European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 11, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday april 112007 stars and stripes Page 13 Congress approval High As dems Challenge Bush by David Espo the associated press Washington Public approval for Congress is at its highest level in a year As democrats Mark 100 Days in Power and step up their confrontation with president Bush Over his handling of the Iraq War the Issue that overshadows All others yet for All their eagerness to Challenge Bush congressional democrats so far have failed to attract significant support among independents a group that helped propel them to Power in last Falls elections and now appears More strongly opposed to the War than the general Public the findings from an Apps of nation wide poll provide a snapshot of Public senti ment in the Days after the House and sen ate triggered a series of veto threats from the president by passing separate Bills that provide funds for the War yet also Call for the withdrawal of us combat troops Overall approval for Congress is 40 per cent the Survey shows Bush approval ratings remain in the mid30 percent Range that a striking 39 percent strongly disapproves his handling of foreign policy and the War on terror and that the Public has scant Hopes that the president and con Gress can work together to solve the coun try problems the democrats Are Back rep Nancy Pelosi the first woman speaker in history had exulted on Jan 3 As her party claimed control for the first time in More than a de Cade while the Iraq War has dominated the Days since then democrats also quickly showcased their Domestic priorities and used their Power to Convene hearings and Issue subpoenas to Embarrass the administration already though the limits on the new majority Power Are evident the minimum wage Bill is becalmed As republicans demand tax cuts As the Price for passage and Bush has threatened to veto a Mea sure to expand the criteria for Federal fund ing of embryonic Stem cell research the House passed the Bill earlier in the year and Senate debate is scheduled for this week while Pelosi has commanded much of the spotlight for the democrats the party Senate Leader Harry Reid has shown an in creasing willingness to Challenge Bush Over Iraq a strategy that encourages this enemy to wait us out is dangerous dangerous for our troops dangerous for our Security Bush said in one of several recent veto threats Reid responded by announcing support for legislation to give the president one year to get troops out ending funding for combat operations after March 312008 that is a tougher stand than either the House or Senate took last month and the next step will be for lawmakers to reach a Compromise when they return from a Spring break a veto is widely expected and the presi Dent is Likely to demand Congress then Send him a replacement measure that meets his conditions that would pose a Challenge to Pelosi and Reid As they try to satisfy the Antiwar members of their rank and file while fending off charges they Are leaving the troops without sufficient funds against that backdrop the a poll Indi Cates the Public wants Congress to push for an end to a War that has claimed the lives of More than 3200 us troops teen charged in fatal shooting at school gets 45year sentence by Duncan Mansfield the associated press Jacksboro Tenn a plea Deal was reached in the Case of a 15yearold charged As an adult in the fatal shooting of an assistant principal and wounding of two other administrators before a jury could be seated tuesday Kenneth Bartleyjr 14 at the time of the shootings agreed to plead guilty to one count of Sec on degree murder and two counts of attempted seconded Gree murder in the 2005 shootings at Campbell county comprehensive High school he was sentenced to 45 years in adult prison the Deal was announced after special judge Jon Kerry Black Wood consulted with defense and prosecution attorneys the two administrators who survived and the widow of the Man who died the shooting occurred nov 8 2005 after school officials con fronted Bartley about having a gun assistant principal Ken Bruce 48 died while assistant principal Jim Pierce and Princi pal Gary Seale were wounded Bartley had lost a bid to have the Case handled in juvenile court he was charged with first degree murder and attempted murder and faced More than 50 years in prison Bartley had been in and out of trouble while in Middle school and had spent about a year and a half in a residential juvenile treat ment program before his parents brought him Home Deputy sheriff Darrell Mongar testified during a february hear ing that Bartley told him the pistol was his fathers and he planned to Trade it for oxycontin a powerful painkiller Pierce testified at the hearing that he told Bartley he wanted what you have in your pocket thais when Bartley withdrew the gun he said Kenny stood up with the gun waving it at All of us Pierce said or scale asked him if it was real he said yes its real ill show you i never liked you any Way Pierce said Bartley pulled out an ammunition clip loaded the gun and fired Seale was shot first in the lower Abdomen Bruce was shot in the Chest Pierce was hit in the Chest As he struggled to disarm the youth he testified hew York admits being slow in response to rats new York in the first complaint the City health department received about a Roden infested fast food restaurant someone said a rat fell from the ceiling that was on Jan 22 a full month before the rat infestation at a Bell in Manhattan was captured on video by a to camera the details came from one of two reports issued monday by the City seeking to explain How the Bell in Greenwich Village earned a passing Grade following a february inspection the reports cited systemic failures and a health department inspectors Lack of Diligence the inspector resigned the same Day the re ports were released the department said the inspector Zernone Thomas under report de the rodent related findings and failed to take proper action which constituted a Gross dereliction of her duties girls gone wild founder in custody Pensacola Fla the founder of the girls gone wild video Empire surrendered to Federal marshals Early tuesday on contempt of court charges Joe Francis 34 was booked into the Bay county jail later tuesday said Ruth Sasser a spokeswoman for the sheriffs office from the associated press Anthony Lacalamita Center is arrested monday following a High Speed Chase on interstate 75 in South Bay county near Detroit Lacalamita is suspected of shooting three people monday at an accounting firm in Troy Mich Kevin Hagen Bay car Mich police 2 apparently targeted in Michigan office shootings by David Aguilar the associated press Troy Mich ninety min utes after reporting to work Jean Larson heard what turned out to be deadly gunfire inside her of fice building then All hell broke Loose police say Anthony Lacalamita i an accounting firm employee fired from his Job last week re turned monday to the building where he previously worked and shot three people killing one two of the victims were apparently targeted police said we heard pop pop pop smelled Gunpowder and heard coworkers Yelling said Larson 48 a staff accountant for a subsidiary of Gordon advisors i heard one employee scream ing Hes got a gun Hes got a gun it was a panic no one knew what to do no one knew where to go the gunman then left the office Complex and headed North where he was spotted hours later by a Motorist 50 Miles North of de troit he was taken into custody after leading officers on a 30mile High Way Chase that reached speeds up to 120 Mph Lacalamita 38 said nothing after officers surrounded him Genesee county sheriff Robert j Pickell said officers subdued him and found a 12gauge pump action Shotgun and three live shells in the vehicle the sheriff said Lacalamita was being held on charges of fleeing and eluding police police investigators were expected to meet tuesday with Oak land county prosecutors to Autho Rize charges in the shootings and Lacalamita was to be arraigned wednesday Troy police it Gerry Scherlinck said Troy police chief Charles Craft said Lacalamita was fired last week but still was listed on the web site of Gordon advisors a 40to 50employee company where workers had been Busy pre paring tax returns police said the person killed was a 63yearold woman but would not name her Calls to Gordon advisors were not answered monday afternoon a message posted on the Compa nys web site said the office would be closed tuesday in Mem Ory of Madeline Kafoury Larson said Kafoury was Well known and Well liked she said Kafoury retired last year after tax season ended but re turned Par time this year after her successor quit Scherlinck identified the other victims As a 47yearold Man and a 48yearold Man he said the men were in management positions and the gun Man May have also been seeking another Man who want at the of fice at the time it appears that he was especially targeting those two males Scherlinck said the families of the wounded men requested privacy and Beau Mont Hospital would not release any details about their conditions Hospital spokeswoman Ilene Wolff said associated press writers Ron Vample and Jeff Karoub in Detroit Corey Wili iams in Troy and Kathy barks Hoffman in Lansing contributed to this report