News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 1

rrr ff-ftii Tabloid names rape case victim Against state law14A Bush pays tax JA Partly cloudy High in mid- to upper 80s. Low in upper 60s. A 20 percent chance of rain.14A Igwebuike is not guilty Jury frees kicker1C Filing rush is CAPE CORAL EDITION nwp.ffi i npnuiiUHii.p f-ifTr-rirTr TM1 BKHri ii yi iv i II IIVV i 1 V7YX 35 CENTS TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 1991 FORT MYERS, FLORIDA LSppmami shopped off G-foyse Beadeo-ship Former majority leader chastised; Fort Lauderdale legislator named 14A Area legislators comment A i By KEITH GOLDSCHMIDT Gannett News Service 1 agreed to a $47,000 settlement with the stipulation that she remain silent. Newspapers learned of the secret payment last year, which prompted a grand jury investigation that brought no indictments. A House panel also held a week of hearings but could not agree that Lippman harassed Jennings.

It did find that he failed to supervise his committee that was described as "offensive, degrading and inappropriate." Wetherell's two-page letter of admonishment says Lippman's behavior was disappointing, and "resulted in a serious pall being cast over the membership and staff of the House." That letter is the final House act on the matter, but House members are afraid the issue won't go away that quickly. "We're waiting for the other shoe to drop," said Rep. Elaine Gordon, D-North Miami. And it might drop within a month. she was a female from Southeast Florida but because she could be effective.

Gordon described Mackenzie as a "trusted Democrat and team player." "We have embarrassed ourselves, whether we actually participated or we did not," Wetherell said. "This chamber and this House has a tradition that is better than we have shown on this issue. But later in his office, Lippman shook Wetherell's hand and said, "You're a great speaker." And Wetherell responded, "You're a great member." He later explained that everyone makes mistakes, and someone can be a great member because he or she knows how to work within the political process. Jennings had accused Lippman of sexually hounding her from 1983-86. When she brought complaints against Lippman in 1987, the House apparently investigated and found no substance to her complaints.

But the leadership LIPPMAN MACKENZIE TALLAHASSEE Rep. Fred Llppman was publicly chastised for his role in a sexual harassment scandal and stripped of his role as majority leader by House Speaker T.K.Wetherell. "Anytime a member is publicly reprimanded, it is a serious event, and a serious occurence," Wetherell told a somber House Thursday. He also apologized to the public for the $47,000 in hush money the House paid to Kathie Jennings in 1 988 so she wouldn't sue the House for sexual harassment. He named Rep.

Anne Mackenzie, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat first elected in 1982, as the new majority leader. Wetherell said his decision was not based on the fact That's when Rick Johnson, Jennings attorney, said he will decide whether to file a civil suit charging "witness tampering, perjury, invasion of privacy and obstruction of justice." He would not elaborate other than saying "a judge will read it before you will." fifi( yDsa (Hum iru State official looks at park eviction case By KARABAUDER News-Press Staff Writer I CLIPPER BAY i FORT Six Mil 2 VERANDAS MYERS Cypress Pkwy. I -y; I CROSS CREEK I CAPE s. I Cypress Lake Dr C7 JZ Daniels Rd. I KELLY AT I OLDE I GREENS HICKORY I "Gladiolus Or.

I I REGENT I ImmokaleeRd. noLEJ Tj Pine Ridge Rd. 1 1 Golden Gate Pkwy. 1 I 1 1 BERKSHIRE NAPLES Radio Rd. k-, iTL I I -C- PINNACLE I 0 Vn COVE Gulf of Ssss Mexico fj Major developer sees 'little effect' in area operation By CINDY McCURRY News-Press Staff Writer U.S.

Home Corp. plans to continue developing communities and building homes in Southwest Florida despite the company's filing Monday for protection from its creditors under U.S. bankruptcy law. One of the biggest home builders in Southwest Florida and in the country, U.S. Home filed for Chapter 11 protection after failing to restructure its $156 million in unsecured bank debt.

The Chapter 11 petition, the latest reflection of the recession plaguing the nation's construction industry, was filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. "We anticipate very little effect on the area," said Gary Haines, regional vice president for U.S. Home's Lee County operations. Haines said he expected contractors and suppliers to U.S.

Home's local home building operations to be paid. He said it was too early to say what would happen to debt owed to other creditors in the area. "Based on our petition, all of our contractors and suppliers will be paid in full," he said. U.S. Home is developing five projects in Lee County: Clipper Bay Verandas, Kelly Greens Golf and Country Club, Brookshire Bath and Tennis Club, Cross Creek Estates and Olde Hickory.

In Collier County, the company is working on neighborhoods in Countryside, Berkshire Lakes and Pinnacle Cove. Bob Gleason, regional vice manager for U.S. Home in Naples said he didn't expect any changes in operations. The bankruptcy filing of more than 5,000 pages gives the Houston-based home builder some breathing room to reorganize and strengthen itself by keeping creditors at bayforawhile. Robert J.

Strudler, U.S. Home's board chairman and chief executive officer, said the company had been trying for nearly a year to restructure the company's $156 million unsecured revolving line of credit with a group of 17 banks. "The company has attempted to reach an accord with See BANKRUPTCY, back page this section A state deputy attorney general said Monday he's looking into the potential eviction of a woman and her two children from an adult RV park in North Fort Myers, calling the eviction "harsh." The woman and her children are staying in the park while her husband is stationed in the Army in the Middle East. Pete Antonacci, a deputy attorney general in Tallahassee, said he read about the Fountain View RV Park controversy in a newspaper and called Brian Bartos, the attorney representing Melody Galka and her family, to see if he could offer assistance. "It's pretty unusual for us to reach out," Antonacci said, explaining that in most cases the Attorney General's Of ice is asked to get involved.

Meanwhile, the attorney representing the Fountain View RV Park's board of directors announced Monday that some board members have been threatened with bodily injury and bombs by people wanting them to follow through with their eviction of the Galkas. One or two board members have been threatened by people who insist the board uphold the park's covenant and restrictions, which prohibit children under 18 from staying in the park more than two weeks, said attorney Chris Shields. The board is trying to evict Galka and her two children David 8, and Lyndie, 11. Galka moved from Germany to her parents' home in the RV park in January, a month after her husband was shipped to the Middle East to fight in the Persian Gulf war. Sgt.

David Galka still is stationed in southern Iraq and is responsible for clearing mine fields. Galka says she fears terrorist activity in Germany and doesn't want to return to the family's home on a U.S. base there until her JOHN SEVERSONNews-Press U.S. Homes at Brookshire Village U.S. Home area projects Lee County Clipper Bay Verandas, approximately 2 acres with 32 condominiums; 22 units have been sold.

Kelly Greens Golf and Country Club, 300 acres with 971 single-family homes and condominiums. Three homes are left. Brookshire Bath and Tennis Club, about 180 acres with 569 single-family homes and condominiums. Twenty-one townhomes still are for sale. Cross Creek Estates, 300 acres with 496 single-family homes.

About 70 have been sold. Olde Hickory, 300 acres with 565 single-family homes and condominiums. About 15 homes have been pre-sold. In the past, U.S. Home has developed Cinnamon Cove, Whiskey Creek, Southpointe West, Club at Crystal Lake and Riverdale Shores.

Collier County Regent Park, 78 acres with 466 single-family homes and condominiums. The development is about three-quarters completed. Countryside, 330 acres with 1,133 units. Sixty remain to be sold. Berkshire Lakes, where the company is developing two neighborhoods.

About 150 homes have been sold In those neighborhoods. Pinnacle Cove, about 10 acres at the Lely Resort community. Fourteen of 21 home packages have been reserved. It opened last month. In the past, in East Naples, U.S.

Home developed Lakewood, a 190-acre community of 977 single-family homes and condominiums, and Foxfire, a 190-acre golf community of 925 dwellings. Both communities were completed by the late 1980s. U.S. Home also built smaller neighborhoods in the Park Shore and Kings Lake developments, and, in past decades, did a large amount of on-your-lot building in Collier County. See EVICTION, back page this section Xi irlrmr mnuoc Efni-Hc inlanrl" Cape Coral police chief finalist for Colorado job BushsaysanationwidTraif" SOITie Teflim tO ICltlt SclddcHTI strike, set for midnight tonight, wwi iw wmm ecounomy79Ahurtthe Baker planning another trip for Mideast talks said more than 100 fighters a day are trpkkino tn Trnn frnm cpttlpmpnts der.

"It's an established university city that has a track record of profes-sional progressive city government," he said. "Boulder is just an opportunity that deserves a second look." Rowe previously was the police chief in Northglenn, and started in Cape Coral in February 1989. "I'm still happy in Cape Coral," Rowe said. "If that shouldn't work out this is still an opportunity as far as I'm concerned. Rowe said he wants to continue his career in a city, such as Boulder, that has a city manager running daily operations.

Councilman Gary Giebels is proposing that Cape Coral eliminate the city manager's position in favor of a full-time, elected mayor. See CHIEF, back page this section By LAURA GOLDBERG News-Press Staff Writer Cape Coral Police Chief Lynn Rowe was named one of three finalists Monday for the police chief's job in Boulder, Colo. He's competing against Thomas Koby, assistant chief of police in Houston, Texas, and Hal Ness, division chief of patrol in Boulder, said Kelvin McNeill, a Boulder spokesman. McNeill said 170 people from around the country applied for the job when Jay Propst, chief for 12 years announced his retirement. "I just view this as the preliminary process.

It's nice to be recognized as being one of the top three in a national competition," Rowe, 46, said. "There are still two other very competent people in this process." Rowe, who applied for the job in October, said he's attracted to Boul INSIDE A Defense By The Associated Press Secretary Dick Cheney says there were no politics involved ISIKVEREN, Turkey Turkey on Monday began in military base-closing thousands of ill and starving Iraqi Kurds from Hprisinn 3A this mountainous border settlement to camps farther inside Turkey where they will be easier to feed and shelter Ann Landers 9B At a squalid rranian refugee camp, hundreds of Erna.9e 1 1 mensaid they were returning to Iraq to fight. Business A In anotner Middle East development Monday, Secre- Classified 7-14B, 6C tary 0f state james a. Baker III, in a quick turnaround, Comics 5D, 13B return to the Middle East on Thursday hoping to Crossword 5D, 12B capitalize on the interest Arabs and Israelis have shown Horoscopes 3D in peace talks, the State Department said. Lottery numbers 2A Along Iraq's long borders with Iran and Turkey, Movies 4D thousands of uprooted people continued to stream out.

News from the North 4A Turkish officials said the number of refugees in their Obituaries 5B country stood at 500,000 and could soon reach 700,000. Opinion 12-13A State Department spokeswoman Margaret Tutwiler said Section nearly 400,000 Iraqis have fled to Turkey and another 7V 6D 400,000 are reported to be across the border. Sne said from 400 10 1,000 refu8ees were dyin8 each Copyright 1991, The News-Press day, and the toll was increasing. A Gannett Newspaper Rebel leaders, representing several Kurdish groups, near Sardasht, an Iranian border town. baker "We demand all Kurdish fighters to battle to the end of life," said Mohammed Shokat, a representative of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan, based in Sardasht.

About 2,100 refugees moved down from this plateau to a new camp near the township of Silopi, 36 miles inside Turkey. The new camp will have water, electricity and medical supplies. On Baker's trip to the Middle East, "No one knows how long this opportunity will exist," Tutwiler said in announcing Baker's third visit to the troubled region in a little more than six weeks. He will leave tonight and go first to Luxembourg for talks with European foreign ministers. This time Baker may make a stop in Jordan, thereby completing a reversal of U.S.

policy from irritation with King Hussein for condemning the economic and military assault on Iraq to including the Arab kingdom in planning for a Middle East settlement..