The Salina Journal from Salina, Kansas • Page 3

The Salina Journal Friday, November 2,1984 PagerS Students upset by Model Legislature mix-up By CHARLENE FARRELL Staff Writer Salina's Model Legislators aren't taking kindly to a state leadership spat that is forcing them out of the, Statehouse chambers and into the auditorium of the State Historical Society. "It kind of makes me mad. It just won't be the same," said Anthony Eclavea, 17, one of 21 Salina South High School students who will attend the event Sunday and Monday. "(The Statehouse) adds to the effect; just sitting there and knowing all the higher officials really sit there and actually do what we are doing," Eclavea said. The state's Legislative Coordinating Council voted earlier this week to deny the request from the group director, Mayre Hoffman, Topeka, to use the Statehouse for the event.

About 175 western Kansas youths were expected to attend! When the South students met Thursday to discuss the changes, they considered dropping out, but eventually decided to stay. "We talked about not going," said Shannon Francis, 17, Hi-Y president, "but we all decided we had done too much work to not go at all." The Model Legislature had been sponsored by Topeka YMCA until Hoffman was relieved of the duty this year in a tangled controversy about her leadership. Authority was turned over to the YMCA youth department and a private consultant, but Hoffman proceeded to organize a western Kansas delegation. Because it was no longer a non-profit group, the LCC denied use of the Statehouse. But the LCC approved use of the Capitol confines by a group of 155 Johnson County students, sponsored by the YMCA, who will have an identical Model Legislature later this month.

All the bickering has left the schools, and the students, out in the cold. "We got very little information until just lately," said Jim Sheffer, group adviser and South High mathematics instructor. "It has had me frustrated and has had the kids on edge. They don't know what to do." Sheffer said advisers were concerned about the lack of organization at last year's Legislature. They voiced their concerns and were assured things would improve.

It wasn't until about three weeks ago that they first learned of the problems by rumor Francis said. Even then, they didn't know they were no longer YMCA-sponsored. "Our group was really upset," Francis said. "We wanted to be in the YMCA part of it. We are trying to decide whether we are even going to have a Hi-Y next year if we can't get back on YMCA." The leadership argument has caused more than just meeting room problems.

Because the new group wasn't affiliated with the YMCA, it had to be sanctioned by the Kansas State High School Activities Association, Sheffer said. Recent attention to loss of school time caused KSHSAA to approve it only if students lost just one day of school, Sheffer said. It was too late to reschedule to include Saturday. Now all the activities traditionally spread over three days will be crammed into two. Sunday activities will keep the students up until 11:30 p.m.; breakfast Monday will be at 6:45 a.m., Eclavea said.

"There'll be no time to meet people except for while we're in process," Eclavea said. "We were wondering if we could go to so'me of the other Legislative things, but that will be impossible because of all the things we'll have to get done." The cost per day is higher this year because the event no longer is sponsored by a non-profit organization and that is a concern, Francis said. The cost is $50 for two days and a night. Last year, students paid $60 for the three- day session. "We're caught in the middle" Sheffer said.

"But I don't think being caught in the middle hurts the school, it is a detriment to the kids." Students will represent schools in Salina, Chapman, McPherson, Garnett, Kingman, Langdon and Mullinville. Others attending from Salina all South High students are: Leslie Greenwood, Angela Johnson, Brian Powell, Dan McDevitt, Jeff Laughman, Sally May, Doug Baxter, Stefi Hoffines, Leland Kriegh, John Ku, Terri Lesage, Angle Martinez, Richelle Schoeberl, Nancy Vail, Jill Varner, Billy Short, Tony Eakin, Ron Coleman and Erin Francis. Kansans pick up pieces after deadly tornado, storms CARBONDALE (AP) In the aftermath of a tornado that killed two people at a mobile home park near this east-central Kansas community Wednesday night, three bodies were found Thursday near the wreckage of a plane that apparently went down as the twister passed through the area, Osage County Sheriff Robert Masters said. Federal investigators were at the scene early Thursday afternoon in an effort to determine what caused the plane to go down, but Masters said the crash happened about the same time that the tornado hit. "I feel there's no doubt in my mind that it was tornado-related," he said.

"Even the coroner's report put the time of death at 6:18 p.m. That's approximately the time the tornado hit." The sheriff's office identified the victims as Doug Wallace, 49, Bob Miller, 57, and John Burge, 22, all of Topeka, and said they worked for a Topeka engineering firm. Dave Martinson, a Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controller at Topeka, said it had not been determined which of the three was the pilot. Masters and Wes Phillips, another FAA controller at Topeka, said they understood that the plane was en route to Topeka from Little Rock, Ark. Phillips said the pilot had not filed a flight plan.

The wreckage of the light plane was found about a quarter-mile from the Mineral Springs Trailer Court, where the tornado killed Norman E. DeForest, 44, and Edith K. Rogers, 39, and injured 10 other people Wednesday night. Masters said very heavy rain continued to fall for some time after the twister hit, and although the plane wreckage was near a road, it blended in with debris from the trailer court and officials did not notice it in the darkness Wednesday night and even after daybreak Thursday. "I had one lieutenant who drove right by it this morning," he said.

The wreckage was discovered after a resident of the area called the sheriff's department about 9 a.m., Masters said. Richard Billings, who lives across the street from the trailer court, said he heard what he thought to be the sound of an automobile accident around the time that the tornado swept through. "I heard a loud boom and I came outside and I thought a car had wrecked," Billings said. "Then I seen the tornado so I went back inside." Billings said he did not see any fire in the area. He said he walked over to investigate further Thursday morning and saw the wreckage.

John Sovis, another air traffic controller in Topeka, said there was "a good chance" that the plane crash was related to the tornado. "The aircraft called us last night and we tried to contact it, but there was no response." Phillips said the pilot called the control tower at Topeka's Forbes Field about 6:12 p.m., asking about weather conditions in Topeka. He said the pilot called the tower again at 6:18 p.m., saying he was about 10 miles south of the airport, and not indicating he was having any problems. "We tried a third contact, about a minute later, and couldn't reach him," Phillips said. Mildred Boyer, 79, owner of the trailer court, said the twister came out of nowhere.

"It happened so quickly it would make your head swim," she said. "It got still. It got dead hot." Authorities reported at least four other funnel clouds across Kansas Wednesday night, and there was widespread property damage from high winds and some local flooding due to heavy rains. In Kingman County, just west of Wichita, Boyd Gosch, 76, and his wife, Theda, 71, were injured when their farm home and a barn were destroyed. CLEAN SWEEP Mike Life, Woodbine, of Milestone Chimney Sweeps, cleans a chimney recently at 1921 E.

Glendale. Tom DorMy Town to get first medical care in decades By BRENT BATES Staff Writer MILTONVALE Residents in Miltonvale soon might go to a former meat locker for medical attention. In an effort to attract a doctor to this Cloud County town, a development group is in the process of remodeling an old meat locker into a medical clinic. Two Concordia doctors have agreed to practice one-half day each week in the community after the clinic is finished, around Dec. 1.

The community of 600 has been without a doctor since the early '50s, said Jack Foster, secretary of the Miltonvale Development Corporation, the group spearheading the effort. Since that time, people in the community have had to travel to Clay Center, Minneapolis, Concordia or Salina for medical care. "Just like any small town, we have a good amount of elderly (citizens)," Foster said. "If they need something done, they have to travel 25 to 30 miles to see a doctor." Since that time, community leaders have unsuccessfully tried to persuade several doctors to set up practice in the town. "It's difficult for a community our size to get a doctor," Foster said.

"They all seem to be more interested in larger concentrations (of people) and they want to work closely with hospitals." Because doctors would not establish full-time practices at Miltonvale, the corporation began negotiating last year with St. Joseph's Hospital, Concordia, for doctors on a part-time basis, he said. The two physicians, Michael Grant and Earl Cornell, will be at the clinic on alternate weeks for a half day "I hope it's a workable situation," said Grant, a family practitioner with the Concordia Medical Group for two years. "It helps us increase our patient load. We can offer services to a lot of older people to keep them from going to Clay Center or Minneapolis." The old buiding, which also has been a laundromat, was purchased and donated to the corporation for use as a clinic by Dale Bradley, a banker in the community.

Using donations of money and labor, the building has been partitioned into two offices, two examination rooms, a waiting room, a laboratory and a nurse's room, Foster said. "Everyone seems real excited," Foster said. "It's a community project." Grant said the community-wide support encouraged the doctors to practice in Miltonvale. "They certainly made it very attractive," Foster said. "The hospital has donated a lot of equipment for us to use.

"It isn't going to be any big risk for us." Grant said the practice might be expanded if support for the clinic grows. "Judging from their enthusiasm, (the practice) probably could grow," he said. Vidricksen bypasses opponent, others with $23,500 for campaign From Journal Staff Reports Incumbent state Senator Ben Vidricksen, R-Salina, revealed Thursday a campaign war chest of $23,507, which gave him a $13,690 edge over his Democratic opponent, Dan Geis. Vidricksen's figures, which also showed him with more money than any Salina area candidate, were filed with the Secretary of State's office. The tally sheets of Rep.

Larry Turnquist, D-Salina, and Sen. Richard Gannon, D-Goodland also reached Topeka Thursday. The money raised by Vidricksen far outdistanced Geis, who raised $9,817. He also is far ahead of Rep. Bob Ott, R-Salina, who with $12,227 raised the second largest sum in the area.

At the time of the filing, Vidrick- sen had spent $15,741 and Geis $4,115. Of the $23,507 Vidricksen had available, he spent $15,741. His major contributors included the Kansas Medical Society PAC, $500; Kansas Dental PAC, $200; Southwestern Bell Kansas Employees $200; Damar Grain, $250; Sam Evans, $250; Bennington Elevator, $250; Jewell Agri Service, $250; Midwest Agri Service, $250; S. Dean Evans, $250; Kansas Bankers Association PAC, $300; Kansas Beer PAC, $400; Long McArthur, $200; Doris Schwan, $250; Kansas Independent Insurance Agents, $200; Charles Walker, $300; Helen Graves, $200; Kansas City Power Light, $200; Alta and Robert Frobenius, $200; Marvin Schwan, Sioux Falls, S.D., $750; Kansas Association of Realtors, $750; Hallmark PAC, $250; Construction Industry PAC, $200; Kansas Health Care Association (nursing homes), $200; Kansas Association for Economic Growth (multi-bank holding), $500; R.D. Andersen, Topeka, $300; Iowa Beef Packers, $200; Cities Service Company, $200; Milton Morrison, $400; and Kansas Amoco PAC, $400.

In the 40th District state Senate race, both candidates have raised more than $20,000. Gannon raised $24,365 and his Republican opponent Paul Steele of Colby raised $20,814. Gannon's figures came in Thursday and showed he had spent $21,673 of the $24,365 he raised. His major contributors include the Kansas Beer PAC Midwest Agri Services, Bennington Elevator, $750; Damar Grain, $750; Saline Valley Investment, $750; Kansas Agents PAC (insurance agents), $300; Mueller Grain, $750; Richard Smith, Wichita, $500; Jordan Haines, Wichita, $250; Frank Lowman, $250; Kansas PAC (K-NEA), $750; Kansas Agri Business Council, $500; Democratic Senatorial Campaign, $750; Kansas National Ban- corp, Goodland, $500; Flying Norcatur, $300; Kansas Beer PAC, $400; Kansas Association of Realtors, $500; Damar Grain, $750; Kansas Association for Economic Growth (multi-bank holding PAC), $500; Patricia Smith, Wichita, $500; and Jewell Agri Service, Salina, $750. In the Salina area, incumbent Turnquist raised $6,503, and spent $4,984.

His opponent, Jim DuBois, raised $5,169 and spent $4,393. Turnquist's major contributor's included the Machinists and Aerospace Workers, $750; Kansas Political Action Committee, $750; Saline County Democratic Party, $500; Kansas Association of Realtors, $500; Kansas Trial Lawyers, $250; and the Kansas Association for Economic Growth (multi-bank), $350.,. Dickinson County attorney candidate sues opponent, others for 'conspiracy 7 By CAROL LICHTI Staff Writer HERINGTON The Republican candidate for Dickinson County attorney has filed a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Topeka alleging that his opponent, among others, conspired to bring criminal action against him and force him to be disbarred. Robert C.

Johnson's attorney, Fred W. Phelps, filed the suit Friday for $250,000 in actual damages and $1.35 million in punitive damages. Johnson, a Herington attorney, said he had not planned to file the lawsuit before the Nov. 6 election, but said he decided to go ahead when his opponent, Keith Hoffman, brought up the issue of Johnson's personal bankruptcy suit. Filing for bankruptcy, Johnson said, was precipitated by criminal actions brought against him in July 1982.

Johnson was charged with four felony counts of giving worthless checks to Lauren Kahn, Lawrence, and Kay Barrett, Herington, both of whom are listed as defendants in the civil suit. Other defendants are Hoffman's assistant, Jim McNish, a partner in his law firm, and another partner, Stan Martin, who also is the city attorney of Herington. Johnson was convicted of the charges, but an appellate court reversed the decision. The attorney general's office then was asked to complete prosecution of the case because of a conflict of interest claimed by the county attorney. Johnson eventually was acquitted of two of the counts by a jury and of the remaining two counts by a judge in March.

Hoffman, who has been Dickinson County attorney the past years, said he could not comment on the case. The suit alleges that Hoffman, McNish and Martin conspired to entrap Johnson. It alleges the lawyers had Kahn. and Barrett obtain checks for back wages with the understanding that the checks would be held until Johnson had sufficient money in the bank. But Johnson claims they did not comply with the agreement but did attempt to cash the checks.

The suit also alleges that Hoffman and McNish, in their official capacities in the county attorney's office, then conspired to prosecute Johnson on worthless check charges. Their action, the suit alleges, was to punish Johnson for befriending and supporting "a controversial black businessman (Chester Fisher)." Fisher has filed a race discrimination suit against the city of Herington. That suit is pending in U.S. District Court in Topeka. To suit says, the defendant lawyers decided to punish Johnson, and used their official powers as well as the private law practice to bring criminal and disbarment proceedings against him.

Martin said he could not ment on the case. He said legal counsel for the defendants would be named at a later date..