The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Thursday, October 4, 2007 - 3A NEWS BRIEFS LANSING After tax hike, activists seek recalls Higher taxes are sparking a two- front ballot campaign that would repeal an income tax increase and sales tax on some services while punishing Gov. Jennifer Granhoim and the lawmakers who backed the changes. It will be tough to recall legisla- tors and get measures on the bal- lot asking voters to reject the tax changes, however. Thousands of petition signatures are needed to do either. LeonDroletaformerRepublican state representative and leader of the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance, said the backlash against Monday's tax increases has been strong. WASHINGTON Bush vetoes children's health insurance bill President Bush cast a quiet veto yesterday against a politically attractive expansion of children's health insurance, triggering a struggle with the Democratic-con- trolled Congress certain to rever- berate into the 2008 elections. "Congress will fight hard to override President Bush's heart- less veto," vowed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Republican leaders expressed confidence they have enough votes to make the veto stick in the House, and not a single senior Democrat disputed them. A two-thirds major- ity in both houses of Congress is required to override a veto. Bush vetoed the bill in private, absent the television cameras and other media coverage that nor- mally attend even routine presi- dential actions. The measure called for adding an estimated 4 million mostly lower-income children to a program that currently covers 6.6 million. JOHANNESBURG, South Africa Roughly 3,000 trapped in South African gold mine About 3,000 miners were trapped underground yesterday when a water pipe burst and prob- ably caused a shaft to collapse in a South African gold mine, union officials said. An official with Harmony Gold's Elandsrand Mine near Johannes- burg said company would be able to evacuate the trapped workers from the mine over the next 24 hours. Harmony's acting chief execu- tive, Graham Briggs, said on MSNBC that officials have been in contact with the trapped workers and have been sending them food and water. WASHINGTON Sen. Pete Domenici to retire because of health issues Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mex- ico, an influential Republican voice on budget issues for a generation, intends to retire at the end of his term next year for health reasons, party officials said yesterday. The 75-year-old, six-term law- maker plans a formal retirement announcement today in his home state. Domenici began informing asso- ciates late yesterday he has fron- totemporal lobar degeneration, a progressive disease that in some forms can cause dysfunction in the parts of the brain important for organization, decision-making and control of mood and behavior. - Compiled from Daily wire reports 3,809 Number of American service members who have died in the War in Iraq, according to The Associ- ated Press. The following service members were identified by the Department of Defense yesterday: Petty Officer Third Class Mark R. Cannon, 31, of Lubbock, Texas Group aims to foster campus environmentalism GYMNASTICS ON THE DIAG GREEN From page 1A working together to push the state to adopt apolicy that would require it to get 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. In February, the commission sponsored an MSA resolution that urged the University to purchase a larger portion of its energy from renewable sources. The com- mission urged the University to increase this portion to a third by this fall, but administrators rejected the timeline as impracti- cal. In response, the University cre- ated a six-point plan supporting the purchase of renewable energy. The University Board of Regents passed the three-year plan in April. The plan includes issuing an annu- al report on energy consumption, researching purchasing more elec- tricity from renewable sources and expanding alternative transporta- tion services for students. The University also has an Energy Conservation Measures Fund to sponsor initiatives to reduce energy use in University buildings. The coalition will also sup- port the newly formed Intergroup Environmental Council, a network of approximately 10 University of Michigan environmental groups. The council was created at the beginning of tis semester to increase collaboration between campus environmental groups on events and projects, Munn said. "We're trying to build a fun com- munity around the environmen- tal work we do on campus," Munn said. Last weekend, the coalition held a summit in East Lansing. Munn said the summit gave participants, who were mostly Michigan college students, an opportunity to lead and participate in discussions and workshops. They discussed envi- ronmental issues like recyclingpro- grams at their schools and getting involved in environmental justice campaigns. "Students (came) away from the summit inspired and empowered to make changes toward sustainabil- ity on their campuses," Munn said. "They have a better idea of how to go out and engage with other stu- dents and with their administrators on these issues." Munn said the coalition is also working to sponsor a bus from Ann Arbor to Washington, D.C for a national youth environmental sum- LSA sophomore Jamie Thompson does gymnastics on the Diag mit in there next month. mote the Michigan men's gymnastics team. 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