NATION/WORLD The Gazette, Thursday, February 19, 2009 7A

Chimp’s owner says Burris saga angers Illinois residents

animal not on Xanax CHICAGO (AP) — Should
he resign? Can he be forced
out? Will he face charges?
Illinoisans who thought
ics committee inquiry is under
way. Illinois lawmakers have
asked local prosecutors to look
into perjury charges. And the
he testified that he hadn’t had
contact with key Blagojevich
staffers or offered anything in
return for the seat.
have the complete story before
the final conclusion that we
reach,” Durbin said.
Senate Majority Leader
STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) ies are any indication, Coc- they had put one big mess calls for his resignation grow, Last weekend, Burris re- Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he’s
— As authorities consid- caro said. behind them even from his own party. leased an affidavit saying he not calling for Burris to resign
ered criminal charges, the The chimpanzee’s ram- with the ouster “Our state and its citizens had spoken to several Blago- even though the account of
woman whose 200-pound page forced Herold to stab of Gov. Rod deserve the whole truth, not jevich advisers, including how he was appointed “seems
domesticated chimpanzee her beloved pet with a Blagojevich bits and pieces only when it is Robert Blagojevich, the for- to be changing day by day.”
went berserk and mauled a butcher knife and pound are getting that convenient,” Rep. Phil Hare, mer governor’s brother and “It’s not for me to say that
friend backtracked Wednes- him with a shovel. queasy, here- D-Ill., said Wednesday in call- finance chairman, who Burris he lied,” Reid said Wednes-
day on whether she gave “For me to do something we-go-again ing on Burris to step down. said called three times last fall day. “I don’t know if he lied or
the animal the anti-anxiety like that — put a knife in feeling from Blagojevich was arrested asking for fundraising help. didn’t. Right now, he’s a mem-
drug Xanax. him — was like putting one Sen. Roland Dec. 9 on charges he plotted to This week, Burris admitted ber of the Senate.”
Sandra Herold told in myself.” she said Wednes- Burris, who sell President Barack Obama’s trying, unsuccessfully, to raise At a City Club of Chicago
the Associated Press on day. “Then he turned Roland Burris
has given shift- Senator vacant Senate seat for cam- money for Blagojevich. luncheon Wednesday, a fiery
Wednesday around and like, ‘Mom, ing accounts of paign cash or a plum job for Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, Burris asked guests to stop the
that she nev- what did you do?’ ” how he came to himself. Before he could be the U.S. Senate’s No. 2 Demo- rush to judgment.
er gave the Herold’s voice was filled be appointed to the Senate. impeached and removed from crat, said Wednesday that “If I had done the things I
drug to her with fear and horror in 911 “I think he should resign,” office, he defied lawmakers by Burris’ statements “need to be been accused of, I would be too
14-year-old tapes released by police Jan Treptow, 58, a nurse in appointing Burris to the Sen- looked at very carefully.” embarrassed to stand up here
chimp, Tra- Tuesday night. Chicago, said Wednesday. “He ate. “His sworn testimony in in front of you because you all
vis, who was Travis can be heard seems to have lied. We’ve got Now Burris is accused of ly- Springfield did not satisfy our are my friends,” Burris said.
shot dead grunting as she cries for enough dishonesty.” ing to an Illinois House com- requirement in that it was He then said he would no lon-
by Stamford help: “He’s killing my A preliminary Senate eth- mittee back in January when not complete and we need to ger speak with the media.
police Mon- Sandra Herold friend!”
day after he Owner The dispatcher says,
grievously “Who’s killing your
wounded friend?” INTERNET
Herold’s friend Charla Herold replies, “My chim-

Nash.
However, Herold said in
an interview aired Wednes-
day morning on NBC’s “To-
day” show that she gave
Travis the drug in some tea
less than five minutes be-
fore he attacked Nash — she
even showed a reporter the
mug. Police have said Her-
old told them that she gave
Travis Xanax that had not
been prescribed for him ear-
lier on Monday to calm him
because he was agitated.
In humans, Xanax can
lead to aggression in people
who are unstable to begin
with, said Dr. Emil Coccaro,
chief of psychiatry at the
University of Chicago Medi-
cal Center.
“Xanax could have made
him worse,” if human stud-
Facebook backs
panzee! He ripped her apart!
Shoot him, shoot him!”
After police arrived,
one officer radioed back:
“There’s a man down. He off on change
in user policies
doesn’t look good,” he says,
referring to the disfigured
Nash. “We’ve got to get this
guy out of here. He’s got no NEW YORK (AP) — In an
face.” about-face after a torrent of
Doctors at Stamford Hos- online protests, Facebook is
pital said Wednesday that it backing off a change in its user
took four teams of surgeons policies while it figures how
more than seven hours to best to resolve questions like
stabilize Nash, 55. Hand who controls the information
specialists, plastic surgeons shared on the social network-
and specialists in orthope- ing site.
dics, ophthalmology and The site, which boasts
trauma have treated Nash, 175 million users from around
who has made slight prog- the world, had quietly updat-
ress but remained in critical ed its terms of use — its gov-
condition, Dr. Kevin Miller erning document — a couple
said at a news conference of weeks ago. The changes
with the victim’s family. sparked an uproar after pop-
ular consumer rights advo-
AP cacy blog Consumerist.com
Police clear away debris from a barricade Wednesday after a night of rioting over high prices and low pointed them out Sunday, in

Geronimo’s descendants sue wages in Petit-Bourg on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. a post titled “Facebook’s New
Terms Of Service: ‘We Can Do
Anything We Want With Your
Skull and Bones over remains Tourists cancel vacations Content. Forever.’ ”
Facebook has since sought
to reassure its users — tens of

after Guadeloupe unrest

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) —
Geronimo’s descendants have
sued Skull and Bones — the se-
cret society at Yale University
linked to presidents and other
powerful figures — claiming
that its members stole the re-
mains of the legendary Apache
leader decades ago and have
kept them ever since.
The federal lawsuit filed in
Washington on Tuesday — the
100th anniversary of Geroni-
mo’s death — also names the
university and the federal gov-
ernment.
Geronimo’s great-grandson
Harlyn Geronimo said his fam-
ily believes Skull and Bones
members took some of the
remains in 1918 from a burial
plot in Fort Sill, Okla., to keep
in its New Haven clubhouse,
a crypt. The alleged graverob-
bing is a long-standing legend
that gained some validity in
recent years with the discov- thousands of whom had joined
ery of a letter from a member protest groups on the site —
that described the theft. that this is not the case. And
The society is not affiliated on Wednesday morning, us-
FORT-DE-FRANCE, Mar- “Tourism is fragile,” she
with the university. ers who logged on to Facebook
tinique (AP) — Thousands of said. “People are not only can-
After years of famously were greeted by a message
tourists looking for fun in the celing this week, but also for
fighting the U.S. and Mexican saying that the site is revert-
sun have canceled vacations all the months of February,
armies, Geronimo and 35 war- ing to its previous terms of use
to a pair of French Caribbean March and April. We have a
riors surrendered to Gen. Nel- policies while it resolves the
islands, where violent strikes huge deficit of tourists ahead
son A. Miles near the Arizona- issues raised.
have left one man dead, piles of us.”
New Mexico border in 1886. of smelly uncollected garbage At least 10,000 tourists have Facebook spelled out, in
He was eventually sent to in the streets, and stores loot- canceled vacations in Mar- plain English rather than the
Fort Sill and died at the Army ed and burned. tinique and Guadeloupe, ac- legalese that prompted the
outpost of pneumonia in 1909. Protesters in Martinique cording to the National Travel protests, that it “doesn’t claim
According to lore, members and Guadeloupe have per- Agencies organization. rights to any of your photos
of Skull and Bones — including sisted with a work stoppage Guadeloupe’s strike, waged or other content. We need a
former President George W. to demand higher salaries and by residents struggling with license in order to help you
Bush’s grandfather, Prescott lower prices, hurting scores of soaring living costs, has per- share information with your
Bush — dug up his grave businesses including restau- sisted for almost a month. friends, but we don’t claim to
when a group of Army volun- rants, hotels and car rental Martinique’s is in its third own your information.”
teers from Yale were stationed agencies during the islands’ week. A protester was shot Tens of thousands of users
at the fort during World War peak winter tourist season, dead late Tuesday on Gua- joined protest groups on Face-
I, taking his skull and some of Martinique Tourism Author- deloupe as youths went on a book, saying the new terms
his bones. ity chairwoman Madeleine de rampage, looting 15 business- grant the site the ability to
Harlyn Geronimo, 61, wants Grandmaison said Wednes- es and burning seven. Twenty- control their information for-
those remains. day. one cars were also torched. ever.

PEOPLE

Johnson sues over show

Associated Press
Rourke’s beloved Hendrix estate wins
trademark dispute
Chihuahua dies
Don Johnson has sued a trio of entertain-
ment companies, claiming he is owed mil-
lions of dollars in profits from the TV series Associated Press
“Nash Bridges.” Mickey Rourke The estate of rock guitarist Jimi
Johnson filed his suit and Loki Associated Press Hendrix says it has won a trademark in-
Tuesday in Los Angeles Su- Mickey Rourke is headed to the Academy fringement lawsuit against a company
perior Court. He claims he Awards both as a nominee and a grieving pet owner that promoted Hendrix
owns half of the copyright to after the death of his 17-year-old Chihuahua, Loki. Electric vodka.
“Nash Bridges” and has not A representative for Rourke, Judy Wo- The Experience
been paid his share of a loshen, said the actor’s beloved dog died Hendrix and Authentic
150 million syndication deal. Monday night. Hendrix companies in
The series aired for six Says Rourke: “Loki is deeply missed but Seattle say they won a
seasons on CBS. Johnson, with me in spirit. I feel very blessed that $3.2 million federal court
Don Johnson she fell asleep peacefully in my arms.” judgment that orders the
also of “Miami Vice” fame,
also claims he has been Rourke, who’s having a career come- vodka to be pulled from
blocked from developing “Nash Bridges” for back with his acclaimed performance in the market.
“The Wrestler,” was especially close to Jimi Hendrix
online platforms. The family-owned
He is suing the now-defunct Rysher En- Loki and is a longtime owner of Chihua- companies filed the
tertainment, 2929 Entertainment — which huas. lawsuit in 2007 against Seattle business-
was founded by Mark Cuban and Todd Rourke thanked all his dogs — living man Craig Dieffenbach, who packaged
Wagner — and Qualia Capital. and dead — after winning the Golden the vodka in purple-tinted bottles with
Globe for best actor last month, saying Hendrix’s face and signature above the
“sometimes when a man’s alone, all you label.
got is your dog.” Hendrix died in 1970 at age 27.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Actress Carlin Glynn ............................................... 69
Singer Smokey Robinson ........................................ 69
Singer Bobby Rogers of Smokey Robinson
Mirren to perform in Washington play this fall Deaths in the news
and the Miracles .................................................... 69
Singer Lou Christie ................................................. 66 Associated Press Mirren, who will play Phedre, made Associated Press
Actor Michael Nader (“All My Children”) ................... 64
Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren her reputation on London stages before Konrad Dannenberg, 96, of Hunts-
Guitarist Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath .................... 61 ville, Ala., a German rocket scientist
Actor Jeff Daniels ................................................... 54 will make an appearance on a U.S. stage winning the best-actress Oscar two
this fall in a production of Jean Racine’s years ago in “The Queen.” who was part of the Wernher von Braun
Singer-guitarist Dave Wakeling team that helped put the first American
(General Public, English Beat) ................................. 53 tragedy “Phedre.” The play also features “Mamma Mia”
Talk show host Lorianne Crook ............................... 52 The Royal National Theatre produc- heartthrob Dominic Cooper. astronauts on the moon, died Monday of
Singer Seal ............................................................ 46 tion will be put on at the Shakespeare Michael Kahn, artistic director of the natural causes.
Drummer Jon Fishman of Phish .............................. 44 Theater in Washington in September. Shakespeare Theatre Company, says Vincent Marino, 91, of Lafayette,
Actress Justine Bateman ........................................ 43 The play will follow a three-month run the wife of British Ambassador Sir Nigel La., an editor who worked at The Daily
Actor Benicio Del Toro (“Traffic”) ............................. 42 Helen Mirren in London, including a performance to Sheinwald suggested the production Advertiser for more than 50 years, died
Drummer Daniel Adair of 3 Doors Down .................. 34
be simulcast in movie theaters around come to the theater’s new playhouse, Tuesday. No cause of death was given.
Singer-actress Haylie Duff ....................................... 24
the world in June. which opened in 2007.