2A..- The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 6, 1995 11.1 Electronic tetbers to be ttached to baterers DET I IT (AP)-People convicted of battering a loved one can get out of jail early but will have their move- ments monitored electronically - un- der a pr ram about to get a tryout in Berrien'-County. "We have a really bad domestic vio- lence situation here - they're just fill- ing up ourjail," said Cheryl Price, com- munity corrections coordinator for the southwestern Michigan county. "We th ought the tether would be a good option." Berrien officials heard about the idea in May 'at a corrections seminar. They used a $1,300 state grant to develop and start a pilot program. After= serving some jail time, cer- tain people convicted of battering spouses or loved ones can get out by agreeing topay $10-$12 daily to wear the electronic ankle device. A moni- toring device would be placed in the home ofthe potential victim to warn if the batterer is near. Victims who participate must agree to have their monitorin their homes and to have counseling. The monitor also acts as a tape recorder should the batterer en- ter the home. "If it'S going to save one woman's life, it's .worth it," Mable Dunbar, ex- ecutive director of Safe Shelter in Berrieni County, told the Detroit Free Press for a story Monday. "From a psychological standpoint, the tether is' making a difference," said Cathy Fulda, program manager for the device at its maker, BI Inc. of Bould4ft Colo. "It is better than a piece Offpaper. But you must realize that it is not protection. The batterer has to be involved in some sort of treatment ... and the victim must un- derstand that he or she must do some safety planning." Des ite crackdown, 27 e over holiday Labor Day weekend fatality rate on state's roads ranks highest in the past six years DETROIT (AP) - State police ex- pressed surprise yesterday over the high number of Labor Day weekend deaths on the state's roads. At least 27 died, the highest total in six years, despite an enforcement crackdown. "We're pretty puzzled," said Sgt. Eric Johnson of the troopers' traffic services section in Lansing. "We're taking a good hard look at this." The high number was especially dis- appointing since alcohol-related deaths were down and seat-belt use was up, Johnson said. Police were hoping to declare this summer one of the safest on record after relatively low highway fatality counts during the Memorial Day and July Fourth weekends. But the most recent three-day holiday weekend dashed those hopes. The weekend total was the highest since 1989, when 29 people died on Michigan roads over the Labor Day holiday. Ten died last year. "It certainly has taken what started out to be our safest summer in some time and made it a bad one," Johnson said. Hundreds of extra troopers were on the state's highways to catch speeders, drunks and other reckless drivers. Troopers also focused on enforcing the state law mandating seat-belt use. "We had a lot of patrols out, a lot of overtime," Johnson said. Debbie Pearson, a spokeswoman for the American Automobile Club of Michigan in Dearborn, noted that a majority of the victims were under 24. "It wasn't alcohol this time. It was wild driving," she said. Troopers were analyzing the crash reports for reasons why there were so many fatalities. He noted four of the crashes had multiple deaths, but even without those the total would have been higher than last year's. Five young people, including a 2- year-old girl, were killed when their car struck a tree in Van-Buren County Sun- day. And two women and a child died when two cars collided and one ofthem was knocked into a house in Saginaw County. "In the most recent holiday week- ends, there have been mostly single fatalities," he said. "The only positive thing is the fact that drinking-related fatalities were down and belt use was up a bit." For fatality tabulation, the holiday weekend ran from 6 p.m. Friday to midnight Monday. It's not Disneyland ... With classes started, students wait on line to purchase textbooks yesterday at Michigan Book and Supply on State Street. Rep. Hoeksra plans inquiy on teaching homosexuality in schools DETROIT (AP) - U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra plans a congressional hearing to determine whether public schools promote homosexuality to students. Hoekstra spokesman Jon Brandt said yesterday that the hearing would be held "within the next month or so" before a panel of the House Economic and Educational Committee to address parental concerns about distributing condoms in school and sex education. The hearing had been scheduled for Sept. 12, but organizers ran into logis- tical problems and decided Friday to put it off, Brant said. "It's not to bash gays," Brandt said. "It's to talk about the appropriateness ofhaving to deal with these issues in the classroom." But the hearing came about because House Speaker Newt Gingrich prom- isedthe Anaheim, Ca.-based Traditional Values Coalition - which has been opposed to gay rights for more than 20 years - that the issue would be ad- dressed. "We are convinced that there is a clear agenda that the gay and lesbian ... groups want to promote in the schools," said the Rev. Louis Sheldon, director of the organization. "And this agenda has been accomplished through the Centers for Disease Control with funding under the Trojan Horse of AIDS education." The hearing was scheduled quietly last month and the Democratic mem- bers of the committee were not notified. The date became known when a gay- rights group made public a fund-raising letter Sheldon sent to supporters. The hearing has drawn criticism from the country's largest gay rights organi- zation. The Human Rights Campaign Fund accused Hoekstra of turning the com- mittee over to Sheldon, who "is shame- lessly distorting the purpose of pro- grams designed to keep young people safe and healthy," said Elizabeth Birch, executive director of the fund. Brandt said Sheldon has helped plan the hearing, but said Sheldon does not have the run of Hoekstra's subcommit- tee. I,, 1.., ', I:' AY .. Even your social life has prerequisites. CAPITOL Buy one set of Qual1ex prints , -.get a second set ~1 ' I F R E E T A R G E T 1 I We do your pi cturestoo. a EFim p IT --- -c--- - - -- - I $.1 O T Rubbermaid dual-actson wastebasket or large 1aundry basket Consumer:LI it ..\ ,. . CashierI sca G Eoupos s 0TARGIET s 85239 52176 7r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - $1 off. - Suburbanite large angle broom, jumbo butterfly mop or standup butler __ t t t t E F i 1 1 t I I I I I 4 I a, Consumer: } l Cashier: Sc product then scan cou an po . I I 12131595* @:i; TARGET ]' M N I