By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON, Associated Press Writer
WEST COVINA, Calif. - A woman made a 911 call from her suburban mansion to report an attempted break-in, but her pleas were interrupted by gunshots, then silence: She had been shot to death.
The woman told the dispatcher late Wednesday morning that someone was trying to break into her home in upscale West Covina, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Dan Rosenberg said.
"Deputies heard gunshots followed by silence and an open phone line," he said.
Investigators combed the neighborhood Thursday outside the three-story house with a tennis court, pool and four-car garage. Investigators examined the opening mechanism of the driveway's black iron gates, and later a repairman worked on the gates.
The victim was identified as Hsiao Hsu, 45, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Ed Hernandez.
Sheriff's deputies responding to the call entered the home and found the victim. She was pronounced dead at the scene. One or more males were reported seen running away from the house, the Sheriff's Department said.
The San Gabriel Valley Tribune carried a report describing a man who came to the scene about an hour after the shooting and asked deputies, "Is my wife OK? Did you find the guy?"
The man collapsed and cried out, "No! No! No! She just called me, you lie," the newspaper said. A patrol car drove the man away.
A KABC-TV report showed an investigator in the neighborhood examining what appeared to be a handgun under a shrub.
The house is east of Los Angeles in an unincorporated area where many homes stand well back from roads, with tall hedges and gates. Horses stood quietly in a corral at one neighborhood home Thursday.
A neighbor said a couple recently occupied the home, described on real estate Web sites as being nearly 6,000 square feet and having recently sold for more than $2 million.
"They moved in only about six months ago. I've only seen them drive in and out," said Ronald Wheeler, 57, who lives across the street.
Irene and Jesus Marquez, who live nearby, said the family has two children.
"They were really nice, good people," said Irene Marquez.
___
Associated Press writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this report.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
College Basketball - Duke barely escapes upset-minded Belmont
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The 15-over-2 club nearly added a new member Thursday night at the Verizon Center.
Duke (28-5) needed a steal and a layup from Gerald Henderson with 12 seconds left to ward off 15th-seeded Belmont 71-70 in what turned out to be a thrilling first-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament.
Gerald Henderson scored 21 points - including the game-winning basket.
Belmont (25-9) led for most of the final two minutes, going up 70-69 on two free throws from senior guard Justin Hare with 2:02 left. The Bruins then warded off a couple of Duke misses, including a short hook from Henderson that bounced in and out.
But in the final 20 seconds, Henderson intercepted a pass, drove downcourt and leapt through traffic as he laid the ball over the front of the rim. “We will be remembered as the team that almost did it,” Hare said. “It’s so hard going out that way.”
Hare launched a 40-foot prayer at the buzzer that glanced off the left side of the rim.
Belmont had an out-of-bounds play under its basket after Henderson’s clutch drive with 4 seconds left, but an errant pass was intercepted by Nelson.
Belmont would have been just the fifth No. 15 seed to win an NCAA Tournament game. Richmond beat Syracuse in 1991, Santa Clara beat Arizona in 1993, Coppin State beat South Carolina in 1997 and Hampton beat Iowa State in 2001.
Belmont, the Atlantic Sun Conference champ, was playing in its third consecutive tournament as a No. 15 seed. The Bruins lost by a combined 69 points to UCLA and Georgetown in the past two seasons, but they felt far more confident about matching up with the Blue Devils - who lack the size and the inside scoring threat of most No. 2 seeds.
The undersized Bruins used a guard-heavy lineup to beat Duke at its own game. They constantly spread the court on offense and focused on launching 3-pointers and trying to beat defenders off the dribble. When Duke lagged off the outside shooters, Belmont shot 3-pointers. When Duke defenders moved up, Belmont ran backdoor cuts.
“When we saw the film, I noticed they were a similar team to us,” Belmont guard Alex Renfroe said. “I always thought it was going to be a good game.”
Renfroe was proved right.
Belmont wasn’t intimidated, and had it not made some mistakes down the stretch, it could’ve pulled off the upset. Duke’s lack of an inside game was glaring, but Belmont’s lack of athleticism wasn’t an issue.
Duke didn’t lead by more than five points in the first half until freshman Taylor King hit a fadeaway jumper from near the free-throw line to put the Blue Devils up 42-35 at halftime.
Belmont used a 7-0 run to cut Duke’s lead to 51-50, and the Bruins went on take a 58-56 lead on a three-point play from Renfroe with 10:59 left. Duke appeared to take back control when two Henderson free throws put the Blue Devils up 69-65. But Belmont’s Andy Wicke answered with his fourth 3-pointer of the game. And after Duke’s DeMarcus Nelson missed a 3-pointer, Henderson bumped Hare in the backcourt, sending him to the free throw line for the shots that gave Belmont a short-lived lead.
“Watching them on tape, they looked really good,” said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. “Watching them in person, they’re even better.”
Duke (28-5) needed a steal and a layup from Gerald Henderson with 12 seconds left to ward off 15th-seeded Belmont 71-70 in what turned out to be a thrilling first-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament.
Gerald Henderson scored 21 points - including the game-winning basket.
Belmont (25-9) led for most of the final two minutes, going up 70-69 on two free throws from senior guard Justin Hare with 2:02 left. The Bruins then warded off a couple of Duke misses, including a short hook from Henderson that bounced in and out.
But in the final 20 seconds, Henderson intercepted a pass, drove downcourt and leapt through traffic as he laid the ball over the front of the rim. “We will be remembered as the team that almost did it,” Hare said. “It’s so hard going out that way.”
Hare launched a 40-foot prayer at the buzzer that glanced off the left side of the rim.
Belmont had an out-of-bounds play under its basket after Henderson’s clutch drive with 4 seconds left, but an errant pass was intercepted by Nelson.
Belmont would have been just the fifth No. 15 seed to win an NCAA Tournament game. Richmond beat Syracuse in 1991, Santa Clara beat Arizona in 1993, Coppin State beat South Carolina in 1997 and Hampton beat Iowa State in 2001.
Belmont, the Atlantic Sun Conference champ, was playing in its third consecutive tournament as a No. 15 seed. The Bruins lost by a combined 69 points to UCLA and Georgetown in the past two seasons, but they felt far more confident about matching up with the Blue Devils - who lack the size and the inside scoring threat of most No. 2 seeds.
The undersized Bruins used a guard-heavy lineup to beat Duke at its own game. They constantly spread the court on offense and focused on launching 3-pointers and trying to beat defenders off the dribble. When Duke lagged off the outside shooters, Belmont shot 3-pointers. When Duke defenders moved up, Belmont ran backdoor cuts.
“When we saw the film, I noticed they were a similar team to us,” Belmont guard Alex Renfroe said. “I always thought it was going to be a good game.”
Renfroe was proved right.
Belmont wasn’t intimidated, and had it not made some mistakes down the stretch, it could’ve pulled off the upset. Duke’s lack of an inside game was glaring, but Belmont’s lack of athleticism wasn’t an issue.
Duke didn’t lead by more than five points in the first half until freshman Taylor King hit a fadeaway jumper from near the free-throw line to put the Blue Devils up 42-35 at halftime.
Belmont used a 7-0 run to cut Duke’s lead to 51-50, and the Bruins went on take a 58-56 lead on a three-point play from Renfroe with 10:59 left. Duke appeared to take back control when two Henderson free throws put the Blue Devils up 69-65. But Belmont’s Andy Wicke answered with his fourth 3-pointer of the game. And after Duke’s DeMarcus Nelson missed a 3-pointer, Henderson bumped Hare in the backcourt, sending him to the free throw line for the shots that gave Belmont a short-lived lead.
“Watching them on tape, they looked really good,” said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. “Watching them in person, they’re even better.”
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Bush speech marks 5 years of war in Iraq
By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Five years after launching the U.S. invasion of Iraq, President Bush is making some of his most expansive claims of success in the fighting there. Bush said last year's troop buildup has turned Iraq around and produced "the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden."
Massive anti-war demonstrations were planned in downtown Washington to mark Wednesday's anniversary of the war, which has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 U.S. troops. Across the river at the Pentagon, Bush was to give a speech to warn that backsliding in recent progress fueled by the increase of 30,000 troops he ordered more than a year ago cannot be allowed.
"The challenge in the period ahead is to consolidate the gains we have made and seal the extremists' defeat," he said in excerpts the White House released Tuesday night. "We have learned through hard experience what happens when we pull our forces back too fast — the terrorists and extremists step in, fill the vacuum, establish safe havens and use them to spread chaos and carnage."
Bush added: "The successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable, yet some in Washington still call for retreat."
Democrats took a different view.
"On this grim milestone, it is worth remembering how we got into this situation, and thinking about how best we can get out," said Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich. "The tasks that remain in Iraq — to bring an end to sectarian conflict, to devise a way to share political power and to create a functioning government that is capable of providing for the needs of the Iraqi people — are tasks that only the Iraqis can complete."
The president's address sought to shift the nation's focus from economic ills to the security gains in Iraq, part of a series of events the White House planned around the anniversary and an upcoming report from the top U.S. figures in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker.
Vice President Dick Cheney just completed a two-day visit to view Iraq developments in person. Expected GOP presidential nominee John McCain also went to Iraq this week.
Cheney, asked during an ABC interview about strong opposition in the United States to the continuing war, said he wasn't worried about that.
"I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public opinion polls," he said in a segment of the interview broadcast Wednesday on "Good Morning America."
Cheney added: "Think about what would have happened if Abraham Lincoln had paid attention to polls, if they had had polls during the Civil War. He never would have succceeded if he hadn't had a clear objective, a vision for where he wanted to go, and he was willing to withstand the slings and arrows of the political wars in order to get there."
Before top Pentagon officials and hundreds of others, Bush planned to trace the war's "high cost in lives and treasure" and thank those who have fought in, planned and assisted the U.S. military effort. In the excerpts, he defended the war as necessary at first, now, and for an undefined future until Iraq is stable enough to stand on its own.
"The surge has done more than turn the situation in Iraq around — it has opened the door to a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror," the president said.
"For the terrorists, Iraq was supposed to be the place where al-Qaida rallied Arab masses to drive America out. Instead, Iraq has become the place where Arabs joined with Americans to drive al-Qaida out. In Iraq, we are witnessing the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden, his grim ideology, and his terror network. And the significance of this development cannot be overstated."
Bush appeared to be referring to recent cooperation by local Iraqis with the U.S. military against the group known as al-Qaida in Iraq, a mostly homegrown, Sunni-based insurgency. Experts question how closely — or even whether — the group is connected to the international al-Qaida network. As for bin Laden, he is rarely heard from and is believed to be hiding in Pakistan.
Iraq no longer dominates the public debate and tops voters' concerns. With the economy taking a tumble, things improving by some measures in Iraq and much attention riveted on the 2008 presidential race, Iraq has faded from the front burner.
Bush has successfully defied efforts by the Democratic-led Congress to force troop withdrawals or set deadlines for pullouts. The U.S. has about 158,000 troops in Iraq. That number is expected to drop to 140,000 by summer in drawdowns meant to erase all but about 8,000 troops from last year's increase.
It is widely believed that Bush will in April endorse a recommendation from Petraeus for no additional troop reductions, beyond those already scheduled, until at least September. This so-called pause in drawdowns would be designed to assess the impact of this round of withdrawals before allowing more that could jeopardize the gains.
The surge was meant to tamp down sectarian violence in Iraq so that the country's leaders would have space to advance legislation considered key to reconciliation between rival Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish communities. The idea is that such political progress would weaken or even end the still-potent insurgency.
But the gains on the battlefield have not been matched by political progress, and violence may be increasing again. The Iraqis do not yet have a law for sharing the nation's oil wealth. Also unfinished is a plan for new provincial elections.
As of Monday, at least 3,990 members of the U.S. military have died in Iraq. More than 29,000 U.S. service members have been injured in the war, which has cost the U.S. roughly $500 billion.
WASHINGTON - Five years after launching the U.S. invasion of Iraq, President Bush is making some of his most expansive claims of success in the fighting there. Bush said last year's troop buildup has turned Iraq around and produced "the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden."
Massive anti-war demonstrations were planned in downtown Washington to mark Wednesday's anniversary of the war, which has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 U.S. troops. Across the river at the Pentagon, Bush was to give a speech to warn that backsliding in recent progress fueled by the increase of 30,000 troops he ordered more than a year ago cannot be allowed.
"The challenge in the period ahead is to consolidate the gains we have made and seal the extremists' defeat," he said in excerpts the White House released Tuesday night. "We have learned through hard experience what happens when we pull our forces back too fast — the terrorists and extremists step in, fill the vacuum, establish safe havens and use them to spread chaos and carnage."
Bush added: "The successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable, yet some in Washington still call for retreat."
Democrats took a different view.
"On this grim milestone, it is worth remembering how we got into this situation, and thinking about how best we can get out," said Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich. "The tasks that remain in Iraq — to bring an end to sectarian conflict, to devise a way to share political power and to create a functioning government that is capable of providing for the needs of the Iraqi people — are tasks that only the Iraqis can complete."
The president's address sought to shift the nation's focus from economic ills to the security gains in Iraq, part of a series of events the White House planned around the anniversary and an upcoming report from the top U.S. figures in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker.
Vice President Dick Cheney just completed a two-day visit to view Iraq developments in person. Expected GOP presidential nominee John McCain also went to Iraq this week.
Cheney, asked during an ABC interview about strong opposition in the United States to the continuing war, said he wasn't worried about that.
"I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public opinion polls," he said in a segment of the interview broadcast Wednesday on "Good Morning America."
Cheney added: "Think about what would have happened if Abraham Lincoln had paid attention to polls, if they had had polls during the Civil War. He never would have succceeded if he hadn't had a clear objective, a vision for where he wanted to go, and he was willing to withstand the slings and arrows of the political wars in order to get there."
Before top Pentagon officials and hundreds of others, Bush planned to trace the war's "high cost in lives and treasure" and thank those who have fought in, planned and assisted the U.S. military effort. In the excerpts, he defended the war as necessary at first, now, and for an undefined future until Iraq is stable enough to stand on its own.
"The surge has done more than turn the situation in Iraq around — it has opened the door to a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror," the president said.
"For the terrorists, Iraq was supposed to be the place where al-Qaida rallied Arab masses to drive America out. Instead, Iraq has become the place where Arabs joined with Americans to drive al-Qaida out. In Iraq, we are witnessing the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden, his grim ideology, and his terror network. And the significance of this development cannot be overstated."
Bush appeared to be referring to recent cooperation by local Iraqis with the U.S. military against the group known as al-Qaida in Iraq, a mostly homegrown, Sunni-based insurgency. Experts question how closely — or even whether — the group is connected to the international al-Qaida network. As for bin Laden, he is rarely heard from and is believed to be hiding in Pakistan.
Iraq no longer dominates the public debate and tops voters' concerns. With the economy taking a tumble, things improving by some measures in Iraq and much attention riveted on the 2008 presidential race, Iraq has faded from the front burner.
Bush has successfully defied efforts by the Democratic-led Congress to force troop withdrawals or set deadlines for pullouts. The U.S. has about 158,000 troops in Iraq. That number is expected to drop to 140,000 by summer in drawdowns meant to erase all but about 8,000 troops from last year's increase.
It is widely believed that Bush will in April endorse a recommendation from Petraeus for no additional troop reductions, beyond those already scheduled, until at least September. This so-called pause in drawdowns would be designed to assess the impact of this round of withdrawals before allowing more that could jeopardize the gains.
The surge was meant to tamp down sectarian violence in Iraq so that the country's leaders would have space to advance legislation considered key to reconciliation between rival Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish communities. The idea is that such political progress would weaken or even end the still-potent insurgency.
But the gains on the battlefield have not been matched by political progress, and violence may be increasing again. The Iraqis do not yet have a law for sharing the nation's oil wealth. Also unfinished is a plan for new provincial elections.
As of Monday, at least 3,990 members of the U.S. military have died in Iraq. More than 29,000 U.S. service members have been injured in the war, which has cost the U.S. roughly $500 billion.
Iraq war protesters arrested at IRS
By SARAH KARUSH, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Police have arrested about a dozen people who crossed a barricade at the entrance of the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington at the start of protests marking the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war.
Anti-war protests and vigils are planned across the country.
Dozens of people gathered at the IRS, chanting "This is a Crime Scene" and "You're arresting the wrong people." A crowd marched around the IRS before gathering at the entrance.
Protesters are blocking the main entrance of the building. But no federal workers appear to be using that entrance to go inside the IRS.
WASHINGTON - Police have arrested about a dozen people who crossed a barricade at the entrance of the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington at the start of protests marking the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war.
Anti-war protests and vigils are planned across the country.
Dozens of people gathered at the IRS, chanting "This is a Crime Scene" and "You're arresting the wrong people." A crowd marched around the IRS before gathering at the entrance.
Protesters are blocking the main entrance of the building. But no federal workers appear to be using that entrance to go inside the IRS.
Zoo's response to tiger attack detailed
By MARCUS WOHLSEN, Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco Zoo workers should have believed two brothers who said a tiger was loose and had mauled their friend, but overall reacted well to the fatal Christmas Day attacks, according to the organization that accredits the nation's zoos.
The report by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which the zoo released in excerpts Tuesday, provided its most detailed account of the fatal mauling. The full document remains confidential between the organization and the zoo, but association spokesman Steve Feldman said the excerpts released by the zoo accurately reflected the full report.
"They've accurately summarized the findings from those documents," Feldman said. "The fact that we've maintained the zoo's accreditation also speaks for itself."
Association inspectors criticized the zoo's security supervisor for doubting two brothers, Kulbir and Paul Dhaliwal of San Jose, who said a tiger had escaped from its enclosure and attacked them and their friend.
Responding to calls that the men were at a zoo cafe seeking medical attention, the supervisor arrived to find that brothers "behaving erratically, possibly intoxicated," according to the inspection report's timeline of the incident.
The supervisor assumed there had been a fight and did not believe a tiger was free "because of the erratic and belligerent behavior of the two guests," the report said.
The 250-pound Siberian tiger, named Tatiana, already had killed 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. and was roaming the zoo grounds. Minutes later, it attacked the brothers, who were kept outside the cafe by a manager who lacked a zoo radio and didn't know the tiger had escaped, the report said.
The report found that most of the zoo's workers had been sent home early for the holiday, leaving too few staffers on hand.
AZA inspectors also found that the one zookeeper who was trained as a shooter in animal escapes did not have keys to remove a shotgun from storage. He eventually retrieved the weapon with help from a veterinarian who had left for the day and returned because she had forgotten to complete a report.
The tiger was fatally shot by police about 20 minutes after the brothers first reported they had been attacked, according to police and zoo timelines.
The attacks came just over a year after the tiger devoured the arm of a zookeeper during a feeding.
"The zoo is too often chasing problems rather than proactively addressing known concerns," the report said. "This will require a shift in culture and the supervisory and maintenance staff to make it happen."
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco Zoo workers should have believed two brothers who said a tiger was loose and had mauled their friend, but overall reacted well to the fatal Christmas Day attacks, according to the organization that accredits the nation's zoos.
The report by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which the zoo released in excerpts Tuesday, provided its most detailed account of the fatal mauling. The full document remains confidential between the organization and the zoo, but association spokesman Steve Feldman said the excerpts released by the zoo accurately reflected the full report.
"They've accurately summarized the findings from those documents," Feldman said. "The fact that we've maintained the zoo's accreditation also speaks for itself."
Association inspectors criticized the zoo's security supervisor for doubting two brothers, Kulbir and Paul Dhaliwal of San Jose, who said a tiger had escaped from its enclosure and attacked them and their friend.
Responding to calls that the men were at a zoo cafe seeking medical attention, the supervisor arrived to find that brothers "behaving erratically, possibly intoxicated," according to the inspection report's timeline of the incident.
The supervisor assumed there had been a fight and did not believe a tiger was free "because of the erratic and belligerent behavior of the two guests," the report said.
The 250-pound Siberian tiger, named Tatiana, already had killed 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. and was roaming the zoo grounds. Minutes later, it attacked the brothers, who were kept outside the cafe by a manager who lacked a zoo radio and didn't know the tiger had escaped, the report said.
The report found that most of the zoo's workers had been sent home early for the holiday, leaving too few staffers on hand.
AZA inspectors also found that the one zookeeper who was trained as a shooter in animal escapes did not have keys to remove a shotgun from storage. He eventually retrieved the weapon with help from a veterinarian who had left for the day and returned because she had forgotten to complete a report.
The tiger was fatally shot by police about 20 minutes after the brothers first reported they had been attacked, according to police and zoo timelines.
The attacks came just over a year after the tiger devoured the arm of a zookeeper during a feeding.
"The zoo is too often chasing problems rather than proactively addressing known concerns," the report said. "This will require a shift in culture and the supervisory and maintenance staff to make it happen."
Some Democrats' votes may be banned
By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN, Associated Press Writer
LANSING, Mich. - Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign accused Barack Obama on Tuesday of standing in the way of a second presidential primary in Michigan, as several state lawmakers expressed concerns over suggested rules governing any revote.
The former first lady planned a hastily arranged appearance in Detroit on Wednesday. Aides said she would argue for going ahead despite the obstacles.
Mo Elleithee, a spokesman, said Clinton would "make the case for counting the people of Michigan, that every vote must count and that Senator Obama is standing in the way of a revote, and that snubbing Michigan would hurt the Democratic party in November."
Even before Clinton announced her travel plans, Obama's spokesman accused her of merely looking out for her own political interests.
"As others in Michigan have pointed out, there are valid concerns about the proposal currently being discussed, including severe restrictions on voter eligibility and the reliance on private funding," said Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor. "We have raised these concerns, as legislators in Michigan did today, and we're waiting to see if these issues can be resolved by the Legislature."
Michigan is one of two states that violated Democratic Party rules by holding primaries too early in the year. As punishment, the party stripped both states of their delegates to the national nominating convention.
Plans for a revote in the other state, Florida, collapsed over the weekend, leaving the future of its delegation unclear.
Originally, Michigan was to have 156 delegates; Florida's total was 210.
Clinton trails Obama in convention delegates after primaries and caucuses in more than 40 states, and her chances of catching up are remote.
Lopsided victories in second primaries in Florida and Michigan would help, and also would strengthen her argument that party leaders who attend the convention as superdelegates should consider a candidate's ability to win in the fall, rather than merely support the contender with the most delegates.
She won the earlier primaries in both states, although all the candidates had pledged not to campaign in either and Obama removed his name from Michigan's ballot.
One of the sticking points holding up a possible do-over election in Michigan is a rule that would ban anyone who voted in the Republican presidential primary from voting again in the Democratic one.
That ban would apply even to Democrats or independents who asked for a GOP ballot because Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was the only major candidate left on the Jan. 15 Democratic ballot.
To cast a ballot in a do-over election, voters would have to sign a statement saying they hadn't voted in the GOP primary.
That could hurt Obama more, since his supporters were more likely than Clinton's to have crossed over to vote in the GOP primary. Obama has had more success than Clinton attracting the votes of independents and Republicans in states where they could vote in Democratic contests.
A group of Democratic leaders from Michigan is trying to set up a June 3 do-over primary so the state can get its delegates seated at the Democratic National Convention, but that looked less likely on Tuesday.
Seventeen Democratic state House members said Tuesday they have concerns about holding another election, including disenfranchising Democrats who voted in the Republican primary.
"These people that chose to vote in that Republican primary in January did so after being told by the DNC that the Democratic primary did not count. They weren't told that if they participated in a Republican primary they wouldn't be eligible to participate in a redo that was going to happen in June," said state Rep. Matt Gillard, an Obama supporter.
Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer said he supports proposed legislation that would authorize a second primary, saying none of the legal objections "have any merit" and that in his opinion the legislation meets all national Democratic Party and legal requirements.
U.S. Sen. Carl Levin and the three Democratic leaders working on the proposal planned to lobby lawmakers on Wednesday.
Brewer said the party has the right, and the responsibility, to prevent non-Democrats from having a say in who becomes the party's nominee.
Michigan doesn't require voters to register by party to vote, so the parties have to use other tools to stop crossover voting. Both parties are due to get a list of who voted in the Jan. 15 primary and which ballot — Democratic or Republican — they chose. It's unclear whether those lists would be used to challenge anyone who had voted in the GOP primary.
Brewer said he's sorry some Democrats won't be able to vote again.
"I regret that that might be the case, but it's a national party rule and we have no choice but to follow it," he said.
LANSING, Mich. - Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign accused Barack Obama on Tuesday of standing in the way of a second presidential primary in Michigan, as several state lawmakers expressed concerns over suggested rules governing any revote.
The former first lady planned a hastily arranged appearance in Detroit on Wednesday. Aides said she would argue for going ahead despite the obstacles.
Mo Elleithee, a spokesman, said Clinton would "make the case for counting the people of Michigan, that every vote must count and that Senator Obama is standing in the way of a revote, and that snubbing Michigan would hurt the Democratic party in November."
Even before Clinton announced her travel plans, Obama's spokesman accused her of merely looking out for her own political interests.
"As others in Michigan have pointed out, there are valid concerns about the proposal currently being discussed, including severe restrictions on voter eligibility and the reliance on private funding," said Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor. "We have raised these concerns, as legislators in Michigan did today, and we're waiting to see if these issues can be resolved by the Legislature."
Michigan is one of two states that violated Democratic Party rules by holding primaries too early in the year. As punishment, the party stripped both states of their delegates to the national nominating convention.
Plans for a revote in the other state, Florida, collapsed over the weekend, leaving the future of its delegation unclear.
Originally, Michigan was to have 156 delegates; Florida's total was 210.
Clinton trails Obama in convention delegates after primaries and caucuses in more than 40 states, and her chances of catching up are remote.
Lopsided victories in second primaries in Florida and Michigan would help, and also would strengthen her argument that party leaders who attend the convention as superdelegates should consider a candidate's ability to win in the fall, rather than merely support the contender with the most delegates.
She won the earlier primaries in both states, although all the candidates had pledged not to campaign in either and Obama removed his name from Michigan's ballot.
One of the sticking points holding up a possible do-over election in Michigan is a rule that would ban anyone who voted in the Republican presidential primary from voting again in the Democratic one.
That ban would apply even to Democrats or independents who asked for a GOP ballot because Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was the only major candidate left on the Jan. 15 Democratic ballot.
To cast a ballot in a do-over election, voters would have to sign a statement saying they hadn't voted in the GOP primary.
That could hurt Obama more, since his supporters were more likely than Clinton's to have crossed over to vote in the GOP primary. Obama has had more success than Clinton attracting the votes of independents and Republicans in states where they could vote in Democratic contests.
A group of Democratic leaders from Michigan is trying to set up a June 3 do-over primary so the state can get its delegates seated at the Democratic National Convention, but that looked less likely on Tuesday.
Seventeen Democratic state House members said Tuesday they have concerns about holding another election, including disenfranchising Democrats who voted in the Republican primary.
"These people that chose to vote in that Republican primary in January did so after being told by the DNC that the Democratic primary did not count. They weren't told that if they participated in a Republican primary they wouldn't be eligible to participate in a redo that was going to happen in June," said state Rep. Matt Gillard, an Obama supporter.
Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer said he supports proposed legislation that would authorize a second primary, saying none of the legal objections "have any merit" and that in his opinion the legislation meets all national Democratic Party and legal requirements.
U.S. Sen. Carl Levin and the three Democratic leaders working on the proposal planned to lobby lawmakers on Wednesday.
Brewer said the party has the right, and the responsibility, to prevent non-Democrats from having a say in who becomes the party's nominee.
Michigan doesn't require voters to register by party to vote, so the parties have to use other tools to stop crossover voting. Both parties are due to get a list of who voted in the Jan. 15 primary and which ballot — Democratic or Republican — they chose. It's unclear whether those lists would be used to challenge anyone who had voted in the GOP primary.
Brewer said he's sorry some Democrats won't be able to vote again.
"I regret that that might be the case, but it's a national party rule and we have no choice but to follow it," he said.
Verizon recovers man's missing recording
IRVINGTON, N.Y. - An 80-year-old man can hear his late wife's voice again, any time he wants. Verizon has recovered a lost message recorded by Charles Whiting's wife, Catherine, before her death in 2005.
When Verizon upgraded the man's telephone service, his wife's voice disappeared from his voicemail system. The message said "Catherine Whiting," and her husband said he listened to it every day for comfort.
Company spokesman John Bonomo said Tuesday that a contractor found the recording in an archive and restored it to the new voicemail system.
Charles Whiting says he's very happy.
When Verizon upgraded the man's telephone service, his wife's voice disappeared from his voicemail system. The message said "Catherine Whiting," and her husband said he listened to it every day for comfort.
Company spokesman John Bonomo said Tuesday that a contractor found the recording in an archive and restored it to the new voicemail system.
Charles Whiting says he's very happy.
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