Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 71

152nO Year No. 5 Chicago Tribune Dow close 9311.19 ''t' if1' I iifiNaiiiif V'- "fl'i 'jf' 1244.77 run Up 126.92 Volume 779,000,000 six Stock prices blasted higher on Tuesday as investors ignored some negatative corporate profit news, a softer dollar against the yen, and slumping bonds. Instead, traders focused on an improving outlook for computer technology stocks where buying sent the Nasdaq composited index roaring to a new record close of 225 1 .27. vmu -v- I Tribune photo by Carl Wagner A four-car crash on the Stevenson Expressway and another multivehicle accident a few hundred feet away closes the outbound lanes Tuesday morning while inbound traffic creeps past. CTA delays fray te moe U.S.

jets fire on Iraq's in no-fly zone Air-to-air encounter is 1st between 2 foes in more than 6 years Associated Press WASHINGTON Four U.S. fighter jets fired missiles at Iraqi planes Tuesday in the "no-fly" zone over southern Iraq, a senior U.S. administration official said. It was the first American-Iraqi air-to-air confrontation in more than six years. The U.S.

missiles apparently failed to hit the Iraqi planes, although one Iraqi plane was believed to have crashed, apparently after running out of fuel, the official said. The official Iraqi News Agency said Iraqi planes "confronted and clashed with the aggressive British and American aircraft" before "the aggressive aircraft withdrew. All of our air force planes returned to base safely." The American planes two Air Force F-15 strike aircraft and two Navy F-14 fighters returned safely after the confrontation, the U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Navy planes were from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.

The incident, which happened at about 1:30 a.m. CST, marked an escalation of tensions between Iraq and the United States and Britain over enforcing the "no-fly" zones in northern and southern Iraq. Iraq considers the restrictions illegal and has vowed to defy them. President Clinton has said U.S. and British forces will continue banning Iraqi flights in the restricted zones, arguing that Saddam Hussein's military still represents a threat to minority Kurds in the north and Shiite Muslims in the south.

David Leavy, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said Tuesday: 'The president has made it clear we will enforce the no-fly zones vigorously. The Iraqi violations are at their own peril." A senior Pentagon official, who also confirmed the incident, said the air-to-air altercation was the first in Iraq since Dec. 27, 1992, when a U.S. F-16 shot down an Iraqi MiG-25. The Pentagon official said that he could not identify the number or type of Iraqi aircraft involved in Tuesday's incident but that the Iraqis have MiGs and Mirage F-ls in their current inventory.

One senior military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there apparently were at least six Iraqi planes flying in the "no-fly" zone at the time of the incident. The officer said the F-15 jets fired a total of four air-to-air missiles and the F-14s fired two. He said there was no indication the Iraqi planes fired any missiles at the U.S. planes. The official said it is not clear exactly what brought down one of the Iraqi planes, but a lack of fuel was suspected.

even mayor's Parts of 3 expressways closed by ice reopen Ryan, Brett, Yount in Hall of Fame Nolan Ryan, George Brett and Robin Yount were voted into the Hall of Fame Tuesday, the biggest class of first-time candidates since Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner and Christy Mathewson were chosen in the original election of 1936. Ryan, the greatest power pitcher ever with 5,714 strikeouts and seven no-hitters, was named on 98.79 percent of the ballotssecond-highest in history to Tom Seaver's 98.84 in 1992. Brett, 13th on the career hits list with 3,154, made it with 98.19 percent, the fourth-highest total. Yount, with 3,142 hits and two AL MVP awards, was elected with 77.46 percent To gain election, players had to be placed on 75 percent of the ballots cast by 10-year members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Carlton Fisk, another first-time candidate, fell 44 votes shy with 66.40 percent Bears to interview 6 candidates The Chicago Bears, looking for a new head coach to replace Dave Wannstedt plan to interview five NFL coordinators in addition to former UCLA coach Terry Donahue.

The team said Tuesday that it has received permission to talk to offensive coaches Jimmy Raye of Kansas City, Sherman Lewis of Green Bay and Joe Pendry of Buffalo, and defensive coaches Jim Haslett of Pittsburgh and Gunther Cunningham of Kansas City. Personnel director Mark Hatley, who is conducting the screening process, said he will screen 16 or 17 candidates and submit three names to team president Mike McCaskey, who will have the final say. There is no timetable for the decision. "I don't know if it's going to be Jan. 10 or Feb.

1," Hatley said. "We're going to go through the process till we find the right guy." Ashcroft won't run for president Sen. John Ashcroft of Missouri, who spent a year laying the groundwork for a White House bid backed by social conservative leaders, announced Tuesday that he will not seek the presidency but will focus on his Senate duties instead. Facing a tough re-election contest in 2000, Ashcroft said he determined a presidential race would "substantially impair my ability" to serve well in the Senate. "Leadership is the business of making choices, and given these circumstances I come here to say today that I choose serving Missouri in the United States Senate," he told supporters in his hometown of Springfield, Mo.

Advisers said the likelihood of a tough challenge from Democratic Gov. Mel Carnahan was a driving force behind his decision. If at: 7" By Jon Hilkevitch TriduneTransportation Writer Portions of three Chicago-area expressways reopened Tuesday following an overnight plunge to subzero temperatures that created dangerously icy road conditions and caused more delays and frustration for weary riders of Chicago Transit Authority buses and trains. An angry Mayor Richard Daley criticized the CTA's performance during the weather emergency, saying, "No one is satisfied if it takes people an hour or two hours getting to and from work. There is no excuse for these delays." Metra, which reported only a few serious delays during Tuesday's morning rush, made the extraordinary gesture of allowing CTA customers to use their transit cards or passes to ride Metra trains, which on several routes parallel CTA rail lines.

"We will honor CTA transit cards and other ticket forms through Wednesday night," said Metra spokesman Frank Malone, explaining that riders will need only to display their CTA cards at Metra gates. CTA Blue LineO'Hare trains did not operate Tuesday morning between the airport and Jefferson Park rail stations because ice pushed the Tribune photo by Nancy Stone Miranda Laemers peers through the glass at a CTA bus stop at Stockton just south of Fullerton, where commuters waited more than an hour for buses Tuesday morning as arctic cold followed the weekend blizzard, straining CTA equipment. the sun began warming the frozen pavement and melted black icefrozen moisture that is invisible to drivers. The Ontario Street and Diversey Avenue entrances to the outbound reversible lanes on the Kennedy Expressway, which were closed Monday, were scheduled to be open for the afternoon rush. But the entrance from the downtown area, south of Randolph Street, was to remain closed as crews continued snow removal.

Tribune staff writer Gary Washburn contributed to this report. electrified third rail out of position. The CTA ran shuttle buses and was working to restore rail service. Long waits greeted commuters at many bus stops because packed buses were often unable to take on additional passengers. Pointing to a rash of accidents in the morning, state transportation officials advised motorists not to drive unless absolutely necessary.

Portions of the Dan Ryan, the Stevenson and the Bishop Ford Expressways, however, reopened in late morning after fy fi 'I I KS Clinton announces steps to increase Cuban contacts Reuters photo A Visit from Hussein: Jordan's King Hussein (left) meets with President Clinton Tuesday in the Oval Office. Hussein, on his way home from six months of cancer treatment at the Mayo Clinic, later talked with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. to Cuba on grounds they are illegal. The administration says any such sales would be limited to entities independent of the government and therefore would be legal. After officials disclosed the initiative Monday, Rep.

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) said the measures were part of an administration attempt to mask its "true intention of normalizing relations with the Cuban dictator," Fidel Castro. But a senior administration official insisted none of the initiatives involve any softening of the 38-year old trade embargo on Castro's Cuba. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) said he will oppose any food sales Associated Press WASHINGTON While vowing unbending hostility toward the Cuban government, President Clinton on Tuesday announced measures to increase contact between Cubans and Americans and to allow a significant expansion of cash transfers from private Americans to needy Cubans. The initiative also contemplates U.S.

food sales to Cuba on a limited basis for the first time as well as direct mail service and an expansion of direct charter flights. "These steps are designed to help the Cuban people without strengthening the Cuban government," Clinton said in a statement "They are consistent with our policy of keeping pressure on the regime for democratic change through the embargo and vigorous diplomatic initiativeswhile finding ways to reach out to the Cuban people through humanitarian efforts and help in developing civil society." COMPLETE MORNING TRIBUNE INSIDE Amoco hit with lawsuits: Cases on cancers in Building 503 are filed hours before the company's merger with British Petroleum. In Business. 3.