The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 13, 2006, Page 2, Image 2
I
CAROLINA m BRIEF
Leadership institute
to convene April 25
Ohio State University
President Karen
Holbrook will deliver the
keynote address at USC’s
third annual Women’s
Leadership Institute
April 25.
Sponsored by the
Provost’s Advisory
Committee for Women’s
Issues, the event is
open to faculty, staff
and students. Sessions
will be fcom 8:30 a.m.
to I p.m. in the Russell
House student union.
Registration will begin at
8 a.m., but reservations
must be made by April
21.
THIS WEEK # USC
TODAY
Southern Exposure
Concert
7:30 p.m. School of
Music 206
FRIDAY
Theatre South Carolina
presents “Measure for
Measure”
8 p.m. Drayton Hall
i-1
Want your
organization’s
meetings
to be on
the calendar
on Page Two?
E-mail
gamecocknews
@gwm.sc.edu
th#£&\mecock
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Read online five days a week. Word.
Wrecking ball
Meg Gaillard/ THE UAUEGOCX
The “Ball of Positive Reinforcement” knocks down the “Wall of Hate” at the
Homophobia Awareness Week carnival on Wednesday on Greene Street.
State
Bill would prohibit
protests at funerals
South Carolina became
one of the latest states to
discuss legislation limiting
funeral protests after a
Senate subcommittee
unanimously approved a bill
that would make it a crime
to picket within 1,000 feet
of a service.
Members of Westboro
Baptist Church of Topeka,
Kan., have demonstrated
around the country at
funerals for U.S. soldiers
killed in Iraq, claiming
soldiers are dying
because God is punishing
America for tolerating
homosexuality.
Nation
Bank of America Corp.
resolves complaints
BOSTON — Bank of
America Corp. has agreed
to resolve allegations by
Arab and Muslim groups
that the former Fleet Bank
discriminated against 15
customers with Arabic
names by closing their
accounts in 2002 and 2003
over suspicions of terrorism
or money laundering.
Although a state
investigation found no
evidence of discrimination,
Bank of America agreed
to pay the state $50,000 to
create a brochure and video
on consumer finance geared
toward Arab-American and
Muslim communities.
World
Italy’s Prodi not afraid
of election reversal
ROME — Italy’s center-left
leader Romano Prodi said
Wednesday he does not fear
a reversal of parliamentary
election results, insisting his
narrow victory is safe despite
Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s
demand for a recount.
Prodi emerged the winner
of the hard-fought election,
although his razor-thin
margin has brought back
the prospect of political
instability in a country
known for revolving-door
governments.
Berlusconi has refused
to concede defeat, alleging
voting irregularities.
Missouri community that opened its wallets
for couple's sextuplets learn of money scam
matt Sedensky
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. —The
library books on multiple
births crowded the couple’s
coffee table. The bedroom
turned-nursery awaited the
arrival of six newborns.
But in the end, authorities
say Sarah and Kris Everson
never had the sextuplets as
claimed. All they had was
what appears to be a big lie.
The couple’s dramatic
story had holes in it from
the start — from their
mysterious withholding of
information for more than
a month to the unanimous
response of area hospitals
that they hadn’t helped
deliver the newborns.
On Tuesday, authorities
said the mystery had been
solved — the entire tale
was deemed a hoax aimed
at tapping the generosity of
others to pay the couple’s
mounting bills.
“I have never dealt with
anything like this,” Police
Chief Aaron Ambrose said.
“The level of fraud like this
involving people.”
Gary Bradley, the city
administrator, said charges
against the Eversons were
forthcoming. Prosecutors
had not yet determined
how much the couple
profited from the scam or
whether they would qualify
for charges beyond the
municipal level.
The Eversons — Sarah,
45, and Kris, 33 — claimed
to have given birth to
four boys and two girls on
March 8. The babies were
apparently in intensive care.
The tale exploded in the
local spotlight Monday
when The Examiner in
Independence ran on its
front page a photograph
of the couple holding six
one-piece baby outfits and
announcing the births.
Those who heard the
Eversons’ sad story of tight
finances set up a Web site to
solicit contributions.
I
Weather Forecast
TODAY
High 85
Loui 58
High 90
loui 66
High 91
Loui 61
High 81
Loui 66
mon.
High 85
Low 51
CRIME REPORT
TUESDAY, APRIL 11
Malicious injury
to personal property,
5 P-m.
Pendleton
Street Garage,
1501 Pendleton St.
The victim, 33, said
someone keyed her
vehicle on the driver’s
side door.
Estimated value: $500
Reporting officer:
M.A. Winnington
Accidental damage,
6:02 p.m.
Taylor House,
1501 Senate St.
The complainant
said while opening the
driver’s side door of her
vehicle, she accidentally
struck a concrete trash
can, causing damage to
the door.
Estimated value: $150
Reporting officer:
M.A. Winnmgton
Lost property,
6:15 p.m.
Moore Dorm,
601 Sumter St.
The victim, 18, said he
lost his LG cell phone.
Reporting officer:
D. Davis
WEDNESDAY,
APRIL 12
Suspicious activity,
12:15 a-m•
Intersection of Main
and Wheat streets
The victim, 22, said
someone threw a beer
can at her and shouted
racial slurs.
Reporting officer:
M.A. Winnington
Gay rights group asks that funds
for Baptist university be vetoed
Joe Biesh
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A gay
rights group asked Gov.
Ernie Fletcher Wednesday
to veto state funding for a
private Baptist university
after a student claimed he
was expelled for being gay.
The organization asked
Fletcher to veto $11
million that Kentucky
lawmakers approved earlier
this week for building
a pharmacy school and
providing scholarships
at the private University
of the Cumberlands in
southeastern Kentucky.
Advocates hand-delivered
a binder to Fletcher’s
omce containing nunurcus
of letters and e-mails
supporting their request.
“Discrimination is on
its face wrong. Funding
it with state tax dollars
is unacceptable,” said
Christina Gilgor, executive
director of the Kentucky
Fairness Alliance. “Our tax
dollars should not fund a
religious institution that
teaches by example how to
discriminate.”
The General Assembly
approved an $18.1 billion
state budget Tuesday that
included $10 million for
the university to build a
pharmacy school on its
Whitley County campus
and $1 million for related
scholarships.
The school in
Williamsburg — part
of Senate President
David Williams’ district
— has a policy against
homosexuality.
Recently Jason Johnson,
a sophomore theater arts
major from Lexington, has
claimed he was expelled
after posting on an Intemet^^
site that he was gay. ^P
A university spokesman
did not immediately return
a call seeking comment.
Fletcher, an inactive
ordained Baptist minister,
released a statement saiying
his administration “does not
condone discrimination,”
but he did not say whether
he would block the school’s
state funding.
,, -r 1 « \ r %
i was cicetcu iu ucicnu
the constitution as well as
move Kentucky forward
for every resident of the
commonwealth,” Fletcher^^
said in the statement. “I^P
will stand behind my oath
to continue to do so.”
Earlier this week,
Fletcher revised Kentucky’s
affirmative action policy
to remove language that
specifically protected gays
from discrimination in
state government.
Both moves seemed
as though Fletcher was
playing to his “right-wing
base,” Gilgor said.
“We hope that on both
issues, the governor will
realize the impact of
his actions, take a stand
against discrimination and^^
represent all Kentuckians,”^®
Gilgor said.
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