The Kokomo Tribune from Kokomo, Indiana • Page 1

Businessmen of the year Page 3 Chocolate Page 13 Vol: 141 No. 308 AL wins fifth straight Ail-Star Game Page 8 V. eaa iB RIBUNE Kokomo, Ind Wednesday, July 15, 1992 35 Cents 'Travel Tips Avoid the following areas: Carter and Murden streets from Apperson Way to Union Street Carter Street and side streets east of Ohio Street Waterworks Park Highland Park Foster Park -Ind. 13inElwood Markland Avenue under the viaduct west of Berkley Road Howard County Roads 300 and 400 East around the Kokomo Reseri voir dam Production down WASHINGTON (AP) Output 'at the nation's factories, mines and utilities declined in June for the first time in five months, down in part by the brief Tailroad strike, the government said today. The 0.3 percent drop in the Federal Reserve's Industrial Production Index fit in with other statistics showing the economic recovery slowed to a crawl in June, including a large increase in unemployment, lackluster retail sales and muted price increases.

Bungee ban TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Eight bungee-jump operators are trying to overturn a Florida ban on the thrill jumping prompted by the death of a Michigan jumper last week. Another company that claims its jumping tower is safer than the ones most operators use failed Tuesday to convince Florida officials that it should be allowed to operate. In Michigan, where a man was killed Thursday when a jumping platform fell, Gov. John Engler decided against temporarily banning bungee jumping, as some legislators requested.

He said he was awaiting an investigation into recent accidents before making a decision. The 18 jumps in Florida, which are licensed by the state, were closed Friday by Bob Crawford, Florida's agriculture and consumer services commissioner. He said he wants the Legislature to either outlaw bungee jumping or adopt safety standards his inspectors can enforce. Appeal for food SARAJEVO, Bosnia- Herzegovina (AP) Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic appealed today for an emergency airlift of food to the besieged town of Gorazde, the last holdout against Serb militias in eastern Bosnia. The leader of Bosnia's Serbs, Radovan Karadzic, said at peace talks in London that he had agreed to allow overland aid shipments to war-torn Bosnia and to guarantee the safety of aid flights.

Karadzic also repeated his offer of a cease-fire. But Serb forces appeared to be pressing an offensive in northern and eastern Bosnia designed to gain control of more territory before any political settlement is reached. Index Classified ads Comics ..24 Dear Abby ........20 Gott .21 ......16. news News of record. ..............12 Obituaries 12 Opinion.

7 13-15 ........5 On the light side Busy drivers MIAMI (AP) Motorists in south Florida keep busy when they're driving: Apart from occasionally steering, they eat, drink, kiss, write notes, apply makeup, brush their hair, dry their nail polish, read. A non-scientific survey of 500 traffic-school students found that three-quarters of them drink a beverage, eat or do both while driving. "About half admitted applying makeup or writing notes. More than 40 Creek water recedes Storms knock out power to some By Terri Hughes-Lazzell Tribune staff writer Kokomo and Wildcat creeks are receding, but not before making life difficult for many Kokomo residents and workers. Water from Wildcat Creek has flooded Carter Street, east of Ohio Avenue, including many surrounding neighborhoods.

That water also forced the removal of a lift station for the Kokomo Wastewater Treatment Plant, leaving the area without a local receiving plant. "The water was so high it wasn't pumping anyway," said Tom High, wastewater plant superintendent. "The sewers were real slow and anything that did get out of those homes probably ended up in with the flood waters." High said he expected to get the lift station back into action today. This morning's readings of the creek levels, where the two come together, was 13.7 feet. High said the level was 14.7 feet between 7 Tuesday.

The normal level of the area where Wildcat and Kokomo creeks meet is about 1.5 feet. However, during one of the worst floods in the area, New Year's Eve 1990, the highest water reading reached 17.1 feet, High said. "We did fill sandbags because we didn't know what was going to happen yesterday," he said, adding that it looks like the water may be getting back to normal. Daryl Teed, north regional Tornado damage KENDALLVILLE, Ind. Debris litters Main Street in downtown Kendallville, after a tornado touched down Tuesday afternoon.

Thirty to 40 people were injured and more than 30 build- ings were damaged. Kendallville is about 20 miles north of Fort Wayne. A related story and photo are on Page 12. (AP photo) manager of Public Service Indiana Energy, hopes the area's heading for normal July weather. PSI crews worked from 5 p.m.

Tuesday until 5:36 this morning restoring electricity to customers. About 200 customers were without power after the first round of storms hit the area around 5 p.m., Teed said. Crews restored the power loss caused from two failed transmitters and a broken pole by midnight, when a second round of storms hit the area. At 12:20 a.m. today about 2.300 customers lost power when a line went down on Jefferson Street, Teed said.

About 1,800 customers had power by 1:10 a.m., and the remaining customers' power was restored by 5:36 this morning, Teed said. No rain is expected today, according to Robert Wise, local weather observer. It should be sunny this afternoon with a high of 80 and fair tonight with a low of 60. There's a chance of thundershowers Thursday afternoon with a high of 85. Thundershowera and storms are likely Thursday night with a low of 65, Wise said.

Clearing could take place Friday, unless the system slows down, Wise said. He's calling for showers to end Friday and sunshine in the afternoon. The high will be 75. There willbe sunshine Saturday and Sunday with highs of 75 and 80. Suspended officer may be dismissed ByMikePaluck Tribune staff writer Kokomo Police Chief Lynn M.

Rudolph has recommended the dismissal of a police officer who is accused of five violations of departmental rules, including immoral conduct. Officer Brian Landrum, who joined the police department in September 1988, has been suspended with pay, pending a hearing before the Board of Works at 10 a.m. Aug. 31. During the suspension, Landrum, 26, must remain in his home between 8 a.m.

and 4 p.m., Rudolph said. Tuesday afternoon, the chief said a series of allegations against Landrum have been under in- vestigation by the department's Professional Standards Division since April 13, when an 18-year-old Kokomo woman signed a complaint against Landrum. The complaint, which involves allegations of sexual misconduct by Landnun, stems from incidents the woman and a 15-year-old Kokomo boy said occurred at Foster Park in mid-March. Today, Assistant Chief Charles S. Hackett said the investigation was initiated by information supplied by a private citizen.

The woman ultimately came forward and signed the complaint, Hackett said. According to information Rudolph forwarded to the Board of legedly a the Works Monday, the couple was having sex in the woman's car, when Landrum approached the vehicle. The officer alle made the teen-ager an woman get out of the car while they were partially undressed, ordered them to "perform" while he watched, and threatened them with arrest if they did not comply, Rudolph related. The woman alleges that while she was still in a state of partial undress, Landrum ordered her to get into his patrol car, where he made several sexual references. As she got out of the car, Landrum grasped her thigh, the woman alleged.

That series of allegations is in- cluded in the immoral conduct charge, Rudolph said. But, he said, four other alleged violations of police department standards are also pending against Landrum. Those counts include conduct unbecoming a police officer, conduct injurious to the public peace or welfare, neglect of duty and violation of departmental rules. The chief said the neglect of duty charge cites six areas where Landrum allegedly violated department policy in dealing with the car in Foster Park. While checking the car and its occupants, Landrum failed to contact the police dispatcher; failed to check to see if the two people in the car were possible runaways; failed to check for possible arrest warrants for the pair; failed to check vehicle's registration; failed to see if the car had been reported stolen; and failed to document the stop.

Rudolph said Landrum's Aug. 31 hearing oefore the Board of Works will be an open session, and the officer has the option of appearing with an attorney. The officer can also elect not to attend the hearing, the chief said. The board could act on Rudolph's recommendation at the conclusion of the hearing, or take the case under advisement, Assistant Chief Charles S. Hackett said today.

GM shakes up staffs DETROIT (AP) General Motors quest for fat- free management led to an overhaul of its public relations and marketing divisions, the latest in a massive restructuring of GM's domestic operations. GM announced Tuesday the departures of several high- level executives and the shifts of others to a newly created division, North American Operations. The moves, the first time a vice president has left as part of the restructuring, reflect the company's desire to reduce redundant services in its vast, multi-layered U.S. structure, analysts said. "One of the biggest problems that we've had historically with GM is they have these totally separate, distinct staffs operating in their own orbits," said Joseph Phillippi of Lehman Brothers in New York.

Individuals in the units were rarely fired, he said. That way of doing business began to change when the GM board of directors elevated John F. Smith vice chairman in charge of GM's profitable international operations, to president and chief operating officer in April. Smith's charge was to speed a reorganization of North American automotive operations that lost $12 billion in the last two years. 12 jobs coming to Kokomo By Dave Phillips Tribune staff writer National Semiconductor Inc.

will transfer its regional sales office from Carmel to Kokomo next month, bringing 12 sales and engineering jobs to the city. The Santa Clara, company has signed a five-year lease to occupy 6,000 square feet of space at Fortune Management's Fortune Avenue office and industrial park at Albright and Lincoln roads. Jeff Gillispie, sales manager of the National Semiconductor office, said the company was also creating an integrated circuit design center and failure analysis laboratory here. Gillispie said the relocation will allow the company to provide better service to its largest customer, Delco Electronics Corp. Delco Electronics, the automotive electronics arm of General Motors is one of the world's largest users of semiconductors and integrated circuits.

In addition to sales and support personnel, the office will be staffed with quality and application engineers, Gillispie said. At a press conference today, Kokomo Mayor Robert Sargent, Kokomo-Howard County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Margie Johnson and Fortune Management's Scott Pitcher called the announcement a boost to the city's effort to attract indus- trial and office tenants. Pitcher said the city's decision to approve tax abatements for the office park has allowed the development company to keep its lease rates low and competitive with office properties in Westfield, Carmel, and Indianapolis, where lease rates have dropped because of overbuilding and low demand. "It's very important that we have space available on demand to attract office tennants," Pitcher said. "In this competitive market, most office users won't wait for Class A space to be built." National Semiconductor will occupy space in the second of three, buildings planned for the park.

The first building, completed a year ago, is 100 percent leased. perent said they sometimes kiss and drive at the same time. "We suspected this," said Howard Schwartz, director of Metro Traffic School, which compiled the survey recently. "Some answers were really exotic a couple of people said they watched television or made love." Motorists are so busy, the survey found, that 61 percent say they can't remember the drive after they reached their destination. People in the news Lots of gifts NASHVILLE, Tenn.

(AP) New father Garth Brooks thanks fans for the sweet gifts they've sent his baby girl and the sexy things they've tucked in for his wife, Sandy. "Some of the things Sandy squealed most about were the handmade moccasins that we got," Brooks said about the baby gifts. "For some reason, people were also packing negligees," he added. guess they were wanting Taylor to have a sister or a brother here Brooks Burke The couple's daughter, Taylor Mayne Pearl Brooks, was born July 8. No prima donna LOS ANGELES (AP) Delta Burke says she is not the prima donna the press makes her out to be.

"I never went on a set and 'said, 'This is my show my name's on the the actress said Tuesday, referring to quotes attributed to her in a July 4 TV Guide story. The article chronicled Burke's troubles on the set of "Designing Women," the hit comedy from which dismissed last year. The actress said it is simply the latest in a series of untrue media reports. Pleads innocent CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) Axl Rose pleaded innocent to charges stemming from a riot at a Guns Roses concert last summer and was released on $100,000 bail so he could resume touring.

Rose, the band's lead singer, entered the plea Tuesday in St. Louis County Court to four misdemeanor counts of assault and one count of property damage. His trial was scheduled for Oct. 13..