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WORLD
Israeli shuns Carter
JERUSALEM – Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is getting a cool reception in Israel, where he arrived on Sunday at the start of a nine-day Middle East tour that he said would likely include a meeting with Hamas leaders in Syria.
Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who brokered the first Arab-Israeli peace accord, is being shunned by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. However, Carter met on Sunday with President Shimon Peres, whose position is ceremonial.
Carter also plans to travel to the West Bank and to meet the leaders of Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan on what the Atlanta-based Carter Center called a “study mission” to support Middle East peace efforts.
A spokesman for Olmert declined to comment on the Carter trip, but other Israeli officials said the reason for the cold shoulder here was Carter’s plan to meet Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in Damascus, a move that has been criticized by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Run-up to Olympics, China blasts foreign critics
BEIJING – Bristling at criticism in the run-up to the Summer Olympics, China is lashing back at its foreign critics – by name.
Earlier this week, the state Xinhua news agency called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “disgusting.” And on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu lambasted a CNN commentator, Jack Cafferty, for his “vicious” commentary on China.
Protests plaguing the global Olympic torch relay, along with mounting criticism of China’s handling of domestic unrest by Tibetans, have embittered many Chinese. As foreign leaders discuss whether to boycott the Olympics’ opening ceremonies on Aug. 8, Chinese Internet sites are replete with their own mounting calls for boycotts of foreign goods, souring the mood as the nation prepares to host its biggest international event ever.
NATIONAL
Major airline mergers on the horizon
DETROIT – The Northwest-Delta merger is still taxiing up the runway, but already it faces some significant hurdles.
The chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure warned Tuesday of the dangers of the merger as industry experts said major labor difficulties loom in the airlines’ flight path.
Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., said the proposed merger, announced late Monday, would set off a cascade of other combinations in the airline industry, ultimately resulting in three major carriers.
He said this combination would hurt the ability of discount airlines to compete and increase the major carriers’ concentration of power, leading to higher fares and fewer flights.
LOCAL/BSU
Power bills expected to rise
Idaho Power has asked state regulators for an average 13 percent rate hike to cover the higher costs it faced to obtain electricity during last year’s drought conditions.
However, an order by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday is expected to reduce the increase some by allowing the company to use proceeds from sulfur dioxide emission sales to partially offset the power production costs.
The initial Idaho Power rate request would increase bills for different customer groups, but the final version approved by the Public Utilities Commission is expected to be lower than the initial rate increase.
Idaho Power calculated the costs customers would see using the higher figure. Under those calculations, typical residential customers – those who use 1,050 kilowatt-hours each month – would pay an extra $6.80 a month. Their summertime bills would rise from $72.76 to $79.56 a month.
CWI evaluates benefits
The College of Western Idaho Board of Trustees will look at private-sector options for health care coverage, as well as at state plans.
During its Tuesday meeting, the board discussed benefits for community college employees, including health, paid vacation, paid holidays, sick leave and disability.
The College of Western Idaho board will request bids from private insurers to compare side-by-side with the state’s plan. Trustees hope to make a decision on health insurance plans in their May meeting.
The College of Western Idaho now offers some workforce training classes, and officials hope to begin offering limited academic courses this fall before a formal opening in January 2009. Boise State University’s Larry Selland College of Applied Technology will transfer to CWI in July 2009.
Jan Baxter, human resources director at CWI, recommended that the board take a look at the state of Idaho’s group insurance plan, which includes health, life, dental, vision, mental health, disability and wellness.
WHAT THE?
People who live in glass houses …
A man called the police in Ridgefield, Wash., to complain about his neighbor’s cat. But the cops smelled marijuana on the complainant when he came to the door. They discovered he had grown 84 marijuana plants in his home and arrested him.
World/National/What the? stories courtesy of MCT Campus Wire Services unless otherwise credited. Local/BSU stories are courtesy of the Boise State Web site at www.boisestate.edu. All stories are compiled by News Writers.