The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, January 29, 2008 -- 3 NEWS BRIEFS DETROIT Kilpatrick's chief of staff resigns amid controversy Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpat- rick's chief of staff said yesterday she is resigning amid allegations that she and the mayor lied under oath about an affair. In a letter to Kilpatrick that was released by his office, Christine Beatty said she believes she can no longer effectively carry out her duties. Her resignation takes effect Feb. 8. "I painfully regret the devasta- tion that the recent reports have caused to the citizens of Detroit, to my co-workers, to the Mayor's fam- ily and to my family and friends," Beatty wrote in the letter. A prosecutor launched an inves- tigation last week into the allega- tions, which came to light when the Detroit Free Press reported details of steamy text messages between Beatty and Kilpatrick. KISUMU, Kenya. Ethnic violence escalates in Kenya Thousands of machete-wielding youths hunted down members of President Mwai Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe yesterday in western Kenya's Rift Valley, torching homes and buses, clashing with police and blocking roads with burning tires. Witnesses described seeing two people pulled from cars and stoned to death, while another was burned alive in a minibus - the latest victims of a month of esca- lating violence triggered by a dis- puted presidential election. The death toll has soared over 800. Kibaki has said he is open to di- rect talks with opposition leader Raila Odinga, who is from the Luo tribe, but that his position as presi- dent is not negotiable. Odinga says Kibaki must step down and only new elections will bring peace. RAFAH, Egypt Hamas works with Egyptians to restore order Hamas militants joined Egyptian forces for a second day yesterday in trying to restore control at three breaches in the Gaza border, build- ing a chain-link fence to seal off one opening and directing traffic at two others. Hundreds of thousands of Pal- estinians have flooded into Egypt unchecked over the past six days since Hamas militants blasted holes in the border partition. They have been voraciously buying up food, fuel and other goods made scarce by Israeli and Egyptian closures of Gaza's borders. Hamas seized control of the Pal- estinian territory in June but before the breach, it had no role in policing the border with Egypt. Now the Is- lamic militant group is hoping that will change now and it is pressing for some kind of future role in bor- der administration. CHICAGO Obama backer Rezko arrested Indicted political fundraiser Anto- in "Tony" Rezko, who has poured thousands of dollars into Barack Obama's political campaigns, was arrested by federal agents yesterday after his bail was revoked. Rezko has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial this month on charges of fraud, attempted extortion and money laundering. Obama says he had no indication of any problems with Rezko when he accepted thousands of dollars in cam- paign contributions from him. When prosecutors unsealed their charges against Rezko in 2006, Obama gave $11,50 in Rezko contributions to char- ities. - Compiled from. Daily wire reports 3,940 Number of American service mem- bers who have died in the war in Iraq, according to The Associated Press. The following service mem- ber was identified yesterday: Sgt. Robert J. Wilson, Fort Campbell, Ky. Chrysler to expand buyouts to more sites Bush's final State of the Union speech focuses on economy, Iraq Auto giant looking to cut up to 21,000 jobs nationwide DETROIT (AP) - Chrysler LLC is offering buyouts of up to $100,000 to hourly workers at 11 of its U.S. facilities as part of its goal of cutting up to 21,000 manufacturing jobs, or nearly half its U.S. hourly work force, a company spokeswoman said yesterday. Earlier this month, Chrysler made offers to workers at four assembly sites: Toledo North in Toledo, Ohio; St. Louis North and South in Fenton, Mo.; Bel- videre, Ill.; and Jefferson North in Detroit. Yesterday, the offers were extended to seven addi- tional sites in Michigan, includ- ing assembly plants in Warren and Sterling Heights; the Detroit Axle, Mount Elliott Tool and Die, and Mack Avenue Engine plants in Detroit; an engine plant in Trenton and a vehicle test center in Sterling Heights. Also given the offer were 110 employ- ees at the company's Auburn Hills headquarters who are in an hourly bargaining unit but are paid salaries. A truck plant in Warren is down this week but is expected to get the same buyout offers when it resumes operations. Chrysler spokeswoman Michelle Tinson said the com- pany has eight other U.S. facili- ties that are still awaiting buyout offers. The company is working with the United Auto Workers union to determine when those will be introduced. Chrysler has approximately 45,000 UAW-rep- resented hourly workers. Chrysler, which is in the midst of a restructuring after a majority stake in the automaker was sold last summer to private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP, announced in November it planned to cut up to 12,000 jobs, including 8,000 to 10,000 hourly and 2,000 sala- ried jobs. The cuts came in addi- tion to 13,000 layoffs Chrys- ler announced last February, including 11,000 hourly and 2,000 salaried workers. Around 6,400 hourly workers had left the company under than pro- gram as of June, Tinson said, but additional retirement packages could be rolled out under than program, which was scheduled to run through 2009. Employees have until Feb. 18 to decide whether to take the lat- est offers.. Some workers could leave as early as April, but the dates they will leave the com- pany will vary by worker and by plant. Under Chrysler's current offer, employees who are on temporary or indefinite layoff or have at least one year of service can get up to $100,000 and six months of health benefits if they agree to cut ties with the compa- ny. Retirement-eligible employ- ees can get a $70,000 lump-sum payment as an incentive to retire with a regular pension. A sepa- rate program gives workers close to retirement their full benefits if they retire early, but they get no lump-sum payment. Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. are offering simi- lar buyouts and early retirement packages to cut costs and reduce production capacity to match sagging U.S. demand. Address was interrupted nearly 70 times for applause By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG The New York Times WASHINGTON - Facing an unstable economy and an unfin- ished war, President Bush used his final State of the Union address last night to call for quick passage of his tax rebate package, patience in Iraq and a modest concluding agenda that includes $300 mil- lion in scholarship money for low-income children in struggling schools. With Senate Democrats already jockeying to amend the stimulus package that the administration negotiated with the House last week, Bush, in his address, urged lawmakers to resist the tempta- tion to "load up the bill" with other provisions. To do so, he warned, "would delay or derail it, and nei- ther option is acceptable." Yet Bush devoted relatively lit- tle of his 53-minute speech to the economy, the issue that is the top concern of voters during this elec- tion year. He spent far more time talking about the issue that has been his own primary concern, Iraq. Bush made the case that his troopbuilduphad"achievedresults few of us could have imagined just one year ago," and reminded Americans that in coming months, 20,000 troops will have come home. Yet he avoided any timetable for further withdrawal and, if any- thing, seemed to be preparing the country for a far longer-term stay in Iraq, warning that a precipitous withdrawal could lead to a back- slide in security. "Members of Congress," Bush said, "having come so far and achieved so much, we must not allow this to happen." The White House had promised that the speech would look for- ward, not back. Facing the reali- ties of a final year in office, with little time to win legislation from a Congress controlled by Democrats, Bush used the address to empha- size his power to block actions that he opposes. He vowed to veto any tax increases or legislative ear- marks that were not voted on by the full Congress. Butthespeech,interruptednear- ly 70 times by applause, was also infused with a sense of summing up, as Bush opened by remarking that "our country has been tested in ways none of us could imagine" since he delivered his first address to Congress, seven years ago. "We have faced hard decisions about peace and war, rising com- petition in the world economy, and the health and welfare of our citi- zens," Bush said. "These issues call for vigorous debate, and. I think it's fair to say we've answered that call. Yet history will record that amid our differences, we acted with purpose." Democrats responded by say- ing that Bush had offered "little more than the status quo," in the words of the Senate Democratic leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, and the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California. Yet the party's official response was not criticism but a call for unity, delivered by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas. Sebelius urged the president to build on the bipar- tisanship of the stimulus package - a sign that with the fall elections just 10 months away, Democrats are aware they must show voters they can work across the aisle. "There is a chance, Mr. Presi- dent, in the next 357 days, to get real results and give the Ameri- can people renewed optimism that their challenges are the top prior- ity," Sebelius said. Play a game, get, paid $40-58 Paid subjects needed for research projects this winter. Guaranteed $10/hr or more for 3-4 hour experiments. Flexible scheduling including evening and weekend times. Get on our mailing list for dates and times! 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