Argentina volunteers
to cut gas emissions
1 BUENOS AIRES, Argentina —
Argentina offered to be the first
developing nation to voluntarily
cut back on greenhouse gas emis
sions, seeking a breakthrough
Wednesday in talks to reduce
global warming.
President Carlos Menem
opened the final phase of the U.N.
conference with a promise that
Argentina would seek to join in
dustrialized nations already
bound by a 1997 treaty to reduce
carbon dioxide output by 2012.
“Not only can highly advanced
countries contribute to a new
world order, but also emerging
nations,” Menem said. “We all
have a responsibility.”
Several developing countries
have refused to even discuss the
issue of voluntary targets at the
160-nation conference that ends
Friday. China and India are
among the developing countries
which threaten to become the
world’s leading greenhouse gas
polluters by 2015.
Yet, Clinton administration ad
viser Todd Stern told The Associ
ated Press that Argentina's pledge
opens “a new pathway for devel
oping countries” to commit to
emissions targets similar to those
accepted by 38 industrialized na
tions bound by the treaty.
At the landmark conference in
Kyoto, Japan, last year, more than
three dozen industrialized na
tions agreed, by 2012, to cut their
pollution output by 5 percent be
low 1990 levels. Poorer nations
were merely asked to do what
they can to curtail emissions.
The United States has yet to
sign the Kyoto Protocol. Stalled in
the Senate, opponents argue the
treaty needs a greater commit
ment from the developing world.
Gunman’s rampage
targeted police
2 ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Authori
ties believe the man who
gunned down a police officer in
his squad car was targeting police
because he apparently ignored
people driving civilian vehicles.
William E. Lattin Jr., dressed in
fatigues, strapped two guns to his
body, walked down the stoop of
his apartment and opened a bar
rage of gunfire Tuesday evening.
His rampage ended when police
shot and killed him. In addition to
the slain police officer, three peo
ple were wounded.
Police say they still don’t know
for sure what prompted Lattin, 33,
to open fire, but he may have been
targeting police officers, Lt. Jim
Connors said.
“The indication from some
statements by civilians indicate
he’d look at some people and
wave them on,” he said “He
seemed to be going for vehicles
that resembled police vehicles.
That is what we believe at this
time, that this was an assault on
police officers.”
Witnesses said Lattin shook the
rifle in a taunting manner before
exchanging fire with police be
hind a church about a block from
the intersection where the shoot
ings began in this city about 55
miles north of Kansas City.
Police officer Bradley T. Arn,
28, the first officer to respond to re
ports of gunshots, was killed when
Lattin fired several times at his
squad car with a rifle. One shot
penetrated the right rear window
and struck Am in the head.
Simpson must prove
parenting fitness
3 SANTA ANA, Calif. — In a
twist on the “innocent until
proven guilty” maxim, O.J. Simp
son may have to show why he is a
fit parent in order to keep his chil
dren, legal experts said Wednes
day.
The 4th District Court of Appeal
on Tuesday overturned a 1996 de
cision that gave Simpson custody
of Sydney, 13, and Justin, 10. The
justices ordered a new hearing to
include evidence on whether
Simpson killed the children’s
mother, Nicole Simpson Brown.
“It's almost going to be an extra
burden for Simpson to get his chil
dren,” said Laurie Levenson, a
Loyola University Law School
professor. “It's going to be in some
ways a replay of the murder trial. ’ ’
The appeals court acted on a pe
tition by Ms. Simpson’s parents,
Louis and Juditha Brown. The
Browns were guardians of the
children while Simpson was in
jail and on trial for the 1994 stab
bing deaths of Ms. Simpson and
her friend Ronald Goldman.
Jurors in a criminal trial acquit
ted Simpson of murder in 1995,
but jurors in a civil case the follow
ing year awarded the victims’ fam
ilies $33.5 million in damages
from Simpson.
In the custody case, the justices
said the lower court wrongly put
the burden of proof on the Browns
to show that it would be detrimen
tal to return the children to Simp
son.
“Rather it is upon the parent to
show 'overall fitness’ on his or her
part ‘sufficient to overcome the in
herent trauma of removing a suc
cessful caregiver,’” the appeals
court said.
The children, who asked in Au
gust to stay with their father, were
disappointed with the ruling, their
attorney said.
Secret meth lab found
in blackberry thicket
4 CENTRAL POINT, Ore. — Peo
ple on horseback rode by it. Po
lice officers walked by it.
It wasn’t until a narcotics officer
spotted a Rottweiler known to be
long to a man suspected of cook
ing methamphetamine that they
finally found it: the hidden en
trance to a 100-foot-long tunnel
through a blackberry thicket that
led to a plywood shack where the
illicit drug was allegedly being
made.
A door of blackberry vines and
cattails concealed the entrance.
“There is nothing similar to
this,” said Jim Anderson, com
mander of the Jackson County
Narcotic Enforcement Team.
“Most of the meth labs we find are
in a house or an apartment or a
building. This is in a jungle.”
Zastera was held without bail
on charges of possession, manu
facture and distribution of
methamphetamine and probation
violation.
— The Associated Press
Stop Smoking
Through Acupuncture
If you’re serious about quitting the smoking habit, now’s your chance.
In honor of the great American Smoke Out
Tom Williams, a licensed acupuncturist in Eugene,
provides stop-smoking treatments to relieve cravings
and irritability at the four-session stop smoking
workshop that begins at the Health Center November
18 in conjunction with the Great American Smokeout
on November 19th. Call 346-4456 to sign up.
Educational Session*
Wednesday, November 18 4-5 pm
*You must attend this session in order
to receive acupuncture treatment.
Acupuncture Sessions
Thursday, November 19,4-6 pm
Friday, November 20,4:30-6 pm
Monday, November 23, from 4:30-6 pm
All sessions meet in the medical library
in the basement of the University
Health Center.
$30 fee that will be donated to the American Lung
Association is requested.
Space is limited, so sign up now
by calling the Health Education office at 346-4456.
UNIVERSITY
HEALTH CENTER
We’re a mailer of degrees ^
Open daily 8 ».m 10 6 pjn.. except Tuesdays (9 a.m.) and Sundays (10 ajn.).
Appoinunenls and after hours: 346-2770 • Web: darkwing.uoregao.edu/-uosht.
For detectives, rapist
takes over their world
The Assxialed Press
TACOMA — For Tacoma Po
lice Detective Chris Pollard, the
small gray office has become a
second home.
One wall is covered with police
sketches of the serial rapist who
has terrorized a dozen women
and girls in Pierce and King coun
ties since the first incident Aug. 4.
Also plastering the wall are re
ports, a long chart listing the
names of victims, times and dates
of attacks, descriptions of the
rapist and his means of escape.
“On a scale of one to 10, how
much do I want to catch this guy?
A 36,” Pollard says.
For Lt. Nik Dunbar, who heads
the manhunt, his second home is
the no-frills sedan in which he
cruises the areas where the rapist
has hit.
“Your world all of a sudden be
comes the rapist, the victim and
the other officers who are in the
vicinity working the case,” Dun
bar said. “Some cases are too hard
to let go.”
For Dunbar and more than a
dozen colleagues on the case, 12
hour days have become routine.
On a typical day since the at
tacks began, the squad of eight
Pierce County officers, five Taco
ma officers and three Kent investi
gators meet just after 8 a.m. to di
vide up the most promising leads
and discuss the case. The they go
to work — some behind the wheel
of a car, some staking out suspects,
others taking turns at the hotline,
waiting for tips to dribble in.
Pollard says all the tips are
checked out. Investigators are
gaining a broader picture of the
medium-built white man in his
20s or 30s, who wears glasses and
frequently changes his facial hair.
He drives a light-colored, two
door hatchback. He probably is
busy on weekends, since he has
struck only during the week, and
is probably a regular at strip clubs.
He probably lives within a mile of
the first attack and probably has a
girlfriend or wife.
Investigators distributed the
fifth artist’s sketch of the suspect
Tuesday.
“There's a million eyes out
there,” Pollard said. “You see
someone out there being bothered
by someone, do something.”
The rapist hasn’t attacked since
Oct. 23. but authorities said no
one should lower their guard.
He’s paused between attacks for
as long as 10 days before.
“We think he could attack at
any time,” said Tacoma police
spokesman Jim Mattheis.
Authorities say they believe the
thrill of stalking the victim and
grabbing her is a big part of the ex
citement for the man — as is the
risk of being caught.
They also say they think he is a
passive person: Most of the time,
when the victim screams and
fights back, he runs. So far he has
n’t hit or stabbed anyone, though
he has threatened women with
sharp objects.