Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Congress goes back to Capitol House, Senate office buildings closed for testing BY LARRY MARGASAK ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - Congress re turned to work in the Capitol on Tuesday after shutting down last week because anthrax was found in a Senate office. House and Senate office buildings remained closed for anthrax testing. It remained unclear when the office buildings would reopen. Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said he believed some could begin re opening Tuesday, but others said there could be a longer delay on the Senate side, where a letter containing anthrax was received Oct. 15 by the office of Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D. Capitol Police declared a sec ond-floor room just outside the Senate chamber to be safe, follow ing earlier reports that there had been preliminary positive tests for anthrax in three places in that room.Senate Democrats prepared to have their usual lunch in the room, which is named for former President Lyndon B. Johnson. “The LBJ Room has been ex haustively tested, and there is no evidence of anthrax contamina tion,” U.S. Capitol Police spokesman Lt. Dan Nichols said in a written statement. Daschle aides who tested positive for anthrax exposure had deposited their clothes in the room last week at the request of the FBI. Nichols said the FBI later decided the clothes were of no evidentiary value. House and Senate leaders were expected to make decisions later Tuesday on whether office build ings could reopen Wednesday. The Senate buildings could take longer to reopen because of the time it will take to clean areas where anthrax was discovered, a process some officials speaking on condition of anonymity said might take two weeks. Amid suspicions that mail with anthrax may have made its way to the Longworth House Office Building, all the mail in that building may be burned as a precaution, said two congres sional officials speaking on con dition of anonymity. Over the weekend, officials said a machine in another House office building that bundles of mail for Longworth were found to contain anthrax. Officials have not found the source of the contamination, but they are concerned that it would take too many resources and be too time-consuming to go through all the mail now in that building. Some 5,000 nasal swabs of con gressional employees have turned up no new anthrax expo sure beyond 28 cases found last week and none of the 28 has test ed as having contracted the ail ment, Nichols said Monday. Bias Workers say USC ignored complaints CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 assistant director of facility ser vice; claims immunity from punitive damages for the univer sity; and alleges the employees’ complaints are time-barred or stand on shaky legal or factual ground. “The complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted,” one part of the answer . states. „ “Some or all Plaintiffs have failed to exhaust their adminis trative remedies and/or have failed to satisfy conditions prece dent to follow suit,” the filing lat er says. The maintenance workers maintain they repeatedly ap pealed to university officials about their claims but concede that only one filed an official com plaint with USC. “They tried and tried within the university framework before they even came to see me, and they felt the university had just stalled their efforts from the very beginning,” the employees’ lawyer, Dennis Bolt, told The Gamecock in August. “Notwithstanding years of complaints by the plaintiffs to uni versity officials, including but not limited to the university presi dent, university legal counsel, university personnel officials, University Equal Employment di rector,"and supervisors within their immediate department, in cluding Goings, the university has steadfastly refused to take any action whatsoever regarding the treatment of the plaintiffs,” the employees’ original filing alleges. The university answers that claim by stating, “Denied.” The university’s filing is its most extensive response to the claims so far. Since the lawsuit was filed earlier this year, uni versity spokesmen have repeat edly declined comment on the specifics of the suit while calling it groundless. However, after the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found “reason to be lieve” the university had dis criminated against the employ ees, spokesman Russ McKinney labeled that decision “a drive-by ruling” in a May 2000 interview with The State. “The university has a com mendable record of employment practice,” McKinney said. The EEOC later turned down the university’s protest of the decision. Meanwhile, the administra tion continues to stress its com mitment to affirmative action. “Affirmative action and equal education and employment op portunity are crucial elements in the mission of the University of South Carolina,” Palms wrote in a memo to all USC employees. “As part of its commitment, USC has established goals and timetables for the employment of blacks and women. The Affirmative Action Program will remain in effect until we at tain the fair representation of women and minorities in our work force.” At the same time, the memo makes clear whom the adminis tration expects to work toward meeting the goals. “Administrators and super visors who make employment decisions are responsible for meeting affirmative action goals within their work area,” Palms wrote. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com. POLICE REPORT ' Each numbered symbol on the map represents a single crime that corresponds with the numbered descriptions in the list below it. DAY CRIMES ( □ Violent crimes ■ \ NIGHT CRIMES (6a.m.-6p.m.) \ ^ r . . . . i r (6 p.m.-6a.m.) I O Nonviolent cnmes • ) □ o CRIMES AT UNKNOWN HOURS Monday, Oct. 15 ® UNLAWFUL USE OF TELEPHONE, SOUTH CAROLINIANA LIBRARY The victim said Johnny R. Sparrow has repeatedly telephoned her at work for the purpose of harassing her. The investigation continues. Reporting officer: M. Branham. Friday, Oct. 19 Q MALICIOUS INJURY TO PERSONAL PROPERTY, 1300 BLOSSOM ST, The victim said someone damaged the front and rear emblems of his red 1996 Mercedes. Estimated damage: $150. Reporting officer: K.A. Gilbert. Saturday, Oct. 20 Q ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE, 1000 GEORGE ROGERS BLVD. The victim said that while attending last Saturday’s football game, the left shoulder of her shirt was burnt by a falling ember from a fireworks display. Reporting officer: J. M. Simmons. O LARCENY OF CD PLAYER, 1308 BLOSSOM ST. The victim said someone removed a black Aiwa CD player from her locked, brown 1992 Honda Accord. Estimated value: $200. Reporting officer: J. A. Henry. ® AUTO BREAK-IN, 600 BULL ST. The victim said someone broke into his black 1999 Honda Civic by smashing the left rear window, which also damaged the exterior and interior left side of the car. The victim said the following items were taken: two black 10-inch Rockford Fosgate Subwoofers and one gray Bandpass 26-inch Subwoofer Box. A partial fingerprint was lifted from the vehicle. Estimated value: $500. Reporting officer: K. A. Gilbert. ® SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY, 1322 GREENE ST. The complainant said an unknown black male sorted through the contents of her handbag without her permission. When confronted, the subject said he did not take anything. The complainant did not notice anything missing at the time of report. The subject exited the Thomas Cooper Library before reporting officer, J. R. Merrill, arrived. Sunday, Oct. 21 ® AUTO BREAK-IN, 1300 BLOSSOM ST. Someone broke out the right rear quarter window of the victim’s tan 1993 Honda Accord. The subject then entered the vehicle and took a Sony Explode mounted CD player, a remote control and the wiring harness that adapted the CD player to a Honda. The subject also scratched the rear passenger door, the right rear wheel well, the trunk, the roof and the left rear quarter-panel. The dash trim panel was broken during the theft. Estimated value of missing items: $425. Reporting officer: J.D. Patterson. © MALICIOUS INJURY TO REAL PROPERTY, 615 SUMTER ST. The complainant said someone marked on the walls with a black maker and tore down decorations on the sixth floor of Douglass. The RA will handle student discipline if subjects are found. Estimated damage: $50. Reporting officer: F. Pereira, o MALICIOUS INJURY TO PERSONAL PROERTY, 1423 WHALEY ST. The victim said someone scratched the driver’s side door, the hood, the trunk and various places on the passenger’s side of his 1998 Mazda Millenia. The vehicle also had small dents on the driver’s side door. Reporting officers: J. Meador and N. Beza. Monday, Oct. 22 ® LARCENY OF MOUNTAINBIKE, 1400 GREENE ST. Someone removed an unsecured green and silver Giant mountain bike from the Russell House bike rack. Estimated value: $300. Reporting officer: J.B. Coaxum. 0 HOUSING VIOLATION, 1423 WHALEY ST. Reporting officers J.B. Coaxum and L. Forte responded to a call from a Bates House RA who said some type of gun had been found. Upon arrival at Bates House, the reporting officers found a homemade air gun. The gun was confiscated; Luke R. Skorupski signed it over to the reporting officers. Skorupski was also written up on a student discipline and housing violation. The air gun was placed in an evidence locker. STAY CONNECTED WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS* IN 20 Jf STATES.W Keep in touch with everyone. Anytime. Day or night._ Free nationwide long distance Free roaming in our Superstates BFree digital PCS phone included on select service plans* Plans with Anytime Minutes AmP®?h starting as low as $30** T300 we get it: 1-877-CALL SUN SunCom Member of the AW Wireless Network ^^SunComst^Hocations^^^^ store hours: mon-fri 9a-7p, sat 10a-6p New! 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