The Kansas City Star du lieu suivant : Kansas City, Missouri • 12

FROM THE COVER A 12 THE KANSAS NASCAR: Buyers snap up race tickets day Then when tickets went on sale to the general public Monday 60000 phone calls were tracked to the speedway switchboard and nearly 300000 hits were tracked to the speedway's Web site in the first eight hours of sales Tate said speedway officials be lieved the pace of sales represented an industry record He said it was certainly a record for tracks owned by International Speedway Corp which is the parent company of Kansas Speedway hi and which owns such tracks as Daytona International Speedway Talladega Stt perspeedway and Darlington Raceway Construction of the track located at Interstate 70 and 1-435 is on schedule Race cars might be on the track and testing the first of three asphalt layers of its surface as early as next week The track will seat 75000 people in its grandstands in the first phase of construction Phase II of construction would increase seating to 150000 Lynch said a decision on when to expand to Phase II would be determined by demand for tickets In the wake of news that 80 per cent of tickets for the track's inau gural season were sold 10 months before racing expansion might come sooner rather than later To reach Jim Pedley motorsports writer for the The Star call (816) 234-4860 or send e-mail to jpedleykcstarcom sold "Nobody thought we would do this well this far in advance of our first race" Lynch said About 13000 seats were sold as part of the speedway's Fan program which began July 28 That program offered fans the chance to buy seat licenses which allow them to Own their seats and to purchase tickets for those seats for 30 years Those seats are regarded as the best They are high in the grand stands near the start finish line The rest of the seats went on sale last Thursday meaning about 47000 tickets were sold in eight days he 15000 or so remaining season tickets are for seats of till prices located in till sections of the grand stands Prices range from $170 to $270 for the four-race season tickets They range from $250 to $330 for tickets in the Founding Fan PASS program Ticket requests flooded in as soon as sales started and have remained steady said Stann Tate public relations director for the speedway He said ticket requests have come from all 50 states There was even one from Saskatoon Saskatchewan have a feeling the rest are going to go pretty quickly" Tate said The tickets went on sale to Wyan dotte County residents last Thurs Photos by I it I I) Hl()( I IN! 'The Kansas City Star Practice helped Becky Fletcher of Fminence Mo don a fire shelter a four-pound emergency tent that each firefighter carries on the belt during every wildland blaze FIRES: Hard tests prepare trainees HEAT: Temperatures to also test Wildcats Chiefs people are used to having games (like this) in September and all the precautions they use will be in Jeff Steele assistant athletic director NAVY: Tailhook convention allegations Continued from A-l interviews with some of those involved die officials said The Navy restored its official recognition of the association eight months ago At the time the secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig said that the association had given its assurances that there would be no repeat of (he kinds of incidents that made Tailhook synonymous with the mistreatment of women in uniform Officials said Friday that Danzig would not comment on the incident until the investigation was completed A statement released by die Pentagon said the man and woman were staying at the hotel but not as part of the convention As they returned to their room they tried to pass through what the man described as a crowded hallway the officials said The man reported that the crowd in the hallway till or most of them men made abusive comments when he asked them to make room for them to pass As the couple fought their way through at least one man in the hallway made physical contact" with the woman a senior Navy officer said declining to elaborate The Tailhook Association named for the steel hooks on jets (hat enable them to land on aircraft carriers is a private group based in San Diego that acts as a sort of booster club for naval aviation and has long been associated with the Navy and the Marine Corps Although the lack of official recognition never prohibited officers from attending last convention was the first since the Navy restored its ties Attendance swelled to 2000 with 1 200 to 1 300 active-duty officers in attendance the association's president said Navy officials said several Navy admirals and Marine generals attended the convention but they declined to identify them and it was not clear whether any were aware of the events in the Nuggets hallway One Navy official said that a senior Navy officer contacted the man afterward and apologized indicating he was at least aware of what happened The official said it was not clear whether the officer had reported any misconduct to his superiors as required by Navy policy The senior role during or after the event will also be a subject of the investigation offi cials said A Navy spokesman Cmdr Gregory I Smith declined to discuss the senior conduct citing the investigation but said that the man indicated in his report that he was not satisfied with the apology offered Tailhook's president Lonny McGlung a retired Navy captain and pilot expressed concern about the accusations but said he knew little about what was alleged to have happened I he convention which began on Aug 17 and lasted until last Sunday included a series of cocktail parties dinners seminars focused on the future of naval aviation and even a fly-over of naval jets can tell you it was a very sue cessful convention" McClung said in a telephone interview were only two noise complaints from the hotel" left feeling pretty good about the convention" he added Lt Ken Lightfoot a detective With the police department in Sparks a suburb of Reno said that the police had not received any criminal complaints related to the Tailhook convention though po-Uce did respond to two medical emergencies at the hotel including a man with a head injury at 3 a last Saturday The Tailhook scandal in 1991 had a profound impart on the Navy and the Marine Corps More than 100 officers were eventually implicated in the assaults or other riotous behavior at the convention The worst of the assaults came when a group of drunken pilots formed a gantlet in a hotel corridor and molested women as they passed The uproar over the assaults led to the resignation of the secretary of the Navy Lawrence Garrett ID and the early retirement of the chief of naval operations Adm Frank Kelso both of whom attended the convention though they denied witnessing the worst of the behayior I Continued from A-l red fire retardants They know the hours are long: 18 hours of slamming the earth with a hoe or shovel or a Pulaski an ax hoe tool to create a fire line And the pay is low: Type Us make $10 to $12 an hour hard work but it 's also fun" said Russell Schmidt an in structor and a veteran firelighter Schmidt is fire training coordinator who organizes the fire crews in Missouri- that head out West will see places you would never see For most people after their first time firefighting gets in their blood Sometimes they absolutely hate it" Replacements are desperately needed this year This class like Others taught across the country this week was organized to train fresh recruits Missouri Department of Conservation offices around the slate issued a memo last week encouraging everyone in their offices not just forestry personnel to sign up been an office potato for 10 years but I'd really like to go been hearing the stories for said Marcia Pfleiderer an employee at the conservation office in St Joseph Becky Fletcher a forester from Eminence Mo is a veteran of two national fires in Minnesota and Florida But never been to the Western infernos guys at work tease me They say not a real firefighter until you've gone out she said Missouri and Kansas have sent fire crews and fire trucks Missouri has sent seven pumper trucks and 465 persons Kansas has sent one fire engine and about 30 firefighters including a student crew from Hutchinson Community College and 1 6 students from 1 laskcll Indian Nations University who worked in the elite 1 lotshot squads As of Friday nearly 58 million acres have burned or about 8900 square miles approximately the land size of New' 1 iampshire I low-ever the number of trained firefighters has reached the maximum available across the country according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise Idaho Most firefighters are only permit ted to work two weeks at a time because of the extreme conditions and long hours Longer than two weeks fire experts say and accidents begin to happen "You know the desperate when they start training the military to come in" said Schmidt to the class when he learned that a 500-soldier Army battalion from Fort Campbell Ky was also training this week "Those guys are young and strong but never worked a lire The first time you see a fire like that anyone who has not been around that kind of fire usually panics the most seasoned On Monday the course opened with a movie of the 1988 Yellowstone fire There were images of trees bleeding yellow and orange fire Sounds of crackling sticks amplified over miles Winds screaming as uphill mountainous air collided with the down slope Foehn winds hard for us from the Midwest to imagine what these fires are like in the mountains" said Mark I lumphrey another veteran firefighter and forester at the Depart ment of Conservation based in St Joseph "Out there the flames reach 100 to J50 feet Here usually around eight to 10 feet one thing the film show you is how much smoke and dirt you suck in just to breathe Everyone who goes comes back with respiratory problems You will too" Students learned how fires can react differently in the mountains Fires race more quickly if they're burning upslope A beautiful mountain view could be deadly if it creates a chimney effect feeding the fire into a frenzy Even hiking in the mountainous terrain is something that a Midwesterner needs to keep in mind especially when planning an escape route The students learned how the weather can be their enemy Meteorologists travel with some fire crews to monitor wind speeds relative humidity and storm buildups at regular intervals Just this week two firefighters in Utah were killed when they were struck by lightning are things that you need to be aware warned Humphrey tell you not to scare you but for you to understand how to protect The most important protection a firefighter has is the fire shelter a special four-pound tent carried in yellow pouches on each firelighter's belt at all times The tent affectionately called shaken-bake" or "turkey roaster" is a last resort The tents are made from a thin layer of aluminum foil laminated to fiberglass doth with a nontoxic adhesive The foil will reflect 95 percent of the fire's radiant heat Inside the tent the firefighter lies with his face pressed into the dirt That's where the coolest and cleanest air source Is The shelter can get as hot as 1 50 degrees Fahrenheit but that temperature is survivable Saunas often reach 190 degrees Fahrenheit I lumphrey demonstrated how to shake open the shelter and he reminded them to clear away debris around the site I've never had to deploy one of he said stepping into a practice fire shelter tent and wrapping it around his body I hope I never have to When you're told to deploy your shelter somebody hits really stTewed up Bad whatever you do lift your head up to see what's happening around you You'll hear others Continued from A-1 cooling as efficiently as possible Waeckerle said People should drink fluids before and during the game even if they are not thirsty When people are thirsty they begin to dehydrate and are "already behind the eight Waeckerle said The best fluids to drink are water and carbohydrateelectrolyte solutions such as Gatorade People should avoid alcohol and caffeine which lead to dehydration Children are most susceptible to heat Waeckerle recommended that children playing in a sports event drink at least a quart of fluid an hour before the game half a quart 30 minutes before the game and 8 ounces of fluid every 10 to 15 minutes during the game Warning signs of overexposure to the heat include dizziness nausea and lightheadedness you're feeling not right the matter with get out of the Waeckerle said in a cool spot" The biggest concentration of potential heat cases today though will be at Arrowhead Stadium and there is concern for players and fans alike "We have a full staff of Red Cross and medical persofmel" said Jeff Steele assistant athletic director in charge of game-day op erations Chiefs people are used to having games (like this) in September and all the precautions they use will be in Steele said the event would follow policy and allow each fan to bring one water bortle with an unbroken seal into the stadium Fans also may bring an empty water container that they can fill inside the stadium Both coaches said they Would take precautions to keep their heavily padded players as cool as possible important tiling is to make sure your fluid level stays as positive as it can" K-State coach Bill Snyder said will IV sdrne players before the game for that The Wildcats have something of warm-weather advantage been practicing in this heat twice a day until this week since reporting to camp earlier in the month practices have been in the 100s throughout this period" Snyder said mean we are not concerned but we have experi ence with it" Fhe weather's been a bit cooler in Iowa City cut back a bit on warmups and been talking to players all week about nutrition rest and Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz said Teams can bring their full squads to the game K-State likely will dress more than 100 Iowa 95 Even in the heat depth shouldn't be an issue Ferentz said "we have 95 who are ready to screaming and panicking trying to outrun the fire but hold still could save yourtife" Everyone in the class practiced opening their shelter and throwing themselves on the ground wearing it Under the tent with their arms and legs spread-eagled on the floor each student imagined how that moment would feel Tuesday evening back on the track the pack test started Twelve students hoisted their backpacks on The two firemen from Lawrence have opted to take their tests at a different lime they have a shift to work that night A third student Becky Fletcher took her pack test in February The packs contain everything from five bars of window weights to shotgun pellets to simulate what a 45-pound pack filled with gear would feel like sure most of the weight is on your hips and not your shoulders" called out Schmidt as the students adjusted their packs in your gut and cinch the waist strap as tight as you can stand it It'll Forget about three miles Just walking to the starting line makes faces red sweat roll down foreheads arms glisten wiffi sweat pace Schmidt said call out the splits on your laps and let you know if you are falling A few jokers crouched down as if preparing for a sprint I lumphrey held his left arm high like a track official His right thumb paused above the starter button on his stopwatch "On your mark go" His arm dropped down and a dozen liikers awkwardly lurched forward As they walked some were bent from the waist others pressed down painfully on Uieir thighs From the sidelines a construction crew was taking a break from applying hot asphalt and enjoying the sight Finally they took pity and unfurled a watering hose "Do you want to get one worker asked Randy Hulse 46 a forester from Hannibal Mo as he passed one lap Hulse was sprayed with a heavy mist Most of the water evaporated before hitting the track After two laps Marcia Pfleiderer was lagging behind She stopped Shaking her head she wrestled her backpack off and collapsed in the meager shade the stadium walls provide had to stop" she said between breaths was getting too familiar with my lunch been exercising but not at this intensity" At the next lap two more students dropped out Then two more Finally six students half the class this day abandoned the test too damn hot" said one a fireline be this hot No But in the end six students did pass including Hulse one of the oldest Those who failed can retake the exam in a few days if they choose But already a few have decided not to bother that's OK" said Schmidt consoling those who have opted not to try it again everyone is cut out for this This is a national emergency a crisis It feels good to know you're helping anyone who signs up for this just to have the bragging rights well that macho stuff wears out real quick when there proud that the Missouri crews sent have all received good ratings We want to keep that up" For those who passed the call to head west could come as early as Monday morning To reach Lee Hill Kainnaugh call (816) 234-4420 or send e-mail to lkaiianaughlcestarcom SUICIDE: Fairway man hangs himself in jail cell Continued from A-l pled guilty so that the three girls would not have to come to Nammour pleaded guilty in July to charges of rape aggravated criminal sodomy and two counts of indecent liberties with a child The charges involved 13- and 15-year-old sisters and another girl who was 1 1 at the time videotapes were made Police had recovered videotapes of Nammour having sex with the girls according to prosecutors and police Detectives with the Department estimated that they recovered about 1000 hours of video footage involving six girls Attorneys were to recommend a 29-year prison term at his sentencing scheduled for Thursday The last jail suicide in Johnson County was in March 1995 when a Fairway man jailed on arson charges used a cord from a laundry bag to hang himself Officials at that time said it was the first suicide at the jail since 1981 In December 1996 a convicted sex offender who was going to be sentenced to prison shot himself to death in a Johnson County Court house rest room The man who was free on bond before his sentencing smuggled a 357-caliber handgun into the courthouse Metal detectors have since been posted at courthouse entrances Peters said members of family were traveling to the Kansas City area Friday Nammour was an emigre from Lebanon who had come to the United States in 1988 after fighting for a pro-Israeli and American militia according to Peters He had worked in the United States as a computer technician To reach Tony Rizzo call (816) 234-7713 or send e-mail to trizzokcstarcom In addition to their field testing the wildfire trainees received classroom Work Nathan Jamison a firefighter from Lawrence took notes during the session at St Joseph 1.