Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 1

NATIONAL Democrats wrangle r'Tlf FOREIGN" 1 I SPORTS -'a- Proposes debt Both NC teams 1 solution 1 move on kr, i weather i 1 USr Continued jC warm, windy Air A2 IMS Cheney chosen Bush predicts Senate will for Defense post move 'very fast' to confirm I 4l 1 i rr frs i i 'I I AP By ANDREW MELNYKOVYCI I Sutr-Tribiine Washington bureau WASHINGTON President George Bush Friday nominated Rep. Dick Cheney to be the next secretary of defense. The selection of Cheney, came less than 24 hours after the Senate rejected Bush's first choice for the job, former Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman John Tower, R-Texas. Cheney said the first indication that he was under consideration came early Thursday afternoon, when White House Chief of Staff John Sununu asked him to come to the White House to discuss the selection of a nominee to replace Tower. Cheney, who is in his sixth term in the House, is the assistant GOP leader, the second-ranking post in the Republican hierarchy.

In 1975 and 1976, Cheney served as White House chief of staff to President Gerald Ford. Leaving Congress "was not an easy decision," Cheney said during a White House press conference called to announce his selection. "Obviously, I've loved the House of Representatives," he said. "I've enjoyed it immensely. "I thought that's where I'd spend the bulk of my career," Cheney said.

"But when the president asks you to consider a proposition such as this one, you have to take it seriously." Bush said he believes the Senate will move "very fast" to confirm Cheney and predicted "smooth sailing" for the nomination. The protracted battle over the Tower nomination makes it critical that Cheney be approved as quickly as solutely no reason why 1 cannot undertake this assignment." Unlike Tower, Cheney does not have close ties to the defense establishment. He has not served on the House Armed Services Committee. From January 1983 to June 1988, Cheney received $18,000 in political contributions defense contractors such as Lockheed and Northrop. Contributions from defense contractors have made up a small proportion of his campaign funds.

Cheney has been a member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence for five years. In that post, he has been privy to the activities of the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and various defense intelligence agencies. Despite his limited involvement in Please see CHENEY, A16 Related stories, A3 possible, Bush said. On Thursday, in the culmination of a bitter, partisan struggle, Tower was defeated on a 53-47 vote. Tower was brought down by allegations of drinking, womanizing, and conflicts of interest.

Bush said Friday he is "satisfied" that Cheney will not be vulnerable to the sorts of questions that ultimately doomed Tower. In Cheney's case, the major personal question appears to be his health. He has had three mild heart attacks in the past 1 1 years, the most recent coming last summer. Cheney subsequently underwent succesful coronary artery bypass surgery. Cheney said Friday that his cardiologist told him that there is "ab New nominee Rep.

Dick Cheney, President Bush's choice to become secretary of defense, meets with reporters after the president made the announcement at the White House Friday. Unemployment rate drops to 15-year low i I i i i. BuRec may drop request for restrictions on Platte By CANDY MOULTON Star-Tribune correspondent ENCAMPMENT The Bureau of Reclamation will probably ask that restrictions imposed on the North Platte River, or a "water call," be lifted next week, Bureau of Reclamation Project Director Dave Wilde said Friday. The decision to seek removal of the restrictions, implemented last December by the state of Wyoming at the request of BuRec, is based on "drasticaUy" improved vaier supply projections, he said. The call was made by BuRec to fill a 1904 water right in Pathfinder Reservoir which provides water for 13 downstream irrigation districts.

The agency said the prospect of reduced water storage in Pathfinder and the lack of a downstream low water flow allocation system prompted the request. The action brought immediate objections from upper North Platte water users about half of whom would be left with no irrigation water, and others who would lose half of their average water allotment under the call. The Upper Platte Water Users Association has predicted economic losses of $10 million annually if the call is kept on during the summer irrigation season. Wilde said the basis for asking that the call be lifted would be expectations of improved runoff and average precipitation predictions. "The water supply situation has improved drastically during February," Wilde said.

Please see WATER, A 16 WASHINGTON (AP) Unemployment dropped to a 15-year low of 5.1 percent in February as employers created 289,000 jobs, the government said Friday in a report cited as evidence of surprising, sustained vigor in economy. Too much vigor, Wall Street seemed to say, as the Dow Jones average of 30 industrial stocks fell 9.29 points, largely on the Labor Department's announcement. Analysts cited concerns the Federal Reserve Board may raise interest rates to cool down the economy as employers bid up wage rates in an ever-tightening labor market. A record 62.9 percent of the working-age population was at work last month, matching the high set in January, the department said in data calculated from its monthly household survey. The jobless rale, stuck at 5.3 percent or 5.4 percent for five months, fell 0.3 percentage point in February to 5.1 percent, its lowest since Please see JOBS, A16 Cheney solid backer of Reagan defense buildup Vacancy to be filled in election By JOAN BARRON Star-Tribune capital bureau CHEYENNE -If the Senate confirms Rep.

Dick Cheney as secretary of defense, Wyoming will have an unprecedented special election to fill the vacancy, officials said Friday. The surprise nomination of Cheney for the top cabinet post by President George Bush Friday sent state officials scurrying to research the elections law as speculation built on likely candidates for Cheney's seat. Democrats who immediately expressed interest in the seat were John Vinich, who lost a narrow U.S. Senate election to Sen. Malcolm Wallop, Bryan Sharratt, who ran unsuccessfully against Cheney last year, and Pete Max-field, who lost to Vinich in the 1988 Democratic primary.

Vinich, who lost the election to Wallop last November by only 1,300 votes, said he will make a formal announcement early next week. Republican state party chairman Mark Hughes said Friday that the three Democrats would have the edge over Republicans in a special election because of their name recognition. Secretary of State Kathy Karpan held an impromptu news conference late Friday afternoon to outline the Please see ELECTION, A 16 Casper Area A3 Classifieds B7-16 Comics A12 Crossword B3 Landers, Omarr B3 Markets All Movies B4-5 Obituaries, Diary B2 Opinion A14 Sports A6-10 Wyoming Bl, A13 Phones 266-0500 Wyo. free 1-800-442-6916 lLrcc f. J1 UVJK Tell (he GOP I hereby declare my candidacy to replace Dick Cheney.

RESULTS GUARANTEED RESULTS' Miks Swanson sold a Winnebago camper shell the FIRST DAY his classified guaranteed ad appeared. Mike said, "I'm happy the ad sold so quick1" Through guaranteed results, you pay lor 7 days; if your item doesn't sell, we run your ad a FREE wepk then if it hasn't sold, we will happily refund the money you paid to place the ad. Call 2660555 or 1-800-442-6916 for all the details yy ft -In v. I i 1 ii i 7 i I By DAN WHIPPLE Star-Tribune staff writer CASPER Wyoming Rep. Dick Cheney has been solidly behind the huge defense buildup that occurred during the Reagan administration.

In major defense-spending votes over the past two years, Cheney supported both the MX rail garrison system and Reagan's "Star Wars" anti-ballistic missile defense system. He was also a supporter of the Reagan treaty with the Soviet Union banning medium range nuclear missiles. Cheney also has supported the Reagan policy of providing military Unemployment 10 BfflHBPOBHBHJtB UAMJJASONDJP 1984 1969 '83 Jan. '89 Fob. 89 5.7 5.4 jl 5.1 Souxw: U.S.

Of, el Later aid to the Nicaraguan Contras. As ranking House Republican on the select committee investigating the Iran-Contra affair, Cheney was one of the Reagan administration's strongest defenders. In 1988, he voted against an amendment that would have prohibited development of a rail garrison version of the MX missile. He also voted against legislation which would have prohibited the Air Force from spending funds to develop the small, mobile single warhead missile known as the Midgetman. The two systems are, to a certain extent, competitors for money in Please see Rl CORD, A16 to help the FBI.

A Justice Department source in Washington who spoke on condition of anonymity said investigators suspect the bombing was the work of terrorists. However, local FBI investigators would not confirm that theory. "We have no motive at this point in time certainly, we have no suspects," Tom Hughes, special agent in charge of the local FBI office, told reporters. "We certainly do not rule out the potential retribution to Capt. Rogers for his command in the Navy," he said.

"But on the same token this could have been perpetrated for some other reason unknow at this time." Mrs. Rogers was uninjured and was taken to a police station, where Please see BOMB, A 16 6.0 1 ft MALCOLM WALLOP Never a 'hint of anything' Wyo leaders heap praise on Cheney From staff and wire reports CHEYENNE Republican and Democratic leaders in Wyoming expressed near unamimous approval of U.S. Rep. Dick Cheney's nomination Friday to be secretary of defense following John Tower's rejection by the Senate Thursday. One of Cheney's congressional colleagues, U.S.

Sen. Malcolm Wallop, said he did not expect any of the troubles that accompanied Bush's nomination of Tower to surface in the Senate with Cheney's nomination. "I cannot imagine what they would be," he said. "I've known him for a long time and he's been known in Congress for a long time. There's never been any hint of anything except admiration surrounding him." The state's leading Democrat, Gov.

Mike Sullivan, said he was pleased with the nomination. "Dick Cheney's been a friend of mine for some time," he said. "He's been a great representative far the state of Wyoming and I know he will be a tremendous secretary of defense I of course am sorry because it's a loss to the state of Wyoming, both in leadership and seniority on important committees, but I view it as a major gain for this country." Other Democrats joining Sullivan in applauding Cheney's nomination included his predecessor in Wyoming's sole U.S. House seat, Cheyenne lawyer Teno Roncalio. Roncalio called the selection a "delightful surprise," and praised Cheney as a man with "a lot of training" in accomplishing things in Washington.

"I just hope he'll be allowed to call the shots," and be allowed to exercise his fiscal conservatism to control defense spending, he said. Former Democratic Gov. Ed Hcrschler said "I'm very happy he's been nominated," particularly since Cheney is familar with Wyoming and can help it in its relations with the Defense Department. Hcrschler said, however, that he will almost be sorry to see Cheney go since he has "a lot of stroke" in the nation's capital. Please see REACTION, A 16 Wife of Viticennes skipper escapes injury in bombing SAN DIEGO (AP) A pipe bomb Friday destroyed a van driven by the wife of of the skipper of the USS Vincennes, which mistakenly shot down an Iranian airliner last year.

Authorities suspect it was a terrorist attack. Sharon Rogers escaped just seconds before the van burst into ROGERS flames. "They (the FBI) view this incident as an act of retribution against Capt. Rogers for the incident in the Middle East," said Ted Royster, assistant special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' Los Angeles field office. He said he assigned six agents mi I.

I j--id, hi i 4 AP Walking the line United Auto Workers President Owen Bicber, right, joins Eastern Airlines aircraft mechanic Jim Gilmore on the picket line at Detroit Metropolitan Airport Thursday. See story on B4..