Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 1

150th Yew No. Chicago Tribune 7 Sections After Springer's hiring, Marin signs off of the lead anchor team since 1985. "He is simply a symptom, a fleeting symptom, of the problem. The problem is that there are still plenty of us in news who believe in its validity and its credibility, and that there are some boundaries to it "My definition of news is in conflict with my management's definition of news. I tell journalism students, 'If you're gonna come into this business, you have to be prepared to leave where you See Marin, Back Page values at the station, where a new manager with a national reputation as an innovator in tabloid television news seems determined to bring that approach to the city's second-most-popular newscast.

It also underscored a battle between public service and private profit that is most visible in television news but is being felt throughout journalism. Marin's action capped months of private and a week of public conflict between her and station management over the new direc-tion that included hiring Springer whose syndicated talk show traffics in tawdry topics and frequently ambushes guests with shocking news to deliver nightly news commentaries. Springer's first appearance as a dispenser of wisdom is scheduled for the 10 p.m. Monday broadcast. "He isn't the problem," Marin said Thursday between the 6 p.m.

and 10 p.m. newscasts, her last on the NBC affiliate, where she has worked since 1978 and been part Citing news values, WMAQ anchor quits By Steve Johnson Tribune Television Critic One of Chicago's most respected journalists, WMAQ-Ch. 5 anchor Carol Marin, resigned Thursday rather than share a news set with one of its most derided, tabloid talk-show host Jerry Springer. The resignation brought into sharp relief a conflict over news Anchors Ron Magers and Carol Marin hold hands as she delivers a farewell message at the end of the 10 p.m. newscast Thursday.

3) Clinton, 601 Although a federal study says half of adolescent girls are having sex, a trend that began during the 1960s appears to be in reverse. at threshold After 25 years, teen sex on the decline of budget deal 'V; Two girls talk Thursday at Senn High School; students there and across the country said that the consequences of AIDS and pregnancy are contributing to a drop in sex among teenagers. Others, though, say they haven't noticed any difference in their friends behavior. Story, Page 16. Teens: Changing attitudes toward sex Two recent surveys point to a trend that may indicate a decline in sexual activity by teenagers.

By Carol Jouzaitis Washington Bureau WASHINGTON In a sign that teenagers' attitudes toward sex may be starting to shift, a study released Thursday showed that reported sexual activity among teens has fallen for the first time in 25 years. Despite the drop, the number of teens who report having sex remains high: Half of all 15-to-19-year-old girls have had sex at least once, according to the federal government's 1995) National Survey of Family1 Growth. That rate, however, is down from 1990, when 55 percent of teen girls said they had engaged in sex. Sexual activity among teens had been climbing steadily since the freewheeling '60s. In 1970, the first year the periodic survey of sexual behavior was taken, only 29 percent of teen girls said they had experienced; intercourse.

Authors of the survey conceded that the decrease since 1990 wasn't very big. Still, they said the new figures were significant because they provided the first empirical evidence that teenagers were beginning to curb adolescent passions. In addition, they said, the findings helped explain why the teen birth rate has been slipping during the 1990s. The portion of teens having sex "is a small drop," said Joyce Abma, a researcher at the National Center for Health Statistics in Washington, which conducted the survey. "But even if sexual activity is just leveling off, it's important because it signifies a change in a long-established trend" in teen behavior.

The data regarding teen girls was bolstered by similar findings in a study of teen boys, also sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services. That study, conducted by the Washington-based Urban Institute, reported that 55 percent of teen boys said they were sexually active in 1995, down from 60 percent in 1988. Researchers said they weren't sure why more teens were refraining from intercourse, but they cited a range of factors, including fear of HIV infection and improved sex education programs in schools, that appear to be con- See Teens, Page 17 TODAY'S TRIBUNE FRIDAY Russell and Myers return to big screen Kurt Russell stars in and Mike Myers plays 'Austin Powers: International Man of BUSINESS Layoffs at Platinum Computer database firm to eliminate about 400 jobs, including 100 in Illinois. Weather report, Sec. 2, pg.

9. said: "We're very close. We're hopeful that something can be worked out There seems to be a lot of momentum." But criticism from both liberals and conservatives over details of the proposal indicated that pas-, sage in Congress could be unusually difficult The deal under discussion projected a balanced budget in five years and called for $135 billion in tax cuts, including a phased-in $500 per child tax credit, capital gains tax reductions and a doubling of the estate tax exemption from $600,000 to $1.2 million. It also would include a version of Clinton's plan for tax incentives for college students, one of his prime campaign proposals. The net tax cut over five year? would be $85 billion to $90 billion, largely as a result of $50 billion in new revenue from extending the airline ticket tax and See BUDGEft back Pace Reuteis photo Britain's new leader, Tony Blair with his wife, Cherie, wrestled the Labor Party away from its socialist roots and "loony Left" image.

A profile, Page 8. lose seats massively to Labor, they also suffered significant losses to the Liberal Democrats, who had only 26 seats in the outgoing Parliament It appeared to be the Tories worst showing since 1832. They were wiped out in Scotland, may have lost their last seats in Wales and were reduced to a minority in England an astounding shift in the British See Britain, Page 8 shelter opens even in an auto dealership's unlocked vehicles. PADS closes its shelters during the summer months to preserve the group's limited funds and to allow volunteers time for vacations. The shelters reopen in October.

"It's sad, but we can't provide for all of their needs on a longer-term basis," said Lorenzo De Leon, a volunteer director of the PADS shelter at St. James Church. "Some of these folks will just See Homeless, Back Page By William Neikirk and Mary Jacoby Washington Cureau WASHINGTON-President Clinton and Republican leaders in Congress moved Thursday to the brink of a balanced-budget deal that would cut taxes, trim Social Security benefit increases and boost spending on education and the environment. The prospect of a budget accord between the White House and GOP leaders stirred fierce opposition in both parties and especially angry remarks from Democratic congressional leaders who feel they have been left out of negotiations. An agreement could come as early as Friday, but some Republican leaders said an announcement might be delayed until Monday.

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott who has been leading the negotiations for the GOP, Britons give Tories a big slap in face Labor's landslide win largest in 160 years By Ray Moseley Tribune Staff Writer LONDON Tony Blair led the Labor Party to a landslide victory of historic proportions in Britain's national election Thursday, handing the long-dominant Conservative Party the worst drubbing it has suffered since the early 19th Century. Incomplete returns showed Labor will have a majority of 187 seats in the 659-member Parliament, the largest in its history. The BBC estimated Labor won 423 seats, the Conservatives 163, the Liberal Democrats 44 and others 29. The crushing defeat for Prime Minister John Major's Tories leaves the party that Margaret Thatcher led to glory in the 1980s in wreckage. Party leaders clearly were stunned at the scale of the defeat after their 18 years in power and with the economy prospering.

Not only did the Conservatives lenge became even greater. May 1 is the day when the largest network of overnight shelters in the suburbs annually closes its doors to the homeless for the summer. "This place is like a haven for me, someplace I can count on," said James Rudden, 68, while sipping coffee Thursday morning in the basement of St James Catholic Church in Arlington Heights with about 30 other homeless people. The summer closing 8f the shelters run by the volunteer group Public Action to Deliver Shelter, or PADS, marks a period when large numbers of homeless people begin to feel the most vulnerable. Many of them must now return to unsafe gathering places for rest, such as a forest preserve, a park bench, under a bridge or TriDune pnoto by Bill Hogan 'Each class is different, but I'd say 95 percent of the students here are not sexually active.

There is a lot of competition to succeed, and you don't want to risk that Frank Favia, 15, a sophomore at Barrington High School Find more information on U.S. teenagers' shifting attitudes toward sex. http: www.chicago.tribune.com 7o- rL increased birth control Percent of those surveyed who used a contraceptive at first intercourse. 88 "95 "80 '84 '89 "95 Decline In teen sex Percent of those surveyed ages 15-19 who said they have had sex at least once. 1970 T5 '82 ti '90 '88 Never married for boys; all girts "Ages 15-19 for boys; all women Sources: National Center for Hearth Statistics, Urban Institute Chicago Tribune Season without homeless METRO if' iV.

7 V' As weather turns, the doors close on thousands in suburbs By Ray Quintanilla and Julie Deardorff Tribune Staff Writers Each day, thousands of homeless people across the suburbs struggle to find a safe place to spend the night Those fortunate enough to find their way to one of the crowded overnight shelters mostly in church basements often must wait in a long procession for a warm meal and a chance at occupying a mattress on the floor. But on Thursday, their chal Lenard Clark heads to new home Beaten teen holds his dog after leaving the Rehabilitation Institute. 49485N00001.