The Daily News from Lebanon, Pennsylvania • 1

Weather Tomorrow: Partly cloudy and mild. Page 7B i Sports Palmyra escapes Milton Hershey with a win. Page 1C Business Classified Comics Editonal Entertainment Local 6C 2A 1C 6A IB 6C Gummann holds children hostage I dont know why he would do something like this. Hes never done anything like this before. Whats important now is getting the children out of there.

Suspects neighbor Brianna Stanbury By CHARLES RICHARDS Associated Press Writer PLANO, Texas A gunman who invaded a day-care center released his last adult captive early today, but he still held a few children hostage for a second day. Police Chief Bruce Glasscock confirmed this morning that all adult hostages had been released from the Rigsbee Child Development Center. Police refused to say how many children were still captive inside the building, a converted house, or give any detail on how they were being treated. Police said the man, identified by relatives as James Monroe Lipscomb had tried to rob Several parents of the freed children said police told them three children, including two of the suspects own, remained inside the center. The children are ages 2, 5 and 7, the parents said.

FBI agents and Texas Rangers were on the scene early today I along with officers from nearby Richardson who were brought in to relieve the Plano officers. Were here for the long haul, Glasscock said. Glasscock said authorities were in constant contact with the gunman and telephone negotiations were going well, and authorities (See ARMED, page 5A) 5 and three adults shortly after the standoff began. A fourth adult was released just before midnight, while the fifth and last was freed about 4 a.m. today.

Some children were shaken up, but none was injured. The Associated Press Kids run toward a policeman after an armed gunman took hostages at their day-care center. PAW PRINT? Cops bust dope farm By LES STEWART Staff Writer CORNWALL A 39-year-old borough man was arrested yesterday afternoon on drug and weapons offenses after police said they found a marijuana-growing operation, fertilizer which can be used to make bombs and nearly a dozen loaded weapons in his home. Police said they went to the home of John Skillman at 305 Re-xmont Road at about 4 p.m. with a search warrant.

The arrest was the result of a month-long drug investigation by the Lebanon COunty Drug Task Force, according to Cornwall police. Skillman was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to manufacture, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, weapons offenses, corruption of minors, endangering the welfare of children and conspiracy. He was jailed in lieu of $25,000 cash bail after arraignment before on-call District Justice JoAnn Shultz of Myerstown. A preliminary hearing has been set for Dec. 26 before District Justice Hazel Swisher.

Police said they found about 13 marijuana plants, 100 pounds of ammonium nitrate, indoor grow light stands, various amounts of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, a loaded 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun, an assault rifle, other shotguns, a revolver, two automatic handguns and other weapons. Ammonium nitrate is a fertilizer which can be used to build bombs, such as the one that killed 168 people at the Oklahoma City federal courthouse on April 19, 1995. (See MAN, page 5A) VAMC chief to step down By TOM EPLER Staff Writer SOUTH LEBANON His last day at the Lebanon VA Medical Center may be Dec. 30, but Leonard Washington Jr. has no plans to give up his service to the city and greater Lebanon community.

It hasnt hit me yet, the 57-year-old director said of his recently announced retirement. I havent packed the house or started to discard things from the office, so I dont yet feel the nostalgia or stress associated with retiring. Washington has been director of the VA hospital for more than 15 years. He said he and his family plan to move from his current home, but not away from the Lebanon Valley; theyll be moving to another home in the area, where he plans to stay active in a host of volunteer services. Washington said that during his tenure at the VA, both his greatest challenge and greatest success has been getting consistent cooperation and support from people.

Nationally, the greatest changes in the health-care field have come in technology, Washington said, while locally the VAs affiliation with the Hershey Medical Center and expansion (See VAMC, page 4A) Man jailed despite destruction of evidence By LAURA RITTER and LES STEWART Staff Writers A 24-year-old Lebanon man whose case has been at the center of a police department controversy over destroyed evidence was sentenced yesterday to up to two years in pnson for forgery and theft Michael Lee Evans had initially been charged with two counts of receiving stolen property and forgery, and one count of burglary for cashing and attempted to cash checks stolen from his former employer. But District Attorney Brad Charles dropped two counts after discovering a key piece of evidence Evans license had been intentionally destroyed by police. Last week, an investigation by Attorney General Mike Fisher cleared the officer involved, SgL (See MAN, page 4A) someone outside the nearby Plano Bank and Trust shortly before he stormed the day-care center yesterday afternoon in this suburb about 20 miles north of Dallas. The man released 60 children Boy dreams of new pet for holiday From Staff Reports Reindeer ought to be the official Christmas animal. After all, they pull Santas sleigh, theres that well-known tale about Rudolphs bright, red nose, and the North Pole critters are all over malls and rooftops at this time of year.

Their size and scarcity in this part of the country hardly make them the ideal household pet, although thats not what Ben had in mind. The youngster wasnt asking for a reindeer. Ben just wanted a dog or cat, or maybe even a hamster for Christmas. But mom said no. Its not that his mother didnt want her son to have a pet.

But with several other children to support and funds at a premium, this just didnt seem to be the time to add another mouth to the family, even it came with four feet and a tail. The young woman was finding it difficult to make all the payments necessary to keep the family together and maintain a roof over planning, said tolerances an inch. to said. The ride Tower in coaster is another water ride. Howard Kolus Lebanon Daily News Jeff Budgean, Hersheyparks director of planning, engineering and maintenance, checks progress on construction of the newest attraction, the Great Bear roller coaster.

Hersheypark prepares for Great Bear engineering and maintenance, must be within an eighth of Three engineers check measurements assure they are on the mark, Budgean is going up next to the Kissing the parks Minetown area. The unique in that it is designed to intertwine with the Sooperdooper Looper, roller coaster, and the Coal Cracker and forming building foundations for the ride station. Passengers on the $13 million Great Bear will travel in open seats dangling from a track above their heads. Theyll move along with their feet pointing toward the ground, 100 feet below. The coaster, manufactured by Bolliger Mabillard of Switzerland, will be assembled at the site using several large cranes.

Jeff Budgean, the parks managing director of By HOWARD KOLUS Staff Writer HERSHEY The Great Bear has begun clawing its way into Hersheypark. Giant paw prints mar the earth where the Bear will sit next May, when it becomes the sixth roller coaster in the local attraction. Work on the inverted steel coaster began in mid-November. Workers have completed excavation and are now pouring concrete UW draws winners Car, TVs served as 97 campaign incentives By TOM EPLER Staff Writer LEBANON And the winner Sergio Lopez, a former employee of Pennfield Farms, yesterday was selected the winner of a 1997 Dodge Neon, the top prize in this years United Way raffle. The car was donated by Ladd-Hanford auto dealerships.

Lopezs was one of 7,972 entries, offering donors far better odds of winning the auto than they have of, cashing in a state lottery ticket A pledge of a dollar a week, or $52, gave participants a chance in the drawing. United Way officials said yesterday that Pennfield is the largest county-based corporate contributor to the campaign, with over $51,000 pledged in 1997. Only Dauphin Countys Hershey Foods Corp. gave more. Two area residents also won (Operation santa 1997 their heads.

As a single mom, she just couldnt shoulder the additional burden of a pet But it wont be a bleak Christmas for this family. But holiday cheer is assured (See SANTA, page 5A) Tom Epier i Lebanon Daily News United Way campaign chairman Bob Hoffman draws a name from the barrel. Watching are (from left) Jamie Hanford of Ladd-Hanford, UW President Craig Seibler and Bob Hoch Jr. shey Foods, and Reading native Khiem Nguyen, of Leba- (See UW, page 5A) 27-inch stereo Zenith televisions, donated by Bob Hochs Home Furnishings. Jeff Wal-termyer, an employee of Her A.