St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 1

3 FEB 22 1989 Dow Jones 1.61 Close 2326.43 (Page2E) On Today's Editorial Page The Choice For Comptroller Editorial Disservice By Winnie Mandela Editorial Vol. Ill, No. 53 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1989 (5) Copyright 1989 25 ST. 10 POST as RACKETEERING LAWS can fight porn, court rules Page 14A scheduled for a vote on the board's recommendations. But Wayne Mill-sap, who Was chairman of the Board of Freeholders, predicted that the court would grant an expedited hearing as early as April.

The court has granted expedited hearings in rare circumstances. Another possibility was raised by Patricia J. Kampsen, one of those challenging the board before the Supreme Court. She said she might ask the court to delay the election until it has had time to rule on the legality of ality of the 19-member board. Agreement to review a case requires the votes of four of the nine Supreme Court justices.

The Missouri decision had been appealed by State Rep. Robert J. Quinn D-Ferguson, and Kampsen, of Richmond Heights. Quinn and Kampsen have been active in groups opposing the proposals of the board. They also rent their homes and maintain that the exclusion of persons not owning property violates their constitutional right to "equal protection" of By William H.

Freivogel and Margaret Gillerman Of the Pott-Dispatch Staff WASHINGTON The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to decide whether the composition of the metropolitan Board of Freeholders was unconstitutional because it excluded those who do not own property. A court spokesman said the cases accepted Tuesday would not be argued until next fajl, raising additional uncertainty about the June 20 election the law. The Board of Freeholders that proposed the municipal reorganization plan was established in 1987 under a provision of the Missouri Constitution that permits such a body to be established in St. Louis and St. Louis County from time to time to consider reorganization of the government.

Nine members of the board are appointed by the mayor of St. Louis, nine by the county executive and one by the governor. See COURT, Page 14 Fed To Push Up Interest Rates To Slow Inflation lw- ilr r-t Going Home Mike Sweat (left) and his uncle Ed Montgomery making their way toward Montgomery's home (right) in Lebanon Junction, which was flooded last week by the Rolling Fork of the North Followed Instructions, Attorney Says the board. A St Louis County Circuit Court already has temporarily delayed the election as a result of a suit filed by the city of Ladue, which would be merged with other municipalities as part of the plan. St.

Louis County Counselor Thomas W. Wehrle said Tuesday that the election would be held as planned unless a court orders it halted. Salt River. Small rivers from the rise again Tuesday as respite. Story on Page 8B.

connects Reagan, President George Bush or other high officials to direct responsibility for crimes alleged to have been committed by North. John W. Keker, lead prosecutor in the trial, said in his own opening statement that this was a case about "a man who at some point stopped obeying the rules and placed himself above the law." -t A lt' Compiled From News Services WASHINGTON Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Tuesday that the central bank would keep up its inflation-fighting efforts by pushing interest rates higher to combat what he called a troubling acceleration in price pressures. Greenspan said in his semiannual report to Congress on monetary policy that interest rates soon would rise higher on loans that finance everything from home mortgages to business expansion. He said the Federal Reserve expected "to support continued economic expansion while putting in place conditions for a gradual easing in the rate of inflation over time." But inflation is accelerating and is projected to go higher this year, Greenspan told the Senate Banking Committee.

That is "troubling" and "unacceptable" to the Fed, he said. Consequently, the Federal Reserve intends to use its powers over money and credit to fight inflation more vigorously by slowing down the economy, Greenspan said. But he refused to indicate how much interest rates might increase. "Let me stress that the current rate of inflation, let alone an increase, is not acceptable, and our policies are designed to reduce inflation in coming years," Greenspan said. Analysts said that although Greenspan's testimony demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the fight against inflation, financial markets had hoped for something even stronger.

David Jones, an economist with Aubrey G. Langston Co. in New York, said: "In view of the new and disturb Doctor In Convicted By Robert Manor Of the Post-Dispatch Staff 1 989, St. Louis Post-Dispatch A St. Louis physician, who has drawn criticism for his offer to test dentists for the AIDS virus, temporarily lost his license to practice medicine last year after being convicted on federal charges of running an unlicensed laboratory, legal documents show.

The physician, Dr. Napoleon Ma-minta, also was barred from taking part in the Medicare and Medicaid programs until 1998. He earlier had been barred permanently from the Medicaid program in Illinois. "That has nothing to do with my competence," Maminta said Tuesday in an interview. He is a pathologist with a laboratory By Jon Sawyer Post-Dispatch Washington Bureau WASHINGTON Oliver North's criminal trial began Tuesday with his attorney insisting that in everything North did, he "followed the instructions of the highest-ranking officers of the U.S.

government." Brendan V. Sullivan North's attorney, called him the "action officer" Father Is Charged In Death Of Infant The Board of Freeholders has proposed reconfiguring taxes in St. Louis County and consolidating the county into 37 municipalities and four fire districts instead of the 90 municipalities and 42 fire departments that now exist. In a one-line order Tuesday, the Supreme Court agreed to review a Missouri Supreme Court decision in September upholding the constitution- AP Kentucky to Louisiana were on rain returned after a weekend Keker's comments centered on the lies North is alleged to have made to Congress in 1985 and 1986 about his activities on behalf of the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. "Lying to Congress," Keker said, "is a crime that goes to the soul of our form of government." He added, "There's a difference be-See NORTH, Page 10 1 1 i it vk FX l.

1 FEATURES For Old Time's Sake Fine old clocks have been a lifelong interest for Kirk-wood jeweler Al Hoemann. PAGE 1F ing evidence on inflation, the markets were expecting some even tougher talk from the Fed chairman. There's a general perception that See FED, Page 13 Bush Rips Threats To Author By Lawrence M. O'Rourke Post-Dispatch Washington Bureau WASHINGTON President George Bush is condemning Iran's death sentence on author Salman Rushdie as "deeply offensive to the norms of civilized behavior." In an impromptu news conference Tuesday in the White House briefing room, Bush voiced support for the 12 nations in Europe that have withdrawn their ambassadors from Iran in protest against the death threats by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran. Bush also said the Iranian government would be "held accountable" for any action against American interests.

He did not say what the United States would do if Iran took steps against the U.S. government or any of its citizens. "None of us likes everything that's written," Bush said, adding that book-See BUSH, Page 12 DIPLOMATIC BATTLE grows over Khomeini's death threat 1 2A AIDS Flap Last Year in the Central West End. Last week, he began offering, for a fee, to test dentists and their staffs for the presence of the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). Those found to be uninfected will be given a certificate to be displayed in the dental office.

State and local health officials harshly criticized Maminta on Friday and Saturday, saying the service was worthless. They said also that Mamin-ta's service, as he described it to the Post-Dispatch, would be in violation of state law. Maminta said Saturday that he would offer no counseling with the tests and would not report the names of infected people to the state. Counseling is considered critical because it See DOCTOR, Page 8 employees through surveillance vehicles with darkened glass and followed the vehicles of some employees. Plant officials have declined to comment on the investigation.

Informed on Tuesday of the allegations of the former employees, human resources director Jackie Steele said: "It would just be inappropriate to comment any further. We want to keep this as an internal matter." Steele noted that several of the fired employees probably would take the matter through a formal grievance procedure. At least 35 plant employees were fired; many of them had worked at the paper products plant for more than eight years. See DRUGS, Page 8 SPORTS By Marianna Riley Of the Post-Dispatch Staff -A, man from St. Charles was charged Tuesday, with second-degree murder in the death of his 3-month-old daughter.

Police said He had beaten her to death with his hands after she cried in the night. The man, Michael H. Tolbert, 31, of the 900 block of Nathan Avenue, was charged in the death of Georgia Le-Fay Tolbert. He is being held in the St Charles County Jail in lieu of a $500,000 cash bond. Sgt.

Kevin Lindsey of the St. Charles Police Department said the baby had died late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. The baby was buried Tuesday after a graveside service at Oak Grove-Cemetery in St. Charles. Her death for former President Ronald Reagan's twin battles against communism and terrorism.

He said that North "in the end was abandoned by his government." North is a former White House security aide. But no startling' new disclosures were made, and no signs that Sullivan would produce any smoking gun that had been reported as a case of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or crib death. A preliminary autopsy report listed the cause of death as multiple head trauma, Lindsey said. He said the baby's mother, Margaret L. Tolbert, 39, had denied having seen her husband beat any of their children.

Police never had received reports of child abuse in the Tolbert household, Lindsey said. The other four Tolbert children a boy, 4, and three girls, aged 6, 5 and 2 have been turned over to the St. Charles County office of the Department of Family Services. Those officials declined to comment on the case. Paramedics were trying to revive the 3-month-old, Georgia, when police arrived at the Tolberts' house late See BABY, Page 8 Channel 30 from Evans Broadcasting seven years ago.

Baker and Marcus are veterans of the St. Louis broadcasting business. Baker most recently was senior vice president and director of broadcasting for Koplar Communications, which owns and operates KPLR and KRBK, a television station in Sacramento. Marcus was vice president and chief financial officer of the same Baker and Marcus formed Better Communications in the fall of last year to buy television and radio stations. The acquisition of KDNL would be its first purchase.

Baker said some of the financing for the purchase was being provided See KDNL, Page 8 INSIDE Former KPLR Executives Agree To Purchase KDNL Fired Workers Criticize Surveillance Methods By Bill Smith Of the Post-Dispatch Staff Miniature video cameras, microphones the size of pencil points and listening devices that "can hear through walls" were used in a seven-month drug investigation at the James River plant in Hazelwood, fired employees said they were told. The employees, all of whom were fired last week for what was alleged to be drug use or theft at the plant, said also that investigators had told them that the drug investigation cost $2 million and uncovered incriminating evidence against 50 to 70 percent of the 300 union workers at the plant. Several said investigators also said they used an undercover investigator who posed as an employee, watched By Eric Mink Of the Post-Dispatch Staff Two former executives with the company that owns KPLR (Channel II) have signed an agreement to buy the station's chief competitor, KDNL (Channel 30). The former executives affiliated with KPLR, Barry Baker and Larry Marcus, are the principals in Better Communications which is buying KDNL from Cox Enterprises Inc. of Atlanta, subject to approval of the Federal Communications Commission.

The sale price was not disclosed. But sources said that KDNL, which employs 53 people full time, will sell for slightly more than $21 million. Cox paid $13.2 million when it bought WEATHER Gary BohnPost-Dispatch Warmup Workers from Spirtas Wrecking Co. Inc. taking a break around a fire on the second floor of a warehouse they were demolishing Tuesday in the 1500 block of Gratiot Street.

1' Trying To Catch On Todd Zeile, the Cardinals' catcher of the future, is taking part in his first major-league camp in St. Petersburg, Fla. But he says he expects to start the season in the minors. PAGE 1D NATION Bush Assails Rumors President George Bush denounces as "vicious rumor" allegations against Defense Secretary-designate John G. Tower, declaring that the accusations had been "gunned down" by a thorough FBI report.

PAGE 9A WORLD Business 1-6E Classified 8-26D, 4-7B Commentary 3B Editorials 2B Everyday 1-1 OF Folio 1-32C Movie Listings 8F NationWorld 9A News Analysis 1B Obituaries 15A Reviews 2F St Louis 3A Sports 1-7D Television 7F Cold and Windy Forecast for St. Louis: Today: Increasing clouds with a slight chance of flurries. Clearing tonight. North wind 15-25 mph. High 21, Low 8.

Thursday: Mostly sunny and cold with a high near 31. Other Weather on Page 2A BUSINESS Foreclosure Sale Set The redevelopers of Union Market an ambitious, expensive but unsuccessful attraction downtown are the targets of a foreclosure action by Landmark Bank. Mandela Aides Charged Two of Winnie Mandela's bodyguards are charged with murder, but she again denies involvement in the incident. PAGE 9A POST-DISPATCH WEATHERBIRO PAGE 1E.