Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 9

i star Wyoming Bl Saturday, July 11, 1992 Star-Tribune, Casper, Wyo. 7 Schroeder gets many sex abuse reports Wallop questions benefit of public hearings on sexual misconduct i i i i Lawrence Garratt, says the issue needs to be brought to the forefront to spotlight how sexual harassment and abuse has been tolerated in the military. One solution, she said, is to prevent men from being promoted if they have been involved in sexual abuse. "They can't make someone respect someone, but (you can say) if you act this way to someone you will not be promoted," she said. Schroeder said ever since she was the subject of a skit at Miramar Naval Air Station two weeks ago where a sign contained a vulgar reference to her, she has become the "lightning rod" for military women with complaints of sexual abuse.

Fathers and husbands have also written on behalf of their daughters and wives who have experienced sexual abuse in the military, she said. By JULIA PRODIS Associated Press Writer CHEYENNE (AP) In the wake of a Navy sexual abuse scandal, U.S. Rep. Pat Schroeder, has received numerous letters and phone calls from military women complaining of similar harassment. "We have just had any number of people write and tell us horror stories," Schroeder, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said Friday in a telephone interview from Denver.

"My guess is other Congress people are getting the same thing." In one case, she said, she was told of a soldier who ran into the women's shower room and was not reprimanded. And a Cheyenne woman sent Schroeder a letter last week outlining how she, too, was harassed and raped while in the yavy. (See related story, Al) tion is under way other than to find out why the first one didn't work," Wallop said in a Friday interview while in Cheyenne. "One thing that I don't think is a good idea is to exploit this misery for personal political gain. It's a problem that's intolerable and needs to be solved.

But I've got to tell you I'm very uncomfortable with holding big public hearings and grandstanding the issue." A Navy spokesman at the Pentagon said Friday the Navy is taking "all allegations of sexual harassment very seriously." "We are working hard at this time to change a cultural problem of attitudes toward women," said Lt. Bob Ross. The Navy wants to foster "an attitude of accepting women into the workplace and respect for human dignity," he said. But Schroeder, who called for the resignation of Navy Secretary "They say 'zero tolerance' then they wink at it," said Schroeder, who has called for congressional hearings later this month on the scandal. U.S.

Sen. Malcolm Wallop, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the stories of sexual harassment are "repugnant" and "intolerable." However, he said, he believes most men in the military are respectful of women. Furthermore, he questioned the benefit of public hearings in the midst of a Pentagon investigation. That investigation involves allegations that at least 26 women half of them naval officers were pushed through a gauntlet of drunken pilots, pawed at and, in some cases, disrobed at the Tail-hook Association's annual meeting in Las Vegas last fall. "I'm skeptical of the purpose of the hearings while the investiga Prairie paint Splashes of painted daisy color enliven grassland communities.

Sullivan looking for unity at Democratic convention Wallop advises doctrine of 4post-containment9 By JOAN BARRON Star-Tribune capital bureau CHEYENNE With the end Qf-the Cold war, the U.S. must adopt a new military policy and avoid slipping into isolationism, Sen. Malcolm Wallop said Friday. Addressing a luncheon meeting of the Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee, Wallop said it would be irresponsible to dismantle the nation's military power and disengage from the rest of the world. American has done that before in the 20th Century after both world wars and then had to scramble to catch up when war erupted, he said.

After World War II, U.S. military policy was one of containment but now some people say that with the end of the communist threat there's nothing left to contain, Wallop said. "What we need is a post-containment doctrine," he said. Wallop's white paper outlining his views on such a doctrine was released at the meeting. Until the administration decides what level of military defense is appropriate, spending will continue on helicopters and tanks that are not needed, he said.

"The arguments are going to be waged on who has seniority and whose home town needs to be protected," Wallop said. The nation, he said, needs military capability to protect its global economic interests. Those interests are jeopardized by struggles, turmoil and wars elsewhere in the world. "We don't need to be the world's policeman but I don't want Rawlins man 63rd state traffic fatality RAWLINS Rawlins man Wayne Brown, 46, died July 6 in a one-car accident in Rawlins when his car spun out of control and struck a light pole, according to reports from the Wyoming Highway Patrol. Killed was Wayne Brown, 46, who was driver of the car, according to WHP reports.

Passenger Iris Seiloff, 5 1, of Rawlins sustained leg injuries in the 7:45 p.m. accident, officers said. Seatbelts were not in use. Brown was the state's 63rd traffic fatality of 1992; at the same time last year there were 43 fatalities on Wyoming roads. Wyo gets $2.65 million federal block grant CHEYENNE (AP) The state of Wyoming has received a $2.65 million federal block grant for community development.

The program provides block grant funds to states to distribute through grants to small communities iij their state, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said in a release Wednes: day. Small communities use the HUD funds to help provide decent housing, especially for low- and moderate-income people. Of the block grant money, $812,000 will go to community development grants, $740,000 to economic development loans, $607,000 to the Wyoming Community Development Authority, and the rest to administration and grants that will help in planning, technical assistance and job training assistance. IT Judy Hamihon'Star-Tribune "We certainly need an energy program.

We need a program that will provide domestic energy producers some understanding that it gives them at least a level playing field (with foreign producers)," he said. "Whether that turns out to be an oil import fee or whatever that turns out to be, we need a sense of where the nation is do- ing. Graves also said the country needs to rebuild its infrastructure and take better care of its environmental resources, including national parks and forests. Patterson, a single parent, said she wants the convention to address welfare reform and single-parent issues "because for single parents and women that are on welfare and for the working poor, if we have (President) Bush or (Ross) Perot, we are all screwed." "We have no chance," she continued. "That's how I feel.

I know because I've been living the Reagan-Bush years for the last 10 years, and it's just been awful." While the West in past elections has trailed other sections of the country in political clout. Graves said he was confident a Clinton administration would pay attention to the region. "I think the fact that we have some Western governors who have been early on in the support of Clinton such as Gov. Sullivan being the first governor nationally to support Clinton will produce good results for Wyoming in attention from a Clinton presidency." "I hope that as we discuss the campaign in this convention that the Democrats can commit them--selves to issues and not negative campaigns," he said. "Given the.

dynamics of a three-way race, we could be faced with a more negative campaign than we have ever seen before. That would not be in the best interest of this country-in my view." City Council According to DEQ Air Quality Division Director Chuck new regulations are now being, drafted at the federal and state levels to oversee waste burning at hos-' pitals. Current rules, he said, do not specifically address hospital incinerators. "There is an increasing awareness of problems posed by the burning of hospital wastes," Collins said. "Incomplete combustion of the plastics can release several toxins and if temperatures aren't high enough the possibility exists for pathogens (viruses and bacteria) to be released." Collins said new rules will require that all hospital incinerators be equipped with "secondary combustion" devices to insure that plastics and other materials are.

completely burned before escaping through the stack. According to Assistant Hospital Administrator Roger Watts, Ivin-son's incinerator is such a two--stage device. He said a failure of an air jet in the secondary incinerator coincided with the second complaint noted in the EC's letter. countywide vote allowed to vote on whether they want a nuclear waste storage site in their area. Dubois rancher Budd Bctts sent word Thursday that he is not in fa- vor of proceeding to the next phase until a county-wide vote is But Linda Hewitt of Lander said she wants to hold off on that until-! after phase 2a.

CHEYENNE (AP) Gov. Mike Sullivan heads to New York City and the Democratic National Convention on Saturday with hopes the conclave will unify the party and improve America's understanding of what Democrats stand for. Whether also-ran presidential candidate Jerry Brown will stand in the way of that unification remains to be seen, as his camp has instructed its delegates to stay committed to him throughout the convention. "I did receive some information from the Brown campaign, and it looks like we're forging ahead, regardless," said Brown delegate Sandra Patterson of Laramie. "I thought that maybe we might end up being able to show a united front behind our Democratic nominee.

"That may happen, I don't know," she said. "What their (the Brown campaign) main goal is is to get the message across that the American people are unhappy with the status quo." Sullivan, who will chair the 19 Wyoming delegates at the convention, realizes Brown might try to steal some of the fire from Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, who enters the convention with the presidential nomination wrapped up numerically. "You always have that," Sullivan said of Brown's apparent decision not to enter the convention in Clinton's camp. "This is Democrat politics.

But I think the likelihood is there generally will be unification. Given Brown's performance, I don't think you could expect total he hasn't given in." Away from the posturing associated with the selection of the party's presidential nominee, the convention hopefully will produce a platform that will help the nominee win in November, said Chuck Graves, the party's chairman in Wyoming. dispute with cy' smell, even at a considerable distance from the incinerator." But that letter was never sent to the hospital. Since the EC is an advisory panel all of its communications were submitted to city and county officials. Travsky said the original letter was "inappropriate." Instead a "toned down" version was drafted by citycounty planner Natalie Siderius and the commission's original list of 16 questions was cut to seven.

"We really didn't object to the letter being edited," said "The problem came when they tried to edit the questions. Their editing also introduced some major inaccuracies." ''We submitted some very specific questions and wanted some very specific answers," Duerr said. But Travsky said the questions were also "out of bounds. They were asking questions about things that aren't even regulated by DEQ and EPA (the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and the federal Environmental Protection Agency)." back to the typists for a final draft. Committee members have already recommended proceeding to what's called phase 2a, a $250,000 U.S.

Department of Energy grant used to study the educational aspects of the Monitored Retrievable Storage site. Members also recommended that Fremont County residents be to live in a world with no policemen," Wallop said. Earlier the state's senior senator toured the Wyoming National Guard and Warren Air Force Base. He predicted WAFB's mission will remain the same until at least the year 2000. The Peacekeeper, or MX missiles, that Warren controls are not covered by the nation's arms limitation agreement with the Russians, he said.

It makes no sense to get rid of those missiles while the Russians still have their SS-1 8 missiles deployed, he added. Cheyenne, he said, should continue to make the Air Force feel welcome and not make any plans based on the expectation of the base closing. "There is so much politics in these decisions that any sign you'll accept closure would be taken as a license to steal," Wallop said. Downsizing the national guard proportionate to active military units the guard supports poses political problems because each state has a unit, he said. The Wyoming National Guard has been reduced by 1 1 percent, which is much less than Massachusetts' 66 percent cut, he said.

He predicted the ratio of active military to reserves will end up at 60-40. National Guard infantry and armored units were not successful in the Persian Gulf War because the two-weeks of training the guardsmen receive each year is insufficient, Wallop said. Other guardsmen, such as truck drivers, did well in the Gulf War, he said. ers. All but one of the commission's eight members resigned after Laramie city officials edited a formal letter of inquiry and an accompanying list of questions sent to the hospital regarding the possible emission of hazardous materials from the hospital's gas sterilizers and an on-site waste incinerator.

Commission Chairman Don Duerr said Thursday the letter was an attempt to gather information about emissions from the incinerator which the hospital uses to v. Judy HamiltonStar-Tribune on a hot Wyoming summer day. Laramie Environmental Commissioners resign in burn, needles, blood contaminated materials and the plastic containers which hold them. The commission also requested information on the hospital's possible use of ethylene-oxide gas to sterilize surgical equipment. "We need the information to fulfill our responsibilities as a commission," he said.

"The letter was too confrontational," said Laramie Mayor Amber Travsky in an interview Thursday. "You don't go punch someone in the nose and then ask to talk afterward. The questions they were asking may have been valid but we wanted to soften the tone." In a letter to the Laramie City Council, commission members expressed concern that local "planning office staff, city manager and city council edited a request for scientific information relevant to the environmental health of the community." "We feel that if we can not freely request information necessary for us to properly respond to citizen complaints and advise the City Council and County Com By CHARLES PELKEY Star-Tribune Laramie bureau LARAMIE Seven members of a local environmental commission resigned Wednesday after city officials told them to "tone down" the contents of a letter to Ivinson Memorial Hospital over possible hazardous emissions from the hospital's incinerator. The CityCounty Environmental Commission is a joint advisory panel with members appointed by both the Laramie City Council and the Albany County Commission 4 4 t-r missioners about significant environmental problems, we cannot carry out our responsibility to either the community or local government." Duerr said Thursday if commissioners are not able "to even make a simple request for information, then there's really no reason to have a commission except for public relations. I don't feel ljke that accomplishes anything." Duerr the panel was working within its prescribed duties by requesting information about waste disposal from the administration of Ivinson.Hospital.

The original draft of the commission's letter to Ivinson points to two complaints registered late last year and early this year regarding emissions from the hospital's incinerator. "In both instances, a dark thick plume was observed to be originating from the incinerator stack," wrote Duerr in a May 4 letter addressed to Ron Muecke, the hospital's director of Facilities Services, both occasions the stack effluent had a strong 'plasti- night as they try to meet a July 23 deadline for their report. That's the day that money from the $100,000 federal grant runs out, and Fremont County commissioners have to decide whether to pursue the next phase of the process. The advisory group met for five hours Thursday, and after reviewing one draft, sent the document MRS citizens' advisory panel argues when to hold RIVERTON (AP) Officials looking into locating a temporary nuclear waste storage site in Fremont County are divided over whether to put it to a public vote before or after proceeding to the next phase of the study. A citizen's advisory panel on the issue met Thursday and were expected to meet again Friday Sun worsliipcrs Sunflowers nodio their namesake.