The Daily Sentinel from Grand Junction, Colorado • 1

Friday, Feb. 13, 1976 Grand Junction, Colo. The NEL 20 pages Newsstand price 15c Daily Chief Meyers got going-away 1 payment from city ment had been made but doesnt recall type of check, "it was not resign guidelines. He ment had been made but doesnt recall type of check, Hon." Asked by a reporter if Meyers had been asked to resign, Tufly replied affirmatively. Meyers told County Judge Harold P.

Moss this morning he will be working in Rochester, for five weeks and will be back In Grand Junction March 22. He was appearing in county court in relation to the case Involving the arrest of former policeman Richard Deavens and Bobby Wilson for misdemeanor possession of marijuana. the discussions including any talk that the severance pay could be as much as three months pay to Meyers. "I was at the same meeting these people were but didn't realize they were speaking of three months," he said. He said a full month's pay would have been equitable but wouldn't quibble over the second month because that was a management decision.

Tufly became the first council member to admit that Meyers resignation was forced, however, saying with that councilmen setting any said Rose told them the sum he felt he had to negotiate with Meyers involved was a minimal amount of pay for time up to three months. No one on the council contradicted him, the mayor added. Kozisek said some councilmen felt Rose acted beyond common sense In the negotiations but by far a large majority of the council thinks Harvey was very prudent." Councilwoman Quimby agreed and said she didnt feel the council set any guidelines for Rose to follow. Tufly said he was aware the settle Rose said most city manager contracts have clause giving three months' severance pay, though he admitted Meyers was not under contract and had no such clause. Kozisek concurred that the matter was discussed with the council informally but couldnt recall what day the topic came up.

He said In the first of two phone conversations this morning the settlement was all within the parameters in guidelines mentioned by council members in that meeting. In thesecond conversation Kozisek backed off the statement concerning end. He wasnt fired," Rose said. He said the negotiation is typical of any action Involving a professional leaving an organization, and "the city council and I discussed it and approved it. There was no vote taken but they understood what I was doing." Three council members-Mayor Larry Kozlsek, Elvin Tufly and Jane Quimby-told The Sentinel they cannot recall exactly when the discussion took place, whether it was during an executive session, before or after a regular meeting or in a private night meeting the council had with Rose Jan.

15 in his office. By RAY SULLIVAN Sentinel staff writer Former Grand Junction Police Chief Ben Meyers was paid $3,364 severance pay, two months' salary, when he resigned In January. City Manager Harvey Rose said he negotiated the amount with Meyers and it was part of a $5,306 check the ex-chief received Jan. 20. The rest of the money included Meyers monthly pay for January of $1,682, plus his 1975 clothing allowance of $260 that is paid all plainclothes officers, Rose explained.

We negotiated a settlement at the County reports higher VD rate By ALICE WRIGHT Sentinel staff writer Better reporting and a free clinic probably account for some of a sizable increase in Mesa Countys venereal disease rate last year; even so, statistics indicate that Mesa and neighboring counties are sharing in the general resurgence noted nationally. Figures suggest the increase in the neighborhood of 30 per cent, but these probably reflect a more accurate count of cases treated by private physicians. The actual rate is likely close to the statewide average, 11 per cent according to the Colorado Health Department. That assumption stems from the records of the state-financed VD Clinic at the Mesa County Health Department which shows 393 persons visited the clinic in 1975, 49 of which were non-residents. The 1974 visitor count was 410 persons.

Cases recorded In Mesa County, three cases of syphilis and 157 cases of gonorrhea were recorded, 82 of which were diagnosed at the clinic. Six of those infected were non-residents, and were recorded in the county of residence. On the other hand, Mesa County students who live elsewhere are considered residents for statistical purposes. Mesa Countys records Show 50 of the 157 infected were in the 15-19 age group; another 59 were in the 20-24 age group; 24 between 25-29; 16 between 30-54, and two above 55. Ages of six patients were unknown.

All three syphilis cases were In their early 20s. Low incidence By contrast, two other counties in damaged asphalt on local streets. It will be the first time the spreader has been used in the city on existing roads. Sentinel photo by Dennis Hogan Douglas Cline, right, city street supervisor, instructs crew member Joe Martinez in the operation of a renovated chip spreader for use this summer to repave Spreader to improve roads Friday the 13th Ho which state-financed clinics are operated, Routt and Pitkin, reported a low incidence In the high school age group. Pitkin's heavy gjfccentration, eighty of the 107 cases, were in the 20-30 group.

Only three were in the 15-19 group. Routt reported 67 cases, 53 of which were in the 20-30 group. Only seven were in the 15-19 group. Other counties Records for other Western Slope counties show Delta with 17 cases, three teen-agers and 12 in the 20-30 group. Garfield reported eight cases, one teen-ager, five in the 20-30 group.

Montrose recorded nine cases, four teen-agers, three in the 20-30 group. San Miguel reported 39 cases, eight teen-agers, 29 in the 20-30 group. Encouraging trends Despite the statistics, the Colorado Health Departments chief epidemiologist, Dr. Tom Vernon, noted some encouraging trends. Statewide, the number of syphilis cases has declined by 17 per cent, attributed to a stronger effort to trace contacts of infected individuals.

Although the increase in gonorrhea cases is high, the rate of increase is less than in the previous years. Free services Services of the three clinics are free and confidential. Tn Mesa County, Services are available at the Mesa County Health Dept. Mondays and Fridays at 2 p.m., and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. In Aspen, the clinic is held in the office of the Aspen Valley Visiting Nurses Mondays at 7 p.m.

In Steamboat Springs, the clinic is located in the office of Routt County Nurses, open Tuesdays at 7 p.m. cent improvement in the unemployment rate. Ford signalled his plan to veto the biu even before it got through Congress. It, was passed by a wide margin. A veto override battle was anticipated and House leaders already have scheduled reconsideration of the bill next Thursday.

The House, which passed the public works jobs bill Jan, 29 by a vote of 321 to 80, appears to have the needed votes for an override. The Senate passed the original bill last July, 65 to 28, more than the two-thirds needed to override. The Senate passed the final compromise version by a voice vote Dec. 17. The House, which passed the public works jobs bill Jan, 29 by a vote of 321 to f-r hum day v- arent hot.

Mines working Those who work in mines and drive tunnels are often accused of being superstitious, but mines in the area are working today. It isnt what day you work, but whos in the mine, according to Ted Cheek, a uranium miner. Ted was a mucker on the Eisenhower Tunnel when it was being built several years ago, and one of those who walked off the job when a woman reporter and a woman legislator came to look the tunnel over. President vetoes public jobs bill for some Roof came down Roof came down You know, that was when we were in the broken rock on the east face, and a big piece of the roof came down just minutes after I got off the machine, he said. "That was the same time those women walked in.

Cheek doesnt recall if that was a Friday the 13th, but said it didnt matter. Hes working today but he quits as soon as a woman comes in the mine. One place he wouldnt work, he said, is the U.S. Steel Somerset mine east of Paonia; they now have a woman miner. While inventories were declining in 1975, sales increased only slightly, reflecting the depressed business conditions during the year.

Commerce said combined business sales increased one per cent in December and only 2.4 per cent during the year. In 1974, business sales had increased 14 per cent. Since rising 1.8 per cent in October, wholesale prices showed no change in November and declined an adjusted four-tenths of a per cent in December. Over the past three months, they have declined at an adjusted annual rate of 1.7 per cent. Wholesale prices remain stable others shy away from, however, Friday the 13th is strictly hom-hum.

Its a nice day to go looking for a spook show a very lucky day for the movie makers and movie houses but otherwise nothing out of the ordinary. Actually lucky According to Gary Gresham, a Delta developer, history shows Friday the 13th is actually a lucky day. For instance, there are no records of a ship having sunk on that day, or other natural disasters, he said. Its really very interesting." Wayne Curry, a powder monkey for North Fork Concrete Products says he wouldnt object to handling explosives today. He estimates he has detonated about 100 tons of them over the past 14 years, and figures there must have been a Friday the 13th somewhere along the line.

Powdermen have no particular superstitions about working on those days, he said. Other days bad However, he did say other days have been bad ones. There was the time, for instance, when he set several dynamite charges in hot rock near Paonia, and thfivnamjte caueht on fire. Then, blasting a coal mine on fire north wuue ui while blasting a coal mine on fire north of Fruita about 12 years ago, heat set off several sticks prematurely. That was what I call unlucky good luck, Curry said.

Id just lit the fuse, so we were clear but just barely. Then, when the fuse reached the sticks, they went off again. We quit loading hot holes after that. But as far as Friday the 13th goes, If somebody needs some shooting done, Id do it, he said. At least, if the holes WASHINGTON (AP) President Ford today vetoed a $6.1 billion public works employment bill, saying it would do little to create jobs for the unemployed" and perhaps cost in excess of $25,000 per job.

He said the claims of the bills sponsors that it would create 600,000 to 800,000 new jobs were badly exagger- fltFord said administration experts estimated that at most, some 250,000 jobs would be created over a period of several years and the impact would come in late 1977 or 1978. At that point, he said, the total would come to no more than 100,000 to 120,000 new jobs barely a one-tenth of one per WASHINGTON (AP) Wholesale prices remained stable in January as another big drop in farm prices offset increases for industrial goods, the gov- eminent said today, The Labor Department said prices iac- tuauy rose four-tenths of a per cent last lUOlIT I wv month but after adjustment for seasonal variations, the wholesale price in-, dex was unchanged. The Commerce Department, meanwhile, said that inventories of the nations businesses declined by $526 niu-lion in December and fell a total of $5.5 billion during all of 1975. By contrast, inventories increased $46.6 billion in 1974. By PAUL HATHA Sentinel staff writer Is Friday the 13th really an unlucky day? Traditionally, of course, it is.

Thats when poltergeists have a hey-day, reincarnation occurs and people walk around like automations frequently knocking on wood to drive out evil spirits, going a block out of the way to avoid a black cat in their path, slogging through mud to avoid walking under a ladder and refusing to move or hang a mirror for fear of sevens more years bad luck should they break it. Some people, so tradition has it, even refuse to work on a Friday the 13th. Judging from people in lines of work Second firm's payments under scrutiny WASHINGTON (AP) Even as the waves from an international bribery waVes from an international bribery scandal involving Lockheed Aircraft) -J nmmrn. spread across the globe, the government has disclosed it is investigating whether the Boeing Co. engaged in similar activities.

The Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday it has received information that Boeing "may have made illegal payments to certain foreign government officials in connection with Boeings foreign operations. A spokesman for Boeing said In Seattle that the company denies any wrongdoing either in this country or abroad. Lockheed's board of directors scheduled a meeting today in Los Angeles for discussion of disclosures of international payoffs by the firm. There were reports that two top company executives would resign. Meanwhile, a business research group said Thursday that about 75 per cent of American companies it surveyed reported pressures to make payoffs to foreign government officials, customers and others.

The Conference Board, an independent nonprofit business research organization, said its study was made of 73 top level executives of representative business firms. Cited as the most commonly requested payments are kickbacks and other payoffs to customers and bribes to government officials to overcome red tape, the report said. It said the practice is most widespread in Latin America and the Middle East, with the Far East and Africa not far behind. The SEC said in documents filed in District Court here that Boeing and its president, T. Stamper, have declined to turn over information sub: poenaed for the probe of possible company payoffs.

Marijuana: safer than booze or cigarettes, expert says Home damaged but family okay 11 aeSeJ'tad gotten through on answer at anv of three numbers Ana gave them. The successiui ei fort came an hour later and the neighbor ran next door and got her fa They were talking from the neighbors because their house was badlv damaged the front of it is gone. And they are living in the Sack side of thehouse Ana says. They report that the grandmother and (other) relatives in Guatemala City are alive and well, she sadna learned also that her parents sent a radiogram last Friday that hasnt arrived telling her of their safety, and her father isn fack to work yet in the tobacco factory and her brother is still out of SCM Si Roskowsk. said they didnt keep track of the time durmg the call.

When I get the bill HI let you know, she laughingly said. to continue, Dupont said, use as little as possible and as responsibly as possible." Marijuana intoxication can impair your reflexes and judgment just the same as too much beer, wine or liquor and presents a dear and present danger to auto drivers and machinery operators, he said. Scientists dont know And, he added, theres still a lot scientists dont know about marijuana's effects on the bodys chemistry and what they do know might be thrown out the window when more potent varieties of marijuana and hashish oil are used. DuPont said he personally favors a $25 fine rather than juJ sentences for simple possesion of small amounts of marijuana. That would provide a signal that pot smoking is "prohibited behavior," he said, and imprisonment would be reserved for dealers in the drug.

I WASHINGTON (AP) The majority of teen-agers are experimenting with marijuana these days and its safer than booze or cigarettes, says Dr. Robert L. DuPont, director of the NaUonal Institute on Drug Abuse. -DuPont confesses he smoked pot himself when he was younger and didn know better. No advocate Not that DuPont, a physician, is a marijuana advocate.

Quite the contrary, he told newsmen Thursday. If it was up to me I would stop use of all of these drugs (marijuana, alcohol and tobacco) at the wave of my hand, he MBut kids will be kids, he said, and its important for parents not to get so uptight if their youngsters try pot a few times. The most recent survey shows that for the first time a majority of 53 per cent of youths in the 18 to 25 age group admitted trying marijuana and 12 per cent of the 14 and 15 years olds are current users. Advice DuPonts advice to youths is: Dont take it up if you havent already because its exjiensive, messy and does pose some health risks. But the hazards are not as serious as cigarettes and alcohol, he said.

Alcohol really does kill people from overdoses," he said, but it is virtually impossible to die from marijuana. Health hazards Cigarettes cause cancer and respiratory and heart disease, he added, but marijuana doesn't even cause bronchitis except among very heavy smokers. And the institutes fifth marijuana report to Congress contains no evidence it causes permanent biological harm, he said. If you smoke pot and are determined i A.