The Kansas City Times from Kansas City, Missouri • 34

5 C-2 The Kansas City Times Saturday December 30 1989 Around Kansas City The Times Staff Judge bars state from cutting welfare Wichita lawsuit keeps Kansas from budget reductions it sought Independence apartment fire leads to arson case Morris lived in one of 1 1 apartments on the second floor above Comer Stop a grocery and liquor store Seven pumpers two trucks and two rescue units responded at 8:18 pm to the fire winch took an hour to bring under control One firefighter Steve Hammontree was treated for exhaustion At least six occupants were evacuated and later put up in a motel by the Red Cross Arson investigator Dale Armstrong said the fire started in the kitchen cabinets of an apartment on the second floor First-degree arson charges were filed Friday against a 62-year-old Independence man after a fire damaged 1 1 apartments and a convenience store on Thursday John Morris of 10307 Independence Ave was arraigned before Jackson County Associate Circuit Judge Robert Trout Bond was set at $35000 Morris was arrested Thursday night after a man called police from a pay telephone and said he had just set a fire and wanted to turn himself in police said bilitation Services Winston Barton secretary of the SRS said previously that the cuts were necessary to meet a projected $34 million shortfall in the budget for the rest of the fiscal year which ends June 30 Judge Royce issued the restraining order against the cuts after a string of MediKan doctors and recipients testified that if the benefits were eliminated there would be disastrous results Doctors said many of their patients would be forced to do without medical benefits if the cuts were eligible for federal Medicaid payments Cuts were also planned in the cash allowance offered under the General Assistance program Under the planned cuts cash assistance would be cut by $9 a month per person and the MediKan program would be eliminated Officials say the cuts would save the state several million dollars The General Assistance program and MediKan are completely state-funded and are not federally mandated unlike most other programs within SRS enacted The hearings were held Friday in response to a class action lawsuit filed by four Wichita lawyers on behalf of about 6700 MediKan recipients in the state The attorneys requested that the hearings be held Friday Jim Lawing one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit said order would block the cuts until the Legislature has a chance to take it up after it convenes Jan 8 The MediKan program provides medical assistance to people not The Associated Press WICHITA A Sedgwick County district judge on Friday issued a temporary restraining order against cuts in the MediKan program that were scheduled to take effect New Day Judge Kay Royse issued the order against the cuts after hearings during which MediKan recipients and physicians testified against the reductions which were approved Thursday by the state Rules and Regulations Board The reductions were proposed by the Department of Social and Reha No charges in reported abduction of woman baby Cuts in aid are Democrat says former boyfriend and reportedly the father of her child Cavanah said Crawford and another man with him did not use shotguns to force Hixon and her son into their car as originally reported although he did have a knife Cavanah said Hixon and her son were in front of her former apartment when Crawford approached them Independence police said a woman who was reported to have been kidnapped along with her infant son Thursday night by a former boyfriend has declined to press charges Detective Marty Cavanah of the Independence Police Department said the woman Nina Hixon and her 6-month-old son were returned Friday afternoon after a night of being driven around by Alfred Crawford Jr a Welfare recipients and volunteer agencies will rally at 10:30 am Tuesday at the statehouse to protest cuts in welfare programs organizer Denis Kelly of Olathe said The protesters oppose the state Rules and Regulations Board decision Thursday to cut $72 million in welfare program spending The Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services so far has reduced its spending by $94 million in the face of a projected budget deficit of $34 million will probably mean more days of water instead of milk and even more meals each month with no Parrish said Kathy Peterson press secretary defended the cuts and accused Parrish of trotting out hackneyed rhetoric "The real abuse going on here is the abuse the Democrats want to exercise on Kansas taxpayers" she said clear that Democrats want higher taxes not less spending which reminds me of the same rhetoric heard from old-guard Democrats like Jimmy Carter and Ted Kennedy for The Associated Press TOPEKA The political war of words over welfare cuts escalated Friday when Democrats unleashed a volley of criticism at Gov Mike Hayden accusing his administration of "collective child "Mike administration has slammed the cupboard door in the faces of thousands of poor Kansas Democratic State Chairman Jim Parrish said in a statement The State Rules and Regulations Board on Thursday approved rules for the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services that eliminate MediKan which provides medical assistance to people who do Nightclub fire under investigation Teen found dead in KCK train crew saw body woman as Sarah DeLeon She suffered multiple stab wounds The crew on the eastbound Union Pacific train called police An 18-year-old woman was found stabbed to death in Kansas City Kan on Friday when a crew on a passing train noticed cial and rehabilitation services said other SRS programs could not be cut because they are federally mandated dollars a month may not seem like much to most families but for children on welfare that cut not qualify for federal Medicaid payments The board also cut $9 a month from cash grants given to people under the General Assistance and Aid to Families with Dependent Children programs Winston Barton secretary of so the body police said Late Friday evening Kansas City Kan police identified the after they saw the body about 9:55 am near Interstate 435 Bill would keep sales tax exemptions NEW YEAR'S SALE JEFFERSON CITY Newspapers would continue to be exempt from the state sales tax under legislation that will be introduced by Sen Pat Danner a Smithville Democrat Danner said including newspapers among items exempt from the sales tax would save consum ers $10 million a year The exemption would not hurt state and local governments because that tax has not been collected in the past she said The Missouri Supreme Court ruled in November that sales taxes should be collected on newspapers AVAILABLE ALSO IN TEAKI tJS action in Panama is Racist peace activist says 7 1 OAKWHITE TRUNDLE BED BOOKCASE HEADBOARD VALUE $538 NOW $399 OAKWHITE HIGH CHEST value $279 NOW $199 LIMITED QUANTITIES DELIVERY ASSEMBLY EXTRA PRICES GOOD THROUGH JAN 15 1990 ACCESSORIES AND MATTRESS NOT INCLUDED By Beverly Potter Of the Metropolitan Staff Investigators were trying to determine the cause of a fire Friday that destroyed an Independence coun-try-and-western nightclub and damaged an adjacent restaurant Friday night Independence arson investigator Dale Armstrong had not released a report on the cause of the fire that gutted Club Dallas near US 40 and the Blue Ridge Cut-off The adjacent Jade Wong Chinese Restaurant sustained smoke and water damage Armstrong said the fire appeared to have started near a back wall of the club possibly near the bandstand area by the dance floor As employees and patrons watched Friday a bulldozer was used to knock down the back wall and roof which collapsed during the fire and workers hurried in and out of the restaurant removing carpet and other items Building owner Gary Cortes said the nightclub was a total loss but that it would be rebuilt He said that although the club's name has changed numerous times a lounge has operated there for the last 1 7 to 18 years He said the restaurant would be reopened as soon as possible The fire was reported at 6:24 am and the first firefighters arrived three minutes later said Dale Reynolds assistant fire chief The first fire crew saw heavy smoke coming through the front door and the south part of the roof After firefighters entered the building the ceiling started to collapse so they were forced back outside Cortes said he heard about the fire from a radio report about 6:45 am The report said there was a building on fire near US 40 and Blue Ridge Cut-off "I said 'I bet our You know how you have a premonition?" He said he did not know what it would cost to rebuild the structure Buy sell trade morning evening and Sundays witn Star Times Classified Ads To place vour ads dial 234-4000 Adv 1 OAKWHITE DESK VALUE $189 NOW $149 "avalanche of lies told over and over again to a point where they begin to be true She said the American news media routinely portrayed Panamanians "as thieves as hoodlums and as looters" enemies of the Panamanian people are the ones who are telling their she said overwhelming majority of the Panamanian people are opposed to this Katie Neely an organizer with the Central America Solidarity Coalition said some of the trouble that has been brewing in Panama has gone unreported by the American news media For example Neely said some American corporations in Panama recently withheld money from the paychecks of Panamanian employees purportedly for taxes to the Panamanian government the companies then refused to give the money to Panama and the employees protested for the return of their money Neely said a protest has been scheduled for 7 am Friday at an armed forces induction center in Kansas City She said some participants planned to block the entrance to the center escalating Neely said of the events in Central and Latin America means we have to escalate our actions Jones said put it simple and to break out of all the political jargon this thing we have done in Panama is just flat-out wrong Not only is it wrong it is flat-out HOUSE OF PFNMARK LAWRENCE 2223 Louisiana Lawrence KS 66046 (913) 843-3633 MON SAT 10-6 THURSDAY 10-6 CLOSED SUNDAY SHAWNEE 1061 1 Shawnee Mission Shawnee KS 66203 (913) 268-6626 MON SAT 10-6 FRIDAY 10-6 SUNDAY 1-5 HOME OFFICE INTERIORS WAREHOUSE OUTLET ONLY! 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Electronics Appliances) TM UNBELIEVABLE SAVINGS ON HUNDREDS OF ITEMS THROUGHOUT THE STORE AUDIO VIDEO By William Hollan Ot the Metropolitan Staff The US invasion of Panama is a violent reflection of racism in American society Kansas City area peace activists said Friday At a forum held at Pathfinder "Bookstore Don McClain director -Ipf the Kansas City Interfaith Peace Alliance told an audience of about 5 persons that Panama had vsecond-largest black population in jhe Nicaragua also has a large black he added a few McClain 3aid start getting suspicious about which people are being McClain said the same racial targeting could apply to the American soldiers who were sent to Panama many of whom were minorities The Rev Mac Charles Jones pastor of St Stephen Baptist Church said: is a racist country It is racist sexist and classist It is no surprise to me that we would drop bombs on people of color in i Arlene Rubinstein chairman of Socialist Workers Party in Kan--as City said the invasion and ouster of Gen Manuel Noriega was -part of an American plan to keep pie Panama Canal in defiance of the 1977 treaty with Panama United States has absolutely proven beyond a shadow of a doubt HUiat it has no intention whatsoever" of returning the canal she said citing years of escalating American military presence in Panama as evidence Rubinstein decried the adminis- Ali sends spokesman to fund-raising event Even though boxing great Muhammad Ali canceled his announced appearance at the Women of first public fundraiser Friday evening a spokesman sent in his place said the champ had not forgotten the cause The event at the Park Place Hotel featured music and speeches The Women of Humanity group spon-jjors workshops in leadership education coping and parental skills 4aid Majeeda Baheyadeen president of the organization Clyde Rahman a spokesman for Ali attended the event in his place said Ali had to leave on short Notice for India to raise money for 'starving children but wanted to 'help Rahman said Ali planned to to Kansas City and appear at 'another of the events humanity is what Ali is -all about" Rahman said loves Children and goes all over the world helping them trying to keep them ff drugs trying to keep them in Women of Humanity has 20 dembers They work with senior Citizens crime victims and family -members of homicide victims said ACCENTS HtCfff FROM ASK EM FROM 288 CONSOLE TVS UNITES QUANTITIES CD PLAYERS UNITES QUANTITIES REMOTE CONTROL REFRIGERATOR FREEZERS Handcrafted Beautifully Finished 48" Solid Oak Table wLeaf and Finished Oak China Cabinet with Curved Glass 4 Finished Oak Press Back Chairs All for Only 199 MUCEB FNON mctu FNom 147 13- REMOTE COLOR TVS UNIT I ns CUST0NEA 2X7 377 CAM CORDERS UNITES QUANTITIES UNITES QUANTITIES WAREHOUSE OUTLET ONLY! 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