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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 24, 2000)
Many flights canceled, delayed during holiday 1 BOSTON — Logan Interna tional Airport controllers guided arriving planes Sunday us ing a composite radar system from three regional airports, one day af ter a wind storm knocked out its central antenna. Delays and cancellations at the country’s ninth busiest airport were felt nationwide over the Easter holiday weekend, a busy travel time as families gather for celebrations and students return from spring break. “I wish it was happening last weekend, or next weekend. But there’s really no ideal time,” said Bart Bartanowicz, New England regional administrator for the Fed eral Aviation Administration New radar equipment from a supply center in Oklahoma City arrived at Logan Sunday, officials said. A team of five technicians was traveling with the heavy equipment, which could take sev eral days to assemble and test, Bartanowicz said. Until the new radar is ready, Lo gan was using a triangular “com posite” system of radar from Truro, on Cape Cod; Cumming ton, in western Massachusetts near the Berkshire Mountains; and Providence, R.I. The antenna damage — plus rainy and windy weather — caused 210 cancellations Satur day and 130 by noon on Sunday. Earthquake that shook Tacoma called normal 2 TACOMA — A small earth quake that rattled Pierce County over the weekend was normal for the region and almost identical to one reported a year ago in the same place, a spokesman at the University of Washington’s Seismology Lab said. The quake, which was felt by some area residents just before midnight Friday, was of magni tude 3.6 — at the very low end of tremblers that can be felt by peo ple nearby, scientists say. It was followed by two small after shocks. No injuries or property damage was reported. The UW Lab said the quake oc curred at 11:43 p.m. and was cen tered about 10 miles west of Mount Rainier and about 5.5 miles underground. It takes a quake of at least mag nitude 5.4 to cause structural damage to even poorly construct ed buildings. Increasing bold coyotes threaten Vancouver 3 VANCOUVER, British Colum bia — Like brazen bandits, Vancouver’s urban coyotes are pulling off daring daylight kid nappings and robberies. Wildlife control officer Dennis Pemble says coyotes have moved into the city, invading city parks, green spaces and even people’s back yards. The coyotes are becoming in creasingly bold and aggressive, taking cats and small dogs right off porches. Officials are even beginning to fear for the safety of small chil dren. “They have moved right into downtown Vancouver and you can see them in broad daylight and they are doing things we’ve never seen coyotes do before,” Pemble said. “You’ll see them ly ing in the parks under the trees in broad daylight. “They are running right up to little kids, not because they are intent on attacking them but be cause they’ve learned that is a way to get food.” If the children become scared and drop their lunches, coyotes learn that taking'a run at a child will net them a free lunch. People have also been warned to keep pets inside at night. WAS YOUR WRITING TEACHER EXCEPTIONAL? Composition Teacher of the Year 1999-00 Help us reward him/her. If you have had an excellent teacher this year in an English-Composition class (any class with a“WR” prefix), nominate him or her for an Outstanding Composition Teacher Award. Leave a note or a detailed letter with Mike Stamm in the English Department (118 PLC) or mail it to Director pf Composition, Department of English, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403. Nomination must be post marked or submitted by Friday, April 28,2000. For more information, call 346-391 I. Man arrested for murder of two teenagers 4 ALCALDE, N.M. — After is suing an appeal for help, state police received a tip Sunday that led to the arrest of a man accused of shooting to death two teenagers making a spiritual pilgrimage to a church where thousands of peo ple hope for miracles. Carlos Herrera, 19, was arrest ed at a friend’s home at about 2:40 a.m., state police Sgt. Royleen Ross-Weaver said. Ross-Weaver said Herrera was an acquaintance of the 17-year old shooting victims, high school sweethearts Richard Martinez and Karen Castanon. She did not elaborate. The teens’ bodies were found Friday. “We received bits and pieces from different people, put it to gether and started pursuing the information,” Ross-Weaver said. “We were able to develop the sus pect and we also have physical evidence linking him to the crime.” She wouldn’t comment on a motive. Ray Martinez, father of the slain boy, said his son did not as sociate with Herrera. The arrest gave only brief com fort on a painful Easter, he said. “These kids were beautiful. They were drug-free, alcohol-free, like peanut butter and jelly,” he said. The teenagers were among thousands of pilgrims making the annual spiritual trek to the Santu ario de Chimayo, a small Roman Catholic church in the village of Chimayo that is said to contain healing dirt. Nine rebels killed in raid 5 ZAMBOANGA, Philippines — Philippine forces advanced on the mountain base of Muslim rebels, hammering their defenses with air strikes and artillery in an attempt to free some 27 hostages. The top general vowed to push ahead with the offensive against Abu Sayyaf rebels on southern Basilan island, despite rebel threats to kill more hostages after beheading two last week. The rebels killed those two af ter authorities refused their de mands for the release of Muslim militants jailed in the United States, including the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. At least three soldiers were killed in Sunday’s fighting, offi cials said. Nine teenage rebels were killed as they tried to escape bombard ment of their camp on the slopes of the mountain range leading up to the main camp, Basilan Gover nor Wahab Akbar said. Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Ahmad denied any rebel casual ties. He said two hostages,,hipiupl:'/ ing a child, were injured in the shelling. Military officials said they could not confirm the report but have denied targeting the main camp, where the hostages are thought to be held. Pope denounces racism, pro motes peace on Easter 6 VATICAN CITY — Capping a grueling Holy Week schedule, a weary-sounding Pope John Paul II offered Easter wishes for peace in 61 languages and called on the world Sunday to end racism and xenophobia. So many Holy Year pilgrims, tourists and Romans turned out for the pope’s late-morning Mass in St. Peter’s Square that by the time he delivered his Easter mes sage at noon, the crowd, number ing close to 150,000, was spilling over into the boulevard leading to the Vatican. The faithful passed through metal detectors recently installed in the colonnade around the square as part of security con cerns over the heavy Holy Year schedule of public appearances by the pope. Sounding tired toward the end of the two-hour appearance, John Paul expressed hope that the sense of life associated with East er may “overturn the hardness of our hearts” and “impel individu als and states to full respect” for human rights. Praying for the success of peace efforts around the world, includ ing in Africa and Latin America, the pope cited “persistent ten sions in the Middle East, vast ar eas of Asia, and some parts of Eu rope.” “Help the nations to overcome old and new rivalries, by rejecting attitudes of racism and xenopho bia,” the pope prayed. Unlike past years, the pope did not single out any one country. John Paul asked God to “grant the human family of the third millen nium a just and lasting peace.” Students stabbed on school shooting anniversary 7 TORONTO — A 15-year-old boy accused of stabbing five people at his high school appar ently planned the attacks to coin cide with the first anniversary of the massacre in Littleton, Colo., police said Sunday. Det. Sgt. Ken Doyle said com ments by witnesses and other evi dence indicated the attacks Thursday were tied to the an niversary of the April 20, 1999, shootings at Columbine High School, where two students killed 13 people before turning their guns on themselves. The stabbings Thursday began at about 11:21 a.m. — the exact same time of day that the Columbine shootings started. Doyle refused to provide specifics about the evidence. Sgt. Leo Janveau said police had “some evidence of planning” pri or to the stabbings, which left mi nor puncture wounds on four stu dents and a lab technician who worked at Cairine Wilson high school in Orleans, a suburb of Ot tawa. Some witnesses interviewed by police would be interviewed again because of details they gave to news media that were missing from their police statements, Doyle said. Classmates quoted in newspa per and television reports said the boy, who was not identified, was a loner and was teased about his thick, curly hair and acne. Doyle said none of the people inter viewed by police so far had men tioned teasing.
