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

RESTAURANT REPORT CARED Hmlir Villi Rrqain-mrats GRADE Wireless Phone Will Follow You Plans are in motion for a generation of wireless telephones that will let the call follow people to the car or to the mall. BUSINESS 1C SPORTS El Syd-ney: 2000 Olympics Site id EVERYDAY Public Access Is Public Asset iev NATION 9 Days Of Northern Exposure 12A The Post-Dispatch examined the city and county systems designed to protect you from food-borne illness. It's not as simple as A.B.C ST. LOUISREGION IB P0SHB ST. IB mm September 24, iss3 (2) (FDd Mm 5 JH: 'rifpl Hi mi Si a fm.

IFDaslh Two Bridges Damaged, Roads Closed By Virgil Tipton Of the Post-Dispatch Staff In a brief rerun of the summer's nightmare, thunderstorms flooded the St. Louis area through Thursday, closing dozens of roads, damaging two bridges and killing two people. Rain even threatened to shove the Mississippi and Missouri rivers to within 10 feet of the record highs they reached this summer. In Chesterfield, workers built a rock and concrete barrier to hold back the Missouri. The river charged through the Monarch Levee there on July 30, leaving little protection.

Michele Mullen, 53, of Glendale, died Wednesday night after she abandoned her car in rising water that covered Grant Road. Gertrude "Irene" Hogard, 63, of Seal Beach, died Wednesday night after water swept away the family's summer home in Warren County. In St. Charles County, workers watched helplessly as water gushed through levee breaks the rivers had made in the summer. Emergency crews had no plans to sandbag; it would be futile, said Petra Haws, spokeswoman for the county's Emergency Management Agency.

Between 7 a.m. Wednesday and 7 a.m. Thursday, storms dropped as much as 5 inches of rain over the St. See FLOODING, Page 14 1 4 LJy. I I 'Zxr.

I 'if jfj 1 Jerry Clinton "Where's the juice?" Is City NFL Bid? 'Electricity' Lacking, League Officials Say By Jim Thomas Of the Post-Dispatch Staff For the better part of two years, St. Louis has enjoyed front-runner status in the race for a National Football League expansion team. It had the stadium. It had the ownership group. It had the market size.

In short, it was considered a "lock" for a team. But that no longer is the case after presentations Tuesday and Wednesday before the league's finance and expansion committees in Chicago, Jerry Clinton, chairman and chief executive officer of the St. Louis NFL Partnership, said league officials have told him as much. "The NFL has concerns in two areas of our application," Clinton said Thursday. Concern No.

1: "They're concerned as to the completion of our Partner-See NFL, Page 16 NFL Partnership says club seats still available 1D Losing test' te; lr-" Larry WilliamsPost-Dispatch Christopher Splain, 12, on Thursday at the spot near Marthasville, where his grandparents' house stood before a storm Wednesday washed it off its concrete slab. His grandmother was killed. A garage is in the background. Story on Page 15A. 3-STAR Hospitals here expect big changes 6A Talk-show hosts broadcast from White House 7A Abortion dispute surfaces in Clinton plan 8A Principles before details, Gore says 9B Treatment out of the ordinary may become rare 9B TelePrompTer almost undid the president 9B persuading the public that the current system is grossly inefficient.

Clinton's plan to provide universal coverage is expected to cost an additional $350 billion over five years See HEALTH, Page 6 spokesman, praised the result. He told Israel army radio from Tunis, Tunisia, that it was a "positive step" and that support for the treaty was larger in the street than in Parliament. Rabin had staked the credibility of the peace initiative as well as the future of his government on winning the balloting, saying it would constitute a formal vote of confidence. .7 Lawmakers On They Ask Whether By Robert L. Koenig Post-Dispatch WASHINGTON Flood of '93, three investigation of upper Mississippi The House asked the "whether government for much flood.

The GAO is That call for investigations Emergency which caused more Seek Inquiry Flood-Plain Policies GAO To Investigate System Caused Suffering Washington Bureau In the destructive wake of the legislators called Thursday for an how government agencies manage the River and its flood plain. members, led by Rep. William L. Clay, General Accounting Office to look into policies failed, and are even responsible of the human suffering" caused by the an investigative arm of Congress. a flood inquiry was made as a House panel planned a hearing on the Federal Management Agency's response to the flood, than $12 billion in damage in Miss-See RIVER, Page 16 Old Minesweeper Sinks On Riverfront WWII VInaugural' Had Been Tourist Attraction Since 1968 By Stephen Kirkland, Charlene Prost and Linda Eardley Of the Post-Dispatch Staff The U.S.S.

Inaugural, a national historic landmark moored on the riverfront, succumbed to the rising Mississippi and sank on its side Thursday afternoon. Coast Guard Lt. J.G. Dittman said the old World War II minesweeper is not an immediate hazard. But "with the river rising, we're monitoring it closely," he said.

Lt. Tim Deal, chief of port operations, said the boat's position will be marked so the Coast Guard can tell if it moves. "We want to make sure it stays where it is," he said. The Inaugural had been moored south of the MacAr-See INAUGURAL, Page 1 5 Kevin ManningPost-Dispatch The bottom of the bow of the U.S.S. Inaugural peeping out Thursday from the Mississippi River, south of the MacArthur Bridge.

The World War II minesweeper sank about 1 p.m. INDEX Business 1-8C Classified 2-28E Commentary 11B Movie Timetable 11 EV NationWorld 3A News Analysis 9B Obituaries 8B People 2A Reviews 2-3EV St. Louis IB Sports 1-8D Television 10EV EDITORIAL PAGE Bill Webster's Debt Bold Move By Mr. Yeltsin 10B Pushing Health-Care Plan, Clinton Pulls Out AH Stops gust. He said "intense and early consultation" on divisive issues "would give us the basis for a bipartisan proposal." "My hope is that we can do it sooner," countered Senate Majority Leader George J.

Mitchell, D-Maine, dismissing the notion of deadlines. "I hope we don't have to wait until next summer to get final passage." The administration began its day-after campaign before dawn. Vice President Al Gore went on a morning television show, and radio talk show hosts, invited by the White House to broadcast from the front set up shop at 6 a.m. In inviting more than 1,000 supporters to another part of the grounds, Clinton asked for help in Compiled From News Services WASHINGTON President Bill Clinton dispatched Cabinet members coast to coast and opened the White House lawn to a thousand allies Thursday to get the sales campaign for his health-care plan out of the starting blocks. "We have to do it right and we have to do it right now," Clinton told the show-of-force rally before heading to Tampa, for a nationally televised town hall meeting mediated by Ted Koppel of ABC News "Nightline." "As much as I wish this to be a celebration I remind you that our work is beginning." As Clinton began his push, everyone with an opinion, friend and foe, S.

Africa I Endorses Black Role Rightist Lawmakers Warn Of Civil War Compiled From News Services CAPE TOWN, South Africa Parliament voted Thursday to allow blacks a role in governing South Africa for the first time: White right-wing lawmakers angrily warned that the decision could lead to civil war. The vote creates a Transitional Executive Council, comprised of representatives from the 26 black and white parties that have been taking part in the talks on ending apartheid. The council will help oversee the holding of South Africa's first multiracial election April 27, The dominant white chamber of Parliament, led by President F.W. de Klerk's National Party, voted 107-36 to create the council, which was agreed on earlier this month at talks among the 26 white and black groups. Ferdi Hartzenberg, leader of the pro-apartheid white Conservative Party, said after the vote: "This makes permanent peace impossible.

We have lost a golden opportunity for See S.AFRICA, Page 11 Manflela may call today for ending sanctions .11 A weighed in with judgments about Clinton's proposal. "It's going to be a long, long tortuous road," said Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole of Kansas. Dole praised Clinton for his pledge to compromise but criticized the Democrat's plan as "a little overgenerous and underfunded." Still, with congressional hearings set to open next week, Democrats and Republicans seemed to be competing in their eagerness to get something done. Sen. John H.

Chafee, urged Democratic leaders to impose strict deadlines, such as a wrap-up of initial hearings by Thanksgiving, committee votes by next April, a floor vote by June and a bill to Clinton by Au the government to implement the agreement on Palestinian self-rule in the occupied lands and continue attempts, to reach peace with Israel's Arab neighbors. The margin was less substantial than Rabin had hoped for, but it put a convincing end to calls for early elections or a national referendum that would have slowed the peace momentum. The riult also diminished fears WEATHER Rainy FORECAST Today Rain, drizzle today, tonight. Easterly wind 7-14 mph. High 70.

Low 62. Saturday Scattered showers. High 72. Other Weather, 12B POST-DISPATCH WE ATMcHplHU wea. u- PAT.

OFF. Israeli Lawmakers Give Peace Plan Blessing JERUSALEM (AP) Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin won Parliament's approval for the historic Israel-PLO peace accord Thursday after three days of raucous debate marked by shouting, walkouts and violent protests. Rabin declared that he won "freedom of action" to pursue peace in the Middle East after Parliament ratified the accord. Rabin said the 61-50 vote allowed that Israel would be torn by violence and political anarchy after recognizing the Palestine Liberation Organization, its bitter enemy. "Now we shall build a new Middle East," Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said.

Still, hard-line opponents of the accord said that the government's mandate was slim and that they would try to force changes in the accord. Yasser bed-Rabbo, a PLO 0 lllllllllB 9 See RABIN. Patre 12 f.r.