The Times Herald from Port Huron, Michigan • Page 1

PORT HURON, MICHIGAN JULY 23, 1997 VENDING MACHINES 50 CENTS Times 1 1 1 i An Dads struggle I Bridge repairs I Jubilee skipper to balance snarl Port Huron savors 2nd work, family traffic Mackinac win xtJ LIVING 8A I LOCAL 3A SPORTS IB DEALERS 40 CENTS By KRISTINE M. ANDERSON, Times Herald Suspected bomb detonated at bar Owner: 'I don't know who would do something like that' a woman discovered what appeared to be a pipe bomb on a column outside The Gallery bar. After police destroyed the pipe with a loud charge set off by remote control, Capt. Brian Moeller of the Port Huron Police Department said officers were not sure whether it was a bomb. BB pellets and gunpowder inside the pipe slightly damaged the building's brick exterior, Sgt.

Diana Tramski said. But police did not find a fuse or a timing device, Capt. Moeller said. "Internally, it was consistent with a pipe bomb," he said. However, "they haven't found what would have detonated it." Police have no suspects or motive, he said.

"Usually, pipe bombs are made for the purpose of hurting someone." Port Huron police are studying the remains with the help of officers from the Please see BOMB, back page, this section By PAUL EGAN Times Herald Police say they have few clues today to the identity of the person who placed a suspected bomb outside a downtown Port Huron bar Tuesday afternoon. The suspected bomb was safely detonated by a Michigan State Police bomb disposal unit from Sterling Heights. There were no injuries. Police closed the 1100 block of Military Street for more than two hours after BOMB SCARE: Ike Hornbeck, owner of The Gallery bar at 1104 Military St. in Port Huron, watches Tuesday as federal agents, city police and state troopers pick up shrapnel from a suspected bomb found at the building.

MEMPHIS Police blame teen's shooting on gang trouble LrQCQ (g 51 i t) By JOHN WISELY Times Herald MEMPHIS Ten people were treated and released at Mercy Hospital Tuesday after being exposed to potentially deadly vapors from a chemical lab at Memphis High School. None showed any signs of illness, but, because of the danger, emergency crews had to decontaminate them before they could be taken to a hospital, said Jeffrey Friedland, St. Clair County emergency management coordinator. "They had to completely disrobe and literally be hosed down," Mr. Friedland said.

The decontamination was done in an inflatable tent in a field behind the school. Kenneth IJelinski, Memphis school superintendent, said those taken to the hospital were custodians Jack Dunsmore, Bob Sexton, Gary Preston, Frank Golembiewski and Barb Bologna; transportation director Marty Laeder; administrative assistant Nancy Powser; band 4 ve. Howard St. Teen shot on Port Huron's south side S3 -5 If) V) 55 jc to Times Herald photo outside the Howard Street home when a black, four-door Oldsmo-bile drove by heading west. One shot was fired before the car sped away, witnesses told police.

Police later questioned several youths before arresting four Port Huron men. Two of the men are 20 years old and the other two are 16, according to Lt. McCarty. "They are in jail awaiting fur-Please see SHOOTING, back page, this section As -'S'M fit If" A1MAIIAC WHAT'S INSIDE WEATHER It will be mostly cloudy Thursday morning with decreasing cloudiness in the afternoon, high around 77. 4-day forecast1 2A INSIDER BE PREPARED, EARLY: For 33 area Boy Scouts, even the drive to the 1997 National Scout Jamboree in Fort A.P Hill, should be packed with fun.

The boys left Tuesday and will make stops at Gettysburg, the Youghiogheny River and the Hard Rock Cafe in Washington, D.C. all before reaching their destination, where they will live in a tent city with more than 30,000 Scouts from all over the country. Joseph McCarthy of Fort Gratiot said his sons, Joe and John, were excited to leave: "My youngest son, John, was sitting on the couch with his bag packed at 6:30 a.m., even though they weren't leaving until 11:30." SPGRTS Pitcher Todd Jones 1 1 earned his 17th save of the season Tuesday night "-v-" in a 6-3 Tigers victory over the White Sox. SportsB Section TV TONIGHT SPECIAL: Coasf to Coast, 9 p.m., channel 62. The good-news newsmagazine looks at fertility treatments, leader dogs and women prize fighters.

MOVIE: Lying Eyes (1996) Someone is trying to kill Cassidy Rae, a high school student who just ended a secret affair with a powerful lawyer; 8 p.m., channel 4. El Dorado (1967) John Wayne and James Caan sober up the sheriff Robert Mitchum and then go track down the bad guys; 8 p.m., TNT TV listings1 6B SPORTS: Baseball: Mariners vs. Indians, 7:30 p.m., ESPN; Mets vs. Dodgers, 10:30 p.m., ESPN Sports on TV2B I MTFRY 1 Mdday Daily: 0-4-6 LU 1 1 LIl I Mjdday 4: Daily: 8-2-1 Daily-4: 4-0-0-3 Cash 5: 8-10-33-36-37 Keno numbers4A DEATHS Marjorie A. Atkinson, 83 Alfreida L.

Dodge, 80 Dale Dorland, 47 Dorothy E. Gibbs, 83 Bert J. Goodwin, 72 Harold J. Kloss, 74 Douglas Lee, 69 Delia A. Plourde, 91 Iris M.

Tobiczyk, 66 Deaths reported7A COMING THURSDAY On the Applause page: An advance look at the Blue Water Brass martial band competition coming to Port Huron next week. Ann Landers1 5B Calendar4A Classified5B Comics1 5B Crossword1 3B Living8A Local3A Movies9A Nation-World6A OpinlonIIA SportsIB Stocks10B TV16B Weather1 2A cmiiGiss Circulation: 982-2553 or 800-686-1213 City desk: 989-6257 Classified ads: 982-2274 Executive editor: 989-6256 Obituaries: 989-6225 Sports desk: 989-6266 TalkBack: 989-6297 The Times Herald Co. 0 A Gannett NewspaperPrinted In the USA rmurtnkt 100? We use all earth-friendly sovbearvbased inks and some recycled newsprint fHAi to" print thjs- newspaper. --4 the 900 block of Howard Street. The wound was not life-threatening, according to police.

"As far as we can tell, there was only one shot," said Lt. Philip McCarty of the Port Huron police. Investigators believe the gun was a .380 caliber or a 9mm handgun. "We don't have the gun yet," Lt. McCarty said.

"It's still out there." Police said the victim and several other youths were standing -t. 9 Autoworkers strike GM parts plant in Warren SHOOTING SCENE: David M. Ryan, 16, of Port Huron, is moved to a stretcher after being shot Tuesday evening in what police say was a gang-related incident in the 900 block of Howard Street. He was shot in the right arm. Boy remains hospitalized teacher Darin McNabb; music consultant Kevin Kohn and band student Jennifer Martinico.

The problem started at about 11:30 a.m. Tvhen Mr. Dunsmore and Mr. Sexton found the vapor cloud in a storage room between two chemistry classrooms at the north end of the building, Ms. Powser said.

The two men, who also are volunteer firefighters in Memphis, recognized the danger immediately. Mr. Preston also was with them, she said. The vapors came from a container of sulfuric acid which had accidentally broken open. There was no sign of vandalism, school and emergency officials said.

"The seal on top of two of the containers had deteriorated and let the fumes out," said John Rhodes, Memphis assistant fire chief. "There was an (aluminum) pressure cooker in the room, and when those fumes hit the aluminum Please see MEMPHIS, back page, this section The strike at Warren could force GM's North American assembly plants to shut down within two days, company officials said. The Warren plant makes transmissions for several front-drive vehicles, including the hot-selling Pontiac Grand Prix and GM's new generation of minivans. It also produces steel wheels and control arms. The union is upset over GM's plan to transfer wheel-making operations from that plant and replace it with work transferred from the Buick City complex in Flint.

GM is expected to announce plans soon to close Buick City, which has no products scheduled after 1999. "We prepared for there to be higher volumes today, especially in 1 the car, traffic," Mr. MacKinnon said. "Vie haven't seen that. Ron Macklin, a toll shift supervisor on the Canadian side, said the overwhelming pedestrian turnout July 13 might have scared off motorists expecting similar gridlock.

The 59-ycar-old original Blue Water Bridge is closed for 18 months so a new deck can be installed. Work started Tuesday on the Canadian side. Officer: Groups were rivals By JOHN WISELY Times Herald A 16-year-old boy remained hospitalized this morning after being wounded in a gang-related drive-by shooting, police said. David M. Ryan was struck in the upper right arm at about 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday while at a home in The Associated Press DETROIT The United Auto Workers today went on strike against General Motors Corp. for the sixth time this year, this time at a plant that builds transmissions for most GM vehicles built in North America. A tentative agreement was reached early today at another key GM parts plant in Indiana, averting a strike that also could have crippled North American production. At the GM Powertrain Group plant in the Detroit suburb of Warren, 2,800 members of UAW Local 909 went on strike just after the 11:59 p.m. Tuesday strike deadline.

anticipating it," said Oscar Vazquez, a toll shift supervisor dr the American side of the; bridge. "We're just experiencing normal visitor traffic for a On the American side of the bridge, 5,705 cars crossed into Canada between 7 a.m. Tuesday and 7 a.m. today, along with 2,050 trucks and 1 1 buses. Gerald MacKinnon, chief of commercial operations for Canada Customs, said he put six extra officers on duty.

Just another day for cars, trucks as new Blue Water Bridge opens i isll' fail By PAUL EGAN Times Herald Motorists were not as eager Tuesday to cross the new Blue Water Bridge as pedestrians were July 13. When the $80 million structure was opened to walkers, an estimated 200,000 people took advantage. Cars and trucks had their first chance Tuesday, and officials said traffic was just average. "We don't have any increase for the opening, although everyone was jl-lfi 1 1 By RALPH W. POLOVICH, Times Herald ROLLING ALONG: Traffic heads Into Canada across the new Blue Water Bridge on Tuesday afternoon.

It was the first day the new bridge was open to motorists. The original bridge, at left, was Immediately closed for repairs. 1.