cho-
sen to give him a better life, who pub-
licly held out hope for his return - now
accuse each other of killing him.
Tim, 36, and Lisa Holland, 34, inten-
tionally and continually humiliated
Ricky, according to detectives. He was
brought to school on a leash, put in dia-
pers when he was too old to wear them
and given carrot sandwiches for lunch
even though he hated carrots.
Ricky had unexplained bruises and
marks consistent with abuse. Yet despite
reports of abuse to state officials, the
Hollands retained custody of Ricky and
four younger children.
A preliminary autopsy shows that
Ricky's elbow, shoulder blade, nose
and upper jaw were broken at or near
the time of his death. Tim Holland
told detectives that his wife struck
Ricky twice in the head with a ham-
mer, but Lisa Holland said her hus-
band killed him.
"We're very frustrated at how cruel
(the Hollands) could be," said Laura
Maynard, 62, a Williamston resident
who spent eight days searching for
Ricky after he vanished from his Wil-
liamston home 15 miles east of Lansing
last Fourth of July weekend.
The disappearance was highlighted
on the TV show "America's Most Want-
ed." Volunteers, dive teams and K-9
units scoured roads, woods, fields, lakes
and rivers around the Holland house
for 10 days in ever-widening circles.
Through it all, Ricky's adoptive parents
told searchers and the media that he'd
run away.