The News and Observer from Raleigh, North Carolina • 3

The News and Observer Raleigh NC Friday Dec 29 1989 3A Nation 0 Navy to watch for drug traffic off Colombia 4 Bnefly Nation efforts to keep illegal drugs out of the United States That month he signed a secret directive allowing US forces to move off their secure bases to train the local authorities and military forces in Colombia Peru and Bolivia Administration officials said there were no plans for American forces to take part in narcotics patrols inside Latin America The effort is in marked contrast to the Reagan administration which was reluctant to involve the military in anti-drug initiatives In October the Defense Department announced plans to deploy Marines to foil drug smugglers crossing the border from Mexico in international law that requires a public declaration "We're not blocking every flight" official said "But if we see a plane that's not Avianca for example we'll stay with it and see what's going on" Mr Fitzwater said the president had reviewed the findings of survey of senior military commanders ordered by Defense Secretary Richard Cheney on what feasible in fulfilling his pledge to use the armed forces in war on drugs "Final plans are now being made" Mr Fitzwater said In an address to the nation in September Mr Bush said he intended to involve the military in fly or sail out of there without our knowing about it" the official said In Beeville Texas where President Bush is vacationing White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said: "We have decided to take certain actions to help the countries of Latin America interdict these supply routes "We are anxious to work closely with Colombia and whatever actions we would undertake in this regard would be done with the closest consultation with them and coordination with them" The naval group would probably consist of an aircraft carrier and six or eight support vessels the 1 1 New York Times News Service WASIIINGTON The Bush administration has completed plans to use the military to cut drug-supply routes from Latin America That would include using an aircraft carrier battle group off the coast of Colombia to monitor all sea and air traffic a senior administration official said The official who spoke on a condition of anonymity said the details had yet to be worked out with the Colombian government but that it was likely the naval vessels would begin their duty in the next few months "It will be extremely difficult to Airline gets threat tells passengers New Torii Times News Service NEW YORK Northwest Airlines took the unusual step Thursday of telling ticket holders that it had received a "security threat" against a flight scheduled for Saturday from Paris to Detroit The airline said it did not plan to cancel the flight but would take extra precautions and would arrange for passengers to take other flights if they choose The airline would not say who made the threat or when it was received but a spokesman Robert Gibbons said the threat against Flight 51 was being taken seriously Experts on aviation law said Northwest's action came in response to the bombing of Pan American Flight 103 over Lockerbie Scotland a year ago Bruce Lampert a Denver attorney who represents families of Flight 103 victims said he expected such notices to become more common A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Robert Buck-horn said the agency knew of the threat and was working with French authorities to improve security on the flight He declined to say what the measures would be "Divulging that information could be beneficial to terrorists" he said The FBI the CIA and the State Department are also involved in the investigation The Reuters news agency said a Northwest office in the United States had received a threat against the Paris-to-Detroit flight from a man speaking English with a Middle Eastern accent Reuters said a Swedish newspaper citing security officials quoted the caller as saying the action was planned in revenge for the life sentences given to two Palestinians in Sweden for bomb attacks in three European cities The court that rendered the sentences said one of the attacks was against a Northwest office in Copenhagen in 1985 Mr Buckhorn said the bomb threat was one of more than 300 received by American carriers each year Northwest has begun calling passengers booked on Flight 51 to alert them to the threat Mr Gibbons said the airline would not disclose how many passengers elect to change their plans As of Thursday 130 passengers held reservations on the flight a DC-10 which holds 284 passengers Bertha Crawford left is a foster mother to Dorothy a disabled Mich hires welfare mothers to be foster moms to disabled children official said The battle group would also include the E-2C an advanced surveillance aircraft that would be the main element for keeping track of outward traffic Officials said it would be incorrect to describe the operation as a blockade because the US military would not intercept the aircraft or seagoing vessels but keep them under surveillance to see whether they were going to the United States and if so where they might land At that point one official said the Customs Service Coast Guard or Border Patrol would be notified Also a blockade is a specific 0- abused and neglected children and disabled adults "Instead of stereotyping wel1 fare recipients as lazy let's train the families let them" select a developmentally disabled child and use their time and energy more effectively" Mr Sharobeem said "People said we would be endangering handicapped children by putting them with welfare families But these families have been doing a great job with them and it's not easy" Mr Sharobeem said one disabled child in an institution costs the Mental Health Department $15000 a year A welfare family of four costs the Department of Social Services $16000 a year The mothers are screened and licensed by the Judson Center and receive training in caring for disabled children said Diane Devine-Abdullah LIFE director The mothers are then matched with children from Michigan institutions The average age of most of the children is between 15 and 16 Ms Devine-Abdullah said DSS Director Patrick Bab A street vendor weighs produce f-3 161114k: 40Poe: W- 10::: 1 i I 3 -k 6 A ::1 4'-'''' i 11 9 4 i 701! pif 4 1 p'' 3 '1 4 i i term the a was the 11 Coal miners' strike talks keep rolling WASHINGTON Negotiators for the United Mine Workers and the Pittston Co met under tight secrecy Thursday in marathon bargaining aimed at ending a bitter 9-month-old strike by coal miners in three states Virginia West Virginia and Kentucky It was the second day of the newest round of talks following a Christmas break by negotiators who reported substantial progress last week The strike was triggered by Pittston's refusal to contribute to the UMW's industry-wide fund for miners' retirement and health plans for about 130000 pensioners LA mayor settles suit by paying $20000 fine LOS ANGELES Mayor Tom Bradley on Thursday agreed to pay a $20000 fine to settle a lawsuit filed by City Attorney James Hahn who alleged that Mr Bradley had failed to disclose personal investments and stock holdings worth 9160000 Under the terms of the settlement announced in Superior Court Mr Bradley must pay the fine out of his personal funds rather than campaign or legal defense funds In a written statement Mr Bradley called the settlement "a fair one" but admitted no deliberate wrongdoing High-rise cranes ordered shut down SAN FRANCISCO Angry officials say inspectors have found safety violations in half the high-rise construction cranes operating in the city a month after a crane collapse killed five people Inspectors ordered two more cranes shut down Wednesday bringing to five the number of cranes ordered to stop work by the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration In most cases the cranes were allowed to go back into operation after violations were corrected US orders operators to pay nuclear fines WASHINGTON The government will stop reimbursing operators of nuclear weapons plants for their own criminal fines environmental penalties fraudulent losses and other questionable costs officials say The decision marks the most fundamental change in the Energy Department's weapons contracting system since companies were recruited to build the first atomic bombs in the 1940s The companies traditionally have been allowed to recover virtually all their costs even those resulting from their own negligence California Hawaii hit by moderate quakes LOS ANGELES Moderate earthquakes struck in Southern California and in Hawaii but there were no reports of damage or injuries in either temblor The California quake rattled residents along a 100-mile stretch from Palm Springs to Los Angeles Thursday officials said In Hawaii a quake that registered 46 on the Richter Scale shook Hawaii Island's Puna district at 11:13 pm Wednesday F-15 Eagle pilot missing after crash APALACHICOLA Fla The pilot of an F-15 Eagle fighter was missing Thursday after his plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico during a mock dogfight the Air Force said The plane was one of two F-15s engaged in a combat training mission against two F-16 Falcon jets The F-I5 is the Air Force's most sophisticated fighter powered by twin engines and capable of flying at 25 times the speed of sound Postal Service to pay for slain dog's funeral LOS ANGELES The US Postal Service plans to pay for an elaborate funeral for a family's dog that was shot to death by a postman The family made preparations 4 Thursday for a funeral for the mixed German shepherd Skippy that included a silk-lined casket graveside ceremony and head- stone at a pet cemetery The postman Floyd Bertran Sterling was arrested after the shooting but was released 4 Laura Ortega a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Pet Memorial 41 Park cemetery said a bill for funeral services had reached 03150 and was still climbing Meanwhile neighbors living on Mr Sterling's route rallied around the postman they de scribed as "friendly" From wIre reports Hamilton proposes tax hike Plan also sets out $25 billion in cuts By WILLIAM EATON Los Angeles Times WASHINGTON The chairman of Congress' Joint Economic committee called Thursday for a "package deal" of a tax increase up to $25 billion a year and equally large spending cuts to break a deadlock between President Bush and congressional Democrats over how to reduce the $152 billion budget deficit The compromise would not require raising individual income tax rates said Rep Lee Hamilton D-Ind who made his proposal in the chairman's annual report He did not specify what taxes should be raised but said that there was a "long list" of possibilities that could be considered by Congress and the administration But he said that a package totaling $40 billion to $50 billion equally divided between spending cuts and tax increases would put the government "on a glide path toward a balanced budget" He added "It's do-able" Mr Hamilton also strongly opposed a Bush-backed reduction in capital gains taxes as "unfair costly and ineffective" The opposition reflects the views of the Democratic leadership on an issue sure to be revived in 1990 "At present the deficit is like a hot potato passed back and forth between the administration and the Congress as each seeks political advantage or at least the avoidance of political pain" Hamilton said in his summary "If this game continues we will all get burned" The president whose opposition to new taxes is well known has shown no inclination to accept similar advice from Democrats in the past House Speaker Thomas Foley D-Wash and Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell DMaine have said that no tax increase could pass Congress without active White House leadership Mr Bush's own budget is due Jan 22 Although Mr Hamilton's recommendations are not binding they are likely to frame the coming economic policy debate Mr Hamilton's study said the gap between the richest and the worst-off Americans in 1988 was the largest on record since 1947 A total of 32 million people or 131 per cent of the population have incomes below the nation's poverty line At the same time those in the top 20 percent enjoy an average family income of $84938 he said The figures showed that overall average family income last year was $32238 The standard of living of 60 percent of all Americans Hamilton added has "stagnated" over the past decade Mr Hamilton called Mr Bush's "no new taxes" stance unrealistic "We cannot eliminate the deficit without a tax increase" "Given the legal obligation of servicing the national debt plus the programs that are accepted by the broad consensus of the American people spending cuts alone will not suffice" he said "A tax increase alone is not acceptable politically" he added "Therefore a balanced budget can be achieved only through a package political deal that includes spending cuts and a moderate tax increase" He cited the estimated deficit of $152 billion for the year ended last Sept 30 Mr Hamilton's report said 86 percent of the current budget is earmarked for categories of spending that it would be unwise difficult or in the case of entitlement programs like Social Security impossible to cut Since the deficit accounts for 12 percent of the budget it clearly cannot be eliminated by reductions in the remaining 14 percent: of programs that are cutable be concluded 6J1 0 it Ili A The Associated Press teenager cock said the state is looking to expand the program But Ms Johnson said budget constraints won't allow a full-scale program One mother Darlene Gisel of Warren cares for II-month-old William who was born with tuberculosis of the brain The condition was stabilized but could result in a learning disability or retardation "He was in the hospital six months before I took him" Ms Gisel said "He didn't respond at all He's gotten farther than they ever thought he would Bertha Crawford is foster mother to Dorothy 17 who can't dress herself and can't talk Ms Crawford also has two high-school-age children of her own "I feel good about helping someone else" Ms Crawford said "It also gave me the chance to send my daughter on her senior trip I couldn't have afforded it without the program" Mothers in the LIFE program also find that the salary allows them to provide more for their own children The Associated Press near a trash fire in Philadelphia Trash fire controversy irks Philadelphia vendors The Associated Press ROYAL OAK Mich Fourteen mothers who were once on welfare have found jobs doing what they know best being moms The women have been taken off government assistance and receive $21000 annual salaries for being foster mothers to disabled children under a state program called LIFE or Living in Family Environments "These women are capable of doing something but for the most part they're best at being moms and they're happy being moms" said state Rep Shirley Johnson who helped win funding for the program "I was scared to death at the beginning how would you match the right mom with the right child? But it has worked beautifully" The 3-year-old program which operates primarily on a $200000 grant from the state Department of Mental Health was the idea of Mounir Sharobeem president of the Judson Center in Royal Oak a Detroit suburb The center helps "Get a kerosene heater probably or a heater with a blower It's going to cost more though" he said Up the street Joseph Girado carved up empty produce boxes while his wife and son waited on customers The cardboard went piece by piece into a drum 20 feet away where the flames helped ward off temperatures in the low 30s "I don't see any damage from that fire do you?" he asked "That's a tradition It keeps me warm It keeps my customers warm" "We're trying to make an honest living here We're working like dogs like animals If I had any sense I wouldn't be here We don't get any benefits no paid vacation no retirement and now this" City Councilman James Tayoun who is going to bat for the vendors said the ruckus started because of complaints from the Health Department "The merchants cannot physically operate without a decent source of heat" Mr Tayoun said "They've been there long before us I see no reason we can't allow them to burn clean wood If they burn other trash they should be cited" AN' 0 i 4iii-- I n5 ii't4'''J rii ti 4 r- 74- 1 1 43410 ielq4 4: ii 6 1 Littla A The Associated Press PHILADELPHIA Yo! Put out those fires! For generations merchants at their stalls in the open-air Italian Market a Phi Ily tradition along with the Liberty Bell and soft pretzels smeared with mustard have warmed their hands around roaring trash fires in metal drums And millions of moviegoers watched doo-wop singers crooning around street fires in "Rocky" But in a state where clean-air laws have banned the burning of leaves for years the street fires of South Philadelphia must go says city Managing Director James White He wants the fires doused by Jan 7 Produce vendors at the Italian Market paused between sales Thursday to say they'll probably obey but not cheerfully "I was born here in 1928 and there's always been fire cans on this street to keep warm" said Anthony Messina "But times change What can I do? What can I say? probably get a kerosene heater but I don't like it" Next door Lawrence Lacovara 31 fed cardboard boxes and boards into a steel-drum fire What will he do in two weeks when the ban will be in force?.