Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 73

HI SoniesteatJosz, GEM MI-JiiillM Annifrn nponcfam I Sunny MICH 101 10W 75 Paga 88 fo vacG Dulls in (Finals Open 2. Dm ii i lliiHL Eomon 500 CXyfit 1 996, Th Aiio RcfwMc I'hocnls, ArUona 107th year, No. 19 Monday, June 3, 1996 Kids go without among the working poor Parents make too much for welfare, not enough for children A i New look at death-row appeals 1789. law may allow inmates' direct pleas By Aaron Epstein Knight Rtddar Newspapers WASHINGTON Seeking to speed executions of convicted murderers, Congress thought it closed jhe door to Supreme Court review of repeat death-row appeals as part of a law passed in April. For many of trta working poor, health insurance is unaffordable.

Jennifer Gaskins says all she and boyfriend Robert Savage can do is pray their 9-month-old twins, Jasmyne (left) and Tyler, won't get sick. By Karina Bland Staff writer Jennifer Gaskins works six hours a day, from 2 to 8 p.m., at a telemarketing company. Her boyfriend, Robert Savage, works from I to 9:30 a.m. in a warehouse. That way.

between them, they can care for their 9-mnnih-olJ twins, Tyler and Jasmine. They can't afford a baby-sitter, despite the fact that they both work. They arc among the "working pmir," families who struggle to survive even though at least one parent works full time. This year's annual Kids Count report, released today by the Annie Casey Foundation in Baltimore highlights the plight of grow ing up in such a family at a time when the number of such families is rocketing. In 19)4, there were 5.6 million American children in working-poor families, up 30 percent from 1989.

The increase has been steady. Two decades ago, only 3.4 million children were in that group. The report calls these families "the forgotten poor," overlooked in the political debate because Set WORKING, pageA4 Michaal ChowStaff photographer END OF THE LINE But it appears to have left open another avenue for inmates to challenge their convictions before the high court. In arguments to be heard today by the Supreme Court, lawyers for a Georgia inmate, Ellis Wayne Felker, will contend that the new law did nothing to disturb the 200-year-old, seldom-used authority of the court to accept direct appeals from prisoners. The Clinton administration agrees.

Peres successor presses peace But doesn't mention Arab-Israel accord Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, does not. Hatch, the primary Senate sponsor of the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, said it was passed by a Congress that was "frustrated by lengthy delays in the execution of validly imposed capital sentences." A study of death-penalty cases from 1977 to 1987 showed the average time from sentencing to execution to be years. There now are more than 3,060 prisoners on death row in See 1789 LAW, pageA6 Heroic ranger honored for saving kids By John Lancaster Washington Post JERUSALEM In a victory speech that traded the muscular nationalism of his political campaign for themes of healing and reconciliation, Israeli Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu called Sunday night on Arabs and Israelis alike to join him in the quest for comprehensive regional peace. Speaking to a buoyant, sometimes-bumptious crowd of Likud party faithful in a nationally televised address, Netanyahu pledged to "further the process of dialogue with all our neighbors to reach a stable peace, a real peace, a peace with security." I 4 I IIP '''Y ft Paul F.

GeroStaff photographer The setting sun colors the trip for Vince Robertson of Tucson, who was heading for Los Angeles, then going to visit a friend in Montana. Amtrak's Sunset Limited leaves Phoenix for good By Mary Jo Pitzl Staff writer He risked his life when logs collapsed By Richard Ruelas Staff writer FOREST LAKES He only had seconds to act before two tons of logs crashed down on them all. Forest Ranger Tim Grier, straining against the teetering wall, shouted for the eight children to flee. They got out safely. He didn't.

When they pulled Grier from under the rubble, it was like pulling out a sack of potatoes. The bones below his waist found several ways to break. 'This was last June 9, and Grier, who works summers at the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, was getting ready to show a movie to a group of children on a 14-foot-high outdoor screen when it toppled. Instead of scampering a few steps to his right and saving his own hide, Grier thought of the children, shouting at them to get to safety. He paid a high price.

Doctors eventually found eight fractures and After his hairbreadth victory over Shimon Peres in national elections last week, Netanyahu also acknowledged the need for domestic healing, vowing that his first priority as prime minister would be to "reunite the people." "The peace we will bring will not be the peace for the Likud voters, but it will be for everyone, the security will be for everyone," he said. "It is my desire to be the prime minister for everyone, Jew and non-Jew, secular and religious." The tone of Netanyahu's 30-minute address contrasted sharply with that of his campaign, in which he bitterly attacked Peres for seeking territorial compromise with the Arabs that in his view compromised Israeli national security. Fearing that a Netanyahu win could slow or even derail the peace process, the United States and other Western powers backed Peres. Sunday night, Netanyahu used his victory speech to send a message of reassurance to Israel's Arab negotiating partners, to the world, to domestic political opponents and even to Israeli financial markets, which initially See NETANYAHU, page A5 here was a trumpeter to blow taps. A minister's wife to lead a chorus of Auld Lang Syne.

A sweet song makes the train's passing a little easier to take for Ken Dixon, who was catching the Sunset Limited to Los Angeles, and for Polly Fels, who came down to Union Station to pay tribute to Amtrak's final "all aboard" in Phoenix. jyQ I'M Jil I'lHi II i 11 Mill HH I ii 'T I IT I And a railroad buff passing out fliers lamenting the death of passenger-rail service to Phoenix. But the Sunset Limited wrote its own obituary for Phoenix on Sunday. It glided toward a setting sun that streaked the sky orange and pink as the train pulled its last load of passengers into Phoenix. "Off to the left is the sunset," an announcer said, the only attraction noted during the 2Vi-hour trip from See AMTRAK, page A5 Randy ReidStaff photographer See INJURED, page A4 INSIDE Blue Angels hit turbulence Wf Pressures immense for fliers 'Rent 'Noise' win big at Tonys See Page CI is Donnie Cochran "I'm looking primarily at myself," he said iri resigning as flight leader after two seasons of uneven performances, canceled shows and his own conclusion that his skills might be lacking.

-1 7.yr Astrology Bridge Chuckle Classified Comics B3, Computing Dear Abby Dr. Gott Editorial Life Obituaries Prayer Puzzles Sports Television Weather C4 C4 A2 CL1 CL11 El C4 c4 B4 CI B2 A2 C4 Dl C5.6 B6 By Michael E. Ruane Knight-Ridder Newspapers WASHINGTON From the ground, it is a magnificent dance: the nimble blue jets lacing the sky with grace and perfection, wingtips etching vapor curls in an aerial ballet at 400 knots, 1,000 feet up. However, for the perfectionist aviators who fly the Navy's Blue Angels acrobatic jets, and especially for the team's leader, the job can be one of isolation, pressure and psychic anguish. Things build up, the pilots say, and start "messin' with your jombo," or state of mind.

Last week, these pressures led to an extraordinary act. For the first time in recent memory, a leader of the legendary flying team stepped down before his two-year tour of duty was 1 For the aviators who fly the Navy's Blue Angels acrobatic jets, the job can be one of isolation, pressure and psychic anguish. See BLUE ANGELS, page A6 Pensacola News Journal Navy DAILY.