Show A2 — The Herald Journal Logan Utah Saturday February 28 2004 Nation Q I I ©©mdaodis Health department wants an injunction Twenty-NEW PALTZ NY-(AP- ) one gay couples exchanged wedding vows on the steps of village hall Friday in a spirited ceremony that opened another front on the growing national debate over gay marriage As the ceremonies by Mayor Jason West woe ending the state Health Department asked the attorney general to seek an injunction' prevent further illegal conduct by tne mayor” a department spokesman said A call to Attorney General Biot Spitzer’s office was not immediately ' returned West elected on the Green Party ticket last year in this village 75 miles north of New York' City joined Gavin Newsom of San Francisco as the country’s only mayors to many same-se- x couples “What we’re witnessing in Ameri" ca today is die flowering of the' largest civil rights movement the country’s had in a generation" West said Billiam van Roestenberg 38 and Jeffrey McGowan 39 of nearby Plattekill were the first to wed Wearing suits they held hands and carried flowers as the crowd cheered ‘I feel happy and joyful and peaceful” van Roestenberg said “A little bit of peace has finally come in I feel proud to be an American” “Now I’m normal and equal like every one else" he said The midday ceremonies ended a little more than an hour after they started More than 100 people mostly supporters of gay marriage turned out on the green across from village hall outnumbering family and friends of the couples there to many A few scattered protesters carried signs opposing gay marriage gay mairirDaig©® Jay Blotcher of High Falls NY said that while West could only give him a certificate and not a marriage license it was still important to go through the ceremony “We haveto show people who we are” he said “We’ve bent by religious zealots We’ve been deprived by President Bush and we have to show people that we’re your friends neighbors and ’ family” Blotcher who with his partner has already gotten a civil union in Vermont and a domestic partnership in New York City said Friday marked another important step “This country was founded on a revolution" he said “And this is a revolution but it’s a revolution of What do voters think? WASHINGTON (AP) — Gay marriage Is a more powerful social laaua for voters than either abortion- - or gun control a new vote for a candMsti'wno (Innnrsns wttt them on gay marriage even ifthey agrer with the candMste on moat other neuee aooonflng to a pol rsieased Friday by the Pew Reeeerch Center for the Peojpie & ' thePrees Earth' ' “Those of you who live in Los Angeles are very familiar with this effect” Bell said “What’s happening is the sun is sort of setting into the murky dusty atmosphere of Mars” Opportunity found twice as much dust in the atmosphere as was seen by NASA’s Pathfinder spacecraft at another location on Mars in 1997 Pathfinder and two Viking spacecraft that landed in the 1970s also took sunset pictures ' ' ' House speaker gives Sept 11 panel extended deadline for investigation WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Dennis Hasten agreed Friday to give the independent panel investigating the Sept 1 1 attacks an extra two months to finish its report clearing the way for Congress to approvetiiat extension Hastcrt’s decision could resolve a dispute that has held up action on an unrelated highway bill in a letter to the two chairmen of the Commis- Hasten fl sion former Nfew Jersey Republican Gov Thomas H Kean and former Rep Lee Hamilton D-Iacknowledged that he had' been “reluctant to support this extension” because of the need for Congress to move quickly on the findings of the report President Bush supports the extension and the Senate earlier Friday passed on a voice vote a Senate Intelligence Committee bill including the extension However Sens John McCain and Joe Lieberman who have led efforts to prolong the life of the commission have demanded a guarantee that the House would act by next week on that Senate bill: R-I- nd two-mon- th iz lee-bia- 11-- Da’Quaro said “It’s against religion it’s against all of that” ' The ceremonies came a day after the state Health Department said New York’s domestic relations law One protester stood outside the hall with a sign that read in part “It’s Adam and Eve not Adam arid Steve” nature” Angelo does not allow marriage licenses for same-se- couples It said a clerk x issuing such a license or anyone solemnizing such a marriage would be violating state law Record snowfall buries Carolinas Rover captures Mars sunset aids in inquiry of atmosphere ed 2-- a third In the poN 34 percent felt they would not vole for a candUste who dtaagteae with them on abortion even V they agree on other toeuee and 32 percent who frit that wy about a candidate who dteagreee wtth them on gun i President Bush says hewn back a con- additional amendment that would ban legal gay mantages a poeMon certain to maka gay marriage a hot topic of debate Only love” -- challenger John Edwards eay they oppoee gey marriage but oppoee a constitutional amendment banning thoae marriages Gay marriage la a crude! iaaue mostly for those who are opponents— especially oonaanativee evangelicals and those 65 and over People Opposed gay marriage by mr than a 1 margin In the pod but when asked H they consider a constitutional amendment a top priority they placed R 21st In a let of 22 poarible choices Almost had 45 percent said they strongly oppose allowing gays and to many legafty The pod of 1149 voters wee taken FOb and hae a margin of sampl of plus or mbiue 35 percentage ’ In brief PASADENA Calif (AP) — The Opportunity rover turned its panoramic gaze on the horizon and captured a dusty blue sunset The robot snapped photographs not for the sake of beauty but because scientists want to learn about the properties of dust in the atmosphere “It’s pretty cool” pancam lead scientist Jim Bell said Thurs- day at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Library as he showed a movie made from images recorded about three minutes apart A bluish tint and rapid dimming of the sun at tire horizon were caused by dust scanning the sunlight just as smog might do on during the preeldsntlal campaign Demoo ratie front-nmn- er John Kerry and lead ' pol suggests Founn 10 voters say they would not bad-mouth- ed “It’s against PLY Urn RALEIGH NC (AP) — A winter storm blanketed parts of the Carolinas with record r snow by Friday making trav- -' eling hazardous stranding motorists and closing schools Four traffic deaths were attributed to the storm in South Carolina where state troopers reported more than 1400 wrecks by noon In the Charlotte area county officials said they responded to 86 traffic accidents in a period ending at 8 am The Army was forced to postpone Friday’s planned departure pf National Guard units to Iraq The snow came-itwo bands Thursday one in the morning and the next at night pushing snow accumulations to as much as 1 feet — including at Rock Hill SC 20 miles south of Charlotte Steve Gilbert of Rock Hill was one of the few to brave the snowy roads to take his children sledding on a hill outside the school district office planned to stay out an They ' ' AP photo hour or so then go back and ' Michael Upton left and his brother Robert slide down steps on enjoy the snow day off “I’m going to go home cook sleds Friday morning at the EP Todd Elementary School in Spartanburg SC something have me a beer or two and relax” Gilbert said ' The snow falling at the rate of 2 inches an hour at times in York County SC piled into drifts up to 3 feet high “Off the main roads anydrive is thing but a useless” York County Emer- gency Management Director Cotton Howell said ‘This kind of snow is unprecedented in my memory” Charlotte had up to 15 inch- es of snow by Friday morning with a record 116 inches falling Thursday almost double tire old high mark for the date 63 inches set in 1926 Total snowfall in the state from Thursday through Friday morning ranged from 12 to 18 inches in the Winston-Saleand Greensboro area and 6 inches to 8 inches in the 24-ho- ur m Raleigjh-Durha- - ' area m ' In South Carolina the snow closed or delayed the opening of schools across the northern half of the state and state offices were closed in seven counties including York Hie 8 inches of snow that fell at the International Airport shattered ' the old record fw Bdt426 51 inches set in 1982 Greenville-Spartanbu- rg nn Report says authorities dealt with Columbine killers before massacre LAKEWOOD Colo (AP) — After learning no one would be blamed for missing possi- ble warning signs that foreshadowed the" Columbine High School massacre Judy Brown - simply wept “It’s done You know it They’re not going to do any more” Randy Brown said as he hugged his sobbing wife The Browns were ' among a dozen relatives of Columbine victims who ' Chillingstood disconsolately against the back wall of the cavernous fairground ' - Image: Columbine High “ ug gcjudrl SL MSEttoaehllai auditorium Thursday after Eijc V Attorney General Ken '' Salazar said the Jefferson' County sheriff's office' was not at fault for failing ' to follow up on warnings about Eric Harris and ' Dylan Klebold Asked if he thought there was a cover-u- p later Salazar said: “I do not know today” And Friday he said his investigation wasn’t oyer i''V' “My conclusion with respect to the April 20 1999 time frame before the school shooting itself there was no cover-up” Salazar said on CBS’s “The Early Show:’’ “We are now in the process however of looking at activities that occurred after " ' ' :’ VV ":U j April 20 1999” - - THERE'S Ai NO EXCUSE lit : rOT 1 v HHQRT securities fraud has no evidence NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge Friday tossed put the most serious charge against Martha Stewart a ' count alleging she deceived investors in her company ' when she publicly declared her innocence in an insider-tradin- g ' scandal The decision by USi Dis--: trict Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum came just five days before jurors are expected to begin deciding the case against the celebrity home- maker and her stockbroker “I have concluded that ho ' reasonable jurpr can find ' beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant lied for the purpose of influencing the market for the securities of her company” Cedarbaum wrote Stewart still faces four criminal counts at the trial —conspiracy obstruction of justice and two counts of lying to investigators Thejudge declined to throw out any of ' the five counts against broker Peter Bacanovic The securities fraud count carried a potential prison sen tence of 10 years and a $1 million fine The remaining four counts against Stewart each cany a sentence of five years and a $230000 fine though a conviction would cany a far fighter penalty under federal sentencing guidelines “I’m pleased tiiat thejudge has dismissed die most serious of die charges against me concluding that there is no evidence to support it” Stewart said in a message posted on her personal Web site Legal analysts said the rul-- : ing was cause for celebration for Stewart’s defense team — but cautioned it was by no means a signal that she will be cleared of all charges by the V AP photo Martha Stewart center and her attorneys John ! Tlgue left and Robert Morvillo smfle as they return from lunch at a Chinatown restaurant in New York on Friday US District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaurn threw out the securities fraud i Martha Stewart on Friday jy-“There’s no - question the government put forth evidence that at least supports their version of events” said Jack Sylvia a veteran Boston securities lawyer “And there is a minimalist case the S iseputon” The securities fraud charge ' had been criticized by Stew- art’s lawyers as a violation of the First Amendment and die judge herself has referred to it as “novel” and “problematic" The Count accused Stewart of trying to prop tip die stock : price of Martha Stewart Liv-ing Qmnimedia when she claimed in 2002 that she had sold ImClone because of a deal with Bacanovic to dump the stock when it fell to $60 ' Stewart personally stood to lose $30 million for every dollar her stock price dropped The government claims tiiat was a fie and that Stewart sold instead because - ! Bacanovic sent word to her that her friend ImClone Systems founder SamWaksal was frantically trying to sell ' his ImClone shares StilL'many legal experts said they believed the charge was unprecedented and Stewart’s most ardent supporters cried tiiat she was bong prosecuted for simply saying she was innocent iinnnncH APPLIANCE 137 SOUTH MAIN "Convenient Stove ddo -8- 00-897-UNK eJ LA Wlul nM IXJnnQaiOBl n6) : Cnetomer ' V '5 - in any department URSBUBf 1 iJiFBM 3IIEBL : V:- Off Otaeltem v Bietter Prices w OOmfiSDCVKWflGS Judge: Count of a BOOK TABLE COUPON E F0RADUSG Call Martha Stewart’s most serious charge dismissed s CHIDREN'S BOOKS SJUCAnONAL jdvs MUX BOOKS: : LDS BOOKS WEOSACD’S INSTRUMENT SAIES OFFICE SUPPUES ACCESSORY GENERAL BOOKS THE BOOK TABLE Yomr Family Book St & ITaie 75S-M- MAMFUXX DOWNSWBS SHEET MUX AND ' State Safety Inspection LDS ART MITBWIlMyg COUPON GOOD UNTIL SJ504 1WreBto-VtonipuireBcli- ten 3131 N Mato ' ' Logwl ' : 787-004- 0 WSnny'iBliepecScnFtoilncSgri i |