Japanese mayor: Wartime sex slaves were necessary

TOKYO (AP) — An outspoken nationalist mayor said the Japanese military's forced prostitution of Asian women before and during World War II was necessary to "maintain discipline" in the ranks and provide rest for soldiers who risked their lives in battle.

The comments made Monday are already raising ire in neighboring countries that bore the brunt of Japan's wartime aggression and that have long complained that Japan has failed to fully atone for wartime atrocities.

Toru Hashimoto, the young, brash mayor of Osaka who is also co-leader of an emerging conservative political party, also told reporters that there wasn't clear evidence that the Japanese military coerced women to become what are euphemistically called "comfort women."

"To maintain discipline in the military, it must have been necessary at that time," said Hashimoto. "For soldiers who risked their lives in circumstances where bullets are flying around like rain and wind, if you want them to get some rest, a comfort women system was necessary. That's clear to anyone."

Historians say up to 200,000 women, mainly from the Korean Peninsula and China, were forced to provide sex for Japanese soldiers in military brothels.

An unidentified South Korean government official told Yonhap news agency it was disappointing that a senior Japanese official "made comments supportive of crimes against humanity and revealed a serious lack of a historical understanding and respect for women's rights."

Hashimoto's comments come amid mounting criticism at the prospect of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's conservative government revising Japan's past apologies for wartime atrocities. Before he took office in December, Abe had advocated revising a 1993 statement by then-Prime Minister Yohei Kono acknowledging and expressing remorse for the suffering caused to the sexual slaves of Japanese troops.

Abe has acknowledged "comfort women" existed but has denied they were coerced into prostitution, citing a lack of official evidence.

Recently, top officials in Abe's government have appeared to backpedal on suggestions the government might revise past apologies, apparently to calm tensions with South Korea and China and address U.S. concerns about Abe's nationalist agenda.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga repeated the previous government position and said that those women went through unbearable pain.

"The stance of the Japanese government on the comfort women issue is well known. They have suffered unspeakably painful experiences. The Abe Cabinet has the same sentiments as past Cabinets."

Education Minister Hakubun Shimomura said Hashimoto's remark doesn't help as Japan has faced criticism from its neighboring countries and the U.S. over its interpretation of history.

"A series of remarks related to our interpretation of (wartime) history have been already misunderstood. In that sense, Mr. Hashimoto's remark came at a bad time," Shimomura told reporters. "I wonder if there is any positive meaning to intentionally make such remarks at this particular moment."

Hashimoto, 43, is co-head of the newly formed Japan Restoration Party with former Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, who is a strident nationalist.

Sakihito Ozawa, the party's parliamentary affairs chairman, said he believed Hashimoto's remarks reflected his personal view but expressed concerns about repercussions.

"We should ask his real intentions and stop this at some point," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Elaine Kurtenbach, Miki Toda and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Sam Kim in Seoul contributed to this report.

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Boston mayor doesn't want suspect buried in city

BOSTON (AP) — An aide to Boston Mayor Thomas Menino says the mayor does not want marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev (TAM'-ehr-lun tsahr-NEYE'-ehv) buried in Boston and calls the decision "a family issue."

The aide said Tuesday Menino believes the body should be sent back to Russia, where his parents live. Menino believes it wouldn't be appropriate for the burial to be in Boston.

The 26-year-old, a resident of Cambridge, was killed in a police shootout days after the April 15 bombings that killed three people and injured more than 260. His brother remains imprisoned on charges in the case.

Worcester (WUS'-tur) funeral home director Peter Stefan says more than 100 people in the U.S. and Canada have offered burial plots for the body, but officials in those cities and towns have said no.

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Chicago Teachers Union Seeks to Oust Mayor Emanuel

According to an article from the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President Karen Lewis has announced that the union is pursuing an effort to remove Mayor Rahm Emanuel and several other elected officials from office in light of the city's decision to move forward with closing down dozens of schools. CTU made the announcement at a press conference and said that it will be training political candidates and funding political campaigns through its action committee.

Here are some facts and details about the union's announcement and their plans to elicit political and educational change in Chicago:

* At the press conference, Lewis heavily criticized the mayor and said that the union will begin an aggressive campaign to seek a candidate capable of ousting Emanuel, noted the Chicago Sun-Times.

* She denied that she will personally run for the office of mayor and stated, "If the mayor and his handpicked corporate school board will not listen to us, then we must find those who will."

* Additionally, CTU said that they will be launching a new effort to get an additional 100,000 voters registered in time for the mayoral election in 2015. In order to achieve this goal, the union will ramp up door-to-door canvassing in neighborhoods.

* WBEZ noted that the district's proposal to shut down 54 schools is awaiting a school board vote, but that the CTU is still fiercely opposing and criticizing the plan.

* Union members are continuing to raise awareness regarding the issues around closing the schools, including safety concerns for children now traveling further between home and school.

* In the meantime, the district is holding community forums to address local concerns of the closings, but Lewis criticized the public hearings, saying that they are "most likely sham events."

* Along with efforts to remove the mayor from office, CTU will also be targeting Chicago aldermen and members of the General Assembly who they believe are not promoting a pro-education system agenda.

* The union's political action committee will directly donate to help fund the campaigns of pro-education candidates.

* An article from Crain's Chicago Business stated that Lewis also released a report concluding that the district is at fault for creating the poor conditions in the schools slated for closure.

* The report also emphasizes that the school closures are having an unequal impact on African-American students since 88 percent of students in the condemned schools are of this racial group.

* A spokeswoman for the mayor said that he supports the school closings 100 percent and that "this is simply not the time for politics."

Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. Currently pursuing her master's degree in environmental science, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.

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NY Mayor Bloomberg predicts success for expanded gun checks

By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg predicted on Sunday that pressure from the American public would eventually force the Congress to expand background checks for gun buyers, even though the measure faces an uncertain fate in the Senate.

As Bloomberg launched a $12 million national advertising campaign aimed at prodding members of the Senate to support expanded background checks, he said the measure's widespread popularity would trump gun-rights groups like the powerful National Rifle Association that oppose it.

"If 90 percent of the public wants something and their representatives vote against that, common sense says they are going to have a price to pay for that," Bloomberg said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

A top NRA executive predicted that the self-made billionaire' s efforts would change few minds. "He can't buy America," NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre said on the same program.

Lawmakers are scaling back President Barack Obama's ambitions for sweeping gun control measures, which took on a new urgency after the December 14 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed 20 children and six adults.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid effectively ruled out an assault weapons ban last week, and limits on high-capacity ammunition clips also are likely to fall short.

Gun-control advocates say a system of expanded background checks would be the single most effective way to reduce gun violence across the country. Opinion polls show that more than 90 percent of all American voters and 85 percent of gun owners support it.

While such a measure could pass the Democratic-controlled Senate, it faces long odds in the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold the majority.

"I don't think their bill will pass the Senate and even if it does it won't pass the House," Republican Senator Tom Coburn said on C-SPAN.

The NRA argues that expanding existing background checks to cover the 40 percent of gun sales that are now exempt would only create more hurdles for law abiding citizens and do little to deter criminal purchases. The NRA instead wants the federal government to step up prosecutions under existing gun laws and boost security in schools.

Bloomberg acknowledged that a national ban on assault weapons is less popular with the public and is unlikely to succeed in Congress.

Several states, including New York, have passed assault-weapons bans of their own but others like Colorado, which tightened its gun laws recently, have not restricted the military-style rifles that are popular with gun owners.

"I think the feeling right now around assault weapons, at least in Colorado, is that it's so hard to define what an assault weapon is," Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said on CNN's "State of the Nation."

"There's a lot of questions whether the 10-year federal ban that existed made a difference," Hickenlooper said. "It's a tough sell."

(Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom and Toni Clarke. Editing by Christopher Wilson)

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NRA vs. Bloomberg: Mayor vows to spend $12 million on ads

LaPierre, Bloomberg (Getty Images)

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and National Rifle Association chief Wayne LaPierre squared off on Sunday's "Meet The Press" over the assault weapons ban being debated in Congress.

"I don't think there's ever been an issue where the public has spoken so clearly, where Congress hasn't eventually understood and done the right thing," Bloomberg, who has become one of the most vocal gun control advocates in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shootings, said in a taped interview with NBC's David Gregory.

"We are going to have a vote for sure on assault weapons and we're going to have a vote on background checks," Bloomberg continued. "And if we were to get background checks only, it wouldn't be as good as if we got both, but we demanded a plan and then we demanded a vote. We've got the plan, we're going to get the vote. And now it's incumbent on us to make our voices heard."

To do so, the billionaire mayor said he's spending $12 million on an advertising campaign—set to launch in 10 states on Monday—that touts tighter gun laws.

"I think I have a responsibility, and I think you and all of your viewers have responsibilities, to try to make this country safer for our families and for each other," he said. "And if I can do that by spending some money and taking the NRA from being the only voice to being one of the voices, so the public can really understand the issues, then I think my money would be well spent, and I think I have an obligation to do that."

LaPierre says Bloomberg would be better off spending his money elsewhere.

"He's going to find out this is a country of the people, by the people and for the people," LaPierre told Gregory. "And he can't spend enough of his $27 billion to try to impose his will on the American public. They don't want him in their restaurants, they don't want him in their homes. They don't want him telling them what food to eat; they sure don't want him telling them what self-defense firearms to own. And he can't buy America."

[Related: NRA's LaPierre slams critics of school gun plan]

The NRA chief criticized the gun control legislation currently on Capitol Hill, calling the proposed universal background checks a "speed bump" for law-abiding gun owners.

"The whole thing, universal checks, is a dishonest premise. There's not a bill on the Hill that provides a universal check. Criminals aren't going to be checked," LaPierre said. "The mental health records are not in the system, and they don't prosecute any of the criminals that they catch. ... It slows down the law abiding and does nothing to anybody else."

LaPierre then reiterated the NRA's post-Newtown plea for armed security officers in every American public school. "Not a mom or dad wants to drop their kid off at school and leave their kids unprotected."

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Mayor: Chicago school closings tough but necessary

CHICAGO (AP) — Mayor Rahm Emanuel responded Saturday to widespread criticism of his plan to close 54 Chicago Public Schools, saying he wasn't interested in doing what was politically easy and that the pain of the closings doesn't compare to the anguish of "trapping" kids in failing schools.

"If we don't make these changes, we haven't lived up to our responsibility as adults to the children of the city of Chicago," Emanuel said in his first public statements since Thursday's announcement. "And I did not run for office to shirk my responsibility."

Emanuel was out of town when his schools chief, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, announced the closings. It is the largest number of CPS schools to be shuttered in a single year, and officials say it will affect some 30,000 students in the nation's third-largest school district.

The long-awaited announcement angered many parents, teachers, lawmakers and community members, who say it disproportionately affects minority neighborhoods. Opponents also argue the closings will endanger children who may have to cross gang boundaries to get to a new school, and will eliminate facilities that are considered anchors in some struggling communities.

Opponents protested outside of several schools on Friday, and the Chicago Teachers Union and other organizations are planning a march Wednesday in downtown Chicago.

Parent Yolanda Harris called the plan "unfair" and said she was starting to second-guess her decision to vote for Emanuel for mayor. Her four children attend Dumas Technology Academy, which is slated to be closed.

"It's not to say (Emanuel) is a bad person, but I'm saying I don't agree with a lot of the decisions he's making," said Harris, who protested outside the South Side school Friday with other parents. "He's making big mistakes."

The mayor and Byrd-Bennett say the closings are necessary to address a $1 billion budget shortfall and because many CPS schools are half-empty, failing academically and in need of repair. They say the plan will save the district $560 million over 10 years in capital costs and an additional $43 million per year in operating costs.

Emanuel said Saturday the closings will allow the district to invest money in improving the remaining schools. And while he knows the closings will be difficult, he said every child deserves a high-quality education, regardless of where they live.

"You do not get a repeat on this," he said.

The vast majority of the 54 schools are in overwhelmingly black neighborhoods that have lost residents to the suburbs and elsewhere in recent years. Chicago's black population dropped 17 percent in the last census. The other few schools are majority Hispanic or mixed black and Hispanic. Overall, 91 percent of students in the district's 681 schools are minorities.

Emanuel also responded to criticism from the teachers union and others about being out of town on vacation when the announcement was made. He said he was in frequent contact with Byrd-Bennett throughout the day Thursday, and that he has been and will continue to be engaged in the process.

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New York mayor wants to ban stores from displaying cigarettes

By Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Monday proposed banning retail stores from displaying cigarettes as part of his effort to reduce smoking rates in the city.

Bloomberg, who has taken aggressive steps to curb smoking in public places and promote health with various restrictions on restaurants, plans to introduce to the City Council on Wednesday two bills that would require retailers to keep cigarettes in a drawer or other concealed location.

"Young people are targets of marketing and the availability of cigarettes, and this legislation will help prevent another generation from the ill health and shorter life expectancy that comes with smoking," Bloomberg told a news conference.

Stores would still be allowed to advertise and display pricing information for the tobacco products they sell, but the actual products would have to be hidden from public view except during a sale or during restocking.

The legislation would also increase the penalties on stores that illegally resell cigarettes smuggled in from states with lower tobacco taxes and would prohibit retailers from redeeming discount coupons on tobacco sales.

Bloomberg expects to have the council's support, although a vote was not expected immediately, a spokeswoman for the mayor said.

New York City already bans smoking in most offices, restaurants, bars, parks and beaches. Bloomberg has also taken steps to curtail the use of trans fats and salt in the city's restaurants. Last week a court struck down his attempt to limit the size of sugary drinks.

Tobacco specialty stores, already banned from admitting customers under the age of 18, would be exempt from the requirement on the display of cigarettes.

Countries such as Canada had seen a decline in smoking rates after introducing similar laws, city officials said, and they hoped it would reduce impulse purchases of cigarettes.

The bills are being introduced a little over a week after Bloomberg's efforts to limit the size of sugary drinks sold in the city was unexpectedly quashed by a judge. The city is appealing that ruling.

(Editing by Daniel Trotta and Leslie Adler)

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Ex-Detroit mayor convicted of widespread corruption

DETROIT (Reuters) - Jurors reached a verdict on Monday in the trial of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and two others charged with racketeering conspiracy following the biggest federal probe of public corruption in the city in decades.

A court spokesman said that the verdict was due to be read in U.S. District Court at 10:30 a.m. EDT.

The jury began deliberating on February 19 in the trial that started last September before Judge Nancy Edmunds.

Prosecutors had accused Kilpatrick, his father and a city contractor of widespread corruption, extorting bribes from contractors who wanted to get or keep city contracts, turning the city's mayor's office into "Kilpatrick Incorporated."

Lawyers for the three defendants said the government's case was built on weak evidence and witnesses who lied to curry favor with prosecutors in their own public corruption cases. None of the defendants testified.

For many people in Detroit, the Kilpatricks contributed to the decline of the home of the U.S. automotive industry, which will soon be under the control of a Michigan state-appointed financial emergency manager.

Kilpatrick, his father Bernard Kilpatrick, and friend and city contractor Bobby Ferguson faced multiple charges each, including racketeering conspiracy and extortion, which carry prison sentences of up to 20 years.

Kilpatrick, 42, was seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party when he was elected Detroit mayor at age 31 in 2001, but his tenure was marked by accusations of cronyism, nepotism and lavish spending. He resigned from office in 2008.

(Reporting by Steve Neavling, Bernie Woodall and David Ashenfelter; Editing by David Bailey and Grant McCool)

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Judge blocks New York City large-soda ban, Mayor Bloomberg vows fight

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A judge on Monday invalidated New York City's plan to ban large sugary drinks from restaurants and other eateries, one day before the new law was to take effect.

State Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling in Manhattan ruled the new regulation was "arbitrary and capricious" and declared it invalid, after the American Beverage Association and other business groups had sued the city challenging the ban.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg had touted the ban as a way to reduce obesity. But beverage manufacturers and business groups had called the law an illegal overreach that would infringe upon consumers' personal liberty.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Gary Hill)

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Christine Quinn launches campaign for NYC mayor

Quinn (YouTube)

Christine Quinn made it official on Sunday, announcing her intention to run for mayor of New York City mayor.

"I'm running because I love this city," Quinn said in a glossy, often-emotional video posted to her campaign's website, QuinnforNewYork.com. In it, the Democrat talked about her Irish Catholic, middle class upbringing on Long Island, as well as her mother, who died of breast cancer when Quinn was 16.

“My mother’s life and death left me with the belief that our obligation is to use every moment we have on this earth to make it a better place,” Quinn said.

The 46-year-old City Council speaker would not only be the first female mayor in New York City history—she'd also be the first openly gay one. Quinn married her longtime partner, Kim Catullo, last year. But as the New York Times noted, the video made no mention of Catullo "or even that Ms. Quinn is gay."

“I’m not about talking and finger-pointing and complaining," Quinn continued. "I’m about getting things done.” She promised to follow Sunday's announcement with a walking tour of the five boroughs.

"With the right leadership, I know that New York can continue to be a beacon for the rest of the world," she said. "A home for the middle class, and for all of those people working hard every day to get there."

Quinn is the third Democratic candidate to officially announce an intention to run in November's mayoral election. Bill de Blasio and Bill Thompson are also seeking to replace the city's outgoing independent mayor, Michael Bloomberg, who plans to endorse Quinn.

In a January cover profile, New York magazine declared Quinn "the crude, playful, openhearted front-runner."

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New York City Council speaker joins race to succeed Mayor Bloomberg

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, considered a front-runner to be New York's next mayor, officially launched her candidacy on Sunday for the job that would make her the city's first female and first openly gay mayor.

The Democratic Quinn, 46, made her announcement on Twitter, saying: "It's official. I'm running for mayor to fight for the middle class."

In a video linked to her tweet, Quinn talked about the importance of safe streets, improved schools, affordable child care and housing and the creation of good-paying jobs. (http://www.quinnfornewyork.com/announcement)

Quinn has the support in the November election of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, according to his aides. Bloomberg's 12-year stint in City Hall comes to a close at the end of the year due to term limits.

Other contenders in the mayoral race, either officially or likely, include Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, former Comptroller Bill Thompson, Comptroller John Liu and former Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joseph Lhota.

Quinn, a former tenant organizer, has been a member of the City Council since 1999 and was elected Speaker in 2006.

Launching a "walk and talk" tour of the city's myriad neighborhoods, in the video Quinn urged New Yorkers to "put those sensible shoes on and come on out with us."

In her video, Quinn said she loved New Yorkers for "how colorful they are, how in the best of all possible ways crazy they are..."

Quinn is married to Kim Catullo, an attorney.

(Editing by Bill Trott)

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Tech-savvy Newark Mayor Booker: Government flunking social media

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Cory Booker, the constantly tweeting mayor of Newark, New Jersey, who intends to run for the U.S. Senate, said on Sunday that the federal government needs to reinvent the often overly formal way it uses social media.

"It's just using it as an announcement system, like you used to listen to in class: ‘The cafeteria will be serving roast beef, and I will be at this place or that place'," Booker told Reuters after an appearance at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas. "But that's not interaction, that's not collaboration."

Booker, 43, a rising star in the Democratic Party who has more than 1.3 million followers on Twitter, told the Austin audience that he can't be a mayor who sits behind a desk and waits for the world to come to him.

Last year, the Newark mayor was hailed as a hero for inviting into his home neighbors who, he learned on Twitter, lost power because of Superstorm Sandy.

He also uses Twitter to give city phone numbers to constituents, share inspirational quotes, declare his love for the TV series Star Trek and answer questions from local students while admonishing them not to tweet in class.

"On it," he replied to a resident who complained recently of a broken street light.

Booker, who made a failed run for Newark mayor in 2002 before winning the job in 2006, said he's been hooked on Twitter since actor Ashton Kutcher called and told him why he should dive into the micro-blogging site.

'TELLING YOUR TRUTH'

Booker said it was important to be himself on social media - and that this would still be true if he were in the Senate.

"Life is about telling your truth and being who you are, 100 percent," he said. "This world desperately needs authenticity, people who have the courage to tell their truth every single day, and I would not stop being who I am just because of the title that's before my name."

One of his Twitter followers, Shuronda Robinson of Austin, said she took her 12- and 13-year-old sons to his appearance at South by Southwest and made sure he shook the boys' hands.

"I was so inspired," she said after Booker's remarks to an audience that didn't fill a large auditorium. "I wanted my boys to see someone living with purpose."

Newark, eight miles from Manhattan and New Jersey's largest city, was once a thriving manufacturing center but for the last half century has battled political corruption, urban blight and high crime.

Booker, a former Rhodes Scholar, has made reducing crime a major priority. In March 2010, Newark experienced its first murder-free month since 1944.

While Booker's national profile is rising, some Newark residents have criticized him for being absent from the city as he travels around the country, appears on TV programs and meets business leaders.

Booker said that traveling has helped him secure benefits to Newark, such as a $100 million gift to its schools from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

"He didn't come to Newark to say, ‘Hey, I want to give you $100 million,'" Booker said. "We were at a conference together."

Booker has filed papers to run for the Senate in 2014. Senator Frank Lautenberg, 89, a long-serving New Jersey Democrat, has said he will not seek re-election. Booker has been leading in New Jersey polls for the seat.

"It is even my intention to run, but I'm not going to come to any conclusions until after November," Booker told Reuters.

(Reporting by Corrie MacLaggan; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Philip; Barbara)

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Gun control supporter backed by New York mayor wins Chicago vote

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Gun control supporter and former Illinois state Representative Robin Kelly on Tuesday won the Democratic primary to replace indicted former U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. in a race that highlighted the national debate over gun violence.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a champion of tighter restrictions on weapons, poured more than $2 million into the Chicago race. He backed Kelly and attacked her main opponent, Debbie Halvorson, who was supported by the gun rights lobby.

A little over an hour after the polls closed, Halvorson called Kelly to concede defeat, saying that Bloomberg's television attack ads had affected the race.

The ads highlighted Halvorson's support from the powerful gun rights lobby, the National Rifle Association, and her opposition to a ban on assault weapons.

"There was $2.3 million minimum spent against me," Halvorson told supporters after she conceded defeat. "That's the way it is. I can't help it."

Gun control vaulted to the top of the U.S. political agenda after the December 14 killing of 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. The Chicago election on Tuesday was the first major test of the political potency of the gun control issue since the shooting.

The city's murder rate has risen because of what police say is a surge of gang violence in poor neighborhoods. The shootings have claimed the lives of dozens of young people including Hadiya Pendleton, a high school student who was killed just over a week after she performed at President Barack Obama's inauguration.

Obama has pushed Congress to pass restrictions on guns and Bloomberg has used his business fortune to battle the money and clout of the NRA.

Bloomberg issued a statement after Kelly was declared the winner saying that the Illinois vote showed Americans want change in Washington.

"As Congress considers the president's gun package, voters in Illinois have sent a clear message: We need common sense gun legislation now. Now it's up to Washington to act," he said.

Kelly favors an assault weapons ban and highlighted a rash of gun violence in Chicago, including some parts of the congressional district that stretches from the city to the southern suburbs.

The special election was to fill the seat of Jackson, who resigned in November citing health problems, and pleaded guilty in federal court last week to using campaign funds for personal enrichment.

Jackson was a reliable vote in Congress for gun control. Until Bloomberg elbowed into the race, polls had shown that Halvorson could win the Democratic primary.

Turnout was light in the special election in part because of a snowstorm that hit the Chicago area on Tuesday, making travel treacherous.

The winner of the Democratic primary is likely to be elected to the seat in the general election on April 9 because the district is overwhelmingly Democratic.

(Reporting by Renita Young, writing by Greg McCune, editing by Doina Chiacu)

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