The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Monday, November 5, 2012 -- 3A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Monday, November 5, 2012 - 3A
NEWS BRIEFS
GULLIVER, Mich.
Botulism found in
Upper Peninsula
Authorities say they've found
the bodies of about 700 water
birds along a stretch of northern
Lake Michigan shoreline in the
Upper Peninsula.
The Mining Journal of Mar-
quette says authorities suspect
that the birds died of Type-E
botulism.
The 694 dead birds were found
in Sthoolcraft County near the
unincorporated village ofGulliver.
They include 247 common loons,
152 horned grebes, 98 red-necked
grebes, 73 long-tailed ducks and
64 white-winged scoters.
The Michigan Department of
Natural Resources says Type-E
botulism bacteria cause a toxin
that paralyses birds and fish.
Similar die-offs happened in
the Upper Peninsula in 2007
and near Sleeping Bear Dunes
National lakeshore' in northern
Lower Peninsula in 2006.
CHICAGO
Man with brain-
s controlled bionic
leg climbs high rise
A 31-year-old amputee has
made history, becoming the first
person to climb 103 floors of one
of the world's tallest skyscrapers
with a bionic leg.
ZacVawterwaswearingapros-
thetic leg controlled by his mind
Sunday when he participated in
"SkyRise Chicago." The charity
event raises funds for the Reha-
bilitation Institute of Chicago.
The event marked the bionic
leg's first test in the public eye.
AsVawterthought about climb-
ing stairs, the motors, chains and
belts in his leg synchronized the
movements of its ankle and knee.
Researchers cheered him on and
noted the smart leg's perfor-
mance.
KHAYEGA, Kenya
Bull fight thought
to infer presidential
election outcome
On Saturday villagers from
western Kenya town of Khaye-
ga held a bull fighting contest
between a 900 pound black bull
they named Obama and a black
and white 1,000 pound bull they
named Mitt Romney. Both are
cattle breeds indigenous to Kenya.
'Despite being smaller in size,
Obama was the overwhelming
favorite having won six of his last
fights and he did not disappoint.
After close to half an hour the
bulls were separated and Obama
was declared winner.
Most Kenyans consider
Obama, the son of a white mother
from Kansas and a black father
from Kenya, as one of their own.
Bull fighting has been held in
Khayega town for generations
but attempts last year to bring
the event to the national stage
attracted the wrath of aninial
rights groups. Paul Shiboko one
of the event's organizers said it is
a great honor to be an owner of a
winning bull, aside from the prize
money. Shiboko said bulls are
usually bred to fight and some-
times named after both famous
and infamous international
newsmakers to create a frenzy
among the spectators, like Sad-
dam versus Bush.
TEHRAN, Iran
Six killed in Iran
after bomb left
from '80s explodes
An Iranian semi-official news
agency reports an explosion from
* a land mine left over from the
Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s has
killed six people and injured one.
The Sunday report by Mehr
says the explosion happened on
Saturday, during a minesweeping
operation near the town of Mari-
van, some 300 miles (490 kilome-
ters) southwest of Tehran.
Explosions from leftover muni-
tions lead to casualties in Iran
from time to time.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
Walter Huancayaandhisson,Jose, loadupvotingmachinestobedeliveredto Bergenfieldand Haworth,NJ.,Fridaymorning. NewJersey
residentswhosecommunitieswerehard-hit bythisweek'sstormare beinggivenextraordinaryoptionstovotein Tuesday'selection.
election officials
State officials gather
generators, find new
poll locations
NEW YORK (AP) - Power
generators are being marshaled,
polling locations moved and vot-
ing machines hurriedly put into
place as officials prepare to hold
an national election in storm-
ravaged sections of New. York
and New Jersey barely a week
after Superstorm Sandy.
Organizers expressed guard-.
ed confidence Sunday that the
presidential vote will proceed
with no major disruptions in
most areas hit by the storm,
though it was unclear wheth-
er the preparations would be
enough to avoid depressed
turnout in communities where
people still lack power or have
been driven from their dam-
aged homes.
Some voters will be casting
ballots in pacsnferen fronem
their usual polls.
In Long Beach, N.Y., a bar-
rier-island city that was inun-
dated with water during the
storm, the number of polling
places will be cut to four, down
from the usual 11. Residents of
the devastated borough of Sea
Bright, on the New Jersey shore,
will have to drive two towns
over to vote.
But with two days to go until
Election Day, officials in both
states said Sunday that they
were overcoming many of their
biggest challenges.
Hundreds of emergency gen-
erators have been rushed into
place to ensure power at poll-
ing places, even if the neigh-
borhoods around them are still
dark. Electric utilities were
putting, a. priority on restor-
ing power to others and had
assured election officials they
would be up and running by
Monday.
Of the 1,256 polling loca-
tions in Nw omvrk Citv onlv 59
hopeful
needed to be moved or closed,
said Valerie Vazquez, a spokes-
woman for the city's Board of
Elections. Most were in coastal
areas of Brooklyn and Queens
or other neighborhoods where
buildings normally used for
voting had been turned into
shelters. In a few places, vot-
ers will be casting their ballots
in tents, and some might be
offered shuttle buses to get to
polling spots moved miles from
their homes.
Some New York City lead-
ers remained worried. Mayor
Michael Bloomberg noted that
the polling-place changes would
affect some 143,000 New York-
ers. There were concerns about
whether some poll workers
might fail to show up, and as of
Sunday night, the city's voting
information hotline was down.
"Over the next day, it's going
to be critical that the Board of
Elections communicate this
new information to their poll
"rkers.,e ,Ua
OBAMA with working-class workers
who are not strong supporters
From Page 1A of Obama, but are reluctant to
vote for Romney.
polls are projecting. In Macomb County, Repub-
. "There's some difference on licans are more energized
the size of the margin, but I than they were four years ago,
don't think it's competitive or in according to Cecil St. Pierre,
danger of Obama losing," Trau- the city council president in
gott said. Warren, Mich., the county's
Over the last few weeks, polls largest city.
in the state have fluctuated "The ground game has
from a slight lead for Obama to swelled and cannot be com-
a tie between the candidates. pared to any other election," he
On Sunday, the Democratic said, adding that the Republi-
firm Baydoun-Foster released a can victory center in Macomb
poll conducted for Fox 2 News County is always full.
that showed Obama with 46.92 Michael Taylor, the mayor
percent of the vote over Rom- pro-tempore in Sterling
ney's 46.56 percent - a 0.36 Heights, Mich., in Macomb
margin. County, wrote in an e-mail
Similar polls have registered interview that Republicans
a lead for Obama around the there have been more active
margin that Traugott predict- than in the last presidential
ed. Public Policy Polling's last election.
survey of the state, released "At this point in '08, conser-
on Saturday, projected Obama vatives seemed resigned to the
holding a 52-46 edge over Rom- fact that Obama was the inevi-
ney, while a poll by the Detroit table winner," Taylor wrote.
Free Press showed Obama with "This year is a completely dif-
the same lead, 48 percent to 42 ferent story."
percent. Despite narrowing margins
Traugott said in order for among the presidential candi-
Romney to win Michigan, he dates, neither Obama nor Rom-
would need strong voter turn- ney has appeared in the state in
out from cities like Grand Rap- the past few months. Romney
ids and counties on the west most recently visited the state
side of the state. in August, while Obama has not
He-added he might also need appeared here since April.
low voter turnout from pro- Vice President Joe Biden
Obama areas of the state like and Republican vice presiden-
Detroit and Ann Arbor. tial nominee Paul Ryan have
However, Traugott said the campaigned in the state more
combination of high voter turn- recently. Biden held a rally in
out among Republicans and Detroit on Labor Day, and Ryan
low turnout among Democrats spoke at Oakland University on
would be unlikely given polls Oct.8.
showing high turnout among The campaigns have also
Democrats. dispatched surrogates to the
Political Science Prof. state in the final weeks as polls
Michael Heaney agreed that it have revealed a tightening
is possible for Romney to_ win margin for Romney. On Satur-
the state, but noted Michigan day, Obama campaign adviser
is not a particularly influential Broderick Johnson and former
state leading into Election Day. University football player Cato
"Michigan will not be a deci- June, along with U.S. Sen.
sive state," he said. "It's like Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and U.S.
this third layer of icing on the Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.),
cake." advocated for Obama at the
Heaney said he would advise campaign's Ann Arbor head-
voters to focus more on other, quarters.
more critical swing states. Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. John
"It would be really hard McCain (R-Ariz.), the Repub-
for Obama to lose Michi- lican presidential nominee in
gan," Heaney said. "My advice 2008, campaigned for Romney
would be, don't waste your in Royal Oak last week. House
time watching the presidential Majority Leader Eric Cantor "
returns in Michigan. I would °(R-Va.) held a rally fo Romney
say, 'Watch Virginia."'' "at a football tailgatelast month.
Heaney said the areas in the" Romney's wif~e, Ann Rom-
state to watch in particular are ney, also visited Grand Rapids
Oakland and Macomb counties, for a campaign appearance two
which Traugott said are filled weeks ago.
MICHIGAN DAILY
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