Nation in brief: Obama rumors called ‘baseless’
Sen. Barack Obama fought back Wednesday against an allegation that he was educated at a radical Islamic school as a child in Indonesia.
Associated Press interviews at the elementary school in Jakarta found that it’s a public and secular institution that has been open to students of all faiths since before the White House hopeful attended in the late 1960s.
Obama, who was born in Hawaii, moved to Indonesia at age 6 to live with his mother and stepfather, attending schools in the country until age 10, when he returned to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents.
“The allegations are completely baseless,” said Akmad Solichin, the vice principal at SDN Menteng 1, who added, “Yes, most of our students are Muslim, but there are Christians as well. … It’s a public school.”
The contention that Obama was educated at a radical Muslim madrassa surfaced on the Web site of the conservative Insight magazine the day after Obama announced he was jumping into the 2008 presidential race. Conservative Internet blogs and the Fox News Channel picked up the story and spread the charges.
The Illinois senator is a member of the United Church of Christ.
WASHINGTON
L.A. mayor urges learning accounts
The mayor of Los Angeles called for tax-free learning savings accounts for every student in the country Wednesday, a day before he plans to officially unveil the plan at the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Antonio Villaraigosa, who is leading a mayors task force and is recommending a package of anti-poverty measures, gave a preview of his ideas in a speech to the National Press Club.
Points of the package, he said, include a tax-free learning account for every student, with the government matching up to $500 per student per year; a focus on pre-kindergarten education and vocational skills; a commitment by state and local governments to commit up to $650 per student for schools adopting certain curriculums; and an expansion of the earned income tax credit.
Villaraigosa declined to disclose an exact price tag but said: “The cost is in the billions; the dividends are in the trillions.”
NASHVILLE, Tenn.
Police say escapee wanted to see mom
A man who escaped from a prison van in South Carolina made his way more than 300 miles to Tennessee, where he stole a big rig in hopes of seeing his dying mother, police said.
Authorities searched Wednesday for Christopher Daniel Gay, who escaped Sunday night near Hardeeville, S.C., while a prison transport company was shuttling him from Georgetown, Texas, to Pell City, Ala.
“He was trying to get home to see his mom, that’s what I believe,” said Michael Douglas, police chief in Pleasant View, about 20 miles northwest of Nashville.
Gay’s mother has terminal cancer, authorities said.