Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico • Page 1

BEST 1KK II LKADI SI' U'KK ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL 106th Year No. SS 90 Pages In 5 Sections Monday Morning, February 24, 1986 Copyright 1986, Journal Publishing Co. Daily 250 Sunday 750 Marcos. Rebels Wrestle for Centre KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS safety. Palace military spokesman Col.

Vicente Tigas said the tank fired a warning shot to drive the helicopter away. "The situation is very serious," he told reporters. "For your own safety I advise you to leave right now." Earlier in the day, Roman Catholic Church-run Radio Veritas quoted a captain in the security guard as saying Marcos had left the country, and the leaders of the mutiny Enrile and Lt. Gen. Fidel V.

Ramos said they had toppled Marcos. "I would like to sound a call to (Information Minister Gregorio) Cendana and all his assistants to now show MORE: See MARCOS, MUTINEERS on PAGE A2 grandchildren, and my son is out controlling the perimeter," Marcos said. The president vowed to defend his 20-year rule against the top military officials leading the rebellion, camped about four miles from the presidential palace. "I appeal to civilians that they now get out of the line of fire, and if we are forced to, we may have to use mortars, tanks and other heavy weapons fire," he warned. He asked all television and radio stations to stop all broadcasts of military information.

The state of emergency gives him control of all utilities and the media. After the news conference, a government tank fired at a rebel helicopter flying over the palace, and reporters were advised to leave the grounds for their Church radio. "Marcos is still inside. It is now time for people to lay their lives down for their country." In announcing plans for a provisional government, Enrile urged all ministers to leave the Marcos cabinet, asked soldiers to shift allegiance to the revolt, and told citizens to pay their taxes to the provisional Aquino government instead of to Marcos. Channel 4 went off the air while Marcos, who had declared himself to be in control, was answering questions from foreign correspondents.

At the news conference at Malacanang Palace, Marcos left the door open for a military attack on the two bases, Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame, being held by rebellious military forces. "I have here with me the first lady and my MANILA, Philippines President Ferdinand E. Marcos today' declared a state of emergency and authorized his forces to use "extreme force," but rebel leaders announced plans to install a provisional government headed by opposition leader Corazon C. Aquino. As Marcos was addressing the nation, rebel forces took over the government television station, Channel 4, and cut off his broadcast.

It was not immediately known if there was any fighting at the television station's offices. "We still have a problem," said Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, a leader of the rebellion, on Catholic Reportedly Local Parachutists Set World Record Eight Skydivers the Largest Number To Jump at One Time From Balloon Offers Marcos Flight Into Exile SO. if" 5. A v-; aircraft. One chaser said loudly, "Ho, hum.

Another world record." The eight licensed jumpers, who'd practiced more than a year for the event, crammed into the Jabba balloon's gondola. Shortly before 7 a.m., all five balloons floated skyward. It took Griffin about 30 minutes to get his balloon 5,500 feet above ground. Then, he put the craft into descent. The divers clambered onto the gondola's rim.

They said, "Ready, set, go!" and jumped. Immediately, Griffin's balloon shot up 4,000 feet, and one side of the envelope collapsed. For a few seconds, the balloon was completely out of control, Griffin said later, and then it leveled out. The skydivers, meanwhile, had planned to link arms for an eight-man formation, but didn't have enough altitude, they said. Nonetheless, "It was great.

Definitely a record," said Fisher, 35. "It was a lot of fun," said Steve Polisar, 34, a government research technician. "The scariest part for us was the ride up we were worried about getting enough altitude. "When we jumped, everything was perfect. Of course, that's when the pilot started worrying." Once on the ground, the eight parachutists shouted, "All right!" then grasped hands and held them high.

MORE: See PARACHUTISTS on PAGE A2 By Patricia Gabbett JOURNAL STAFF WRITER Eight Albuquerque parachutists leaped simultaneously from a hot-air balloon over the West Mesa early Sunday, setting what they said is a world skydiving record. As the jumpers plunged toward Earth, reaching 120 mph, "We sat there and looked at each other and smiled. It was perfect, beautiful," said Mike Callihan, 23, one of the parachutists, an Albuquerque Police Department patrolman. Never before had more than six people dived from a balloon at once, said freelance photojournalist Jim Fisher, another of the divers. "We've heard of a six-way," he said.

Checks with the U.S. Parachute Association and the World Ballooning Association showed no one else had tried the feat with eight people, he said. The record-setting day began as nearly 50 people in a long caravan of chase vehicles bounced over dusty roads to the launch site, 20 miles northwest of Rio Rancho. With a yellow moon sinking quickly to the west, and the sun casting pink and orange hues behind the mountains to the east, the jumpers strapped on their equipment. The conditions were perfect, unlike Saturday when gusty winds forced the skydivers' pilot, Chuck Griffin, to cancel the attempt.

High-spirited crews from four chase balloons raced to inflate their THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON President Reagan threatened Sunday to cut off U.S. military aid to the Philippines if embattled president P'er-dinand Marcos uses force against rebels opposing him and one congressional source said the United States offered to help him leave the island nation in a U.S. aircraft. The source also said special envoy Philip Habib would return to the Philippines as early as today to "help arrange a trans'er of power." The source, who has been involved in U.S. -Philippines diplomatic efforts, spoke on condition of anonymity.

"A message was communicated to him to assist him in getting out," the source said. Pentagon and State Department spokesmen declined to comment on that matter Sunday night. "We cannot continue our existing military assistance if the government uses that aid against other elements of the Philippine military that enjoy popular backing," White House spokesman Larry Speakes said in a statement issued after Reagan met with top foreign-policy advisers. Speakes would say only that there was a "good possibility" of Habib returning to the Philippines this week. Speakes said a decision on a possible U.S.

military aid cutoff would depend on an assessment of -the situation there, as rebellious military leaders demanded Marcos' Ferdinand Marcos Warning from Reagan resignation. Reagan said late Sunday he had po plans to talk personally with Marcos. Reagan met with Habib and other advisers in a hastily called, 1 ''2-hour White House strategy session Sunday, following Habib's return late Saturday from a week in the Philippines, where he met with Marcos and opposition leader Corazon Aquino. Speakes read the White House MORE: See MARCOS on PAGE A2 JOURNAL PHOTO JEFF ALEXANDER Octet leaves balloon Jabba over West Mesa Sunday. MONDAY Gifted Education Reform May Cut Rolls 50 By Jeff Await JOURNAL STAFF WRITER began in the mid-1970s, they said.

"When we started the high-school gifted program," said Jan Bodnar, one of the first gifted education teachers in Albuquerque, "the agreement was, 'You can teach gifted, but the only ones you can teach are the ones who aren't making it, because the teachers don't care whether you do anything with them or Ms. Bodnar said many of the questions she now gets are, "Why this kid why not this straight-A student?" MORE: See GIFTED EDUCATION on PAGE A3 gifted students "the stepchildren of education reform." Sen. Bill Valentine, R-Bernalillo, said changes were made in the state's gifted education primarily for that reason: to cut the number of students in the Albuquerque program. The number of APS students in gifted education had nearly doubled in less than five years, he said, and some lawmakers believed the district was padding the program with unqualified students to get more funding. "There were some very real and valid concerns that the number of kids in the program had grown significantly over the past few years," said Rep.

Bill Camp, R-Bernalillo, who introduced one of several amendments limiting the size of gifted education programs. "And a lot of people in the Legislature had a child in the program and didn't feel it was very worthwhile," Camp said. About 3,300, or 4 percent, of APS' 78,000 students are in the gifted program double the percentage of gifted students in any other district. But educators have denied claims of placing unqualified students. The size and substance of the program can only be explained by looking at how it has evolved since it As debate over gifted education continued through the 1986 Legislature, teachers and parents of gifted students found themselves defending a program that received little attention in the past.

They fought their battle with only marginal success. New reform measures requiring all students to have an IQ of at least 130 are expected to cut the number of students in gifted education by as much as 50 percent in Albuquerque, prompting one parent to call Mi Good Morning Taking the plunge: Albuquerque parachutists go for a world skydiving record. Weather Continued fair today. High in the upper 60s. Page C13.

Business Outlook Avtek Corporation of California wants to build its sleek new executive aircraft in New Mexico, and the state proposes to help out to the tune of $20 million. But the move has sparked criticism from those who believe New Mexico should provide aid to its own companies first. Nation How much should be spent on defense next year is "the biggest hangup" Congress has in putting together a budget this year, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Pete Domenici, told the nation's governors at the opening session of their winter conference. Page A3. Sports Bord Of Hope stunned a proud field of stakes winners and won the $17,500 Coronado Handicap at the Downs at Albuquerque.

Page CI. Trends Today's Air Force and aerospace programs accept women air crews. Page B3. Uncertainty Haunts Family Of Nurse Missing 5 Months By Arley Sanchez JOURNAL STAFF WRITER '3f jffim Howard, 21, who was found in a laundry room of an apartment complex at 180 Monte Largo NE. The body of Jennifer Lynn Shirm, 22, was found under some bushes on the same block the following May.

She had also been strangled. On Jan. 4 this year, the partially clad body of Kathleen Therese Bindel, 23, of Carlsbad was found beaten to death in Tijeras Canyon. On Dec. 6 last year, Jena Marie Powell, 58, also known as Jena Repp, disappeared after she was apparently abducted from a Winrock Center parking lot.

Noting that Miss Lansdell had just bought a used Porsche sports car and had been recently divorced, police at first speculated she may have decided to go on a lark. Her parents and friends never believed it. "Debbie wouldn't just take off. She knew I'm a worrier," said her mother, Shirley. "She wouldn't do this to us.

Emotionally, we're feeling some of the things they (the Daniel's family) felt The only difference is that they know what happened and we still don't." Miss Lansdell was last seen at about 2 a.m. Sept. 21 by BELEN Just before she disappeared five months ago, Debbie Lansdell was at an emotional peak in her life. The 29-year-old Belen nurse had recently divorced, had gotten her own apartment and worked at a job she loved. Relishing the fresh gust of freedom, she bought the car of her dreams.

Then, simply, she dropped out of sight without explanation. When Debbie Lansdell disappeared, the Linda Lee Daniels abduction and murder was a nightmare that had not yet stunned New Mexico. To the clinical eye of police, Miss Lansdell's disappearance seemed no different than hundreds of others reported across the country every day. In most cases, police say, the missing person shows up, bedraggled and embarrassed perhaps, but safe nonetheless. Miss Lansdell was one of several area women who have been reported missing or.

dead in the last 20 months. Police are pursuing possible connections to the Daniels murder and have discussed possible links in the following cases: The Aug. 10, 1984, strangulation of Danessa ACTION LINE A2 HAPPENINGS B5 BRIDGE A7 HOROSCOPE B2 CLASSIFIED C6-12 MOVES B6 COMICS C14 SCIENCE B1 CROSSWORD B2 SPORTS C1-5 DEAR ABBY B2 TRENDS B3-4 DEATHS C13 JV A7 EDITORIALS A4 WEATHER C13 JOURNAL PHOTO MARK POULSEN vy'lliam end Shirley Lansdell fret over daughter's tale. MORE: See UNCERTAINTY on PAGE A3 i.