Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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IlMMOr DUYUU11 Uh lilt rLAb Hodges: businesses want dialogue by Leigh Strope Associated Press Columbia — Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges, who had remained on the sidelines of Confederate flag debate, said Thursday business leaders who want the banner removed from the Statehouse dome prompt ed him to call a series of meetings to discuss the is sue. The governor invited about 20 lawmakers, busi ness leaders and officials from the state’s two largest universities to meet with him privately Friday. But no invitation was extended to the National Associ ation for the Advancement of Colored People, which has called for a tourism boycott of South Carolina until the flag is removed. Hodges promised in last year’s election he would not actively try to bring down the flag, but would sign a compromise agreed on by the Legislature. Hodges until now has not publicly pushed the issue — triggering criticism by the NAACP. “I think it’s a good time here, a month or a month and a half before the session, to bring the legislative leaders together—who do control the ultimate res olution of this issue — with these business leaders and let them hear directly some of the concerns they’ve raised,” Hodges said. Republicans question Hodges’ timing in light of last week’s poll that gave the governor mediocre marks for job performance. Seven percent of re spondents thought the governor has done an excel lent job, 40 percent thought he has done a good job and 37 percent thought he has done a fair job. “He’s clearly in campaign mode,” said Luke Byars, spokesman for Republican Lt. Gov. Bob Peel er, a flag supporter. “That’s simply not true,” Hodges said. “The poll numbers actually are good. It has nothing to do with that. I’m calling the meeting because I think that’s what a responsible leader should do.” But Hodges until this week has shirked criticism by maintaining that a resolution rests with the Legislature, which has the sole authority to remove the flag. He has said lawmakers lack the political will to tackle the issue again after several failed at tempts in the past few years. Former Republican Gov. David Beasley’s cam paign to take it down has been cited as one reason he lost his re-election bid to Hodges in November. Flag supporters who backed Hodges in last year’s election based on his promise have said they feel be trayed. The Council of Conservative Citizens has called a news conference an hour before Hodges’ meeting today to discuss the flag. “I don’t see anything wrong with calling legis lators together with business leaders to talk about this issue,” Hodges said. “I see nothing inconsistent with anything I’ve said in the past.” Graphic photos depict executions by Jackie Hallifax Associated Press Tallahassee — Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people around the world have logged onto the Florida Supreme Court’s \feb site to look at grisly color photos. of the last killer executed in the state’s electric chair. The photos depict the bloody body and contorted face of Allen Lea “Tiny” Davis, who was put to death in Ju ly. Th§ pictures were posted by the high court because they figured in a case in which the justices upheld the use of the electric chair. Some of those who have gone online for a look, par ticularly Europeans, were appalled. A Frenchman sent a one-word piece of e-mail: “Barbarians.” ■ “ When Europeans think of Florida, they think of Dis ney Viforld, beaches and fiery electrocutions,” said Michael Radelel, a sociologist at the University of Florida who has researched capital punishment and opposes it. But many Americans seemed to approve of both the execution and the posting of the pictures. “The photos on this website are WONDERFUL!" a woman from North Redington Beach, Fla., e-mailed the court. Davis, who weighed about 350 pounds, was execut ed for the 1982 murders of a pregnant woman are! ha" two young daughters. He suffered a nosebleed just before the current was applied, and blood poured from behind the mask over Ms face, soaking Ms wMte shirt. A judge ruled that the chair operated correctly, and the state Supreme Court upheld that decision, 4-3. But Justice Leander Shaw xwotea^istering dissent, charging that Davis was “brutally tortured to death.” He also at tached the three photos. Like all decisions by the state Supreme Court, the Sept, 24 oprnion was posted on the court’s Wfeb site, at wwwjira.edu/supct/deathwarrants. “It seemed to explode into mi international news sto ry, and it seems to re-explode every couple of weeks,” court spokesman Craig Waters said Thursday. The photos were also sent to tire US Supreme Court, wMch on Tuesday agreed to consider the constitutional ity of electrocution and suspended use of the electric chair. It is the first review of the electric chair by the nation’s high court in more than a century. The public can access the Web page through two servers. The smaller server has crashed several times and sometimes creeps along. The number of hits destroyed the program that counts visitors to the site. “It probably is in the millions, but there simply is no way of knowing,” V&ters said. Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties UMon of Florida, wMch opposes tire death penalty, approved of the release of the pictures. British court legitimizes 'spousal' gay relationships Staff Reports Associated PRess _ London — In a landmark judgment for same-sex couples, Britain’s highest court ruled Thursday that a gay man is entitled to remain in the state-subsidized apartment leased by his dead partner — a right re stricted by law to spouses or “family” mem bers. In a 3-2 ruling, a House of Lords judi cial panel said that Martin Fitzpatrick, who lived with John Thompson for more than 20 years in a monogamous relationship, was entitled to take over the lease of an apartment which was in Thompson’s name. Giving the majority judgment, Lord Justice Donald Nicholls said a man and woman living together in a stable and per manent sexual relationship, but not mar ried, can be regarded as a “family” under Britain’s Rent Act. “There can be no rational or other ba sis on which the like conclusion can be withheld from a similarly stable and per manent sexual relationship between two men or between two women,” the judge said. Fitzpatrick, a former member of the Royal Navy, and Thompson, a silversmith, met in 1969 and in 1976 moved into the apartment. Thompson suffered brain dam age in 1985 and was cared for by Fitzpatrick He died in 1994. The Court of Appeal ruled in 1997 that Fitzpatrick couldn’t take over the lease be cause the Rent Act didn’t apply to same sex couples. Fitzpatrick’s lawyers argued that he had the right to stay either as a “spouse” or a “family member.” Stonewall, a group which campaigns for gay and lesbian equality, said the ruling was the lint time that lesbian and gay re lationships have been defined as a family in Britain.“All over the wojld, govern ments and courts are coming to similar con clusions. This country has lagged behind the developments,” Stonewall executive director Angela Mason said. The two law Lords who dissented said Parliament should first change the Rent Act. World Briefs ■ Contaminated hot dogs found in N.Y. New York — Health officials are in vestigating two deaths and six cases of illness to determine whether they were caused by contaminated hot dogs from a New York City plant, the federal Cen ters for Disease Control said Thursday. Hot dogs made at the Bronx facto ry and distributed nationally were re called after listeria, a food-borne bacte ria, was found. The plant makes hot dogs sold under the brands Sabrett’s and West ern Beef. Listeria found in an unopened pack age of Sabrett’s hot dogs appeared to be similar to a strain of bacteria found in eight patients in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Georgia and Rhode Island, CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said. Two of the eight have died. Skinner said the CDC hadn’t con firmed that hot dogs caused the illness es. Marathon Enterprises Inc., which operates the plant, shut it and recalled about 52,000 pounds of hot dogs Oct. 13. It expanded the recall Tuesday to 2.1 million pounds of frankfurters bearing the code EST 8854 inside the USQ\ seal of inspection. ■ Dan Rather issued subpoena in dragging death case Jasper, Texas—Prosecutors have be gun the process of subpoenaing CBS an chorman Dan Rather to testify at the murder trial of the third white man chaiged in the dragging death of a black, man. Prosecutors want to ask Rather about ' an interview he did last month with the defendant, Shawn Berry. The inter view aired on “60 Minutes II” on Sept. 28. In it, Berry said that he tried to stop the attack but that he backed off when one of his alleged accomplices, John W. King, threatened him. State District Judge Bob Golden ap proved the subpoena Tuesday, ruling that Rather is a “material and necessary wit ness.” The judge ordered the newsman’s presence for about two weeks, starting" Nov. 9. The subpoena must be approved by ajudgeinNewYork. ^I GUESS WHICH ONE IS GETTING * TAKE NOTES. GET PAID. You have to go to class anyway, so why not get paid to do it? Apply now @ allstudents.com or call 1-888-640-8810. Free online lecture notes, access to campus email, your virtual day planner. t t ■'/ 11 use Staff For Staff who contribute to the Family Fund Weight Room Orientation Beginning Friday, October 29, 1999 and continuing every Friday until December 3, 1999 Participants will be taken in groups of four for half-hour appointments beginning at 11:30 AM and ending at 1:30 PM Pi ay come for one day or every Friday. ThiHjAen aw to effectivePj»We the weight room set up a personal weights All participants w‘ shirt! Th no fee for this program Sign up at the Campus Recreation front desk 202 Blatt PE Center 777-1827