Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • 18

mm? 4 tS Section 2 Chicago Tribune, Wednesday, August 8, 1990 Citysuburbs doctor Thompson frees uucag Beaches are a bummer when dog days are cool Chicago record! low temperatures In degrees Fahrenheit for the period of July 1 5 to Aug. 1 normal low is 61 convicted in '67 ayinff Aug. 11, 1982 47 Aug. 12, 1982 47 Aug. 3, 1894 48 Aug.

14,1964 48" July 16, 1945 49 July 22, 1947 49 Aug. 10, 1982 49 July 19, 1873 50 July 29,1984 50 July 30,1984 50 Aug. 6, 1948 50. Aug. 7, 1990 50 7 k.

'IP of wife his case and has visited him during, his illness. Her husband, attorney' Anthony D'Amato, has represented Branion in recent years. A 1950 graduate of the University Iq of Illinois who later earned doctoral -and medical degrees from the Ltnir 4 i versify of Lausanne in Switzerland, Branion has contended he is irino- cent of the murder since his conviction in 1968. JJj Branion was convicted of murder; ing his wife in the couple's apiaif: ment on South WoodTawn Avenue Dec. 22, 1967.

But his claimed Branion could not committed the murder, which was estimated to take 15 minutes, cause he had picked up his son at school and stopped briefly at a friend's office during the 27-miB-' ute time frame in which the murder' occurred. vi Branion was released on an appeal bond after his conviction, ana lb'1 1971 was ordered to surrender $ftri' his conviction was upheld by the Dli- nois Supreme Court Instead, he fled and was Oct 12, 1983 on a Cook County, warrant at Entebbe Airport in Ugan-da, where he had practiced medicine' 7 from 1980 to 1983 and served Amin's personal doctor. Anthony D'Amato denied his client eVef 1 worked for Amin. In 1988, the 7th U.S. Circuit.1',' Court of Appeals denied his latest attempt to overturn his advantage of the day, munching on sandwiches and pears near Buckingham Fountain.

They had taken off their jackets and placed them near the picnic blanket Several adults, including Shalan-dria Kincaid, a 19-year-old assistant teacher at Christopher House daycare center on the North Side, watched over the group. When a teacher asked the youngsters whether they liked hot weather or cool weather, their first reaction was thumbs up for cool weather. Hot weather "makes us sweaty," one yelled. But when Kincaid asked if they can go swimming when it's cool, they lapsed into silence. Kincaid, a South Side resident, ticked off her own list of cool weather restrictions: "No swimming.

No biking by the lake. No relaxing by the lake. She's not the only one who has been avoiding the beach. Although the official numbers were not available, Kirk Kleist, the Chicago Park District's supervisor of beaches and pools, said beach attendance is down 40 to 50 percent from 1988, when 18.1 million people visited city beaches during record-high temperatures. Two years ago, Chicagoans suffered through 46 days in June, July and August when temperatures reached 90 or above and seven days when the temperature hit at least 100.

Seven all-time highs were recorded and four were tied. By Daniel Egler Chicago Tribune SPRINGFIELD Gov. James Thompson on Tuesday freed Dr. John M. Branion a Chicago physician convicted of fatally shooting his wife of 20 yean in 1967.

Branion later fled to Uganda, where he allegedly served as a personal physician to dictator Idi Amin while a fugitive. A spokesman for Thompson said the governor's decision to commute Branion's sentence was based on medical reasons. Branion, 64, who has served nearly seven years of a 20- to 30-year sentence for the murder of his wife, Donna, is hospitalized at the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago with a heart ailment and brain tumor, according to the governor's office. "He's a very sick man," said the spokesman. The story of Branion's conviction on circumstantial evidence has been told through national and local television programs, including a documentary last month.

It includes his fleeing to Uganda and reports by his attorneys of an attempted payoff to a Cook County judge nabbed years later in the Operation Greylord investigation of the court system. Branion's attorneys argued two years ago that a $10,000 bribe paid by Branion's brother to trial Judge Chicago Trlbuns Graphic; Source: Gantra) Wwtfw Servic This summer has been different, said Earl Finckle, president of the Central Weather Service, because the winds are out of the north instead of the west and southwest Many of those who work outside welcome the milder temperatures. "I love it," said Patrol Officer Fred Stewart as he ticketed cars on Columbus Drive. "It's much easier to walk in, and people seem to be a little bit more patient" But Shoeresh Coppage, 17, said he prefers higher temperatures, even though the cooler weather makes his job of grabbing pedestrians for surveys a hit easier. Coppage said he likes playing baseball in the heat and he'd rather not have to cany a jacket "I loathe cool weather in the summer," he said.

Dr. John Branion fled to Uganda when he was convicted in the 1967 slaying of his wife. He was freed Tuesday. Reginald Holzer, who was convicted years later for extorting bribes, in 1968 may have backfired and prejudiced the original case. But news of Branion's release was bittersweet for those who have fought to clear his name.

"Dr. Branion himself always had wanted the sentence to be set aside on grounds of innocence," said Barbara D'Amato, who did research for t' fill 1 I II II 1 1 I. By Natalie Weinstein Mother Nature just cant win. So far, the summer of 1990 hasnt belted out a single 100-degree day in the Chicago area. Since June 1, only five days have seen 90 or above.

The hottest day this year was the 4th of July, when temperatures reached 96. But not everyone considers that good news. "It's been a lousy summer. You cant get a tan. It's either rainy or it's cool," Carole Barney of Palatine said as she waited for a sightseeing boat near the Chicago River Tuesday.

Her two nephews from Kentucky, who are visiting her for a week, agreed. "I don't like wearing a sweatshirt in August," said 11-year-old Jacob Barney, dressed in a black sweatshirt that belongs to his aunt The summer of 1990 hasn't broken any all-time highs. In fact, there have been two days of record lows SI degrees on Aug. 1 and SO degrees on Tuesday. July's average high of 80.9 was 2.7 degrees lower than normal.

"I've got two sweatshirts and a jacket that I wear at night," said a 43-year-old man who said he has been living in Grant Park since May. "If you get a piece of cardboard, you're OK. If not, the ground sucks all the heat out of your body." There were only a few picnickers in Grant Park Tuesday, despite the clear skies and temperatures in the upper 70s. But IS preschoolers took Father charged in pregnant girl's death A father has been charged with killing his pregnant 13-year-old daughter more than a year after the girl's battered body was found in an abandoned South Side building, authorities said Tuesday. Donald Benson, 30, is serving a 9-year sentence in prison for raping another daughter, authorities said.

Benson was charged with killing Latoya Baymon after he admitted to police on Monday that he struck her with a baseball bat in April 1989, according to Assistant State's Atty. Kevin Byrne. Benson contended that he was swinging the bat at an unknown assailant after finding his runaway daughter in an abandoned building in the 5700 block of South Green Street. He said he hit Latoya accidentally. But last September, he told police that he was alone with Latoya when she died, Byrne said.

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