GOLDEN, Colo. – President Bush, on a three-state trip to promote his energy policy, said Tuesday that a budgeting mix-up was the reason 32 workers at one of the nation’s premier renewable energy labs were laid off and then reinstated just before his visit.
Bush addressed the funding problem as soon as he began speaking at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which is developing the sort of renewable energy technologies the president is promoting.
“Sometimes, decisions made as the result of the appropriations process, the money may not end up where it was supposed to have gone,” Bush said.
Two weeks ago, the lab workers, including eight researchers, were laid off at the lab because of a $28 million budget shortfall. Then, over the weekend, at the direction of Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, $5 million was transferred back to the lab to get the workers back on the job.
N.Y.: Libraries still have support
Two out of three adults visited a public library last year and more than nine out of 10 believe libraries will remain necessary in the future despite the rise of the Internet, according to a new study by the American Library Association. The percentage of adults visiting libraries was also about two-thirds in the previous ALA survey, in 2002. Of those who visited libraries, about 8 out of 10 said they took out of a book, compared to about 3 in 10 who connected to the Internet. Around 1 out of 3 borrowed a CD, video or computer software.
Nevada: Standoff at Harrah’s casino
Police blasted out a 20th story window and stormed a room at a Las Vegas Strip hotel-casino Tuesday, arresting a gunman who authorities say killed a man and shot at police and a security guard during a six-hour standoff. No shots were fired in the final assault on Room 2036 of Harrah’s Carnaval Tower, as a SWAT team burst in around 7 a.m. Hotel guests on the 19th, 20th and 21st floors were evacuated about 1 a.m. after several people said they heard shots ring out.
Arizona: Five found dead in house
Police responding to reports of screams and gunshots found five bodies Tuesday in a Mesa home, including those of a 10-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl. Officers also found the bodies of a 32-year-old woman and those of two men, ages 30 and 18. Police did not immediately release the victims’ names or causes of death. Sgt. Chuck Trapani said there were signs of a struggle but no signs of forced entry.
Florida: Nooses at firehouse
The NAACP is calling for a federal investigation of the Jacksonville fire department after two black firefighters reported finding hangman’s nooses on their gear. Nooses have in the past been used by racists to intimidate blacks because of the connection to lynching. Mayor John Peyton has asked the city’s Human Rights Commission and the General Counsel’s Office to investigate.
California: Casino bus crashes
A casino bus plowed through a guard rail on a highway east of San Diego and landed in a drainage ditch, seriously injuring three people, authorities said. The shuttle from Barona Valley Ranch Resort &Casino crashed when the driver swerved on Highway 67 late Monday, the California Highway Patrol said. Authorities were investigating what caused the driver to swerve.
Massachusetts: Harvard head out
Lawrence Summers ended his tumultuous stint as Harvard University president Tuesday, choosing to resign June 30 rather than fight with a faculty angered by his management style and comments that innate ability may explain why few women reach top science posts. Summers’ move brings to a close the briefest tenure of any Harvard president since 1862, when Cornelius Felton died after two years in office. Summers had held the post since 2001.
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