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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 1993)
|—— WORLD WIRE Major cities' gang leaders pledge truce WASHINGTON (AP) — Street gang leaders from four major cities pledged a truce on Thursday and said they’ll convene a broader gath ering this spring so others can take the oath. Their so-called “summit” was set for April 30-May 2 in Kansas City, Mo., timed to coincide with the first anniversary of the Los Angeles riots. Nine representatives from black and Latino gangs in Boston, Chi cago, Los Angeles and Minneapo lis met in Washington to pledge peace, pray together and plan the Kansas City meeting. Clinton nearing choice of attorney general WASHINGTON (AP)—Prcsi dentCIinton has narrowed his search for an attorney general to three people and the lead ing con tender is Kimba Wood, the female judge who presided over junk-bond fin ancier Michael Milken’s fraud trial, administration officials said Thurs day. A decision is expected within days, they said. Wood is a Democrat but was appointed to the federal bench in New York by Republican Presi dent Reagan nearly five years ago. Others said to be finalists are Washington attorncyCharlcs F.C. Ruff and former Virginia Gov. Gerald Baliles, according to two administration officials who re quested anonymity. Clinton smoothing edges getting phones to work WASHINGTON (AP)—After two weeks in office, President Clinton is working to smooth rough edges and ruffled feathers. He’s refocused at tention onto less inflammatory issues — from welfare to campaign reform — and even gotten the phones to work. All but the harshest critics agree Clinton is settling in and learning from his early mistakes. “It’s hard to argue that we did things perfectly in the first week,” said White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers. “But a lot of the moving in pains are easing.” After the carly-days turbulence from the withdrawal of his attorney general nominee and an unwanted skirmish with Congress over lifting the ban on military gays, Clinton was navigating in calmer waters. He held high-profile meetings on health care, welfare reform and cam paign financing and made overtures to organized labor and governors. After clashing prematurely with Democratic leaders over his plan to lift the ban on gays in the military, Clinton made two goodwill trips to Capitol Hill this week to cement tics with Democrats. He also announced he’ll meet Hill leaders every Tuesday — alternating between just Democrats and biparti san delegations. Clinton himself told budget work ers Wednesday, “I may not do every thing right, and I can’t do everything that’s just popular in the short run. (But) we’re trying to set an example for the people that sent us here.” Clinton and his high command, laden with baby-boomers who grew up in a high-tech age, were revamping the White Housers own infrastruc ture. Senate rejects proposal to continue ban on gays Clinton also ordered recruiters to > slop asking applicants about their sexual orientation. The president, who promised dur ing the campaign to lift the ban, was forced to retreat during the first week of his presidency in the face of wide spread Democratic and Republican opposition. Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas had predicted defeat but vowed that Republicans eventually would prevail on the divisive issue. “I happen to believe that main stream America recognizes bad pol icy when they see it,” he said. Led by Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana, Republicans argued that allowing homosexuals in the military would seriously undermine the qual ity of the armed forces. But Democratic Sen. Carol Moselcy-Braun of Illinois said the GOParguments against lifting the 50 year-old ban resembled the military complaints in the 1940s against Presi dent Truman’s plan to integrate the services. The measure was an amendment to the family and medical leave bill. Clinton has ordered Defense Sec retary Les Aspin to draw up an execu tive order that would lift the ban by July 15. The Republican legislation would have required Clinton to get congressional approval before any policy change. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, D-Maine, reminded his col leagues that change required people to adapt. In every society, Mitchell said, there arc those who fear and resist change. ‘‘Let’sliftoursightsandvotcabove appeals to divisions, above appeals to the worst that’s in our people, above all the discrimination, the prejudice, the anxiety and the fear that is being created in this debate,” Mitchell said to a hushed chamber. Proposed bill would eliminate lobbying loopholes WASHINGTON — A corporate lawyer seeks a lawmaker’s help in a battle against a burdensome regula tion. The head of an interest group talks strategy with a Senate aide over lunch. A direct-mail firm solicits hun dreds of letters opposing a bill. These arc the typical chores of the modern Washington lobbyist. But under current law, none of them arc classified as a lobbyist. The lawyer, the interest group director and the direct-mail company all arc exempt from registering as lobbyists and re porting on their activities. “There’s considerable leeway in the current laws,” added Robert O’Brien, spokesman for defense gi ant McDonnell Douglas. The com pany, which does nearly $9 billion a year in business with the government, currently has six staff members who deal with Congress — none of them registered as lobbyists. “There arc thousands that don’t register,” said John L. Zorack, a lob byist for small businesses and author of a lobbying handbook. This year, with the windsof reform blowing, Sen. Carl Levin hopes to change that. The Michigan Democrat on Thursday introduced a bill that would tighten government oversight of lobbying, at the same lime consoli dating a welter of current rules to make it easier for lobbyists tocomply. A similar bill is being sponsored in the House by Rep. John Bryant, D-Tcxas. “The public has a right to know who is being lobbied, by whom, and how much they are being paid,” Levin said. Vice President A1 Gore appeared with the lawmakers at a Capitol Hill news conference to lend the Clinton administration’s support. “We’re committed to reforming the way our government does busi ness,” Gore said, standing alongside Sen. William Cohen, R-Mainc, and Rep. George Gckas, R-Pa., who also are sponsoring the bill. The proposed restrictions would broaden the definition of lobbying. Gone would be exemptions for law yers, for lobbying congressional aides (as opposed to lobbying members of Congress themselves), or for lobby ing executive branch officials. Indi rect efforts to influence the govern ment, such as ginning up floods of mail, would be included as well. Downtown Continued from Page 1 their customer is. “Before, it was truly the commu nity of Lincoln,” he said. “Now, the core of the market is college students, the people who are down here be tween the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and the residents of the area.” Lou Shields, president and CEO of the Downtown Lincoln Association, said the era of the major downtown shopping center had passed in cities nationwide,‘ Shields said, and Lincoln’s retailers did a good job of adapting to the needs of a changing market. “They are realizing that they have a crossover market,” she said. "They can attract students and older career persons alike.” The slack economy and withdrawal of businesses caused some to doubt a successful future for the downtown area. The closing of Miller and Paine in the Lincoln Square building, 13th and O streets, caused tremendous worries, Quandt said. But the building has been filling up with commercial of fice space, he said. “Now that building is 85 percent occupied,” Quandt said. Shields said much of the vacant office space is filling up with stale offices because they have outgrown their facilities. “While it may not be a permanent solution, because we don’t know how long the state offices will be in these spaces, it did get the downtown headed on the road to recovery,” Shields said. Jack Irons, who bought the Cen trum Shopping Plaza last April, is optimistic about the future of the cen ter, which once didn’t seem so bright. “1 think we’ll be full by July, he said. “That’s our goal.” When Irons bought the center, he said, there were only two stores in business: Braun’s.awomen’sapparcl store, and One-Hour Photo. Since then, he said, capacity has reached 60 per cent from, a developer, said his pur -44 We love UNL stu dents. They are great for the city of Lin coln. I wish I could give each and every one of them a big hug. i —Johanns Lincoln mayor -»f - chase of the center was an opportunity to save a building and downtown Lin- , coin. “(The Centrum) is a beautiful build ing and it’s a shame to let it go to waste,” he said. “I have the capabili ties and know-how to make it work.” “I was bom and raised in Lincoln,” he said. “It was a really large step, but I believe in risk. “I have a strong belief in down town.” Jan Beckwith, owner of in*ka*hooi/,awomcn’sapparel store, said she chose to locate her store in the Centrum because she loved down town Lincoln. “I’m a downtown diehard,” Beckwith said. Setting up shop in the Centrum has been good for business, she said. The housing market also has grown in the downtown area with the renova tion of several buildings. The Hardy building, 8th and R streets, was renovated into apartments about four years ago, Johanns said. “It was full the day it opened and has been full ever since,” he said. Other buildings downtown that arc being renovated into living space in clude the Granger and Apothecary buildings, 8th and P streets, and the Clayton House, 10th and O streets, Johanns said. “People like the feeling of living downtown,” he said. “It becomes a neighborhood for them, and they look out for that neighborhood.” Sigerson: Money needed quickly for maintenance of UNL buildings 3oor conditions interfere /vith quality of education, ^SUN president says By Michelle Leary Senior Reporter Poor building conditions at UNL, such as asbestos and leaking roofs, arc keeping students from receiving a quality education, ASUN President Andrew Sigcrson said. Sigcrson, speaking Wednesday at a news conference devoted to the maintenance troubles at the univer sity, said that the time to improve building conditions on campus was now. “Students at UNL and our sister campuses feel that it is lime for the Legislature and governor to act,” Sigcrson said. “The university needs about S50 million to fix all the repairs needed on all university buildings,” Sigcrson said, “but we’d be happy with less.” When members of the Nebraska Legislature and the governor’s office claim UNL can find the money to repair the problems within itsexisting budget, they arc making excuses, Sigcrson said. He said ignoring the problem would only make things worse. “The dollar that is saved today will -44-— It’s hard to believe that we (students) have to work in rooms that are not fit for rats. —Thompson graduate student -ft - costtwo dollars in the future," he said. Jeri Thompson, a psychology graduate student, agreed with Sigerson, saying the quality of educa tion at UNL was being compromised because of building deterioration. “Temperature and space are big factors,” Thompson said. Most of Thompson’s day is spent in Burnett Hall, she said, which is typically hot in the winter and cold in the summer. “The first thing we do when we walk into a classroom is open the windows,” she said. “This helps mod erate the temperature. “I personally keep a thick sweater in my office to wear while working because it’s so cold in the summer,” Thompson said. Thompson also conducts psychol ogy experiments in the basement of Burnell Hall, where water seepage, humidity and temperature variations make it impossible to use some of the rooms, she said. “We used to have research animals in the basement, but an animal health department informed us that the con ditions in Burnett were not fit for rats,” Thompson said. “It’s hard to believe that we (students) have to work in rooms that arc not fit for rats. “It’s so hot in the labs we do have that it’s frustrating to know that when you have people coming to partici pate in research, they may not be able to do well with whatever tasks they ’ ve been given,” she said. “When you live in this day after day, it makes you feel as if no one really cares about the quality of our training,”Thompson said. “It all adds up to an uncomfortable, unproductive and unsafe place to work.” Sigcrson said thccost for repairing Burnett Hall was estimated at $6.1 million. Other buildings at UNL in need of maintenance include Richards Hall, which has inadequate restrooms,poor ventilation and no climate control; Love Library, where the archives’ ceiling leaks; and the Nebraska Union, which has a broken revolving door. Nebraskan FAX NUMBER 472-1761 The Dally Nebraskan(USPS 144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board. Nebraska 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 Doug Fiedler, 436-7862. 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-dass postage paid at Lincoln, NE ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1993 DAILY NEBRASKAN