The Fresno Bee from Fresno, California • 18

JX2 Thursday Dec 20 1984 II if FI If GNOME If '1 i Merced judge seeks seat on appeal court By JOE THOME Merced County bureau I JE court and is thought to be under consideration again this time "All 1 can say Is we sent names to the Judicial Evaluation Committee of the State Bar and have received the confidential evaluations from the bar" Brett said Wednesday Candidates will be interviewed and screened Once the appointment is made it is subject to approval by the Commission on Judicial Appointments Frets who has been on the Superior Court bench for 22 years confirmed submitting -his application Frets was bom in Tipton Ind and graduated from DePauw University He received his law degree from the University of San Francisco in 1951 He moved to Merced and entered private law practice In 1954 he was appointed public defender and in 1962 was elected to the Superior Court bench defeating three candidates He has had no challengers since I 2 ITT 1 4 Ai frftJ 'S AdwMJ te MERCED Merced County Superior Court Judge Donald Fretz is a candidate for the 5th District Court of Appeal in Fresno hoping to move up to the vacancy created by the retirement next month of Justice Kenneth Andreen Last April Andreen said he planned to retire when he turned 60 cm Dec 12 He extended that into the new year so he will be on the bench Jan 7 to swear in his wife Judy as a member of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors Kevin Brett an assistant press secretary to Gov Deukmejian said a successor will be named as soon as possible after Andreen retires 1 Brett declined to say how many judges had applied for the appellate court appointment which carries an annual salary of 58368 Tulare County Superior Court Judge Jay Ballantyne has been rumored to be In line for recent openings on the Fresno appellate rAff't JSA 1 it jS' yvT rrw48Cv v'- -sf gajagsaww(Bi 'jjyOvts? -Sty-v-- i-t -J (' Fresno Bm CrodrTL Hightower returns to a warm greeting from his wife LL Lonna Hightower at Lemoore Naval Air Station t'Jitf i 1 I 4 i i Lemoore pilots end months of sea duty off the Central Coelho said He added that disciplinary action might include fines or restrictions on the licenses Coelho has been working for such an agreement for about a year "I have always taken the position that when we declare an area a national part we want to preserve its beauty Not just its visual beauty its sound and said Coelho However he said many agencies were ready to sign the agreement last year but the FAA opposed it questioning whether it was justified to restrict movement over parts Officials with the FAA could not be reached for comment The following agencies and officials signed the agreement: the National Park Service the FAA Department of Interior Department of Transportation US Fish and Wildlife Service assistant secretary for Fish Wildlife and Parks and assistant secretary for policy The agreement made official Dee 6 will be in effect for five years Results will be reviewed on a yearly basis and amendments will be allowed Coelho he hopes the agreement "will become part of the permanent rules of government" after the five years Overflights Continued from Page B1 flight on the park's environment and natural resources The Department of Interior National Park Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service may for the first time collect date and turn it over to the FAA These agencies have agreed to specifically identify where low-flying aircraft constitute a conflict and to report this information to the FAA The park service also has said it will standardize a reporting system to document cases of low-flying aircraft that is acceptable to the FAA And the park service will develop information programs for the FAA and teach employees to document and report instances of low-flying aircraft Meanwhile the FAA has agreed to use advisories bulletins and other methods to communicate die concerns to pilots And it will investigate instances of pilot deviations from the FAA minimum altitude recommendation and take Observance of the 2000-foot altitude is "not-mandatory but encouraged and those who the FAA will go Dressed' in civilian clothes LL Lonna Hightower said she guessed the first thing she'd say her to her husband would be "I love It was the third time in years of marriage she had kissed him hello after separations for the Inevitable sea duty About the risks of sea assignments she "You always worry especially with the things that have been going on lately I always worry but I try not to dwell on it I pray a lot awfully said LL Hightower a maintenence training officer for another Lemoorwhased squadron "But I'm really proud of my husband really proud of what all the guys are doing out ejection from his crippled A-7E i i The Enterprise was part of the year's largest naval exercise an event made more realistic from time to time according to Navy reports by uninvited participants Soviet naval and air units "There was a possibility of combat but that happens all the time" said one of the returning pilots always a possibility Cmdr TL Hightower the boss of Squadron 94 was welcomed back by his mother and his wife His mother Mrs James Hightower of Ellenton Fla was as she waited in the hangar Temperatures were in the 80s she said when she left Florida along 300 California wui The Enterprise is scheduled to glide under the Golden Gate Bridge and dock at Alameda today Among those aboard are maintenance and support personnel from Lemoore who will arrive at the base by bus later in the day As each plane rolled to a stop Wednesday and its number was recognised relatives and friends rushed from the hangar to engulf the pilot in embraces and kisses 1 One of the two 24 pilots fly in with rest Lt Marv Watte was recuperating after being fished from the Indian Ocean by a rescue helicopter a few weeks ago following an emergency ByCHARLES MCCARTHY Bue staff writer VlEMOORE With Willie 'Nelson's "You Were Always on My 'bfiml" blaring from a hangar 'loudspeaker two squadrons of jet pilots landed at Lemoore Naval Air Station on Wednesday for holiday reunions with families and friends they had not seen in seven months 'The lead-gray A-7E jets of Attack 'Squadrons 22 and 94 barely visible against the overcast skies swooped their home base from the deck the USS Enterprise 1 I The Alameda-based carrier which left in May for a naval exercise In the Western Pacific and Ocean was still churning ir'1! it' cut back its 1 1 i government also has financial support Cold wefdggsr nearly here Expansion A a 1 Continued from Page 01 -r Corporation of Public Broadcasting Dougherty said the lack of state funding for public broadcasting is a great concern to him and other 4 station operators in California "We have lost about ja fourth of our funding' because of federal Dougherty said "And the new proposal to overhaul the tax system would result in a great loss nifWIS of public broadcasting across the 1 -country '-iir-- oMif repeatedly violate Continued from i '(' Ihis is' the only state in the nation not to provide some kind of he said especially concerned about that when the governor says he has a surplus I think anyone delivers service to the entire state as much as public In October Gov Deukmejian vetoed a bill that would have provided some state funding to public radio and television stations In recent years the federal Dougherty said the proposal would affect charitable 'donations because it would eliminate the tax deduction 4 "It would be a very serious problem to he said president in cutting funding wanted business to pick up the tab but expecting business to lose its tax advantages and pick up the tab on top of that is fantasy land "But die bottom line in our case is that the people of the valley really support public broadcasting They are the lifeblood of everything been able to do We last 30 days without their interest and The weather during the last few days-has been similar to that around the state An upper-level' low-prtsSilre system off the Central California coast has been responsible In addition to the chance of rain the valley also is likely to have patchy fog this morning high should reach 52 and a low of 36 is expected tonight high should be 54 In the Sierra showers are expected to linger this morning then taper off in the afternoon The area should be mostly sunny Friday Temperatures at 5000 feet should be about 30 in the afternoons and 20 at night The snow level is between 3000 and 4000 feet The extended forecast through Monday is for dry weather and fog Highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s to low 40s are expected Odd wet weather continued to blanket Fresno and the valley Wednesday and a 30 percent chance of rain was predicted for today On Wednesday morning Coalinga residents could still see the remnants of an unusual snowfall near their city Tuesday night About 5 inches of snow fell at the Parkfield grade in the foothills of the Coast Range about seven miles from Coalinga Snow fell periodically in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks Wednesday and chains are required there The Generals Highway has been closed from Woodward Creek to Clover Creek since Saturday Yosemite was cloudy Wednesday but no snow had fallen since Tuesday night At 11 pm Wednesday Fresno had received 47 of an inch of rjin in the previous 24 hours units $15 per mobile home pad 515 per parcel for open unimproved or agricultural land and 550 per pared for commercial Industrial or retail property Biggs noted that people now in the district have helped retire earlier building bonds For new residents the fees would be a "small price to pay for quality education" he said a citizen's duty a jobjo participate in underwriting the cost of education" He said "52J50 is a lot of money but when cast in that light in terms of what for the burden pates a little The board came dose to deleting a section that allows for exemptions based on a ability to pay District officials indicated that the cost of determining who might be eligible for an exemption would be sizable The board held off on dropping the section until a cost estimate can be made Pag B1 selling point because current landowners will be the ones who vote on it Developers who helped design the plan believe it will Slow growth in the district because the area is so popular Biggs said The proposal calls for the following fees when building permits are issued during the next six years: on homes 5750 per unit for units 5100 per mobile home pad and 40 cents per square foot on commercial industrial and retail construction The committee had proposed graduated fees in the latter category But the board suggested the flat rate and Biggs said he found no problem with iL The plan also calls for annual taxes for the next six years They are: 150 on single-family residences $15 for multipte-tamily More local news on Page Dll a 1 Battle Chemical Continued from Pago B1 substance called a mercaptan in vapor form As the odor became evident the two FMC employees a security guard and a maintenance worker entered the room to investigate They called the Sheriffs Office and an FMC team trained to deal with spills and related problems Peterson was called by the Sheriffs Office and went to the Officials with the FAA could not plant immeSately'Bythat time be reached for comment --y '-Calwaarea residents had begun to The following agencies and call in complaints about the odor officials signed the the Oberti said the cool temperatures National Park Service the FAA and fog helped to keep' the Department of Interior Department dimethoate from spreading because of Transportation USL Fish ind thd chemical -revetted to droplet Wildlife Service assistant secretary form for Fish Wildlife and Parks and assistant secretary for policy-The agreement made official Dec 6 will be in effect for five years Results will be reviewed on a yearly basis and amendments will be allowed Coelho said he hopes the agreement "will become part of the permanent rules of after the five yean Overflights ContJmMd from Pag B1 flights on the environment and natural resources The Department of Interior National Park Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service may for -the first time collect data and turn it over to the FAA These agencies have agreed to specifically identify where low-flying aircraft constitute A conflict and to report this Information to the FAA 7 The park service also has said it will standardise a reporting system 49 document cases of low-flying pirtraff that is acceptable to the 'FAA And the park service will develop information programs for the FAA and teach employees to document and report instances of low-flying aircraft -Meanwhile the FAA has agreed to usd' advisories bulletins and other methods to communicate the concerns to pilots And it will investigate instances of pilot 'deviations from the FAA minimum 'altitude recommendation and take Observance of 1 the 2000-foot altitude is mandatory but encouraged and those who repeatedly violate the FAA will go Coelho said He added that disciplinary action might include fines or restrictions on the licenses Coelho has been working for such an agreement for about a year have always taken the position that when we declare an area a national park we want to preserve its beamy Not just its visual beauty its sound and said Coelho Continued from Page B1 howitzer They heard thd creaking and squeaking of advancing tanks It was night and Reed could see nothing ahead in the dark "We heard them be said "and we knew damn well it our The German tanks sounded a little like -an approaching freight train Reed heard Germans Shout orders to each otlwr The sounds got closer Reed said describing that wait and the mdse that an advancing enemy-army makes in the dark "It cheer you up His M7 crew up front among the American' artillery unite made contact with the Germans on the 19th Reed know that German troops had surrounded the Americans at Bastogne or that he was in the last great terrible battle of World War II in Europe He was not burdened with overall military strategy His task was relatively simple He was an assistant driver and was supposed to help drive the M7 The order came down for Reed and the others to get ouL No particular direction "just get the hdl out of there if you Mortars flew back and forth flies up to 100 Reed said "The whole damn outfit lost Reed stood next to the M7 "I carried a little old submachine gun I know where the shell hit whatever it was I got hit and Mueller got hit at the same The next thing Reed knew he was waking up behind a tank Medics gave him pills and said these need It was his only medical treatment for a long time They wrapped bandages farmhouse or barn There was Reed his sergeant and "another guy I know where the bell he came from He was not in my Then they were taken to the monastery of Beauplateau It was Dec 21 Reed lost track of two days- Father Brin at the monastery arranged for designation of parte of the building for the monks They were off limits for Germans Germans roamed around the monastery's first floor as the wounded Americans lay upstairs Germans looked in on the Americans a couple times Reed said but paid little attention apparently concluding that Reed and the others were too severely hurt to cause any trouble Brill a woman named Mary and her friend Suzanne fed the injured soldiers Reed tried to talk to his sergeanL He asked Mueller how he was doing There was no answer Bill Mueller "a nice guy from Carolina I don't remember if It was north or in the monastery Reed still talk much about thaL okl friends from the monastery hunted him by mail and found him in Coalinga He is a retired oil worker Reed took his October trip into history with his granddaughter Diane Purldser of Bakersfield He renewed treasured friendships but discovered mixed feelings about the World War II observances There was a price in mental anguish "This Bastogne he called ft "It do you a damn bit of good It brings back memories It takes your mind back to things that are better He called Us World War II experience "quite a "It was a bell of an adventure but I want to go through ft again But as I (fid I take anything for Reed said he received some Purple Hearts for his service "but you can find others just like them in any pawn But the mercaptan which is one of the materials broken out of the dimethoate drifted as far as four to five miles from the planL Oberti said the Health Department is confident that no dimethoate moved outside the plant site but he said swab samples were taken in a wide area and results should be available today He said dimethoate is readily detectable in a blood test and the fact that the two FMC employees most heavily exposed to the chemical had clean tests is evidence that there is "almost no health danger from the spill Still he said the symptoms of pesticide poisoning are the same as those caused by the harmless mercaptan headache and nausea and anyone experiencing those symptoms should be examined Oberti and Peterson said that FMC has a good record in handling chemicals ami that the incident did 'not appear to be caused by carelessness Oberti also said that there is no reason to believe that the incident could have been more hazardous 1 happened Is just about as i bad as it- would get with that he said Police dispatcher gets her job back South Valley bureau PORTERVILLE Former Porterville police dispatcher Connie Jordan has her old job back ending a three-year legal battle Hearing officer Carl Lange ruled Tuesday that Jordan fired by Police Chief John Smith in 1981 for incompetence is entitled to her old 1 job about 525000 in retroactive pay and 5200 for her legal costs She will return to work on Jan 7 but goes back on the city payroll today according to a spokesman far the city Jordan was Reserve Officer of the Year in 1979 The injured Americans were carried to a nearby.