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Show Monday, April 11, 2011 Page 2 WorldeiNatiOn Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com OarifyCorrect The policy of The Utah Statesman is to correct any error made as soon as possible. If you find something you would like clarified or find unfair, please contact the editor at 797-1762 or TSC 105. Nat'lBriefs Utah judge strikes FDA's ban on ephedra AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Charl Schwartzel has won the Masters by two strokes over Adam Scott and Jason Day after a wild final day at Augusta National. The 26-year-old South African closed with four straight birdies, making a 20-footer at the final hole to wrap up a 6-under 66. He finished 14-under 274, enough to deny Australia its first green jacket. Scott shot a 67 and Day finished with two straight birdies for a 68, leaving both Aussies at 276. It wasn't enough to hold off Schwartzel, who gives South Africa another major champion. Tiger Woods was in a group at 278, failing to capitalize after shooting 31 on the front side. Company questioned over Hawaii blast WAIPAHU, Hawaii (AP) — Honolulu fire officials will try to determine the age and type of fireworks inside a bunker that exploded, killing five people, as they continue their probe into what caused the blast. Honolulu fire Capt. Gary Lum says investigators also want to know what six employees of ordnance disposal company Donaldson Enterprises Inc. were doing when the blast occurred Friday, killing five of them. Authorities plan to put those questions to company officials Monday, when they will also return to see if the bunker is safe to enter for a more thorough inspection. The bunker was still warm Saturday, and officials wore protective equipment to retrieve the bodies of the last two victims. LateNiteHumor Top 10 Southwest Airlines Excuses — April 5, 2011 10. Not a hole, it's a sunroof. 9. Wanted to be known for more than just our chaotic seating policy. 8. Cabin was getting a little stuffy. 7. Who cares? At least we don't fly to Dayton. 6. Hello? Fashion Week? Torn fuselages are in! 5. Don't think of them as cracks, think of them as nooks and crannies. 4. It's called an "air" plane, not an "airtight" plane. 3. Excuses? How about a thank you? 2. April Fools! 1. Our mechanics get less sleep than our pilots. Egypt's Mubarak denies abuse of power CAIRO (AP) — In the first remarks since his dramatic ouster, former President Hosni Mubarak denied that he used his position to amass wealth and property during three decades in power, and issued an emotional defense of his legacy. The statement, broadcast Sunday at the end of a turbulent weekend that saw a deadly military crackdown on protesters, only stoked more public anger. In the prerecorded audiotape, the 82-year-old Mubarak spoke with a tone of authority more in keeping with his past power than his current situation. He said he had agreed to "authorize" an investigation of his finances, and promised to sue all those who smeared his reputation. As the ruling military council comes under increasing public pressure for its management of the post-Mubarak transition, the ex-president's first words were a reminder that he still has a grip on the country's mood. Shortly after the speech was aired, Egypt's prosecutor general announced he had issued orders summoning the ex-president and his two sons for questioning on the embezzlement allegations. The scope of the investigation was also widened to include the crackdown on protesters that killed an estimated 300 people. The move could help ease public anger now largely directed at the military. The pan-Arab news channel AlArabiya, which broadcast the speech, said it was recorded Saturday, a day after demonstrators gathered in huge numbers in Cairo's Tahrir Square to demand that the military council that took over from Mubarak launch an investigation into his wealth. The speech seemed to be as much about preserving his dignity as about denying the accusations against him. "I was hurt very much, and I am still hurting — my family and I — from the unjust campaigns against us and false allegations that aim to smear my reputation, my integrity, my (political) stances and my military history," Mubarak said. The speech came as hundreds of protesters remain barricaded in Tahrir square, the epicenter of the uprising that forced Mubarak from office on Feb. 11 after 18 days of mass demonstrations. Friday's protest by tens of thousands was the biggest since Mubarak's ouster. Despite constitutional amendments to allow free elections and other steps toward a freer political scene, many in the anti-Mubarak movement are skeptical of the military's pledges to meet all demands. Trust between the military and the reform movement suffered a serious setback when soldiers stormed their protest camp in the pre-dawn hours Saturday, killing at least one person and injuring 71 others. That increased calls for the resignation of the head of the military council running the country, Defense Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, a Mubarak appointee. It also spurred protesters to retake Tahrir Square, shutting down traffic in the heart of the city. On Sunday, hundreds remained barricaded there behind barbed wire and burned-out troop carriers. Since his ouster, Mubarak and his family have been under house arrest at a presidential palace in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, their assets frozen. But Mubarak has not been charged. In his speech, the former president said he only possessed a single account in an Egyptian bank and only held property in Egypt. He said he would agree in writing, if requested, to allow the prosecutor-general to contact other countries to investigate whether he or FORMER EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT Hosini Mubarak made his first remarks since being removed from office, Sunday. AP photo his wife, Suzanne, owned any accounts or property abroad. He said the move was to "prove to the people that their former president only owns domestically, according to previous financial disclosure." Debate brewing over Utah tar mine proposal SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Beneath the lush, green hills of eastern Utah's Uinta Basin, where elk, bear and bison outnumber people, the soil is saturated with a sticky tar that may soon provide a new domestic source of petroleum for the United States. It would be a first-of-its kind project in the country that some fear could be a slippery slope toward widespread wilderness destruction. With crude prices surging beyond $100 a barrel, and politicians preaching the need to reduce America's reliance on foreign supplies, companies are now looking for more local sources. One Canadian firm says it's found it in the tar sands of Utah's Book Cliffs. Alberta-based Earth Energy Resources Inc. aims to start with a roughly 62-acre mine here to produce bitumen, a tar-like form of petroleum, from oil-soaked sands. For decades, other Utah operators have used oil sands as a poor-man's asphalt, and Canada has been wringing oil from the ground for years, but nobody has yet tried to produce petroleum from U.S. soil on such a scale. And it could be just the beginning. The company has over 7,800 acres of Utah state land under lease, with plans to acquire more, and estimates its current holdings contain more than 250 million barrels of recoverable oil. "This is not just a 62-acre project that will last seven years. We are looking at a 30,000-acre project that will destroy the environment in this area over many years," said John Weisheit, a Colorado River guide and founder of the Moab, Utah-based environmental Tornado destroys multiple blocks of Iowa town MAPLETON, Iowa (AP) — Jamy Garden's house began to rumble with the approach of a tornado that at one point measured three-quarters of a mile wide. Then the windows shattered, spraying her with glass. Using her cell phone as a flashlight, she fled downstairs and called her grandmother. On Sunday, she returned home, wandering her backyard in a blood-splattered hooded sweat shirt, her right hand and left knee wrapped in gauze. Around her lay a tangle of tree branches, twisted siding, broken glass and a canoe that wasn't hers. The tornado that struck the evening before damaged more than half of Mapleton, a town of 1,200 in western Iowa, Mayor Fred Standa said Sunday. He estimated about 20 percent of the town was "almost flat." The huge, centuries-old trees the town was named for had been pulled out of the ground and wrapped around houses and tossed on top of cars, Standa said. In one case, a huge motor home had been flipped on its side. "It's not a pretty sight," Standa said. "It's something nobody has seen in this town." Garden's house survived, but everything inside was tossed around. Her two dogs were safe, but she hadn't yet found her cat. "I don't know where our gazebo went," she said. "The garbage can right there, that was in the front yard. The shed is gone. I don't know what else to tell you. This is the most tumultuous thing I've ever expe- DAVE WITZEL SEARCHES THROUGH his home as Mapleton, Iowa, residents begin clean-up efforts Sunday, after a tornado devastated part of the town. AP photo rienced by far." The tornado destroyed 12 to 15 blocks in the southwest corner of Mapleton when it struck about 7:20 p.m. Saturday, Monona County Sheriff Jeff Pratt said. The tornado destroyed about 100 homes beyond repair, and has displaced an estimated 500 to 600 resi• dents, he said. The tornado was on the ground for three and a hall miles and measured three-quarters of a mile wide at one point, according to the National Weather Service office in Valley, Neb. The twister was measured to be on the lower end of an EF3, which carries wind speeds of 136 to 165 mph. In Mapleton, the roof was blown off a high school, power lines were downed and homes and buildings were destroyed. Pratt said two people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries. The weather service saic it had received reports of 14 to 16 injuries, the most severe a broken leg. Utilities also were damaged, and gas fumes filled the town, prompting officials to shut off service. Pratt said gas service will remain off for the next two weeks, but electricity should be restored in the next day or so. Gov. Terry Branstad issued an emergency proclamation covering Mapleton and surrounding Monana County on Saturday so the state could send services to respond to the storm, his office said. He toured Mapleton on Sunday afternoon. Branstad said it was too early to know whether the tornado qualified for federal aid. "Whatever state resources are needed, we're going to provide," he said. cA/e,- ....a:a/MOIZaf die/7 45 North Main Logan, Utah 84321 (435) 753-4870 WE OFFER HUNDREDS OF ENGAGEMENT RING STYLES FROM OUR EXCLUSIVE DESIGNER Join us on Facebook for a chance to win a diamond! |