SPORTS
No heir to His Airness
NU players say it will be hard to replace Michael
Jordan, possibly the greatest basketball player
ever, after he retires Wednesday. PAGE 6
A&E
Rollin’ on the river
Director/producer John Junkerman rediscovered
American music on the mighty Mississippi. Ani
DiFranco narrates his documentary. PAGE 12
January 13, 1999
Cover ’em Up
Sunny and cold, high 17. Cloudy tonight, low 10.
VOL. 98 COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN SINCE 1901 NO. 79
Execution stayed
Courts will review two
motions for clemency,
postponing Reeves’
death for months
By Josh Funk
Senior staff writer
Convicted murderer Randy Reeves
will live for at least several more months,
Attorney General Don Stenberg said,
while the courts consider two motions in
the case.
Late Tuesday afternoon, the Nebraska
Supreme Court issued a stay of execution
and withdrew the death warrant that said
Reeves was to die Thursday.
In a statement, Stenberg said the court
was rewarding the defense counsel’s delay
tactics by issuing the stay.
But for Reeves’ attorney, the families
of the victims and Reeves’ family, the stay
provides a chance for their concerns to be
heard by a judge.
“For the first time, a court is finally
willing to listen to the fairness issues in the
case,” said Paula Hutchinson, Reeves’
attorney, “and determine whether death is
appropriate.”
The Nebraska Supreme Court agreed
to hear argument on a motion alleging exe
cution would violate Reeves’ rights under
the state’s newly adopted equal protection
amendment.
Nebraska’s equal protection amend
ment, which voters approved in November,
states that no citizens will be demed then
rights under the law.
Hutchinson argued that, based on sta
tistics, the death penalty discriminates
agamst minorities, which she said is illegal
under the new amendment.
But prosecutors argued that statistical
evidence about the death penalty does not
Please see REEVES on 8
Ryan Soderlin/DN
RANDY REEVES’ ATTORNEY, Paula Hutchinson, (right) hugs Audrey Lamm in celebra
tion of Reeves’ stay of execution. Audrey’s mother, Vicki Lamm, was one of the two
women Reeves killed in 1980.
Wish granted for protesters
Mike Warren/DN
TUESDAY AtTHE Cornerstone Church on
campus, Buolltf^jch, who lost his daugh
ter in the Oklahoma City Bombing, spoke
to a small group about his feelings
against the death penalty.
■ Several activists celebrate
the postponement of Reeves’
execution, but warn that
their fight for clemency has
yet to end.
By Veronica Daehn
Staff writer
Tuesday afternoon, Yolanda Few Tails
Castellanos said it would take a,miracle to
save Randy Reeves’ life.
Around 5:30 that night, she found out
her hope for a miracle had become a reality.
Fewer than 40 hours before Reeves was
scheduled to die in the electric chair, the
Nebraska Supreme Court on Monday
granted him a stay of execution
Even with the event, Daniel Justice
called for “cautious optimism.
“It’s just a stay of execution, not an
order of clemency,” he said. “We still have
to work hard to make sure it's a permanent
decision.”
Justice, a member of the American
Indian Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, said
he hoped the decision would serve as a
breakthrough for all American Indians and
nd the system of racism which he said per
meates it.
Becca Amen, a Ponca Nation member,
had similar feelings.
“I’m happy to hear he got a stay of exe
cution,” she said. “Before, they didn’t give
him a proper trial, and I think they just
passed it off as him being a minority, noth
ing special.”
Both Justice and Amen are members of
the University of Nebraska Intertribal
Exchange. UNITE is made up of American
Indians and other students concerned with
American Indian issues.
Most UNITE members are opposed to
Reeves’ execution, Justice said.
“It’s fairly consistent that we’re all dis
turbed by it” he said. “The state has really
Please see REACTION on 8
ASUN pushes
for King day
participation
By Kim Sweet
Staff writer
Sleeping in or spending the long weekend at home may be
tempting for students, but administrators and campus leaders
hope the celebration of a pioneer in the civil rights movement
is more important.
Through tactics such as fliers, booths and voice-mail mes
sages, ASUN will attempt to beckon students to Monday’s
planned events for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The Association of Students of the University of Nebraska
is trying to draw students to the special events, which will take
place on a day void of classes ,s UNL shuts down for the hol
iday for the first time.
“We recognize that a flier is not going to bring in stu
dents,” said Andy Schuerman, Chairman of the ASUN Human
Rights committee. “We’re really relying on the network of
people helping with it.”
organizations are involved in
the Martin Luther King Jr.
Day events.
These student organiza
tions will be working with
ASUN to coordinate activi
ties during the day to encour
age student involvement.
Some of the activities
will focus on what Coretta
Scott King emphasized dur
ing her visit to the university
last year - service and com
munity involvement.
ASUN is working closely
with Student Involvement
and UNL’s chapter of Habitat
for Humanity to coordinate
volunteer etlorts that will go on throughout the day, weather
permitting.
Booths sponsored by ASUN and Student Involvement will
be promoting events all week.
During his shift at the ASUN booth on Tuesday, student
Sen. Jeff Woodford said interest was lacking.
“Turnouts have been pretty low, but there’s still a few days
left,” Woodford said.
Besides the booths and fliers, voice mail messages will be
left with student assistants so they will be reminded to pro
mote the events to residents, Schuerman said.
With the number of student organizations involved,
Schuerman said he hopes members will recruit their peers to
support their activities throughout the day.
He also said he believes the lineup of events that are spon
sored by Experion, the UNL Student Alumni Association and
the Lied Center for Performing Arts will be enough to encour
age students to stay on campus for the planned events.
Bertice Berry, a comedian who hosts an interactive talk
show called USA Live, is one of the main reasons to come,
Schuerman said.
Berry, who holds a doctorate in sociology, has appeared on
many talk shows, such as “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”
and CNN’s “Crossfire.”
While Schuerman recognizes that some students will not
participate in Martin Luther King Jr. Day events, he said he is
confident that those who have an interest in the day will take
the time to show up.
Students should look at the day’s events as a chance to
have fun and learn at the same! time, said ASUN President
Sara Russell.
“A lot of (the events) are going to be fun and more interac
tive,” she said. “Not like a typical day of class.”
It is important that students observe the Martin Luther
King Jr. holiday in some way, she said, because King’s contri
butions have affected everyone.
“The contributions of Dr. King and other civil rights lead
ers have impacted everyone’s lives in one way or another.”
Turnouts
have been
pretty low;
but there s
still a
few days left.”
Jeff Woodford
ASUN senator
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