2A
The Inside Front
Thursday January 18,2001
News
from campus,the state the nation and the world
CAMPUS
History professor writes Native American book
A University of Kansas professor has written the first book on the history of Native Americans living in cities.
Donald Fixico, professor of history and director of the indigenous nations studies program, wrote The Urban Indian Experience in America. The book covers the history of Native Americans
Fixie: Wrote a book about Native American history.
living in urban areas during the last 50 years. Fixico said he wrote the book because he wanted people to understand that two-thirds of Native Americans lived in urban areas and how this change in lifestyle contributed to their history. Fixico said he tried to bring a human
experience to the work by starting each chapter with fictional stories about a Mohawk ironworker and his family. Copies are available in local bookstores.
Andrew Davies
Explosion emblazons downtown Hutchinson
HUTCHINSON — An explosion of undetermined origin rocked downtown Hutchinson yesterday, forcing the evacuation of a one-block area as firefighters battled blazes at two businesses.
Two customers had minor injuries, but the six employees working in the two stores were unhurt. The injured couple — Dennis Lyon and his fiance, Stacy Smith — had been in a party supply store looking at items for their wedding.
Power was out to much of the downtown area, including the Reno County courthouse, which sent employees home early.
The blast at 10:45 a.m, shattered windows within two blocks. Decor Wedding and Party Supply and Woody's Furniture and Appliance were engulfed in flames — sending a huge column of smoke above downtown. The businesses were located on First Street, a block west of Main Street.
At one point, firefighters were forced to leave the burning party supply building until a helium tank used to fill balloons exploded.
STATE
Highway patrolman found shot near Wichita
WICHITA — A Kansas Highway Patrol trooper found shot in his patrol car at a community college was in critical but stable condition yesterday. The trooper
was still unable to talk to investigators.
Doctors at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita told the Kansas Highway Patrol they wanted to keep 2nd Lt. Tom Quinn in an induced sedated state for seven more days, said 2nd Lt. John Fickhorn.
"That will prevent us from talking to him." Eichorn said.
Quinn, 42, was found shot twice in the neck shortly after 7 p.m. Monday, sitting in his marked car in a parking lot on the Pratt County Community College campus.
Quinn was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time of the shooting.
Authorities said they were unsure about what happened that night and wanted to talk to Quinn before coming to any conclusions, Eichorn said. Investigators for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation are looking at all scenarios, including a possible suicide attempt.
"We are just wanting to talk to him, and I hope that is eventually a possibility." Eichkorn said.
Quinn, a 17-year veteran of the highway patrol, was stationed out of the patrol's Great Bend office.
NATION
Student shot outside Baltimore high school
BALTIMORE — A student was killed after being shot three times outside a city high school yesterday in what police said was a premeditated attack.
Two students from another city school were detained for questioning shortly after the 8:45 a.m. shooting on the grounds of Lake Clifton-Eastern High School, police said. No charges had been filed by last night.
Juan Matthews, 17, was shot with a small-caliber pistol while standing near a flagpole in front of the school's main entrance, police commissioner Edward Norris said.
Witnesses said one suspect fled into a wooded area surrounding the school and jumped into a car waiting on the other side. The car was pulled over by police a few blocks away.
"All I can imagine is that this is something that came from the community and spilled over onto school grounds," said area schools superintendent Barry Williams.
Matthews died yesterday after undergoing surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, spokeswoman Beth Simpkins said.
Factory output shows economic slowdown
WASHINGTON — Output at U.S. factories plunged in December by the largest amount since the last recession, offering dramatic new evidence yesterday of the abrupt economic slow
down that has occurred during the past few months.
Consumer inflation, however, was moderate in December, helped by a big drop in gasoline prices. Economists said that would give the Federal Reserve room to cut interest rates further to revive the faltering economy.
Factory production fell by 1.1 percent in December, the biggest one-month drop since March 1991 when the last recession was ending.
Overall, industrial output, including manufacturing, mining and utilities, was down 0.6 percent, the third consecutive monthly decline, the first time that has occurred since 1991.
"The nation's industrial heartland is in trouble," said Joel Naroff, head of a Holland, Pa., forecasting firm. "If it weren't for the cold weather and a sharp rise in utility output, the industrial production report would have been even more of a disaster."
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State nominee Colin Powell pledged at his Senate confirmation hearing yesterday the Bush administration stood ready to help "every country that has a desire to be free."
Bush nominee Powell expects easy approval
Introduced by Sen. John Warner, R-Va., as a "a model model for generations of Americans," Powell faced easy approval to become America's first black secretary of state.
Powell called his appointment miraculous and said it "would have been unthinkable" when he first joined the Army 35 years ago.
Powell struck a cautious stance on the U.S. peacekeeping operations in the Balkans, saying the vulnerability of troops must be considered when they were deployed, whether for peace operations or potential conflict.
WORLD
Columbian gunmen massacre 25 villagers
BOGOTA, Colombia — Suspected right-wing paramilitary gunmen with machetes hacked to death 25 men in northern Colombia yesterday before burning dozens of homes to the ground, police said.
Survivors told police that about 50 heavily armed men dressed in military uniforms converged on the town of Chengue at about 3 a.m. yesterday and rounded up 25 villagers they accused of working with leftist guerrillas, Sucre state police Lt. Alexander Collazos told the Associated Press.
The victims, all men between the ages of 22 and 65, were removed one by one from their homes, surrounded and killed with machete blows to the head and neck.
The Associated Press
Approval of Ashcroft likely
WASHINGTON — John Ashcroft pledged yesterday that as President-elect Bush's attorney general he would not challenge Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that legalized a woman's right to an abortion, before the Supreme Court.
The Associated Press
Ashcroft, a firm opponent of abortion who once labeled Roe "a miserable failure," told senators at his confirmation hearing yesterday: "The Supreme Court very clearly doesn't want to deal with that issue again."
Ashcroft also said he would defend the constitutionality of gun restrictions he opposed as a senator after Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., asked him why he worked to defeat her proposals to make gun crimes subject to racketeering laws.
"I don't believe the Second Amendment to be one that forbids any regulation of guns," Asherfoot said. "There are a number of enactments I would not prefer as policy but which I believe would be constitutional."
Democrats also chastised Ashcroft for his conservative rhetoric in 1998 when he unsuccessfully sought to build his support among social and religious conservatives into a bid for the Republican Party presidential nomination.
"I expect our party generally to state pretty strong conservative views, and start negotiating with the idea that by the time you finish, we're going to have...something people can generally support," he said.
While questioning Ashcroft about his past rhetoric, Democrats conceded they expected him to win Senate approval.
"You are likely to be confirmed, as we all know." Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis, said as the Senate Judiciary Committee held its second day of hearings on the nomination.
Nonetheless, Democrats scheduled at least a half-dozen opponents of Ashcroft to testify later.
Ashcroft's personal convictions as a devoutly religious, conservative Republican have triggered opposition from civil rights and women's groups not witnessed since Justice Clarence Thomas' nomination to the Supreme Court a decade ago.
The hearings are expected to continue through today and could even be carried into next week after Bush's inauguration Saturday. Senate GOP leader Trent Lott has predicted all 50 Senate Republicans would vote for Ashcroft. So far, Sen. Barbara Boxer of California is the only Democrat who has said firmly she would vote against him.
ON THE RECORD
- An Apple Powerbook laptop, a black canvas briefcase and a textbook were stolen from Room 300 of the Art and Design Building between 1:30 p.m. Dec. 20 and 4 p.m. Jan. 12. The value of the items was $2,130, an officer from the KU Public Safety Office said.
A Southwestern Bell employee reported a hammer drill set and drill bit set stolen from the eighth floor lobby of McCollum Hall between 11:45 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, an officer from the KU Public Safety Office said. The tools were worth $400.
A black leather jacket, mobile phone, nylon clothing bag, Kansas driver license, wallet, KUID,
watch, prescription glasses and Adidas shoes were
stolen from the men's locker room of Robinson
Gymnasium between 3:30 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.
Tuesday. The value of the items was $1,250, an
officer from the KU Public Safety Office said.
A University of Kansas student's driver's side door was damaged and a car stereo and sunglasses were stolen between 10 p.m. Sunday and 8:30 a.m. Monday in the 900 block of Emery Road, Lawrence police said. The damage was estimated at $200, and the items were valued at $445.
ON CAMPUS
The KU Running and Jogging Club will meet for its daily run at 4:30 p.m. today at the oak tree at the east entrance of Robinson Center. Call Michael Roessler at 312-3193.
■ The KU Meditation Club will meet for group meditation at 6 p.m. today at the Daisy Hill Room in the Burge Union. Call Pannir at 864-7735.
The British Women Writers Conference Planning Meeting will be at 4 p.m. today in 4065 Wescoe Hall. Graduate students and other interested people will gather weekly to plan for the British Women Writers Conference, which will be from March 15 to 17. Call Amy Cummins at 864-2558 or e-mail cummins@kans.edu.
A performance of contemporary and traditional Celtic music will be at 7:30 tonight at the Insurance Audit Center, 200 W. Ninth St.
The WomanSpace Kick Off Dinner and Planning Event will be from 6 to 8 Sunday night at
Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread Ave. Heather Hensandell at 841-8661.
■ The Office of Student Financial Aid is awarding federal work-study funds for the Spring 2001 semester. Apply online at www.ku.edu/~osfa or visit the office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at 50 Strong Hall, Call 864-7400
- Applications will be available until Feb. 23 for executive officer positions and coordinator positions with the Student Union Activities Board.
- Application packets can be picked up at the SUA Office in the Kansas Union. For more information, call Iloane Changa at 864.SHOW.
Applications for Kansas University Endowment Association loans are available at 50 Strong Hall. The association has increased the aggregate maximum loan limits as follows: $4,000 for undergraduates; $5,000 for graduate students; $1,200 for international undergraduates and $1,500 for international graduate students.
ET CETERA
The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the
The University Daily
student newspaper or the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of the Kansan are 25 cents. Subscriptions can be purchased at 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
The University Daily Kansas (ISSN 0746-4962) is published at the University of Kansas, 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall, Lawrence, Kan. 66045, daily during the regular school year, excluding Saturday, Sunday, holidays and finals periods, and Wednesday during the summer session. Periodical postage is
The Kansan prints campus events that are free and open to the public. When information is submitted, the event's sponsor, name and phone number must be on the form, which is available in the On Campus mailbox in the Kansan newsroom. 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. Items must be turned in two days
paid in Lawrence, Kan. 66044.
Annual subscriptions by mail are $120. Student subscriptions of $2.33 are paid through the student activity fee.
Postmaster: Send address changes to the University Daily Kansan, 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall, Lawrence, Ken. 60645
in advance of the desired publication date. Forms can also be filled out online at www.kansan.com — these requests will appear on Kansan.com as well as the Kansan. On Campus is printed on a space-available basis. On Campus is a free service provided by the Kansan to the University community.
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