St. Joseph News-Press from St. Joseph, Missouri • 2

GOP unveils tax cut plan; Dems say it benefits rich Continued Page 1A boating and other prothat beip the poor. most the tax reductions the GOP ed in Its "Contract With during lest autumn's campaign comerStone de a 9000 per child tax credit familles earning $200,000 anor lees. It also would reAuce the capital gains tax rate for and individuals, estabnew individual retirement accounts and reduce levies paid by chany companies. Majority Republicans seem cerCain to push it through the Ways and Means panel next week, and the full House soon afterward. Beyond that, its future is murky.

Not only does a possible veto fight loom with President Clinton, but the legislation's fate in the Senate is shaky because many Republicans there prefer chopping away at the federal deficit to trimming taxes. Balancing the budget would take more than $1 trillion in spending slashes over the next seven years, a sum budget-cutters have never before approached. put a lot higher priority on reduction than I do on tax Senate Finance Committee Chairman Bob Packwood, R-Ore. House Republicans have vowed to pay for the tax measure by revamping welfare, continuing some restrictions on Medicare and cutting other programs. But they have not specifled where most of the savings would come from.

From the White House to Capitol Hui, Democrats attacked. "The president rejects the idea of targeting the most vulnerable in our society our children, needy families, the homeless in order to pay for these tax cuts, especially for tax cuts that are benefiting the wealthiest," said White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta. Clinton and House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, have each presented their own tax -cut plans, much smaller measures than the GOP package and focused more on lowerincome people. But enthusiasm for reducing levies has waned among lawmakers of both parties, particularly Democrats, amid indications that many voters prater deficit reduction to tax cuts. The $500 tax credit, which accounts for more than half of the measure's cost, would be Donrefundable.

That means taxpayers who owe less than $500 could use only as much of the credit as it would take to make their tax liability zero, and not get an Internal Revenue Service refund for the difference. Democrats accused the GOP of retreating from an earlier promise to make the credit refundable, which would have benefited low-income families with small tax bills. Congressional documents seem to support the Democratic position, but Republicans insisted they always intended to make the credit nonrefundable. Other changes in the contract mainly affected businesses. in a new proposal, the alternative minimum tax would be eliminated by the year 2001.

The tax is Hoop dreamin' spreads in city Continued from Page 1A being sold as packages, $8 for all of the women's games and $12 for all of the men's games. Student tickets are $6 for the women's games and $8 for the men's games. Reserved seats are $10 for the women's tournament. Reserved seats for the men's games are sold out. The MWSC Fieidhouse, where all of the games will be played, holds 3,710 people.

"At this point, I'd guess we've sold about 50 percent for the men's games, and about twothirds of the women's seats are left," Harris said. "They're both selling real well." Harris said the NCAA guarantees gross ticket sales of $50,000. He said that money goes to cover the expenses of the tournaments. The money that remains goes back to the NCAA. "The only direct revenue we get to keep is from concessions," he said.

"I expect that to be around $5,000 to $10,000." Harris said all of the money paid by companies with so many deductions and credits that they might otherwise owe no taxes at all. A reduction in the cantal gains tax for businesses, paid on profits from property sales, would be less generous than the contract promised. Archer's bill also would: Make individual retirement accounts more generous, allowing up to $4,000 in contributions by married couples. Penalty-free withdrawals could be made for homebuying, education and other expenses. Repeal the tax increase on higher-income Social Security recipients enacted in Clinton's 1993 deficit-reduction plan.

Roll back the "marriage penalty," helping two-income couples who marry. Grant tax credits to people for the costs of adopting children and caring for elderly relatives. The Family Research Council plans to spend $1 million for advertising and' grassroots efforts nationwide to support the package, said president Gary Bauer. credit for en The crads be dean use es much de it Would bar for many named al businesses that thay paying tax cut plan Chatman Bi, promised ny less then age 18 in to who leas tome to arsen fablity They companies that many must pey the a so or tames. reciation for companies with large amounts al costly equipment, a neutral cost recovery.

tax free from Individual Retirament Accounts for home buying, higher aducation and costs. Contributions to the acomunis would be in the gains tax rote paid on profits of property elitinato any taxes pent on values that increase through Repeal the lax increase on the best-off Social Security deductions for amall businesses and people with home offices, and the ale of satuleo that are exempt from taxes. Inventor with eyes on future ordered to do his time in jail Nows-Press Stall Report Court. Accordingly, he will serve only 30 more, county offiALBANY, Mo. Time- cials said.

machine inventor Michael E. Marcum also was sentenced Marcum has pleaded guilty to to five electrical trans- which years' authorities probation said inin the stealing case, and will spend an ad- volved the taking of formers six St. Jo30 days in past. seph Light Power ditional the transCircuit Judge John Andrews formers from the King City on Thursday accepted a guilty area. plea by Marcum, 21, and sen- Marcum said he was using tenced him to a total of 60 days the high voltage produced by in the 19th-century Gentry the transformers to create a County Jail.

gateway into the future. His The young inventor already plan, he said, was to travel a had spent about a month in the few days into the future to jail, built circa 1874, while learn winning lottery selectawaiting Thursday's hearing ions, then return to pick the in Gentry County Circuit right numbers. Progressive Services closed during move Because of a move, Progressive Community Services will not be open for business today. Progressive is relocating from Deal will let Sonny Hill stay open until the end of March Continued from Page 1A ships to pay off their debt. Under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the Sonny Hill group has a 120-day window to develop such a plan.

Filing for bankruptcy were Sonny Hill Motors Platte City; Sonny Hill Chevrolet Inc. of Lansing, Sonny Hill Oldsmobile GMC Truck Inc. of Kansas City; Sonny Hill Automotive Inc. of Olathe, Sonny Hill ChryslerPlymouth Inc. of Kansas City, and Sonny Co.

Land I which operates Dollar-Rent-A-Car at Kansas City International Airport. Officials haven't given a total debt amount, but court docu- Hearings on farm Continued from Page 1A The debate also occurs as House Republicans attempt to replace food stamps and other nutrition programs under the Agriculture Department's jurisdiction with payments to states, known as block grants. The House GOP effort prompted a sarcastic proposal from Sen. Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, the top Democrat on the panel, to turn farm programs over to the states as well.

"A decent farm bill would not tell millions of children, 'You have been block-granted. Have a hungry while protecting farmers from those same block News-Press 825 Edmond St. P.O. Box 29 St. Joseph, Mo.

64502-0028 Vol. 160. No. 320 Friday, March 10, 1996 Newsroom, Sports Circulation. Classified advertising 271-8666 Display 271-8527 Toll Free Outside St.

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60502-0029. A.P/Wm. J. Castello generated from the sale of souvenirs goes to the NCAA, because the items are licensed. Ramada inn is the headquarters for the women's teams and for the officials.

Holiday Inn is the headquarters for the men's teams. "I expect very heavy business in the restaurants and shopping at the malls," Harris said. "They've got to do something while they're waiting for the With the last teams determined Wednesday, players and fans quickly have been 1 grabbing the hotel rooms in the city. "We're expecting quite a bit of business from said Chris Bryant, manager of Ramada Inn. "This weekend was going to be dead, with around 40 to 45 percent of our rooms filled.

Now, we expect it to be full." Restaurant owners also are hoping to cash in on the tournament. Missouri Western hosting this, we anticipate our bar to be busy just for the fact that it's a ments listed the 20 largest creditors for the five dealerships and Dollar Rent-A-Car. Sonny Hill Motors in Platte City owes $7 million to GMAC, $600,000 to First Bank of Missouri and $461,000 to Nichols Media of Kansas City, to the bankruptcy At the other Sonny Hill dealerships, creditors include Boatmen's Bank, which has $1.9 million in claims, and Hillcrest Bank, which has $1.7 million. Chrysler Credit and GMAC pay for the cars that dealers purchase from manufacturers. Dealers are supposed to reimburse them after a car is sold, but Sonny Hill dealerships failed to make payments bill include rhetoric grant policies," Leahy said.

Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas, a member of the committee, a rival with Lugar for his party's presidential nomination and a in creating: some nutrition programs, attempted to mediate. "Certainly, it's not the intent of this committee to deprive hungry children of food or food Dole said. But he told Leahy that the nutrition programs must be looked at critically and said that the Senate cannot become a "graveyard" for Republican legisby the House. Avery, the leadoff witness, said farm programs that require farmers to idle land in exchange for government payments are costing U.S. agriculture a chance to produce more grain and dominate world farm trade.

"It is now clear that for 60 years the U.S. has been running the second-dumbest farm policy sports bar," said Becky Rovelto, manager of Legends Sports Cafe. "There's also the Big Eight Tournament and March Madness starting this weekend that will draw people in." Jerry Myers, assistant general manager of Applebee's Neighborhood Grill Bar, said restaurants near Interstate 29 and those that are nationally known should draw fans. "The fact that Applebee's is nationally known is a big plus for us, because people know about us," he said. "We hope it's like the conference tournament that was last weekend at Western.

That had an impact for us." The women's tournament will be played today and Saturday; the men's tournament, Saturday and Sunday. This is the first time the tournaments have been held at the same site. "This helps us highlight the facilities at Missouri Western," Bennett said. "The college is really a community resource and something to be proud of." and fell into debt. Lentz described a situation in which the Sonny Hill group fell behind and watched its financial problems snowball.

"Thin winter sales kind of got them behind the 8-ball and they were struggling to keep up," he said. "Recently, their main banking relationship was thrown into turmoil." Lentz said the Brotherhood Bank in Kansas City, last month stopped allowing the dealerships to write checks until its checks being deposited at the bank had cleared. "That can just slow things down until a business can't function," Lentz said. about Stalin in the history of the modern world," said Avery, director of global food issues at the Hudson Institute. "Only communal farming invented by Josef Stalin has had a worse record of achievement than America's farm price supports and cropland diversion." That was too much for Sen.

Kent Conrad, who said, comparison is as far off base as any testimony I've heard in my eight years on this committee." In the late 1920s, Stalin ordered that peasant farms in the Soviet Union be combined into giant collectives, which were forced to sell their products to the government at low prices. When farmers rebelled against such practices, Stalin sent millions into exile. Because of the disruption in farm production, a massive famine in 1932 and 1933 killed up to 7 million people. This week, more than 700 vehicles were repossessed from five Sonny Hill dealerships. Those veand will remain on the lots will be available for sale.

Part of Thursday's interim agreement included a stipulation that GMAC and Chrysler Corp. hold the title and keys on vehicles that have not been sold. The two creditors also are to be given access to the dealerships' books and records. USING THE NEWS PRESS INFO 364-6464 Rotary, callers dial 364-6464 and wait the recording says to enter a category. You will be instructed how to voice activate the desired category.

Speak loudly into the phone. Touchtone callers dial 364-6464. when prompted, enter one of the following four-digit categories: Category Directory ....1000 Weather Forecast. ...2500 Missouri Road Reports Out-of-State Phone Numbers for Road Reports Lottery Numbers ....6500 School Menus, Elementary, 6388 Stock Market Updates ENTERTAINMENT St. Joseph Kansas City.

...3510 Area Top Ten Videos TV Best Bets SPORTS Outdoor Events Scores SPORTS CALENDARS Benton ...7510 Central ..7500 Lafayette .7520 .7530 Missouri Western ...7340 Antique Show Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth's Best FREE ADMISSION ANTIQUE SHOW with ONE paid admission At the (Good Saturday or Sunday with this coupon) Riverfront Community Center March 11 12, 1995 123 S. Esplanade (Next to the Ramada Inn) March 11 12, 1995 Saturday, 18:80 A.M.-8:00 P.M. ANTIQUE SHOW Sander, 11:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M. at the China, Antique Quilts, Show Jewelry, from Primitives, 4 Furniture, States Riverfront Community Center Redwing, Glassware Leavenworth, Kansas Oak, Toys, Cast Iron, Stoneware, Collector's Plates, Dolls, Tins Adm. $2.00 FOR INFO CALL 816-476-2074 Drainage Continued from Page 1A diction.

"We don't want their problem to be made the county's problem," Mann said at the meeting. "I don't want to see a bad problem made Others expressed concern that the drainage ditches, by sending water to the lake more quickly than usual, would exacerbate flooding. "We can't handle that volume of water. If you keep pushing water out on us, you're flooding me out," said Steve Peek, who runs a business near the lake. Burris said the ditches would drain the same amount of water to the same places but would do it more quickly.

He also said city policy calls for sanitary sewers to be paid for by the neighborhood residents. He and City Councilman Ben Burtnett, who also attended the meeting, said the ditch proposal isn't final. The city has an April deadline to get the project under contract. Both Burris and Burnett said they would relay concerns to the City Council. 3131 Frederick Ave.

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