GOVERNMENT
Hearings Begin for Reich’s Successor
More than two years into the Bush administration, Roger Noriega is seeking to become its first confirmed assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs. Bush’s original nominee, Otto Reich, was denied a hearing in 2001 because the committee, then led by Democrats, considered him unqualified and too conservative. Bush appointed Reich anyway—during a congressional recess—but his tenure expired when Congress ended its two-year session late last year. Noriega, the current ambassador to the Organization of American States, has been a committee staff member under former Sen. Jesse Helms. If confirmed, he will hold the State Department’s top post in the region.

LANGUAGE
English-Only Students Succeed
Five years after voters approved English-only classrooms in California, the number of students who speak English well is rising. Thirty-two percent of California students learning English are able to speak English “proficiently,” according to the latest results of the California English Language Development test, given in late 2002. That is three times the rate of the previous year: 11 percent. The exam measures students’ ability to speak, read and write in English.

MILITARY
Withdrawal FromVieques Prompts Violent Protests
What could have been a peaceful transition turned violent when about 500 protesters burned military vehicles and destroyed government property after the Navy officially
withdrew from Vieques. For several years, some Vieques residents have led an international protest to force the Navy to stop using the island as a bombing range, saying years of target practice have affected the health of the local population, giving them one of the highest cancer rates in Puerto Rico. The U.S. Navy has denied the allegations, saying the evidence is inconclusive. President Bush promised in 2001 that the Navy would withdraw from Vieques by May 2003. Also in 2001, 68 percent of the islanders voted in a non-binding referendum to close down the bombing range. The Fish and Wildlife Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior is now in charge of the land, and plans to
develop a wildlife refuge there.

HEALTH
Seeking Latin Blood
Warning that the national blood supply is at an alarmingly low level, the American Red Cross is appealing to Latin donors for help. According to the Red Cross, while Latinos represent 13.5 percent of the U.S. population, only 5 percent donate blood. So Hispanics are a key focus of this year’s Save a Life Tour campaign, a six-month nationwide effort to encourage Americans to save lives through regular blood donation. “With the growing Hispanic population, it’s very important for [Latinos] to be aware of the ongoing need for blood donation and to be educated about how they can help this cause.” Log on to www.givelife.org for more information.

ELECTIONS
Treasurer Mulls Senate Run
U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marín, the highest-ranking Latina in the Bush administration, is mulling over a possible run for the U.S. Senate. Marín, a 44-year-old Californian, invited reporters to a luncheon in April in which she criticized her state’s Democratic leadership. The Republican Marín would run against incumbent Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer.

IRAQ
Remembering Our Heroes
Since our May tribute to our fallen Latino soldiers, several others have died as a result of the conflict in Iraq. We are thankful for these heroes’ service to our nation: Marine Cpl. Armando Ariel González, 25, of Hialeah, Florida; 1st Sgt. Joe J. Garza, 43, Robstown, Texas; Cpl. Jesús A. González, 22, Indio, California; Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Menusa, 33, San Jose, California; Spc. Gil Mercado, 25, Paterson, New Jersey; 1st Lt. Osbaldo Orozco, 26, Delano, California; Cpl. John T. Rivero, 23, Tampa, Florida.

POLITICS
Going ‘Nuclear’ Over Estrada
Republicans have decided to implement their so-called “nuclear option” to end the Democratic filibuster of judicial nominee Miguel Estrada. The Republicans are proposing changing Senate rules governing how many votes are required to break such blockades. Currently, 60 votes are required to break a filibuster, which is also called “invoking cloture.” The resolution, co-sponsored by several senators, will require 60 votes only in the first attempt at invoking cloture. In each attempt after that, the vote requirement will drop by three until it reaches a simple majority of 51 votes. It has been more than two years since Estrada, nominated to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and Judge Priscilla Owen, nominated to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, were nominated by President Bush. Democrats fear that the conservative Estrada could end up on the U.S. Supreme Court.

BASEBALL
Palmeiro, Sosa in ‘500 Club’
Texas Rangers slugger Rafael Palmeiro, 38, became the 19th player ever—and the second this season, after Chicago Cubs’ star Sammy Sosa—to join the 500-homer club. The Cuban-born player belted a fastball into the right field stands off Cleveland right-hander David Elder—a 370-foot hit. Fireworks broke out at Arllington Ballpark as the crowd gave the hitter a loud and long standing ovation. In April, the 34-year-old Sosa, a native of the Dominican Republic, hit his 500th homerun against the Cincinnati Reds. As of mid-May, he had 505. “I’m still hungry and I’m not going to stop here,” he told reporters afterward. Sosa and Palmeiro are the only
players born outside the United States to have made the 500-homer club.

RACING
Going for the Crown
Veteran jockey José Santos, a Chilean American, stunned the racing world by riding a little-known New York-bred horse named Funny Cide to victory at the Kentucky Derby on May 3 and at the Preakness two weeks later. If Santos manages to steer the gelding to victory at the Belmont Stakes in New York on June 7, it will become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed accomplished that feat in 1978. Just weeks ago, the jockey faced taunts from racing fans and questions about his integrity. After the Derby win, suspicions arose that Santos, 42, had used an illegal electrical device in his victorious ride. But race judges concluded on May 12 that Santos had carried nothing but his whip. The dark spot in question? The racing colors of runner-up jockey Jerry Bailey, and his goggles.