Rapid City Journal from Rapid City, South Dakota • 27

Sunday, September 28, 1 988 the Rapid City Journal Section Local Farmers Reagan invite to rally 4 SIOUX FALLS (AP) Farmers planning a rally to show their concerns with Reagan administration farm policies say they want the president to stop by when he's In town Monday. "Not only do we wish to hear your views on rural concerns, but we would like to speak our story, give our viewpoints also," according to a letter to Reagan from Charlie Johnson, a Madison-area farmer and rally organizer. "The first rule in being a good communicator is being a good listener. We ask that you be a good listener that day so we can begin to solve problems here in rural America." The president plans a short campaign stop Monday afternoon at the Sioux Falls Arena for Sen. Jim Abd-nor's re-election effort.

Reagan will arrive In Sioux Falls about 2:30 p.m. and leave about 4 p.m. Monday, campaign officials said. Organizers said 1,000 people might attend the farm rally, scheduled for 12:30 p.m. near the arena, where Reagan is scheduled to speak several hours later before an expected 9,000 people.

Johnson said organizers wanted Reagan to know he Is welcome at their rally. "If you want to deal in today's world, and the logistics sudden changes in his schedule probably In -iV k. Eva Nichols relaxes in her office. (Staff Senators opposed tax bill SIOUX FALLS (AP) The tax reform bill approved by the U.S. Senate Saturday contains more bad provisions than good and is unfair to South Dakota, the state's two Republican senators said after voting against the measure.

Democratic Rep. Tom Daschle also voted against the measure when it was approved in the House earlier. "This is tax reshuffling, not tax reform," said Sen. Larry Pressler. "We started to make the tax code more fair and simpler.

Unfortunately, these ideals have been lost along the way," Pressler said. Sen. Jim Abdnor said the bill, which now goes to the president, would hurt many farmers and small business owners. "This bill has some very positive aspects, but on the whole, I think South Dakota got the short end and I had to oppose it," Abdnor said. Abdnor said he supported tax reform as approved by the Senate originally, but that a House-Senate conference committee changed it so much he could no longer support it.

He cited the repeal of income averaging and sales tax deductions, and a decision to make repeal of investment tax credits retroactive. "It's simply not fair to repeal the sales tax deduction," Abdnor said. "South Dakota is one of a handful of states that has chosen to use sales taxes as its revenue base and now the Congress is dictating to South Dakota that it should use an income tax rather than a sales tax. It's a severe infringement on South Dakota's rights to choose its own form of taxation." While eliminating some tax loopholes, "we have left the door open for hundreds of new ones," said Pressler. He said the bill was so sweeping in change that its impact on the economy has not beep adequately measured.

"While we have had over a year of extensive hearings on various tax issues, no hearings have been held on what this bill, with all of its sections working in unison, will do," Pressler said. "I believe passage of this bill ensures that Congress will be faced with a tax reform act of 1987 just to correct the bill's mistakes." Eva Nichols to be honored at second 'retirement' party vw photo by Jim Holland) dinner at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Mother Butler Center to honor Nichols for her decades of contributions to the community. In traditional fashion, Nichols plans to use the occasion to honor 29 individuals who have helped her efforts over the years. The honor role covers a wide range of medical service personnel, politicians, judges, law enforcement officials, businessmen, media, government and social service workers.

The list reflects the diversity of her work and causes. The 29 people who contributed to Nichols' efforts will be honored dur-, ing a private ceremony prior to the dinner. "I've had some faithful friends who have recognized the needs of not only the Indian community but the whole community," she said. "If you help one part of society, you give stability to the rest of it." Nichols said she believed in Indian assimilation into the white culture, but only the good parts of it. "You can travel both paths," she said, "but you've got to take the good from both." For instance, Nichols opposes bilingual education in the schools to r-i Til urn-mm ill! Mickelson and Bell plan to join Reagan teach Indian children in Lakota.

Her advice: "English is our language use it." Children shouldn't be allowed to forget their native tongue but she tells parents to "do that at home." Indian parents, she said, should allow their children to mix with white children so they don't feel alienated from the majority culture. "Don't separate him from the rest of the children," she said. "He can be Indian and proud of it and also do what others are can succeed." Although Sunday's dinner allegedly is a retirement party, NichoU till -is working on several projects. She is involved with Western Dakota Arts to reproduce the works of famous Western artists and the Sioux Heritage Baby Doll which are crafted by elderly Sioux in South Dakota. "I'm not in favor of honoring people, even after their death," she said.

We are put on earth, she continued, to do our best to improve the world. It is our duty and doesn't deserve praise. After all, Nichols said, there have been a lot of little people who have lived honorable lives and never have been recognized. of an experiment by the University of New Mexico and NASA to gather anti-matter particles and investigate how stars evolved and how they are changing, according to Bob Golden, an electrical engineering professor at the Albuquerque, N.M., school. There hasn't been much research into anti-matter, so not much is known about the tiny particles, he said in an interview.

The unmanned balloon was 340 feet in diameter when inflated and 550 feet long when stretched out on the ground uninflated, according to a aren't all that likely," Johnson said. "But I think it's Important that he knows we're inviting him to South Dakota. From that point, it's his decision or prerogative on how he wants to approach the people of South Dakota." Car caravans to drive to the rally are being organized at several locations in South Dakota and Minnesota, rally organizers said Friday. A busload of people was expected from Benson, and the Minnesota Farmers Union urged Its members to attend. Jim Nichols, Minnesota agriculture commissioner, and other farm leaders were expected to speak at the farm rally.

A march was planned afterward, and the farmers planned to be near the arena when the president arrived. Sioux Falls labor and women's groups called a news conference Friday to announce their support of the farmer rally. Some farmers plan to demonstrate inside the arena during Reagan's speech, said Scott Skorr, a Garretson-area farmer and a rally organizer. But most of the farmers will be outside at their own rally, he said. "The company's much better outside," Skorr said.

water and make this a positive thing." Bell said he respected Reagan even though he disagrees with the administration's farm program. "I just don't think his administration has done what they ought to have done in the Farm Belt," he said. Bell said he supported Reagan when he feels it's right but that he could disagree with the president. "The man isn't always right. But then he's not always wrong." Mickelson, Bell and GOP constitutional officers will speak for three minutes each at the rally before Reagan appears.

Republican Party leaders said Reagan's visit would help the party because the president's policies in general remain popular in South Dakota even if his farm program has been criticized. South Dakotans rank Reagan high on issues like defense, combating drugs and fighting terrorism, according to Bill Protexter, executive director of the state Republican Party. "Nothing is perfect, but he's certainly helped turn this country around," Protexter said of the president. Protexter said Reagan probably would speak about agriculture during his visit and try to convince voters he cares about farmers. Dan Parish of Murdo, Republican national comitteeman, said Reagan wouldn't hurt the party when it comes to the farm vote.

"The issue of the farm policy is overdone," he said. Parish also said Bell should not criticize the Reagan administration so harshly. "I think the farm program is a good program," Parish said. "I don't know what they're bad-mouthing the program about. It's certainly not bad in the wheat business." Bill Harlan newsroom earlier this week.

Talk about pain. And wouldn't you know it, all of a sudden an alien popped out of my chest and asked, "How come the Journal puts it on the front page when Mayor Art LaCroix turns down a pay raise, but when he gets a big raise, nobody mentions it?" The punchline, of course, is that I went to a psychiatrist's office, stretched out on the couch and the alien said, "Doc, how do I get this reporter off my grklblzz?" (Grklblzzs are similar to legs, only greener.) But back to the newsroom. "Raise?" I sputtered at the alien, Balloon prompts calls from curious Hugh O'Gara Staff Writer Rapid City's advocate for the Indian community, 83-year-old Eva Nichols, is going to start slowing down. For the past 40 years, Nichols has been the voice and sometimes a controversial one of the Indian community. Although she officially retired from the working world in 1965, Nichols continues to work eight hours daily, five days a week and is on call 24 hour a day.

She has belonged to 11 state and regional organizations as well as being a member of such national organizations as the National Congress of American Indians and the National Indian Women's Organization. Through her efforts, the Black Hills Annual Pow Wow, Indian Community Appreciation Day and the Miss Black Hills Indian Beauty Pageant were begun. For 20 years, her letters to the Rapid City Journal editorial page reflected her traditional upbringing of what is right and wrong. Her second "retirement" party is planned for Sunday. Her family and friends will hold a Five counties receive industrial development grants SIOUX FALLS (AP) Five eastern South Dakota counties have received a $500,000 grant to help promote industrial development.

The grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration was awarded to the First District Association of Local Governments in Deuel, Hamlin, Clark, Lake and Miner counties. The money will set up a loan fund from which prospective industries or expanding industries can borrow money to provide part of the finan-cial package for industrial development. In announcing the grant, Sen. Jim Abdnor said it had the potential of creating 160 new jobs.

trying to retrieve the buttons from my shirt. "That's right," the alien cackled. "The mayor got a big raise this year and no one even mentioned it." Dropping a tidbit like that is a sure way to give a city hall reporter a funny feeling in his solar plexus, even if there's not much left of it. After all, I was supposed to be covering city hall and I didn't know anything about an alleged big raise for the mayor. My bosom buddy and I decided to Investigate.

First, we checked the Journal's clip files. Sure enough, it was front page news in September 1984 when the mayor declined to accept a 12 percent raise. Other top city officials Finance Officer Kent Brugger, City Attorney Ray Woodsend, and Public Works Director Leonard Swanson got 12.5 percent raises that year. That made some union officials mad because most city employees got a 4.5 percent increase. (City officials said the raise was justified SIOUX FALLS (AP) Republican candidates George Mickelson and Dale Bell said they planned to join President Reagan on the Sioux Falls Arena stage Monday afternoon despite differences with the president on some Mickelson, the GOP candidate for governor, has said the nation's farm program is not working.

Bell, the U.S. House nominee, has blasted Mickelson Bell Reagan's agriculture policies and the proposed sale of hydroelectric dams. Both candidates said they hoped to talk privately with Reagan about the farm problem. Reagan's Sioux Falls visit was intended to boost the re-election campaign of Republican Sen. Jim Abd-nor, who faces Democratic U.S.

Rep. Tom Daschle in the Nov. 4 general election. Republican Sen. Larry Pressler said Friday he also planned to attend the event.

"He's the president of the United States," Mickelson said when asked if Reagan's visit might hurt his chances of winning farm votes. "I'm very excited the president of the United States is going to visit nur state." The Brookings lawyer said the two could disagree and still be Republicans. "Just because we're Republican doesn't mean we necessarily agree on every issue," he said. "I'm going to get my oar in the City Hall "Aliens" was a great movie, but "Alien" (singular) is the one that gives me cold sweats. Remember the dinner table scene? Everybody's sitting around in the galley of the spaceship, eating dry cornbread.

Unbeknownst to one crewman, an alien is incubating in his body. Suddenly, the crewman looks puzzled. He gurgles. He grabs his chest. He flops onto the table.

Then, voila! The alien pops out of his chest, right through his solar plexus. Ouch. I knew how this guy feels. I was (ting dry cornbread in the worker at Raven Industries in Sioux Falls. The balloon was made in Sioux Falls, the unidentified worker said.

The gondola was 15 feet high, 5 feet wide and had a payload, including a computer, according to Golden. A 12-member NASA crew launched the craft. The ground team included researchers from the God-dard Space Center in Maryland. The balloon was expected to land Saturday but scientists weren't sure where it would come to rest. People in Sheldon and Sioux City, Iowa, reported seeing the balloon.

raise had been discussed either. "I really don't pay much attention to it," he said. Nor could aldermen Jerry Shoener, Guy Edwards or Vickie Powers remember discussing the raise. Alderman Lisle Owens said, "I remember us talking about how it was strange that the mayor made less than some of his top people." But he could not remember when or where the discussion took place. (I could not reach the other aldermen who voted for the increase.

Steinburg voted in favor of it this year.) Shoener said the mayor's raise was part of a general personnel package. In any case, there was no news story about the mayor's raise. Instead, the raise was reported in one line of legal advertising in column three of page C3 of the Jan. 23 edition of the Journal. But anyone who saw the movies knows you don't can't get rid of an alien by locking it up in the legals.

There, I'm glad I got that out of my chest. SIOUX FALLS (AP) The telephone at the air traffic control tower at Joe Foss Field was ringing off the wall early Saturday morning with callers reporting a bright silver light in the predawn sky. There were so many calls that after a while, tower personnel were answering their telephone with this greeting: "UFO Watch Center." But it wasn't a UFO. It was a 340-foot-tall high-altitude balloon on a scientific experiment. The balloon, launched Friday evening from Ainsworth, was part because, unlike other employees, city department heads had not received raises in previous years.) The day after the raises were announced, the mayor announced that his salary for 1985 would be the same as it was in 1984 $38,520.

Next, the alien and I searched the minutes of past council meetings to discover when the raise was authorized. We found that on Jan. 6. 1986, the council approved a salary of $45,500 per year for the mayor, which is 16.8 percent more than he made in 1985. I called Brugger to find out why the raise was so large.

He told me it would be misleading and inaccurate to say that LaCroix got a 16.8 percent raise in 1986. Even though LaCroix refused the raise for 1985, Brugger said, the council passed a resolution raising the salary for the position of mayor by 12 percent. In other words, the official salary for mayor of Rapid City was $43,142, even though LaCroix only collected $38,520. Brugger said that meant the mayor's 1986 raise to $45,500 was really a 5.4 percent raise, which was comparable to the raise most city workers received. In effect, the mayor saved the city $4,622 in 1985, then accepted the raise, plus an additional 5.4 percent.

"I have turned down salary increases three or four times before," the mayor told me. Indeed, unlike me, the mayor has turned down pay raises in the past. But my question Is, how did I miss this story? I'll admit I've been caught asleep on the bridge of the starship before, but I don't recall any discussions during council meetings about the mayor's salary. In 1984 there was lots of discussion of the raise. Aldermen Vess "Babe" Steinburg and Keith Carlyle voted against it.

(In 1985 Carlyle stepped down from the council to run against LaCroix for mayor.) When I talked to the mayor Friday, he didn't remember when the last.