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8
Friday, February 14, 2003
NATION
THE BATTALION
Retail sales drop 0.9 percent
By Jeannine Aversa
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
STUDENT
GOVERNMENT
ASSOCIATION
\S A&M UNIVERSITY
TEX
vf
Election
Commission
Howdy A g s !
You are invited to make a difference at
Texas A&M!
Event: File to run for Student Body
President, Yell Leader, Student
Senate, '04 - '06 Class Council,
or RHA
Date: February 10-14
Place: MSC Foyer Is the lest dayr
Time: 10AM - 3PM
RSVP: To run for one of these positions,
you must first file with the
Election Commission.
Questions? Call 862-2606.
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WASHINGTON — Sales at the
nation’s retailers dropped by 0.9 percent in
January, largely reflecting a sharp decline in
car and truck sales as consumers took a
breather after going on an automobile shop
ping spree.
The Commerce Department report
ed Thursday that the 0.9 percent over-the-
month decline in retail sales followed a 2
percent rise in December. That represented
the biggest drop in four months and a weak
er performance than the 0.6 percent drop
that analysts were predicting.
Excluding automobile sales, retail sales
actually rose by 1.3 percent in January, the
biggest gain since September 2000. That
marked an improvement over the small 0.2
percent advance in December and much
stronger than the 0.5 percent rise economists
were expecting.
That provided encouraging news; other
than the big drop in automobile sales, which
was expected, consumers showed consider
able energy in January.
Separately, the Labor Department report
ed that new claims for unemployment bene
fits last week dropped by 18,000 to 377,000,
a four-week low. The report suggested that
the pace of layoffs is stabilizing, welcome
news for workers worried about keeping
their jobs.
On Wall Street, stocks sagged on the
mixed economic news and war worries. The
Dow Jones industrial average lost 60 points
and the Nasdaq index was down six points
in the first hour of trading.
Sales at automobile dealers declined by
7.5 percent in January, the biggest drop
since November 2001, as consumers
became tapped out after a buying binge in
December, when auto sales jumped 7.9 per
cent.
That was the major weak spot in
Thursday’s retail report.
Sales at building and garden supply
stores rose 2.9 percent in January, following
a 1.2 percent decline.
At department and other general mer
chandise stores, sales rose 0.6 percent, up
from a 0.4 percent increase.
At health and beauty stores, sales went
up 1.1 percent, better than the 0.2 percent
decrease in December.
Sales of sporting goods, books and music
rose 0.3 percent in January, a turnaround
from the 0.9 percent drop the month before.
Food and beverage stores saw sales rise
2.6 percent last month, following a 1.3 per
cent decline.
At bars and restaurants, sales rose 1.1
percent, down from a 2 percent advance.
The Federal Reserve last month decided
to leave a key interest rate at a 41-year low
of 1.25 percent, with the hope that will
encourage consumers and businesses to
spend and invest more and help along the
recovery.
One of the main forces holding back the
recovery is the wariness of businesses to
make big commitments in hiring and in cap
ital spending, given worries about a possible
war with Iraq, tensions with North Korea
and other economic uncertainties.
Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan told
Congress this week that he was hopeful that
once such “geopolitical” uncertainties lift
businesses would be much more willing to
step up capital investment and hiring, forces
that would boost economic growth.
Against that backdrop, Greenspan said
Retail sales
Here is a look at retail sales
seasonally adjusted.
$306.6
billion
$310 billion
300
290
280
270
260
250
240
230
220
210
200
Change from
previous month
Jan. -0.9%
AS O NRDMAMAISO
2001 2002
SOURCE: Department of Commerce AP
that President Bush's new 10-year, $1.3tril
lion tax-cut package isn’t needed right non
to stimulate the economy, dealing a blowto
the president's efforts to sell the plan to
Congress.
In the face of projections for record high
federal budget deficits this year and next.
Greenspan also said that any new tax cuts
should be paid for by either raising other
taxes or cutting spending, a position that
clashes with the administration’s.
Greenspan said that if geopolitical uncer
tainties do lift and businesses remain reluc
tant to quicken their operating pace then
other monetary or fiscal policy actions may
be warranted.
Jury convicts Harris of murder
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By Pam Easton
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — A woman
who ran down her cheating hus
band with her Mercedes after
catching him with his mistress
was convicted of murder
Thursday despite her claim it
was all a tragic accident.
Clara Harris, 45, could get a
life sentence, or a lesser punish
ment if the jury concludes she
acted with “sudden passion.”
Two jurors wept as the judge
returned the verdict against the
mother of young twins.
Harris showed no emotion as
she listened to the verdict. Free
on bond until then, she was held
in a cell during the lunch break
as the punishment phase began
shortly after her conviction.
During punishment testimo
ny, she burst into sobs as her 17-
year-old stepdaughter told how
she had attempted suicide four
times since her father’s death
July 24. The teenager was a pas
senger in the Mercedes that day.
“I’m sorry,
Lindsey! I’m
sorry, baby!”
Harris cried,
prompting the
judge to admon
ish her to com
pose herself.
During brief
opening remarks
to his punishment
case, defense
attorney George
Parnham began
his push for pro
bation.
“She has been
a law-abiding
citizen throughout
We feel like a
member of our
family has erred
and we forgive
that. We don y tfeel
like Clara intended
to kill David,
her life,”
Parnham told jurors. “She as a
result of this verdict will no
longer have a dental practice.
She is an excellent candidate
for community supervision.”
Parnham again called the vic
tim’s father, Gerald Harris, to
testify on his daughter-in-law’s
behalf.
“Our motiva
tion stems from
the word forgive
ness,” Gerald
Harris testified.
“This tragedy
was a very strong
blow against our
family. ... We feel
like a member of
our family has
erred and we for
give that. We
don’t feel like
Clara intended to
kill David.”
Harris, who
— Gerald Harris
victim's father
shared a practice with her ortho
dontist husband, insisted David
Harris’ death in a hotel parking
lot was an accident. She said
that she was in a daze and want
ed only to damage the black
Lincoln Navigator belonging to
her husband’s receptionist-
turned-lover, Gail Bridges.
“I think I closed my eyes,”
Harris testified. “After that, I
didn’t know who was driving.
Everything seemed like a
dream.”
Defense experts said tk
Mercedes’ turning radius ani
other evidence indicated she liil
him only once. Her lawyers also
branded Bridges a “h
wrecker,” while David Harris'
parents testified in support o(
their daughter-in-law and said
the couple’s marriage was
“made in heaven.”
But prosecutors said witness
es’ accounts, bloodstains on the
underside of the car and
tracks on the body all showed
she ran him over at least twicei
grainy videotape recorded by
private investigator Clara Harris
had hired to follow Bridges
shows the Mercedes circling the
lot repeatedly.
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WiEUGHT
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Next to Wing Stop in the Blockbuster Shopping Center
Striking police return
to work in Bolivia
By Graham Gori
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LA PAZ, Bolivia — Striking
police officers returned to work
Thursday after two days of vio
lent street protests that left 22
people dead and a trail of burned
and looted buildings throughout
the capital of South America’s
poorest nation.
People lined the streets of La
Paz to cheer police officers as
they began to restore order after
demonstrators set fire to govern
ment buildings and looted stores
in a wave of violence that began
as a protest against a new
income tax that the government
suspended to calm the unrest.
Over the two days, 22 people
were killed, including at least
nine police officers, and 102
were injured, according to
Eduardo Chavez, director of La
Paz’s General Hospital, where
most of the casualties were
treated.
Earlier Thursday, sirens
wailed and bands of looters ran
through chaotic central La Paz,
where tanks and 400 heavily
armed soldiers were deployed
near the presidential palace,
which was besieged by protest
ers a day earlier.
Several thousand protesters
marched through downtown,
shouting slogans against
President Gonzalo Sanchez de
Lozada. “Resign or die, those
are your options,” they chanted
The march, organized by labof
groups, ended without violence
Elsewhere, troops fired teat
gas and rubber bullets at groups
of looters breaking into shops
and buildings. Five people were
injured by rubber bullets, tk
Red Cross said.
Looters scoured the Ministi)
of Sustainable Development,
one of a dozen government
buildings torched Wednesday
The thieves threw chairs and
papers out the windows whiles
crowd of 300 people cheered
them outside.
“There were great things
inside, computers, radios, but
they beat me two it,” said one
looter, holding a metal trophy
he’d managed to snatch.
La Paz fell into chaos
Wednesday after most of the
city’s 7,000 police walked off
their posts and led protests that
degenerated into the violent
riots.
After talks with the govern
ment, the police slowly trickled
out of their barracks and
resumed patrols.
In a metropolitan area of
about 1.5 million, public trans
portation came to a halt and
shop owners covered windows
with plywood and metal.
Police officers spent most of
Thursday with family members,
attending funeral services for
nine officers who died in
Wednesday’s clashes.
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