THURSDAY,FEBRUARY 20,2003
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 7A
Largest U.S.deployment since Vietnam
The Associated Press
FORT CARSON, Colo. Capt. Mike West has two things to do before shipping out to the Middle East in a few days: spend time with his wife and son and pick out two baby names.
His wife, Amy, is pregnant and her husband does not know whether to expect a son or daughter.
The Wests were among hundreds of families who gathered
inside the fieldhouse at Fort Carson for a farewell ceremony in front of a giant American flag.
About 4,800 soldiers of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team are scheduled to depart in coming days as part of the buildup in the Middle East — the unit's largest deployment since 1966, during the Vietnam War. Military officials will not say exactly where in the Middle East they are headed.
By the end of the month, 11,000 of the post's 15,000 troops
should be deployed, which would make it the mountain post's largest deployment since World War II, Maj. Gen. Robert Wilson said.
"As guardians of peace, I know you don't desire war, but you will do your duty as directed," Wilson told soldiers standing in rigid rows and wearing green fatigues.
Spc. Roger Sparks, who is 21-years-old, attended fresh from marrying his 18-year-old wife, Tiffani, at a ceremony Tuesday in
the El Paso County Clerk's Office. A big wedding is planned for later.
"He's leaving and I wanted to do this before he left," said Tiffani Sparks, who was in the Air Force and was due at her own base Thursday.
In Windsor Locks, Conn., about 100 National Guard troops who operate and maintain CH-47 Chinook helicopters also prepared to ship off yesterday to Fort Dix, N.J., where they will await deployment orders.
Hundreds of people were present at the farewell ceremony for Company G of the 104th Aviation Regiment.
As her husband climbed on a truck, Julie Parker said the hardest part was not knowing where he was headed — and explaining the situation to the couple's 8-year-old child.
"How do you explain anything like this? At least I believe in the cause — it's for a good reason," she said.
Club where 21 died has troublesome history
The Associated Press
CHICAGO — The night spot where 21 people died in a stampede this week was a popular hip-hop club with a reputation for trouble.
Police superintendent, Terry Hillard, said officers had responded to 80 calls of battery and other trouble at or near the club in the last three years.
Kyles and Calvin Hollins have run the popular South
Side club, E2, which has had several names, since the early 80s.
According to public records, Dwain J. Kyles is president and owner of Le Mirage Studio Ltd., which owns both E2 and Epitome. His father, the Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles, was a close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a close friend of Jackson and a founder of Operation PUSH.
The spot was envisioned as a place African American professionals could mix with celebrities like George Benson, P. Diddy and 50 Cent, and members of Chicago's professional sports teams.
It worked. The club was a popular dance spot.
When authorities tried to shut down the nightclub a year ago, community leaders rushed to defend it, saying it was an important, African-American owned business. In a letter to a city alderman, the Rev. Jesse
Jackson called Epitome, a restaurant underneath E2, "one of the few fine dining establishments in Chicago owned and operated by African Americans."
Whether the outcry helped keep the club open was unknown yesterday. City officials said a court order to close E2 was clear, while club attorneys said it was open to interpretation.
At the time, the Rev. Bamani Obadele complained the city was cracking down for crimes that were actually occurring outside the club. After the stampede, Obadele said he was second-guessing the push to keep E2 open.
An attorney for Kyles has said the judge's order last year pertained to only one section of the club, a point the city disputes. Hillard said police didn't know about an order to close the club — and it stayed open.
Flash flood may result from rain, snowmelt
The Associated Press
Rain and rising temperatures in the forecast for the next few days threaten to melt this week's snowfall in the East and cause disastrous floods.
In Pennsylvania, emergency management officials urged people to prepare for high water by selecting an evacuation route, clearing snow from flat roofs and stocking up on supplies.
"With all of this snow on the ground, the potential is there for serious flooding," said David M. Sanko, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
The forecast called for one to two inches of rain tomorrow night into Saturday, said Walt Nickelsberg, of the National Weather Service's office, which covers the lower Delaware River.
Nickelsberg said that if the area got two inches, flooding would be possible.
5 p.m. to Close-Every Evening
The University of Kansas Chancellor's Student Awards Committee
Is accepting nominations and applications for the following graduating senior awards;
The Agnes Wright Strickland Award
The Agnes Wright Strickland Award
The Donald K. Alderson Award
The Class of 1913 Award
The Alexis F. Dillard Student Involvement Award
*The Rusty Leffel Concerned Student Award
The Caryl K. Smith Student Leader Award
Nominations must be received by 5:00pm, March 7 Applications must be received by 5:00 pm, March 26
*This award is not limited to graduating seniors
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