The Spokesman-Review from Spokane, Washington • 15

Thursday, May 13, 2004 Page B3 Murray leads Nethercutt, but by how much? Spokane, Wash. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Differing polls The Murray and Nethercutt campaigns each released results Wednesday of recent voter surveys for this year's Senate election. Both polls showed Murray ahead, but by a different margin. Who would you vote for in the race for U.S. Senate? Poll commissioned by: Poll commissioned by: Rep.

Sen. Patty Murray's campaign George Nethercutt's campaign 41 Nethercutt 1 Nethercutt That poll indicates Murray 'remains strong despite (Nelhercutts) first major attempt to introduce himself to the statewide electorate, her pollsters reported. The Nethercutt campaign conducted its poll on May 2 and 3, at the end of the ad blitz. It asked the same question of 500 likely voters. The results: 50.6 percent said Murray, 41.1 percent Nethercutt, said The Tarrance Group of Virginia.

That poll had a margin of error of 4.5 percent. The Nethercutt campaign advertising was tremendously successful in building (his) name awareness and image ratings, particularly among votes in the western half of the state, pollster Dave Sackett reported. In the Murray poll, half the voters surveyed said they had never heard of Nethercutt. In the Nethercutt poll, the number saying they didnt recognize him fell to 29 percent. Both polls asked whether they had favorable or unfavorable opinions of the two candidates, a standard measure of gauging support.

Murrays poll said 59 percent of the voters surveyed had a favorable opinion of her, and only 28 percent had a favorable opinion of Nethercutt. Nethercutt 's poll indicated his favorable rating increased 11 percent, according to Sacketts memo, but didnt say front what. Nor did it say what Murrays favorable ratings were. Alex Conant, a spokesman for the Nethercutt campaign, said he couldnt release any details that werent in the years Senate race. One key point, Ali added, was that both polls have Murray over 50 percent, which is what any candidate needs to win.

Based on both those polls, it's her race to lose, he said. With six months of campaigning left before the general election, many things can happen to shift the final vote, he said. At this point, polls are usually conducted to get results to show to potential donors. They also help the campaigns plan strategies and decide issues to stress. Both campaigns refused to release the full results of their polls, saying much of the information is proprietary.

The Senate race pits Murray, a two-term Democratic incumbent, against Nethercutt, a Spokane Republican who has served 10 years in the House. Because Nethercutt is not as well known in Western Washington, where about three-fourths of the voters live, he has just completed a major television ad campaign to raise his profile. The Murray campaign conducted its poll in late April, in the middle of that ad blitz. If the race were held today, 800 likely voters were asked, would you vote for Murray or Nethercutt? The results: 54 percent said Murray, 31 percent Nethercutt, reported Fairbank, Maslin, Mauilin Associates, a California firm. That poll had a margin of error of 3.8 Although campaigns cite poll figures with differing results, both are likely valid By Jim Camden Staff writer George Nethercutt is only 9.5 percentage points behind Patty Murray in a recent poll of Washington state voters, the Nethercutt campaign said Wednesday.

New poll shows Washington Senate race in single digits, the campaign proclaimed as it released a memo from its polling firm. No, Murray is 23 points ahead of Nethercutt in a slightly older, but bigger, poll of voters, the Murray campaign said. Murray maintains a sizable double-digit lead as she has since iter likely opponent entered the race last year, her pollsters said in a memo released by the campaign. Both polls are likely valid properly conducted by reputable firms said a pollster not connected with either of them. Differences in the number of people surveyed, when they were surveyed, even the order in which the questions were asked, could cause some of the differences in the results, said Del Ali of Research 2000, who has worked with The Spokesman-Review.

Nethercutt 's down a lot more than 10 percent, and Murrays not up by 23, suggested Ali, who has surveyed Washington state for more than a decade but has yet to poll in this 8 undecided 15 undecided 500 registered voters, May 2-3 Margin of error of 4 5 percentage points 800 tegistered voters, April 22 -27 Margin of error of 3. 8 percentage points SOURCCS. Fairbank, Maslin, Mauilin Associates, Murray campaign, The Tarrance Group, Nethercutt campaign Stall graphic Molly Quinn I Lawyers focusing on fatwas Defense says four files among thousands uploaded Steve ThompsonThe Spokesman Review Firefighters from the city of Spokane dressed In their protective suits check out a small fire at the weigh station near the state line on Wednesday. WSP briefly closes 1-90 exit REGIONAL NEWS Briefly i from wire reports Human leg bone found near golf course Spokane major crimes detectives are investigating the discovery of a human leg bone that was found recently near Indian Canyon Golf Course. An Eastern Washington University student told police that he was looking for golf balls at about 10 p.m.

April 22 when he found what he thought was a stick. After he realized it was a bone, he picked it up and took it back to his residence, police spokesman Dick Cottam said. The student found a picture of the bone in an anatomy textbook and discovered it was a human tibia. He then called Spokane Police. A patrol officer met the student and they walked the area which was outside the fence of the golf courses driving range but they didnt find any other bones.

v. Detective Mark Burbridge spoke with a medical expert who confirmed the bone was human. Forensic experts estimated that the bone was between two and 20 years old. It did not come from a Native American burial site, Cottam said. Anyone with information about the bone is asked to call Crime Check I at 456-2233, Cottam said.

i3-year-old shooting victim may need suigeiy t. The 13-year-old Spokane girl who was shot Sunday between the eyes may have to undergo emergency surgery to release pressure on her brain, her mother said Wednesday. Tara Rader, 13, remains in stable condition at ITarborview Medical Center in Seattle after she was shot in the face by her 20-year-old boyfriend, who thought the gun was unloaded. Reza Abghari, 20, remains in jail on a charge pf second-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm. He told police that he thought he had completely unloaded a .22 caliber pistol before he aimed it at Rader and pulled the trigger.

Raders mother, Lorein Rader, said Wednesday by telephone that doctors will determine within the next couple of days whether or not to conduct the emergency procedure to remove the bullet fragment that is causing the swelling. If the pressure remains too great, they are going to have to do emergency surgery and remove a section of her brain, Rader said. Its pretty iffy right now. One of the bullet fragments nicked Raders right optic nerve. They did tests on it and they dont think she will be able to see out of it, her mother said.

Woman in critical condition after garage fire A woman was in critical condition Wednesday after an early morning garage fire that may have been caused by a small methamphetamine lab found in the burned building, Spokane police said. The Spokane Fire Department was called to the home at 5302 N. Lacey about 2 a.m. for the report of a structure fire, Battalion Chief Ken Kirsch said. Firefighters arrived to find a single-car garage at the home engulfed in flames.

A man who lived at the house allegedly ran inside the burning garage and found a woman surrounded by fire, and pulled her from the burning structure. After firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, they found what they thought was evidence of an operational meth lab and called police. Special Investigations Unit detectives obtained a search warrant for the burned garage and adjacent home, police spokesman Dick Cottam said. They found some meth-related materials in the heavily damaged building and in the house, he said. The woman pulled from the fire had very serious burn injures, Kirsch said, and was taken by private car to an area hospital before fire crews arrived.

She was later airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where she remained in critical condition Wednesday evening, Cottam said: Police suspect the lab may have caused the fire. Kirsch said the cause of the fire remains under investigation, No arrests have been made in connection with the meth lab, Cottam said. weigh station and spilled some fertilizer-a pile approximately 5 feet wide and 1 inch deep and some time later another truck dripped fuel on top of the pile, Hudson said. The WSP was still going through its logs to try and determine the truck responsible for the spill Wednesday. No one recalls a leaking truck, Hudson said of the port of entry staff.

Firefighters from Spokane and Spokane Valley suited up in gear used to deal with hazardous materials. A sample of the substance was analyzed by the state Department of Ecology, Hudson said. As a precaution, the Stateline Interstate-90 on-ramp headed toward Spokane was closed for nearly three hours. Traffic was re-routed down Wellesley Avenue. The weigh station was evacuated.

WSP troopers also closed a nearby portion of the Centennial Trail. Everything re-opened about 3 p.m. Wednesday. Investigators say spilled fertilizer, truck fuel caught fire, leading to nearly three-hour closure By Trinity Hartman Stuff writer Acrid white smoke wafted from the parking lot of the Washington State Patrol port of entry on Interstate 90 Wednesday afternoon. As a precaution, the weigh station, a highway on-ramp and the nearby Centennial Trail were closed for several hours.

Shortly after noon, fire crews were called to deal with an unknown green, gritty substance that was smoking. It was described as smelling sulfurous. The substance was eventually determined to be a small pile of fertilizer, said Brad Hudson, spokesman for the patrol. A truck apparently stopped in the parking lot behind the EWU faculty gets 3 percent raise By Betsy Z. Russell Stuff writer BOISE Computer records show a University of Idaho graduate student intentionally posted to the Internet four articles offering religious justifications for suicide attacks, federal prosecutors say.

Those same computer records, however, also show the same articles, plus thousands of other files, being posted repeatedly to the same Web site as part of an automated maintenance program, jurors learned Wednesday during Sami Al-Hussayens terrorism trial. David Nevin, lead defense attorney for Al-Hussayen, led prosecution computer expert Curtis Rose through a report on Wednesday documenting every time the program sent an updated file to Alasr.ws during a one-month period in the spring of 2003. Whats going on here is just simply the maintenance of a Web site, keeping it up to date correct? Nevin asked Curtis. Yes," Curtis responded. However, Curtis said he still maintained that his analysis shows that the user of a computer seized from Al-Hussayens apartment created a folder for three of the fatwas on the computer on May 2, 2(X)1, added the fourth on May 13, 2001, and later uploaded all four to two Web sites.

The four religious treatises are taking center stage in Al-Hussayens terrorism trial, as prosecutors attempt to show that the Saudi Arabian students work on Islamic Web sites helped international terrorists raise funds and attract recruits. Earlier, U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge blocked the suicide fatwas from being used as evidence against Al-Hussayen until prosecutors can prove theyre lied to the student; this morning, both sides will argue whether or not that standard has been met. Nevin noted that a lengthy synchronization log, which shows more than 3,000 files being automatically posted to Alasr.ws between mid-April of 2001 and mid-May of the same year, shows the four fatwas being sent at least four times each, including several times prior to the date when Rose contends the user intentionally posted the items, Under cross-examination, the noted Pennsylvania computer expert also acknowledged that: The computer shows evidence of more titan one user. Rose's contention that the four fatwas were "created" on the seized computer doesn't mean a user of the computer wrote them, but merely that he or she saved them.

The text could have been copied from an e-mail, a Web site, or another source, he said. The government is paying him about $60,000 for his expert testimony. Rose told federal Prosecutor Todd Ilinnen that in his opinion, the Web site development and maintenance woik shown on the computer hard drive would have been "a full-time job." June 30. The trustees cited concerns over dealing with a union that did not meet state certifications that became required two years ago. The trustee decision came with a price, Otto said.

It offended a lot of people, Otto said, It destroyed the trust relationship we had built up. The UFE plans to submit its application for certification by Monday, Otto said. Otto and Jordan agree that long-term faculty members need better compensation. They havent had a raise in years. The faculty are falling further and further behind relative to faculty in institutions of our type, Jordan said.

Theres no question about it. It is a huge issue. noon. EWUs administration had marked in the budget for faculty compensation, according to EWU's president Stephen Jordan. We wanted to get the salary increase out to the faculty, Jordan said.

We went to the union and said wed like to go ahead with an agreement on that. Otto said it's not a straight 3 percent salary increase. The $700,000 must cover a salary raise and other employee benefits like taxes and insurance, Otto said. The compensation raise, which was hashed out with the faculty union, came one month after the trustees announced their intention to end the contact with the existing union on Union calls Increase a down payment on what's deserved By Rob McDonald Stuff writer Eastern Washington Universitys board of trustees OKd a 3 percent compensation raise for its full-time faculty in a special meeting Wednesday morning. Beginning July 1, 435 full-time EWU professors will receive the bump, although union leaders said they consider the amount a "down payment on whats deserved, said Ted Otto, head of the United Faculty of Eastern.

UFEs executive board approved the increase Tuesday after Budget problems force school employee layoffs next years teaching staff by 60 people. Jan Beauchamp, assistant superintendent of academic affairs for the East Valley School District, said layoff notices went out May 1 to 12 teachers with the least seniority. Recent census data showed the district has fewer families in poverty than in years past. That resulted in a reduction in federal Title 1 money, which provides extra academic support for children from low-income families. Since officials are unsure of exactly how much less money they'll be getting, they dont yet know whether they'll he able to hire back some ol the laid-off employees.

Many other Spokane-area school districts will be reducing their teaching forces through attrition, and will not have to send out lay-off notices. tions for others, Wright said, It doesnt trigger transfers in the district. The business teachers were chosen because the district has gradually become overstaffed in business education fewer students are choosing professionalteehnical courses and fewer students need to take a keyboarding class in high school, Kids do that now in second grade, Wright said. Since business teachers are usually qualified to teach classes other than business, many have already been reassigned as positions become available in their schools. Through voluntary and involuntary transfers, and not filling positions that come open due to retirement, Spokane Schools has already reduced letters to social workers to preserve the option of their reassignment as a budget solution.

With five special education specialists planning to retire, the district will create five new instructional support services specialist" positions. People in those positions will provide a variety of services to students, instead of the very specific things the specialists did. Officials plan to fill the new positions with five of the laid-off social woikers, Wright said, The social woikers, who were assigned to different programs at schools throughout the district, were targeted for layol fs because they are a small, self-contained group. "In eliminating that program, there are no other employment implica en rcduction-in-foice letters, and was able to re-hire all seven employees. In Spokane Schools, the letters will likely go out to seven social woikers and two high school business teachers.

By law, district officials must notify certificated teachers by May 15 if their contract won't be continued the following year. As Spokane Schools wrestles with about $2 million of a $6 million-total budget problem the district already has identified $4 million worth of savings officials have held community foiums to collect input on which programs or positions the public would rather see eliminated. One option was the reductionreassignment of the social woikers. Even though no budget decisions have been made. Wright said, the district had to send out RIF Social workers, business teachers among those affected By Kristen Kromer Stuff writer As area school districts continue to struggle with declining enrollment and increased expenses, Spokane Public Schools plans to lay off nine certificated employees, and the East Valley School District has already sent layoff notices to 12 teachers.

"Its the first time in decades that any Spokane (Schools) teachers have received (reduction-in-force) letters, said Barb Wright, assistant superintendent of human resources for Spokane Public Schools, "This is not a happy time at all." Last year, East Valley sent out sev.