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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 30, 2005)
| Global update | Today Thursday Friday High: 54 Low: 40 Precip: 20% High: 64 tow: 44 Precip: 30% High: 53 Low: 38 Precip: 80% IN BRIEF Senate OKs ban on school faculty giving supplements SALEM — Hoping to discourage the use of performance-enhancing supplements by teenage athletes, the Oregon Senate passed a bill Tliesday that would bar school em ployees from suggesting or supply ing them to students. Backers said while the nutrition al supplements can make young athletes stronger and faster in the short term, they also can lead to health problems such as depres sion, high blood pressure and heart disease. “This stuff is everywhere, and it’s very dangerous to the long-term health of children,” said Senate President Peter Courtney, a propo nent of the bill. Courtney said the measure doesn’t keep the supplements out of the hands of young athletes, but it sends a message to coaches, teach ers and volunteers that they should not encourage their use. The bill prohibits school adminis trators, teachers, employees and vol unteers from “promoting, suggesting, or supplying performance-enhancing supplements to students.” Offenders would face a maximum of three months in jail or a $500 fine, or both. The Oregon School Activities Association strongly backs the bill, saying it’s needed to protect young athletes from nutri tional supplements, which are unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration. State governor to decide whether to declare drought SALEM — Oregon is on the verge of a statewide drought, the state’s Drought Council announced Tuesday. “We’re not going to recover to the point where we have normal condi tions,” said Dave Cassel of the Drought Council. Cassel said drought conditions exist in all 14 basins measured. But many areas within those basins do not meet conditions. As a result, state officials have de cided to hold off on recommending that a statewide drought emergency be declared. Gov. Ted Kulongoski will consider the board’s recommendation later this week when he decides whether to formally declare a drought. Cassel said counties can continue to request that the council declare their particular area in drought, which opens the door to more flexibility in using emergency water supplies. Kulongoski has already declared emergencies in Klamath County in Southern Oregon and Baker County in Eastern Oregon. Report says insufficient evidence in Annan probe NEW YORK — Investigators probing the U.N. oil-for-food program said TUesday that Secretary-General Kofi Annan didn’t interfere in the awarding of a contract to a company that employed his son but criticized the U.N. chief for not properly investigating possible conflicts of interest. A defiant Annan said “Hell no” when asked at a news conference whether he would resign, noting the report’s findings that he committed no wrongdoing. Although the report did not com pletely vindicate the secretary-gen eral, the investigation led by former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker said there was insufficient evidence to show he was aware of the bid. Still, the report raised questions about when the secretary-general learned about the December 1998 contract to the Swiss firm, Cotecna Inspection S.A., and strongly criticized the destruction of documents by his former chief of staff that could have shed light on the oil-for-food scandal in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. The independent inquiry, re leased TUesday, faulted Annan for conducting a one-day investigation into the matter, saying it should have been a more rigorous, independent probe. Iraqi lawmakers fail to agree on speaker BAGHDAD, Iraq — In a chaotic session marred by shouting, finger pointing and walkouts by Iraq’s top leaders, the new parliament failed TUesday to choose a speaker, an impasse that brought tensions to the surface and raised concerns about a government that still isn’t in place two months after landmark elections. The National Assembly’s second meeting was marked by outbursts of anger and wrangling among Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish legislators. The session was delayed for nearly three hours, then abruptly closed to the media, its live TV feed cut off. The Sunni Arab minority — dom inant under former dictator Saddam Hussein and believed to be the backbone of the insurgency — was given until Sunday to come up with a candidate to serve as speaker of the 275-seat parliament. The Shiite-led United Iraqi Al liance and the Kurdish coalition want an Arab Sunni to hold the po sition as a way of healing rifts with the Sunnis, many of whom boy cotted the Jan. 30 elections or sim ply feared attacks at the polls. More meetings are scheduled for this week. Ousted Kyrgyzstan leader says he's ready to resign BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Ousted President Askar Akayev surfaced in Russia after fleeing Kyrgyzstan and said Tliesday he would resign if giv en legal protections — the first sign he is willing to yield power. Akayev, who fled after protesters seized government headquarters last week, also accused his foes of plotting his overthrow for months. Interim leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev said the storming of the govern ment headquarters was never planned, and he called for an official inquiry. In an interview with Russia’s state-run Channel One television, Akayev emphasized that he is Kyr gyzstan’s legitimate leader and sug gested he would keep a hand in its fragile politics. Asked whether he was prepared to step down, Akayev replied: “Of course, of course — if I am giv en the relevant guarantees and if it is in full accordance with the current legislation.” Speaking earlier to Ekho Moskvy radio, Akayev emphasized he is “the only elected and legitimate president of Kyrgyzstan” and stressed that his term ends in autumn. The Associated Press The University of Oregon’s Coalition Against Environmental Racism (CAER) presents the 10th Annual Environmental Justice Conference - 021838 ^7 •12:30 FREE ORGANIC LUNCH •1:00-1:45 KEYNOTE ADDRESS by Caleen Sisk-Franco, Spiritual Leader and Chief of the Wlnnemem Wlntu Tribe of California. —Saturday, April 2nd, 2005 8am - 6pm Wesley Foundation Center 1236 Kincaid St., Eugene, OR *Food Provided* in Your Own Backyard: Work within our community to create change here and elsewhere The conference is FREE and open to the public http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~caer/ More info: ela@law.uoregon.edu GRADUATE SCHOOL FAIR Wednesday, April 6 EMU Ballroom IOIOOam-3*OOpm ^jraauate and Professional School Fair O UNIVERSITY OF OREGON Career Center Student Grdapsf Advertise in the Emerald call 346-4343 or place your ad online at www.dailyemerald.com
