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DSU ticket limits draw ire of students

admin — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 20:18:15 +0000

DOVER -- At last year's            "We're not callous to
spring commencement, rainy         students' concerns."
weather forced Delaware State      Some students said the
University to hold three           university could have done
separate ceremonies indoors.       more to involve students in
The year before, DSU kept          the process before they
graduation outside in its          became upset.
football stadium, despite          (2 of 2)
inclement conditions. Many         "I feel like the
students and parents left          administration is trying to
early. Those who stayed were       bamboozle us," said Daniel
"cold and miserable," Provost      Martin, a 23-year-old senior
Alton Thompson said.               who attended the meeting.
So this spring, DSU will plan      "They don't want to be
the event for its gymnasium        inconvenienced."
to avoid similar problems.         DSU leaders said they decided
The school will hold four          on the change because moving
ceremonies over two days, a        the ceremony indoors at the
move that will split up            last minute proved costly and
students according to their        difficult. And braving the
majors and limit the number        poor weather two years ago
of friends and family each         "took away from the dignity
student can invite.                and formality" of the event,
The change has upset many DSU      Thompson said. Although
students.                          unplanned, many parents
"I feel like we've been            enjoyed the three indoor
disrespected," said Kendra         ceremonies DSU held last year,
Mayers, a 21-year-old senior.      Thompson said.
"They didn't come and talk to      "The comment I heard was, 'I
us about it until after the        could actually see my child,'
decision was made."                " Thompson said. "It was more
The plan would restrict            intimate."
students to eight tickets.         DSU administrators considered
DSU prides itself on               finding a larger indoor
educating students who are         facility elsewhere in
the first generation in their      Delaware, such as the Bob
family to attend college. For      Carpenter Center in Newark or
those families, commencement       the Center on the Riverfront
has special significance,          in Wilmington, but decided
often leading to more than         against it.
eight people being interested      Other colleges and
in coming, several students        universities hold multiple
said.                              commencements.
"This is a big deal for me         The University of Delaware
and my family," said Capri         holds one commencement for
Nugent, a 22-year-old senior.      the entire graduating class
"I'd be the second person in       each May in its football
my family to finish college."      stadium, rain or shine. But
More than 100 seniors held a       it also holds 40 smaller
contentious meeting with           ceremonies for individual
Thompson last week to voice        departments. The University
their displeasure. The             of Maryland uses a similar
meeting was closed to the          approach. Pennsylvania State
public, but students leaving       University holds a
the meeting described the          commencement for each college
graduation changes with harsh      within its institution. The
words, some of which can't be      University of Pennsylvania,
printed.                           on the other hand, holds one
Thompson, who said he heard        commencement -- outdoors,
from several upset students,       rain or shine -- at Franklin
said he and the rest of the        Field in Philadelphia.
commencement committee, which      Angela Crenshaw, a DSU junior,
has student representatives,       recalled attending multiple
would consider adjusting some      ceremonies when her mother
aspects of the ceremony to         taught at Hampton University
address student objections.        in Virginia. Although she
He will explore creating a         won't graduate until 2012,
way for students who don't         Crenshaw isn't worried about
need eight tickets to give         the format of future
extras to those who need more,     commencements.
he said.                           "However they want to have,
"I can feel the emotion and        as long as my mom's there to
the passion of the students.       take a picture," the 20-year-
It's well received," he said.      old said.

Plenty of local passion on both sides during big game

admin — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 08:26:01 +0000

Just before Sunday's Super         at a cost of $3 million per
Bowl coin toss, Fran Rizzo         30 seconds.
walked around the Chestnut         Eminem was everywhere,
Street Cafe, the Wilmington        Roseanne Barr took a big hit
bar he owns, dressed in jeans      from a log and Joan Rivers
and a Green Bay Packers T-         became a GoDaddy girl.
shirt with green beads draped      It was also hard to throw a
around his neck.                   Pepsi can without hitting a
Patrons sipped drinks and ate      car commercial during Super
rice, chicken and macaroni         Bowl XLV between the
and cheese. A section on the       Pittsburgh Steelers and Green
back wall of his place near        Bay Packers. Automakers took
the restrooms was a shrine to      advantage of advertising's
the team he has loved all his      biggest showcase to try to
life.                              show they're back after two
"I used to work at a beer          tough years for the industry.
distributor, so when I first       After avoiding the Super Bowl
got this place, all I had up       for two years as it went in
were signs with beers, so I        and out of a government-led
figured I put something up.        bankruptcy, General Motors
It's nothing major," Rizzo         came back with five ads for
said coyly.                        Chevrolet. In one ad, a
Then he talked about his           seemingly mundane car
affinity for the Packers.          dealership ad is disrupted
"When I was in first grade my      when a Camaro suddenly morphs
mom got me a Green Bay coat        into the Bumblebee character
on sale. I've been a fan ever      from the "Transformers"
since," Rizzo said. "That's        movies. Chrysler was expected
all I can recollect."              to push the limits of how
The funny thing about Rizzo,       long a Super Bowl ad could be
his cousin Anthony Episcopo --     with a two-minute commercial
who had a big G shaved in the      featuring Eminem.
back of his head -- and his        At Timothy's Restaurant on
nephew, who wore a white-and-      the Wilmington Riverfront,
green Clay Matthews jersey as      there wasn't a Packers jersey
he served drinks from behind       or T-shirt in sight. Hundreds
the bar, is that they might        of Steelers fans did what
have been in the minority at       they did every Sunday during
their own establishment.           the regular season. They
Before kickoff, Steelers fans      dressed in their favorite
waved yellow towels,               apparel and cheered their
displayed Steelers tattoos         team.
and wore Steelers stickers as      "We got between 400-450
face paint.                        people in there today," owner
"Here we go, Steelers, here        Mark Gosik said. "I don't
were go!" a packed crowd           think we have one Packers fan
yelled from the back of the        in here," Gosik said.
bar where they congregated         At Timothy's, the crowd
and sipped beer. They shouted      arrived early to tailgate and
back even louder when Green        talk with familiar faces.
Bay fans up front yelled "Go,      Rob Robinson of Wilmington
Pack, Go!"                         came dressed in a Steelers
Some topped it off by singing      uniform, minus shoulder and
the popular Pittsburgh rapper      knee pads.
Wiz Khalifa's song, "Black         "Give me a cup and some pads
and Yellow,"  which is an ode      and I'm ready to go" Robinson
to the city and team.              joked.  At 6-foot-2, 285
"We all knew we were going to      pounds, he would have fit
do it," said Eric Maldonado,       right in with the team he
from Wilmington. He wore a         watched on several screens
white, black and yellow Troy       around the restaurant.
Polamalu jersey and Steelers       As the score climbed to 21-3
face paint under his left eye.     in favor of Green Bay,
"We're on the stairway to          Robinson shook his head a
seven," Maldonado said,            little.
referring to the possibility       "We still believe in the
of the Steelers' winning           Steelers," he said. "The
their seventh Super Bowl ring,     Steelers are No. 1, win or
which would put them atop the      lose."
NFL.                               Wilmington resident
"Steelers all day, baby."          Moegodishu Walker saw the
But after Green Bay scored         Packers' lead climb to 18 and
the first two touchdowns,          smiled.
noise at the front of the          "The Steelers are a second-
cafe was loudest. Rizzo and        half team," he said. "We are
Episcopo slapped hands in          going to make history. It's
excitement.                        going to be an exciting
(2 of 2)                           second half. We are going to
The noise was so loud, few         score quick, get a runback
were paying attention to the       and then we'll be good.
popular commercials or the         Minutes later the Steelers
spread of Packers cake,            scored, making the score 21-
Steelers cake or cupcakes          10, and Walker and everyone
that Rizzo had people bring        else inside Timothy's went
in to share.                       crazy.
While the ads may have been        "We don't believe in the
just background noise at the       unfortunate happening around
Chestnut Street Cafe,              here!" he said of the
advertisers were hoping            possibility of Pittsburgh
celebrities and humor wooed        losing.
the 100 million-plus viewers

Egyptian party leaders out, but Mubarak clings to power

admin — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 23:11:38 +0000

CAIRO -- The leadership of         Amr Hamzawy, a member of the
Egypt's ruling party stepped       Committee of Wise Men, a self-
down Saturday as the military      appointed group of prominent
figures spearheading the           figures from Egypt's elite
transition tried to placate        that is unconnected to the
protesters without giving          protesters but has met with
them the one resignation they      Suleiman to explore solutions
demand, President Hosni            to the crisis. "There seems
Mubarak's. The United States       to be a deliberate attempt by
gave key backing to the            the regime to distract the
regime's gradual changes,          proponents of change and
warning of the dangers if          allow the demands to
Mubarak goes too quickly.          disintegrate in the hope of
But protesters in the streets      [regime] survival."
rejected the new concessions       That could mean the crisis
and vowed to keep up their         could move into a test of
campaign until the 82-year-        sheer endurance, as
old president steps down.          protesters try to keep
Many are convinced that the        drumming out tens of
regime wants to wear down          thousands into Tahrir day
their movement and enact only      after day.
superficial democratic             The government and military
reforms that will leave its        have promised not to try to
deeply entrenched monopoly on      clear protesters from the
power in place.                    square, and soldiers guarding
Tens of thousands thronged         the square continued to let
Cairo's central Tahrir Square      people enter to join the
in a 12th day of protests,         growing rally.
waving flags and chanting,         But there were signs of army
"He will go! He will go!"          impatience Saturday. At one
Mubarak, who has ruled Egypt       point, army tanks tried to
with an authoritarian hand         clear a main boulevard by
for nearly 30 years, insists       bulldozing away burned out
he must stay in office until       vehicles that protesters used
his term ends, after a             in barricades during fighting
September presidential             in the past week with pro-
election. The military             regime attackers. The move
figures he has installed to        prompted heated arguments
lead the government -- Vice        with protesters who demanded
President Omar Suleiman and        the husks remain in place in
Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq --     case they are attacked again.
have offered in the meantime       The troops relented only
to hold negotiations with the      after protesters sat on the
protesters and the entire          ground in front of the tanks.
opposition over democratic         There were also reports for
reforms to ensure a fair vote.     the first time of attempts by
'Make the right decision'  A       troops to prevent those
day after President Barack         entering from bringing food
Obama pushed Mubarak to leave      for protesters. "They want to
quickly, the U.S.                  suffocate the people in
administration changed tone        Tahrir and this is the most
Saturday with a strong             obvious attack on them
endorsement of Suleiman's          without actually attacking,"
plans.                             said Mohammed Radwan after
"It's important to support         soldiers tried to confiscate
the transition process             some of the bread, cheese and
announced by the Egyptian          lunchmeat he was bringing in.
government actually headed by      (3 of 3)
now-Vice President Omar            Reforms, not resignations
Suleiman," Secretary of State      The resignation of the
Hillary Rodham Clinton said        leadership of the ruling
at an international security       National Democratic Party
conference in Munich, Germany.     appeared to be a new step by
She warned that without            Suleiman to convince
orderly change, extremists         protesters that he was
could derail the process.          sincere about reform -- or at
A U.S. envoy who met Mubarak       least convince the broader
earlier this week, former          public so support for the
ambassador Frank Wisner, went      movement fades.
further still, saying it is        The six-member party Steering
"crucial" that Mubarak remain      Committee that stepped down
in place for the time being        included some of the
to ensure reforms go through.      country's most powerful
He pointed out that under the      political figures -- and the
constitution, a Mubarak            most unpopular among many
resignation would require new      Egyptians. Among them was the
elections in two months,           party secretary-general,
meaning they would take place      Safwat el-Sharif, and the
under the current rules that       president's son Gamal Mubarak.
all but guarantee a ruling         State TV, announcing the
party victory.                     resignations, still
(2 of 3)                           identified Hosni Mubarak as
His comment was an abrupt          president of the ruling party
change in message -- on            in a sign he would remain in
Friday, Obama called on            authority.
Mubarak to "make the right         The protest organizers seek a
decision." The State               lifting of emergency laws
Department later said Wisner       that give the security forces
was speaking as a private          near unlimited powers, an end
citizen since his official         to restrictions on the
mission to Egypt had ended.        forming of political parties,
America's confidence in            guarantees of independent
Suleiman is not shared by the      supervision of elections and
protesters, who doubt the          the annulling of rules on who
ruling party will bring            can run for the presidency
democracy unless they              that all but rule out any
continue their mass                credible challenge of a
demonstrations. They want the      ruling party candidate.
concrete victory of Mubarak's      The current rules are key to
removal -- though some appear      the regime's lock on power,
willing to settle for his          backed by rampant rigging of
sidelining as a figurehead --      elections, by security
with a broadbased                  services widely accused of
transitional government to         corruption and a casual use
work out a new constitution.       of torture and by party
"What happened so far does         control of the powerful state
not qualify as reform," said       media.

Admirers recall Reagan the man

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 22:32:38 +0000

Frank Ursomarso Sr. stood on       Evans knew Reagan years
a chair in the White House         before he was elected
press office on March 30,          president. In 1976, Reagan
1980 -- 70 days after Ronald       asked Evans to offer his
Reagan's inauguration -- and       seconding speech at the
confirmed for the crowd of         Republican Convention. But
reporters that the president       Evans said he had to decline
had been shot.                     because, as a party leader,
"It was a very long day," he       he felt it was important to
recalled Friday.                   support the seated president -
As communications director in      - Gerald Ford -- in his re-
the first months of the            election bid. They met again
Reagan White House, Ursomarso,     in 1977 and Evans told Reagan,
now chairman of Union Park         "Governor, I'm going to make
Automotive Group in                it up to you."
Wilmington, worked closely         Reagan asked him to chair his
with the president.                finance committee but Evans,
Reagan was a direct and no-        then the U.S. representative
nonsense leader, said              from Delaware, didn't want to
Ursomarso, who recalled what       give up his elected seat.
happened when air traffic          "Maybe I could do something
controllers went on strike.        else," he suggested.
"He fired them and he didn't       Evans did the seconding
hire them back," he said.          speech at the 1980 Republican
"That was a classic example."      Convention in Detroit. Then
As the nation marks what           he served in Reagan's kitchen
would have been Reagan's           cabinet as part of his
100th birthday Sunday,             transition to the presidency.
Delawareans who knew the man       "Over the years, we became
are reflecting on the              good friends," he said. "One
president and his legacy.          of the best things about
"Our favorite president,"          Ronald Reagan was he was a
said Greenville resident and       very good listener."
former congressional               Former Gov. Pete du Pont was
candidate Michele Rollins,         part of a small group of
who with late husband John         people who were asked to
enjoyed many private dinners       visit Reagan in the hospital
with the Reagans at the White      as he was recovering from the
House.                             1980 assassination attempt.
"When his eyes met your eyes       "He was in his pajamas," du
and he clasped your hand, it       Pont recalled. "But he had
was like everybody else in         stories. He had jokes.. . .
the room disappeared," said        When I think back on the
Priscilla Rakestraw, the           presidents, he was just the
Republican National Committee      most pleasant of all of them.
Woman for Delaware.                He was just a very good
Explained former                   person."
congressional candidate Glen       Jim Brady, Reagan's former
Urquhart, who worked on            press secretary who now lives
several of Reagan's                in Rehoboth  Beach, couldn't
presidential campaigns: "He        be reached for comment Friday.
left you feeling more secure."     Brady was shot and seriously
"The Great Communicator," as       wounded in the 1981 attempt
Reagan became known, is often      on Reagan's life, and he and
considered the father of the       wife Sarah later founded the
modern conservative movement.      Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun
When he was nominated at the       Violence.
1980 Republican Convention in      (3 of 3)
Detroit, the country was in        Urquhart said that shortly
self-doubt.                        after Reagan was elected
Inflation, an energy crisis        president, he was invited to
and the storming of the U.S.       a gathering in Virginia. He
Embassy in Iran that resulted      took his father along. His
in 52 people held as hostages      father, it turned out, had
for 444 days had demoralized       been Reagan's "boss" when
the nation.                        Reagan was a spokesman for
In his nomination acceptance       General Electric.
speech, Reagan said he would       Urquhart said the president-
"will not stand by and watch       elect made a huge fuss over
this great country destroy         his father.
itself under mediocre              "He was extremely gracious,"
leadership that drifts from        he said.
one crisis to the next,            DiMondi said his family felt
eroding our national will and      the same warmth.
purpose."                          His late father, Frank, had
The day after President Jimmy      met Maureen Reagan when the
Carter left office, the            two were serving on a site
hostages -- including Seaford      selection committee for a
native Gregory Persinger, who      Republican convention. The
had been serving as a Marine       two became good friends and
guard at the embassy -- were       DiMondi said that when she
released.                          learned of his father's
(2 of 3)                           illness, she tracked him down.
Rollins said she was               She said: "Would you guys
especially grateful to Reagan      mind coming to D.C." to meet
because her cousin, Michael J.     the president?
Metrinko, was one of the           DiMondi didn't even ask his
hostages who was released.         dad.
"Do I have a soft spot for a       "I said Frank DiMondi Sr.
great president? You bet I do,     would love to come over and
" she said.                        meet the president."
The Rollinses met with the         When the family arrived at
Reagans many times. "It just       the White House, they were
felt good to be around him,"       briefed by a protocol officer
she said. "You were proud to       and ushered into an area just
be an American."                   outside the Oval Office.
Former U.S. Rep. Tom Evans         "The double doors opened" and
remembers the lessons Reagan       there was President Reagan.
taught the nation: "Most of        "It was just us and him,"he
all, he lifted our spirits."       said.
And Bill DiMondi, remembers        His father and the president
the kindness of the Reagans.       discussed DiMondi's bison
When his father, Frank -- a        farm, politics and the
former state Republican Party      difficulty in energizing
chairman -- was terminally         volunteers to help with
ill with a brain tumor, he         campaigns. They talked for an
received an invitation to          hour.
bring his father to the White      "It was quite a thrill," he
House to meet the president.       said. "It was definitely the
"He was such an affable, down-     highlight of his political
to-earth person," he said.         life."

Delaware budget: Parole Board, crime victims plead for stay

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 03:16:13 +0000

DOVER -- Members of the            in Legislative Hall would
embattled Board of Parole          abolish the board and split
made an 11th-hour appeal           its duties between the
Thursday to save the board         Department of Correction and
from a death sentence, their       the judiciary.
arguments bolstered by a           The department's
parade of crime victims            Institutional Release and
pleading for the board to be       Classification Board would
saved.                             hold parole hearings. The
Casting aside the differences      existing board would be
that at times have divided         revamped, with four members
the board members and              appointed by the correction
chairman Dwight F. Holden,         commissioner, one each by the
the board presented a united       House and Senate correction
front -- and an alternative        committee chairs and one
to Gov. Jack Markell's plan        member of the victims'
to abolish it.                     advocacy community appointed
The board's proposal would         by the speaker of the House
cut $91,000 from the agency's      and president pro tem of the
current $529,200 budget,           Senate.
while maintaining its              Rep. Bryon Short, D-Highland
independence and preserving        Woods and a sponsor of the
it as the sole post-               bill, said the revamped board
conviction venue where crime       would "protect both the
victims can testify about the      victims' interests ... and
impact a criminal has had on       the interests of the
their lives.                       incarcerated."
Ultimately, the 12-member          Crime victims, though, said
Joint Finance Committee --         it is crucial that the board
which last year rejected a         retain its independence and
similar bid to abolish the         not be tied to the Correction
board -- will decide its fate.     Department, which has a
Parole was abolished when the      vested interest in reducing
Truth in Sentencing Act took       prison population counts.
effect in 1990, but the board      Mary Faith Welch, who
still has jurisdiction over        survived being shot with a .
almost 250 inmates convicted       357 Magnum wielded by a
before parole was abolished.       former boyfriend, begged the
It also supervises those who       JFC to keep the board in its
are out on parole.                 current form.
On Thursday, Parole Board          "The sad truth is the
members blasted the Truth in       offenders have more rights
Sentencing Act as a disaster       than the victim," said Welch,
that puts inmates back on the      who has testified in nine
street regardless of whether       parole hearings for her
they've been rehabilitated.        assailant, Thomas Kibler. He
Parolees have demonstrated to      remains behind bars, thanks
the board that they're likely      to the board.
to succeed on the outside.         "The thought of abolishing
"Truth in Sentencing removes       the Board of Parole and
the motivation for the inmate      turning it over to the DOC
to rehabilitate, because           keeps me up at night," she
there's no reward," board          said.
member William C. Pfeifer          A rape victim who now lives
told the panel.                    in North Carolina told the
"The old system provided a         panel that board chairman
reward and punishment that         Holden speaks with her
TIS does not provide,"             frequently to make sure she's
Pfeifer said, calling Truth        OK. She was raped when she
in Sentencing "an ineffective,     was 10, and said she has
money-sucking monster."            tried to take her life as a
Board member Joe Garcia            result of the emotional
pinned the high recidivism         damage.
rate -- more than 70 percent       "He's been there for me," the
in 2010 -- to Truth in             woman said. "Will the
Sentencing. Before that law        Department of Correction do
was passed, recidivism was         that for me?"
just 17.3 percent.                 Debra Puglisi Sharp, who was
As Garcia cited statistics         kidnapped from her Newark-
that implied the more than         area home and raped by the
187 percent growth in the          man who fatally shot her
prison population is due to        husband of 25 years, said the
the abolition of parole, Rep.      board should be preserved.
Dennis P. Williams, the JFC's      "I know what it's like to be
chairman, interrupted him.         brutally raped. There are
"I take exception to that.         many rapists in our prison
You have to look at the            system. Who is to say that
proliferation of handguns and      these rapists will not
all that," Williams said.          reoffend? That decision
(2 of 2)                           should be up to the Board of
Garcia replied that he was         Pardons," Puglisi Sharp said.
simply citing the statistics.      "Do not re-victimize those of
"I take exception to that,"        us who are trying to reclaim
Williams repeated.                 our lives and live with some
Draft legislation circulating      sense of normalcy."

Mubarak backers ignite deadly clashes

admin — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 18:24:40 +0000

CAIRO  -- Bursts of heavy          sharp turn for the worse
gunfire rained into Cairo's        almost immediately after
Tahrir Square before dawn          Mubarak rejected the calls
Thursday, killing at least         for him to give up power or
three anti-government              leave the country, stubbornly
demonstrators among crowds         proclaiming he would die on
still trying to hold the site      Egyptian soil.
after an assault by                His words were a blow to the
supporters of President Hosni      protesters. They also suggest
Mubarak, according to a            that authorities want to turn
protest organizer.                 back the clock to the tight
Sustained bursts of automatic      state control enforced before
weapons fire and powerful          the protests began.
single shots rattled into the      Mubarak's supporters turned
square starting at around 4 a.     up on the streets Wednesday
m., and was continuing more        in significant numbers for
than an hour later.                the first time. Some were
Protest organizer Mustafa el-      hostile to journalists and
Naggar said he saw the bodies      foreigners. Two Associated
of three dead protesters           Press correspondents and
being carried toward an            several other journalists
ambulance. He said the             were roughed up in Cairo.
gunfire came from at least         State TV had reported that
three locations off in the         foreigners were caught
distance and that the              distributing anti-Mubarak
Egyptian military, which has       leaflets, apparently trying
ringed the square with tank        to depict the movement as
squads for days to try  to         foreign-fueled.
keep some order, did not           After midnight, 10 hours
intervene.                         after the clashes began, the
Footage from AP Television         two sides were locked in a
News showed two bodies being       standoff at a street corner,
dragged from the scene. The        with the anti-Mubarak
health minister did not            protesters hunkered behind a
answer a phone call seeking        line of metal sheets hurling
confirmation of the deaths.        firebombs back and forth with
Throughout Wednesday, Mubarak      government backers on the
supporters charged into the        rooftop above. The rain of
square on horses and camels        bottles of flaming gasoline
brandishing whips, while           set nearby cars and wreckage
others rained firebombs from       on the sidewalk ablaze.
rooftops in what appeared to       The scenes of mayhem were
be an orchestrated assault         certain to add to the fear
against protesters trying to       that is already running high
topple Egypt's leader of 30        in this capital of 18 million
years. Three people died in        people after a weekend of
that earlier violence and 600      looting and lawlessness and
were injured.                      the escape of thousands of
The protesters accused             prisoners from jails in the
Mubarak's regime of                chaos.
unleashing a force of paid         Soldiers surrounding Tahrir
thugs and plainclothes police      Square fired occasional shots
to crush their unprecedented       in the air throughout the day
nine-day-old movement, a day       but did not appear to
after the 82-year-old              otherwise intervene in the
president refused to step          fierce clashes, and no
down. They showed off police       uniformed police were seen.
ID badges they said were           "Why don't you protect us?"
wrested from their attackers.      some protesters shouted at
Some government workers said       the soldiers, who replied
their employers ordered them       they did not have orders to
into the streets.                  do so and told people to go
Mustafa el-Fiqqi, a top            home.
official from the ruling           The two sides pummeled each
National Democratic Party,         other with chunks of concrete
told the Associated Press          and bottles at each of the
that businessmen connected to      six entrances to the
the ruling party were              sprawling plaza, where 10,000
responsible for what happened.     anti-Mubarak protesters tried
The notion that the state may      to fend off more than 3,000
have coordinated violence          attackers who besieged them.
against protesters, who had        In one almost medieval scene,
kept a peaceful vigil in           a small contingent of pro-
Tahrir Square for five days,       Mubarak forces on horseback
prompted a sharp rebuke from       and camels rushed into the
the Obama administration.          anti-government crowds,
"If any of the violence is         trampling several people and
instigated by the government,      swinging whips and sticks.
it should stop immediately,"       Protesters dragged some
said White House Press             riders from their mounts,
Secretary Robert Gibbs.            throwing them to the ground
(2 of 2)                           and beating their faces
The clashes marked a               bloody. The horses and camels
dangerous new phase in             appeared to be ones used to
Egypt's upheaval: the first        give rides around Cairo.
significant violence between       The anti-Mubarak movement has
government supporters and          vowed to intensify protests
opponents. The crisis took a       to force him out by Friday.

Delaware children: Learning to spot, and stop, abuse

admin — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:26:04 +0000

DOVER -- The evil is evident       at first, but a phone call a
and all-too-present in             few weeks later notified him
Delaware, where charges of         that his suspicion was
child sexual abuse by a Lewes      correct. Another incident had
pediatrician became national       occurred with the same child,
news in 2010 and 6,500             officials told him.
reports of child abuse and         Bradley was arrested Dec. 16,
neglect were reported to the       2009, and charged first with
Division of Family Services        raping one girl; days later,
last year. Almost 1,400 of         he was charged with several
those reports were                 more rapes. At the time,
substantiated.                     police said they had been
Tuesday night, though, the         investigating him for about a
Champagne Ballroom of the          year, but gave no indication
Dover Sheraton was packed          that multiple allegations had
with hundreds of doctors,          been made years earlier.
nurses, attorneys, social          The following month, after
workers, law enforcement           obtaining search warrant
officials and child advocates      documents over a judge's
-- all gathered for mandatory      objection, The News Journal
training in recognizing and        reported what police,
reporting child abuse. More        prosecutors, doctors and
than 900 had registered for        hospital administrators had
the "summit" and it appeared       not revealed. Bradley was
there were few no-shows.           investigated in 2005 by
"For this many people from         Milford police for excessive
all walks to come together to      kissing and improper touching,
listen to professionals on         and one mother complained of
this -- it's monumental,"          a 1999 molestation.
said Randy Williams, director      (3 of 3)
of the Children's Advocacy         Beebe Medical Center, where
Center of Delaware, which          Bradley worked or had
interviewed more than 1,500        privileges since 1994, knew
children about abuses that         of the Milford case.
happened to them last year.        Fellow doctors had concerns
"I'm really encouraged by the      about how he performed
turnout."                          genital and vaginal exams.
The conference is part of          His sister tried to warn the
Delaware authorities'              Medical Society of Delaware
response to the case of Dr.        in late 2004 about complaints
Earl B. Bradley, a Lewes           of improper touching by
pediatrician charged early         Bradley and his deteriorating
last year with rape or sexual      behavior, only to be told by
abuse of more than 100 child       the trade association's
patients. Legislators made         president that it was a
additional training mandatory,     "family matter."
and Gov. Jack Markell signed       Investigations after Bradley
eight other bills --               The day those revelations
including increased civil          were published, Attorney
penalties for failing to           General Beau Biden launched
report abuse -- to strengthen      an investigation into why the
protections for Delaware kids.     medical board was never
"We know we can channel our        notified after Bradley's
anger and sorrow into changes      sister's 2004 report and the
that make things better for        2005 criminal investigation.
kids," Lt. Gov. Matt Denn          The next day, Markell
told the gathering. "We've         launched a separate probe
done it before and with your       into how Delaware's child-
help we can do it again."          protection and medical-
In the keynote address, Dr.        oversight system failed so
Cindy Christian, co-director       miserably.
of Safe Place: The Center for      While those inquiries were
Child Protection and Health        going on, Beebe officials
at the Children's Hospital of      revealed in an interview that
Philadelphia, spoke on how         in 1996, they had
difficult it was to discern        investigated a nurse's
and treat child abuse, and         complaint that Bradley
sketched out the significant       conducted too many
toll abuse takes on the            catheterizations. She
individual throughout a            complained about how he
lifetime.                          positioned girls when
"That was the most important       examining them for labial
thing -- talking about child       adhesions and also was
abuse as a public health           troubled by his excessive
issue and the effects it has       kissing of girls and his
later in life," said Cara          sexist remarks about mothers.
Sawyer, a planning supervisor      Beebe cleared Bradley of any
for the Domestic Violence          wrongdoing.
Coordinating Council and a         The report by Biden's office
former Philadelphia                and the report for Markell by
prosecutor. "It's amazing how      Linda L. Ammons, dean of the
many are here. They've made        Widener University School of
this an issue they care about.     Law, were released in May and
"                                  castigated prosecutors,
(2 of 3)                           police, Beebe, the Medical
Christian spoke in medical         Society, Scott and others.
parlance, using acronyms and       The 'Bradley Bills'  Those
terms the medical                  reports led the General
professionals knew -- and          Assembly to pass a package of
responded to -- as she showed      legislation known as "The
graphic photographs of             Bradley Bills" that tightened
conditions kids have shown up      oversight and discipline of
with. Some were normal             medical professionals.
diseases or childhood              The state also was required
injuries. Some were inflicted      to implement new procedures
by adults. She showed how          to ensure that medical
difficult -- but not               professionals are aware of
impossible -- it was to            their responsibilities to
discern which injuries were        recognize and report child
inflicted and which were not.      abuse.
She urged physicians to be         The criminal trial against
diligent and thorough in           Bradley, originally slated to
their examinations and tests,      begin next month, has been
urged them to consider a           pushed back to June 1 in New
broad range of diagnoses and       Castle County.
to be honest with families         Some physicians Tuesday night
and other medical                  said the mandatory training
professionals about their          and some other legislative
concerns. She urged them to        changes seem more political
be strong advocates for the        in nature than substantive.
kids they see.                     Addressing the real problems
"Sometimes we are the only         will take much more, some
voice for that child," she         said.
said.                              One problem, Christian said,
Linking systems together  Dr.      is that pediatrics is a
Ross Megargel, an emergency        "dream job" for a smart
department physician at            pedophile. And some practices
Christiana Care and medical        may be too small to have
director of the state's            chaperones for procedures
Emergency Medical Services,        that need them.
said he and his staff would        The American Academy of
discuss the topic at a             Pediatricians soon will
meeting today.                     publish suggested protocols,
"It never hurts to be              she said.
refreshed on these issues,         "We pray this is something
and this was a great               incredibly uncommon," she
presentation tonight on the        said. "Most of us go into
subtleties of pediatric            medicine for honorable and
sexual abuse," he said. "It        good reasons."
was enlightening and               Attorney General Beau Biden,
disturbing. It's important         whose office was criticized
for the whole system -- not        for not pursuing
only doctors but school            investigative opportunities,
nurses and others, linking         said the training will help
all these systems together."       everyone do a better job, and
Megargel said he has had to        that "out of these tragedies,
report cases of suspected          hopefully good things will
abuse. In one case the             come."
finding was unsubstantiated

Federal abortion probe sought

admin — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:04:56 +0000

WILMINGTON -- The Delaware         not answer any questions.
Family Policy Council on           Last week, Delaware Attorney
Monday called on U.S.              General Beau Biden confirmed
Attorney Charles M. Oberly         that his office already is
III to investigate Delaware        conducting an investigation
abortion provider Atlantic         of Gosnell, who worked one
Women's Medical Services in        day a week at Atlantic,
Dover and Wilmington.              according to court papers.
Evidence suggests that Dr.         Theis urged Biden and Oberly
Kermit Gosnell, an Atlantic        to investigate Atlantic's
employee, committed crimes         Dover clinic as well as the
that crossed state lines, the      Wilmington clinic, saying
group said, adding that it         that whatever problems are
believes one of the remaining      discovered at the Wilmington
doctors at Atlantic may be in      location likely also exist at
violation of federal drug          the Dover clinic.
laws.                              Also on Monday, state Reps.
Council President Nicole           Joe Miro, R-Pike Creek, and
Theis said Dr. Arturo              Ruth Briggs King, R-
Apolinario -- whose listed         Georgetown, called on
phone number on several            Delaware Health and Social
medical websites is the same       Services Secretary Rita
as that for Atlantic's             Landgraf to provide them with
Wilmington clinic -- has let       an "official response" as to
his controlled-substances          why the state does not
license expire, meaning he         conduct regular safety and
could be in violation of           sanitation inspections of
federal drug laws if he has        abortion clinics that are, if
prescribed or administered         not equal to those conducted
any of the drugs since June        at hospitals, at least equal
2009.                              to the kind the state
A check of the Delaware state      routinely conducts at
website that tracks                restaurants and beauty salons.
professional licenses shows        Department spokesman Carl
that Apolinario has a valid        Kanefsky said the secretary
and active medical license         would be responding to the
but that his controlled-           letter.
substances license has lapsed      In addition to being charged
and he must re-apply.              with murder in the deaths of
Theis added that Apolinario        several infants by
is the only doctor other than      Pennsylvania authorities,
Gosnell who her organization       Gosnell is also charged in
knows is associated with the       the death of one patient at
Atlantic clinics. Gosnell,         his West Philadelphia clinic
whose license to practice in       who prosecutors allege died
Delaware was suspended last        from an overdose of sedatives.
year, is currently                 Over the weekend, the
incarcerated in Philadelphia       National Abortion
on murder charges.                 Federationsuspended
A Philadelphia grand jury          Atlantic's membership in
report, meanwhile, has             their professional
charged that Gosnell               association and have stopped
routinely started late-term        referrals to Atlantic and
abortions in Delaware at           affiliated clinics in
Atlantic's Wilmington clinic,      Louisiana until
procedures that were illegal       investigations related to the
under Delaware law, and then       clinic are resolved.
had his patients cross state       The Philadelphia grand jury
lines to complete the process      that investigated Gosnell
in West Philadelphia.              recommended that the
"The facts cry for a federal       federation suspend Atlantic's
investigation of this              membership because of
interstate operation," wrote       Gosnell's activities at the
Jordan Warfel of the Delaware      Delaware clinic, which also
Family Policy Council in a         included getting paid at
letter to Oberly. Warfel's         Atlantic for abortions he
conservative organization          later completed in West
opposes abortion.                  Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia District          Nine employees of Gosnell's
Attorney's Office has charged      are also facing criminal
that Gosnell killed infants        charges in Philadelphia,
that were delivered alive          including two Delaware
during abortion procedures at      residents, Lynda Williams, 42,
his West Philadelphia Women's      of Wilmington, and Sherry
Medical Society by cutting         West, 51, of Bear.
their throats with scissors.       According to court papers,
The U.S. Attorney's Office         Williams also worked at
did not respond to calls           Atlantic before she went to
seeking comment on Monday.         work for Gosnell full time in
(2 of 2)                           2008 at his West Philadelphia
Leroy Brinkley, the owner of       clinic.
Atlantic who was answering         Warfel noted that the federal
the Wilmington clinic's            drug law violations his group
phones on Monday, declined to      suspects as a result of
comment on behalf of himself,      Apolinario's license lapsing
the clinic and Apolinario.         are the same kind of
"We'll let our lawyer deal         violations investigators
with it," he said.                 uncovered at Gosnell's West
The clinic's attorney, Nino        Philadelphia clinic and at
Tinari, said Monday that he        clinics owned by Brinkley in
had not yet consulted with         Louisiana.
Brinkley and therefore could

Sharing a sport they love

admin — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:57:02 +0000

In a grass-covered blind in a      The morning of this year's
field of stubble,                  hunt was pitch-black, frozen
professional outdoors guide        hard at 23 degrees as hunters
Al Dager coaxed a furious          began to wheel into the
riff of sound from goose           wildlife refuge before 5 a.m.
calls around his neck,             The office air tasted of
courting a noisy string of         coffee, sausage, home fries
geese.                             and eggs as hunters peeled
Hunters Sonny Oakes Jr. and        off camo and filled plates
Wayne Carter quietly checked       topped by biscuits in the
their shotguns -- at the           hearty hunter breakfast.
ready by their wheelchairs.        "We were up at 3 in the
About two dozen geese made a       morning cooking," said Dover
wide turn, locking in their        resident Irene Bibbins, who
wings to land.                     has worked for the Smyrna
Photo gallery: Wheelin'            Diner more than 40 years.
Sportsmen                          She and co-worker Brenda
"Sonny, get your gun ready,"       Alexander of Smyrna, who also
Dager said as Oakes lifted         cooked and brought a chili
his new Browning, joined           and chicken-'n'-dumpling
Carter in aiming and breathed      lunch buffet, said the diner
out.                               has donated food since diner-
"Don't move, you guys," Dager      regular Dager recruited its
said in a hush. He made a few      help years ago.
more calls then whispered,         "Seein' the fellas enjoy it,
"Get 'em!"                         that's the best," Alexander
BOOM. BOOM-BOOM. BOOM.             said.
"There's three of 'em down,"       Scott Ward, 47, of Milford,
Dager said. As Dager               is a quadriplegic whose neck
retrieved the birds, Carter        broke in a car crash 25 years
said, "He's the man."              ago. Hunting with friend John
He has been for nearly a           Metz of Sandtown, he said the
decade, since he got a phone       best part is "camaraderie. ...
call from the National Wild        Everyone's great and they go
Turkey Federation.                 above and beyond, that's for
Leaders of Bombay Hook             sure."
National Wildlife Refuge had       Hunters are paired with
contacted the nonprofit            volunteers, wheeling in
looking for ways to make the       darkness to vans and trucks
area along Delaware Bay more       heading to blinds over
accessible for people in           hundreds of acres. Oakes and
wheelchairs. The result was        Carter were first to hit the
the free, one-day-a-year           two-bird limit of Canada
outing called Wheelin'             geese.
Sportsmen.                         "We've never gotten done this
It has drawn dozens of men,        early," said Oakes, 56, of
teens and even a few women         Newark, whose legs were
from as far as Connecticut.        amputated after being burned
Whether they use wheelchairs       in 1983, when his pick-up
due to war wounds, crashes,        truck caught fire coming home
limb loss, paralysis,              from hunting.
multiple sclerosis, polio or       Carter, of South St. Georges,
other issues, they share the       was paralyzed when he wrecked
outdoors with volunteers who       a dirt bike in a race 37
see hunting as a rich life         years ago. An avid hunter, he
experience, Dager said.            proudly showed off a buck's
"If it wasn't for guys like        symmetrical 10-point rack in
Dager and all the volunteers       his van from a hunt days
behind this wheelchair             earlier.
hunting program, most of us        Hunters Robert Kowalski, 51,
wouldn't get to do this,"          and son Robert Jr., 14, of
Oakes said. "Some of the guys      New Castle shared a moment
who come out have never been       memorable to any hunter, as
hunting before, and it's just      the elder Kowalski felled two
great to be here."                 geese in one shot. "Awesome,"
Charles Spray of Millsboro,        his son said.
president of the turkey            "Once in a lifetime," said
federation's Lower Delaware        Lee Thomas, a professional
Chapter, said last year's          waterman from near Port Penn.
event was canceled because of      The elder Kowalski was
too much snow. This year's         paralyzed 39 years ago as he,
also was postponed because of      his father and brother got
a December storm.                  ready to go hunting. "My
(2 of 2)                           brother dropped a gun and it
Donations fund equipment such      went off," he said.
as wheelchair-friendly blinds,     And another father-son moment
some built by volunteers, Boy      is a treasured memory to
Scouts and refuge staffers         Thomas and Dager. In an
Arthur Straughn and Jesse          earlier Wheelin' Sportsmen
Weigand.                           hunt, a teen with cerebral
"It's a great opportunity to       palsy, who had never hunted,
get the guys out and enjoy         was in a blind with them and
what we enjoy all year, to         his father, an avid hunter
experience the outdoors,"          who longed to share the
said volunteer Chris Donahue       activity with his son.
of Middletown, a leader of         Dager, who devised gun-
the Brandywine Chapter of          holding adaptations, said
Ducks Unlimited.                   they called geese for hours,
"This is the most rewarding        and finally, the boy felled
thing," Donahue said. "You         his first with a single shot.
realize a lot of the time,         "His dad fell to the floor
you take things for granted        crying," Thomas recalled.
and the guys are so                Dager said he and Thomas were
appreciative."                     moved more than they expected
Smyrna Diner donates food          to be: "We cried like babies."

Delaware crime: Six shot at bowling alley

admin — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 02:51:52 +0000

Two groups separated by eight      "It was really jumping over
to 10 lanes at First State         there," she said.
Bowling Alley in Fox Point         First State owner Rita
were arguing shortly before        Justice, who served as New
midnight Friday when shots         Castle County executive from
were fired, wounding six           1985 to 1989, said she has
people and sending bowlers         owned the business since 1972.
scrambling for cover.              "It's just tragic that
People near the cafeteria          society has this element that
were seen on surveillance          doesn't do the right thing,"
video ducking under tables.        she said. "We do have
Bowlers using the lanes            security and we're going to
farthest from the entrance         beef it up even more. But
ran into restrooms, the            there's no way to know if
billiards room or even onto        they have a gun when they
the lanes themselves. Workers      come in. We have taken
fled into back offices.            precautions, however. We have
"They were running every           cameras all over the place."
which way," said Bob Bowers,       County police officer John
the alley's general manager,       Weglarz Sr. said the video
who described the scene after      from the surveillance cameras
reviewing security footage         may help solve the case.
that was turned over to            There have been two other
police.                            shootings at First State.
In the end, six people were        A man was fatally shot March
wounded. Four were                 1, 2008, when a fight erupted
transferred to Christiana          between his friends and
Hospital, according to county      another group. The shooter
paramedic Cpl. Peter Small.        has not been identified,
Two suffered serious injuries      according to News Journal
and the wounds of two others       files.
were not life-threatening,         Another happened Dec. 13,
officials said. Two others         2008, when a man was wounded
were grazed and refused            after a fight broke out in
medical treatment.                 the parking lot.
New Castle County police           The crowds that come Friday
detectives had no information      and Saturday nights
about suspects Saturday night      occasionally include
but released surveillance          troublemakers, said Bowers,
photos of three men they want      who is Justice's son-in-law.
to question. Their                 "It's a travesty," he said.
description of what happened       "They're not the groups you
said only that an altercation      see during the week, where I
broke out between two groups.      have a pretty good league
Night manager Allen Ridgaway       base."
was behind the counter when        There was a 212-hour wait for
he heard what sounded like         lanes Saturday afternoon,
firecrackers.                      Bowers said.
"I said, 'Who would have           On Saturday, Quenna Neal of
firecrackers?' " he said,          New Castle said she never
adding that two bullets hit        experienced any problems in
the counter's plexiglass.          the 15-plus years she's been
"I hit the floor and dialed        bowling there. She said she
911 on my cell phone and           has even left her 7-year-old
locked the register with my        daughter, Savannah, there to
other hand," said Ridgaway,        play while she runs errands,
who has worked at the bowling      under the watch of the
alley for 35 years.                managers.
Nikki DiOria said she was          "Everyone here is like a
sitting with friends at a          family," she said. "I can
birthday party at Lane 7 when      trust them, and it's sad what
the gunfire erupted.               the shooting does to this
"It happened real fast," the       establishment. ... I hate the
21-year-old Claymont woman         fact that you get slime that
said. "I hit the floor, then       can come into an organization
ran with a guy sitting with        and break it down. It really
us to the office. Normally,        bothers me."
it's a great place to be with      Tomika Winfrey of Wilmington
no problems. I come here to        said that even if she moved
bowl every Sunday."                to a different town, she
Members of the Chester (Pa.)       would still bowl only at
High School class of 2002          First State. She also said
were having a reunion when         she'd feel comfortable
the violence broke out.            leaving her 14-year-old
Ridgaway said there is             daughter, Morgyn, there to
usually a police presence at       bowl on her own. Winfrey also
the bowling alley on               said she's hosting a
alternating weekend nights.        tournament at the alley in
No officers were on site           May and won't consider
Friday night, when business        canceling.
is usually slow. But a county      "I hope the business here
officer was scheduled to work      doesn't suffer," said Winfrey,
three extra hours there            who has never witnessed an
Saturday night.                    altercation during 20-plus
(2 of 2)                           years of visiting the alley.
The trouble is, teenagers          "It's definitely safe."
usually use Facebook or            Mike Renshaw, of Brandywine
Twitter to alert their             Hundred, who was bowling with
friends when no police are         his wife and four kids
there, Ridgaway said.              Saturday night, said he
Nicole Harris, who lives in        wasn't deterred by the
the nearby Colony North            incident Friday night.
Apartments, said she didn't        "We go bowling about twice a
hear any of the gunshots but       month and have a good time,"
could see a lot of activity        Renshaw said. "It made me
and taillights in the parking      think, but it was probably
lot.                               one of those rare incidents."