The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com NEWS BRIEFS KABUL, Afghanistan Coalition retakes town from Taliban Hundreds of Taliban fighters fled in trucks and motorbikes yes- terday as Afghan and international troops fought their way into the only important town controlled by the hard-line Islamic movement. Afghan officers reported some militants, possibly al-Qaida, were still resisting in the center of Musa Qala, and said the attacking force controlled the southern town but was moving slowly toward the center because streets were booby- trapped with improvised bombs. A Taliban spokesman confirmed the insurgents retreated from Musa Qala, which the militants had held since February, and Afghanistan's president said the successful attack was aided by some local Taliban leaders switching allegiance to his government. Visiting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown predicted develop- ments in Musa Qala would have positive long-term results, and the success boosted hopes the Afghan government can expand into a key opium producing area where it now wields little influence. BAGHDAD Several killed in hospital attack Mortar shells slammed into an Interior Ministry prison yester- day, killing at least five inmates and wounding 25, the U.S. military and Iraqi officials said. Separately, a fire broke out at one of Iraq's main refineries, but the U.S. said it was an industrial accident - not an attack, as Iraqi officials insisted. Police and hospital officials said seven inmates were killed and 23 wounded when the mortar rounds hit a prison made up of several cellblocks, each containing pris- oners accused of terrorism-related crimes or civil offenses. The U.S. military said five inmates died and 25 were injured. Police said American troops sealed off the area around the main Interior Ministry compound on the east bank of the Tigris River in cen- tral Baghdad. The rounds struck about 200 yards from the main ministry building. WASHINGTON Court gives judges more leeway in drug sentencing Federal judges have broad lee- way to impose shorter prison terms for crack cocaine and other crimes, the Supreme Court said yesterday in a pair of cases that bolster arguments for reducing differences in sentences between crack and powder cocaine. The court, by 7-2 votes in both cases, upheld more lenient sen- tences imposed by judges who rejected federal sentencing guide- lines as too harsh. The decision was announced ahead of a vote scheduled for to- morrow by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, which sets the guide- lines, that could cut prison time for as many as 19,500 federal inmates convicted of crack crimes. TRENTON, NJ. N.J. moves closer to abolishing the death penalty The state Senate approved legisla- tion yesterday that would make New Jersey the first state to abolish the death penalty since 1976, when the U.S. Supreme Court allowed states to impose the sentence. The measure to replace the death sentence with life without parole would spare the life of a sex offender whose crimes sparked Megan's Law. With the support of the Democrat- controlled Assembly and the Demo- cratic governor,the bill is expected to be signed into law within a month. New Jersey has eight men on death row and hasn't executed any- one since 1963. It reinstated the death penalty in 1982. - Compiled from Daily wire reports 3,887 Number of American service mem- bers who have died in the war in Iraq, according to The Associated Press. There were no dead service members identified yesterday. ARB From Page 1 ternities. "It's been a student trend," Plakle said. "For a long time, fraternities would come and climb trees and cut them down." Arboretum Director Bob Grese said that after one theft in the 1980s, arboretum staff used simple detective work and found the tree in a frater- nity house near campus. "They left a trail of nee- dles," Grese said. Thefraternitymembershad left a section of the tree trunk in their garbage. An arbore- tum staff member matched this section of the trunk to the stump left behind. The arboretum sued the fraternity and won, and each member involved in the theft served a number of communi- ty service hours, Grese said. A new fir tree will cost about $2,000 and may take more 15 years to grow to the height of the tree damaged last week. "These trees are the living history of the arboretum," Plakke said. "Just like all liv- ing things they're unique and irreplaceable in their own way." Yesterday morning, arbo- retum staffers sat in the office and discussed what to do with the rest of the felled fir while "White Christmas" played quietly in the background. Staff member Patricia Beals had an idea. "We could cut the branches and salvage them for a swag to hang over the front door," she said. Whatever doesn't end up adorning the doors of arbo- retum offices, though, will likely find a less festive end: the wood chipper. LAW SCHOOL From Page 1 attached to University proj- ects to increase the way they did when Law School reno- vation talks took place a few years ago. "In this case, there were a number of considerable changes made in the Law School," Brown said. For instance, Renzo Piano began planning schematics before current Law School Dean Evan Caminker was appointed. Neither Caminker nor Rebecca Eisenberg, who leads the Law School's Building Committee, could be reached for comment yes- terday. If the proposal is approved Thursday, regents would have to approve the design of the additions. The third step in the process would require regents to approve a construction schedule - a process that could take months. Several students said the proposed additions would be vast improvements compared to what's available now. First-year Law student Stephanie Song said there are only two places - the snack lounge and the Lawyer's Club that students can hold con- versations freely in the Law School. "There's a problem of stu- dentgroupsnothavingenough space," said Lisa Helem, a sec- ond-year law student. If the project is built, it would replace 89 surface parking spots near Monroe Street. - Elizabeth Lai contributed to this report. Winter Term Apply now at the Law Library- eNon-Law Students *Law Students *S.I. Students Minimum pay is $9.00 per hour! Apply at the hiring table outside room S-180 in the Law Library's underground addition. AA/EOE NORTH CAMPUS From Page 1 Some consider North Campus an unattractive place. Munson, one of the contest's backers, said the contest's goal is make North Campus more appealing to all of the University, not just engineers. "We have hopes of creating a destination of North Campus," he said. "We don't have very many focal points up on North." The only real rule for submis- CANS From Page 1 unsheltered homeless individuals in the county. The charity decided to help the homeless by collecting empty cans from events throughout campus - including Greek parties - and donatingthe money from redeemed cans to the Washtenaw County Homeless Shelter. Leland said the first can collec- tion took place Friday night at an Alpha Epsilon Pi party. "We set up garbage cans before the party to collect the cans and then we picked them up and brought them to Kroger," Leland said. "We made $100 and 100 per- sions is it should be something that would make people want to go to North Campus. Munson said the winning project might not even be something he had in mind, like an art installation or sculpture. "A vision I have for this thing may not be the winning one," Munson said. It can really be anything, even something that doesn't last through the seasons, said Douglas Kelbough, dean of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance. Architecture Prof. Steven cent of that money is being donated to the homeless shelter." Ari Parritz, president of Alpha Epsilon Pi, said his fraternity was more than willing to get involved in the effort. "Alpha Epsilon Pi was founded on community involvement," Par- ritz said, who mentioned that one of his fraternity's members is also in the charity. "We jumped at the opportunity." The charity has also set up gar- bage bags at the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity house for the brothers to dispose of any beverage containers they use. "By starting at one or two frater- nities, we hope that the other Greek houses will follow," Leland said. Leland said the program takes Mankouche said he likes this aspect in particular. "I like the fact that though they're encouraging more tempo- ral things, that things that aren't necessarily permanently there," Mankouche said. Not all entrants have a specific concept in mind. Art and Design senior Ronen Goldstein said his team plans on incorporating the outdoor surroundings into their design. "We have a long list of ideas," he said. "We went online and looked a reality of campus life and turns it into a way to help those in need. She said that collecting cans from big events is one of the most effi- cient ways to generate funds for charity. "We wanted to use what's avail- able," she said. "And the fact is, there's beer and other cans and there is money there that can go to the community." The organizers of Alternative Spring Break have also used can redemption drives to fund aspects of their organization. Emily Paku- la, a member of the ASB Leadership Team, said there have been many similar drives and that they have always been successful. "Every can drive brings in money," she said. "And every dime counts." Tuesday, December 11200 at various installatiosa ists. I want to do soen witr maybe data and maipo it or somehow taking inrmii of the surroundings soas' iiiera izing it in some way, i i not ill auditorily, or with t-r Whatever he ieos s wi for the competitioi, Ais: I graduate student trian irum says that North Csnipis iici help. "It is pretty exciting becas North Campus is pretty desolti Trump said. "It's a good ide. FRIENDS NOT LETTING YOU STAND ON YOU R SOAPBOX? Apply to be a Michigan Daily columnist. E-mail gmgraca urmich. edu 4vvivvwric hi qnflyerco it1 r ' I 0/("