Baseball: Kansas defeats Missouri 6-5 at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium. Page 1B
Off air: Transmitter problems have temporarily halted KANU broadcasts. Page 3A
THE UNIVERSITY DAIL KANSAN
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KS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY 3
PD BOX 3585
TOPEKA, KS 66601-3585
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
NEWS 864-4810
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 1997
SECTION A VOL.103.NO.116
ADVERTISING 864-4358
(USPS 650-640)
Missile shot down TWA 800, pilot says
NEW YORK — A military helicopter pilot who witnessed the explosion of TWA Flight 800 repeatedly told investigators he thought a missile had struck the plane, a source said yesterday.
The Air National Guard pilot has not been allowed to speak publicly because of an FBI ban on federal employees speaking about the investigation. The pilot, Capt. Chris Baur, is a civilian pilot for U.S. Customs.
Baur's eyewitness report comes to light as critics of the investigation claim to have evidence suggesting that Flight 800 was shot down by an errant U.S. Navy missile.
One of the reasons that a missile still is being considered as a cause was the number of eyewitness accounts from people who said they saw something in the sky the night of the crash. Baur's clear view from the helicopter and his military training would make his account one of the most credible.
Mechanical failure or a bomb also haven't been ruled out as possible causes of the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board and FBI continue to say they can't yet determine whether the jumbo jet was brought down by a bomb, a missile or a mechanical malfunction. The July 17 crash into the Atlantic Ocean off New York's Long Island killed all 230 people aboard.
Gas explosion kills 86 at Chinese coal mine
BEJIING — A gas explosion at a privately run coal mine in central Henan province killed 86 people and injured 12 others.
The blast happened March 4 at the Red Dirt mine, in Nanjie Village, Henan province, about 470 miles south of Beijing, said an official in the town government who gave only his surname, Liu.
Officials said the explosion was caused by an accumulation of gases inside the mine over the long Chinese New Year holiday.
Local mines had been ordered to conduct safety inspections before allowing work to resume, but the managers of the Red Dirt mine ordered workers back into the pits before doing so, Liu said, confirming a report in the government-run Yangcheng Evening News seen yesterday in Beijing.
Three owners of the mine, who fled after the explosion, have been arrested, Liu said.
Women accuse Army of urging rape charges
ABERDEEN, Md. — Five women Army recruits accused investigators yesterday of trying to coerce them into saying they were raped by superiors.
The women said they refused to make the rape allegations. Although several servicemen were charged as a result of the women's sworn statements, none were charged with rape, an Army representative said.
Officials at Aberdeen's ordinance training school, where the alleged sexual misconduct occurred, denied that investigators tried to coerce the women into making false statements.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which organized the women's news conference, called for an independent investigation.
The NAACP has claimed that the Army had unfairly targeted black soldiers based on complaints of white female recruits. The five women who spoke out yesterday are all white, and the seven men charged with sexual misconduct are black.
The Associated Press
Burglaries at KU drop by 44
KU thefts rise by 31
By Kevin Bates Kansan staff writer
Burglaries are down, but thefts are up, according to the annual campus crime statistics released Monday.
In 1996, 266 burglaries were committed on campus, 44 fewer than the year before. However, thefts rose to 616 in 1996, 31 more than in 1995.
Burglary is knowingly and without authority entering into or remaining within a building or vehicle with the intent to commit a felony or theft therein.
Theft is an act done with the intent to deprive the owner permanently of the possession, use or benefit of the owner's property.
KU police Sgt. Chris Keary said that the disparity occurred because thefts and burglaries did not always
"There's no real correlation," Keary said. "It just depends on where you're at."
go hand in hand.
Keary said he didn't think that the number of thefts were escalating out of control, because this year's total was 13 fewer than it was two years ago.
The most common place for thefts on campus was from a building, such as a residence hall room, library or classroom. Keary said that these occurred when students left their belongings in their rooms or a study area unattended.
"It doesn't take very long for someone to see that you've left," Keary said. "You may remember you left your textbooks under your desk, but when you come back one hour later, they're gone."
He said that if the police department recovered lost items, the owners were notified. But usually it was hard to return property to the owner.
"Occasionally we get part of it back, like a wallet without the cash," Keary said. "But not enough people write
their names in books or engrave their valuables. If things are engraved or marked somehow, it becomes much easier to return them."
Keary said that the total amount of property stolen last year was estimated at $288,830. Of that, $40,815 or about 14 percent, was recovered.
Thefts from a motor vehicle on campus dropped by 25 to 163 times in 1996, and many of these thefts could be avoided by simple precautions, said Lawrence police officer Tom Moore.
"The object is to make yourself less of a target," Moore said. "Burglars look for purses on seats. They break the window, grab it, and they're gone in seconds."
Parking under a light or as near to a residence hall as possible were suggestions Moore gave to reduce the risk that a student's car would be broken into.
Moore said that burglars wouldn't bother breaking into cars that didn't appear to have anything of value in them. He said to put valuables in the glove box or under the seat.
Campus crime
Annual campus crime statistics show that burglaries have gone down, but there have been more thefts. Burglary involves entering a building or car illegally, while theft is stealing property. In order to reduce the risk of theft, students should:
Park under a light or near a residence hall
Engrave or mark valuables
Do not leave valuables unattended or in plain view
"They want to get in and get out," Moore said. "They're not going to fish around if they don't see something they want right away."
Angie Kuhn/KANSAN
Source: KU Office of Public Safety
Both Keary and Moore agreed that the easiest way students could avoid
being a victim of theft was to not leave anything of value unattended.
"Take it with you," Moore said. "Don't let it out of your sight. You can't take it for granted that it will be there when you get back."
Light reading
4
Geoff Krieger / KANSAN
TODAY
INDEX
reaching up to 72 degrees. However, snow is possible this weekend, according to weather forecasts.
Television ... 2A
Opinion ... 4A
National News ... 7A
World News ... 7A
Features ... 8A
Sports ... 1B
Horoscopes ... 4B
Classifieds ... 5B
SUNNY
Day on the Hill planning under way
High 72° Low 45°
Weather: Page 2A
By Dave Morantz
Kansan staff writer
The warm, spring weather means that Day on the Hill, one of the University's most popular events, is just around the corner.
If recent history repeats itself, gobs of area high school students wearing hemp necklaces will descend on Lawrence May 3 in their parents' cars to join KU students lounging on Campanile hill enjoying live music.
Although the headline bands for the event have not been named yet, Student Union Activities is accepting demo tapes and CDs from local bands interested in playing at the annual show.
Bands should contact Michelle Dennann, live music coordinator, in the SUA office in the Kansas Union at 864-3477 by Friday.
The event is sponsored by SUA with money from Student Senate and donations from local businesses. The event is free.
In addition to the headline acts, Dennard said SUA will select two to
four local bands to play the event Selections will be made during the week before or after spring break, she said. The winner of the Farmer's Ball, a band contest to be held April 22, 23 and 25 at the Bottleneck and sponsored by KJHK, will also play.
"Usually we try to get a diverse group of bands," Dennard said. "We've been getting all different kinds of music. It will definitely be a good mix."
Jade Brown, Lawrence junior and saxophonist for The Norman 360, a ska band also auditioning for Day on the Hill, said the event gave bands that normally just play in bars around Lawrence a good alternative.
"I think it's a great show, one of the highlights of the year," he said. "It's one of the few things we haven't played yet."
Day on the Hill was started in 1989 after Sue Buckley, SUA adviser, and students decided to revive an annual music festival from the mid '80s called Day on Green Hill. In 1989, SUA only had a budget of $3,000. With Pearl Jam's performance in
1992, the event began drawing fans from all over the region.
This year, SUA has a $20,000 budget. Money left over after paying rental fees, services and headline bands will be divided among local bands which were not selected to play through the Farmer's Ball.
Nick Walker, Wichita junior and bass player for the band Margin of Error, said his band auditioned for the event in hopes of gaining exposure.
Walker said his band played a style somewhere in between U2, Smashing Pumpkins and Radio Head.
"Lately, it's been tough to get local shows so it would be a great way to get to the college market," he said.
Tawni Freeland, Lawrence senior and guitarist and vocalist for the band The Glitterkicks, a guitar oriented pop-rock band, agreed with Walker.
"When you're a smaller band, you don't really get the chance to build up a fan base," she said. "You just kind of stick with it and keep playing until someone likes it."
Trafficway lawsuit to be filed
By Paul Eakins
Kansan staff writer
The conflict over the South Lawrence Trafficway will take a new turn today.
KU Environs and other opponents of the eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway are scheduled to file lawsuit against several individuals and groups involved in the trafficway process.
According to a Wetlands Preservation Organization press release, Jason Daniels, Colby sophomore with Environs, Anjanette Bitsie, Thomasine Ross, Stanley Ross, Pamina Yellow Bird and the Wetlands Preservation Organization plan to file a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court.
The defendants named in the lawsuit will be the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Highway Division administrator David Geiger, Douglas County Commissioners Mark Buhler, Tom Taul and Dean Neider, and Kansas Secretary of Transportation E. Dean Carlson.
The main issue of the lawsuit is that the plaintiffs want a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement completed before any construction begins on the trafficway, which is to pass through the Haskell Wetlands south of Lawrence.
"Our concern is that the federal environmental laws are not being followed," said Bob Eye, an attorney for the plaintiffs. "If the South Lawrence Trafficway goes through without the statement, then the intent behind NEPA is being disregarded."
That statement would investigate the environmental influences that the trafficway would have on the wetlands. The statement was started by the Federal Highway Commission, but it was never concluded.
If it is proven that the trafficway's impact would be detrimental to the wetlands, the eastern leg may not be completed.
Completion of the statement would make the trafficway comply with the National Environmental Policy Act.
Bruce Plank, another attorney for the plaintiffs, said that after much protest by opponents of the trafficway, the lawsuit was the next step to get the statement completed.
The plaintiffs are concerned about the harmful environmental effects that construction could have on the wetlands and the negative effects it could have on the religious practices of Haskell Indian Nations University students and alumni who use the wetlands for religious rites, said the news release.
I
Eye said that he thought the court would find for the completion of the statement.