Argus-Leader from Sioux Falls, South Dakota • Page 17

i nil ii-im ipiiiMiuii mi. i. ninuumwi "vA Briefly nivGrsitiGs nson 0 111 CI disappoint3d control strings may get of purs By TERRY WOSTER Argus Leader Staff PIERRE Some of the power that state college presidents lost after an emotional engineering school fight 15 years ago will be restored if legislators accept Gov. George Mickelson's higher education budget. Mickelson's proposed budget gives the Board of Regents nearly complete freedom to decide how it will spend its $90 million allocation.

Regents' President Kay Jorgensen of Spearfish said the board is ready for that responsibility and will pass much of it on to the presidents of the state-supported colleges and universities. "The people who will make this work are on the campuses," Jorgensen said. "We spend a tremendous amount on hiring capable presidents. Finally, we can give them a chance to be in charge of their campuses." Currently, higher education's budget is a detailed document. And the walls come tumbling down AP photo Gov.

George Mickelson makes a point Thursday during his budget address to a joint session of the Legislature. gents and the college presidents. That trend grew out of a bitter struggle over a regents' decision in the early 1970s to eliminate the engineering program at South Dakota State University. Until then, several of the state-supported colleges were headed by presidents whose personalities and tenure made them influential statewide. President Hilton M.

Briggs at SDSU was vocal in his opposition Purse stringsSee 4C Argus Avenue. First Lutheran Church, structure to build a parking lot. By STEVE YOUNG Argus Leader Staff Disappointed. South Dakota prison officials acquiesced to Gov. George Mickelson's rejection Thursday of their budget request for an additional $3.8 million in 1988.

"I think everybody in state government is a little bit disappointed," said Jim Smith, executive director of the Board of Charities and Corrections. "But if the numbers fall right, we can make this budget work." In addition to the dollar increase, Smith's board also sought 160 additional full-time employees half of those to expand operations at the Springfield prison for the state's medium-security inmates and female prisoners. Mickelson rejected most of the request, recommending a $1.3 million increase over last year's budget. He also asked corrections Leader photo lay LLOYD B. CUNNINGHAM across the street, is razing the Last in the pack was former Delaware Gov.

Pete du Pont, with four delegates from Buffalo and Yankton counties. County delegates travel to regional and statewide caucuses Dec. 12 in Pierre. They then will be reduced to up to 17 delegates and 18 alternates per candidate. The candidate's campaign can fill one open delegate slot with a person of its choice who is a chairman for the state campaign.

Results of the Feb. 23 presidential primary will determine how the state's 18 delegates and 18 alternates to the Republican National Convention will be apportioned. ji 1 1 Milt 'Y 5V 1 1 If II .11 Ms 111 ItC.l' Strain of flu confirmed Federal health officials said Thursday that they have con firmed the types of influenza that sickened one person in South Dakota and two people in cautorma. The strain was identified as influenza subtype H3N2, the national Centers for Disease Control said in its weekly re port. Subtype A(H3N2) is covered by the currently recommended flu vaccine, a spokeswoman said.

The flu season begins in November and peaks in Jan uary through March. Boards to interview for academies More man mj students applying for nominations to four U.S. service academies will be interviewed in Sioux Falls and Rapid City by members of Sen. Larry Pressler's Service Academy Advisory Board. Nine members of his East River academy board will con duct interviews at the Hobday Inn City Centre today and Saturday.

The board will make recommendations to Pressler, who will turn his nominations over to the re spective academies. Stassen to speak about programs Former Minnesota Gov, Harold btassen will speak on his We the People programs at 10:30 a.m. today at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport. Stassen has been a perennial candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. Five iowans win $45,000 from lottery DES MOINES, Iowa Five people won a total of $45,000 on the Iowa Lottery show Thursday night, but the $1.1 million jackpot went unclaimed and will climb to $1.2 million next week.

Corine Moser of Guttenberg won $25,000 on the televised show, while Robert Kasel of Osage, Martin Fischer of Calmar, Robert Brown of Des Moines and William Vaughn of Des Moines each won $5,000. Exchange Club sponsors gift wrap The Exchange Club of Sioux alls is sponsoring a Christmas gift wrap project at The Empire mall. The club's booth is located in the south corridor near Osco Drug. The service will be available through Dec. 24 during regular mall hours.

Proceeds will be donated to local programs, in cluding the Retired Senior Vol unteers, the Children's Home Society and the Children's Inn. Mickelson declares Buckle Up Month Gov. George Mickelson has renamed the holiday season as Buckle Up Month in the state, a spokesman for the South Dakota Safety Belt Coalition says. "This proclamation shows Governor Mickelson is concerned about the health and welfare of South Dakotans and wants to make sure travelers are especially safe over the holiday period," said Michael Hoadley, a University of South Dakota professor and vice president of the coalition. Democrats offer delegate explanation The South Dakota Demo cratic Party is offering a pamphlet explaining the delegate selection for the party caucus March 12 in Pierre.

Registered Democrats can contact the state party head quarters for the pamphlet to explain how the 19 delegates and five alternates will be selected to attend the July 1988 party convention in Atlanta. Democrats interested in De- coming delegates should send a letter to the party headquar ters and include their name, address, gender, presidential preference and a brief signed pledge to that candidate- Letters can be sent to tne South Dakota Democratic Party, 1600 S. Minnesota Sioux Falls, 57105. lYcsterday Ten years ago on this date, a person driving a rront-end loader crashed through a wall at Prairie Market at Sixth Street and Weber Avenue and made off with an undetermined amount of meat and other items by loading the bucket of the loader and driving away. HI I Ji lin WmJp If IIM 1 1 Iff- lli, -ZJtX0 iT 5i 111! II l1 Mickelson said when he reviewed regents' requests this year: "I found myself considering items like $11,885 for cleaning equipment.

My management style is not to micro-manage. There aren't enough hours in the day." Instead, Mickelson is submitting a one-line higher education budget. If legislators accept his plan, they'll appropriate $90 million, the regents will set spending priorities for the college system and presidents will set priorities for their campuses. Mickelson and legislators will be told of those priorities in an annual informational budget from the regents. "We have some strong, good college presidents," Mickelson said as he explained the proposal.

"Initially, legislators might look at this as some controls they might not want to give Once they see it work, they'll be convinced, he said. If legislators accept the proposal, they'll be reversing a trend toward more restrictions on both the re- Protexter estimates 2,000 people attended the caucuses. Debra Anderson, who directs the Bush campaign, thinks the results are a reflection of popularity and organizational strength. "You can't move mountains organizationally." Dwight Adams, director of Dole's state campaign, said: "It was the first test of our whole statewide organization. I was prepared to be happy with 140 or 150 delegates." Tim Amdahl, chairman of the state campaign for Rep.

Jack Kemp of New York, downplayed the importance of the numbers of delegates elected, saying they are a reflection of the head start the Bush and Dole state campaigns had. She said that Nelson submitted claims for more expensive services than what were performed on the children. He also would submit claims for dental services covered by Medicaid and would then do work that was not covered, she said. Nelson, who will continue to operate his business at 2900 E. 26th said his lawyers have told him that he cannot publicly comment about the charges.

Sundem said that Nelson also has charged Medicaid patients higher fees than non-Medicaid patients. He allowed dental assistants to administer and monitor the use of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas. Under sate law, dentists, and not their assistants, are authorized to administer the gas. She said it has taken a year to review Nelson's records before bringing charges against him. State prosecutors were informed about possible false claims when Medicaid personnel at the Depart Budget address.

1A officials to concentrate on intervention programs designed to reduce the number of inmates in the prison system instead. Specifically, he wants a cap of 1,050 on the adult system, the maximum number the state can accommodate and still comply with court orders and American Correctional Association standards, prison Warden Herman Solcm said. There are 1,157 inmates in the system, Solem said. Many of the extra 107 are accommodated by volunteer double celling. Smith said his board is looking at continuing programs of intensive parole and probation and using more community jails to help keep prison numbers down.

"None of those are concrete," he said. As for communities his Prison officialsSee 4C official iresicuns By STEVE ERPENBACH Argus Leader Staff John Morrell executive vice president resigned Thursday, becoming the third top corporate official to leave the company within a month. Jim Hurley declined to comment on his resignation Thursday. Milton Schloss, Morrell's top offi cial, confirmed Hurley's resignation. Hurley, 44, had been with the company for 11 years, the last two as executive vice president.

Riimnra rnn- cerning Hur- Hurley ley's job have circulated since last montn's corporate shake-up, in which Schloss was named Morrell's chairman of the board, acting president and chief executive officer. Schloss, 74, was hired Nov. 5, one day after Donald Slotkin resigned as president and CEO. Ted Steadman, the company's chief negotiator for the past 10 years, resigned a week later. The recent changes in Morrell's corporate office may have led to Hurley's decision, Schloss said.

"I think obviously when you make changes in the top, people don't feel comfortable anymore," Schloss said Thursday. "He really felt close to Donald Slotkin." Company officials are currently negotiating with striking members of the United Food Commercial Workers union. About 800 workers at Morrell's Sioux City, Iowa, plant went on strike March 9. About 2,500 union members in Sioux Falls began honoring a Sioux City picket line May 1 in sympathy of contract negotiations there. Although the Sioux Falls union ended its sympathy strike one month ago, no union members have returned to work.

The ongoing talks in Omaha, are aimed at ending the work stoppages at both plants. The talks In Omaha recessed Thursday; they are expected to resume Wednesday. 24 indictment from the U.S. District Attorney's office in San Diego that says the marijuana was unloaded from a helicopter in Tucson, Ariz. It was then shipped to San Diego; Albuquerque, N.M.; Minneapolis; Los Angeles; Portland, and Florida, Abdallah said.

The organization involved In the drug shipment is the same one responsible for the murder of a drug agent two years ago in Mexico, Abdallah said. He said he doesn't know if any marijuana ended up in South Dakota or if Luschen and Peterson attempted to distribute any drugs here. The men most likely were paid for their involvement with money or with drugs, Abdallah said. The arrests are the only two in South Dakota and federal drug agents here currently are not investigating the case further, said Bob Lawton, a drug enforcement agent from Rapid City. till 5 jt rr Z.

ll iii-ir- A backhoe takes its final destructive bites Thursday from the Blackstone Apartment building at the corner of 12th Street and Dakota Dole gathers most delegates in state By JULIE BOLDING Argus Leader Staff Kansas Sen. Bob Dole and Vice President George Bush garnered the most county delegates to the regional and statewide presidential primary caucuses in unofficial results released Thursday. Results mirrored perceptions about the rankings of Republican presidential candidates among party members in South Dakota. Dole supporters elected 180 dele gates from 65 state counties, all but Sanborn, said Bill Protexter, execu tive director of the South Dakota Republican Party. Bush supporters elected 150 dele gates in 62 counties.

Grand jiiiy charges dentist Two city men arrested in interstate drug ring with submitting aise claims Kemp got 76 delegates from 32 counties. "I would say that it shows they've been working for six months or more," he said. A full-time Kemp staffer began working in the western part of the state in September; a second full-time staffer began organizing in the eastern half during the last several weeks, he said. Amdahl said Kemp can win the primary. Republicans in 29 counties elected 67 delegates for Pat Robertson, a former television evangelist.

Fifty-three uncommitted delegates were elected. ment of Social Services thought Nelson's claims were high, she said. "This is a form of white-collar crime that we're looking at," Sundem said. "We do want people to understand there is a limit to money Medicaid has." There has been a push to crack down on violators, she said. When Nelson's indictment was issued, he was asked to turn himself in at the Minnehaha County Jail.

He has been released on his own recognizance. His arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 14. Although it is unusual for the subject of an investigation to testify before the grand jury, Nelson was issued an invitation to appear and spoke Tuesday, Sundem said. Jurors met three times over a month's time before indicting Nelson.

Six witnesses, including three other dentists, were listed on the indictment By BRENDA WADE Argus Leader Staff Two Sioux Falls men were arrested Thursday on charges involving an interstate drug ring believed responsible for importing 68 tons of marijuana from Mexico. Brian Lee Luschen, 29, 207 W. 41st was arrested at his home on three charges of conspiring to distribute drugs. Tom Peterson, 31, was arrested at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport, where he works as a security guard for Security Inc. He also was charged with three counts of conspiring to distribute drugs.

The arrests were two of 22 made in eight states, U.S. Marshal Gene Abdallah said. Luschen and Peterson were arraigned by a U.S. Magistrate Thursday and are being held in Minnehaha County Jail without bail. Their next court appearance is next Friday.

The charges stem from a Nov. By BRENDA WADE Argus Leader Staff A Sioux Falls children dentist was indicted lhursday on 10 charges of submitting false claims in order to profit from the South Dakota Medical Services Program. Gayle V. Nelson, 41, was charged with four misdemeanors and 11 felonies by a grand jury in Minnehaha County. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 69 years in jail or prison and a $69,000 fine.

The indictment said that Nelson submitted claims during the past three years to misrepresent treat ment he gave patients and that he has been doing that since 1984. The indictment also charged him with permitting dental assistants to perform dental services they were not trained for. The false claims amounted to more than $15,000, said bhem Sundem, an assistant state's attorney general and director of the Medicaid Fraud Control program..