US & World News, Tuesday 4/1

US & World Summary --- Protest Strike By Truckers (Boston, MA) -- The high price of diesel fuel is prompting independant truck drivers to go on strike today. The price of diesel fuel is currently well above four-dollars-a-gallon. Some drivers may be planning on either pulling over to the sides of area highways or driving below the speed limit, which may impact thousands of commuters. The truckers are hoping to gain the attention of lawmakers in Washington, DC. --- Pelosi Wants Bush To Skip Olympics Opener (Washington, DC) -- Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants President Bush to be a no-show at the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. Pelosi thinks Bush should boycott the event because of the way China has handled unrest in Tibet. Chinas crackdown on anti-government protests in Tibet has drawn sharp international criticism. A White House spokeswoman says Bush views the Olympics as a sporting event and an important opportunity to support U.S. athletes. --- Michigan Congressman Pitches Delegate Dispute Solution (Washington, DC) -- A Michigan Congressman is pitching an idea of how to solve the dispute over Democratic delegates. Congressman Bart Stupak wrote a letter to the Democratic National Committee, outlining his proposal to get Michigan delegates seated. He says the states 83 pledged delegates should be divided based on the results of the states rule-breaking January 15th contest. That solution would give Hillary Clinton 47. Barack Obama would get the remaining 36, to represent those who voted "uncommitted," since he wasnt on the ballot. The remaining 73 delegates would be split based on the percentage of the popular vote each candidate gets when primary season wraps up. --- Virginia Tech Shooting Relatives Given More Time To Settle (Blacksburg, VA) -- Relatives of shooting victims of the April 16th, 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech have another week to decide if they want to accept a settlement offer from the state. The pitch is to get about 100-thousand-dollars per family in exchange for a promise not to sue the Commonwealth or the school regarding the way the tragedy was handled. The initial deadline was yesterday. Its been extended to April 7th. --- Convicted Murderer Allegedly Fatally Stabs Man At Mall (Mesa, AZ) -- Arizona authorities say a convicted murderer stabbed a man to death yesterday morning at a mall. The "East Valley Tribune" reports police took the man into custody. Security at Fiesta Mall in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa say the body of 31-year-old Issurah 1/81/8 IZ-ur-uh 3/83/8 Jackson was found in a bathroom with multiple stab wounds. Authorities believe the unidentified suspect may have stabbed and wounded another man at the same mall a day earlier. Police did not immediately release details about the first attack, citing a lack of enough information at the time. The man is allegedly linked to gangs and has a history of mental health problems. --- American Heart Association Recommends "Hands-Only" CPR (Washington, DC) -- The American Heart Association says people who see someone collapse should give the person chest compressions even if they dont know cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The group says people shouldnt stand on the side and watch someone die because they dont know how to perform CPR. Officials say a "hands-only" CPR is a procedure that bystanders can perform without doing the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Doctor Michael Sayre of Ohio State University recommends people call emergency services and begin to push "hard and fast" in the center of a collapsed victims chest. --- Parachute Has No Cooper Connection (Amboy, WA) -- The man who packed the parachute for D.B. Cooper says one found in southwest Washington state last week is not the one used by the infamous skyjacker. Earl Cossey told KING-television he inspected the chute for the FBI and determined it was made of silk and manufactured at the end of World War Two. Cooper made headlines in November 1971 when he hijacked a United Boeing 727 and demanded 200-thousand-dollars and four parachutes. He bailed out of the back stairwell of the jet somewhere over Clark County and was never seen again. (Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-04-01-08 0742CDT