The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - 3
NEWS BRIEFS
DETROIT
Some newspapers
in Oakland County
to stop publishing
Several non-daily newspapers
owned by Gannett Co. Inc. in Oak-
land County have announced they
will cease or merge publications
May31.
The Birmingham, West Bloom-
field, Troy and Rochester editions
of the Eccentric will close. The
Southfield edition and the observer
& Eccentric group's Mirror news-
paper will merge into a multi-com-
munity Sunday newspaper called
the South Oakland Eccentric.
The company says it will cut 44
jobs as a result of the closings and
consolidations.
The newspaper company will
continue to publish the observer
Newspapers and Hometown Week-
ly Newspapers in western Wayne
and Oakland counties.
The Observer & Eccentric and
Mirror newspapers, which had
been part of HomeTown Com-
munications Network Inc., were
sold in 2005 to McLean, Va.-based
Gannett.
BOSTON
Former Tigers
pitcher dies in
farming accident
Former All-Star pitcher Mark
"the Bird" Fidrych was found dead
yesterday in an apparent accident
at his farm. He was 54.
Worcester County district attor-
ney Joseph D. Early Jr. saids a fam-
ily friend found Fidrych about 2:30
p.m. yesterday beneath a dump
truck at his Northborough, Mass.,
farm. He appeared to be working
on the truck, Early said.
The colorful right-hander was
the American League rookie of
the year in 1976 when he went 19-9
with a 2.34 ERA. He spent all five of
his major league seasons with the
Detroit Tigers, compiling a 29-19
record and a 3.10 ERA.
His career was cut short by inju-
ries.
Fidrych attempted a comeback
in 1983 with the Boston Red Sox
and went to their Triple A team
in Pawtucket, R.I. But he never
pitched in the majors after 1980
and retired in 1983.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.
Judge hears request
to unseal 1964
Hoffa court records
Records of grand jury proceed-
ings that led to Jimmy Hoffa's con-
viction on jury tampering charges
should be unsealed because the
government may have used illegal
wiretaps and other shady practic-
es, a retired law professor testified
yesterday.
William L. Tabac told U.S. Dis-
trict Judge Todd J. Campbell that he
believes the government tampered
with a Nashville jury in the Team-
sters leader's case. Campbell said he
would rule on the request later.
Tabac also said an informant
who provided testimony that led
to Hoffa's 1964 conviction in Chat-
tanooga may have perjured himself
with the government's knowledge,
according to his research.
Edward Grady Partin, a Loui-
siana Teamster who was facing
embezzlementand perjurycharges,
provided the damaging testimony.
MEXICO CITY
* Mexico slams Burger
King for offensive ad
Mexico is protesting what it says
is a whopper of an insult.
An advertisement for Burger
King's Texican Whopper burger
that has run in Europe shows a
small wrestler dressed in a cape
resembling a Mexican flag. The
wrestler teams up with a lanky
American cowboy almost twice his
height to illustrate the cross-border
blend of flavors.
"The taste of Texas with a little
spicy Mexican," a narrator's voice
says.
The taller cowboy boosts the
wrestler up to reach high shelves
and helps clean tall windows, while
the Mexican helps the cowboy open
a jar.
Mexico's ambassador to Spain
said yesterday he has written a let-
ter to Burger King's offices in that
nation objecting to the ad and ask-
ing that it be removed. Jorge Zer-
meno told Radio Formula that the
ads "improperly use the stereo-
typed image of a Mexican."
- Compiled from
Daily wire reports
Al Franken looks at his wife Franni, as he talks with reporters after a court confirmed that Democrat Franken won the most
votes in his 2008 Senate race against Republican Norm Coleman, outside his home in Minneapolis on Monday.
Franken ruled winner in
MinsoaSenate race
State Supreme
Court rules in favor
of Democrat after
seven-day trial
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A
Minnesota court confirmed yes-
terday that Democrat Al Franken
won the most votes in his 2008
Senate race against Republican
Norm Coleman, who had already
announced plans to appeal the
decision.
Coleman has 10 days to appeal
to the state Supreme Court. Once
the petition is filed, it could fur-
ther delay the seating of Minne-
sota's second senator for weeks.
After a statewide recount and
seven-week trial, Franken stands
312 votes ahead. He gained more
votes from the election challenge
than Coleman, the candidate who
brought the legal action.
The state law under which
Coleman sued required three
judges to determine who got
the most votes and is therefore
entitled to an election certificate,
which is now on hold pending an
appeal.
"The overwhelming weight of
the evidence indicates that the
November 4, 2008, election was
conducted fairly, impartially and
accurately," the judges wrote.
"There is no evidence of a sys-
tematic problem of disenfran-
chisement in the state's election
system, including in its absentee-
balloting procedures."
in its order, the judicial panel
dismissed two attempts by Cole-
man to subtract votes from
Franken over allegations of mis-
handled ballots in Minneapolis.
The judges also rejected
Coleman's argument that a state
board improperly made up for a
packet of ballots lost between
the election. His lawyers con-
ceded that the ballots' disap-
pearance rendered them invalid
and that- Coleman was entitled
to review all ballots as part of
the recount.
Coleman's lawyers claimed
dozens of ballots were double-
counted when their originals
couldn't be fed into optical scan-
ning machines on Election Day.
They said it was possible that
originals and duplicates were
included in the recount.
The ruling diminishes Cole-
man's chances of retaining a seat
that he won in dramatic fash-
ion in 2002, when he narrowly
defeated former Vice President
Walter Mondale. Democratic
incumbent Paul Wellstone died
in a plane crash with two weeks
to go in the campaign.
Franken, a former "Saturday
Night Live" comic, entered the
Senate race more than two years
ago. A third-party candidate's
strong showing left Coleman and
Franken virtually deadlocked
on Election Night, triggering an
automatic recount of 2.9 million
ballots. Coleman led by about
700 votes before routine double-
checking of figures trimmed his
edge to 215 votes heading into the
hand recount. By the recount's
end in January, Franken had
pulled ahead by 225 votes.
Coleman's trial began in Janu-
ary and his appeal could push the
race into May or beyond.
Coleman's lawyers have said
their appeal will mostly center on
violations of the constitutional
guarantee of equal protection,
arguing that counties had differ-
ing standards in treating absen-
tee ballots.
Franken's attorneys argued
that no election is absolutely pre-
cise and that all counties operat-
ed under the same standard.
In addition to the appeal,
Coleman can also initiate a new
action on a federal level. Either
side can appeal an eventual state
Supreme Court decision to the
U.S. Supreme Court or throw the
disputed election before the U.S.
Senate, which can judge the qual-
ifications of its members.
Obama eases
restrictions
on Cuba
President's changes Other steps taken yesterday
nelude expanding the things
intended to ease allowed in gift parcels sent to
Cuba, such as clothes, personal
citizens' reliance on hygiene items, seeds, fishing gear
.m and other personal necessities.
Castro regime The administration also will
begin issuing licenses to allow
WASHINGTON (AP) - Presi- telecommunications and other
dent Barack Obama is allowing companies to provide cell phone,
Americans to make unlimited television and radio service to
transfers of money and visits to people on the island, and to allow
relatives in Cuba and easing other Americans to pay for such servic-
restrictions yesterday, ushering es for their relatives there. This
in a new era of openness toward step requires the participation of
the island nation ruled by com- the Cuban government, as compa-
munists for 50 years. nies can't operate there without
The formal announcement was its approval.
made by presidential spokesman Last May, President George W.
Robert Gibbs and, in Spanish, by Bush announced a new policy that
Dan Restrepo, the president's top people living in the United States
aide on Latin American policy. could include cell phones in gift
"The president would like to parcels sent to Cubans. At the
see greater freedom for the Cuban time, Bush aides said U.S. resi-
people. There are actions that he dents could pay for the cell service
can and has taken today to open attached to phones they send.
up the flow of information to pro- However, though American
vide some important steps to help cell phones with service con-
that," Gibbs said. tracts from the U.S. work on some
Gibbs said Obama is only one parts of the island, service is not
part of the equation, with the always reliable and depends on
White House calling on Cuba to the phones' specifications.
do more as well. Sending money to senior gov-
With the changes, Obama aims ernment and Communist Party
to lessen Cubans' dependence on officials remains prohibited under
the regime of Fidel Castro, hop- Obama's new policy. Restrictions
ing that will lead them to demand imposed by the Bush administra-
progress on political freedoms, tion had limited Cuban travel by
the spokesman said. About 1.5 Americans tojusttwo weeks every
million Americans have relatives three years. Visits were confined
on the island nation that turned to immediate family members.
to communist rule in 1959 when Francisco Hernandez, head of
Castro seized control. the exile group the Cuban Ameri-
Some U.S. lawmakers protested can National Foundation, was
the changes, saying they could once a staunch supporter of travel
funnel money or goods to the restrictions but backs Obana's
Castro regime. Others, backed announcement.
by business and farm groups see- It will help Cubans become
ing new opportunities in Cuba, more independent of the state
wanted Obama to go farther and "not only in economic terms but
lift restrictions on travel by all in terms of information, and con-
Americans to Cuba. tacts with the outside world," said
Officials said Obama is keeping Hernandez, who was imprisoned
the decades-old U.S. trade embar- by the Cuban government for
go - for now, at least - arguing nearly two years after participat-
that that policy pressures the ing in the 1961 failed Bay of Pigs
regime to free all political prison- invasion.
ers as one step toward normalized Miami travel agent Tesie Aral
relations with the U.S. said her phone has been ringing
RestreposaidU.S.policytoward nonstop in anticipation of the
Cuba "is not frozen in time." He announcement, with a tenfold
had no timetable for when future increase last Friday alone.
decisions might be made. "People were already planning
Obama had promised to take to travel more based on their abil-
these steps as a presidential can- ity to go every 12 months," said
didate. It has been known for Aral, owner of ABC Charters.
over a week that Obama would "Whether they can travel more
announce them ahead of his atten- frequently than that depends on
dance this weekend at a Summit the economy."
of the Americas in Trinidad and Also in that Miami speech near-
Tobago. ly a year ago, Obama promised to
"There are no better ambas- depart from what he said had been
sadors for freedom than Cuban the path of previous politicians on
Americans," Obama said in a cam- Cuba policy - "they come down
paign speech last May in Miami, to Miami, they talk tough, they go
the heart of the Cuban-American back to Washington, and nothing
community. "It's time to let Cuban changes in Cuba."
Americans see their mothers and "Never, in my lifetime, have the
fathers, their sisters and broth- people of Cuba known freedom.
ers. It's time to let Cuban-Amer- Never, in the lives of two genera-
ican money make their families tions of Cubans, have the people
less dependent upon the Castro of Cuba known democracy," he
regime." said then.
Pakistan president signs off
on deal allowing Islamic law
Measures comes
as part of peace
deal with Taliban
ISLAMABAD (AP) - Paki-
stan's pro-U.S. president signed
a regulation late yesterday to put
a northwestern district under
Islamic law as part of a peace deal
with the Taliban, going along
after coming under intense pres-
sure from members of his own
party and other lawmakers.
Asif Ali Zardari's signature
was a boon for Islamic militants
who have brutalized the Swat
Valley for nearly two years in
demanding a new justice sys-
tem. It was sure to further anger
human rights activists and feed
fears amongthe U.S. and other
Western allies that thse valley
will turn into a sanctuary for
militants close to Afghanistan.
Whatever criticism may
come, Zardari can claim some
political cover - the National
Assembly voted unanimously
yesterday to adopt a resolution
urging his signature, although
at least one party boycotted.
Earlier, a Taliban spokesman
had warned lawmakers against
opposing the deal.
Zardari's spokeswoman,
Farahnaz Ispahani, confirmed
the president signed the regu-
lation yesterday night.
His signing implemented a
deal agreed to in February by
provincial officials to impose
Islamic law in the Swat Val-
ley and surrounding areas
in exchange for a cease-fire
between security forces and
the local Taliban.
Zardari had put off sign-
ing the agreement, saying
he wouldn't until peace was
restored in Swat but never
defining what that meant. The
delay led a hard-line Muslim
cleric mediating the agree-
ment to leave Swat in anger
last week and upset lawmakers
from the region.
As pressure mounted, the fed-
eral government said over the
weekend that Zardari wanted
parliament first to debate the
accord to implement an Islamic
legal system, as long demanded
by some residents disenchanted
with inefficient regular courts.
Lawmakers made clear they
believed the deal should go ahead,
saying it would bring calm to the
area after months of bloodshed
that killed hundreds of people
and displaced up to one-third of
the valley's 1.5 million residents.
"The whole nation is united in
its support of the Swat regulation
and wantsthepresident to approve
it," Prime Minister Yousuf Raza
Gilani said at the start of parlia-
mentary debate yesterday.
Even without the president's
approval,judges trained in Islam-
ic law had begun hearing cases in
Swat, and witnesses say Taliban
fighters are in effective control of
much of the region. The provin-
cial government also agreed to
other measures under the peace
deal, such as cracking down on
prostitution and sales of movies
deemed "obscene."
Supporters say the changes in
the legal system will speed up
justice, not lead to harsh pun-
ishments or restrict the rights
of women. Critics say the agree-
ment is a surrender to extrem-
ists whose tactics include
beheading opponents and burn-
ing girls' schools.
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