The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 - 3
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, February 19, 2013 - 3
NEWS BRIEFS
DETROIT
Lawsuit pending on
domestic partner
benefits ban
People who lost domestic part-
ner benefits under a2011 Michigan
law say they're feeling the pinch
as they wait months for a judge to
decide whether the ban affecting
public school and local government
employees is unconstitutional.
A law passed by the Republi-
can-controlled Legislature and
signed by Gov. Rick Snyder ended
health insurance for people whose
domestic partners work for cer-
tain public employers.
"I feel like a second-class citi-
zen," said Gerardo Ascheri, 55,
of Lansing, who lost insurance
available through his partner's
employer. "At my age, I'm begin-
ning to think about retirement,
trying to save as much as I can.
This complicates it."
ATLANTA, Ga.
Coast guard look
into troubled cruise
A leak in a fuel oil return line
caused the engine-room fire that
disabled a Carnival cruise ship at
sea, leaving 4,200 people with-
out power or working toilets for
five days, a Coast Guard official
said Monday.
Cmdr. Teresa Hatfield
addressed the finding in a con-
ference call with reporters and
estimated that the investigation
of the disabled ship, the Carnival
Triumph, would take six months.
Hatfield said the Bahamas -
where the ship is registered, or
flagged - is leading the investi-
gation, with the Coast Guard and
National Transportation Safety
Board representing U.S. interests
in the probe. The vessel was in
international waters at the time of
the incident.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
U.S. attorney
general meets with
Caribbean leaders
U.S. Attorney General Eric
Holder discussed regional crime
with Caribbean leaders on Mon-
day during a summit in Haiti.
Holder talked with the lead-
ers of mostly English-speaking
Caribbean countries about crime
problems, efforts to curb weapons
and drugtraffickingand a need to
alert countries in the region about
imminent deportations at the con-
ference of the Caribbean Commu-
nity, known as Caricom, held at a
hotel in the Haitian capital.
Hundreds of thousands of
people from Haiti, Jamaica,
Mexico and other nations have
been deported to homelands they
barely know since the U.S. Con-
gress mandated in 1996 that every
non-citizen sentenced to a year or
more in prison be booted from the
countryupon release.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
Ahn Young-joon/AP
South Korean army soldiers patrol along barbed-wire fences at the lmjingak Pavilion, near the demilitarized zone of
Panmunjom, in Paju, South Korea
FamilyofOscar Pistorius'
girlfriend wants answers.
Olympic athlete
says deadly shooting
was accident
JOHANNESBURG (AP) -
The family of Oscar Pistorius'
slain girlfriend wants answers,
her mother told a Johannesburg
newspaper, as South Africans
braced to hear why prosecutors
believe a national hero murdered
the model who was shot multiple
times.
June Steenkamp, Reeva
Steenkamp's mother, told The
Times in a front page interview
published Monday: "Why? Why
my little girl? Why did this hap-
pen? Why did he do this?"
"Just like that she is gone," the
newspaper quoted her as saying
in what it described as an emo-
tional telephone interview. "In
the blink of an eye and a single
breath, the most beautiful person
who ever lived is no longer here."
Pistorius, who remains in cus-
tody in a red-brick, one-story
police station in Pretoria, is set
to return to court Tuesday for
the start of his bail hearing. It
will be the first opportunity for
the prosecution to describe evi-
dence police gathered against
the 26-year-old double-amputee
runner and the reasons why he
was charged with murder. Pros-
ecutors allege the killing was
premeditated.
Pistorius' family denies he
committed murder though they
have not addressed whether
he shot her. When word first
emerged about the killing there
was speculation in the local
media that Steenkamp had been
mistaken for an intruder in Pis-
torius' home. Police have said
that was not something they
were considering.
In an email to The Associated
Press on Monday, Pistorius' long-
time track coach - who was yet
to comment - said he believes
the killing was an accident. .
"I pray that we can all, in time,
come through this challenging
situation following the accident
and I am looking forward to the
day I can get my boy back on the
track," Ampie Louw wrote in his
statement. "I am still in shock
following the heart-breaking
events that occurred last week
and my thoughts and prayers
are with both of the families
involved."
Pistorius' top sponsor, Nike,
said in a brief statement to the AP
on Monday that it "has no plans
for Oscar Pistorius in upcoming
campaigns." They declined to
give any further information.
While Pistorius goes to
court, Steenkamp's funeral
will also be held Tuesday in her
hometown of Port Elizabeth on
South Africa's southern coast,
her family said. It is to be a pri-
vate ceremony at a local crema-
torium, closed to the public and
media.
Boy's suspensions
renew debate over
zero tolerance
Sandy Hook has our school community feeling
unsafe or threatened would be
influenced a string irresponsible and negligent."
The boy's mother, Sheila
of suspensions Cruz-Cardosa, said school
officials are responding irra-
(AP) - Waiting in line for the tionally in the wake of Sandy
bus, a Pennsylvania kindergar- Hook. She said they should be
tener tells her pals she's going concentrating on "high school
to shoot them with a Hello kids or kids who are more of a
Kitty toy that makes soap bub- threat, not an innocent 5-year-
bles. In Maryland, a 6-year-old old who's playing with Legos."
boy pretends his fingers are a Though Newtown intro-
gun during a playground game duces a wrinkle to the debate,
of cops and robbers. In Mas- the slew of recent high-profile
sachusetts, a 5-year-old boy suspensions over perceived
attending an after-school pro- threats or weapons infractions
gram makes a gun out of Legos has renewed old questions
and points it at other students about the wisdom of "zero tol-
while "simulating the sound of erance" policies.
gunfire," as one school official Conceived as a way to
put it. improve school security and
Kids with active imagina- maintain consistent discipline
tions? Or potential threats to and order, zero tolerance was
school safety? enshrined by a 1994 federal law
Some school officials are that required states to mandate
taking the latter view, suspend- a minimum one-year expul-
ing or threatening to suspend sion of any student caught with
small children over behavior a firearm on school property.
their parents consider perfect- Over the years, many states and
ly normal and age-appropriate school districts expanded zero
- even now, with schools in a tolerance to include offenses
state of heightened sensitiv- as varied as fighting, skipping
ity followingthe mass shooting school or arguing with a teach-
at Sandy Hook Elementary in er.
December. Some experts say there's lit-
The extent to which the tle evidence that zero tolerance
Newtown, Conn., shooting - in which certain infractions
might influence educators' dis- compel automatic discipline,
ciplinary decisions is unclear. usually suspension or expul-
But parents contend admin- sion - makes schools safer,
istrators are projecting adult and contend the policies leads
fears onto children who know to increased rates of dropouts
little about the massacre of 20 and involvement with the juve-
first-graders and six educa- nile justice system. Supporters
tors, and who certainly pose no respond that zero tolerance is
threat to anyone. a useful and necessary tool for
"It's horrible what they're removing disruptive kids from
doing to these kids," said the classroom, and say any
Kelly Guarna, whose 5-year- problems stem from its misap-
old daughter, Madison, was plication.
suspended by Mount Carmel The original 1994 federal law,
Area School District in eastern and most state and local zero
Pennsylvan'ia last month for tolerance policies, give school
making a "terroristic threat" administrators the flexibility to
with the bubble gun. "They're tailor punishments to fit the cir-
treating themas mini-adults, cumstances, noted school safety
making them grow up too expert Kenneth Trump.
fast, and robbing them of their "Contrary to the myth of zero
imaginations." tolerance, most school board
Mary Czajkowski, superin- policies provide options and
tendent of Barnstable Public flexibility for administrators.
Schools in Hyannis, Mass., What you see is poor decision-
acknowledged that Sandy Hook making and poor implementa-
has teachers and parents on tion of the policies, rather than
edge. But she defended Hyan- the fact school administrators
nis West Elementary School's are handcuffed in terms of their
warning to a 5-year-old boy discretion," he said.
who chased his classmates with Trump said most school
a gun he'd made from plastic officials bend over backward
building blocks, saying the stu- to be fair. But he added there's
dent didn't listen to the teacher no question that Sandy Hook
when she told him repeatedly weighs heavily.
to stop. "It's a normal occurrence to
The school told his mother if have a heightened sensitivity
it happened again, he'd face a after a high-profile tragedy, but
two-week suspension. that does not negate the need for
"Given the heightened common sense," he said.
awareness and sensitivity, Maryland father Stephen
we must do all that we can to Grafton said common sense was
ensure that all students and in short supply in a case involv-
adults both remain safe and ing his 6-year-old son, who he
feel safe in schools," Czajkows- said was suspended from White
ki said in a statement. "To dis- Marsh Elementary School in
miss or overlook an incident Trappe for using his hand as a
that results in any member of "gun" duringrecess.
Singer Mindy McCready
dies in apparent suicide
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Country star string bf issues she'd dealt with
over the last half-decade.
[ves behind two "It is a giant whirlwind of
chaos all the time," she said of
young Sons her life. "I call my life a beauti-
ful mess and organized chaos.
tRBER SPRINGS, Ark. It's just always been like that.
- Perhaps there was one My entire life things have been
:break too many for Mindy attracted to me and vice versa
ready. that turn into chaotic night-
e former country star mares or I create the chaos
rently took her own life on myself. I think that's really the
ay at her home in Heber life of a celebrity, of a big, huge,
gs, Ark. Authorities say giant personality".
ready died of a suspected This time it seems the whirl-
nflicted gunshot to the wind overwhelmed McCready.
and an autopsy is planned. Her death comes a month
was 37, and left behind two after that of David Wilson, her
g sons. longtime . boyfriend and the
cCready had attempted father of her youngest son. He
de at least three times is believed to have shot himself
2005, as she struggled to on the same porch of the home
amid a series of tumultu- they shared in Heber Springs,
tublic events that marked a small vacation community
of her adult life. about 65 miles north of Little
eaking to The Associated Rock. His death also was inves-
in 2010, McCready smiled tigated as a suicide.
y while talking about the It was the most difficult
moment in a life full of them.
McCready issued a state-
ment last month lamenting his
death. And she called him her
soul mate and a caregiver to
her sons in an interview with
NBC's "Today" show.
"I just keep telling myself
that the more suffering that I go
through, the greater character
I'll have," she said, according to
a transcript of the interview.
Melinda Gayle McCready
arrived in Nashville in 1994,
still in her teens with tapes of
her karaoke vocals and earned
a recording contract with BNA
Records. She had a few memo-
rable moments professionally,
scoring her first No. 1hit almost
immediately.
"Guys Do It All the Time," a
self-assured dig at male chau-
vinism, endeared her to female
fans in 1996. She also scored
a hit with "Ten Thousand
Angels," and her album of that
title sold 2 million copies.