Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • 8

Ltror-or-or-Ar-or-dr I oot-tot-tftollt 8A T1981 FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM TUESDAY EVENING MARCH 24 1981 Commissioners back postponing hotel contract deal By NANCY WE BMAN Star-Telegram Writer A plan to wait about a month before deciding whether to cancel a contract to build a hotel on county property means county commissioners want to work with developer Jeffrey Simon Simon's attorney said Monday "I think they're trying to work with us It's an invitation (to) sit down and talk" attorney Jeff Davis said Commissioners and the Tarrant County Convention Center Advisory Board "have been real good about that" Davis said In a meeting Monday commissioners passed a motion basically reiterating an earlier decision by the convention center board The board postponed until April 22 any action on whether the county should cancel its property lease with Simon because the developer has missed his March 11 deadline for proving he can finance the $315 million hotel Commissioners said they will take noaction until thetonvention center board makes a recommendation to them The board is to meet by April 22 and commissioners will make their decision by April 27 the motion says The inaction on canceling the property lease agreement by commissioners and the convention center board is seen as a victory for Simon When he knew he would miss his March 11 deadline on financing Simon had asked the county for a 30-day lease exten Mon Both county panels gave him a 47-day grace period by waiting until late April to decide on the lease The motion Monday "leaves everything open yet we're not tied to anything" said Commissioner Lyn Gregory In other business the court: Rejected the advice of its legal advisor and decided by a 3-2 vote to end its battle to abolish the county treasurer's office Assistant District Attorney Mar vin Collins said he believes the county should ask for a rehearing from the Texas Supreme Court on the matter The high court last week ruled that a 1979 law allowing county voters to abolish the treasurer's office wsa unconstitutional and that the election was void "I think it's worth trying The chances for success aren't great though" Collins said Voted to ask the Texas Legislature to create a second probate court in Tarrant County to be es tablished by January 1981 Probate Court Judge Robert Burnett had asked commissioners to push for the new court He said his caseload has increased threefold since the court's inception Supported legislation making state registrations for boats about as tough as car registrations Officials of the Texas Department of Public Safety had asked for stiffer requirements to halt the influx of stolen boats into Texas County Judge Mike Moncrief said School case goes to federal pitnel The girls were to attend Jones Street Junior High which is 54 percent black Scott called the custody switch which put the girls in the new Buckeye attendance zone a sham to avoid I I ii1 'i''V'4''''i''''' et i 1 4 t0 :0 ti i'7 1' YA 4 1 I it 1: 41 i 'A: A 1: 7 7 ''r7c 4' i i (4 '644 -p I i4 400111-: otiii i 'f '4714'c so (m '16 i' 511' yr 1:: i3tia 44' 4 4alr''''' Y' iiP l' ii10I'''''''' Ill: r'' 1 ((" (rA iii '-7 11::" :0::: xtt4iie' $31 I 4 '4''4: tilt 4" t'''''': 4'g :44 3 '44' ''''1 ''7 0 iV: ''5 ('4 4 j3: 't It lvde i' 4 434I' 'eit i vmo fttx letitift144t 447- og i i --1 49'510 i '1 41-J 44 3t' 'i '1 iti 4 4 1 q- 1 1:: t2 4 4e0 r1r: ::::1 's ks s'''' 11 1:: f-7i- t-4e If ci e4'i4 i 1 1 1 i 4- '''1 4 I 10 44 ''n Al Vit iIrf '0- i '(- I "3 If '-'''''4 -''''4 j-'- ore i '1- A '3 1-- l'' l'-'44i I 1g l''''- i 2 1 -i i 3-5 3: '5 t': 4 Liii: 4 it i 0i 4 NEW ORL'EANS (AP) An integration dispute that sparked a feud between two judges and prompted some white parents to open a "squatters school" is now in the hands of a federal appellate panel There was no indication when a three-judge panel of the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals would rule on the spate of appeals stemming from federal District Judge Nauman Scott's school integration order The order issued last August required some white students be bused from mostly white rural schools in Rapides Parish to more heavily black schools in Alexandria The order forced the closing of Forest Hills Elementary school angering parents who then opened classes in three churches rather than bus their children The order also sparked a dispute between Scott and state District Judge Richard Lee Who transferred the custody of three white girls to family friends so they would not have to attend an Alexandria school AS PARENTS FROM the central Louisiana parish waved anti-busing placards on the courthouse steps their attorneys argued in a packed courtroom Monday that whites shouldn't be penalized because blacks live in black neighborhoods "Somewhere somebody has got to recognize that the mere fact that a school is all-black does not stigmatize the black children in that school" said John Ward lawyer for the parish School Board But Louis Berry representing black plaintiffs told the court that Ward's logic would foster school segregation "On neighborhood patterns let's not try to fool anybody" said Berry "Blacks are a lower socioeconomic people who often live where they have to" Also during the three-hour hearing on the eight appeals Chris Roy Lee's lawyer argued that Scott illegally invaded state court turf by intervening in a child custody case to keep the three white girls from attending all-white Buckeye High ROY ARGUED the switch was legal and contended the federal judge had no right to override Lee who had deputies escort the girls to classes The dispute ended when Lee backed down under the threat of heavy contempt-of-court fines The three teenagers are now in a private school Lee and the girls Michelle Laborde Lynda McNeal and Ramona Carbo were among the spectators Carol Heckman a US Justice Department lawyer said the desegregation plan was successful even though 2400 students of the 28000 students left the system rather than accept the busing Ztle-YZ Associated Press 1-'411-'' JUDGE AND STUDENTS Lee with Buckeye students Ramona Carbo left Lynda McNeal and Michelle Laborde in New Orleans Area notes Post office trouble does come in threes Andujar stalls confirmation of FW resident Paint rags blamed in fire Star-Telegram News Services a third watched Caster said After the rape she wandered in a daze for about five hours until she arrived at the Flower Mound police department where she reported the rape about 10 am he said She was taken to a Denton hospital where she was treated and later released he said More remains fou nd ALVIN Five more human teeth were found by Fort Worth police in a swampy field near here Monday Police major case investigators are searching the field for the possible remains of Mary Rachel Trlica 17 Lisa Renee Wilson 14 and Julie Ann Moseley 9 The three girls disappeared Dec 23 1974 during a shopping trip to St minary South Shopping Center Seventeen teeth have been found at the isolated location since investigators began digging in the field March 1 Skeletal remains found in the field in 1976 could not be identified A dentist and an investigator from the Harris County medical examiner's office are to examine the teeth and skeletal remains found since March 1 to see if they can be identified as those of the missing girls "That's not so good There aren't any more twos and there's hardly any ones" Wolff said What will postal clerks do if they run out of stamps? "We'll just sit in the middle of the floor and cry" the Ridglea clerk said "So if you come by and you see this big tall guy weeping you can say By God he's out of stamps'' On Monday the first (lay post offices were open since the new rates went into effect lines snaked through postal lobbies and out the doors the employees said Waiting time averaged 10 minutes they said "They were even lined up this morning waiting for us to open" said Arlington Heights' Glatzel Most branches are operating at peak capacity opening more customer service windows than usual and putting window personnel on overtime Lines are moving slowly because clerks aren't yet accustomed to the new prices and can't make the transactions as fast as they would like Glatzel said Despite the problems business probably is running smoother at Tarrant County post offices than at their Dallas County counterparts Window clerks at one Grand Prairie branch posted signs Monday saying they had no 3-cent stamps Fort Worth post office spokeswoman Barbara Haisley said the Dallas postal system sent too many of its stamps to the stations it supplies outside the city "They didn't keep enough for themselves We didn't do that We took care of our own stations first" she said By NANCY WEBMAN Star-Telegram Consumers rushing to buy stamps to meet the new postage regulations are creating lines longer than those during the Christmas season and may cause a shortage of 3-cent stamps postal officials said today "It's worse than Christmas This is probably the worst in my 2:3 years with the post office)" said Alton Daniels of the Arlington post office Ernest Wolff the man who issues stamps to Tarrant County's postal stations said he has issued almost all the 4k2 million 3-cent stamps he received for distribution And many postal stations have used up most of their supplies Daniels said the Arlington post office usually has a supply of stamps in addition to those already given to the window clerks to sell "All we have of the threes is what we have at the windows" he said The Arlington Heights station probably has enough 3-centers to last through today said clerk Al Glatzel A clerk at the Ridglea station said he had to make an emergency requisition Monday for more 3-cent stamps Demand has been greatest for the 3-cent stamps post office workers said Many letter-writers have leftover 15-cent stamps They need the 3-centers because the cost of mailing a first-class letter jumped to 18cents Sunday Consumers also are seeking 1- and 2-cent stamps which is had news for Wolff IIALTOM CITY Paint rags that ignited in a pasteboard box apparently caused a fire that did more smoke damage than fire damage at a manufacturing plant here late Monday a fire official said Deputy Chief Warren Webb said the fire reported at 11:13 pm did "a lot of smoke damage" to Manufacturing Co 5901 Eden which makes wooden dining sets However Jim Brock of the firm said the smoke did little damage to equipment and materials in the building and that the factory was in operation today The fire was confined to the area around the containersand to insulation in the roof Webb said About 100 of the 300 to 400 dining sets in the plant were moved outside during the fire Brock said Some received fire or water damage Webb said The fire reported through an alarm system was out within 20 minutes after Haltom City's five units arrived Webb said The rags apparently had smoldered for hours he said No one was in the building when the blaze began he said Webb praised Brock foradvance preparations in case of fire in the plant At Brock's request firefighters previously had toured the building to be familiar with its layout and the materials used in the manufacturing process Kidnappers sought GRAPEVINE Police are searching for three men after a Grapevine woman wandered into the Flower Mound police department and said she had been kidnapped and raped police said The 26-year-old woman left work at 4 am Sunday and walked to her car which would not start Grapevine Investigator Bill Caster said Three men in a red pickup pulled up and asked if she needed help he said When she got out of the car one of the passengers in the pickup pulled a gun and forced her into the truck he said She was taken to a remote area believed to be in Flower Mound and was raped by two of the men as Star-Telegram Austin Bureau AUSTIN Sen Betty Andujar D-Fort Worth confused members of a Senate committee today when she refused to introduce one of Gov Bill Clements nominees to the state board that regulates private investigators During an otherwise routine meeting of I he Senate Nominations Committee chairman Peyton McKnight D-Tyler asked Mrs Andujar to say a few words on behalf of Dr Harold King of Forrest Hill "I don't know how I can He's never made my acquaintance or paid me any attention" Mrs Andujar said to King and the committee "Well you've got his attention now" said Sen Roy Blake D-Nacadoches Mrs Andujar's unusual treatment of the Republican nominee left members of the committee befuddled Senators will not confirm an appointment over the objections of the individual's senators King pastor of the Mount Herman Missionary Baptist Church was appointed to the Texas Board of Private Investigators and Private Security Agents in June 1979 by Clements He has served on an interim basis pending his Senate confirmation King was scheduled for confirmation today but Andujar's objection caused the committee to delay consideration of King until Wednesday "Almost everyone gives me a call and says thank you because you can't get the job if I don't want to give it to you" Mrs Andujar admonished King after the committee meeting But King who has served on the board for almost two years said he was not aware that he needed to touch base with Mrs Andujar before his confirmation hearing "No one told me I should speak to her" King said -I'm a theologian not a politician" After talking with King Mrs Andujar said she plans to approve his nomination when the committee meets against Wednesday Young cancels speech Former Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young has canceled one of two planned appearances Wednesday at Tarrant County Junior College a TCJC spokesman said today Young will appear as scheduled at 8 am Wednesday on the Northwest Campus but will not flake his planned 8 pm address on the South Campus The ex-ambassador who also served as a congressman from Georgia and a civil rights leader heads Young Ideas Inc a group dedicated to public policy discussions His speech is free and open to the public Muslim plans day Airline argues suit over training to unite religions 'Last session' statement amuses Willis' colleagues By RICIIARD SIZEMORE StarTelegram Business 1Vriter DALLAS American Airlines attorneys argue that the locally based carrier and other airlines should not be penalizea for providing free training to those seeking positions as flight attendants and reservation agents The argument was presented Monday as a federal judge here heard testimony to determine if American Airlines owes more than $800000 in unpaid minimum wages to about 5500 former student trainees The costs of paying trainees would be incredible and the airlines might be forced to find alternative ways of finding employees the attorneys argued The US Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division brought the suit contending the underpayments were made at the airline's Fort Worth training center A key point to be weighed by Judge Patrick Higginbotham is who receives the primary benefits from the training Patsy Underwood senior director of flight ser vice for American testified that American re- ceives 60000 to 70000 applications for such training each year and that the company geldom has to advertise for recruits American attorneys argued that trainees sign a document stating that they must successfully complete training (which is usually five weeks) before going on the company payroll The attorney also said that such trainees perform no essential production work while in training and that American derives no benefits from them while they study The airline accepts 500 to 1000 applicants for training each year Elizabeth Houston an American flight attendant said she quit a job to accept the training with out the minimum wage because of the attractiveness of the job She testified however that she thought she would be guaranteed a job when six was accepted for training American attorneys read documents distributed to trainees stating the opposite But Paula Street another flight attendant said she would not have gone through the training if she hadn't thought she was guaranteed a job The leader of the American Muslim Mission in Fort Worth plans to work with other local religious leaders of all faiths to sponsor "People Who Love God Day" in May "What we are trying to do is tear down the barriers between religions" said Imam Shakir I lafeez Muhyee The religious leader said he hopes to make the day May 9 the second Saturday in May one of true celebration "Because of the disunity which has been displayed between the different religious groups a large portion of the human family has started to back away from religion and anything connected with religion" he said at a news conference He said that accounts for the growth of corruption and cults Muhyee is the leader of the Ilassan Center the Muslim headquarters in Fort Worth on Allen Street "We believe when the God fearing people stand up as one many crimes such as the Atlanta killings could be prevented" Muhyee said He said a committee to coordinate the event will be selected at a meeting at 7 pin Thursday at the Maddox Community Center 1200 Maddox member told the House committee he does not expect to run for reelection to the HouseThe committee was considering Willis' bill for repeal of the Texas blue law restricting the sale of certain items on consecutive Saturdays and Sundays "I doubt if I'll be here (next session)" Willis said "I certainly would like to pass this bill during my last session of the Legislature" The 72-year-old lawmaker backed off his statement when questioned about it later "I don't know what I'm going to do The only thing I'm thinking about right now is passing this bill" he said StarTelegram Austin Bureau AUSTIN Rep Doyle Willis' hint that the 1981 legislative session may be his last drew chuckles today from the rest of the Tarrant County delegation "That's the same line he used before" Rep Bill Coody D-Weatherford said of Willis' remarks Monday night to the House Business and Industry Committee "We've all heard that before" agreed Rep gib Lewis Worth The reaction to Willis' comments came at the regular weekly meeting of the Tarrant County legislative delegation Willis did not attend today's meeting Willis the delegation's senior Bill would set pattern for private security guard uniforms iffs Association and Texas Police Association testified for the bill color for all policeman and one color for all deputies cers to wear their uniforms when they work as private guards The intent Poland charged is to make private guards "dress as absurdly as possible" "They'd have every security guard out there dressed in hot pink" Poland said Houston Police Sgt Hay Benastante who works in the sex exploitation division said security guard uniforms are a problem for children "All his life a child is brought up being told to do what someone in a uniform tells him" Benastante said He told of a case in which a security guard posing as a policeman raped a child world" he said Barton's bill was sent to subcommittee A related bill filed by Rep Ken Riley R-Corpus Christi would bar policemen and deputies from wearing their uniforms while working after-hours as private guards Riley owner of a burglar alarm company that employs some "response runners" also wants police and deputies to register with the state just as private guards do No hearing has been held on alleys bill By KEN IIERMAN Associated Press AUSTIN Rep Erwin Barton DPasadena says private security guards should be required to wear distinctive shoulder patches and be barred from wearing metal badges so nobody will accidentally mistake them for police officers But Rep Bill Blythe R-Houston says the burden should be on the police and sheriffs' departments to wear "standardized" uniforms Kraege Poland a lobbyist for the Associated Security Services and Investigators of Texas said the bill has nothing to do with protecting the public The "real reason" for the bill is money he said Poland said policemen and deputies who work after-hours as private security guards want to limit the competition Many cities and counties allow their law enforcement off' The problem several witnesses told the House Committee on State Affairs on Monday is that it's difficult to tell who's a private security guard and who's a law enforcement officer Dave Collier president of the Houston Police Officers Association said several private security companies wear uniforms "identical" to Houston police garb The lobbyist endorsed Blythe's plan for standardized uniforms for police and deputies Blythe said Barton's bill would be costly for security services "It's not the most profitable business in the Barton is carrying a bill setting requirements on private guard uniforms Officials from the Texas Sher 00111100nal06ModiA -OW 0 Y4 1 Id I-.