Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 15

5B pBrSphSmciii By Larry Oakes Staff Writer St. Paul police say they seized condoms and other sex paraphernalia, cash and other items all allegedly linked to prostitution during a May 1 5 search of a bar on the city's West Side, according to court records. The search was at the Playboy Lounge, 361 W. 7th and police have presented what they say is evidence of prostitution at the lounge to the Ramsey County Attorney's Office for consideration of possible charges. The manager of the lounge, J.J.

Roe, denied Monday that sexual activity goes on in the establishment. He said it is a dancing school where the teachers dance nude or seminude. Roe said police have repeatedly tried to frame the lounge, its owners and employees. He characterized the May 1 5 search as "a vicious riot-type raid." Residents of the neighborhood have long contended that the lounge, which lost its liquor license in 1984, is a front for prostitution. According to a search warrant affidavit filed in Ramsey County District Court, three alleged prostitutes who worked at the lounge told investigators that "dance lessons" advertised by the bar actually are sex acts that occur in back rooms.

The affidavit said two undercover vice officers were offered "private dance lessons" by women for up to $120, during a visit in February by the officers to the lounge. The women explained to the officers that the "dance lessons" actually were various sex acts, the affidavit said. Roe said any dancer caught soliciting for sex would be fired instantly. He said dance lesson customers who want a private lesson must sign an agreement that they won't try to turn the lesson into a sexual encounter. The dancers take their customers to a private room containing a couch, table and dance stage, he said.

Roe acknowledged that sexual activity could occur in the private rooms without knowledge of the management. But it would be neither condoned nor tolerated if discovered, he said. The city of St. Paul is seeking a court injunction to prohibit nude or semi-nude dancing at the lounge, based on zoning laws that prohibit adult-use businesses within 200 feet of a resi-dentially zoned area. Patrick Carlone, who owns the building, has argued that the business does not fit the definition of adult-use because minors have been allowed inside since the lounge's alcohol license was revoked.

An attorney for the lounge also has argued that the ordinance violates a business's First Amendment rights to sponsor dancing. An inventory sheet filed with the police affidavit says police seized mdny condoms, money, lists of names, sexual aids and other items, some of which were in locked drop- boxes behind the bar. According to the affidavit, formef -employees interviewed by police at- leeedlv said that monev for the sex acts was given to an employee behind the bar who put it in a drop-box. The money later was split between the; women and Carlone, the affidavit said. rjt.

Roe acknowledged that items such condoms were found by police. But (, he said that doesn't mean prostity-." tion was taking place at the "Everyone is carrying those things these days," he said. "This is a school as bona fide and legal as the '1' University of Minnesota." Minneapolis Star and TribuneTuesdayJune 21987 'Adjustment' City bans drinking in Met Center lot at KMFY leaves staff out of work -T i.n;I I By Dave Matheny Staff Writer it continued drinking in the parking lot while the concerts were underway, he said. There had been discussion about banning drinking during rock-music concerts, but the city attorney said it was not possible to develop a clear definition of a rock concert. Ornstein said he doesn't foresee problems with treating music concert goers differently from those attending sporting events at the center because there was a rational basis for distinguishing between them.

A 17-year-old Minneapolis youth was stabbed to death in August after a concert at the center by the heavy-metal band ACDC. Another youth was charged in connection with the incident. The city has been sued over the stabbing, said Ornstein. The Bloomington City Council passed an ordinance Monday night prohibiting the drinking of alcoholic beverages in the Met Sports Center parking lot during concerts. The ordinance will go into effect after it is published June 10, said City Attorney David Ornstein.

Violation of the ordinance is a misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of a $700 fine and 90 days in jail. The ordinance only affects drinking in the parking lot during music concerts and wouldn't affect drinking during other events. Ornstein said the ordinance stemmed from what police perceived to be a growing problem the last couple years. He said police had been frustrated by what they believed was underage drinking. At times, people iti Mil Travel promoters sued; ads called fraudulent Nine people composing the staff radio station KMFY (980 Khz), AM outlet of WAYL-FM (93.7 Mhz), -were laid off Monday in a adjustment." T'T I All were summoned to a meeting iri the company lunchroom at noon yes- terday and told of the layoffs by WAYLKMFY station GregKulka.

Kulka said KMFY will simulcast WAYL's signal so the AM station's personnel were no longer needed. Jeanne Curielli, a DJ who was laid off, said there were "quite a few people walking around going, 'I don'i believe Paul Castner, who lurt been at the station since 1968, said he "could see that things were going well, but I didn't think that this'jjj would happen. It's a bolt out of the' blue. But I told Greg after meeting that I understand." "i ii if. i Kulka said the change came "as the result of a tremendous amount of research." Surveys last year put KMFY's share' of the listener market as low as Q-3, percent and recently so low couldn't be measured.

The station had tried a the-road" format, which Kulka de-M)) scribed as Sinatra to Tony Bennett. "Up until noon today. We had tha format since August of 1984. It was -the brainchild of Mike Joseph (a cdn-J" sultant). We ran his programming to a absolutely without a flaw.

It garnered no more than a 0.5 share," Kulka said. The station's "new" for-. 1 mat will simply be that of WAVE which is "easy listening." Music coordinator Don Allen said he planned to take legal action to get job back. Kulka said that most of the ees had taken it without bitterness and that "eight people concurred4.7'' with the reasoning behind the offs." Curielli and Castner said Kulka had offered to provide mendations and use of the equipment to make demo tapes, io help them find jobs. fa X' "'V mmmmmimmi 1 ''M 7ri 7f 7.r 04-7 7V7 Associated Press Alleging fraud and deception, Attorney General Hubert Humphrey III filed four lawsuits Monday against 22 individuals, travel promoters and telemarketing companies who advertised such things as a $29 round-trip flight to Hawaii.

The suits, filed in Hennepin County District Court, are part of a 10-state effort that could result in 89 lawsuits, Humphrey said. He called the suits, "an effort to stop the fraudulent, deceptive advertising and actions that take place with these telepromoters of discount travel groups." He said his office has received more than 200 complaints from Minneso-tans who are seeking more than $100,000 in refunds from the parties named in the suits. The state also is seeking civil penalties of up to $1.1 million. Bloomington voters Bloomington voters rejected a tax levy increase that school officials said was necessary to keep from cutting more than $6 million from the budget in the 1988-89 school year. Monday's referendum to raise the levy from 3.8 mills to 7.0S mills was rejected 4,556 to 3,570.

Bloomington Superintendent Leila Anderson said last night, "We are disappointed because of the implied Man pleads guilty to A Bloomington man who was an area manager for a national spice company pleaded guilty Monday to filing false income tax returns when he failed to declare company funds that he had improperly converted to his own use. Arthur D. Knutson. 54, under-reported his income by 1 50,000 from 1 980 through 1983. Charges that Knutson defrauded Mc- Cormick and Co.

during those years Staff Photo by Marlin Levison Llama encounter Jason Hanson, 8, of Eden Prairie, met up with a llama Prairie Central Middle School. The llama was on hand Monday night during the projects fair at the Eden as part of a display by Julie Enquist, 12. Tammy Bakker's brother invites her to come home The majority of the consumer complaints were filed against Resort Vacations of Canoga Park, Humphrey said. A total of 210 complaints filed with the attorney general's office against the company are unresolved. The company's telephone number was not available through directory assistance yesterday.

Consumers are seeking $67,327 from Resort Vacations' telemarketers and $31,904 from the California company. Humphrey alleged that Resort Vacations and other parties named in the lawsuits engaged in a variety of deceptive advertising and selling practices involving "travel certificates" which were to entitle purchasers to such services as airfare and hotel accommodations. Humphrey said the other nine states that are to file suit within the next few weeks are Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, California and Florida. reject school levy consequences of cutting $6'2 million that would greatly affect the quality of education. She said it will be necessary to analyze the situation before deciding whether the referendum should be presented to voters again in October.

School officials said a budget cut could result in larger classes and reductions in electives and athletic programs. filing false returns will be dropped when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Diana Mur phy. Knutson will receive a maximum of a year in prison under the terms of a plea bargain, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Lew- Knutson is the third former McCor-mick employee to be prosecuted.

The other two, Aubert House of Eau Claire, and Fred Regli of Edina, have already been sentenced. Keeping up bought in advance for $4 at the Robeson Bookstore, 424 13th Av. SE. in Dinkytown. Posner also will appear at a benefit dinner at 6 p.m.

Wednesday for the "Peoples' Daily World" at the Normandy Inn, Minneapolis. The cost is $25. For a reservation, call Carol at 698-5405 or Bob at 448-5843. Veterans' benefit information Up-to-date information about benefits for U.S. Veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam will be available through the AMVETS Mobile Outreach Office, a 30-foot motor-home, from 9 a.m.

to 5 p.m. today at 345 Plato St. Paul, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday at American Legion Post 555, 3141 Central Associated Press International Falls, Minn.

Tammy Faye Bakker is always welcome to return to her roots in International Falls, says a brother who adds that he understands how she wanted to leave the northern city for a better future. John Grover, one of Bakker's seven brothers and sisters, said he believes in his sister and her husband, Jim Bakker, despite their ousting from the PTL ministry. Commentator Posner will present Soviet views on friendship, democracy Jennifer Morff. Grover read from a letter he said he had received from Tammy Faye Bakker more than a month ago, which said in part, "99 percent of what the press has printed are devilish lies. I can't understand how they can print lies total lies told by people who hate us for one reason or another." V'lp WEDCO.

the Women's Economic Development Corp. How Minnesota women are creating jobs will be the focus of the events-and "You Made the Differencotiw awards will be presented to uals and a Minnesota corporation, nominated by WEDCO clients, Workshops will be held in the morff- ing. For more information, call 646-3808. Equipment auction Construction, turf-maintenance and miscellaneous equipment will be auctioned by Hennepin County at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Public Service Building, 320 Washington Av.

Hopkins. A list of equipment may be obtained in Purchasing, Room A-2205 Government Center, Minneapolis. For i i Other residents of International Falls, a city of 6,000 people, were not as forgiving of their former neighbor. "It really hurts me because it hurts the town," Mary Ann Kilde said of the PTL scandal. "It hurts the people.

Everybody from the town knows, and they feel really bad about it." "It doesn't say much for our town, that somebody from here would do that," said another resident, t'on can 348-2100. SPCO to perform at benefit The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Joel Revzen will give a 'tribute' benefit concert for the Joanne Levin Endowment Fund for Multiple Sclerosis at 8 p.m. Thursday at Temple Israel, Hennepin Av. at 24th St.

in Minneapolis. Levin, a community volunteer leader who died of multiple sclerosis in January at age 43, advocated improving the daily activities of people with MS by providing devices to help them live independently. The Levin Endowment Fund was established to help people with modest incomes buy the devices. Tickets are $25 and include a reception after the concert. Call 870-1500 for a reservation.

Diane Sawyer to speak Diane Sawyer, co-editor of CBS-TV's news program "60 Minutes," will speak at a luncheon Friday for He said he wished he could help his sister when he saw the couple on ABCs "Nightline" program last week. "She wanted to cry so badly," Grover told WCCO-TV in an interview in International Falls over the weekend. "I've tried a lot of times when I've seen (the Bakkers) on the news clips to call and tell her if things get too rough, we don't have the best here, but this is really home for you." Free talks on gardening Green Themes, a series of free talks about gardening, will be offered at 12:15 p.m. Wednesdays in June in Room 310 at the Minneapolis Public Library, 300 Nicollet Mall. Topics include: Ground Covers; Minnesota Ferns; Native Orchids of Minnesota; and Dwarf Conifers.

For more information, call 348-4448. Forum on service economy The growth of the service economy and its impact on the Twin Cities will be discussed at a noon forum Thursday at the Lutheran Brotherhood Building, 625 4th Av. Minneapolis. John Adams, economics professor at the Humphrey Institute, will speak. Attendees are invited to bring a bag lunch or use the cafeteria.

The presentation is the third in a series titled "Economic Changes Affecting Minneapolis," sponsored by the Mayor's Forum. For more infor- Av. Minneapolis. Service officers also will be available to help veterans file claims for service-related conditions, the VA pension, medical treatment, burial benefits, education, GI home loans and more. Claimants should bring a copy of their discharge papers (DD214.) For more information, call 725-3423.

Columnist Coleman to speak Nick Coleman, columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch, will discuss public reaction to the Dakota Native American conflict of 1862 at a free program Wednesday at the Fort Snelling History Center, state Hwys. 5 and 55 near Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The presentation is the third in a series on Dakota history and culture marking the 125th anniversary of the conflict.

Other programs are slated for June 17 and 24 and July 9. For details call 726-1171. Soviet journalist and radio commen tator Vladimir Posner will speak on "Peace, Friendship and Democracy A Soviet View" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Sabathani Commu nity Center auditorium, 310 E. 38th Minneapolis.

Posner was born in Paris and lived on the lower East Side of New York City until the family moved to the Soviet Union in the '50s after his father lost his job for refusing to become a U.S. citizen. Posner has made many appearances on U.S. television in defense of Sovi et positions. In March, he was part of a Soviet film and media delegation that participated in Entertainment Summit," a joint venture with U.S.

media professionals designed to dispel negative stereotypes of both countries. Entertainment by the Shirley Witherspoon Trio will precede his presentation. A $5 donation at the door is suggested ($2 for low- more information, call 348-3181. 1 income people), or tickets may be.