Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 1

Hideo Nomo fires the 1st no-hitter of the season SPORTS HHAl CHASER Itt tt AMIZONA BEPUBIiC azjfentral.com THURSDAY APRIL 5, 2001 50 CENTS IS Braget by j' SHOWERS mil ek GOOD MORNING Pay, roads targeted; Hull candidates to be cut if there is no economic upswing include: Dropout-prevention programs for students struggling with the AIMS test. Savings: $1 million. Technology to make government agencies more user-friendly. Savings: $3.8 million. Tax cuts, not yet determined, but most likely aimed at business growth.

Savings: $45 million. By Robbie Sherwood The Arizona Republic Lawmakers have agreed to delay state employee raises, put off highway construction and stifle dozens of other programs because of Arizona's sputtering economy. The measures are part of $600 million in cuts from a Milosevic backers won't give up jyMi U.S., China lower heat on spy plane not satisfied and they can override me," Hull said. "I want to be right, not sorry." House and Senate leaders say they've agonized over the trims and may pass what they have and dare Hull to veto it. Some programs could be saved if state revenue is higher than expected.

Likely Associated Press jobs deeply held religious beliefs," said Bowers, R-Mesa. The bill (Senate Bill 1225) also prohibits an employee from being fired for mental disability or gender identity. Supporters say the idea is to let state agencies compete for employees with private companies that already have such policies. "It was simply the right thing to do and long overdue," said Sen. Elaine Richardson, D-Tucson, the bill's sponsor.

Supporters of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic hold a photo of him as they protest Wednesday in front of the Belgrade prison where he is being held. A U.N. war crimes tribunal demanded that he be immediately surrendered for trial. Story, A14. iodi Inside Arizona lawmakers believe they can pass a budget despite some misgivings from Gov.

Jane Hull. B4. aDerrtralcom Read previous coverage of the state budget battle at legislature.azcentral.coin. Mi r. J.

Associated Press Chinese military policemen prepare for duty outside the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Poor kids' low math scores lamented Knight Ridder Newspapers PHILADELPHIA Eighth-graders in well-funded American school districts score nearly as well as the top nations worldwide in math and science, but students in poor urban areas are near the bottom, according to the latest report from the Third International Math and Science Study. U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige called the gap disappointing and unacceptable.

He also said President Bush's educational initiatives, which rely on grade-by-grade testing, will help solve the problem, a notion disputed by some education activists. The U.S. average is slightly above the international average but well below the top performing countries. The study shows that some schools in the United States are among the best in the world but that not all children have access to world-class education, said Michael Martin of Boston College's International Study Center, which analyzed the TIMSS results. The Napierville, 111., School District, where only 2 percent of the students live in poverty, scored better in mathematics than all states and countries tested except Singapore, Chinese Taipei and South Korea.

jinn muni i 11 1 i il Bill would outlaw baas $14 billion, two-year budget that legislators have settled on to meet shrinking state revenues. But Gov. Jane Hull says lawmakers must slice $37 million more from the budget, based on her more dire revenue projections. "If I'm not comfortable with the budget, I'll veto it, agency already ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. The measure passed, 16-14.

Supporters included a mix of Republicans and Democrats. Next stop: the state House, where gay state Rep. Steve May, R-Paradise Valley, has introduced a similar bill and where he predicts easy passage. Gov. Jane Hull has not taken a position on the bill.

Sen. Rusty Bowers opposed the bill, saying it "represents an anarchy of does not require us to surrender our "The final goal is to regularize the situation of those Mexicans who are without documents," Jorge Castaneda said after he and Mexican Interior Secretary Santiago Creel met with Secretary of State Colin Powell and Attorney General John Ash-croft. Lower-level officials then took over the complex and politically touchy task of seeking common ground for Fox and President Bush, who agreed that talks were needed during their February meeting at Fox's ranch. Fox wants the United See IMMIGRATION I Page A2 1 ram 4 thill MAJOR QUEST Phil Mickelson looks for a place in golf history at the Masters. SPORTS Glendale mayor seeks to woo the Coyotes Elaine Scruggs is aggressively courting the Phoenix Coyotes to build a new hockey arena in the West Valley.

BL ALSO INSIDE The House voted Wednesday to repeal the estate tax in 10 years, completing its work on all the major parts of President Bush's $1.6 trillion tax cut. A4. Market report: Dow industrials 29.71; NYSE 0.63; Nasdaq DL TODAY'S TALKER Quick-thinking boy ABBEVILLE, S.C. A 10-year-old boy whose leg was severed by a train used his belt as a tourniquet to save himself from bleeding to death. Alex Compton was crossing the tracks near his home Monday when he caught his foot on some rocks.

After the accident, he removed his belt and tightened it around his thigh to stem the bleeding, rescue workers said. He learned the technique from his mother, Lisa Compton, who had studied first aid at nursing school. The boy's great aunt, Mary Revels, said Alex told his mother he wouldn't have lost so much blood if he had put the belt around his leg sooner. "And then he apologized to her for going by the tracks," Revels said. A neighbor found Alex along the tracks.

His leg also was found, but doctors couldn't reattach it, Revels said. Alex was listed in fair condition Tuesday. Associated Press INDEX Astrology E2 Classifieds CL1 ComicsE4, CU4 Dear Abby E7 Lottery Obituaries B6, 7 Opinions B8, 9 Puzzles E4, 5 Television E6 Weather 111th year No. 322 A Gannett Newspaper Copyright 2001, The Arizona Republic News tips: (602) 444-2466 Circulation: (602) 444-1000 Classified: (602)444-2424 Praccliiw (602) 271 5656 DAILY 7 1111 1 SO Republic news services WASHINGTON Secretary of State Colin Powell sent a letter Wednesday night to China's senior foreign policy official, outlining ways to resolve the impasse over China's detention of 24 American spy plane crew members. Powell's statement came after Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan gave the first sign, in a meeting in Beijing with U.S.

Ambassador Joseph Prueher, that China desires to end the mounting tension. Beijing "pays attention to relations and hopes to see the collision incident resolved appropriately as soon as possible," Tang said, according to state media. He added that China wanted to protect its "sovereignty and dignity," but did not elaborate. In Washington, a senior State Department official declined to outline Powell's proposals, which were addressed to Deputy Prime Minister Qian Qiehen, who met with President Bush at the White House nearly two weeks ago. Hours before sending the letter, Powell issued a statement of regret over the loss of a Chinese pilot in a collision with the spy plane over the South China Sea on Sunday.

But officials acknowledged that Powell's statement was unlikely to satisfy China's demand for an apology, and they met in session after session at the White House in search of other avenues to win the release of the crew members detained on Hainan See LETTER i Page A10 Associated Press state By Beth DeFalco The Arizona Republic Arizona is poised to prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation, a first for the traditionally conservative state. A measure approved by the state Senate on Wednesday would ban such discrimination in state agencies only. However, the passage is symbolic of the moderate shift in the Senate, where similar bills failed for years. Phoenix, Tucson and Tempe Welcome to India A step forward on immigration Mexico praises U.S. for being receptive in talks By Jerry Kammer Republic Washington Bureau WASHINGTON Mexican President Vicente Fox's crusade to win new rights for millions of illegal immigrants in the United States gained momentum Wednesday with what the Mexican foreign minister called the "enormously receptive" attitude of top U.S.

officials to his country's concerns. Former President Clinton, visiting earthquake-battered areas of India's Gujarat state, wears a garland and Gujarati turban after his arrival in Ahmadabad on Wednesday. Story, A18. 1 1 "jt rrsxacr 1 i ran 1 II you considering purchasing a preowned vetikis. dun 1 miss U.is event! Look for the huge tent at Desert Sky Pavilion.

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