News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 7

Jj Billy JacEi for pocirlonf? 1 Tim i fiEATEIEH I LOWER I 30s smvL LOWER Partly cloudy. 40 7QS chance of afternoon thunderstorms1 8A K7 H0ME I Something old I SflWT TH Si Something new: bl YLIl 1 1 A dream home in Alva I it" -xr- Actor Tom Laughlin says he may run lor the White House PUNTA GORDACHARLOTTE EDITION II VI II J7 I I I II I I I I TT 1 I IV I THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1991 25 CENTS FORT MYERS, FLORIDA Raising a stink over sewer assessments MirvnV' yminwirsD fit 0m Warn wr Many remaining plans still have problems By BETTY PARKER News-Press Staff Writer Eight proposed university sites in Lee and Charlotte counties advanced to a short list approved Wednesday by the advisory site-selection committee. But the committee did not rank or grade the sites, and the six owners were put on notice that all sites still have problems that could lead to elimination later. Sites that survived the cut are: 4-year to hire area professors Don't expect the state's 10th university to put local college professors out of work. Fort Myers attorney Charles Edwards, chairman of the state university system's Board of Regents, said he expects the new university slated for Lee or Charlotte County will employ many of the professors and staff that now work at the University of South Florida in Fort Myers.

Edwards also hopes to see the state beef up USF at Fort Myers to make a smoother transition for the new university. -STORY, IB Alico (two sites offered) A i Babcock, Baucom, Omni and Gateway. The Babcock land which includes two site offerings and the MARC BEAUDINNews-Press Betty Blanchette of North Fort Myers pulls a wagon during a demonstration in front of the Lee County courthouse Wednesday. She and other property owners protested the county's assessment on sewers to be built in North Fort Myers. STORY, 3B.

10th UNIVERSITY Thomas 'pained' by back-alley abortions Court nominee: 'no agerjda on vows to keep open mfnd By The Associated Press Thomas recalled that during the era when abortions were barred by law "you heard the hushed whispers about illegal abortions and the individuals who oer- Ansin parcel are in Charlotte County; the others are in Lee. Common factors that helped propel them ahead of other site proposals: donated land, cited by many as a possible key factor in the cut; provision of certain facilities such as water and sewer on site, or assurances that those services would be provided at little or no cost to the state; and locations relatively central to the region's population center near tthe Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers. And while none of those sites is perfect, committee members agreed that six sites they eliminated Wednesday had more obvious, overriding problems such as high price tags, remote locations or land that was unsuitable for development. "We can hardly go wrong with any of these sites now," said Charles Edwards, chairman of the nine-member sites selection committee and a member of the state Board of Regents. "At this point, it's a quesiiwu cf getting the best site for the best deal," Edwards said.

"We still have to make sure all the owners and local governments involved can and will do what they said they could do (such as provide road and utility services), evaluate the problems that we know exist with each site and negotiate to get the best deal. "Now we're going to see a lot of See SITE, back page this section pressed concern about whether Thomas would respect the intent of Congress while interpreting civil rights laws that have long been regarded as requiring affirmative action hiring. Thomas said he would follow the intentions of lawmakers and added that his criticisms of Congress and of Supreme Court decisions were made when he chaired the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. "I advocated as an advocate, and now I will rule as a judge," he said. But it was Thomas's views on individual privacy and abortion that most interested his Democratic Over and over, Metzenbaum pressed for his view.

Each time Thomas refused to say how he would vote on challenges to the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. To answer that question "would undermine my ability to sit in an impartial way on such an important case," he said. "I have no reason or agenda to prejudge the issue or a predilection to rule one way or another on the issue of abortion," he added. Thomas also was asked why he had criticized Supreme Court decisions upholding affirmative action programs to remedy discrimination. Sen.

Arlen Specter, ex WASHINGTON Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas said Wednesday he was "very, very pained" by the thought of back-alley abortions and insisted he would have an open mind as a justice about keeping medically safe abortion legal. However, he declined under persistent questioning to say whether he believed the Constitution protected a woman's right to end her pregnancy. On the second day of his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings, Thomas was immediately confronted on the issue by Sen. Howard Metzenbaum, D-Ohio. thomas formed them in a less-than-safe environment." "If a women is subjected to an environment like that, on a personal level, certainly, I am very, very pained by that," Thomas said.

"I think any of us would be. I wouldn't want to see people subjected to torture of that nature." Montgomery Ward, Dillard's will open Charlotte stores Soviet pullout proves Castro's clout fading ANALYSIS ByJOHNOMICINSKI Gannett News Service r-f FLORIDAV Miami Atlantic Ocean I -v A Key West ioomite 'Nv Havana VI Bahamas Mexico fZr- CBASs JfflEEMEEEj vSTc 1EE3 cuba 18.500 cz rra united 2)400. HAITI EEt STATES JAMAICA At Guantanamo Bay Ap che," said Jose Cardenas of the Cuban-American National Foundation, which claims 50,000 members and calls itself the largest exile organization in the world. "It will make it extremely difficult for Castro to continue business as usual." The Soviet withdrawal is likely to place heavy pressure on the 65-year-old Castro to figure out new ways to keep his revolution alive WASHINGTON The Soviet decision to pull 11,000 Red Army troops out of Cuba is another signal that Fidel Castro is a luxury that the collapsing Kremlin government can no longerafford. Cuban exile and refugee groups exulted at the news from Moscow on Wednesday, though it had little immediate effect on the future of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

"Seeing the Russians packing up and going home will be a major blow to the Cuban psy See PULLOUT, back page this section State's per-capita tax rank steady in '90 By MARY HAWK News-Press Staff Writer Two major department store chains Dillard's and Montgomery Ward plan to open stores next spring at Port Charlotte Town Center in Murdock. The Edward J. DeBartolo Corp. said at a press conference Wednesday the Youngstown, Ohio-based company also will open an additional 8,600 square-foot shopping area in the mall for specialty retail stores. "We are very pleased to have Dillard's and Montgomery Ward as part of the mall's merchandising mix," said Edward DeBartolo, chairman and chief executive officer.

The 105,650 square-foot Dillard's will feature fashion and home furnishings. Montgomery Ward, with 91,948 square feet, will feature electronics, appliances, home furnishings, clothingand automotive items. "These two stores will be a welcome addition to this mall," said Dick Grieco, vice-president of development for DeBartolo. Little Rock, Dillard's recently bought and renamed seven Maison Blanche stores on Florida's west coast, including the Edison Mall store in Fort Myers and the Coastland Center store in Naples. The chain now operates 202 stores nationally; it posted total retail sales last year of more than $3.6 billion.

The Chicago-based Montgomery Ward chain is a major national retailer with 343 stores in 39 states. The Town Center mall, at 1441 Tamiami Trail In Murdock, also features Belk Lindsey, Sears and JCPen-ney as anchor stores. It now has more than 100 shops, as well as a 1 4-unit food court. A planned Maas Brothers store that began construction in 1989 hassince been abandoned. TAX BREAKDOWN Florida's per-capita state tax ranking for 1990 was 36th among the 50 states, one notch higher than the 1989 ranking.

The state tax bill last year came to 1 ,027 per person in the Sunshine State, compared to $1,211 forthe average American. Across the nation, state tax bills rose an average of $64 per person in 1990, TaxWatch found. The highest was Alaska at $2,8 11 per person; the lowest was $536 in New Hampshire. The study found that Florida depends on the sales tax for 62 percent of its revenue, while the national average is 33 percent. State income tax talks 6B By The Associated Press TALLAHASSEE On average, Floridians paid $44 more each in state taxes in fiscal 1990 compared to the year before, topping the $1,000 mark for the first time but still below the national average, a study released Wednesday showed.

"The result Is a steady-as-she goes situation," said Dominic Cala-bro, president of the non-profit Florida TaxWatch Inc. government watchdog organization. Ann Landers 9B Bridge 2D Business 12-15A Classified 7-18B Comics 5D, 13B Crossword 5D, 10B Food Section Lottery numbers 2A Movies 4D News from the North 9A Obituaries 5B Opinion 16-17A Sports Section TV 6D Weather 18A Copyright 1991, The News-Press A Gannett Newspaper Other TaxWatch study findings Include: When adding local government taxes, Florida's per-capita tax ranking was 31st in 1990, down from 1989's spot of 29th. TaxWatch officials say local taxes in Florida are up 165 percent since 1980. State taxes have increased 99 percent.

State taxes take up 5.9 percent or 6 cents out of every dollar of Floridlans' income, and local taxes 3.7 percent. TP PrTTnP nTpMyryi pMMuijjf i i -i 1 1 nr. 13!.