The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.cam
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - 3
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - 3
NEWS BRIEFS
DETROIT
Kilpatrick, father
plea not guilty to
* indictment charges
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame
Kilpatrick and his father sat
together as criminal defendants at
the first court hearings since pros-
ecutors filed asweepingindictment
that charges them with turning
city hall into a den of corruption.
Not-guilty pleas were entered
yesterday on behalf of Kilpatrick,
Bernard Kilpatrick and three oth-
ers accused of a multi-year racke-
teering conspiracy. At a subsequent
hearing an hour later, a judge said
the "unusual and complex" case
won't be on a fast track.
The 89-page indictment
returned in December describes
a brazen pay-to-play scheme in
which the Kilpatricks took kick-
backs and bribes to steer city
business to certain contractors.
Prosecutors call it the "Kilpatrick
enterprise."
Defense attorney James Thomas
says Kilpatrick is in good spirits
and plans to fight the case.
OKALAHOMA CITY, Okla.
Oklahoma's first
female governor
takes office
Republican Mary Fallin (FAY-
lihn) has taken her oath of office
to become Oklahoma's first female
governor.
During her inauguration yester-
day, Fallin recognized the historic
nature of the day, but she stressed
that she is foremost an Oklahoma
conservative and vowed to improve
the state's economy.
Fallin says she is excited about
returning to her home state after
spending four years in Congress.
She reiterated her campaign
promise to make Oklahoma more
business friendly, improve public
education and reduce the size of
state government.
Fallin is Oklahoma's 27th gov-
ernor and replaces Democrat Brad
Henry, who left office after eight
years because of term limits.
NEW YORK, NY.
Judge rules teacher
performance ratings
maybe disclosed
A judge has ruled that New York
City's Department of Education
can release performance ratings
for 12,000 teachers.
Justice Cynthia Kern of Man-
hattan state Supreme Court issued
the ruling yesterday. She says
releasing the ratings with the
teachers' names attached would
not be arbitrary or capricious
under the law.
The judge denied a petition by
the United Federation of Teachers
to keep the teachers' names private.
A lawyer for the union argued
last month that releasing the data
would unfairly subject teachers to
public ridicule. The union said it
would appeal the decision.
The teacher ratings are based
on how well students performed
on standardized tests. Five media
organizations filed Freedom of
Information Law requests for
them.
ACAPULCO, Mexico
31 victims killed
in resort city over
past four days
The body of a murdered man
was found yesterday on the main
highway to Acapulco, bringing to
31 the number of people killed in
the Pacific resort city over four
days.
The unidentified man was shot
several times in the head and
found under a pedestrian bridge
with his shirt pulled over his face,
said Fernando Monreal Leyva,
director of the investigative police
for Guerrero state, where Acapul-
co is located.
Leyva said federal, state and
local police planned to meet yes-
terday with the military to con-
sider ways to beef up security in
Acapulco, where 14 decapitated
men and two police officers were
among the unusually high body
count since Friday evening.
Most of the killings occurred in
just a few hours from Friday night
W to Saturday in non-tourist areas of
the city. But the officers were shot
to death in front of tourists on Ave-
nida Costero Miguel Aleman, the
hotel-lined thoroughfare that runs
along the bay.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
Suspected Az.
shooter faces
federal judge
Nine year-old Kasandra Ortiz, of Los Angeles, plays in the snow for the first time in her life at Fraziez Park, Calif.
Winter storms blanket
Southern United States
Up to 13 inches of
snow recorded in
areas of Tennessee
ATLANTA (AP) - Southerners
more accustomed to sunshine than
snow began digging out yesterday
from a wintry blast that stranded
drivers and air travelers, cut power
to thousands of homes, and even
forced Auburn University to can-
celviewing parties for the national
championship bowl game.
Snow ranging from several
inches to more than a foot blan-
keted states from Louisiana to the
Carolinas - a region where many
cities have only a handful of snow
plows, if any. And more misery
was on the way: The snow began
turning to freezing rain in numer-
ous areas, threatening to make
untreated roads even more treach-
erous.
"If you're off the main roads, it's
a skating rink," said Tim Loucks,
manager of the Pilot Truck Stop in
Haughton, La.
The storm shut down most cit-
ies and towns, closed many busi-
nesses, and canceled almost every
flight at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jack-
son International Airport, the
world's busiest. At least eight peo-
ple were killed in weather-related
traffic accidents.
Worried shoppers left grocery
store shelves bare, and families
without electricity huddled in
dark, chilly homes. Predicted
overnight lows in the 20s, raised
the threat of more outages caused
by snow and freezing rain accumu-
lating on tree branches and power
lines.
"The problem here is that
they're not used to it, so the equip-
ment and the sanitation removal
and the snow removal is not really
geared for this kind of situation,"
said Tino Grana, 48, of New York
City, who traveled to Atlanta to sell
art at a downtown trade show.
Atlanta, which got 4 to 7 inches,
has just eight snow plows. The
city hired a fleet of 11 privately
run trucks to help spread salt and
gravel.
The heaviest snow fell in parts
of Tennessee that received as
much as 13 inches.
The weather began rolling
across the South on Sunday, coat-
ing bridges and roads with snow,
sleet and freezing rain. The gov-
ernors of Alabama, Georgia,
Louisiana, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Tennessee declared
emergencies. Schools and colleges
called off classes.
More than 2,000 flights were
canceled around the South -
affecting passengers as far away as
Scandinavia - and Atlanta's air-
port was nearly deserted on what
would normally be a busy Monday
morning.
For those whose flights made it
to Atlanta, the sight of snow-cov-
ered runways was disorienting.
Larry and Judy Keefauver, of
Buffalo, N.Y., thought their flight
from Sacramento had landed
somewhere else when they looked
out the window.
"I have been flying (through
Atlanta) since the early '70s, and
I've never landed on snow here
ever," said Larry Keefauver, 62.
In Georgia, the storm forced
inauguration ceremonies for
newly elected Gov. Nathan deal to
be moved from the state Capitol
steps inside. The inaugural gala
was scrapped to keep supporters
off the roads. Arkansas officials
planned to move their inaugura-
tion indoors today.
And in Alabama, Auburn Uni-
versity students looked for some-
where other than campus to watch
the Tigers play in the champion-
ship bowl game yesterday after the
school canceled all viewing par-
ties. Gov. Bob Riley called off his
trip to Glendale, Ariz., to see the
game in person.
In tiny Oxford, Miss., where the
historic town square got 8 inches
of snow, city workers used back-
hoes to clean up because they had
no snow plows..
"They aren't as good as plows,
but they do a pretty good job,"
Mayor Pat Patterson said.
Drivers struggled to stay on
slippery pavement, and roads were
littered with abandoned vehicles.
Some motorists got out in the mid-
dle of the interstate to push their
cars up ice-covered ramps.
"Towns down here just don't
have the equipment to deal with
this much snow," said Joel Weems,
a worker at the University of Mis-
sissippi.
Icy roads were blamed in acci-
dents that killed two people Sun-
day in Louisiana. Two others died
in Oklahoma: a woman whose car
went off an icy road and into a
pond and a man whose pickup slid
off an interstate and hit a tree. In
Kansas, a woman went out of con-
trol on a slick road and struck a
sport utility vehicle.
Three more drivers were killed
in Arkansas when they veered off
the pavement.
2 1
rece
PHC
got its
22-yea
ing to
Giffori
shaved
temple
scanne
sat dov
IHis
"Unab
whispe
The
he und
life in1
alty -
John R
in the
fords'
on Satt
"Yes
lecturr
suit. H
stoodx
shal.
The
held w
Thri
televis
outside
where
from
eral b
becaus
Hou
observ
2year old could the victims of the rampage, from
the South Lawn of the White
ive death penalty House and the steps of the U.S.
Capitol to legislature beyond Ari-
if convicted zona and the International Space
Station.
XENIX (AP) - The nation There, Giffords' brother-in-
first look yesterday at the law, Scott, the commanding offi-
r-old loner accused of try- cer, spoke over the radio. Flight
assassinate Rep. Gabrielle controllers in Houston fell silent.
ds. Jared Loughner, head "As I lookout thewindow, Isee
, a cut above the right a very beautiful planet that seems
and his hands cuffed, very inviting and peaceful," he
'd a packed courtroom and said. "Unfortunately, it is not."
wn. "These days, we are constantly
attorney, who defended reminded of the unspeakable acts
omber" Ted Kaczynski, of violence and damage we can
ered to him. inflict upon one another, not just
judge asked Loughner if with our actions, but also with
lerstood that he could get our irresponsible words," he said.
prison - or the death pen- "We're better than this," he
for killing federal Judge said. "We must do better."
oll, one of the six who died On a frigid morning outside the
shooting rampage at Gif- White House, President Barack
meeting with constituents Obama and first lady Michelle
urday in Tucson. Obama stood side by side, each
," he said, standing at a with their hands clasped, heads
n in his beige prison jump- bowed and eyes closed.
[is attorney, Judy Clarke, On the steps of the U.S. Capi-
nearby, as did a U.S. mar- tol, congressional staff and other
employees did the same.
judge ordered Loughner At the Supreme Court, the
ithout bail. justices paused for a moment of
ongs of reporters and silence between the two cases
ion news crews lined up they were hearing yesterday
e the federal courthouse, morning. Arizona's chief federal
the hearing was moved judge, John Roll, was killed in
Tucson. The entire fed- the attack.
ench there recused itself The president called for the
:e Roll was the chief judge. country to come together in prayer
rs earlier, the nation or reflection for those killed and
ed a moment of silence for those fighting to recover.
Wiklascreates
tough diplomacy
obstacles for U.S.
Snowstorm causes plane
to crash in Iran, 77 dead
Singapore leaders
show caution in talks
with America
SINGAPORE (AP) - Singapor-
ean officials mustbe more cautious
in discussions with U.S. diplomats,
the country's foreign affairs min-
ister said yesterday, calling the
release of classified documents by
WikiLeaks disastrous for Ameri-
can diplomacy.
Singapore officials will be less
open when speaking with U.S.
diplomats for fear their conversa-
tions will be made public, Foreign
Affairs Minister George Yeo said
inparliament.
"The WikiLeaks disclosures
have been disastrous for U.S.diplo-
macy," Yen said. "We have to be
more guarded in our communica-
tions with U.S. diplomats. If it hap-
pened once, it can happen again, so
we've got tobemore careful."
Last month, WikiLeaks released
a document showing Singapore
statesman Lee Kuan Yew describ-
ing Myanmar's junta leaders as
"stupid," and calling North Korea's
leaders "psychopathic types" in
conversationswith U.S. diplomats.
Another confidential cable quot-
ed Singapore diplomats making
unflattering remarks about Malay-
sia, India, Japan and Thailand dur-
ing meetings with U.S. officials.
Yeo said he would not comment
on specific leaks.
Home Affairs and Law Minis-
ter K. Shanmugam warned news
media and private citizens they
could be prosecuted under Sin-
gapore law for receiving or pub-
lishing confidential government
information.
"Everyone involved with the
leak of information, whether in
government or outside, should be
dealt with firmly," he said yester-
day in parliament. "Public interest
in the free flow of information can-
notjustifythe abuse of confidential
information."
Black box recovered
to analyze failure of
Boeing-727
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Inves-
tigators yesterday found the black
box from a passenger jet that
broke to pieces on impact while
trying an emergency landing in a
snowstorm in northwestern Iran,
killing at least 77 people.
The pilots of the Boeing-727,
operated by Iran's national airline
and carrying 104 passengers and
crew, reported a technical failure
to the control tower before try-
ing to make the landing Sunday
night, state-run TV reported. The
IranAir aircraft broke into several
pieces, but Mahmoud Mozaffar,
head of the rescue department of
Iran's Red Crescent Society, said
there was no explosion or fire.
Footage on state TV showed the
plane's crumpled fuselage lying in
a field, torn apart in several places,
under whirling snow in the dark-
ness as rescue workers and local
farmers searched for survivors in
the hours after the crash.
Heavy spow hampered rescue
efforts, the semiofficial Fars news
agency cited the head of the state
emergency center, Gholam Reza
Masoumi, as saying. That report
also mentioned fog in the area.
State TVsaid the aircraft disap-
peared from radar and went down
in farmland after makinga second
attempt to land at the airport in
the northwestern city of Orumi-
yeh. The nature of the technical
failure was not clear.
Iran's Transport Minister
Hamid Behbahani said 77 people
died and 27 were injured, some
critically. Behbahani said the
flight was carrying 104 passen-
gers and crew, correcting earlier
reports of 105 on board. The state
news agency IRNA said two chil-
dren were among the dead.
Behbahani said the plane's
flight data recorder, known as
the black box, has been recovered
"and is now being studied by a
committee probing the crash."
Four Iraqi nationals were
aboard the plane, the official
IRNA news agency reported
late Monday. Two of them were
among the victims while two
others were in the list of those
injured.
Some of the passengers were
able to walk away from the
landing, said Abbas Mosayebi, a
spokesman for the civil aviation
authority. There were conflict-
ing accounts on whether all 104
on board were accounted for,
with some TV reports saying all
were found and others saying
two remained missing.
President Mahmoud Ahma-
dinejad sent a message of con-
dolence to the families of the
victims and ordered a quick
investigation of the cause of the
crash.
The aircraft was headed from
Tehran to Orumiyeh, capital of
West Azerbaijan province, a dis-
tance of about 460 miles, or 700
kilometers.
Iran has a history of frequent
air accidents blamed on its
aging aircraft and poor main-
tenance. Many of the Boeing
aircraft in IranAir's fleet were
bought before the country's
1979 Islamic Revolution, which
disrupted ties with the U.S. and
Europe.
Iranian airlines, includ-
ing those run by the state, are
chronically strapped for cash,
and maintenance has suffered,
experts say. U.S. sanctions pre-
vent Iran from updating its
30-year-old American aircraft
and make it difficult to get Euro-
pean spare parts or planes as well.
The country has come to rely on
Russian aircraft, many of them
Soviet-era planes that are harder
to get parts for since the Soviet
Union's fall.