Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 39

"TTT Metro; Marketplace section inside Minneapolis Star and Tribune Wednesday August 181982 1C Quie names second woman to supreme court tor, i kV 11 By Robert Whereatt Staff Writer Mary Jeanne Coyne, an Edina lawyer specializing in civil law, was a pointed to the Minnesota Supreme Court Tuesday by Gov. Al Quie. Coyne, 55, becomes the second woman on the court. Minnesota will be the only state to have two women on its highest court, Quig She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Associate James Otis, who Is leaving the court -after 21 year Coyne is a partner in the Minneapolis firm of Meagher, Geer, Markham, 'Anderson, vAdamson, Flaskamp Brennan, a law office that handles civil litigation. Coyne, who will be sworn in Sept 1, will sit in the formal chamber where she has argued more than 100 civil cases.

i 1 "I'm very honored and deeply appreciative of the honor you place in me," she told Quie at a news conference to announce the appointment "I can only promise that I will work very hard to serve the court and public in this new capacity." Quie said he was "tremendously im-0, pressed with her candor, her intelligence and the great respect she has for the law. "She is recognized and respected in the legal community as a dedicated, bard-working advocate. Her excellence has been proven both in her written briefs and oral arguments before the courts." Coyne is the fourth person Quie has named to the nine-member high court. She will have to run for election in November 1984. The justices, once elected, serve six-year terms.

As associate justice, she will receive Ire tr- Staff Photo by Stormi Greener Mary Jeanne Coyne spoke at a press conference on Tuesday after Gov. Quie announced her appointment to Justice C. Donald Peterson; Associate Justice James Otis, whom Coyne will replace; Chief Justice Douglas the Minnesota Supreme Court. Also Amdahl, and Associate Justice John lawyer, not a woman lawyer." She Is a member of the National Association of Women Lawyers. Coyne graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1957, While in law school she was clerk for a Minnesota Supreme Court justice.

She has taught at the university law school and is a member of the Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board, which oversees lawyers' conduct She is an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and a conciliator for the Board of Conciliation, Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis. She is not and, attorneys G. Alan Cunningham of Minneapolis and Richard Kyle of White Bear Lake. One of Coyne's law partners, Greg Stephens; said the new associate Justice, who is called Jeanne by friends, enjoys sports, the opera, the orchestra and the theater. Coyne said she buys North Stars tickets when she can find them and holds Vikings season tickets.

"I also like to dig In my garden," she said. Coyne will join a court whose work load has Increased substantially over Guidelines propose end of door-to-door bus service for blind MTC fires driver who made up story about bus hijacking; the past decade. Chief Justice Douglas Amdahl, also appointed by Quie, has taken In an active role in supporting a constitutional amendment to appear on the November ballot that would permit the creation of an Intermediate court of appeals. Coyne said yesterday that she supports the measure. "If the law is to have the kind of coherence that It must have, any judge needs to have the time to reflect (on the cases)." She said she takes what she calls rather conservative approach to the law." She declined to be labeled a feminist saying, "I practiced as a Sherwood Clark vice on a per-ride basis.

Is being used by people who don't really need It The new guidelines are Intended to narrow use of the program to handicapped who demonstrate a clear need for it she said. The state appropriated $9.2 million for the program for the 1981-83 blen-nlum. "The Legislature has been very supportive of Metro Mobility. They want to see a cost-effective system," Moore said. The guidelines proposed by the de-' partment which has rule-making authority for Metro Mobility would establish four criteria for eligibility.

A handicapped person would be able to use the program by demonstrating that he or she is unable to walk or wheel a chair more than one-fourth of a mile, Is unable to walk up or down the steps of a regular bus, is unable to wait outdoors for 10 minutes or more, or Is unable to use regular buses because of mental Impairment Persons with temporary disabilities would not qualify. Blind continued on page 2C an annual.salary of $56,000. The other woman on the court is Associate Justice Rosalie Wahl, who was appointed by former Gov. Rudy Perpich. Coyne said that she has not been active in politics and hasn't attended recent precinct caucuses.

"I'm probably the most unpolitical person you ever saw," she said. Quie chose Coyne from a list of Ave candidates submitted by a special committee. The others were District Judges Robert Bowen of Minneapolis and J. Jerome Plunkett of St Paul Scanlan said. But Clark, who has limited sight and uses Metro Mobility for "necessary trips," argues that many blind people count on Metro Mobility and will be stuck at home without It He said the state is "picking on the blind." Metro Mobility "is just marvelous because they (blind people) are so confined," Clark said.

"It's vital that they have this service. I don't know of a blind person who's abusing it" Metro Mobility is a state-funded program, operated by the MTC under contract with the transportation department. It provides door-to-door rides for handicapped people living in Minneapolis, St Paul and most close-in suburbs. The MTC uses 35 lift-equipped bases and also arranges taxi rides for handicapped people who don't need to use the special buses. Users pay the fare for a regular bus ride (75 cents during peak hours, 60 cents at other times).

Metro Mobility provides an average of 30,000 trips a month, Naiditch, said. He said fares pay about 4 percent pf the cost of the bus program and about 15 percent of the cost of the taxi rides. Users must be certified by a doctor. Eligibility guidelines require that users demonstrate they could use the present, from left: Associate Slmonett married. Coyne also has been considered for a vacancy on the VS.

Eighth Circuit-Court of Appeals, a vacancy that has not been filled. Minnesota is part of the Eighth Circuit Otis, 70, said that when he retires next month "I'm going to clean the attic; that's the main thing." He said he and his wife plan to travel. He also will will assist at the Hamline University Law School and may sit as a special judge on the state high court if he is needed. Jeffrey Hruza be paid for up to 60 days or until an arbitrator decides the matter, whichever period is shorter. Hruza reported that he had been assaulted on April 29 and July 17 by men who mentioned his father's management practices.

On Aug. 9, Hruza told police that two men in ski masks had hidden behind seats on his bus, then confronted him as he filled out trip sheets at the end of his route on McMenemy St south of Roselawn Ay. in Maplewood. He Fired continued on page 2C -v i By Don Nelson Staff Writer Jeffrey Hruza, the driver who admitted fabricating stories about an Aug. 9 hijacking of his bus and two earlier assaults on himself, was fired Tuesday by the Metropolitan Transit Commission.

Hruza was fired for filing false reports on three occasions, for leaving work several hours early on Aug. 7 and for unauthorized use of MTC property (the bus) on Aug. 9, said MTC spokesman Roger Downey. Hruza, 26, had been a driver for three years. He has been hospitalized since Aug.

9 and Is being treated for stress. Police said he attributed his fabrications to "emotional stress. His father, George Hruza, an MTC supervisor, said he had not talked to his son and did not know how he responded to the firing. Jeffrey Hruza can appeal the firing through two levels of MTC management If not satisfied with the results, he can ask the membership of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005 to request binding arbitration. Union representatives were not available for comment yesterday.

Hruza had been suspended with pay immediately after the alleged hijacking. Under the Minnesota veterans' preference act he will continue to By Don Nelson Staff Writer Joyce Scanlan and Sherwood Clark agree that blind people will have much at stake next month when the state Department of Transportation has a hearing on new eligibility guidelines for the Metro Mobility program. But that's where their agreement ends. Blind people would no longer be eligible for rides on the special buses or taxi rides that Metro Mobility provides for handicapped people. An average of 50 blind persons a day now use Metro Mobility, according to manager Dave Naiditch.

Scanlan, who is blind and uses regular Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) routes, contends that most blind people can learn to use regular bus lines and don't need the Metro Mobility program. She welcomes the new guidelines as a step toward more independence for blind people. "The vast majority of blind people can and do use the regular bus service," said Scanlan, president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Federation of the Blind. 'The 400- member chapter has endorsed the guidelines, she said. "If it (Metro Mobility) is an alternative for people who can't ride the buses, you can't legitimately make a case that blind people should use it" Artist puts I've got to clean up and recycle -because Becky Thorson and her painting troops put me on the spot but what a flattering spot! v.

It's a mural on the wall of the Minneapolis Education and Recycling Center, 2916 4th Av. S. Thorsonwho has designed several other murals around town, created the painting and headed a young crew of CETA painters. The 63-foot-long mural Uses giant Images to promote recycling and encourage us to participate. J' 'v Thorson 'decided to use my face and my column heading in the painting because, she explained, I like murals.

Well, I do believe they perk up dreary walls. I also favor beautifying the town by trying to keep it clean. (This summer, for example, I've noted that caretakers at many of our landscaped parking lots aren't ticking up litter including lots of empty cans and bottles the flower beds and bushes surrounding the cars. It Isn't pretty). The mural not only enhances the building, but it makes the recycling center easy to find.

Look for It just a -block south of Honeywell Park. And a a mural-lover on the spot to promote recycling Joyce Scanlan regular lines only with "great difficulty." About 18,700 people were certified to use the service at the end of June, Naiditch said, but he said he doesn't know how many are blind. Naiditch said most of the blind Metro Mobility riders use the taxi service, so eliminating blind people from the program won't make the lift-equipped buses more available to other riders. The lift-equipped buses are "pretty close to capacity during rush hours," Naiditch said. He said that In June only 1 percent of the requests for bus service were denied (he said denials range up to 3 or 4 percent a month).

Rides usually are denied only because a bus isn't available, he said. Legislation passed in 1981 requires the transportation department to adopt more specific eligibility guidelines. Nancy Moore, special projects director for the department said the legislative action was prompted by concern that the program, which is much more expensive than bus ser- Whalers. Laurie Saartnea, the reigning Miss Minnesota, who will compete in the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City Labor Day week, Is one of the 17 people who live in Snellman, her hometown. (Snellman Is 20 miles west of Park Rapids).

Saarinen, a singer, will wear original costumes by Pauline Bozella, a Minnesota designer. She'U model them Aug. 27 for guests Invited to Richard and Cathy Muhmb's Bloomlngton home Peggy and Peter Geargas, both former Twin Cltians, work side by side In a castle In Salzburg, Austria, where Peter directs the Salzburg Seminars, a 35-year-old program of study that attracts participants from throughout the world. Sessions and there are nine a year cover a great variety of topics. About 60 "fellows" attend each session to hear such experts as former Minnesotan Warren Burger, chief justice of the A Supreme Court Among the other lures of the seminar program, Peggy said during a visit home last week.

Is that fellows Flaaagaa continued on page 2C 3 Barbara Flanagan thank you to Thorson and the 1 painters. Here's what I've heard: Dorothy Benham, Minnesota's Miss America of 1977, will miss the Miss America Pageant TV show this year tor the first time since winning the -crown because she's expecting a second child in October. Benham and husband, Run Anderson, live In suburb of Hartford, where he plays hockey for the Hartford Staff Photo by Darlene Pf iater Artist Becky Thorson (standing) and the CETA palntera Included Barbara Flanagan's likeness on a mural decorating the Minneapolis Education and Recycling Center. "7.