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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 1999)
Senate moves to end trial Request to issue subpoena for Lewinsky rejected 70-30 WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate moved Thursday to bring President Clinton’s impeachment trial to a prompt conclusion, rejecting a last-ditch request by House prosecutors to summon Monica Lewinsky for live testimony. Republicans also shrank from a plan to declare the president guilty without ousting him from office. With 25 Republicans joining Democrats, the Senate rejected, 70-30, the prosecutors’ request to issue a sub poena requiring the young woman at the center of the impeachment drama to testify in the well of the Senate. With support from several Democrats, however, Senate Republicans approved the House prosecutors’ request to show at the trial this weekend all or portions of the videotaped depositions of Lewinsky, Clinton’s friend Vernon Jordan and White House adviser Sidney Blumenthal. All three had been questioned in private earlier this week. Prosecutors and White House lawyers would have up to three hours each to show portions of those videotapes Saturday before the two sides begin closing arguments. Earlier Thursday, emerging from a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans, Majority Leader Trent Lott declared the Senate was on track for a final vote on the two articles of impeachment by Feb. 12, or perhaps a day earlier. Democrats renewed a call for a formal cen sure of the president, but only after the trial ends with his acquittal on charges of perjury and obstruction of jus tice. While the drive to end the trial picked up steam, Republicans thwarted a Democratic request to skip the airing of any witness testimony and move directly to closing arguments. The idea, offered by Minority Leader Tom Daschle, was rejected 56-44. While senators began laying the groundwork for the trial finale, they turned away House prosecutors who pressed for live testimony by Lewinsky. The House pros ecutors, at times, flashed their frustration over being unable to secure enough votes for conviction or live wit nesses. “If one senator has failed to personally sit through... every deposition, that senator is not equipped to render a verdict on the impeachment trial,” Rep. James Rogan, R Calif., chided at one point. White House special counsel Gregory Craig opposed Lewinsky’s live appearance and the release of the videotapes, too. “We think it is a bad idea,” Craig told die senators, arguing the tapes would “produce an avalanche of unwelcome” testimony “into the living rooms of the nation.” He argued that only written transcripts should be made public, • i i -1 rrogram to recruit teacners By Kim Sweet Staff writer Students graduating from UNL this spring could go from Lincoln to Louisiana, thanks to a new organiza tion on campus. UNL Teach for America is recruit ing graduates in all majors - whether it is physics or physical education - to teach in locations across the United States. The organization, which places teachers in school districts that have a shortage of teachers, began a chapter at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln last year, said John McNally, campus coordinator for Teach for America. Since then, the organization has been trying to recruit UNL students. The program places teachers in states such as Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, California and others on die West Coast, McNally said The organization is targeting math and science students because of a shortage of math and science teachers, nationwide, said Gordon Woodward, an associate professor of mathematics and statistics, and Teach for America aaviser. Woodward said that many UNL graduates have gone on to teach in inner-city areas where shortages exist, and many have expressed interest in doing community service work. Since electing officers, the organi zation has been busy preparing to ful fill a new goal - to make students aware that Teach for America wants them. Reaching potential teachers will be a big job because all students are eligi ble to join the program. “I think it is a potential interest to everyone,” McNally said If chosen, die new teachers would participate in a summer training insti tute. After attending die training, stu dents are placed in school districts. UNL graduate Phillip Gerlach is employed in a Teach for America school in Los Angeles. Gerlach, who teaches at a school in Compton, Calif., said he was not apprehensive about going to a school district that lacked funds or teachers. He said he was nervous about mov ing to a new city and working in a com pletely new profession, but added that the support staff and the school had oom oeen supporave. The school, which lacked teachers and resources when Gerlach arrived, is now the recipient of funds that are starting to funnel in* he said. “I’ve been pleased about how peo ple are willing to make changes,” he said. “If anything, I have been pleasant ly surprised.” Gerlach said he had intentions of being a teacher at die beginning of his undergraduate career at UNL. But after dropping out of the Teachers College, he pursued degrees in English and history. After attending Boston University, getting a master’s degree in theology and deciding against becoming a min ister, Gerlach decided to try Teach for America. Gerlach said many students are indecisive about what they want to do after graduation. Teach for America provides an opportunity for these students, as well as those going to graduate school or pursuing other careers, he said. “No matter what you go into, two years of this can broaden your experi ences.” NETV building’s name change debated in session From staff reports Lawmakers considered a bill Wednesday that would rename the educational television building on the University of Nebraska-Lineoln’s East Campus. The building is now named the Terry M. Carpenter Educational Telecommunications Building. LB233 would change its name to the Carpenter-McBride Educational leiecommumcanons nuiiaing. The late Carpenter was a Nebraska state senator from Scottsbluff who led the effort to gain funding for the build ing. Jack McBride was a longtime manager of Nebraska Educational Television who recently retired. Former Gov. Frank Morrison testi fied in favor of die name change, say ing it would honor McBride for his contributions to educational program ming in Nebraska. “He was a leader in developing puoiic educational television an over die United States,” he said in an inter view. “He was the father of public tele vision and radio in Nebraska.” Mike Carpenter, the late state sena tor’s son, testified in opposition. He said the name change would demean his father’s memory. Morrison said the bill was intended to honor McBride, not to diminish Carpenter Is contributions. * The committee took no action on the bill. Question*? Comment*? *-o2SSSl£l; Associate News Editor: Bryce Glenn or HnfflTnl«H1! Assignment Editor: Lindsay Young Of 6-mail dnO.unl.edu. Opinion Editor: Cliff Hicks Sports Editor: Sam McKewon General Manager: Dan Shattil A&E Editor: Bret Schulte Publications Board Jessica Hofmann, Copy Desk Chief: Tasha Kelter Chairwoman: (402)466-8404 Asst Copy Desk Chief: Heidi White Professional Adviser: Don Walton, Photo Co-Chief: Matt Miller (402)473-7248 Photo Co-Chief: Lane Hkkenbottom Advertising Manager: Nick Partsch, Design Chief: Nancy Christensen (402) 472-2589 Art Director: Matt Haney Asst Ad Manager: Andrea Oeltjen Web Editor: Gregg Steams Classifleld Ad Manager: Mary Johnson Asst Web Editor: Amy Burke Fax number: (402) 472-1761 World Wide Web: www.dailyneb.com The Daily Nebraskan (USPS144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St, Lincoln, NE 685864448, Monday through Friday during the academic year; weekly during the summer sess»ns.Thepubfic has access to the Publications Board. Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by calling (402)472-2588. v Subscriptions are $55 for one year. Postmaster Send address changes to the Daiy Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St., Uncoin NE 68588-0448. Periodical postage paid at Lincoln, NE. ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1999 THE DAILY NEBRASKAN to to to to A* to to to to to to to to to to*-* - a a a a a a a a a’a*a a a a * ******»*>*tt*V Bills propose lightening load for elderly, disabled homeowners TAXES from page 1 homestead exemption proposals in the hope of reaching a consensus. , Those other proposals included several also offered to the committee Thursday: ■ LB 179, sponsored by Sen. Don Preister of Omaha, would increase die homestead exemption income allowance fay $5,000 for married or related persons, and by $3,000 for single persons. . ■ LB145, sponsored by Sen. Deb Suttle of Omaha, would increase all of the following by 10 percent: the income allowance, the maximum amount of a homestead exemption and die maximum value of property eligible for a homestead exemption. ■ LB429, sponsored by Sen. Jon Bruning of Omaha, would increase die income allowance for disabled veterans by $5,000. "■ ■ LB766, sponsored by Sen. David Landis of Lincoln, would standardize income allowances for all eligible groups, and set the following income allowance ranges for home stead exemptions: fbrmanied couples, a 100 percent exemp tion for $26,200 up to a 25 percent exemption for $31,200; for singles, 100 percent for $23,600 and 25 percent for $27,600. ■ LB139, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Bourne of Omaha, would end the practice of counting Social Security as income for homestead exemption purposes. No one testified m opposition to the first five bills. Ray Hogrefe of the Nebraska Federation of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees testified against LB139, saying it would be unfair to retired federal employ ees, who receive a federal pension rather than SociaJ Security. Offering neutral testimony, John Jordison of the ’ Nebraska Tax Research Council proposed that the state con sider providing property tax relief for elderly, disabled and low-income citizens by setting a maximum percentage of income they could be charged in property taxes. Sen. Bob Wickersham, die committee’s chairman, made a similar suggestion. Nebraska fights Y2K problem BUG from page 1 order, the Information Resources Cabinet to study technology issues, includingY2K. A bill passed by the 1996 Legislature provided a $1.4 million jump-start for the Y2K project and redirected cigarette tax revenues, with about 2 cents per pack allotted for that cause. The tax generates about $2.6 million each year for Y2K efforts— Henderson and others working on the problem divided the project into 14 mini-projects, working on two or three of those at a time. By the end of 1998, the state’s cen tral computer systems were Y2K-com pliant “The bulk of our work - the actual meat and potatoes of making changes - is finished,” Henderson said. In the final year before the century date change, the state has designed a four-point plan to address remaining problems, he said. The first task is to ensure Y2K compliance among computer systems * in agencies outside die DAS, including personal computers and embedded chips. Embedded chips are found in computer-operated mechanisms such as medical equipment “Our concern is making sure all state services function correctly, and that we’re not leaving citizens without the services they need to carry out their lives,” Henderson said. The state’s largest agency, the Health and Human Services System, is one agency whose internal compli ance efforts are critical, Henderson said. Because the system provides essential services for many citizens, the task of ensuring those services are provided efficientlyin the next century is daunting, said Linda Salac, who leads HHS's Y2K efforts. “Frankly, it is a tremendous job,” she said. “We’re working on every possible issue that may come up, and the whole HHS is cooperating.” HHS has been working on an extensive Y2K preparation program, involving surveys of outside vendors’ and suppliers’ compliance, prioritizing and developing backup plans to ensure Y2K complications don’t shut down health care services in Nebraska. “I’m very optimistic, with the cooperation we’ve had from our sup pliers and vendors,” she said. “We also have very good cooperation with the state. I feel confident we will be com pliant on Jan. 1,2000.” The second step for the state is preparing for disaster response. The state is discussing emergencies that could arise and is checking to see if emergency response departments are equipped to respond. Steve Schaefer, acting chief infor mation officer in the DAS, said many of the state’s utilities, because they are operated by sophisticated computer « The bulk of our work... is finished Steve Henderson leader of Y2K attack systems susceptible to the Y2K prob lem, could have been threatened. Telecommunications, electrical power, oil,,water and sewer services all could have been affected. “If no one had done anything, a lot of services we take for granted would have encountered some serious prob lems,” he said. Third, the state has offered assis tance to local governments, small businesses and other entities that may need help in preparing for die century date change. The fourth step is to promote pub lic awareness of the Year 2000 problem and die inconveniences it may cause. The state set up a Web site, linked to the state’s main Web page at http://www.stxite.ne.us, dedicated to the Year 2000 problem, its possible consequences, information citizens should know and other links. Henderson said he was pleased that the state had addressed die fore seeable problems. “We are not in a situation where we clearly see an issue that demands attention, and we are unable to address it,” he said. The challenge for 1999, he said, lies in preparing for the unpredictable. Despite everyoqg’a best efforts, unforeseen problems are likely to arise, he said. “Humans have this nasty habit of being imperfect,” Henderson said. For example, in today’s intercon nected world, the state’s efforts to con front Y2K depend on the compliance efforts of outside service providers and vendors, other levels of government and even other countries. Although it is difficult to predict the consequences of the Year 20Q0 problem, Henderson said he doubted the fallout would be apocalyptic. Schaefer agreed with Henderson that the results ofY2K were unlikely to be catastrophic. * Nevertheless, it is difficult to pre dict what problems Y2K might cause because of the range of conceivable eventualities - everything from minor problems with personal computers to the alarmist belief that Y2K noncom pliance could cause Russian nuclear missiles to fire inadvertently. “The number of scenarios you could come up with are infinite,” he said. “The reality falls somewhere in between the extremes.”
