The Manhattan Mercury from Manhattan, Kansas • 8

A8 Thursday, February 15, 1996 Man who awakened 'Mortal Kombat': Now you can live it Nark Scott Staff Writer from 7-year coma survives surgery bers can learn the "secret kodes" for the Mortal Kombat DJ games. Fishof company, David Fishof Presents, has produced such touring shows as; "Dirty Dancing" and "American Gladiators Live." In the music world, Fishof has pro-, duced several tours for Ringo Starr and has organized reunion tours for such groups as! The Monkees, Three Dog Night, Grass Roots, The Turtles, The Byrds, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, The Guess Who and Grand Funk Railroad. With Fishof background as a producer of rock music shows, it was easy to incorporate a laser light show into "Mortal Kombat" The music will be enhanced by a surround sound amplification system. "We've gotten great response from pa ents," Fishof said. "There's none of the gory stuff like in the game.

It's just great martial arts. It's a fantasy spectacular." The tour will complete its tour of the United States at the end of March and then travel overseas to South America, Europe and Australia. "The game is popular world-wide," Fishof said. Bramlage ticket office officials report plenty of tickets are left for the show. Ticket prices are $20 for VIP seats, and $15 and $10.

version of "Mortal Kombat" made its premiere. The movie, which starred Christopher Lambert, was No. 1 at the box office for three weeks. The producer who suggested Fishof create a show out of "Mortal Kombat" was Larry Kasanoff, who produced the "Mortal Kombat" movie. After educating himself on the storyline and characters of "Mortal Kombat," Fishof put together a plan.

Fishof first move was to hire Hollywood martial arts master Pat Johnson, who choreographed the "Karate Kid" movie series and the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." "I decided the way to do it would be to get the world's greatest martial artists," Fishof said. The show includes a 25-minute segment dedicated to martial arts demonstrations. Fishof said "Mortal Kombat: The Live Tour" has the look and feel of a Broadway show. "It's a theatrical production with some of the world's greatest martial artists," Fishof said. "It's the 'Wizard of Oz' for the "90s." The show features several of the real-life actors who were digitized for the Mortal Kombat video and arcade games, including Sonya Blade, aJca.

Kerri Hoskins. Audience mem "Mortal Kombat The Live Tour" owes its origins to a simple conversation between a father and son. Prompted by the suggestion of a movie producer, David Fishof, a producer himself, posed a question to his 12-year-old son. "I asked my son if he had ever heard of "Mortal Kombat," Fishof said. "He said it was the hottest thing in the country.

He said, 'Dad, if you bring these characters to life, kids will Three years later, the result is "Mortal Kombat The Live Tour," an action-packed show featuring choreographed martial arts and gymnastics against the backdrop of music and laser lights. The show will stop in Manhattan Friday night for a one-night engagement The show begins at 730 in Bramlage Coliseum. "You've played it, you've watched it, and now you can live it," said Fishof during an telephone interview with the Mercury. "That's our slogan." "Mortal Kombat The Live Tour" made its debut at New York City's Radio City Music Hall in September of 1995. The live show opened about a month after the big screen Yeltsin will i 1 w- Associated Press Associated Press YEKATERINBURG, Russia Defying doubts about his health and his flagging popularity, Boris Yeltsin said today that he will seek a second term as president of Russia.

Any alternative, he cautioned, could lead to dictatorship or civil war. The 65-year-old president spoke hoarsely throughout a nearly hourlong speech that rambled and attimes was incoherent He appeared defensive in insisting reform could be salvaged but won't Worker examines damaged Runaway train may have been sabotaged very well." Folkening said an incision was made in the left lung to remove chronic infectious water and fluid, allowing the lung to expand more freely. Two chest tubes were also inserted to help keep fluid off the lung. Dockery remained in the intensive care unit this morning. "He opened his eyes and seems to be responsive, but of course we cant assess his ability to verbally communicate with us at this time as long as he's intubated," Folkening said, referring to a tube inserted into Dockery's throat to provide oxygen.

Last week, seriously ill with a 104-degree fever and lung infection that had worsened to pneumonia, he was transferred from a nursing home to a Chattanooga hospital. Fluid was removed from his lungs and he was treated with antibiotics. When his fever broke, he started to mumble Monday. Then he spoke out distinctly to his sister. "I looked up at him and he had a look I had never seen before," Lisa Dockery said through a hospital spokeswoman.

"He seemed so at ease and his eyes were wide open." "I'm your sister," she said. "Uh-huh," he responded. "You're talking!" she exclaimed. "I sure he answered brightly. He was quickly reunited with the two sons he had not seen for seven years and other relatives.

Today, the family asked Folkening not answer any questions from reporters. He read from a statement, saying relatives were hoping to get some privacy. He did not say how long the operation lasted, but his briefing began about 2'A hours after the surgery began. On Sept. 7, 1988, Dockery answered a trouble call in Walden, a mountain town 15 miles, northeast of Chattanooga where he worked as a policeman.

He was shot point-blank with a derringer as he stood talking to the 911 caller in his driveway. The shooter, Samuel Frank Downey, told officers he made the bogus call to get back at police. highways. "We're getting hosed out in the west," said Sen. Stan Clark, R-Oakley.

He added that if the Senate keeps debating the issue, it will pass a "21 mph speed limit and a 55-year-old drinking age." Sen. Ben Vidricksen, R-Salina, chairman of the Senate Transportation and Utilities Committee, called the 55 mph limit ridiculous. "I know a majority of the people of Kansas want to go faster than 55," he said. Vidricksen, who said he was shocked by the outcome of the debate, said the House would never agree to keep the speed limit at 55 mph on two-lane highways. Sen.

Richard Rock, D-Arkansas City, chairman of the Kansas Turnpike Authority, warned supporters of Downey's amendment that they were not doing themselves any favors come election day next fall. "I tell you, if you're running, this is not a good deal," said Rock, who has announced that he will not seek re-election. The Legislature must pass a bill by March 8 to change the state speed limits, or they revert back to the pre-1974 limits. Those speed limits were 75 miles per hour on the interstate during the daytime, but 70 at night. On two-lane highways, motorists could travel at 70 during the daytime, but 60 after nightfall.

tackle The only matters unresolved in the committees are salaries (2.5 percent for six months) for faculty. The holdup there, he suggested, is that the panels are awaiting a more accurate reading on money available at this session. Wefald opened today's session by introducing Bryan Thesse, a Paxico High School graduate and K-State senior who has won a prestigious Marshall Scholarship to attend the University of London next fall. Associated Press CHATTANOOGA, Term. A man who suddenly emerged from a coma 7K years after he was shot but was still in grave danger from pneumonia underwent surgery today in a last-ditch effort to save his life.

The operation went well, doctors said. Gary Dockery, Dockery in 1988 who amazed his family with his abrupt return to consciousness on Monday, had infectious fluid drained from his lungs. He opened his eyes after the operation was over. The family's decision to go ahead with the surgery was a tough one: Doctors had warned that the anesthesia could sedate forever the last working parts of the 42-year-old police officer's brain. But early indications show it was a success.

"The procedure and the anesthesia was totally uncomplicated," said Dr. James Folkening, who has been Dockery's physician since the shooting. "It went Glennen has stroke Associated Press TOPEKA Dr. Robert Glennen, president of Emporia State University, suffered an apparent mild stroke today during a meeting of the Kansas Board of Regents. Glennen, 62, was treated by Dr.

John Hiebert, a cardiologist who is chairman of the board, and taken to Stor-mont-Vail Regional. Health Center, said Cora Shown, an Emporia State spokeswoman. Glennen's condition was not immediately available. He has been president of Emporia State since 1984. How fast? 31 Continued from Page Al Oleen said, however, she expects that if the 55-mph provision remains in the bill following final action today, a conference committee will raise the limit prior to final passage.

The House version of the bill would increase speed limits on improved two-lane highways to 65 and on four-lane highways to 70, with a 5 mph buffer. The Senate Transportation and Utilities Committee increased the buffer to 10 mph. Sen. Christine Downey, D-Inman, amended the bill to keep the speed limit on two-lane highways at the present 55. "When it comes to speed limits, we're a nation of lawbreakers," she said, adding that two-lane highways are among the most dangerous in the state.

"If we raise the speed limits on those types of roads, the number of deaths will go up," she said. Downey cited a recent study that showed if speed limits go above 55 mph in Kansas on two-lane highways, 27 more people would die in accidents each year the exact number of Republicans in the Senate. Opposition to the 55 mph speed limit on two-lane highways came largely from rural lawmakers, especially from western Kansas, who said the bill would increase traffic on interstates and decrease the traffic on other Regents to Continued from Page Al and also a few new buildings in the next 15 years. The Regents also received a status report from fiscal affairs director Ray Hauke showing how the Senate and House committees have progressed on major items. He suggested the committees were significantly ahead of where they were at this time last year.

mi Associated Press TOPEKA Pittsburg legislator Ed McKechnie has decided not to seek Democratic nomination to Congress in the 2nd District, even though he feels someone should challenge freshman Republican Sam Brownback. In making his announcement "on "Wednesday, McKechnie uivai eAti uciauug tiling i ve guue through." McKechnie said he received Don dig (4) Continued from Page Al shaw Ready Mix and Wamego Sand and Gravel draw their raw materials from pits that are outside the river area. Both would be unaffected by such a moratorium. Dan Kershaw, owner of Kershaw Ready Mix, said his firm ceased river dredging nearly a decade ago. "We could see some trends and problems with river dredging down the road," Kershaw said.

John Eichman, secretary-treasurer of Wamego Sand and Gravel, said his firm made the same decision at about the same time. Eichman cited the availability of rural land that was suitable for dredging as another factor that made the move away from the river a logical one. Both said the moratorium Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. A runaway freight train traveling up to 50 mph slammed into a railroad office building, injuring nine men, and authorities said today that sabotage was suspected.

"There appears to have been, some tampering with the a result we have called in the FBI," said Dick Russack, a spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe in Illinois, Russack declined to elaborate on why sabotage was suspected. The Burlington Northern train, carrying lumber, grain and other cargo, originated in Minneapolis and was bound for Galesburg, 111., when its brakes failed just before midnight Wednesday, said Rick Ellis, a BN division superintendent It was approaching the freight yard of Canadian Pacific Railroad. One of the injured men was pinned for three hours beneath a car holding 15 tons of grain. He was freed after rescuers dug into the frozen ground to jack up the car. He was upgraded from critical to fair condition today, suffering from hypothermia.

Wind chills had been below zero as rescuers worked to free him from the wreckage. None of the other injuries, mostly fractures and sprains, appeared to be life-threatening, authorities said. Five men were treated and released. FBI agents were examining the offered few new proposals. "I am sure I can bring the country through troubles, anxiety and uncertainty," Yeltsin said in making the expected announcement in his hometown.

"Therefore, I have decided to run for the post of president of Russia." Back in Moscow, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, Yeltsin's chief rival, was unanimously chosen to represent a group of communist parties as their united candidate for the presidency. strong encouragement to challenge Brownback, a Topeka attorney and former state agriculture secretary, but he and his wife, Kristy, concluded it would have too negative an impact on their lives and on the operation of their weekly newspaper, the Girard Press. He said he doesnt know of any other Democrat considering a race against Brownback, who was elected in 1994 to represent the congressional district in eastern Kansas. the Kaw would have a greater impact farther east, in the more urban Topeka and Lawrence areas, where suitable alternative dredging sites are less accessible. Supporters say dredging operations east of Lawrence have damaged the river's banks.

They contend expanded dredging would cause further ecological deterioration of the river. Opponents deny dredging operations have altered the river significantly. They also contend the cost of construction would increase if sand, used in concrete and asphalt, cannot be extracted from the Kansas River. The House on Tuesday passed a measure that increases the royalties the state receives from sand dredged from rivers from 8 cents a ton to 15 cents. percent.

Although 2.5 percent doesnt sound like much, projected over six years, it comes to about $4.3 million less in overall property taxes. Here's where the the city's inability to raise KPL's franchise fee begins creating large problems for city staff. Assuming the city pushes ahead with increases in the TCI and Southwestern Bell franchise fees, the increased revenue offsets some of the proposed cut in the rate of property taxes, but not enough. Curt Wood, finance director, said under that scenario the projected deficit in the financial forecast would jump from $2.7 million to $4.3 million. The city receives about $900,000 a year from its KPL franchise fee.

So will property tax owners have to kiss their potential sayings goodbye? Wood said that probably wont be known untjl March 14 when the commission meets to discuss the financigl forecast again. "I really don't know at this point whether that will be the case," he said. "It's too early to tell. But it probably will be a wires at site of train wreck. wreckage today, Russack said.

"Clearly it appears the brakes failed, but in an investigation one has to look at everything," he said. r-'- Canadian Pacific officials said 44 rail cars and six locomotives derailed, including cars and engines that were knocked off the tracks by the oncoming train. Cars were twisted in every direction, some upside down, some on top of each other. The impact knocked the rails off their bed and wiped out a steel pedestrian bridge over the train yard. Big sheets of plywood spilled out of railway cars like decks of cards, and grain, poured onto the frozen gravel beneath the wreckage.

Cleanup crews were siphoning diesel fuel out of the tanks and off the ground. "It's amazing there was not any explosion and fire. That's a miracle," said Mike McDonough, a Canadian Pacific electrician. The train, with two locomotives and 89 cars, hit some of the six CP locomotives parked outside the CP office building in the freight yard in southeast St Paul. Then dozens of cars from the BN train derailed, some slamming into the building.

Mike Johnson, a freight car inspector for Canadian Pacific, said he was in the lunchroom with five others getting ready for a night's work when they heard a switchman issue a radio warning about the runaway train. That was about three to five minutes before it hit require 80 percent of the state's retailers to comply with the law by September. If the state does not meet the compliance rate, it could lose federal grants, she said. In order to keep more stores from selling cigarettes to minors, she said her office will continue conducting sting operations across the state. She would not say how many and said she does not know how much the investigations cost the state.

Stovall used seven special agents from her office and 11 members of the Topeka Police Department's Youth Cadet Program to attempt to buy cigarettes from convenience, grocery and drug stores and gas stations. She said the stores that sold the minors the cigarettes could be fined up to $5,000. Already, half of the stores that were nabbed in last week's sting have called her office to negotiate the fine, she said. Fee proposal Cigarette sting (5 Continued from Page Al shouldn't have considered (raising franchise fees) in the first place," she said. Manhattan entered the year with an estimated $2.7 million deficit in the six-year financial forecast.

The forecast projects tax revenues against anticipated expenses and is one of two tools used to help produce the city's annual budget Commissioners created the $2.7 million shortfall last year when, in the final stages of the budget process, they voted to cut the property tax levy about 2 mills about $311,000. Raising all four of the city's franchise fees to an even 4 percent added so much money to the financial forecast that it would have created a surplus. To offset staff coupled the fees with a cut in projected growth in property taxes from 6 to 3.5 percent for the life of the forecast Since the city forms its budget using the projected growth percentage, property owners would have in effect seen their average annual increase in property taxes drop from 6 percent to 3.5 Continued from Page Al 1337 Anderson and Wal-Mart, 628 Turtle Creek Blvd. "In one instance, the store clerk told us he didnt know that it was illegal to sell cigarettes," Sto-vall said Wednesday during a news conference. "He said this while standing in front of a sign stating that very fact" Many times the teen-agers were asked to show identification.

When they said they did not have one, retailers often sold them the cigarettes anyway, she said. "As often as we tell young people how harmful smoking is, what they see is an abundance of tobacco products, enticing adver-tisements and promotions encouraging them to take up or continue this dangerous habit, and merchants who are willing to sell to them in direct violation of the law," she said. The federal government will.