Times-Press-Recorder from Arroyo Grande, California • 10

Page 10 Friday, Oct 18, 1996-Five Cities Times-Press-Recorder, Arroyo Grande, Calif. Flores family testifies to Grand Jury (Continued from page 1) Cal Toly detectives that he received it while playing bakctball. However, the same friends told authorities that Flores had tire black eye, plus scrapes and bruises on his knee, on Saturday, May 25, the day prior to the basketball game and the same day that he admitted walking Smart to her room in Muir Hall around 2 a.m. A third girl also walked with Flores and Smart but left tire two a few minutes from the pathway leading to their separate dormitories. Flores has frustrated the investigation so far by his refusal to answer any additional question about his actions that morning.

And judging by his short stay behind the closed courtroom doors, it appeared he continued to refuse to respond to investigators questions. It is a witness Constitutional right under die Fifth Amendment to refuse to answer any question which may be self-incriminating. However, Ermalinda MacArthur, Flores sister, may not have been given the opportunity to invoke the Fifth Amendment provision. She was the second witness called, and prosecutor Trice questioned her for some 45 minutes. 1 ler testimony along with the entire proceedings of the Grand Jury in such cases are confidential.

It is not known at this time what information she was able to add to the evidence in the case. Sheriff Ed Williams has made it clear at every opportunity that Flores is not a suspect in a crime. He is only an important witness in a missing-person case. In San Luis Obispo, the Grand Jury was established as a civil panel. The jury was not convened to hear evidence on which to make a criminal indictment.

However, after llic sworn testimony has been made by witnesses, the evidence could lead to indictments charged in the Countys criminal courts. Paul Flores mother, Susan Flores, was the final wiuiess called BEHIND CLOSED DOORS Deputy District Attorney John Trice ushers Ermalinda MacArthur, the sister of Paul Flores, through the sealed courtroom room where the Grand Jury will hear what she may know about her brothers involvement in the disappearance of Kristin Smart. The witness was in the courtroom nearly 45 minutes. Photo by Terry Miller Fire Safety Week celebrated Several events took place last weekend in conjunction with Fire Safety Week. Above, a firefighters from the Grover Beach Fire Department show how the truck can make a nice water display.

to testify in yesterdays proceedings. Trice is expected to usher the father, Reuben Flores, into the witness box this morning. It is not known how long the questioning will last, but prosecutors told jury members earlier that they should prepare for an all-day session today. There will be four witnesses remaining to appear after the prosecutor has finished with Reuben Flores. Although the Sheriffs Office and the District Attorney have not officially called Paul Flores their prime suspect in the case, detectives have serve at least 1 0 years gone on record to say they believe Kristin Smart is deceased and either died in Paul Flores dormitory room or was placed there for an unknown period of time." They also believe that Paul Flores is responsible for or has direct knowledge of her disappearance andor death.

in prison would consider eight years in prison to be a reasonable offer of punishment for his clients involvement in the attack. Abrahams indicated separately that eight years seemed a reasonable sentence to him. He stated that Caldcr did not want to go through the stress surrounding another trial in which she would be called to tesify again. If Abrahams supervisors in the District Attorneys office concur with the informal offer, the matter may be settled today between the lawyers during a scheduled readiness hearing for Gamers trial. Schandel to (Continued from page 1) judge to ask for the maximum sentence.

She said that Schandel had betrayed her familys trust and friendship and offered no expression of remorse over his attempt to kill her. Schandel did apologize later publicly in open court when it was his turn to address the judge. At that time, Ashbaugh cast her client as suffering from an abusive home in which his parents were also drug and alcohol abusers. She offered the abuse as a reason for leniency in the sentence. After the sentence was an- Rosey economic picture del had a clean criminal record up until this case.

The next scheduled proceeding is the trial of Joshua Gamer, Schan-dcls friend and 17-ycar-old partner in the crime. It was Gamer who allegedly held Caldcr while Schan-dcl hit her with the aluminum bat. Although he is accused of the same charges, there is no proof that he ever swung the bat or even pursued Caldcr into her garage where she eventually escaped. Melvin de la Motte Jr. is Gamers attorney.

He said after the Schan-dcl's sentencing hearing that he forecast for On a national average, die per capita expenses for the health care anually amount to $3,500. Looking at San Luis Obispo County only, that translates to around $818 million spent on health care locally. Corporations in that industry have done very well, he said. For example, Woolpcrt said. Health Management Organizations experienced a 40 percent increase in profits between 1992 and 1994.

At the same time, physicians incomes dropped substantially, by 13 percent in California. Data show that just 3 percent of die population accounts for 90 percent of all expense in health care. Along diosc same lines, Woolpcrt mentioned that some 70 percent of all dollars spent on health care arc spent by people over 65. And by the year 2020, he noted that more the half the population of the United Suites will be over the age of 65. John Maulhardt, a vegetable SPRAYING Teresa Garcia, 9, with the he'p of Arroyo Grande firefighter Jerry Kaufman learns how to hold a hose and tries her hand at spraying a specific point.

4 (Continued from page 1) leaving the rest to be divided among the remaining 365 banks in the state. Mark Woolpcrt, chairman and president of Compass Health, Inc, noted that banking is not the only industry in a somewhat volatile position with mergers. Early Thursday, it was announced that all hospitals in northern Santa Barbara County and all of San Luis Obispo County, except for Marian Medical Center and Arroyo Grande Community Hospital, will be owned by one single giant company, Tenent Healthcare Corp. Woolpcrt, an attorney who runs a chain of nursing homes on the Cental Coast, noted that the hospital company probably had no idea of San Luis Obispos situation when they made the offer. But that docs not help the nervousness fell by administrators and staffs of the die hospitals affected by the merger.

Woolpcrt said that health care is the most volatile industry of any he has ever experienced. He pointed this area farmer, noted in his presenation that lettuce farmers did not do quite as well as HMOs this year. They had costs of approximately $2.50 per carton and dicy were selling the cartons most recently for about 80 cents each. Maulhardt said farmers can not stand prosperity. Last year those same cartons sold for between $6 and $10 each.

But overall, agriculture remains strong on the Central Coast. The farmers have good water to work with, the labor force is steady at least at Maulhardls operation and the wage base is already high and surpassed the newly proposed minimum wage. However, he acknowledged that many farmers remain dependent on the illegal immigrants for their labor force. But barring any food scare such as what happened with strawberries this past year the farming community is projected to do well. these foods every day.

For a free brochure on how to cat for better health and lower cancer risk, send a stamped, self-addressed business-sized envelope to the American Institute for Cancer Research, Dept. TLP, Washington, DC 20069 nounccJ, Caldcr seemed upset that Schandel did not get the maximum. Also, because of the double jea-pardy ruling, potential time in prison was reduced. Outside the courtroom following the proceedings, Ashbaugh said it was a good sentence. And it was better than the offer of 16 years which Abrahams had originally presented as a settlement.

Abrahams indicated that the sentence was also something that he might expect. He explained that maximum sentences arc usually reserved for repeat offenders. Schan- Carrol Truett out that it is also the largest industry in dollar volume in the United States, second only to agriculture. cancer development. This study is ongoing and has yet to identify other key factors that may interact in combination with the curcumin to affect cell proliferation.

Researchers at Chiang Mai University in Thailand found that mice treated with curcumin before being exposed to carcinogens had significantly lower incidence of skin tumor formation and development than mice who did not receive the treatment. More research needs to be conducted in humans. Scientists from the State University of New Jersey found that curcumin suppressed inflammation caused by an enzyme called nitric oxide, which is produced by the body as an immune response to infections and to harmful substances. In this study, curcumin limited nitric oxide's effects to damage cells and possibly leading to cancer develop Eating spicey foods may help prevent cancer ment. Because a growing number of plant fcxxls, including fruits, vegetables, grains and herbs, are being identified as having possible cancer-fighting substances, the American Institute for Cancer Research advises a wide variety of OBITUARIES Vernon Hamilton ARROYO GRANDE Anyone who has ever eaten Indian food has tasted the spice curcumin commonly known as cumin and turmeric.

Curcumin is not only used widely in Asia for cooking, but also to treat skin inflammations and ailments. Like many other common flavorings, including garlic, onions, parsley, and licorice, research studies arc beginning to show preliminary evidence that curcumin, too, may have anti-cancer properties. At the recent annual conference of the American Institute for Cancer Research, investigators summarized some small studies that have begun to experiment with curcumins effects on skin, breast and colon cancers in laboratory animals and tissue samples. In a study with breast cancer cells, researchers at Pennsylvania State University found that curcumin may inhibit the activity of certain proteins that play a role in Vernon Hamilton, 71, of Grover Beach died Thursday, Oct. 17 at his residence.

Arrangements arc pending under the direction of Marshal 1-Spoo Sunset Funeral Chapel in Grover Beach. LANDED A helicopter startled some residents in the area when it flew in to help out at the Grover Beach Fire Department activities. Other activities included viewing of the Fire House at Elm Street Park and kids of all ages got a chance to see how fires are best extinguished and how firefighters extricate a victim after a serious car accident. Photos by Terry Miller Information in obituaries is supplied by the mortuaries handling arrangements and by members of the families. The Five Cities Times Press-Recorder is not responsible for errors or omissions made by cither source.

I.