FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2006
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
3A
And a little dab up top...
Carly Pearson/KANSAN
Bill Prescott, senior painter for student housing, paints the wall above a vending machine Thursday afternoon at McCollum Hall. The interior designer of McCollum has plans to brighten the living room without remodeling.
HUNTING ACCIDENT
Bush: Cheney sorry
BY NEDRA PICKLER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Texas authorities closed the investigation into Vice President Dick Cheney's hunting accident Thursday without bringing any charges against him. President Bush said Cheney had handled the situation "just fine."
The administration was eager to put to rest a public relations firestorm arising from Cheney's failure to publicly disclose Saturday's accident until the next day. The episode had knocked the White House off stride and distracted attention from Bush's agenda.
Bush said critics were drawing "the wrong conclusion about a tragic accident" by saying it depicted the White House as overly secretive. He raised no objection to the delay in the disclosure of the shooting — although senior White House
"I'm satisfied with the explanation he gave," Bush said, making his first public comments about Cheney's accidental shooting of 78-year-old attorney Harry Whittington while aiming for a quail. Bush said the vice president's explanation was "strong and powerful."
aides had argued unsuccessfully for the announcement to be made more quickly and for Cheney to speak out sooner.
"The vice president was involved in a terrible accident and it profoundly affected him," Bush said in an Oval Office photo opportunity. "Yesterday, when he was here in the Oval Office, I saw the deep concern he had about a person who he wounded."
In Texas, the Kenedy County Sheriff's Department issued a report supporting Cheney's account of the accident that occurred on a sprawling private ranch. Deputies visited the scene, got written affidavits from at least four other members of the hunting party and interviewed Cheney and Whittington, the report said.
Whittington "explained foremost there was no alcohol during the hunt and everyone was wearing the proper hunting attire of blaze orange," reported Chief Deputy Gilberto San Miguel Jr. Cheney spoke to a deputy Sunday morning at the ranch, and Whittington was questioned from his hospital bed Monday, the report said.
The sheriff's report said Whit-
tington declined the deputies'
request to record the interview because he said his voice was raspy. Before a nurse asked the officers to "hurry up so Mr. Whittington could rest," he repeatedly insisted the shooting "was just an accident" and expressed concern that all the media attention would give hunting in Texas a bad image, the report said.
Whittington was hit with shotgun pellets in the face, neck and chest. He was in stable condition in a Corpus Christi hospital, two days after suffering a mild heart attack caused by a shotgun pellet that traveled to his heart.
Sheriff's dispatcher Diana Mata, speaking for the department, said the case was closed and no charges would be filed. She said Sheriff Ramon Sininas III, a Democrat, would have no comment on the report.
Cheney headed out of Washington Thursday, traveling to his home state of Wyoming after five days of intense scrutiny about the accident. He planned to give a previously scheduled speech to the state Legislature Friday, reflecting on his Wyoming roots and promoting the Bush agenda. Cheney told the story publicly Wednesday in an interview with Fox News Channel.
ON CAMPUS
Scott Turow, attorney and author of "Ultimate Punishment: A Lawyer's Reflections on Dealing with the Death Penalty," is speaking as part of the Humanities Lecture Series at 10 a.m. today at the Hall Center.
- The Department of Human Resources and Equal Opportunity is holding a workshop on "Everyday Creativity" at 11:30 a.m. today in the Kansas Union Parlors.
- Gitti Salami, assistant professor of art history, is hosting a seminar on "Yakurr Ritual Performance: A Plea for a Voice in a De-Centered Global World" at 1:30 p.m. today in the Hall Center.
James Quinn, history, is hosting a seminar on "The Vichy Regime and French POWs in Germany" at 4 p.m. today in the Hall Center.
The film "Rent" is showing at 7 p.m. and 9:30
p.m. today and 12:30 p.m.
Saturday in the Woodruff
Auditorium of the Kansas
Union. Admission is $2 or
free with an Activity Card.
Canada's Royal Winnipei
Ballet is presenting "The
Magic Flute" at 7:30 p.m.
today at the Lied Center.
Tickets are $19-$44.
♦ Student Union Activities is sponsoring free cosmic bowling from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. today and Saturday at the Jaybowl in the Kansas Union.
Mary Dusenbury, guest curator, is giving a lecture on "Flowers, Dragons, & Pine Trees: Asian Textiles in the Spencer Museum of Art" at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Spencer Museum of Art.
$ \star $ The Center of Latin American Studies is showing the film "Norte" at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Spencer Museum of Art.
♦ The Hamilton Clarinet Quartet is performing at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the
Swarthout Recital Hall of Murphy Hall.
The Women's Chorale and Chamber Choir is performing with the West Junior High and Lawrence Free State High School choirs at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Lied Center.
Michael Kimber, viola player, is performing as part of the Visiting Artists series at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in the Swarthout Recital Hall of Murphy Hall.
CAMPUS
Catherine Odson
Professor's movie premieres in New York
KU assistant professor Kevin Willmott's film "CSA: The Confederate States of America," premiered in New York City Wednesday and is set to screen Feb. 24 in Kansas City, Mo., and other selected cities. The movie's distribution company, IFC Films, will release "CSA" at Liberty Hall on March 10.The movie was critically acclaimed and earned a spot in the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.
The film is a mockumentary view on what life would have been like had the South won the Civil War. Willmott said one of the film's concepts is that in many ways the ideals of the South are still alive and well today.
Mike Mostaffa
Rotman was an honors physics student named to the Fall 2005 honor roll. He was the public relations and technology director for the Association of University Residence Halls.
The Cawker City freshman died after collapsing in a Templin Hall hallway Sunday night. The cause of death is still unknown.
A memorial celebration for Andrew Rotman will be held at 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 20, in Mrs. E's banquet room.
Memorial scheduled for Andrew Rotman
ON THE RECORD
◆ A KU Public Safety Officer was dispatched at 8:35 a.m. Wednesday to Hilltop Child Development Center in response to a criminal threat.
CORRECTION
- Thursday's The University Daily Kansan contained an error. In the column "Minor instances blur military's positive impact" the status of Jason Allen Rose's case was incorrectly stated. He has not yet stood trial in connection with the Boardwalk Apartments fire.
SPRING BREAK 2006 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TEXAS
Both Locations Offer:
Deluxe Continental
Breakfast
Beachfront Pool & Hot Tub
In-room Internet
Fitness Center
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