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lie DM TUESDAY June 8, 2004 The Newspaper Iowa Depends Upon DesMoinesRegister.com 0 Price 50 Cents in Stores and Coin Racks INSIDE Iraqi militias agree to plan of disbanding Mi wmm J- ij I What about al-Sadr? 4 U.S. officials want to disband cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. It is considered the most bothersome faction resisting coalition forces. The army was excluded from the accord to dissolve nine militias because it did not want to work within the political process, a coalition official said. The largest private armies will participate in a rewards and retraining program, opting for civilian life or serving Iraq.

By HANNAH ALLAM and TOM LASSETER KNIGHT BIDDER NEWSPAPERS Baghdad, Iraq Nine Iraqi militias representing more than 100,000 fighters have agreed to lay down their arms as part of a rewards and retraining program announced Monday. While the program faces significant logistical and other hurdles, disbanding the militias would be a huge step forward in bringing order to Iraq's often-chaotic security situation and could help reinforce Iraq's political unity under the transitional government set to take control on June 30. The agreement, if it works, could also significantly reduce the threat of civil war among the disparate forces after the U.S.-led occupation formally ends. Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said most paramilitary fighters would be absorbed into Iraq's new armed forces, while others would be retrained for noncom-bat roles or retire and receive a pension. "Those who choose to return to civilian life will receive valuable job training and other benefits," Allawi said in a written statement.

"By doing this, we reward their heroism and sacrifice, while making Iraq stronger and eliminating armed forces outside of government control." Asked how he could be sure that the militiamen will be loyal to their new Iraqi security commanders, and not their former militia, Allawi deferred to the new Iraqi minister of the interior, Falah See IRAQ, Page 7A Why lowans live so long Iowa ranks among the top states in life expectancy and number of residents more than 100 years old. Why do lowans last so long? The class of 1931 from Dayton, offers some answers. lowaLife, Page 1E New basketball league looks at Des Moines Sports, Page 1C Today's election determines candidates Metro Iowa, Page 1B ir Web EXTRA Newton track stalls again; fate unclear N. Remember Reagan Discuss your thoughts about Ronald Reagan in an online forum. DesMoinesRegister.com BRYAN CHENASSOCIATED PRESS Loving touch: With the Rev.

Michael Wenning offering support, Nancy Reagan presses her cheek to her husband's casket Monday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. The planned opening of the speedway has been pushed back, and crops were planted at the proposed site. In Business Maytag's plan to lay off workers in Newton has added a new dimension to contract negotiations with the union. But was it a scare tactic? Page 10 Thousands view Reagan's casket at presidential library in California in outpouring of affection, respect OPINION hi Perry is not the only town with an alleged bullying problem, writes Marc What's next TODAY: Public visitation continues at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. WEDNESDAY: The body will be flown to Washington, D.C, and will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda.

FRIDAY: The casket will be taken to the National Cathedral for a state funeral service. LATER: The body will return to California for a private service at sunset. In Metro Iowa When should flags be lowered? Find tips on proper flag etiquette. Page 1B In Opinion Despite his ties to Iowa, Ronald Reagan had a difficult time politically in the state, writes David Yepsen. Rekha Basu writes about how Reagan redefined the powers of the president.

Page 9A Hansen. Parents share their stories of abused kids. Page 1B By COLLEEN KRANTZ REGISTER STAFF WRITER Copyright 2004. Des Moines Register and Tnbune Company The proposed opening of a motor-sports complex in Newton will be pushed back a second time, raising questions in the Jasper County town about the project's fate, community leaders said just as the city absorbs the harsh news of layoffs at Maytag Corp. The developer's latest goal was to break ground this spring at the 226-acre site near Interstate Highway 80 and open the facility next summer.

Nothing has happened. "Yeah, they broke ground but for crops," said Marvin M. Woods, a Newton resident who opposes the track. The delay has even left supporters of the $50 million project worried, said Ron Foreman, a member of the Newton City Council. 'We're all hopeful that it will transpire, but the longer it goes the more skepticism there is," Foreman said.

Foreman said that a delay appears inevitable. The construction required would take too long for the facility to open next summer. 'We are still very hopeful that the project will go because we think it would be fantastic for the community, but at this point we are just not hearing anything," said David Schornack, Newton's city administrator. "I'll be See NEWTON, Page 6A security will be noticeably higher once Reagan's body arrives Wednesday. Hundreds of extra law enforcement officials will be on duty throughout the city.

Dwight Pettiford, acting chief of the U.S. Park Police, said leave for officers had been canceled this week. He also expressed some concern about the openness of the route that Reagan's casket will take to the Capitol, where it will be on public view from Wednesday evening to Friday morning. Officers will line the route and mingle in the crowd to keep order. The Department of Homeland Security has designated the three days as a National Special Security Event, placing it in the same See REAGAN, Page 4A By JEFF WILSON ASSOCIATED PRESS Simi Valley, Calif.

Nancy Reagan touched her cheek to the flag-covered casket, then made way for Americans by the thousands to pay respects Monday to Ronald Reagan. A steady, near-silent stream of people some saluting, some praying circled through the rotunda of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, where the body of the nation's 40th president was to lie through today before being taken to Washington, D.C After Friday's state funeral, the body will return to California for a hilltop burial service at sunset. Washington has been on high alert virtually continuously since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but WEATHER HIGH LOW 30 68 Partly sunny, very warm and humid. Details, Page 6B Report: Police reacted properly during Veishea "micro vrmtKlCA.

Complaints filed by students after the riot in Ames prompted the agency's review. INDEX Rekha Basu 9A Business 1D Comics 5E Crossword 4E Dear Abby 3E Editorials 8A Lotteries 2A Movies 6E Obituaries 4B, 5B TV Guide 4E David Yepsen 9A DELIVERY: (515) 284-8311 (800) 365-4692 Copyright 2004 Des Moines Register and Tribune Company A Gannett Newspaper June 8, 2004 Court Avenue gets more D.M. funding The public cost for a housing and entertainment project in Des Moines' Court Avenue district will grow, even as development plans shrink. The city will increase its $4.5 million contribution to the $40 million project by about $3.5 million. Developers Harry Bookey and Jim Hubbell have eliminated an entire section of the project.

They say the plans still feature a jazz club, nightclub and restaurant surrounded by condominiums and apartments. City officials who have battled for nearly two decades to revitalize the area say the higher taxpayer cost will be worth it. Article In Metro Iowa, Page 1B "People may feel that they're offended in some way but the police department was making it clear that this was an illegal assembly, and they needed to leave now," the academy's assistant director, Arlen Ciechanowski, said Monday. "When they weren't leaving, it became very difficult to discern people who were happening by and people who were involved. I think, at best, it was a difficult situation, as most riots are." Ames city officials asked the academy to review the police department's crowd control techniques a week See VEISHEA, Page 4A By STACI HUPP REGISTER AMES BUREAU Ames police acted responsibly in their efforts to control unruly crowds during the Veishea riot in April, a state review has concluded.

Iowa Law Enforcement Academy officials determined that police were careful in their use of pepper spray, tear gas and batons, despite dozens of complaints that officers targeted innocent bystanders on April 18. U-Z0C4 "4090 1 "1 5006' See some ol Duffy's cartoons online: DesMoinesRegister.comduffy Terr.