The Springfield News-Leader from Springfield, Missouri • Page 1

Good Morning! Monday, May 17, 1993 Springfield Springfield, Missouri 35 Tis a privilege to live in the Ozarks FIRST SINCE NEW LAW wmmmmmmmmmmm Tops in ICE CREAM yi1) 1 Shauncey's owner Don Frank Ozarks Marketplace n7 ei mn ST rs PI on 1 1 11(11 10 a Shaping up Review of Weight Watchers videos Life Times 4B The Associated Press DETROIT Dr. Jack Kevorkian was arrested Sunday after witnessing a cancer patient kill himself, in apparent defiance of a new state law against assisted suicide. A 54-year-old man committed suicide in Kevorkian's presence at a real estate office by breathing carbon monoxide through a mask, said Kevorkian's attorney, Geoffrey Fieger. Ron Mansur, who suffered from lung and bone cancer, was the 16th person to die in Kevorkian's presence. Kevorkian was arrested and released into his attorney's custody, police said.

He wasn't immediately charged. Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor George Ward said prosecutors were awaiting word from police before deciding whether to prosecute Kevorkian under the new law against assisted suicide. Before Sunday, Kevorkian had assisted in 15 suicides since June 1990. The last two occurred Feb. 18.

A week later, Gov. John Engler signed legislation making it a felony punishable by up to four years in prison to assist in a suicide. Kevorkian had vowed to ignore the law, but later said he would wait until a constitutional challenge was decided before helping another person to die. Fieger did not know why Kevorkian went ahead with Mansur's suicide, but the judge hearing the case had been expected to rule by last Friday. "Knowing Jack, he cares about suffering people and believes suffering people have the right to decide their own destinies," Fieger said.

Kevorkian, 64, a retired pathologist, was charged with murder in his first three assisted suicides. But charges were dropped because Michigan had no law against the practice. Dr. Jack Kevorkian, right, is escorted from the Detroit Police Department Sunday by his attorney after being questioned in a man's suicide Sunday morning. The suicide was reported to the medical examiner before Kevorkian left the scene.

NBA playoffs Spurs even series with Suns 2-2 Sports 1C The Associated Press GENERAL ASSEMBLY Carnahan wins praise for style, persistence "Some people still think we belong in museums or that we sit around and weave baskets." Wilma Mankiller, first woman elected chief of the Cherokee Nation, speaking at Drury College's commencement Sunday Cherokee chief takes stand against stereotypes mm i. mil in yi. mmm J. i 1 1 -4 'ill Helpers Candor, toughness working for Reno (NYT) "She is candid, prepared, honest, straightforward and totally and completely dedicated to what she believes in." She is Janet Reno, and that assessment cames from Ray Havens, who served for 13 years as her chief investigator at the Dade County (Fla.) State's Attorney's Office. The nation's first female attorney general, her widespread appeal seems to transcend the Waco crisis and cut across the political spectrum.

Now Reno, an honest politician on her way to becoming a folk hero, may be uniquely positioned to push for a major redirection in the nation's approach to criminal justice. "She's already had more ideas in the few weeks she's been aboard than any of the Reagan-Bush attorneys general in their entire 12 years," said Rep. Don Edwards, a champion of civil rights. Our reportPage 5A. GOVERNMENT Police: New mobile computers will cut down on scanner chatter.

Page 1B. PEOPLE Achievers: Ozarkers are earning recognition for their efforts on the job. Ozarks Marketplace, Page 10. CONSUMER Shopping: A new make-your-own jewelry store has opened in Tiffany Square. And, find out what to do with your winter woolens.

Ozarks Market-place, Page 12. TOMORROW Meetings In Springfield: Joint City CouncilCity Utilities luncheon, noon, City Utilities Training Room, 301 E. Central St. SpringfieldGreene County Library Board, 4 p.m., Kickapoo Prairie Branch, 620 W. Republic Road.

SpringfieldGreene County Environmental Advisory Board, 5 p.m., second floor west conference room, Busch Building, 840 Boonville Ave. MISSOURI LOTTERY Saturday's results Pick 3 Lotto 7-3-2 4-8-13-19-2947 Super cash Powerball 3-14-18-21-41 15-27-32-4041-30 VEATHER iff' ''iksi'' 'h i A By Traci Bauer The News-Leader If there's anything Wilma Man-killer wants to put to death it's the perception that Indian tribes should only be recognized in history books and museums. "Some people still think we belong in museums or that we sit around and weave baskets," said Mankiller, chief of the Cherokee Nation. Mankiller, whose name comes from a high Cherokee military rank, spoke at the Drury College graduation Sunday. "We need to spend more time with one another, we know more about people because when you get to know groups of people you're less likely to stereotype them," Mankiller said in an interview before her address.

In 1985 Mankiller, 47, became the first woman chief of a major North American Indian tribe. Since then more women have taken on leadership positions in the Cherokee Nation. "Both of our judges are women, several of our departments are headed by women and there are several women who serve on the tribal council," Mankiller said. But while women's progression in leadership signifies a more diverse future for the Cherokee Nation, it's also reflective a time 200 years ago when women held prominent positions in the tribe, Mankiller said. "There are some, structural differences, but I certainly think we're returning to a stronger role for Missouri: Lawmakers credit the governor's hands-on approach in getting key legislation passed.

By Terrl Glelch Our Capital Bureau JEFFERSON CITY Missouri lawmakers saw something new on the third floor of the Capitol this session the governor. Instead of staying in his second-floor office as former Gov. John Ashcroft used to, rookie Gov. Mel Carnahan was a familiar sight in and around legislative chambers, keeping tabs on priority bills, lobbying and offering moral support. His efforts paid off with legislative action on a new school aid formula, a package of education reforms and a $310 million tax hike to pay for it.

It was a feat most observers thought could not be done. The governor also won approval for a massive economic development bill, first-time general revenue funding for family planning services and creation of a commission to oversee riverboat gambling. Golden touch: His legislative touch was so golden, it led Rep. Gary Witt, D-Platte City, to joke during the closing moments of the session Friday: "Now that we've passed everything Gov. Carnahan wanted, what's he going to do for the next four years?" In his inaugural speech, Carnahan told Missourians to judge his administration on educational improvements and job creation.

Friday, Carnahan said he'd gotten the tools he needed. Now, he said his challenge is to implement the changes. For all his success in the final weeks, Carnahan got off to a slow start. There was legislative grumbling about how long it took to appoint his Cabinet. And again, when he delayed until April introducing Story concludes on Page 3A (Once he swung into action, Carnahan was untiring.) A live JJ it.

Dan DyerThe News-Leader McCsrthy, liht from St. Louis, gets a hug from her friend Julie Vanvig of Springfield after Drury College's commencement ceremonies Sunday. Our reportPage 1B. women," she said. "I think it's a reflection of the world in general.

Our people, like everybody else, are seeing women in more leadership roles in a number of different situations." Address to graduates: "We wanted to get someone who is an interesting and provocative speaker and she has tremendous credentials," said Dave Mitchell, Drury College spokesman. Sunday's ceremony. The honor is among several for the mother of five who grew up in poverty. In 1987 Ms. Magazine named Mankiller "Woman of the Year," She's also received honorary degrees from Yale, Dartmouth and Arizona State University.

Mankiller encouraged graduates to keep an open mind about cultural diversity, to have self-confidence, be optimistic and take risks. Her 10-minute address was credible, considering her own vita. Mankiller received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Drury at ENVIRONMENT Chanca of shower 50 Cloudy and cool, with showers or thunderstorms possible. High near 70. Rain continues tonight.

Weather2A. 7054c 1 1 billion gallons of oil lost a year, group says INDEX Calendar 5B Classified 7C Comics 7B Crossword 8B Cryptoquip 8B Dear Abby 8B Bosnian results expected today In voting that ended Sunday, Serbs across Bosnia apparently rejected a referendum on a peace plan. In Pale, the Serbian nationalist leader in Bosnia, Radovan Karadzic, declared the plan dead, while Russian officials and two international mediators, meeting in Moscow, reaffirmed support for the pact. Our report, Page 6A Deaths 3B Newsmakers 2A Horoscope 8B Opinion 4A Jumbie8B Ozarks 1B Lite Times 4B Sports 1C Movies 5B Your time 6C Nation SA TV SB as other sources, including the American Petroleum Institute, said that 11 billion gallons a year is lost through such means. American Petroleum Institute Vice President William O'Keefe called the findings "utter nonsense," saying it would be against the industry's financial interest to allow so much oil to escape.

He said he had seen only a summary of the report, and concluded, "the misstatements, distortions and inaccuracies couldn't have been by accident because there are too many of them. This is a deliberate attempt to In one area, the report said many of the nation's 700,000 oil storage tanks have leaked underground pools of oil that contaminate soil and water. EPA spokesman Dave Cohen said the agency had not seen the report and had no comment on it. However, an EPA official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the report's findings sounded consistent with the agency's data. The Associated Press WASHINGTON A leading environmental group accused the U.S.

oil industry of spilling and leaking 1,000 times more oU each year than was spilled by the Exxon Valdez in Alaska four years ago. Friends of the Earth, in a 234-page report released Sunday, blasted the oil industry for a pattern of inefficient operations that allows leakage, venting, spilling and evaporation of oil on a daily basis. The group, using what it said were data from federal and state governments as well Please RECYCLE The News Leader is printed on recycled paper and is 100 recyclable. A Gannett Newspaper Vol. 103, No.

137, 1993, The News-Leader.