The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, April 16, 2013 - 3 NEWS BRIEFS LANSING No layoffs from federal budget cuts Automatic federal budget cuts will cost Michigan $150 million in funding for programs such as special education and a cloth- ing allowance for needy kids, but none of state government's 48,000 employees will lose their jobs, the state announced Mon- day. About $20 billion, or 42 per- cent, of the state's $48 billion budget comes from federal funds - a concern for state officials ever since the automatic spend- ing reductions began taking effect more than six weeks ago. Gov. Rick Snyder's adminis- tration said the most significant direct cut is to a program that will not be able to provide about $137 at the start of the school year to each of 21,000 chil- dren living with relatives after being removed from their home. SEATTLE, Wash. Search and rescue delays effort to find lost hiker Dangerous conditions Mon- day prevented rescuers from searching for a hiker who was caught in an avalanche over the weekend in the Cascade Moun- tains east of Seattle. The - hiker's wife, Marilynn Hungate, identified him to KING-TV as Mitch Hungate, 61, a dentist and seasoned athlete. He was with two other com- panions Saturday afternoon when an avalanche swept them more than 1,200 feet down Gran- ite Mountain, a 5,600-foot peak about 45 miles east of Seattle. The two friends emerged from the snow and called for help. They tried but weren't able to find Hungate. AMMAN, Jordan Jordanian extremist praises * Boston bombing Visitors to the National Sep- tember 11 Memorial & Museum must now pay a $2 service fee to reserve passes online or by phone. The fee went into effect last * month, although there is no charge for admission to the memorial on the World Trade Center site. There's also no charge for same-day passes dis- tributed on a first-come, first- served basis. Family members of some 9/11 victims say the fee violates the memorial's mission. "They're making money off the people that died. It's disgusting," Jim Riches, a retired FDNY dep- uty chief who lost his firefighter son, told the New York Post. AI-Chalabi served seven years in prison for his part in the foiled attack. His group is outlawed in Jordan. VUKOVAR, Croatia Effects of Balkan conflict still felt * by many soldiers Edin Kapidzic fought in Croa- tia's brutal war for independence and came out alive. Carrying on in peace turned out to be harder. Years after returning from the front lines, the former soldier from eastern Croatia hanged himself in a park in the home- town he defended during the 1991-95 conflict, part of the wider disintegration of the for- mer Yugoslavia. Kapidzic left behind a wife and four children. But no suicide note. He was among nearly 2,000 Croatian war veterans who have killed themselves since war ended in the Balkan country of 4.2 million, which is now slated to join the European Union. An estimated 1,000 people com- mit suicide each year in Croa- tia, of whom 100 to 120 are the so-called Croatian defenders, or l those who took part in the war, according to official statistics. -Compiled from Daily wire reports. Boston bombing prompts review of London race Alexander h. Yuan/AP A man, center, supervises a dancing group during a mass folk dance in front of the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea on Monday. During holiday, Korea calm after threatening war Festivities continue despite potential missile launch PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) - North Koreans cel- ebrated the birthday of their first leader Monday by danc- ing in plazas and snacking on peanuts, with little hint of the fiery language that has kept the international community fear- ful that a missile launch may be imminent. Pyongyang fired off a rocket ahead of the last anniversary of Kim Il Sung's birth - the cen- tennial - but this time the day was simply the start of a two- day holiday for Pyongyang residents who spilled into the streets. Girls in red and pink jackets skipped along streets festooned with celebratory banners and flags and boys on inline skates took a break to slurp up bowls of shaved ice. There was no sense of panic in the North Korean capital, where very few locals have access to international broad- casts and foreign newspapers speculating about an imminent missile launch and detailing the international diplomacy under way to try to rein Pyong- yang in. Elsewhere in the region, however, the focus remained on the threat of a launch as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped up a tour to coordi- nate Washington's response with Beijing, North Korea's most important ally, as well as with Seoul and Tokyo. In Seoul, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan- jin told a parliamentary com- mittee Monday that North Korea still appeared poised to launch a missile from its east coast, though he declined to disclose the source of his infor- mation. Kerry warned North Korea not to conduct a missile test, saying it would be provocation that "will raise people's temper- atures" and further isolate the country and its impoverished people. He said Sunday that the U.S. was "prepared to reach out," but that Pyongyang must first bring down tensions and honor previous agreements. Foreign governments have been trying to assess how seri- ously to take North Korea's recent torrent of rhetoric warning of war if the U.S. and South Korea do not stop hold- ing joiet military maneuvers just across the border. Officials in South Korea, the United States and Japan say intelligence indicates that North Korea, fresh off an underground nuclear test in February, appears ready to launch a medium-range missile. North Korea has already been slapped with strengthened U.N. sanctions for violating Security Council resolutions barring the regime from nuclear and missile activ- ity. North Korea has warned that the situation has grown so tense it cannot guarantee the safety of foreigners in the country and said embassies in Pyongyang should think about their evacuation plans. But British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Monday that although there is reason for concern over the "frenetic and bellicose" rhetoric, Brit- ain believes there has been "no immediate increased risk or danger" to those living in or travelling to North Korea. He said Britain does not see an immediate need to draw down embassy staff, but is keeping that under constant review. He added that, from discussions with other governments, the U.K. does not believe any foreign embassy in Pyongyang plans to close. While concerns over North Korea continued to dominate headlines abroad, Pyongyang's own media gave little indica- tion Monday of how high the tensions are. The Rodong Sinmun, the Workers' Party newspaper, fea- tured photos and coverage of current leader Kim Jong Un's overnight visit to the Kumsu- san mausoleum to pay respects to his grandfather. There was only one line at the end of the article vowing to bring down the "robber-like U.S. imperial- ists." British police prepare heightened security for Sunday's marathon LONDON (AP) - British police are reviewing security plans for Sunday's London Mar- athon, the next major interna- tional marathon, because of the bombs that killed two people at the race in Boston. But there is no known specific or credible threat against the hugely popu- lar British race at the moment, a security official said Monday. Police already were preparing a major security operation for Wednesday's ceremonial funer- al for former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, an event at St. Paul'sCathedral that will be attended by Queen Elizabeth II and many dignitaries. The plans call for a procession through the streets of London, with Thatch- er's flag-draped coffin to be car- ried on a horse-drawn carriage. The funeral's security plans are expected to be reviewed in light of the Boston bombings. London has long been con- sidered a top target for inter- national terrorists, with the government saying the threat level is "substantial." In 2005, a series of suicide attacks on the public transport system in the British capital killed 52 people. London and mainland Britain also face a moderate threat from Northern Ireland-related ter- rorism, according to the govern- ment. Two bombs exploded near the finish of the Boston Mara- thon on Monday, killing two people and wounding more than 80 others, race organizers and police said. The situation sparked alarm bells in Britain, where a massive security opera- tion was put in place last sum- mer to protect the successful London Olympics. Last year, some 37,500 ath- letes competed in the London Marathon, with many more watching the springtime event. Chief Superintendent Julia Pendry, police commander for the London race, said Mon- day that "a security plan is in place for the London Marathon. We will be reviewing security arrangements in partnership with (the) London Marathon." A police spokesman who spoke on condition of anonym- ity because he was not autho- rized to go on the record said the security presence may be increased. A security official, speak- ing on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the mat- ter, said there are no credible or specific threats against the Lon- don Marathon. The London race's chief executive, Nick Bitel, said mar- athon officials contacted the police to discuss security plans "as soon as we heard the news" about Boston. He expressed shock and sadness about the situation in Boston, saying "it is a very sad day for athletics and for our friends in marathon running." BP manager testifies at trial over oil spill $500 million Wrigley Field renovation headed to court Detailed plans for stadium get heat from rooftop owners CHICAGO (AP) - The Chica- go Cubs have been fighting for years to get back to the World Series. They may have a fight on their hands to upgrade Wrigley Field, too. The Cubs unveiled details Monday of their' $500 million plan to renovate the 99-year- old ballpark. It calls for more night games, a new hotel, a new clubhouse, extended beer sales, various upgrades for fans - and a massive electronic video screen that could spark a legal battle with rooftop owners who have a financial stake in being able to view the games from across the street. The proposed 6,000-square- foot screen in left field is nearly three times as large as the ven- erable scoreboard currently atop the centerfield bleachers. Team chairman Tom Ricketts said "significant" advertising- related revenue from the video screen and a 1,000-square-foot sign in right field would be pumped back into the team. "If this plan is approved, we will win the World Series for our city," Ricketts of the Cubs, who have not won it all since 1908 and haven't played in the series since 1945. The Cubs say rooftop views would be "largely preserved" and that the sign and screen are "far less than our origi- nal desire for seven signs to help offset the costrof ballpark restoration." Ricketts would not say what the team means when it says the signs would have "minimal impact" on the views from the rooftops. Nor would he discuss the likeli- hood of a lawsuit, saying only that "we will take that issue as it comes." The rub is that the rooftop owners have a contract with the Cubs in which they share revenue from the rooftop seats - an unusual arrangement, to be sure. The rooftop owners have 11 years remaining on the contract, and they showed no sign of endorsing the big new signs the Cubs want to put up. "We have a contract with the Chicago Cubs and we intend to see that it's enforced," said Beth Murphy, who owns roof- top bleachers and Murphy's Bleachers, a popular tavern just beyond Wrigley's center- field wall. "We have fulfilled our end of the contract, we pay them 17 percent of our gross revenues every year." Murphy said the rooftop owners were shut out of nego- tiations between the city and the team. She said she couldn't imagine how a 6,000-square- foot sign - slightly more than a tenth of an acre - could be installed without disrupting views from the rooftops. Ricketts said the two sides have a ways to go, that the agreement must be approved by city planners and the City Coun- cil. But he said Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the alderman whose ward includes Wrigley Field, Tom Tunney, support the overall plan. The mayor's office has, in fact, agreed the signs can be installed, but there has been no agreement on size or design. Only Boston's Fenway Park is older than Wrigley Field among major league parks. Baseball purists love its intimacy -.the ivy-covered walls, the commit- ment to day games - but the team says it spends $15 million a year just to keep up with basic repairs and desperately wants new revenue to pay for new amenities. A better showplace could perhaps help the Cubs snap a World Series champion- ship drought that dates to 1908, six years before Wrigley was built. Under the plan, the num- ber of night games could be increased from 30 to 40, and construction would include a 175-room hotel, an office build- ing with retail space and health club, and 1,000 "remote" park- ing spots that would be free and come with shuttle ser- vice. Emanuel has hailed the "framework" agreement, not- ing that it includes no taxpayer funding. If the deal wins approval from city officials, Ricketts said work could begin after this season ends and be com- pleted over the next five years. Manager had no safety concerns for oil rig despite last minute changes NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A BP team leader who supervised man- agers on the oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 tes- tified Monday that he was frus- trated by last-minute changes to the drilling project, but didn't have any safety concerns before the deadly blast. John Guide was BP's wells team leader for the Deepwater Horizon project and supervised two rig managers who have been indicted on manslaugh- ter charges in the deaths of 11 workers. He was the first wit- ness to testify during the eighth week of a federal trial seeking to assign responsibility for the disaster. The explosion that killed the rig workers triggered the nation's worst offshore oil spill. Barring a settlement, U.S. Dis- trict Judge Carl Barbier, who is hearing testimony without a jury, could decide how much more money BP and its contrac- tors owe for their roles in the catastrophe. ' In an email three days before the April 20, 2010, blowout of BP's Macondo well, Guide complained about last-minute changes and warned his boss, David Sims; that the operation wouldn't succeed if it continued "in this manner." Guide sent the email after learning about a change in the plan for cement- ing BP's Macondo well. "David, over the past four days there has been so many last minute changes to the operation that the (BP rig managers) have finally come to their wits end. The quote is 'flying by the seat of our pants,"' Guide wrote. Plaintiffs' attorneys have claimed that email shows BP sac- rificed safety in a rush to com- plete a project that was behind schedule and millions of dollars over budget. Guide, however, testified that the concerns he expressed in his April 17 email had nothing to do with safety. Guide said he never tried to cut corners to save money or pressured rig crew members to speed up operations so the rig could move on to drilling another well. "Safety was the number one priority," he said. Guide said he sent the April 17 email after learning that BP planned to add 30 barrels of "spacer" during the Macondo well's cementjob.Aspaceris aliq- uid used to separate other liquids from each other. "I didn't know about this," he recalled. "I was surprised." , Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine, BP's well site leaders on the rig at the time of the explo- sion, have pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges and await a separate trial. An indictment last year accuses Kaluza and Vid- rine of botching a key safety test and disregarding abnormally high pressure readings that were glaring signs of trouble before the blowout. Guide said he spoke to Vidrine on the morning of April 17 and discussed the last-minute chang- es to the drilling plans. "Mr. Vidrine was frustrated," he recalled. "He made the com- ment that it just seemed like try- ing to put all this stuff together made him feel like he was flying by the seat of his pants." . Guide said he also discussed his concerns with Brian Morel, a BP engineerontheproject,before sending the email to Sims. "Everybody wants to do the right thing, but, this huge level of paranoia from engineering leadership is driving chaos," Guide wrote in the email. "Brian has called me numerous times trying to make sense of all the insanity." More than a month before the blowout, Sims wrote but never sent a scathing email in which he accused Guide of criticizing "nearly everything we do on the rig" without accepting responsi- bility for his role in supervising the operation. "You are always defensive and the victim. You seem to not want to make a decision so that you can criticize it later," Sims wrote in the email, one of several testy exchanges he had with Guide.