The Springfield News-Leader from Springfield, Missouri • Page 11

Ozarks Midwest The Daily News Tuesday. March 10. 1987 3B enate passes insurance-regulation bi The Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY After four days of resistance by opponents, the Missouri Senate on Monday passed and sent back to the House its version of a controversial insurance regulation bill. Although the bill was passed several weeks ago by the House without any major changes. Senate critics called it an anti-consumer measure, and they used extended debate and attempts to amend the bill to delay its approval.

The insurance bill was expected to end up in a special House and Senate negotiating committee where differences between the House and Senate versions will be worked out. In other action, the Senate passed and sent to Gov. John Ashcroft a measure that authorizes the city of St. Louis to hold a special election March 24 so voters can decide whether to re- enact two taxes recently struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court. Supporters of the liability-insurance bill have said the proposal was worked out by a special task force of state officials, insurers and businessmen as an effort to hold down the cost of insurance.

They also said any changes in the measure would jeopardize its chances of passage. But last week. Senate critics of the bill stalled action on it for three days because they said it would limit the amount of damages injured consumers could collect in suits and because they felt it did not provide enough regulation of the insurance industry. At Monday's session. Sen.

Emory Melton, R-Cassville, unsuccesfully tried to amend the bill to eliminate a section that allows a judge to either reduce or increase a jury's damage award. Sen. A. Clifford Jones, R-Ladue, said some juries awarded such high damages it forced companies to d-dare bankruptcy. However.

Melton said allowing judges to increase or reduce awards decided upon by a jury was "giving one person the power to give or take way regardless of what the jury said." Melton's amendment, however, was defeated by an 8-25 vote margin. The Senate subsequently defeated another amendment which would have required insurance companies to give SO days notice before they can evWii a policy. Critics of the bill s.ml the change was needed to make insur ance contracts between businesses and insurance companies fair. The critics earlier were successful in removing a section of the bill that would have allowed a "credit" for companies paying punitive damages if they paid damage awards on the same issue in previous suits. tate News in brief 1 0 states to be picked to try to stop illiteracy enhance the nation's labor pool.

In the eyes of most, literacy is often considered as merely the basic abilities to read and write, the governor said. "However, in a changing world, our definition of literacy may have to change as well. One hundred years ago, a person was considered literate if he could sign his name," Ashcroft said. "That is not true today. It will certainly not be true in the decades to come." Cited by the governor was data collected by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston indicating that youths with lower reading amd mathematics skills are likely to become parents at an earlier age than those whose skills are average.

"As you can see, the need to improve basic skills among our school-age population is a human, economic and social imperative," Ashcroft said. "That same imperative holds for our adult workforce and those adults who are out of work." The Associated Press ST. LOUIS Ten states are to be selected for designing and implementing strategies aimed at combatting illiteracy. Gov. John Ashcroft announced Monday during a conference of public and private leaders.

"Functional illiteracy is probably the most basic barrier to productive employment," Ashcroft said in opening remarks at a National Literacy Summit. "If the nation and our states are to be competitive in the global economy, our workers must have the literacy skills necessary to perform the tasks that new technology demands." Government must work with the private sector to address a literacy problem that will plague the nation unless solutions are found, Ashcroft said. The governor told 40 summit participants he will lead a "State Policy Academy" to be conducted by the Council of State Policy and Planning Agencies, a Washington-based organization. The aims of the CSPA, Ashcroft said, are to reduce unemployment and welfare dependency and to ft IlL AIDS experts to discuss disease during conference in St. Louis From Our Wire Services JEFFERSON CITY Authorities on AIDS from throughout the nation will discuss "Women, Children and AIDS" during a conference in St.

Louis March 24 and 25. The conference will focus on ways to educate people to prevent the deadly disease from spreading among women and children, according to the state Department of Health. Officials expect 400 people to attend the conference, which is co-sponsored by the health department, the St. Louis City Department of Health and Hospitals and the St. Louis County Health Department.

AIDS is a fatal illness that robs the body of its disease-fighting ability. Missouri prisoner sentenced to death loses high court appeal WASHINGTON A Missouri prisoner sentenced to death for the behind-bars killing of a fellow inmate lost a Supreme Court appeal today. The court let stand rulings that Robert O'Neal Jr. received a fair trial and properly was sentenced to death for the Feb. 3, 1984, murder of Arthur Dade inside the Missouri State Penitentiary at Jefferson City.

Prosecutors said O'Neal and two other inmates attacked Dade, and that O'Neal stabbed him with a self-made weapon resembling an ice pick. Southwest Missouri man pleads no contest to murder charge COLUMBUS, Kan. A southwest Missouri man pleaded no contest to first-degree murder Monday in the death of a rural Galena man who was killed in an execution-style shooting last year. Cherokee County District Judge David Brewster scheduled an April 23 sentencing for Stephen D. Reed, 29, of Joplin.

The state dropped three other charges, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary, that had been filed against Reed. Reed was charged in the March 17, 1986, shooting death of Jimmie Ray VanderLinden, 31, at his property in rural Galena. rtft mmmmm Vtf Staff photoSandy Watson Bringing in the wash Debbie Callaway takes the wash off the on a recent overcast day. The rest of line in her backyard in rural Niangua the week is expected to be cloudy. From now on, what other carpet cleaners call clean isn't clean enough.

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Exp. 3787 developers the assurance their application will be approved if financing is arranged. Snowden and other commissioners said they were confident of all aspects of the proposed track except for the lack of hard financial commitments. After the meeting, Mooney said Snowden's resolution would help developers secure the other $11 million, probably through a loan from E.F. Hutton.

Mooney also addressed questions raised two weeks ago when commissioners wanted more information on various facets of track operations, including a worst-case scenario. According to the original application, developers expected to run 120 days of thoroughbred racing a year and build a track with seating capacity for up to 10,000 people. They thought they would bring in a daily crowd of 5,000 with about $115 wagered by each person. proposal attended Monday's meeting to provide more detail on track operations and discuss financing plans. Mooney said $9 million had been committed to the track $7 million from a Chicago physician, David Sullivan, and $2 million from other sources, including Chris Droke of Hornersville, who applied for the track.

Mooney said developers had several alternatives for the other $11 million, and it would be easier to nail down commitments from financial institutions if the commission approved the application. Commission Chairman Lawrence Roos discussed giving qualified approval that would hinge on developers securing finances. However, commissioners said they wanted to avoid approving a track unless financial commitments were solid. Instead, they approved a motion made by Commissioner Phil Snowden that gives Bootheel Downs ble approval by the commission at the Feb. 27 meeting.

The commission also extended the deadline for track li- -cense applications to June 1. No new applications have been submitted, however, said Jon Lusher, director of security and licensing. The plan by another southwest Mis-sourian to get into the horse-racing program didn't get much attention Monday by the commission, Lusher said. Nixa resident Donald Teague has proposed staging miniature horse-racing events in Kemper Arena in Kansas City. The 34-inch-tall horses would carry radio-controlled robot jockeys, said Teague, who is pushing his proposal under the name Show-Me Track.

"They really haven't had a lot of time to study it," Lusher said of the commission's response to Teague's plan. The commission has studied the Bootheel plan, and developers of the From Our Staff and Wire Services JEFFERSON CITY The Missouri Horse Racing Commission assured a Bootheel developer on Monday that he would receive a approval for a race track if he secures $20 million in financial backing, but it took no action on a proposal by a Nixa man to stage miniature horse racing in Kansas City. John Mooney, a consultant for the proposed Bootheel Downs, said he expected to have the needed financial commitments within three weeks, which would clear the way for the commission to approve the state's first new track. Two weeks ago, the commission rejected three proposals for tracks in Kirbyville, Kansas City and Hannibal. Two other Kansas City developers were given until June 1 to arrange adequate funding and improve their proposals.

The southeast Missouri project got the most clear-cut indication of possi Combined Living Areas, Rooms and Great Rooms (over 300 sq. ft.) Considered 2 Rooms Visa, MC, AX, Discover Accepted STANLEY STEEMER. Anything less just isn't carpet cleaning. Legislation puts Arkansas in Super Tuesday primaries SAVE 40 to 60 Choose frames from ono of these special groups. 1988.

So has U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers, D-Ark. When the bill was introduced, it would have established only a presidential primary on the 1988 date, but state officials said an election costs about $1 million and there was no reason to spend that much money on a primary for a single race. That led to the revision of the legislation to shift all of Arkansas' primaries to that date.

Sen. Paul Benham, D-Marianna, the sponsor, said 13 other Southern states, plus the state of Missouri, have agreed to conduct presidential primaries on the same date next year as part of an effort to cause presidential aspirants to give more attention to the South. Clinton has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in The Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Gov. Bill Clinton signed legislation on Monday that would make Arkansas a participant in the Super Tuesday primaries of 1988.

Senate Bill 4 will change the date of Arkansas' political primaries in 1988 from the last Tuesday in May to the second Tuesday in March. Student pranksters arraigned on felony explosives charges Group One Group Two Group Three i I itpiniiiA nnAm piim $12.95 $19.95 $29.95 i-'l $f2 SO $77 50 Hug $22 60 $32 Kur, $37 60 DISCOUNT PHARMACY Now thru March 30, buy tompMe piiir of pfinif.npri'm rl.ii.fin trm regular low prirj irir) rjut tho Inimii'H at to 1,0 olf Chooi.n Ir.irniii) (rom our Hpiitial yroupu tliiit. ovmi inclurln dimigrii'i liruw huch mi H.ilnion, Cardin and Yvob St Laurnnt. Ollur good only whim ordnnrifj corn, pitjtrj pair of pHjucnptiun glaw.oB No othur npply Charged with two counts each of placing an explosive with damage resulting, punishable by up to 25 years in prison, were Joel Gras, 17, and Jeffrey Schmidt, 18. Both are students at Hudsonville High School, Honholt said.

A preliminary examination was scheduled March 17. On Thursday, a bomb exploded inside a ticket booth behind the high school. Two days earlier, an explosive destroyed a telephone booth downtown. The Associated Press HUDSONVILLE, Mich. Two high school students accused of bombing a phone booth and their school's ticket office were arraigned Monday on felony explosives charges.

"The eventual aim here was to make, create and execute a high school prank that wouldn't be forgotten," said Hudsonville Police Chief Richard Honholt. No one was injured. "Terrorist-type" notes at the bombing scenes warned the bombings would continue, Honholt said. -FREE-HEARING TEST Tim 1 WEDNESDAY. MARCH 10:00 LM.

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