Battle Creek Enquirer from Battle Creek, Michigan • Page 1

Sports Niles beats YDNIQHT a uii it 'Sal Broncos FOOTBALL 27 21 2 Body Mind Spirit Holiday stress Dr. Gilbert Olivares and Deanna House ividiMidiidgduiiD i Raiders Game story, IB FNOI TI1RF1R TUESDAY Nov. 23, 1999 1999 A Gannett Newspaper 40t IN STORES, 50t IN VENDING BOXES Battle Creek garia," Clinton said. "I am proud to stand in this place where voices were silenced too long" by totalitarianism Clinton, who visits the U.S. controlled sector in Kosovo today and will have an early Thanksgiving meal with troops there, placed a wreath a memorial to Bulgaria's war dead and then met with President Petar Stoyanov and pledged financial assistance his government.

rtrtmttSttieait fl "I'm very grateful for the support we received, the allies received, during the conflict in Kosovo," Clinton said. On Monday night, Clinton appeared before thousands of cheering Bulgarians in Nevs-ki Square and thanked them for "standing your ground with us" against the Serb campaign against ethnic Albanians. The Bulgarian government supported the U.S.-led air war against Yugoslavia, even TRACE CHRISTENSONTHE ENQUIRER Attorney General Jennifer Granholm visits Battle Creek on Monday to warn area residents about the "Blessings" scheme. A.G. war ns A star for the ages of 3yrami sche ming 'Blessings' scam spreading across Battle Creek region "Iff Q)nn Laurence McQuillan Gannett News Service SOFIA, Bulgaria Thanking the Bulgarian government for its unpopular support of the NATO air war over Kosovo, President Clinton met Monday with its leaders and pledged U.S.

support for this former Warsaw Pact nation that is turning toward democracy. "I am very proud to be the very first American president to visit Bulgaria a free Bul B.C. hero gets his Bronze Star 55 years late Matt Galnor The Enquirer The record books showed Staff Sgt. Robert Simonds of Battle Creek earned a Bronze Star for heroic action, firing his M-i rifle so rapidly upon German enemies that they retreated, thinking he had a machine gun. His personal medal collection, however, showed otherwise.

So on Monday, more than 55 years after earning his Bronze Star, Simonds received it. "I had all those other kinds of medals," he said. "This is something I never realized I'd be honored with." No one did, until Simonds' son-in-law Bruce Myers of Howell began searching through old record books of the noth Infantry Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division with which Simonds served. His name was on the list of those earning a Bronze Star, but even Simonds didn't know. "This is such a nice honor Hillsdale Dee-Ann Durbin Associated Press HILLSDALE A scandal at a small college beloved by conservatives is reverberating far beyond its isolated, hilltop campus, igniting a war of words between conservative icon William F.

Buckley and one of President Clinton's fiercest critics. The angst among Buckley, William Bennett and other conservative leaders reflects how important to their ideals Hillsdale College and its longtime leader have been. if I A for at for 10 in no iLiyju for many years." The Bulgarian leader said it was important for Americans to "realize that the Bulgarian people have embarked upon a new road and chosen a new policy that of democracy, of respect for human rights." National security adviser-Samuel Berger said Clinton's talks with Stoyanov made clear that Bulgaria views NATO membership as important to its political and economic future. KEVIN HARETHE ENQUIRER Creek's McCamly Park. gen Forest, also earned a Purple Heart.

That award and numerous others showed up on his discharge papers. Yet the Bronze Star did not "This is, I think, bringing closure to something that was a part of his life and his history, maybe not to him but to his family," Myers said. "Although he was always a hero to us." Matt Galnor can be reached at 966-0676 or as Newt Gingrich, Henry Hyde and Bob Livingston had to face questions about relationships outside their marriages. And he scolded the school for "apparently counting on the loyalty of conservatives to cover up the mess." Hillsdale has been dear to conservatives since Roche took over in 197L In the 1980s, he decreed that the school would no longer accept any federal funding so it could avoid affirmative action and other government demands. though the war was strongly opposed by many of its citizens.

Bulgaria borders Yugoslavia and many had worried about the cost they would pay if NATO failed, because Bulgaria allowed NATO jets to fly over its airspace during Yugoslavia airstrikes Clinton said "We are committed to supporting Bulgaria over the long run economically, politically, militarily. And I think we will be doing it patrol by himself. Simonds didn't speak of the mission Monday; the story comes from information provided by the U.S. Army to Smith's office. That's not uncommon of Simonds' humble generation "Most combat veterans don't talk about their experiences," Myers said.

"It's a kind of experience they keep inside." Simonds, who was wounded during combat in the Hurt- saying he objected to the college's refusal to answer questions about Roche's departure. "Hillsdale College has an obligation to ascertain the truth to the degree possible and present it in a plain and dignified way," Bennett said. Buckley argued that school officials were smart to be silent "Such questions excite the tabloid appetites. Giving them free expression can bring on moral hangovers," he wrote. Brooks noted that the Hills-dale uproar comes after prominent conservatives such Trace Christenson The Enquirer Michigan's attorney general is warning Calhoun County residents about an illegal pyramid scheme sweeping south-central Michigan.

"It's spreading like wildfire," Jennifer M. Granholm told reporters Monday during a meeting in the office of Calhoun County Prosecutor Susan Mladenoff. The gifting or blessing pyramid scheme is believed to be operating in five counties: Calhoun, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, Hillsdale and Branch. "People have been told it is legal, and it is not," Granholm said.

The first reports of the scheme surfaced Nov. 4 in St Joseph County, according to that county's Prosecutor, Jeffrey Middleton. Mladenoff said the first reports in Calhoun County were made last week. "We are expecting to get more calls as the word gets out," she said. Investigators said they believe hundreds of people have been involved in what is Star on Robert Simonds during a ceremony Monday in Battle positions to take it back.

As Simonds embarked on a ammunition resupply mission, he found a German patrol seeking to penetrate his division's newly gained territory. Simonds instantly fired off 12 rounds from his M-i as fast as he could, prompting the Germans to retreat When he came back to his unit, the other soldiers asked him where he found the machine gun. He pointed to his M-i, having turned back an entire being described by promoters as giving gifts to other participants. Several police officers and business professionals have been involved, Granholm said. She said people have been recruited in factories, in health clubs and on the street.

"They are looking for people who are gullible and have money," she said. "A pyramid scheme is nothing more than a very expensive game of musical chairs," Granholm said. "When the music is over, only one person ever wins. Pyramid schemes are costly, dangerous ventures and they're illegal in this state for a reason." Operating a pyramid can bring a sentence of up to seven years in prison. Granholm said the gifting scheme is a four-level pyramid.

One player at the top is designated as the senior while lower levels contain two juniors, four sophomores and eight freshmen. Depending on the pyramid, freshman pay the seniors any- Please see SCHEME, 6A was able to make it next door to the home of his great-aunt, Jane Paradis. "I was watching TV, and he walked in the door and said, 'Call the police, I've been Paradis said. Police were canvassing the neighborhood Monday night and looking into possible leads, said Battle Creek police Sgt. Victor Pierce.

"The details are still sketchy. We are talking to witnesses and searching the area for individuals that might be involved in the incident," Pierce said. Dreams told officers he was assaulted by one person then shot by another in his home. The suspects ran Please see SHOT, 6A ICO 'Call the police, I've been shot' rattles top conservatives Rep. Nick Smith pins the Bronze for him," Simonds' wife, Arlene, said.

"If it wasn't for our son-in-law we never w6uld have known. "He did earn it, though." Simonds certainly did earn the medal pinned on his left lapel Monday by U.S. Rep. Nick Smith, R-Addison, at McCamly Park during heavy combat July 29, 1944. Just days earlier, his division had won the German town of Kesfeld, and enemy troops had begun to reinforce their scandal "Conservatives have been rocked by a series of revelations that make us seem like the biggest collection of hypocrites ever to tred the earth," David Brooks, a senior editor at the conservative Weekly Standard magazine, wrote in The New York Tunes last week in reflecting on the Hillsdale spectacle and others of recent months.

The brouhaha erupted Nov. when George Roche who 28 years as president turned the tiny school into a beacon for conservative values, abruptly resigned amid rumors of a long DEATHS Franklin E. Bloss Leah B. Brandt Jane E. Cheklich W.

Niel Drake Michael A. Geringer Bertha Head Richard L. Kehoe Marjorie Lucas Patricia A. McCurdy Vance I. McMurtrie Victim names cissiilciiTt after Monday attack Darcy Vanaman The Enquirer A 23-year-old Battle Creek man was hospitalized late Monday after he told author-ities he was shot in the shoulder inside his home, and police were looking for the suspect.

Relatives identified the man as Chris Dreams. He was listed in fair condition at Battle Creek Health System after the incident, which happened about 7:20 p.m. at his 77 Cleveland St. home. After being shot, Dreams time affair with his daughter-in-law.

Three weeks earlier, she had shot herself to death. Conservative leaders' concern showed in a public spat between Buckley, founder of the National Review magazine, and Bennett, a former Republican education secretary who writes about morality and harshly criticized Clinton over his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. Bennett resigned from the Hillsdale presidential search committee he had been appointed to co-chair with Buckley, Leslie D. Mott Philip H. Munn Wilma Snell Anna B.

Waldron Jean R. Warner Kenneth W. Wilber Dorothy M. Williams GOOD MORNING TODAY'S BEST BET WHAT: Battle Creek Youth Orchestra presents The Sounds of Music. WHEN: 7 p.m.

WHERE Lakeview High School. ADMISSION: Adults $7, seniors $6, students $3. INFORMATION: 966-2527. INSIDE Business 7B Movies 9C Calendar 8B Nation 5A Classified 5-10C Neighbors 3C Comics 4C Obituaries 4A Crossword 7C Opinion 8A Health 9A Sports IB Horoscope 2C Stocks 6B Local 2-4A Television 2C Lottery 2A Weather 8B Lifestyle 1C World 7A "V' Hollie Barton and her brother, Shawn Barton, both Athens 3 High School graduates. They will jA march with the Grand Valley State University band during i pregame activities at the Detroit A Lions football game on Thanksgiving Day.

I PAGE 4A: Obituaries I PAGE 8B: Calendar I PAGE 3C: Neighborhood news.