South Florida Sun Sentinel from Fort Lauderdale, Florida • Page 1

METRO: Lauderdale explores svitcSi to sro ayor. IB. Hig 111 SPORT 13 NFL players suspended for using steroids. 1C. IZZZIIIZZZZZIZ Wednesday, August 30, 1989 25 cents INSIDE TM-Mail Mlimig to make ends meet Florida Department of Transportation rail chief Fred Wise said he is worried that the train seems unable to attract more than about 3,000 riders daily far less than the 5,000 riders initially predicted.

But he said: 'It's too early to say it's in trouble." State law requires Tri-Rail to pay two-fifths of its operating costs by January 1991. If the system fails to reach Even for mass transit systems, which traditionally operate with hefty subsidies, the results were discouraging. For example, commuters who use CalTrain, a San Francisco-to-San Jose train, pay more than one-third of operating costs, not one-tenth as Tri-Rail is now collecting. "There's no doubt that there's a lot of hard work that has to be done," Tri-Rail board member Ed Kennedy said. that goal, it could be shut down.

Despite the concern over money, officials are studying the possibility of adding a station in Opa-locka. The proposed site is two miles from a station at Dade County's Golden Glades interchange, i -Kennedy said he would not support the proposed $245,000 station, which is-being pushed by Opa-locka city offi- SEE TRI-RAIL 11A By RICK PIERCE Staff Writer South Florida's great commuter train experiment is proving to be a bigger burden to taxpayers than expected. Just-released figures from July, the second month fares were collected on the West Palm Beach-to-Miami commuter train, show that officials spent $885,907 and took in just $83,796. Mk seat 'li' NO. 1 FAN Chris Even's father, Jimmy, is like any other dad when it comes to pride in his children.

LIFESTYLE, 1E BUSINESS Consumer spending sparks economy. 1D NATION Ex-aide tells of Bakkers' lavish lifestyle. 4A t' 4 4 4 'V DIGEST v- Staff and wire report! Fleeing suspect monitored FORT LAUDERDALE Frank Kates, accused of stabbing his wife with a fish hook, complained of heart pains when he arrived at the Broward County Jail on Monday. Deputies took him to Broward General Medical Center, from where Kates, a $1,400 heart monitor attached to his chest and intravenous needle in his arm, fled. 1 No one noticed he was missing until his wife, Shirley, called the hospital to complain that her husband was calling and threatening her.

Kates, 57, was later arrested. He was in the jail infirmary on Tuesday, charged with grand theft for taking the monitor. Eastern foe returns to work After spending months telling the public how horrible Eastern Airlines' management' was, a chief spokesman for the airline's -striking pilots is back flying for Eastern, the union confirmed on Tuesday. Co-pilot Gary Greksa of southwest Miami; crossed the picket line shortly after an Aug. 6 meeting at which union leaders suggested that the rank-and-file might consider returning to Eastern because they were losing the strike, which began on March 4.

Victim tells hair-raising tale 5 PENSACOLA A 26-year-old man has been charged with battery and petty theft after snatching a hairpiece off his neighbor's head, police say. William Lewis was arrested Monday and then released after his neighbor filed a complaint about the Aug. 21 incident The victim said he was reaching into his mailbox when Lewis grabbed the $85 toupee. The bareheaded man told police he chased Lewis and hit him to get the wig back. Staff photoJOHN CURRY Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is backed by her husband, U.S.

Attorney Dexter Lehtinen, as she gives a victory speech to supporters on Tuesday night. RESULTS Race to succeed Pepper tight to the end 146 precincts of 146: Votes PcL Gerald Richman-D 43,759 .47 Ileana Ros-Lehlmen-R 49,638 53. Includes absentees 27 years, since 1962. He died on May 30 at the age of 88 after a two-year battle with cancer. "We knew this would be close, but this was ridiculous," Ros-Lehtinen said of the seesaw race that kept the candidates within a few percentage points of each other most of the night.

Richman, who Ros-Lehtinen called "a worthy opponent," telephoned the new representative to congratulate her on the victory. Ros-Lehtinen invited Richman to a unity luncheon in the near future. About becoming the first Cuban-American in Congress, Ros-Lehtinen said, "This victory is not only sweet for tinen had 53 percent of the vote and Richman had 47 percent. The final count was delayed until midnight because of a computer problem that led to some precincts being counted twice. "I promise to offer leadership in the U.S.

House of Representatives based on my caring and conservative convictions," said a joyous Ros-Lehtinen, who, alongside her husband, U.S. Attorney Dexter Lehtinen, howled with excitement when the final figures were announced. "I promise to carry on the work of Claude Pepper: to take care of the old, educate the young and keep this country free," she said. Pepper held the seat for By LUISA YANEZ Miami Bureau MIAMI Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a refugee living a Horatio Alger story, on Tuesday night became the first Cuban-American elected to the U.S. Congress.

Ros-Lehtinen, 37, the daughter of a Cuban accountant who worked in a laundry in exile, defeated Miami Beach attorney and political neophyte Gerald Richman, 48, in a race that pitted Cuban-Americans against Anglos and blacks. With all 146 precincts in the 18th Congressional District counted, Ros-Leh my family but also for this community." Her supporters, responding to the ethnic resentments sparked in the race, chanted "Viva the Cubans!" They formed conga lines and sang along with Celia Cruz, a well-known salsa singer. Ros-Lehtinen, who was born in Ha- SEE ELECTION 4A WEATHER IWWN WWW SXW 70s Q80s 90s INDEX NEWS Section A Nation 3A World 10A State 11A Opinion 12A METRO Section Stein 1B Deaths 68 SPORTS Section Davis 1C Scoreboard 7C BUSINESS Section LIFESTYLE Section Television BE Movies 7E Comics 8E Colombia's justice minister defies cocaine barons9 threats tj Rain Thunderstorms Today's forecast: Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain. High near 90. Details: Page 2A CLASSIFIED Sect.

(4 -1 Vol. 30, No. 131 tels, de Greiff said she had asked the United States for an additional $19 million to help protect Colombian judges from the narcotics underworld. The cartels have threatened no-quarter war against judges who cooperate, with President Virgilio Barco's pledge to extradite traffickers to the United States. An estimated 11,000 people involved in the drug trade have been arrested in the week since Barco ordered a crackdown after the murder of leading presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan days ago.

"I am determined that the integritj SEE COLOMBIA 9A Guest book reveals Colombian drug dealer's clout. 8A minister of justice," she said. "I never considered resigning. The threats are out there, but I am satisfied with my protection right now. "The law is under siege in Colombia, and we must protect it every way we can," she said, asserting that her purpose in coming to Washington was to seek more U.S.

aid to fight the drug cartels responsible for 80 percent of the cocaine that is smuggled into the United States. To help in the fight against the car Sun-Sentinel wire services WASHINGTON Colombian Justice Minister Monica de Greiff on Tuesday pledged to carry on the fight against the drug cartels despite death threats against her and an offer by two of the narcotics rings to get out of the business in return for an amnesty and cease-fire. De Greiff, 32, denied reports from Bogota that threats against her and her 3-year-old son had caused her to resign the post she has held for 1 months and to seek asylum in the United States. "Contrary to what you may have heard, I intend, when my discussions here have finished next week, to return to Colombia and continue my job as FLORIDA LOTTERY Winning numbers selected Tues-. day night.

tfT FANTASY 5: 09-17-30-31-34 fiQ CASH 3: 7-7-9 "The law is under siege in Colombia, and we must protect it every way we can." Monica de Greiff, Colombian Justice Minister Copyright 1989 Newt and Sun-Sentinel Company.