China demands apology after midair collision

A U.S. Navy spy plane made an emergency landing last Sunday after colliding with a Chinese fighter plane over international waters. The Chinese are holding the 24-member crew, saying that their emergency landing broke international law requiring permission to land at the Chinese air base. They are also demanding a full U.S. apology for the presumed death of Chinese fighter pilot Wang Wei, who was still missing as of yesterday. However, the U.S. has only offered its regret over the incident, maintaining that the collision was an accident. The U.S. is demanding the return of its plane and crew. At a time when relations between the two are already strained over issues of human rights, this incident has been seen by both sides as making matters worse, according to CNN. While negotiations continue, the wife of Wang Wei has sent a letter to President George W. Bush calling the U.S. position on the standoff "cowardly" and demanding an apology for the incident, according to officials. The captive Americans are only allowed to meet with diplomats in tightly controlled meetings and are cut off from the rest of the world. They were recently allowed to receive emails from their families but were unable to respond.

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit police average three arrests per murder case

Detroit police averaged more than three arrests per murder case during 1998, according to CNN. Critics cite this number as proof that the department is making wholesale arrests of witnesses, not only suspects, simply to get them to talk. A lawsuit was filed last month, seeking a federal ban on the police department's "practice of arresting witnesses who may have knowledge of murders but who are not involved in the actual murders," according to CNN. Although the department denies making "dragnet arrests," they have begun an internal investigation and issued a new policy which prohibits officers from taking witnesses into custody without a court order. With an arrest ratio far above that of any other major U.S. city, Detroit ranks among the worst in percentage of cases solved-closing the books on less than half of all cases. The American Civil Liberties Union has taken up this issue as well, accusing the Detroit department of violating Fourth Amendment guarantees. The U.S. Justice Department is already investigating allegations of excessive force used by Detroit police, but there is no plan to extend that search to include the new allegations.

Boston, Massachusetts

Swift sworn in as governor, as Cellucci accepts new post

Lieutenant Governor Jane Swift was sworn in as Massachusetts' first female governor yesterday, replacing Paul Cellucci, who resigned in order to become U.S. ambassador to Canada, an appointment made by President George W. Bush. Swift, who is pregnant with twins, is also expected to be the first U.S. governor to give birth while in office. Shortly after becoming the acting governor, Swift held a closed-door staff meeting. Although she was surrounded by controversy while serving as lieutenant governor, Swift made national news when she announced she was pregnant with her first child. However, that was overshadowed when it came out that she was using her staff to baby-sit for her daughter for free and when she rode a state helicopter to her home in western Massachusetts for Thanksgiving. Although she initially refused to apologize for these perceived transgressions, she later capitulated and was fined $1,250. As a Republican in a securely Democratic state, Swift faces much more controversy as governor. She must also contend with potential candidates from both parties for the gubernatorial election next November.