El Paso Times from El Paso, Texas • 2

U.S. under attack: America's response A El Paso Times fcM Friday, Nov. 2, 2001 House bill sets up battle with Senate QHow would you rate the job the press has done in covering the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon? Fair: 10 Media covering attacks, response well, voters say By Gary Scharrer El Paso Times Copyright 2001, El Paso Times El Pasoans think the news media are doing a pretty good job of covering the terrorist attack and the ongoing war against Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida network, according to an El Paso Times, KVIA-ABC 7 Poll. About 84 percent of El Pasoans gave the press an "excellent" or "good" grade for its job in covering the story. In a recent national poll, 89 percent of respondents said the media were doing an excellent or good job of covering the war against terrorists.

"In general, it seems that Americans feel the press has been very much information as they can get and providing it quickly," said Patricia Witherspoon, chairwoman of the University of Texas at hi Paso's Communication Department. She noted that the polling data do not ask people to distinguish between news they get from newspapers or from cable or network broadcast stations. The margin of error for the poll was plus or minus 6 percentage points. Roy Padilla, a respondent in the HI Paso Times KVIA-ABC 7 Poll, said he appreciated the 24-hour coverage in the early days after the Sept. 11 attack.

Area lawmakers Voting for the Bush-endorsed aviation security bill: Henry Bonilla, R-Texas, and Joe Skeen, Voting against: Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas. "My greatest fear is that if it goes to a conference, it never comes out," House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt said earlier Thursday. Sen. John McCain, a key sponsor of the Senate bill, said he expected the Senate to stand by Vol. 121 No.

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300 N.Campbell El Paso 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday its emphasis on federal screeners and "fight to restore these impor tant security measures. GOP conservatives strongly resisted the forming of a new federal work force of about 28,000 people. Rep.

John Mica, a chief sponsor of the Republican bill, said he was determined not to "create the biggest bureaucracy in the history of a generation." Democrats asserted that the current system has failed to provide air travelers adequate security and that screening must become a law enforcement operation. Want to place an ad? Classified 546-6200 Retail 546-6237 How to subscribe To start home delivery, call 546-6300 hptvwppn 'W) a anrl Monrtav- Fnday; 6 a.m. to noon Saturday and 7 a.m. to noon Sunday. Monthly rates Mom.

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This notice may be by mail to the subscriber, by notice contained in the newspaper, or otherwise. Subscription rate changes may be implemented by changing the duration of the subscription. El Paso Times PresidentPublisher Mack Qumtana 546 6104 Executive ce PresidentEditor Dionicio "Don" Flores 546-6149 Managing Editor Robert Moore 546-6145 Advertising Director Michael Price 546-6250 Controller Richard Beas 546-6108 Circulation Director Mike Reynolds 546-6332 Production Director Jack Potter 546 6182 Human Resources Director Malena Field 546-6254 Market Development Julio Naudm 546 6258 MIS Director Dave Nance 546-6387 The El Paso Times is served by the Associated Press, Gannett News Service. Knight Ridder News Service and Audit Bureau of Circulation. By Susan Roth and Ledyard King Gannett News Service WASHINGTON The House version of an aviation security bill that would allow private companies to continue screening passengers at airports sets up a showdown with the Senate, which wants more than 28,000 screeners to be federal employees.

Republicans waged a furious last-minute campaign to woo wavering lawmakers with an assortment of enticements for credit card companies, the poultry industry and a privately owned airport, among others. Now a small group of House and Senate negotiators will work on a compromise, further delaying enactment of an overhaul of airport security. Negotiators must resolve several other differences in the two bills: how much to charge passengers for increased safety measures, how soon all checked luggage must be screened for bombs, and which federal agency will oversee aviation security. Both bills call for strengthening cockpit doors, for expanding the number of armed, undercover air marshals on flights and for the eventual goal of examining every piece of checked baggage. But the ideological divide over federalizing private screeners has held up passage of the bill.

Colin Powell had 89 percent. "A rising tide lifts all boats," pollster Kaigh said of the overwhelming favorable impressions of Bush and two of his key Cabinet members. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 6 percentage points. Burgos said Bush deserves credit for "carefully choosing his Cabinet members and advisers to help him handle the difficult business of running the most successful republic in history. The wisdom of his decisions is starting to show.

President Bush, Vice President Cheney Colin Powell and every Cabinet member are focused and determined to protect the nation and bring the attackers to justice." Gary Scharrer may be reached at gscharrerelpasotimes.com Leaders Continued from 1A supervised the media-sponsored poll. "However, I think that Bush will find that this is as good as it's going to get for him, and I think he could drop fairly rapidly." Bush's father enjoyed similarly high levels of support during his administration's handling of the Persian Gulf war against Iraq a decade ago. But the elder Bush's presidency floundered because of a declining economy, and he lost a re-election bid one year later. Whether the younger Bush can sustain wide support "all depends on how he responds to the crisis," Padilla said. "So far, he's CONTINUED FROM 1A IN DETAIL Powder closes Las Cruces courts LAS CRUCES Authorities closed municipal court and state magistrate court offices after a custodian discovered a suspicious white powder Wednesday, but the courts reopened for business Thursday.

The powder was sent to the state police crime lab in Albuquerque for testing. Jackie Campo, a spokeswoman for the state Health Department, said that if results were positive for anthrax, the state agency would do a second test to confirm it. She said the department had not been notified about any positive tests anywhere in the state. Sgt. Todd Gregory, a Las Cruces police spokesman, said investigators think the powder is a hoax because no threats were received Bureau of Indian Affairs wary in NM ALBUQUERQUE Employees of the U.S.

Bureau of Indian Affairs in New Mexico are taking precautions in the wake of attacks in which anthrax was sent through the mail. The employees left early Wednesday after learning that they received letters that could have come in contact with anthrax. The letters had been processed at a Washington mail center where authorities found evidence of anthrax. BIA Regional Director Rob Baracker said 150 employees were told to destroy the letters and watch for signs of anthrax exposure. "We take it very seri ously, he said Wednesday.

"We don't want to underestimate these things." Supreme Court building to reopen WASHINGTON Supreme Court justices will return to the court building today, a week after it was shuttered by the spread of anthrax. Some of the approximately 400 people. who work in the building can also return to their offices today, but the building will remain closed to the public, spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said. brnaii amounts of the deadly microbe were discovered in a basement mail room of the court and at an off-site mail sorting warehouse. Tests else- where in the building were negative.

Arberg said Thursdav. The court will hear arguments back in its chambers Monday, after being forced to conduct business in borrowed quarters for three days this week. It was the first time the court was displaced since its building opened in 1935. Houston candidate's wife receives hoax HOUSTON The wife of Houston mayoral candidate Chris Bell called authorities after white powder fell out of an apparent hoax anthrax letter she opened in their home. Bell said Fire Department officials told him they were "almost positive" it was just a harmless powder.

The substance was taken to the health department. Bell said his wife, Alison, opened the letter, addressed to her, in her bedroom Wednesday evening and white powder fell out. She called her husband and then 911. A note inside the envelope made reference to the firefight-ing staffing issue that has been debated in the mayoral race. The issue is whether every firetruck should be staffed with four firefighters rather than three.

Since last week, the city's 82 pumper and 37 ladder trucks have been staffed with four firefighters. "Maybe four on a truck will help your family today. Take accion (sic)," the letter read. Los Alamos lab joins investigation LOS ALAMOS, N.M. The Los Alamos National Laboratory, best known as the birthplace of the atomic bomb, is now conducting crucial biological detective work to solve the i anthrax attacks wreaking havoc on the East Coast.

Using increasingly sophisticated DNA detection technologies, scientists at the lab are working to identify the deadly microbe's biological fingerpnnts. The lab maintains the world's largest bank of genetic information on Bacillus anthracis, the organism that causes anthrax. More than 1,200 strains are on file, and 100 more newly identified strains from nature and scientific programs are added every year from around the world. Anthrax confirmed at U.S. Embassy VILNIUS, Lithuania A laboratory in Lithuania confirmed that traces of anthrax were found in at least one mailbag from the U.S.

Embassy, the first such discovery in Europe. Kaamiera Rutiene, chief of the microbiology laboratory at the Lithuanian Public Health Center, said Thursday that chemical tests indicated anthrax and that mice injected with the suspect substance on Wednesday had died by Thursday morning. Times wire reports I Poor 4 Good: 48 Unsure: 3 Source: El Paso TimesABC-7 Poll. Nacho Garcia Jr. El Paso Times "You depend on newspapers and watch TV to keep us updated.

We all want to know exactly what's going on," he said. People remain interested because the contours of the story keep changing, said Bill Kaigh, who conducted the poll. "It's still developing. It's not like when Princess Diana died. When she died, she was dead.

Here you have new events that are occurring," he said. As the war against terrorists continues, approval ratings for media coverage are bound to erode, UTEP's Witherspoon said. "People's attitudes change over time," she said. "But there may be some increased (media) credibility through its reportage of the events, and that may last a little bit longer." Gary Scharrer may be reached at gscharrerelpasotimes.com doing a great job in handling the situation." The public's embrace of Bush's leadership in dealing with the terrorists "speaks very loudly to the enemies of our nation," hi Paso Republican Party Chairman Alejandro Burgos said, "and shows the civic maturity of the people of El Paso who cannot forget that President Bush was reading to schoolchildren when the vicious attack occurred. It was sad to see President Bush stop his reading in order to assume his duties as commander in chief." El Pasoans also gave Bush a high "favorable" rating of 91 percent when asked of their general impression of him and other public officials.

The poll also indicated that Vice President Dick Cheney had a favorable rating of 77 percent, and Secretary of State El Paso Electric board from 1996 to 1998. "He was the guy everyone beat on when we were looking for numbers during bankruptcy" and when the company came out of bankruptcy, Houghton said. "He was very calm" with a "cast-iron stomach" and played a part in helping the company get out of bankruptcy, Houghton said. Jeff Gildersleeve, a stock analyst who follows electric utilities for Argus Research, a New York investments research firm, said Hedrick is respected on Wall Street, where he's "communicated the goals of El Paso Electric very well." "He strikes a good balance between the investment side and commitment to the customer. That balance is the heart of the utility business," Gildersleeve said.

Klaus Wittern, a Las Cruces land developer, investor and El Paso Electric stockholder, said Hedrick has the "historic perspective (about the company) that should give him the ability to do the right thing for this region Vic Kolenc may be reached at vkolencfdJelpa sotimes.com For more information: www.epelectnc.com Excellent: 36 1 Electric Continued from 1A electric retail market in 2005 and acquire additional generating resources in the next five years. "We're in the process of deciding if we'll build power plants or buy (more electricity) from someone else," Hedrick said. Felipe Salazar, a lab technician at the Newman power plant in Northeast hi Paso and business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 960, the union which represents about 320 field workers for the company, said he doesn't know Hedrick well enough to know how he'll deal with employees. But he hopes Hedrick pushes for new power plants. "I don't think it will be very good for customers if we rely on other companies to supply El Paso Electric," Salazar said.

Hedrick's appointment received good reviews. "He knows the utility inside and out. And he has the management skills to run the company," said Ted Houghton an El Paso businessman who was on the tailored clothing. 'frSJ selection at lEwSiEL the best value VjC f. in America.

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