8/13/2019 Tuskegee Airmen Get Medal 6 Decades Late

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Page2,DailySitka Sentinel, Sitka,Alaska,Thursday,March29,2007TuskegeeAirmen GetMedal Decades LateWASHINGTON (AP) Pr e s ide ntBus h s a lut e d t he Tus ke ge e a i r me n onThursday,s ix decades af ter they com-pleted their World War IImi s s iona ndreturned home to a c ount r y t ha t d i s -c r imina t e d a ga ins t t he m be c a us e th e ywere black. Even t h e N a z i s a s k e d w h yA frican-A merican m en would f i gh tfo r a country that t reated them so un-fair ly," Bush told th e gr oup of l e g-

endary black aviators , who received aCongressional Gold Medal themost prest igious Congress h as (o of-f e r . These men in our presence f e l t aspecial sense o f ur ge nc y . The y we r efighting two wars . One was in Europeand the other took place in the h e a r t sa nd m inds o f our c i ti z e ns ," he s a id .Bus h t he n s a lut e d th e a i rm e n , say-ing he offered the gesture to "helpatone for all the u n re tu rn e d s a lu te san d u n f o r g i v a b l e i n d i g n i t i e s " th e yendured ."We are so overjoyed," saidRoscoe Brown Jr . , after he and f i veother Tuskegee A i r m e n accepted themedal on be ha l f of the gr oup. "W eare so proud today and I t h i n kA m e r i -ca is pr oud today.Bus h, me mbe r s of Congr e s s an dother d igni t a r i e s j o ine d some 30 0a i r me n, widows an d o the r r e la t iv e s inth e s un- s pl a s he d Ca pi to l Ro tundaf ort h e c e r e m o n y r e c o g n i z i n g th eTuskegee Ai r me n s ome o f th e mw a l k i n g w i th the a id of c a ne s , o the r sbe ing pus he d in w h e e l c h a i r s fortheir long-ago heroism."It 's ne ver too la te f o r y our c o u n -t r y t o s a y t ha t you 've done a g r e a t j obfo r us," re t ired Col. Elmer D. Jones ,89, ofA r l i ngton, Va . , s a id in an i n t e r -vie w thi s we e k. Jones wa s a m a i n t e -na nc e o f f i c e r dur ingth ewa r .Retired Lt . Col. Wal te r L. M c-Creary , shot from the sky d u r in g amission in October 1944 an d h e ldprisoner fo r n i n e m o n t h si nG e r m a n y ,said it hur t t ha t th e gr oup 's a c c om-pl i s hme nt s had not be e n honor e dyears earl ier ."W e took it in s tr ide. I t 's a recog-nit ion longoverdue, said McCreary,also89,o fBur ke , Va .HouseMa jo r i ty WhipJ im C l y b u r n ,D-S.C., t he highe s t - r a nking b la c kme mbe r of Congress , echoed M c-Creary's s e nt ime nt . Ma ny of theTuskegee Ai r me n a l s o t r a ine da t V V a l -terboro Army Airf ie ld in h is congres-sional d is tr ict.People a re now b e g i n n i n g tocome to grips with ou r h i s tory , "Cly bur n s a id Thur s da y in an i n t e r -view. "Our his tory is what i t is . I t 'snever going tochange.Th eTuskegeeAi r me n we r e re c r ui t -ed into an Army Air Corps pr ogr a mthat t ra ined blacks to f ly and m a i n t a i ncombat a ircraf t . President Roosevelt

ha d overruled his top generals and or-dered th a ts uc h a pr ogr a m be c r e a t e d.Bu t e ve n after they were a d m i t t e d ,m a n y c omma nde r s c ont inue d to be -l ieve th e Tuske ge e A i r me n did n ' th a v e th e smarts , courage an d p a t r io -t i sm t o do wha t wa s be ing a s ke d o ft h e m .N ear ly 1,000 f ighter pilots trainedas a segregated u n i t at an air base inTuskegee , Ala . No t a l l owe d to pr a c -t ice or f igh t w i th th e i r wh i tec o u n t e r -parts , th e Tus ke ge e A i r m e n d i s t i n -gui s he d t he ms e lve s from th e rest byp a in t in g th e t a i l s of th e i r a i rp la n e sr e d, whic h led to t h e m b e c o m i n gk n o w n as the "Red Ta i l s . "Hundr e ds s a w c omba t th rou g h ou tEur ope , the Medi te r ranean and Nor thAfr ic a , e s c o r t i ng bombe r a ircraft onmis s ions an d protecting them from th ee n e m y . Dozens died in the f i g h t i n g ;others were he lda s pr i s one r s o f wa r ."The Tuskegeea i r m e n lef t a s e gr e -ga t e d c ount r yt o f i gh t in w a r , and un-fo r tu n a te ly r e tur ne d to on e th a t wa ss t i l lsegregated, said House S peakerN a n c y Pe los i , D - C a l i f . " T h o u g hH it le r wa s de f e a t e d, pr e judic e wa snot. . . . Today we are t ry in g to r i gh tth a twrong.It wa s l ong t houg ht the Tus ke ge eA i r m e n a ma s s e d a p e r fe c t record oflos ing no b o m b e r s to the e n e m y d u r -ing World War 11. But new researchha sc a s t doubto n th a t .Tw o h i s to r ia n s r e c e nt ly s a id Ai rForce records and other d o c u m e n t sshow at least a few b o m b e r s e scor tedby Tus ke ge e pi lo t s we r e downe d bye n e m y p l a ne s .A f o r me r Wor ld War IIb o m b e r p i lo t s a id last y e a r t ha t hi spla ne wa s s ho t down wh i l e be ing e s -corted by the u n i t .Congress ha s a wa r de d go ld m e d a l sto more th a n 30 0 i n d i v i d u a l s an dgroups s ince g iv in g th e f i r s t one toGeorge W a s h i n g t o n in 1776. Or ig i -n a l ly , t he y we nt onlyt o m i l i t a r y lead-ers, bu t Congr e s s br oa de ne d th e scopeto i nc lude a utho r s , e n te r ta in e r s , n o ta -bles in science an d m e d i c i n e ,a th le te s ,h u m a n i t a r i a n s , p u b l i c s e r v a n t s an dforeign off icia ls .O t h e r b l a c k r e c i p i e n t s i n c l u d es inge r Ma r i a n Ande r s on, a th le te s Jo eL oui s , JesseOwe ns a nd J a c ki e Robin-son, c iv i l r ig h t s a c t iv i s t sR oy W i l k i n s ,M a r t i n L u t h e r K i n g J r . and C ore t taScott K i n g , th e L i t t l e Roc k N i n e ,Ros a Pa r ks an d Dor o thy He ig h t , an ds t a t e s m e n N e l s o n M a n d e l a of Sou thAfrica an d f o r me r Se c r e t a r y of S ta teC olin P o w e l l .Th e m e d a l for the a i r m e n , m a d eposs ib le th rou g h le g i s la t ion by Se n.C a r l L e v i n , D - M i c h . , an d R e p .Cha r l e s Ra nge l , D- N.Y. , an d s i gne dlast y e a r by B u s h , w i l l go to theS m i t h s o n i a n I ns t i t u t i on fo r d i sp la y .I n d i v i d u a l a i rm e n wi l l r e c e ive bron/.erep l icas .

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Qwest,AT T, VerizonWinTelecomContractWASHINGTON (AP) AT&T,Qwes t Communic a t ions a nd Ve r i zonon Thur s da y we r e a wa r de d t he gov-ernment 's l a r ge s t t e l e c omm unic a t ionscontract ever, a 10-year deal worth upto $4 8b i l l i on.The c ont r a ct winne r s , who be a t outSprint Nextel Corp. , don't s imp ly spli ta pool o f mone y . The y now ha ve tocompete w i th e a c h o the r for the var i -ou s telecom needs of dozens of feder-al agencies , the General Services Ad-ministra t ion announced.Th e contract covers voice, videoa nd da t a services and technologies foras m a n y as 135 agencies operat ing in19 0 countries. Se ve r a l ma jo r de pa r t -ments , i nc luding Home la nd Se c ur i tyan dTreasury ,ha ve a l r e a dy s igne d up. SitkaYeslcrday~j

10 Y E A R S AG OMarch 1997The 1997 Sitka Sound sac roe her-r ing f ishery closed S u n d a y a f t e r s e i n -er s caught 3,218 tons of fish in j u s tover an hour . It was the f i f t h o p e n i n gin si x days, all at the n o r th end ofS i t -ka Sound. 25 Y E A R SA GOMarch 1982Ariel Es t r a da , Sa r a h Es t r e m an dStacy Davidson were selected fo rout -s tand ing m u s i c i a n s h i p at B la tc h le yJ unio r High a d ju d ic a t ion .40 Y E A R SAG OMarch 1967After Dick Buttonan dMike L e a c a hof the stateDivi s iono fL a nds out l i ne dproceduref or t r a ns f e rof m e n t a lh e a l thl ands in the Sitka area for generalgrant lands, the Greater S i tk a Bor oughdirected borough c h a i r m a n Torn Steinto f i le an applicat ion for the CascadeCreek Subdivi s ion.

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Editor ia l , busine ss and p u b l i c a t i o n o l -f ices:1 12BarracksSi.S i tka . A l . iA a99835.P ubl ished d ai ly e x c e p t S a t u r d a y S u n d a yand hol idays P e r iodic a l postage pa id a iSitka. A la ska .A f a m i l y - o w n e d i n d e p e n d e n t n e w s p a p e redited an d pub l i shed by Tha t) and SandyPoulson,d/b/a V e r s t o v i a C ' u i pMail address: Dai ly S i t k a S e n t i n e l11 2 BarracksSt ree tSitka. Alaska 99835P h o n e : ( 9 0 7 ) 7 4 7 - 3 2 1 9Fax:(907)747-8898Local subsc r ip t ion ru le s : t h ree m o n t h s$35; six m onths $55; one y e a r $85 AdManager, Cat hy B agley . I nquir e lor m a i lrales.Member of The Associ a t ed Pres sPostmaster:Send add res schangesto 1 1 2Barracks, Sitka. A la ska99K3.T

W h i l e AT&T I nc . , Qwe s t Com mu -nica t ions I n t e r na t i ona l I nc . an d V e r i -zo n I nc . ga ine d an im p or ta n t an dde e p- poc ke t e d c l i e nt , th e a n n o u n c e -ment w as a huge blow to Sp r in t ,a n a -lys ts s a id, be c a us e it has be e n p r o v i d -in g te lecom services to the federalg o v e r n m e n t f o r ne a r ly20 y e a r s ." T he f e d e r a l g o v e r n m e n t w a sSpr int ' s f i r s t m a jo r c us tome r si nc et hec ompa ny s t a r t e d," s a id t e c hno logyc on su l ta n t Warren Suss of J e n k i n -t o w n ,P a.W h i l e c u r re n t GSA of f i c i a l s wou ldnot say w hy Spr int l o s t out , Bo hWoods, a f o r me r o f f i c i a l a t the agencyw ho now w o r k s as a c on su l ta n t ,s u r -mi s e d th a t Sp r in t c ould no t m e e t th elow prices of i ts compet i tors . Woodse s t i m a t e d th a t Sp r in t c ou ld loser o u g h l y $200 m i l l i o n to $250 m i l l i o na n n u a l ly in e x i s t in g g o v e r n m e n tb u s i -ness.E x e c u t i v e s f rom Sp r in t p la n u >me e t wi th GS A of f i c i a l s n e x t w e e k u >di s c us s wh y t he i r c on t ra c t p rop osa lfel l short , and the c o m p a n y s v i l l de -cide a f t e rwa rd s wh e th e r to f i l e apr o t e s t , s poke s woma n . S u k h i Sa lm isaid in ane - m a i l .

TodayinHistoryToday is T h u r s d a y , M a r c h 2 < ) , th e 88l l i d a>of 2007. There ar c 2 7 7 days l e f t in l i i t f yea r .Today's H i g h l i g h t in His to r y :On Marc h"2 ' J . I ' J73 . H ie l as t U . S . c u i n h a lt roops l e f t Sou t h V i e t n a m , e n d i n g A m e r i c a ' sd i r e c t m i l i t a r y i n v o l v e m e n t in th e V i e t n a mWa rOn thisdate.In 1638, Swed i sh co l on i s t s s e t t l e d i n p i e -sent-day D e l a w a r eIn 1790, the 10 th pre s ident of the U n i l e dSl at es , John Tyle r , was born in C h a r l e s I ' i l yC o u n t y ,V a.In 1847, v ic tor ious forc e s led by Gen ei . i lW m f i e l d Scott occup i ed th e c i ty ol V e i a C i u /af ter Mexic an de fende r s c a p i t u l a t e dIn 1807. B r i t a i n ' * P a r l iam ent pas sed th eB r i t i s h N or th A m er ic a A c t I a t e r k n o w n as th eC o n s t i t u t i o n A c t ) t o e i e a t e th e D o m i n i o n "ICanada.In 1882, the K n i gh t s o f C o l u m b u s w a s c l u i

leredi nConnecticutToday's B ir thdays: P ol i t ic a l c om m enta torJ o h n M e L a u g h l i n i s 80.A u t h o r J u d i t h G u e s ti ,71 Former B r i t ish P r i m e M i n i s t e r J o h n M a j o ris 04 Com edian Eric I d le is 04 C om pu. ic iV o n g e l i s is 04. Singer B obby K i m b a l l ( T o t u ).>00- Act or Christopher La wI b id is 52. O l y m p i cgymnast K u r tThomas is 51. A c tor C h r ^ i o p h e iLambert is 50.Rock s i nger P e r ry Fa r r e l l (P ornofor Py ros ; Jane's Addiction) i s 4 8 . C o m e d i a nac t res s Am y Sedaris i s 40 . Mode l t v l l eM a c p h e r s o n i s 44, Rock s i n g e r - m u s i c i a n J o h nPopper ( B l u e s T r a v e l e r ) is 40 A c tr e ss L i u yLawless is 39. C ountry s i n g e r R e g m a L e i g h( R e g i n a R e g i n a ) i s 34 . C ' o u n l r . s i n g e i B i a d >Seals is 3S- Tenn i s p l a y e r J e n n i f e r C a p i i a l i i >31

B y N E D R A 1'ICKLERAssociatedPressWriterWA S H IN G T O N ( A P ) A s het r i e s to e x p l a i n ho w h e ' l l cope w i t hth e r e tu r n of h i - ; w i l e ' s c a nc e r , p re s i -den t i a l hopef u l Joh n l id wa rd s i so p e n -in g u p a b ou t a n o th e r f a m i l y s t ru g g le the d e a th of h is teenage son W a d e1 1 y e a r s a go .Hi s f a m i l y l i f e s u d d e n l y in the sp o t -l i g h t , E d w a r d s ha s r e s p o n d e d bys p e a k i n g a b o u t an exper ience b o u n dto b r in g h im sy m p a th y , h u m a n ize h i sc a m p a ig n a n d focus on p e r se v e ra n c eaf t e r t ragedy .Th e d i sc u s s ion b e g a n las t T h u r s d a yw h e n J o h na nd l i l i / .a b e t h E d w a r d s an -n ou n c e d h e r b re a s t c a n c e r h a d sp re a dt o her b o n e . I t con t i nued Sa tu rd a yw h e n E d w a r d s was asked if he couldb a l a n c e t h e c a m p a i g n a n i l he r d i a g n o -s is . This is not the f i r s t c h a l l e n g e l i k eth i s E l i z abe th and I h a v e b e e nt h r o u g h . " E d w a u l s s a id a t a c a n d id a tef or um in La s V e g a s . "A s m a n y ofy ou k n ow, we los t our son about 10,a c t u a l l y a b o u t I I y e a r s ; i u o n o w i n1996.""W a d e E d w a r d s wa s 16 wh e n h ed i e d , on the way to lhe f a m i l y benchh o m e in t h e i r h o m e s t a l e of NorthC a r o l i n a , wh e n a gus t of wind s wep thi s J e e p o l f th e h i g h w a y .W a d e ' s n a m e i s spoken f r e c | i i e n l l yi n th e E d w a r d s h o u s e h o l d , t hos eclose-to them s a y , a l i v e in lhe m e m o r i e sofh i s p a re n t s a n d s i s t e r an d e v e n wel l -k n own b y two s i b l i n g s b o rn a l t e r h i sd e a th . B u t H d w a i d s ha d b e e n h e s i t a n tto b r in g hi s o ld e s t so n in to hi s p o l i t i -ca l l i f e , e v e n t h o u g h b y m a n y a c -c ou n ts W a d e i n s p i r ed h i s l a t her to r unfor off ice.E d w a r d s wor e hi s s o n ' s O u t w a r dB o u n d pin on his s u i t j acke t i n s i l e n tt r i b u t e t h r o u g h o u t th e 2004 c a m p a i g n .He s o m e t i m e s w e a r s the pin on the2008 t r a i l .The Edwarclses d i d n ' t w a n t h i s sonto b e r e m e m b e re d fo r h i s d e a th , b u thi s l i f e , those close to th e m s a y . The ystarted a f o u n d a t i o n in W a d e ' s n a m eto su p p o i t c a us e s i m p o r t a n t to h i m .such as s c h o la r sh ip s and a c o m p u t e rla b w h e r e s t u d e n t s , ca n ye t a f t e rschool h e lp .A p e i son close to the Edsvardses.who did no t w a n t to be (juoted t a l k i n ga b ou t t h e i r f a m i l y d e c i s ion s , s a id t heyar e t a l k i n g m o r e o p e n l y a b o u t t h e i re x p e r ie n c e w i t h W a d e ' s d e a t h be -cause th e y b e l i e v e it h e lp s a n s w e rle -g i t i m a t e qu e s t ion s a b ou t h ow t h e \

w i l l c ope wi thM r s . E d w a r d s 'c a n c e l .W h e n a s k e d d u r i n g l a s t T h u r s d a v ' sne ws c onf e r e nc e ho w ( h e ycou ld s tayfocused on th e c a m p a ig n a n d pe r -h a p s e v e n t u a l l y w i t h r u n n i n g th ec ou n t ry M r s . E d w a r d s cited heih u s b a n d ' s work on th e W a d eE d w a r d sFou n d a t ion . Hehas an u n b e l i e v a b l e tou g h n e s s ,a r e s e r v e t h a t a l l o w s h im to pus h t o r -wa rd wi th what n e e d sl o h a p p e n . "s hesa id . " I t ' s w h a t h a p p e n e d a l t e r o u rson died in 1996 ."E d w a r d s wa s a s k e d i t i an i n t e i v i e wb roa d c a s t Su n d a y o n C B S ' "6 0M i n -u t e s " u h y h e a n d h i s w i f e w a n t lo g ot h r o u g h a p r e s i d e n t i a l c a m p a i g n w h e n

she has a f i n i t e periodo f time l e f t ."We a l l ha ve a f in ite period oft i m e , and the i de a t ha tw e k n o w w h a tt ha t f in ite period is, is a f a nt a s y to be-gin wi th," Edwa r ds responded. "Aswe learned in 1996, with our son, wed o n ' t know wha t ' s go ing tohappen.The cruel t ragedy ofWade's de a thc ha nge d e ve r y thing for the Edwa r d-ses . Mrs. Edwards qu i t he r j ob a s a na t torney ,t he i r da ug hte r Ga te c a nce l e dher p l a ns to at tend boarding schooland a y e a r l a t e r J ohn Edwa r ds be ga nc a m p a i g n i n gfor the Senate .He de c l i ne d to t a lk muc h a boutW a d e in th a t race and in his f irs tW h i t e Hous e r un.Hi s mos t e x t e ns ivereve la t ions a bout Wa de dur ing th e2004 pr e s ide nt i a l r a c e c a me in hi sbook, FourTrials, i n whic h he de -scr ibed th e loss as " the unde r c ur r e ntof m y l i f e . ""Noth ing i n my life has ever hi t mean d s t r i ppe d e ve r y thing a wa y l ik e m ys on 's d e a t h , " Edwa r ds wr o t e . Thatm o m e n t , those days, belong to ourf a m i l y . "Ju s t we e ks be f o r e Wa de di e d, t heteen wa s honor e d a t the Whi t e Houseby th e n - f i r s t l a dy Hi l l a ry R o d h a mC l i n t o n , no w Edwa r ds ' c hi e f r i va lf orth eDe moc r a t i c nomin a t ion, f o r a n e s -s a y he wr o t e a bout go ing i nto t he ba l -lo tb ox wi thh is fa ther as ay oung boy .Oth e r pr e s ide nt i a l c a ndida t e s ha veo p e n l y t a l ke d a bout t he i r t r a ge di e s onth e c a m p a i g nt r a i l . Former VicePres-ident Al Gore discussed hi s s i s t e r ' sd e a th f rom cancer, an d former HouseD e m o c r a t i c Leader Dick Gephardt ,p r o m o t i n g hi s h e a l th care p lan ,spokea b o u t hi s s o n ' s successful cancert r e a tm e n t . Some people l ik e to say th a t t he i rp r i v a t e l i fe is separate, bu t I t h i n kt h a t ' s a my th," s a id Er ik Smi th, a t opadv ise r o n Ge pha r dt ' s2004c a m p a i g n ."The real i ty is that i f you are runnin gfo r pr e s ide nt , y our l i fe i s n ' t pr i va t ean y more . Personal s tories and personala ne c do te s he lp t he m ove r c ome vo t e rc y n i c i s m , " S m i t h s a id . "A lot oft i m epe ople a s s ume th e worst about p o l i t i -c i a n s an d a s s u m e th e i r posi t ions comefrom p o l l i n g ,and p a r t ic u la r ly on pres-i d e n t i a l c a mpa igns , i t ' s im p or ta n t fo rpe ople to u n d e r s ta n d th a t those poli-cies come from ape r s ona lplace.D e m o c r a t J o e B i d e n , a n o t h e r ca n -d i d a t e in the2008 race, ha s a lso expe-r i e n c e d t r a ge dy . He lost hi s w i fe an d

i n f a n t d a u g h t e rin a car a c c ide nt s ho r t-ly a l t e r h i s f irs t e l e c t ion to th e Senatein 1972. In 1988, he was h osp i ta l i ze dfo r m o n t h s after s u f f e r i ng tw o b r a i n aneurysms.B i d e n s o m e t i m e s t a lk s a b o u t th ee x p e r i e n c e s , p a r t ic u la r ly in d i s c us -s ions of h e a l t h c a re . Re c e nt ly in ana p p e a r a n c e be f o r e th e na t i on ' s l a r ge s tf i r e f i gh t e r s u n ion , he expressed grat i-tude for f i r e f i gh t e r s wh o s a ve d hi stw o sons wh o were a lso in jured in theea r c r a s h bu t recovered. He said f ire-f i gh t e r s a l s o dr ove h im to an e u r o s u r -ge on in a s nows to r m for theope r a t i onth a t s a ve d hi s l i fe."We owe you big," he said. "Youl i t e r a l l y s a ve d the lives of threeWid e n s ."

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W A S H I N G T O N ( Al 1 ) T h eH o u s e T h i n s d a y n i i r i o w l y pa s s e d a$2.9 n i l l i o n D e m o c r a t i c b u d g e tb l u e p r i n t p i e d i c i i i u ' a hi 1 s u r p l u s i nf i v e y e a i s bu t i c l y i i i . 1 o n t h e e x p i r a -t i o n o f t a x c u t s to i lo .0.Th e 2 1 0 - 2 1 0 v o t e s e t s u p n e y o t i a -l i o n s w i t h th e S e n a t e , \ \ h i c h l a s t u e e kp a s s e d a l u n l j ' . e i b l i i e p i m t w i t h s i m i -l a r l y l a i ; _ e s p e n d i n g i n c i e a s c s lo r e d u -c a t i o n , i l e l e n s e . h ' i m e l a i i d s e c u r i t yan d v e t e r a n s p i o y i a m sTh e i ne a . M i i e c i u n c1D e m o c i a l i c c o m p l a i n ts h o i( c h a n g e d domel u n d e d e a c h y c a i b\l i i l l s - i n c l u d m ; ' eit e s e a i c h an d s j i a n t 1i n c u t s w h i l e a w a r d i n L 1 d e l i c i t -b o o s t i m 1 la x ' . ' t i l - . I l l 1 d l o u a u l l i i 1 a l-f l u e n i .D e u u i c i a t s ' - a i d lh e ^< 1 > i i i l i i o np l a n I H ne\l > e . u v . m i l d p o m ; th eu a y i a s i n p l u s a i i c i _ sc M - , of i i - d in ku n d e r H i i - . h an d a ( i ( H' c m i i i i - l i e dC ' o i i ' . ' u - . - . . R i ' ( i u b l ic : i n : - - a i d t h a t ^ 15.}b i l l i o n - n i ' p l u s i n ' O l '' ' . ' .mild a p p e a ro n l s i la \ ' . - - i l l s p a s s e d in 2 001 an d2 0( ) .^ e x p i i e i n I H i i s c . i i , . . i i n o i i n t -i n I n i l l . 1 " l a i s j e . > l l : r > m c i e a s c i l lA i n c i l e a n h i s i o i\ .The I n l i n e ol th e l U i s l i la x c u i : , > v i l ll i k e l v h e d e c i d e d a t l e i th e 200.S p i e s i -c l c n t i a l e l e c t i o n . W h i l e in l i i e m a i o r i -ly , conj. ' .res .s ional R e p u b l i c a n s n - 'v e rh e l d \ o l e s to m a k e a l l u l i h c m \- - M I U I -i t e i i i . d e s p i t e B u s l f a n n u a l . a l K i do.V I .H u s h h u d d l e d w i t h l l o u - e R c p . i b l i -c a n . a t t h e W h i l e l l " i i s c s a s n i v af -l e r w a i d : "We s | ) e n l t i m e l a l k i n ; to -d a y a b o u t o u r s t i o n y b e l i e f t h a i ' . \ ' . ' ' vet ioi in k e e p t a x e s lo uTh e D e i i H K ' i a l i c I m d i ' . e t i c x c i v e db r i c k b a t s 1 ' ioni R e p u b l i c a n s b e c a u s e i tw o u l d p i o d u c c a $1 ~> i b i l l i o n . v n p l u si n 2 0 1 2 m i l s b\ a s s u m m ; ' ta\ ci u . e n -a c t e d d u n i i L 1 B u s h ' s I n - t e r m c - . p i r e .Those la x c u t s i n c l u d e l o w e i e d K i t e s. i n i d K s an d kni : es -I ' l c a k s l o t l i i a n i e d

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in c re a se s o f 6 pe r c e nt ove r c ur r e ntl eve l s , far the less th a n th e less than1percen t i nc r e a s e s r e c omme nde d byB u s h .C o n g r e s s ' a n n u a l de ba t e on t heb u d g e t is g u i d e d by an arcane processin w h i c h a n o n b i n d i n g budge t r e s o lu-t ion s e t st he s t a ge fo r s ubs e que nt bi l l saf f ec t i ng t a x e s an d be ne f i t pr ogr a mssu c ha s Me d ic a r e , a s we l l a s t he a nnu-al a p p rop r ia t ion s b i l l s .In mos t y e a r s . Congress leavesa l o n e d i f f i c u l t budget issues such asthe unsus ta inab le gr owth in be ne f i tp r o g r a m s s uc h as Medicare an d s im-ply f oc us e s on the 12 a nnua l bi l l sf u n d i n g th e budge t s of Ca bine t a ge n-cies s uc h as Defense, Education an dA g r i c u l t u r e ."'This year is l ik e ly to be such as ta n d -p a t year . Decisions on the fa teof th e B u s h ta x c ut s ar e expected tow a i t u n t i l after n e x t yea r 's presidentia le le c t ion .E x t e n d i n g th e 2001 an d 2003 taxcu ts wo uld cos t a bout $250 bi l l ioni n2012 a lone , wh ic h would ba l loon to$389 b i l l ion a f te r a c c ount ing for ex-t e n d in g o the r ta x cuts an d a djus t i ngth e a l t e rn a t iv e m in im u m tax so th a t itdoesno t e ns na r e mor e t h a n 20 mi l l i ona d d i t ion a l m i d d l eclasst a x pa y e r s .D e m o c r a t i c leaders view passing acongress iona l budget plan as a keytest of th e i r a b i l i ty to govern. Th eGOP- c ont r o l l e d Congress failed topa s s a budget last year, which fouledup passage of the annual spendingb i l l s l a w m a k e r spass each year .Th e De moc r a t i c budge t blue pr intca l ls for a nearly $2 5 bi l l ion increasen e x t year fordomes t ic programs pop-u la r w i t h l a w m a k e r s in both part ies ,a p p r o v i n g B u s h ' s record $50 bil l ionbudge t increase for the Pentagon'sn o n - w a r b u d g e t an d $145 billion fo roperat ions in Iraq and Afghanistann e x t year .Those s pe nding boosts would causethe deficit to r ise from $209 bill ionth i s year to $241 bil l ion in2009 be -fore increased revenues from the expi-r a t ion of the 2001 an d 2003 ta x cutsi a p i d l y ge ne r a t e a surplus.

By COLLEENS L E V INAssociatedPressWriterH O L L Y ,Colo. (AP) A massivespring s torm spawned dozens of tor-nadoes from the Rockies to the Plains,k i l l in g at least f our people in threes t a te s , i nc luding a woma n who wa sf lu n g into.a t ree by a twister as wideas two football f ie lds .S ixty-f ive tornadoes were reportedlate We dne s day in Okla homa ,Texas,Kansas, Colorado an d Ne br a s ka , th eNational Weather Service said. Byearly Thursday, the s torm systemstretched f rom South Dakota toTexas.Rosemary Resales, 28, was f oundcr i t ica l ly i n jur e d in the tree after th ehuge tornado destroyed several homesan d da ma ge d dozenso f others in Hol-ly, a town of 1,000 people about 23 5miles southeast of Denver near theKa ns a s l i ne .In Oklahoma, a twister k illed acouple as i tb l e w the i r home to pieces.In Texas , a man w asf ound de a d in thet a ngl e d de br i s of h is tra iler.At least seven other people werehur t w h e n th e t o r na do s kippe d for amile -and-a -ha l f t hr ough Hol ly an ds u r r o u n d i n g areas."All they heard wa s th i s bi g u g lynoise, an dt h e y d i d n ' t h a v en o t i m et or un," s a id Vic to r i aResa les , t he vic -t im 's s i s t e r . She s a id t he woma n a ndhe r hus ba nd, Gus t a vo Puga , we r e i nth e k i t c h e n an d their 3-year-oldda ughte r , Noe l i a , wa s s l e e ping i n af ron t room when the tornado hit .P u g a wa sho ldin g onto th e l i t t leg i r lwhe n r e s c ue r s f ound the m, s a id hi sbr o the r , OscarP u g a . The two were infair c ondi t i on Thur s da y at a ColoradoSpr ings hos pi t a l .As r e s ide nt s s ifted t hr ough the i rscattered belongings, the s treets werel i t tered with u t i l i ty poles, power l ines,

tree l imbs a nd debris. One woma nwhose house was destroyed we pt assh esearched for a wedding r ing.Homes were there and nowthey're gone, Prowers County Ad-m i n i s t r a t o r L inda Fa i rba i r n s a id . Many, if not all, the structures intown suffered -some degree of d a m -age."At least 11 tornadoes were reportedth roughout western Nebraska, de -s t roy ingo r da ma ging t hr e e home s an dat least 10 miles of power l ines. Twotw is te rs touched down in far north-west Kansas, severely da ma ging t hr e ehomes ,au thori t ies said.I n Okla homa , Vance a nd Ba r br aWoodbur y were ki l led when the s tormblew apart theirh o m enear Elm wood."We set off the tornado sirens, butthey l i ve too far out to he a r them,said Dix i e Parker, Be a ve r County ' se me r ge nc y ma na ge me nt di r e c to r ."The housew as just f la t tened,t he outb u i ld in g s ar e gone . Al l t ha t ' s left isdebris.Tornadoes in the Texas Pa nha ndleuprooted trees, overturned trucks an din jured at least three peop le . The re-gion alsog ot baseball-sized hai l .Monte Ford , 53, was ki l l e d ne a rA mari l lo whe n he wa s t hr own a bout15 feet from hi s oi lf ie ld tra i le r , whichwas rol led by the wind.Th e Colorado tornado kil led dozensof cat t le and injured others so severelythey h a v eto be shot ."It's better than le t t ing them suf-fer ," said rancher B i l l Lowe,who ha dabou t 8 0 0 cat t le in his f e e dlo t whe nthe tornado hit .H elost at least 35 an-imals in the s torm.Just three month s ago, back-to-backbl izzards an d subzero t e mpe r a tur e sk i l l e d more than 10,000 l ivestock onf a r m s across southeastern Colorado.

e therSitkaForecastToday, 40 percent chance of rainin d snow showers ,h igh of 40. Friday,tnostly c loudy , high of 40, w i n d s to15 m p h . Sa tur da y a nd Sunda y , t e m-Deratures in the 40s.SitkaWeatherTemperatures ranged from 30 to 40degrees and .04 inch of precipi ta t ion,vasr e c o rde d i n t he 24 hour s e nding a tTiidnight, Sitka Flight Service Stat ioneports . Th e a l t ime te r was at 29.95in dr i s i ng.Alaska TempsSta t ion H igh Lo w PrecipA nc horage 35 11 0.00An n et te 39 32 0.85J ar row 10 6 0.00Je the l 12 0 0.00Je t t ie s 9 -13 0.00lirchwood 34 9 0.00:oldBay 30 24 0.00:ordova 36 11 0.00J i l l i n g h a m 23 3 msg)u t chHarbor 37 37 msg"a irbanks 19 -11 0.00i u l k a n a 28 -6 0.00l omer 33 17 0.00u n e a u w f o 38 31 0.11Cenai 31 5 0.00C ingSa lm ona irpor 26 -2 0.00Codiak 34 22 0.00lotzebue 5 3 0.00rtcGrath 25 -7 0.00Jome 13 10 0.01Jor thway 21 -18 0.00a i m e r 26 4 0.00etersburg 37 32 0.00t .Pau l 34 31 0.01e w a r d 33 22 0.00i tka 40 28 0.03'alkeetna 37 4 0.00'aldez 28 28 0.00Vasi l la 36 5 msgVhiuie r 28 27 msg'akulat 41 14 0.00Ugh,41 at Yakutat.ow,-31at Seluwik.

Nation's TempsTemperaturesindic a te Wednesday's h igh an dv e m i g h tlow to 8a.m. Eastern Time.Hi Lo PrcOtlki bany ,N.Y. 55 29 clri l b u q u e r q u e 50 37 cdyimanllo 76 42 .41 cdyisheville 79 57 .10 rnt lanta 82 61 cdyUariticCity 70 37 clriiistin 81 69 rnaltimore 70 40 clri l l ings 37 30 .41 clr

irmingham 83 57 cdyismarck 56 37 .18 rnoise 57 31 clroston 56 33 clrrownsv i l l e 85 74 cdyuffalo 48 29 clrur l i ng t on .V t . 44 28 clr.asper 38 24 .31 sno'harleston.S.C. 85 53 cdyhat-lesion,W. Va . 77 59 .18 rnharloite,N.C. 84 58 .12 rn

Chey enneChicagoC inc inna t iC leve landColumbia.S.C.Columbus.OhioConcord.N.H.D alla s-F tWor thDay t onD enve rDesMoinesDet ro i tD u l u t hElPasoEvansvi l leFairbanksFargoFlagstaffG r a n d R a p i d sGreat Fal l sGreensboro.N.C.H ar tfordSpgf ldHel enaH o n o l u l uHous t onI ndianapol isJ a c k s o n , M i s s .Jac ksonvi l leJ u n e a uK ansasCi t yK ey Wes tLasVegasLi t t l eRockLosAngelesLouisvi l leLubbockMemphisM i a m i B e a c hMi d l and -Odes saM i l w a u k e eM p l s - S t P a u lN ashvi l leN e w O r l e a n sN e w Y o r k C i t yN o r f o l k . V a .Nort hPl a t t eOk l ahomaCi t yOmahaOrl andoPend l e t onPhiladelphiaPhoenixPi t t sbu rghPortland.MainePortland.Ore.ProvidenceRal e i gh -DurhamR apidC ityR e n oR ic hm ondSacramentoSt Lou i sSt Pet ersbu rgSallLakeCitySanAnt on i oSanDiegoSanFranciscoSanJuan .P.R.San aFeSt St eMar i eSeattleShreveportSiouxFallsSpokaneSyracuseTampaTopekaTucsonTulsaWashington.D.C.Wic hitaWilkes-BarreWi l mi ng l on .Del .

51 24 .02 snc50 46 .09 cdy65 53 .48 cdy49 39 clr87 60 cdy64 51 .10 cd>51 29 cl r80 69 rn61 47 .01 cdy65 28 .07 sue67 52 rn54 38 cdy35 33 cdy71 45 .01 ch75 60 cdy19 -12 clr45 45 .27 rn36 24 sno51* 38 cdy44 17 .02 cli85 49 .29 rn58 32 clr45 21 .01 clr82 68 cdy82 71 cdy63 48 .01 cdy83 61 cdy82 54 cdy40 31 .11 cd>77 61 rn80 72 cdy61 54 clr78 59 cdy68 50 clr73 61 .09 cdy79 43 .68 cdy80 63 cdy82 71 cdy78 47 .44 clr46 40 .08 cdy47 44 .24 cdy71 60 1.25 cdy82 64 cdy65 38 clr69 50 cdy71 49 .96 rn77 67 rn76 60 rn84 59 clr52 30 clr66 39 clr66 50 clr67 36 clr48 29 cl r55 37 clr60 34 clr86 50 .10 rn69 33 .05 sno53 29 clr77 50 .02 rn68 44 clr76 62 cdy83 67 clr40 34 .44 cdy81 68 rn62 50 clr62 45 clr86 73 1.15 rn50 19 cdy46 30 clr54 38 cdy85 66 cdy58 51 rn52 33 clr46 26 cl r83 61 clr77 59 rn61 41 clr79 65 rn72 43 clr76 56 29 ra57 29 clr70 39 clr

NationalTemperatureExtremesHigh Wednesday 92 atLaredo,TexasLow Thursday 10 atStanley, Idaho

Sitka Tides1805 5703.0 N 13520.0 W SITKA Sitka Sound, Baranof Island, westcoastFriday March 30, 2007