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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1992)
\fpWQ T) 1 CXP^t Associated Press X ^1 W* w w JICb ^ Edited by Roger Price Court delays execution SAN QUENTIN, Calif. — A fed- ’ eral appeals court temporarily blocked the execution of double killer Robert Alton Harris Monday, less than six hours before he was to die in the gas rhamhor The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals halted the execution when one of its 28 judges asked for a vote of the full court on a claim by Harris’ lawyers that his brother may have shotonc of two San Diego teen-agers. Under the court’s rules, the stay would remain in effect during the vote, potentially as long as seven days. Harris’ death warrant was to expire at the end of Tuesday. The execution would be the state’s first since 1967. “We’re doing everything we can to get it back on schedule, said Denise Davis, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Dan Lungrcn. The U.S. Supreme Court denied a state request to overturn the appeals court order, said court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg. Also pending before the appeals court was a defense claim that execu tion by lethal gas constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. Harris was allowed Monday to be visited by family, friends and attor neys. One of his recent visitors has been his older brother Randy, who told the San Jose Mercury News he tried to be positive. “I talk about the weather, fishing. I’d rather try to make him laugh,” he said. According to trial testimony, Har ris and his brother Danny were look ing for a getaway car after a robbery when they came upon John Mayeski and Michael Baker eating hamburg ers in a parking lot. Harris forced the 16-year-old boys to drive to a rural area, ordered them to get out of the car and walk up a fire trail and then shot them, authorities said. According to Danny Harris, who testified against his brother, Harris laughed after the killingsand finished off the boys’ interrupted meal. At the lime of the killings, Harris was on parole for a 1975 manslaugh ter conviction. Opponents of capital punishment gathered outside the prison, includ ing 13-year-old Julie Briggs of Dan ville and her three teen-age sisters. “I just don’t think, morally, you should take human life.” Sharron Mankins, Baker’s mother, said she wanted to attend the execu tion “to know firsthand that justice has been served." Defendants executed Black t3.2% Total. 220 Penalties by state r\ ■ Dal. I Death penalty, but not used ^ ~ □ No death penalty Methods of execution METHOD-) TOTAL DEATH ROW INMATES Alabama E 115 Louisiana LI 40 Pennsylvania LI .40 Arizona GC 101 Maryland GC 14 South Carolina & 46 Arkansas LI 35 Mississippi GC 52 Tennessee E 100 California GC 323 Missouri U 82 Texas U 349 Colorado LI 3 Montana H, LI 8 Utah FS, LI 12 Connecticut E 4 Nebraska E 12 Virginia E 47 Delaware LI, H 6 Nevada U 60 Washington LI 9 Florida E 315 New Jersey U 8 Wyoming U 0 Georgia E 110 New Mexico LI 1 E-Electrocution Idaho LI, FS 21 North Carolina GC, LI 105 FS-Firing squad Illinois U 145 Ohio E 104 GC-Gas chamber H-Hanging Indiana E 52 Oklahoma U 125 ULethal injection Kentucky E 29 Oregon U 16 AP Court to review defendant’s rights WASHINGTON — The Su preme Court said Monday it will consider restricting defendants’ opportunities to complain that their right to remain silent was violated. At issue is whether severe new limits should be placed on federal courts’ power to reverse slate criminal convictions. The justices agreed to hear Michi gan authorities’ arguments that federal courts should not be al lowed to second-guess state judges who uphold police interrogation tactics. In its 1966 ruling in Miranda vs. Arizona, the high court said sus pects in police custody may not be Sjcstioncd unless they arc told of cir rights to remain silent, have a lawyer present and have a free lawyer appointed if they cannot afford one. Confessions or other evidence obtained in violation of the Mi randa ruling, which is based on the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimina tion, cannot be used at trial. The Supreme Court in 1976 barred federal courts from review ing Fourth Amendment claims by state prisoners who say their con victions were lainicd by unreason able police searches, after state courts have rejected those claims. The high court several limes in recent years has declined invita tions from state prosecutors to extend its 1976 decision to alleged Fifth Amendment violations. In the Michigan case it now will consider taking that step. A decision is ex pected sometime next year. The court also acted on four race-relations cases Monday, two school desegregation disputes and two affirmative action controver sies. The court set aside a school desegregation ruling from Topeka, Kan. The justices told a federal ap peals court to restudy its ruling that Topeka school officials have not done enough to counter past inten tional bias against black students. The high court let stand rulings aimed at assuring that 25 percent of the teachers and administrators in Boston public schools arc black, and that 10 percent arc from other racial minorities. The court also left intact an affirmative action plan aimed at increasing the number of black police officers in Philadelphia,and let stand a San Francisco plan to funnel more public works contracts tocompanies run by minorities and women. Russian gas prices jump MOSCOW — In ihc latest blow to pricc-batlcred Russians, Moscow authorities unexpectedly increased gasoline prices fivefold on Monday. Now it costs the average Russian a week’s salary to fill the gas tank. Motorists grumbled they would have to take on extra jobs to pay for gas — or just stop driving. “I can’t do without my car," moaned mechanic Vladimir Markarov. "We arc going somehow to find ways to cope.” He said he might use his caras a private taxi,or moonlight with extra car-repair jobs. Prices for everything from cloth ing to cabbage have skyrocketed in Russia since January, when President Boris N. Yeltsin lifted decades of government price controls on most goods and services. Gas prices had already tripled before Monday. Despite the latest price increase, there were long lines at Moscow gas stations. Some frustrated drivers complained that state-owned gas sta tions shut down over the weekend rather than selling gas at the old prices. Moscow has suffered gas short ages in recent weeks, with fuel being diverted to southern regions for spring planting. Russia, which has one of the world’s largest known oil reserves, has seen production drop in recent years because of outdated equipment. Before Monday, it cost about 48 rubles to fill the standard 10-gallon tank with the most commonly used gasoline. Now it costs 240 rubles — only $2, but about a week’s salary for the average Russian worker. Workers begin draining tunnels beneath Chicago CHICAGO— Workers began slowly pump ing water out of a network of flooded tunnels under the downtown business district Monday, while watching for any new problems with buildings or the city’s underground lifelines. The immediate danger from further flood ing was over since crews during the weekend stopped up a riverbed hole that allowed Chi cago River water to gush into the tunnels one week ago. The flood brought the Loop to a standstill because the tunnels now house major electrical equipment and telephone cables. The University of Illinois and the Federal Reserve Bank prepared a joint study estimating that the city lost $1.5 billion in business be cause of the flood. Two downtown landmarks—City Hall and Marshall Field’s flagship department store — rc-opcncd Monday for the first lime in a week. Both buildings still had water in their sub basements. The Chicago Board of Trade ran its futures and options markets on an abbreviated sched ule but said it would return to a normal sched ule Tuesday. Pumping was slow to prevent further dam age to the tunnel wallsor building basements as the pressure and weight of the water was re moved from waterlogged structures. The risk of any part of the tunnel collapsing is a “small risk, but it’s a risk we don’t want to chance,” said Army Corps of Engineers Lt. Col. Randall Inouye. “We’re going to continue this drawdown at a very slow rate.” Engineers said the draining process could take 12 days. The water was being pumped up to street level and dumped into access shafts leading to the vast Deep Tunnel storm drain system. The DccpTunncl is still under construe lion, but the part being used for flood relief has been operational since 1985 and cost about $1 bil lion. It runs 250-300 feet below the surlacc, depending on location. NetSfaskan Editor Jana Padarsen Night News Editors Adeana Lenin 472-1766 John Adkleson Managing Editor Kara Welle Wendy Moll Assoc News Editors Chris Hoplensperger Tom Kuru KrisKarnopp Art Director Scott Maurer Opinion Page Editor Alan Phalps General Manager Dan Shattll Wire Editor Roger Price Production Manager Katherine Pollcky Copy Desk Editor Wendy Navratll Advertising Manager Todd Sears Sports Editor Nick Hytrek Sales Manager Eric Krlnoel Assistant Sports Editor Tom Clouse Classified Ad Manager Annette Sue per Arts & Entertainment Publications Board Editor Stacey McKenzie Chairman Bill Vobe|da Diversions Editor Dionne Searcey 472-2588 Photo Chief Michelle Paulman Professional Adviser Don Walton, 473-7301 FAX NUMBER 472-1761 The Daily Nebraskan(USPS 144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board. Ne braska Union 34, 1400 R St., Lincoln, NE, Monday through Friday during the academic year; weekly during summer sessions. Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by phoning 472-1763 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m Monday through Friday. The public also has access to the Publications Board. For information, contact Bill Vobejda, 472-2588 Subscription price is $50 for one year Postmaster; Send address changes to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34, 1400 R St .Lincoln, NE 68588-0448 Second-class postage paid at Lincoln. NE. ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1992 DAILY NEBRASKAN CIA looking for some old-fashioned spies Company warns recent recruits of job hazards WASHINGTON — The 35 men and women listened tensely as the CIA recruiter told them they would be working secretly overseas getting foreigners id spy for the United States. ‘‘I don’t want to scare you off. You’ve got to understand what you're buying into,” the recruiter said. The group was invited to the ses sion in a northern Virginia office building after responding to a classi fied ad. v A few will survive the rigorous selection among the growing number of applicants who send their resumes to the CIA each year.. Those who make it will find that despite the radical changes wrought by the Soviet Union’s demise, their jobs will have much in common with the espionage practiced in the heyday of the Cold War. In fact the methods, to hear re cruiter Bob Simpson describe them, sound like a page taken from John Le Carre. The 18-month training, said the Washington area’s chief recruiter, will include surveillance techniques, safe houses, encryption and agent meet ings. Trainees will then receive a spe cific assignment, learning about the country and the cases. “Then when you’re ready, you n pack up your household and go over seas,” said Simpson, a 30-ycar agency veteran. Abroad, CIA case officers lead a double life. By day, embassy clerks or diplomats. By night, spymasters. It’s called “cover,” Simpson explained. Only your spouse and agency col leagues will know that you real > work for the CIA and not for the State or Defense departments as you say you do, he said. Your main job will be to lind agents willing to pass secrets to the Unitcc States, Simpson said.