The Fresno Bee from Fresno, California • 17

11 (( 4 INSIDE Editorials THE TRESNO BEE Thursday Dee 20 1984 Link between killings? Death resembles series of summer murders By BOB MANOR The latest victim's identity all in their mid-Ms to early 30s jTh: Bee staff writer remains unknown Dental records clothing of all five victims wai are being checked to try to learn her found in disarray The death of an unidentified name The most recent victim had' young black woman whose body was Her badly decomposed body was suffered a severe blow to the head found in a ditch near Easton on 1 found in an irrigation ditch partly before entering the water At least Tuesday closely resembles a series crnirwitod by foliage "It was in a two of the other victims were struck of summer murders investigators pi where people in the head before their bodies were' believe were possibly committed by Uid one person familiar with the dumped in the water Another-the same individual case victim was strangled In every case the bodies were stripped of identification requiring painstaking efforts to learn their names The bodies have' been found: in-Easton Caruthers San Joaquin and in Madera all rural locations where the bodies would not easily be found I At least one of the victims was' sexually molested In some cases the bodies were so decomposed as to make it impossible for medical examiners to determine whether they had been sexually attacked -During the fall deputies arrested a man whom they believed was responsible for at least one of the killings Subsequent investigation cleared him of the murder and he was released According to the Fresno County Office the victim was a Mack woman in her mid-20s She had been dead two to three months and was in the water-filled ditch for much of that time Cause of death is unknown and analysis is continuing But according to one source the nature of the death is very similar to that of the deaths of the other young women whose bodies were found between June and September Like the other four the latest victim was found in a water setting In the earlier cases the victims were found either in ditches or irrigation standpipes All of the victims were black and No one at the Fresno County Department could be reached for comment on the latest murder and in the past officials have ducked questions about the killings In all the bodies of five young black women have been found in a water setting since June Detectives did say a few months ago that the summer murders of three young Mack women were probaMy the work of the same killer And a fourth murder during the summer also closely resembled the other three although detectives never said that killing was related And the woman found Tuesday was apparently killed in the summer or fall about the same time as the other four Limits set By COLLEEN FITZPATRICK Bee staff writer Officials with the Department of Interior and the Federal Aviation Administration have signed an interagency agreement limiting airplane flights over national parks to a minimum altitude of 2000 feet Rep Tony -Coelho announced Wednesday The agreement also enables the agencies that administer public lands to collect data on lowjlying aircraft and present complaints and Lester Reed holds photos of himself in 1 944 and of woman who Fiwno BeeRyan IMm Marty cared for his war wounds on park overflights trip to monastery stirs memories of fateful battle By JIM STEINBERG Bee staff writer I Chemical spill danger discounted 1 where elevations range up to 13000 feet However by including the other national parks the agreement' "insulates Coelho said "Yosemite now is not the exception for the rule It is part of the rule The agreement signed by officials from seven agencies will also estaMish a reporting system to help the FAA investigate concerns by the public and the Department of Interior agencies on the effects of See OVERFLIGHTS Page B2 product used in pesticides which is stored at low temperatures in concentrated form in a solid or semi-solid state When it is to be diluted for use in pesticides the chemical is wanned to "about room to turn it to liquid The dimethoate at FMC was In a stored in open-topped 50-gallon drums when something apparently went wrong with the temperature controls The chemical overheated and began to boil as it does at about 100 degrees Fahrenheit releasing both dimethoate and one of its constituents an evil-smelling See CHEMICAL Page B2 concerns to the Federal Aviation Administration Coelho D-Merced said the agreement will not affect air tour flights over Yosemite opposed by conservationists as an intrusion into the natural setting The flights began in May Operator of the flights Golden Eagle Air Tours earlier agreed to clear the minimum altitude keeping its flights at 11000 feet above sea level and 2000 feet above ground level in the back country However nearby residents who experience headaches or nausea from the obnoxious odor caused by the leak are advised to seek medi-cal attention site of the spill actually a boil-over immediately after it was reported said that the two FMC employees most directly exposed were checked and given clean Mils of health He said the chemical involved is dimethoate an organophosphate Reed born in Hanford volunteered for the Army but went with no lofty ideological cause like saving democracy or defeating Nazism and fascism He sought only help out to win the war been in Germany and know what was going he said "They told us to pack up and move The captain knew but us guys know nothing about iL "We came to Bastogne but be said "We went on to Longvilly Just a small town looking for Germans We ran smack into Reed and five others from the 58th Armored Field Artillery Battery waited in the odd and fog outside Longvilly a small town near Bastogne on Dec 18 and 19 1944 Reed had no idea what would happen and he still know how much his officers knew He was Justapfc His officers know how Mg it was going to he said of the coming battle "They probably know a damn thing more than we did but they knew the Germans were Reed and his crew "squished in their M7 -armored mobile artillery piece that carried a 105mm See BATTLE Page B2 COALINGA "Keep it low key" laid Lester Reed 70 describing Christmas 40 years ago in Longvilly Belgium where he lay wounded in a monastery one of 80000 American casualties in the Battle of the Bulge Forty years ago today the Battle of the Bulge raged It was last great offensive of World War II That climactic event of the war in Europe has brought observances this year and Reed Joined one of them Belgians who sheltered him 40 years ago invited him back to Die monastery of Beauplateau in October The trip spurred did memories sweet and fearsome of kindness in war Reed born in Hanford volunteered for the Army -but went with no lofty ideological cause like saving democracy or defeating Nazism and fascism He sought only Hto help out to win the i That simple-sounding task took him to Noth Africa against Field Marshal Erwin Rommel to Sicily to Omaha Beach and finally to the Battle of the Bulge Wounded there he spent Christmas in the monastery "Christmas was Just like the 24th and 26th" Reed said "There was no tree no presents Just another Shrapnel had struck him in the right eye left arm and right leg His sergeant Bill Mueller "a pretty good boy common as shoe lay badly wounded "a fair-sized bole in his Reed had entered the Battle of the Bulge in confusion and got out the same way By WANDA COYLE Bee staff writer There is no cause for alarm over a chemical spill that occurred Just after midnight Wednesday morning at the FMC Corp (riant near Calwa Fresno County Health Department officials said However they are recommending that nearby residents who experience headaches or nausea from the obnoxious odor caused by the leak seek medical attention to be sure The odor may linger for another couple of days said Larry Oberti and Bob Peterson environmental analysts with the Health Department Peterson who was called to the Channel 18 plans expansion to Kern 1 I 4 4 i i By JACALYN GOLSTON Bee education writer Channel 18 the valley's puMic television station is planning to expand to Bakersfield and southern Kern County if the proposal is approved by the Federal Communications Commission KMTF Station Manager Colin Dougherty plans to meet today with a group from Bakersfield to discuss installing a booster station to receive signals from Channel 18 "We think it's a tremendous said very much a mutual proposal It would be paid for by a Kern County community fund drive and would become part of the Channel 18 Channel 18 which now serves a four-county area recently completed its December fund drive about $5000 short of its 8150000 goal but more than $32000 ahead of last year's effort very happy with that When we set goals they are realistic and we need to meet them but we're pleased that this is an increase over last said Dougherty "But of course our expeases also have gone The monthly operating cost for the station is about $120000 and the annual budget is $15 million About 90 percent of the public television funding comes from individual or corporate contributions It receives $300000 in federal funding from the See EXPANSION Page B2 thirds of the district's voters would have to approve the measure If it passed the taxes could be collected beginning in the 1985-88 school year In November 1983 district voters turned down a building tax by a 3-1 margin But Jan Biggs head of the citizens committee said Die new plan is more equitable and has a much better chance of passing' The last plan drew opposition because the board exempted forms businesses and vacant properties It called for a $60 fee on every household The new plan places most of the burden on new development a key See CLOVIS Page B2 Special tax for schools likely for Clovis ballot By BRENDA MOORE Bee staff writer CLOVIS A six-year special tax to raise money for more schools is likely to be an the June 4 ballot in the Clovis Unified School District During a meeting attended by about five people trustees last night made few changes on a tax plan designed by a citizens group then set a public hearing for 8 pm Jan 9 If the final proposal is ready by Jan 31 it could be placed on the June ballot Enrollment is continuing to gain rapidly and the district is not in line for state funds to meet the growth To collect building funds two- i i i i i 5 ir I if SW i.