El Paso Times from El Paso, Texas • 1

iSHEY Modis If iB ktMalES PLAY rgll I f1' First woman attorney general completes Cabinet 5A TONIGHT NMSU vs. Cal-lrvine in Big West tournament 1C Wind damage blows. Disney show from Thursday to Sunday 1B "El Mariachi" opens today. Siglo de Oro opens Sunday. Lowrider car show Saturday.

El Tiempo 4 in ii 1 1 1 i Friday, March 12, 1993 Price: 35 cents Pi fill im QJDDDim I inches tall and are smaller than the great horned owl, which grows to 24 inches and is common in the Lincoln National Forest. Markings: The Mexican owl's most striking features are its dark-brown, spotted feathers and its black eyes. Nesting habits: The owl nests in tree cavities, mistletoe and abandoned nests of other fowl. It does not build its own nest. Call: To find the bird, hoot.

The owl commonly responds to a high-pitched, four-note hoot: who, who-who, whoo. Mexico, will be designated a threatened species in April, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said Thursday. That means national forest managers would have to get approval from the Fish and Wildlife Service for timber-cutting, expanding recreation areas or anything else that would disturb the birds. But the decision probably won't mean future restrictions on hiking, bird-watching, crosscountry skiing or other recreation in the forest, officials said.

Environmentalists hailed the decision as a victory. "In the long run, Southwest-erners will really benefit from this," said Jim Norton, regional director of the Wilderness Society. "Instead of having clear cuts and tree farms across New Please see Owl 2A By Dan Williams El Paso Times The Mexican spotted owl will be placed on the threatened species list to save it from extinction and that could doom the logging business in the Lincoln National Forest, a forest official said. The rare owl, whose home includes the Lincoln and Gila national forests in southern New Territory: The rare Mexican spotted owl is one of three subspecies of spotted owls that range from the Pacific Northwest to northern Mexico. Size: Adults grow 16 to 19 times topic: WAR EAGLES AIR MUSEUM Free trade: 'A treaty that's in trouble' Lawmakers in both parties express doubts Washington Post WASHINGTON House and Senate Democrats are warning the Clinton administration that the free-trade lieves many legislators' positions are not definite and a majority in favor of the agreement can be created but not easily.

During Thursday's hearing, he cited the upsurge in U.S. exports to Mexico, which have grown from $12 billion in 1986, when Mexico began to reduce its tariffs, to $44 billion last year. The free-trade agreement would eliminate tariffs on most trade among the three countries over the next 10 to 15 years and remove other trade barriers, promising an even greater expansion of commerce and jobs, proponents say. The extent of the agreement's political troubles was dramatized Thursday by the statements of several members of Congress who took an unannounced inspection trip to a heavily industrialized strip in Tijuana, Mexico, last week. House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt, said that while he supports Mexico's efforts to improve working and environmental conditions, he would insist on agreements with Mexico ensuring such changes.

"I will not support NAFTA on a leap of faith," he said. treaty with Mexico and Canada is in serious political trouble. That message, which has been given privately, was delivered publicly Thursday when U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor briefed the House Ways and Means trade subcommittee on the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiated by the Bush administration last August. "My reading on the floor of the House is that the votes are not there," Rep.

Robert Matsui, said. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, chair of the House Democratic economic forum, declined to discuss a current head count of Democrats concerning the free-trade agreement, but said, "It's a treaty that's in trouble." Matsui told reporters he be 1 WYMES. Rudy Gutierrez El Paso Times Jack Bell, a volunteer and pilot at the War Eagles Air Museum, is helping restore a World War II vintage Russian Tupolev TU-2 bomber the museum purchased after it was found inside a cave in China. F-86 Sabre; The classic U.S.

fighter of the Korean war was credited with shooting down 792 MiGs, with a loss of only 76 Rare war planes to fly again in Upper VaUey Santa Teresa home to MiG-15 jet, Corsair and P-51 among others Russian lawmakers vote to further weaken Yeltsin F-86s. It had six guns and could fly about 650mph. if Associated Press MOSCOW The Communist-dominated Congress whittled famous Soviet-made jet was the principal enemy U.S. airmen faced 40 years ago in the Korean War. It would do nearly 700 mph and had three cannons.

awav more of i ft i President Boris Yeltsin's powers Thursday and canceled a national referendum he had sought to cement his authority. TBM Avenger: World War II torpedo plane, the type flown by George Bush in the Pacific when he was shot jp down bv the Japanese in A Yeltsin 1944. More than 40 feet long, it weighs nearly eight tons. Without his present power to issue decrees, Yeltsin loses the ability to implement market reforms over the heads of obstinate officials and pro-Communist lawmakers. And without the threat of the proposed April 11 referendum, lawmakers may be emboldened to attack Yeltsin further.

Yeltsin's supporters in the Congress claimed the restrictions, if given final approval, could make Yeltsin a lame-duck president. The resolution was sent to an editing committee which includes Yeltsin and Khasbulatov and could be presented for a final vote today. In Washington, Secretary of State Warren Christopher expressed confidence that Yeltsin could still emerge from the power struggle in a stronger position. "It's a very dynamic situation," Christopher said. "The end of the story has not been written." ginning April 2, for the free air shows MacGuire puts on for visitors.

"That's what makes it rare: They fly," said Guy Dority, the museum's tour coordinator a tall, personable man who's somewhat of a treasure himself. How many museums have a fellow who flew 50 missions in a B-17 Flying Fortress? Or a man who can tell you what some of the museum's fighters looked like when they sliced through the icy air while escorting a bomber to targets in German-occupied Europe? "I was in the first American-manned B-17 to land in the United Kingdom," Dority said. "It was July 1, 1942, in Prest-wick, Scotland." Dority has some unique permease see Planes 2A By Jim Conley El Paso Times John MacGuire's collection of vintage World War II and Korean War aircraft would be rare enough even if the planes didn't fly. The Upper Valley resident's 3 Vi-year-old War Eagles Air Museum at Santa Teresa Airport has some of the rarest fighters and other warplanes of bygone days a MiG-15 jet, a Corsair, a P-51 Mustang and the P-40 Warhawk used in the film "Tora! Tora! Tora!" It has a P-38 Lightning like the one flown by America's top ace of all time: Maj. Richard Bong, who shot down 40 Japanese planes in the Pacific.

The museum also boasts that all but a few of these restored aircraft can still take to the skies. And they will, be T-33 Starfire: First Air Force jet to exceed 500 mph. The 4 thfi F-flO. was the first U.S. et to shoot down a MiG, on ov.8,1950.

The criticism was so biting that Yeltsin walked out of the Grand Kremlin Palace before the Congress of People's Deputies adjourned its second day of an emergency session. The votes cutting his power were preliminary but potentially damaging to Yeltsin, who has haggled for months with Parliament Speaker Ruslan Khasbula-tov over who should wield supreme power: the president or parliament. HOMEBUILDING BOOM New houses pop up at record rate in Dona Ana County Infant mortality: Death rate still high for African-American babies 7 A Existing home values jurrip by thousands 3E J.D -4E -4E 6D 8A Ann Landers Classified Comics Crossword Deaths Editorials Living Lotto Money Movies -IE J2B 8E city. And most of those are south and west of the city. Judy Price, county planning director, said home sites in unincorporated parts of the county generally are more affordable than in communities such as Sunland Park, Las Cruces and Hatch.

"I think the number of building permits has increased because interest rates have continued to stay steady and have actually gone down," Price said. The number of county mobile home permits increased 16 percent from 749 in 1991 to 870 The county issued 347 new home permits in the unincorporated areas of the county last year, compared with 262 during 1991. "The permits are not the problem," Moore said. "The ones that don't get permits are the problem." Average house values in the county also increased from $67,994 in 1991 to $74,054 last year. Moore said the majority of new houses are being built in the Las Cruces extra-territorial zone, a five-mile ring around the last year.

"I would expect the number both building permits and mobile home permits to continue to increase as long as interest rates and land prices hold reasonably where they are now." Carol Hoyle, executive vice president of the Las Cruces Homebuilders Association, said permits for new homes and townhouses in the city of Las Cruces jumped by 253 in 1991 to 354 in 1992. "It's a good market right now," Hoyle said. "Everybody's very, very busy and very happy." ing permits issued during 1992 for single-family dwellings soared 32.4 percent above 1991, according to county figures released this week. "Of course, there's only two inspectors in the office, but we're fixing to get another one," Moore said. The city of Las Cruces had an increase of almost 40 percent in the number of permits issued for new houses and townhouses during 1992.

By Michael Scanlon El Paso Times LAS CRUCES Low interest rates and high housing demand touched off a homebuilding explosion last year in Dona Ana County, and officials said Thursday the trend is continuing. "It's buzzing in Dona Ana County," building inspector Mike Moore said. "It doesn't look like it's tapering off." The number of county build -El Tiempo 3E 1C 3E 2A Religion bulletin Sports Television Weather Copyright 1993 El Paso Times A Gannett newspaper.