April 16

Page 1

dn the

dailynebraskan.com

tuesday, april 16, 2013 volume 112, issue 138

Inside Coverage

New: poems and prose

Dealing with disaster

UNL literary journal “Laurus” available today

Honor victims, first responders in Boston tragedy

5

4

unl reacts to bill to abolish death penalty Nebraska has executed three people since 1976, when the capital punishment became constitutional. Eleven convicted murderers sit on death row in Nebraska today. Those men could have Sen. Ernie Chambers to thank for their lives if Chambers’ LB543 passes through the state legislature. The bill, which advanced 7-0 in the Judiciary Committee last month, would abolish

the death penalty in favor of a life sentence without parole. Nebraska would be the seventh state to abolish the death penalty if Chambers’ bill passes, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. And use of the death penalty has declined: There were 43 executions nationwide in 2012 compared with 98 in 1999, according to a Death Penalty Information Center report.

It sounds like it’s logical. Killing people without knowing for sure if they are innocent or not is not (right).” Brett Willms

I agree that there shouldn’t be a death penalty, so I would support the bill.” Calena Morehead junior psychology major

freshman business accounting major

I guess I’m all for (the bill). I mean, I’d rather people not be dying if we are trying to make up our minds about, rather than killing them and thinking, ‘Maybe this is wrong.’” Emma Nelson

I don’t think anyone deserves the death penalty, but I wouldn’t want them ever let out of jail. I would totally agree with the bill.” Brianna Meyer freshman pre-nursing major

senior music major

I would say that it’s difficult to gauge because its a polarizing issue. Personally, I’m against the death penalty and I would support the bill.” Ryan Nielson sophomore journalism major

I don’t think they should do that. I think they should still have the death penalty. I just feel like if somebody is willing to commit the crime against humanity, they should have the ultimate punishment of life.” Dylan Hostetler visitor

Courtesy photo by Kenshin Okubo | The Daily Free Press

Spectators of the Boston Marathon run away from two explosions that occurred near the race’s finish line. The blasts caused three deaths and 134 injuries at press time.

Lincoln, UNL feel effects of Boston Marathon explosions Famous race ends in destruction, heartbreak story by Daniel Wheaton

A

year ago, Sammy Nabulsi completed the Boston Marathon in about four hours. Monday afternoon, two bomb blasts rang out during the marathon about four hours after the race began, killing three people and injuring more than 130. Nabulsi did not run in the race this year, but had he completed it with a similar time, he would have been very close to the blast. “It’s still really hard to believe it happened,” Nabulsi said. “It felt like a really sick movie. It’s tough to conceptualize.” Nabulsi, a 2011 University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate, now lives in Boston where he is pursuing a law degree at Suffolk University Law School. Questions were plentiful and answers sparse Monday afternoon when the two explosions occurred near the end of the marathon. The Associated Press broke the news at roughly 3 p.m., eastern time, as images of the explosions circulated on social media and several Vine videos of the aftermath went viral. Shortly after, Boston police reported three deaths, and 134 people were reported injured at press time. Nabulsi was one of many people in Boston with connections to Lincoln and UNL. As incoming student body president for his law school, Nabulsi spent the afternoon making sure students were safe. He said all six runners in the race from his school have been accounted for. Several hours after the blast, President Barack Obama held a press conference discussing the events. “The American people will say a prayer for Boston tonight,” Obama said. “Michelle and I send our deepest prayers and thoughts to the families and victims in the wake of this senseless loss. We don’t yet have all the answers, but we do know that multiple people

Courtesy photo by Kenshin Okubo | The Daily Free Press

Emotions were raw Monday evening as people search for news of loved ones at the marathon. “I think it was an attack; we don’t know whether it was homegrown...or a foreign perpetrator,” said President Barack Obama. have been wounded — some gravely — in explosions at the Boston Marathon.” During his comments, Obama reiterated that there are few facts. He extended federal resources to Boston Mayor Tom Menino and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to aid in the investigation and tend to the wounded. Whether there are any connections to terror organizations remains unanswered. “Any event with multiple explosive devices — as this appears to be — is clearly an act of terror, and will be approached as an act of terror,” an anonymous official told Reuters. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein said she believes the

explosions constituted a terrorist attack. “I think it was an attack; we don’t know whether it was homegrown … or a foreign perpetrator,” she told The Washington Post. According to the marathon’s website, 85 Nebraskans took part in the race, 19 from Lincoln. All are safe, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. Eddie Walters, a sophomore criminal justice major, finished the marathon about an hour before the blasts occurred. Once he finished the race, he was on the subway headed back to his hotel when the first responders to the scene started clearing the area. “At first I really didn’t think much about

boston: see page 3

Global Friends of Japan raises money for relief efforts andrew barry dn The people of Japan are still feeling the economic and social aftershocks of the March 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, but one University of Nebraska-Lincoln organization hopes to lessen the country’s struggle to rebuild. Global Friends of Japan held

2

a spring fair on the greenspace Monday to raise money for the Japanese Red Cross Society, which provides relief to people affected by the tsunami. The fair incorporated Japanese culture into a medley of unique carnival games people paid to participate in. The group hopes the spring fair and other fundraising events will raise $1,000 or more to help rebuild the Tohoku region of

Japan. Group member Aiko Carter, a sophomore English major at UNL, hopes the games will provide an important source of income to a cause she said has lost much of its initial support. “I think people have forgotten about the tsunami,” said Carter, who is the treasurer of GFJ. “I think that we need to make sure people

don’t forget that the tsunami may be over, but there are still people suffering from it. We’ve had members of the club whose families have been affected.” At some carnival events, festivalgoers could win prizes, much of which were handcrafted by organization members or donated. Daruma Otoshi was one of the games people could play. In this game,

there are multiple short cylinders stacked on top of each other, and the goal is to knock out the lower body of the stack one by one, without causing the top cylinder to fall. Many media reports estimated the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and the ensuing tsunami caused $200 billion to $300 billion in damage. Besides the almost 19,000 people who were killed, many people were

more Inside Coverage:

Mobile media takes center stage Grant to create new lab focusing on mobile journalism awarded

10

Clutch strike Nebraska bowling team captures fourth national title

@dailyneb | facebook.com/dailynebraskan

displaced from their homes because of the radiation fallout at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, according to the Associated Press. “There’s still a lot of effort for the recovery because it’s completely wiped out,” said Ben Norton, a senior international business major

GFJ: see page 2


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.