Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 1

hxmk St Cloudy High in the 40s Details on Page 2A Metro 148TH YEAR Published by Gannett in Rochester, N.Y., Wednesday Morning, November 1 2. 1 980 25 CENTS Newtstond prtct asf month Yazback imed Preceded incident at Wegmans By NANCY MONAGHAN Stall Writer Twelve days before the Wegmans shoplifting accusation against former sheriffs chief of detectives Anthony J. Yazback, Monroe County Sheriff Andrew P. Meloni Jr. had removed Yazback from direct responsibility in the initial investigation of all major crimes in Monroe County.

Norman Palmiere, Yazback's lawyer, says Meloni issued a general order Oct. 17 instructing deputies that "if a major crime occurred, Tony Yazback was not one of the persons who was to be called." The order was issued after Meloni learned U.S. Department of Justice officials were contacting Yazback directly about a major organized crime investigation that had led into the sheriffs department. Palmiere said that although Yazback was reporting the status of the investigation to Meloni, "apparently Meloni wanted the justice been giving investigators information on Mafia activities in Rochester, sources said. Part of that investigation involves the July 6, 1978 machine-gun slaying of Thomas DiDio, the leader of an insurgent faction of underworld figures who were fighting for control of the Rochester rackets.

In tracing cars used during the gangland war, sources said, investigators were led to two Monroe County Jail deputies who had been seen delivering cars to underworld figures for a man who owns a used-car lot on the west side. Last week, the day Yazback was fired, both deputies were called to a federal grand jury. Federal agents, with Yazback's help, were investigating the deputies' ties to organized crime figures, as. well as leaks of information to organized crime figures that had been traced to inside the sheriffs department. Turn to YAZBACK, Page 3 A department to contact him directly." "What is festering is that this smacks of a situation where Yazback may have been getting too much attention and the sheriff didn't like it," Palmiere said.

"Whether or not he is justified in feeling that way, I don't know. But I don't think when you have a chief of detectives you should be angry or find contempt in the fact that people responsible for organized crime investigations discuss the matter first" (with Yazback). Whether he thought that was Meloni's reason for firing Yazback, Palmiere wouldn't say. "But his partiality or impartiality in reviewing the evidence (of the shoplifting accusation) is very significant," Palmiere said, "if he consciously or unconsciously harbored some kind of resentment against the man." When Meloni's new order came out, Yazback was given no reason for the break in the chain of command, Palmiere said. Now that Yazback has been fired, ostensibly because of the incident Oct.

26 when a security guard accused Ydzback and his wife of shoplifting at an Irondequoit branch of Wegmans, Palmiere is questioning Meloni's real motive in court papers he expects to file today seeking a hearing for Yazback. Last Thursday after the Democrat and Chroni cle published an article that Yazback's firing may have been linked to the federal probe of organized crime, Meloni strongly denied that was the motive for his action. Federal investigators working with the U.S. Organized Crime Strike Force are investigating organized crime activities in Rochester with the help of a new informant, Anthony Oliveri. Police described him as a former safecracker, burglar and Mafia enforcer.

Oliveri, 41, whose last known address was 5 Lexington Court, turned informant several months ago for federal authorities. He entered the federal witness protection program and has rj 1 4 A 74 4 1 1 if 4 4if j- i I ii iiaiWi 1 rshntna hw Ano Wntftnn. Nick Rotolo's 'Taps' seemed lonelier than ever this year to veterans like Billy Bauer, right, 88. I of Day coia snouiaers Veterans turn out but people turn away bill oTarien Jeanne's wallop brings warning Associated Press MIAMI A late tropical storm grew into a rare November hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday. Hundreds of workers were evacuated from oil rigs and work barges off the Louisiana coast.

Hurricane Jeanne, with winds of 75 mph, was stalled 450 miles south-southeast of New Orleans, but Louisiana officials warned 16 parishes (counties) along the coast to make safety preparations. Policeman injured in Hershey strike Associated Press HERSHEY, Pa. A police officer was injured and Hershey Chocolate Co. shut down the plant that makes Reese's Peanut Butter Cups yesterday when about 800 strikers from another Hershey plant demonstrated there. Flights diverted in power failure United Press International WASHINGTON Flights were diverted last night when the Cleveland control system that controls air traffic over Ohio, western Pennsylvania and several other states experienced a commercial power failure and back-up generators failed to function immediately, the government said.

A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said there was no danger to air traffic and that normal operations were restored 2Vi hours after the 8 p.m. power failure. Opinion IN ELECTING Ronald Reagan, voters cried out for a change. They may get more than they bargained for, writes Carl Rowan (18A). Nation DEMOCRATIC-CONTROLLED 96th Congress convenes for its last hurrah today.

Prospects for a tax cut are dim (9A). Local CEASE-FIRE is declared in a double coupon war in Buffalo, but a limited battle goes on in Rochester (IB). People JUST BECAUSE he's blind doesn't mean Shirley Skinner shrinks from a challenge (1C). Sports PITTSFORD SUTHERLAND wins in the opening round of the state intersectional high school soccer tournament (ID). Business PAGE AIRWAYS Inc.

buys a company that is expected to provide $9 million worth of business from Miami International Airport (8D). Nick Rotolo play "Taps" for the 35th consecutive year. They watched a rifle volley, but somebody forgot to arrange for a trained man to set off the traditional cannon blast. It was 32 degrees and only a handful of people without the skinny caps were there. But a couple thousand people showed up a block Turn to VETERANS, Page 2A World Wars I and II.

He remembers when more people paid attention to veterans. "Everybody is so busy getting along, I guess they're just for themselves." He was among the veterans who wore yesterday's uniforms on today's bodies and watched people stare, then turn away. Some went to the War Memorial and heard Old war ribbons flutter (9A) A look at Troop (IB) The veterans all knew why they were out wearing the skinny caps yesterday. It was embarrassing that nobody else seemed to care. Billy Bauer got up and went to the Veteran's Day Mass at St.

Mary's Church and the ceremonies at the War Memorial yesterday morning, but "I got so damned cold I thought I'd fall apart, so I went home." Bauer is 88 and served in the Army during Haitians pelt rescue ship U.S. note still awaits Algeria-to-lran relay United Press International Services ALGIERS, Algeria Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher held "useful" talks yesterday with Algerian mediators on the release of the 52 American hostages. But he and his delegation left for Washington before the letter of reply he brought was relayed to Iran. In a development in the Persian Gulf war, Iran hinted yesterday at a softening on the matter of peace talks with Iraq. Christopher and a high-level negotiating team met twice in the day with Algerian Foreign Minister Mohamed Benyahia, acting as a go-between in the negotiations.

In Washington, a U.S. official said Christopher left Algiers for Washington because he expected it would be "several days" before Iran may respond, and he saw no need to wait. The official said that, despite earlier statements, the American response had not been delivered to Tehran before Christopher left Algiers. A State Department spokesman said, "We don't know exactly when it will be delivered but the Algerians said they would do so soon" and promised "prompt transmission to the government of Iran." But informed sources in Washington said Ab-delkrim Gheraib, Algeria's ambassador to Iran who took part in the talks with Christopher, is to fly to Tehran today to submit the U.S. reply.

In Tehran, Ahmad Azizi, deputy adviser to Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Ali Rajai, said: "I don't know the exact time we will receive it, but probably tomorrow." He said the American reply would be delivered by an Algerian Turn to IRAN, Page 2A NASSAU, Bahamas A Bahamas government rescue ship arrived at tiny Cayo Lobos island yesterday and was met by screaming Haitian refugees hurling rocks and brandishing sharpened sea shells and rusty knives. The 135-foot Lady Moore had planned to pick up the marooned Haitians and take them back to their homeland immediately, but the "boat people" refused to be returned, said Joe Edwards, a Bahamas government spokesman. "I prefer to die rather than go back to Haiti," yelled Claude Pierre, the spokesman for the 118 Haitians; NBC camera crew taped the action. After the confrontation that included a scuffle between a Haitian and two Bahamian sailors, who subdued him, the crew and immigration officials radioed Nassau for help. The Bahamas Defense Force's largest ship, the Marlin, was dispatched to the football-field sized island 20 miles north of Cuba with a police party aboard.

It is to arrive today with nine armed policemen; four were aboard the first ship. NBC film showed the Haitians sharpening shells and sticks as the Lady Moore crew approached. Government spokesman Larry Smith said the crew and immigration officials with them were also met with a barrage of rocks. The Rev. Gerard Jean-Juste, the leader of the Miami-Haitian community, flew to the island earlier in the day and led weeping refugees in song and prayer.

After 1 Vi hours he left on a plane with the television crew (WTVJ-Miami) that he had accompanied to the island. Jean-Juste has said the Haitians would be punished if they return to their homeland, but a Bahamian immigration official disagreed. "All they (Haitian officials) do is take their name and let them go," the immigration official said. While on the island, the crew of the rescue ship picked up five Cuban-American fishermen who had been shipwrecked there Monday. They are to be returned to the United States.

The refugees left Haiti in a 33-foot sailboat, beached it on the 13th day of their flight, and were stranded when a storm blew their boat away. Their turn He cried with them in their grief, and now they must weep for him Bridge 9C Business 5-8D Columnists 3C Comics 19C Deaths 14C Editorials 18A HELP! 8B Movies 8C Puzzles 19C Sports 1-7D Television 2C Want Ads 14C 4 NEWS SECTIONS flit it 1 By GARY GEREW D4C Staff Writer It was 20 months ago that Duane Ruggles sat for two hours weeping and consoling Donald Harris's family. The Harris's only son, David, had been killed in an automobile accident. Said Jenny Harris, David's sister: "He told us he had heard what happened on the. news and said he felt he had to come to the funeral.

"It's strange," she said yesterday. "That was little more than a year ago and now we have to do the same thing for Duane." Ruggles was killed about 2:30 a.m. yesterday. Police said he lost control of his car on the Lyell Avenue entrance ramp to Route 47 South. Ruggles, 25, of 55 Balsam was alone in his car.

He was intoxicated when the car went out of control, a Monroe County medical examiner said. His 1977 Chevette hit a light pole and he was Turn to THEIR TURN, Page 4A Refugees wave to journalists. (AP) they greeted rescuers with stones "Hey, Mabel, come quick. The Love Boat just hit an iceberg." 7 1 jU' 1.