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

Food: The versatile pancake is not just for breakfast anymore 8B Springfield -4 GOOD MORNING Wednesday 'December 6, 1995 Springfield, Missouri 50p 11 Leader UM Umm rate Mint ilii Sixth execution of year carried out Administration's plans for Medicare From Our Staff Robert O'Neal 34, was executed at 12:17 this morning at the Potosi Correctional Center, the sixth person put to death in Missouri this year. O'Neal, who was executed by lethal injection, was on death row for killing a fellow prison inmate in 1994. He was in prison for life for the murder of Ralph Roscoe Sharick, of Strafford, in 1979. Inside: Our report. IB that a huge gulf still divides the two sides.

The White House proposal will call for $124 billion in Medicare cutbacks over seven years, compared with the Republicans' $270 billion. And according to administration officials who spoke on condition they not be identified, the entire budget will be based on economic assumptions GOP leaders have already rejected. Nevertheless, that the administration is willing to offer any kind of seven-year plan was taken as progress. GOP officials said they can recalculate the measure to come up with something that can be used as starting point for talks. Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas said Tuesday, "We probably won't like what they come up with." But Dole added that the proposal at least would be "a start." There were somesigns late Tuesday that administration officials and congressional Democrats were divided on such issues as whether the proposal should include a tax cut and the precise size of the spending cuts.

White I louse Chief of Staff Leon Panetta said he expected the package by the end of the week, but Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said, "Don't count on it. We're not there yet." seven years, compared with almost $50 billion in the GOP plan. The proposal will reduce Republican-proposed cutbacks in hospital payments from $94 billion over seven years to about $50 billion. Overall, the administration proposal would slow the annual growth in per-person spending on Medicare from its current 8.2-percent rate to about 7 percent, while the Republican proposal would reduce it to 5.5 percent. Although the plan has yet to be revealed, administration officials offered sketchy details of the Medicare portion of their balanced-budget proposal late Tuesday, suggesting the White House wants to substantially reduce politically unpopular premium increases for recipients and shrink cutbacks that would fall on hospitals.

According to administration documents, the White House plan will seek $8.8 billion in increases from Medicare Part premiums over Students want 'clear line' on safety Flu season's on, filling clinics, closing schools Gannett News Service WASHINGTON White House officials reversed course Tuesday and announced they are drawing up their own seven-year balanced budget that they will present to Republicans Thursday or Friday. The White House announcement is the first sign of movement in more than a week of bitter exchanges between the administration and the GOP-controlled Congress. But the White House action is unlikely to break the stalemate over federal spending reductions. Details of the Medicare provisions in the administration proposal show Gov. Mel Carnahan takes his safe agreed with his plan but had some "A 57) on the Jiand and three days' suspension doesn't do much." Ryan Knisley senior 1 'is ili i j.f -jr TP- mm "We need prevent sometlung liappens." "'v IJf "iwiir miiritint Dan Dyer News-Leader schools initiative to Kickapoo High School students Tuesday.

Most concerns about details of implementation. By Paul Donsky News-Leader The flu season has arrived. Just ask Dr. Don Sponenberg, a pediatrician at the Springfield Clinic. His caseload has risen about a third, almost as fast as the fevers of his patients.

Or talk to the students and faculty at Bowerman Elementary School, 2148 N. Douglas where 79 of the school's 305 students missed school Tuesday. Or consider that schools in Hurley, Dora, Niangua, Hermitage and Wheatland have closed for the week. Health officials aren't declaring an epidemic just Bengsch yet. So far, nothing is unusual about the flu season, said Harold Bengsch, director of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department.

"There is no question, the flu season is here "he said. "But this does not mean that all the (sick) kids in school have type A influenza. Most have an upper respiratory virus the common cold." The first influenza case of the season in Springfield was identified on Tuesday by an area hospital and should be confirmed soon by the state Department of Health, Bengsch said. Through Tuesday, six cases of influenza type A have been reported in five Missouri counties St. Louis, Pulaski, Clay, Ray and St.

Francois, according to the Missouri Department of Health. Schools throughout the Ozarks have been hit hard by illness. In Springfield, eight elementary schools reported absentee rates of more than 10 percent on Tuesday. At 'J -31 By Jennifer Portman News-Leader Kickapoo High School students say they're all for safer schools, but they want to make sure Gov. Mel Carnahan's plan to curb violence doesn't go too far.

During a session at Kickapoo Tuesday, Carnahan outlined his initiative, which includes making it a felony for juveniles classified as adults to assault school employees or other students. "I think he's got a lot of great ideas," said senior Ryan Knisley, "but there would have to be a real clear line between a felony and a non-felony." Sophomore Jennifer Briggs, 16, had the same reservation. "We need to have assault clearly defined," she said. "There's got to be some standards." A push or shove, some students said, should not be grounds for a felony charge. Carnahan, who will introduce his plan when the General Assembly reconvenes Jan.

3, responded that incidents would be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. "We don't expect every assault at school to be a felony," he said. "We would expect it to be a small proportion of the cases." Rather, the legislation would make it easier for prosecutors to bring a felony charge, he said. That possibility, Knisley said, would be a good incentive for troubled kids to think twice before committing violent acts. "If I were someone in trouble, a lot of it would scare me," he said.

Other highlights of the plan: Guaranteeing schools have access to juvenile-arrest records Expanding drug-free school zones to double the area around campuses and include school buses Providing additional state funding for DARE programs to in- See SAFE, Page 8A Solid State cost-cutting By Richard J. Dalton Jr. News-Leader Solid State Circuits is mo ving to a Chicago suburb to cut costs by about $300,000 a year, President Jim Veith said Tuesday. The company's 56 employees, who will be given the option to move, weren't surprised. But city leaders were shocked to hear that the company plans to save on its utility bills.

After all, industrial utility rates in Elk Grove Village, 111., last year averaged 60 percent more than in Springfield, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. INSIDE Marketplace: ABC-TV announces it will start a 24-hour all-news cable network to provide an alternative to CNN 10A less to Flu facts Facts about Influenza, or the flu: The flu season generally begins in November. Outbreaks usually don't occur until December or January. Ten to 20 percent of the U.S.

population gets the flu annually. i Flu contributes to the deaths of about 20,000 people in the U.S. each year, often when the flu develops into pnuemonia. A flu "pandemic," or severe epidemic, killed more than 20 million people worldwide in 1918. Common symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, headache, muscle ache and extreme fatigue.

Most people recover in about a week. i Source: Centers lor Disease Control and prevention 1 AP, News-Leader Bingham Elementary School, 2126 Cherry 76 of 458 students missed school, a secretary said. In Nixa, John Thomas Elementary School reported 86 of 430 students out sick on Tuesday, said school nurse Bonnie Farley. While those numbers are high, they have nothing on the Wheatland and Hermitage school districts in Hickory County. Schools there closed for the week Monday afternoon after an outbreak of flulike illnesses hit students and teachers.

On Monday, 120 of 320 students at Wheatland were absent. At Hermitage Elementary School, 45 of 232 were out, while Hermitage High School reported 41 of 169 students absent, said Karla Wilson, community health nurse at the Hickory County Health Department. Flu and colds have similar symptoms, and cases should be watched carefully, Bengsch said. A doctor should be consulted if a patient has a fever of 102 or above and has flulike symptoms, including coughing, a sore throat, severe headaches and fatigue. Today's Share Your Christmas cases.

3B warm temperatures in recent days. "I think people don't realize it is Christmas because it isn't cold enough," said Pam Burrell of the Division of Family Services, sponsor of the Share Your Christmas program, "They need to realize it is 20 days until Christmas," she said Tuesday. Today, Ozarkers have 19 days left to help make the holidays brighter See SHARE, Page 8A Vol 105. No. 340 1995.

News-Lfinriar ct2' hep trying to sohe tJie prob-lem you need to prevent it." Doug Fredrick senior to problems before big Erin Bloch junior More news on education From Our Staff State legislators were cool to Springfield school officials' calls for relief from side effects of the 1993 Outstanding Schools Act during a luncheon Tuesday. Also, district officials heard a report from pollsters who found positive attitudes regarding Spring-field schools could translate into willingness to pay higher taxes. Our reports, IB I LOTTERY PICKS 4-rx) SHOW-ME 2-18-22-28-30 Christmas spirit needs cold days to warm it up By Laura Bauer Menner News-Leader A new-born still needs a highchair. A victim of domestic violence would be grateful to get money for dentures. They are two of nearly a dozen Share Your Christmas cases with needs that have not yet been fulfilled.

With less than three weeks until the holidays, three of those cases have no donors. And at least two charity organizations are down thousands of dollars in donations over this time last year. It's anybody's guess as to why some people aren't giving yet, organizers say. But some point straight to claim questioned And the town's water rates are more than three times Solid State's current rate, according to figures provided by both utilities. "I find it remarkable that it is expensive to do business in Chicago," said Jim Anderson, president of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

City Utilities spokesman Ernest DeCamp would like the company to substantiate its claims. "We just think that's an excuse leave," he said. Veith could not be reached to reply to the utility information. Inside: Details 10A Basketball: Arkansas wins high-scoring affair by upsetting No. 11 Missouri 104-93 on Tuesday night 1C Demse McGill News-Leader Madeline Wright sorts toys at the Salvation Army Christmas Center.

Although monetary gifts are down, other donations are at normal levels. The agency expects to help 600 families this Christmas season. INDEX WEATHER Cooler and mostly cloudy today with a high around 40 2A Across Ozarks 2B Classified 5C Comics 11B Crossword 10B Deaths 4B Markets 10A Movies 9B Neighbors 3B Opinion 12A Ozarks IB Sports 1C Weather 2A 40 23 I Please RECYCLE. The News-Leader is partially on recycled paper and is 100 A Gannett Newspaper printed recyclable Precipitation: 10.