The Fresno Bee from Fresno, California • 16

A14 Friday September 26 1997 The Fresno Bee BACK PAGE Albert: Fired NBC sportscaster faces up to one year in jail and a $2500 fine Continued from Pago A1 regional MSG cable network as the voice of baaketball'e New York Knicka "I fully understand the position in which this networka found themselves due to my very painful Albert said the interest of my family my frienda and my many supporters I step aside with deep humility and will aci-K to reconstruct my personal and professional Albert's lawyer Roy Black said hia client accepted the deal bocausa the judge had gutted hia case "If all our evidence had been allowed we wouldn't be in this position" said Black who successfully defended William Kennedy Smith against a rape charge in 1991 "1 thought it was the best way for Marv to end this Under Virginia's rape shield law the Judge is allowed to bar evidence of a aex assault victim's past The defense intended to introduce evidence that Albert's accuser had a pattern of threatening past boyfriends and that she was mentally unstable In their biggest coup they played a tape for jurors Tuesday in which she appeared to coach and bribe a potential witnosa a cab drivor into backing hor claim that Albert was trying to procure another man for three-way sex Outside court cabbie Walter Brndie confirmed the woman wantal him to go to prosecutors with a fabricated story and she would give him a share of her award from a planned $3 million lawsuit against Albert "She said 'You're broke and broke and you got to do something for me' Brodie said got to call this prosecutor! end tell her that one of the times you took Marv Albert back to the Washington Hilton he asked you to get a boy' I said The accuser did not return phone calls to her home Thursday night but hor attorney Goorgo DoPolo roloasod a statement saying "she believes the disposition of this matter is an appropriate ono" and "she fools vindicated Aa Albert made hia plea before Circuit Court Judge Benjamin NA Kendrick his family and other supporters sat stoically in three rows of the courtroom showing no visible reaction Hia fiancee ESPN producer Heather Faulkiner sat with her hands clasped in her lap Sentencing was set for Oct 24 Albert could receive up to a year in jail and a $2500 fine for the single misdemeanor count The judge ordered a pre-sentenc-ing investigation Albert has no prior convictions "Judge Kendrick is a tough sentencing judge in cases of this said Henry Hudson a former Arlington County prosecutor "On the other hand this is a first offender with a good record except for some of the testimony that came out at The plea came after a morning of closed-door meetings between lawyers and prosecutors Trodden said the deal Albert accepted was the same one he hod offered him before the trials but Black later said that true "No it wss a much different plea than was offered today" Black said on King Live" Juror Kerri Nelson told Fox News Channel she "did not feel there was enough evidence to convict "The tape presented by the defense attorneys rained questions in my mind about the alleged victim's motive and credibility" she said "Because of how compelling the tape was 1 was shocked by the fact they plea Shuttle: US astronaut heading toward Mir Nation: Nora Continued from Pag A1 storm dropped persistent showers throughout the area Especially hard hit was the tiny Orange County community of Seal Beach where a combination of high tides storm-generated brings heavy 7i 7 7 rain but damages light val 17- 7: 77 77'W ia89Pfc -r 9 waves up to 20 feet high and runoff from the rain flooded homes near the municipal pier Light sprinkles began falling on Los Angeles shortly before dawn Thursday ending a dry spell that had lasted a record-shattering 219 days The 045 of an inch of rain that had fallen on the Civic Center by nightfall was the first measurable precipitation here since Feb 17 when 002 of an inch fell downtown The old record 197 days wu set between April 12 and Oct 27 in 1927 Nora's diminishing strength spared Southern California the sort of devastation it had wreaked on Bqja California peninsula The worst problems in Southern California apparently occurred in Seal Beach on the outer fringes of the storm Orange County officials said high tides boosted waves generated by Nora and another storm far to the north sending 20-foot breakers crashing down on beachfront homes Three houses were severely damaged and 45 others sustained minor damage Residents of Yuma had prepared for the worst piling up more than 75000 sandbags to divert what many had predicted would be a devastating flood School was canceled city employees were put on alert and residents in 240 homes in the farm community of Somerton near the Mexican border were evacuated to a Red Cross shelter But the storm moved through Yuma quickly and flooding waa confined to streets and low-lying vacant lots By midafternoon the rain stopped and workers were able to rest "I think we're going to sur- 33 I -T Assodstod Press an open-sided thatched hut south of the border near Arizona freeways between 4 and 10 am The light rain coming after the lengthy dry spell led to that briefly knocked out electrical service to about 40000 customers in the city and 85000 customers in surrounding communities In Puerto Penaaco Mexico a Gulf of California port about 120 miles southeast of Yuma high winds downed power lines ripped away signposts and sent sheet metal flying from houses Forecasters said Nora should dwindle into extinction over the Arizona desert early today The Associated Press contributed to this report Beach house Driven by Hurricane Thursday in Kino Bay Mexico The said Roger Brooks an official with the citycounty emergency response team been preparing for the worst but the worst didn't The same sense of relief was evident in California's Imperial Valley Streets were flooded 35000 sandbags were deployed and minor structural damage waa reported in the hamlets of Heber Seeley and Sal ton City but Nora was not as wicked aa had been predicted were lucky the rain was steady but it didn't have those sudden bursts that can cause so much said El Centro Fire Capt Steve Wilson "It waa just a steady warm rain It was Continued from Pago A1 and sounded jubilant before liftoff He shook his raised right fist in triumph and shouted "Happy New Year en route to the pad "I hope David remembered his screwdriver to help fix said his mother Dottie Wolf moments after liftoff At a news conference 12 hours earlier Goldin insisted his decision was not based on emotion or politics but rather science He relied on two concurring last-minute safety reviews conducted by outside experts "We move forward not only because it is safe but for the important scientific and human experience we can gain only from he said "Aa we prepare for the June 1998 launch of the first element of the international space station nothing can beat the hands-on real-time training aboard In recent weeks NASA had come under increasing pressure from members of Congress and others not to put another American aboard But US and Russian space officials had warned that if the United States pulled out it would be an insult to Moscow that could jeopardize the project to build the international space station Wolf didn't learn for certain until late Wednesday that he would be flying to Mir for a full four-month stay Earlier he had given Goldin "a resounding when asked if NASA should press ahead "It's going to be a fun mission going to be shuttle-Mir program manager Frank Culbertson quoted the 41-year-old never-married Wolf as Baying During its 10-day flight the shuttle will bring back Michael Foale the fifth American to live on Mir Foale haa spent 4V4 months aboard the space station In addition Atlantis and its crew of Beven will deliver a new computer along with other repair gear and urgently needed supplies Gen Yuri Glazkov deputy commander of the cosmonaut training center near Moscow insisted that he would never send anyone to Mir and him to "Some people of the media say Russian roulette something like that It's not Glazkov said Russian ability to assess the situation It's Russian courage and Goldin said there are always Nora high waves wash away a palapa storm caused flooding in the area just like being out in a However agricultural officials in Imperial County which provides a large share of the winter produce estimated that the storm did $4 million in crop damage mostly to lettuce carrots broccoli and cauliflower That damage could increase as mold sets in The long dry spell had allowed grease ana oil residues to build up on Southern streets and freeways and sprinkles turned the roadways into tropical skating rinks during the morning rush hour The California Highway Patrol said there were about 230 traffic accidents on Los Angeles-area Valley: Forecast calls for skies to clear by today Continued from Page A1 Cotton and alfalfa too can be damaged by too much moisture got crews out there rolling up trays" he said "I just hope Nora takes her baggage and goes far away from Apparently Kenneson will get his wish Wes Etheredge a meteorologist with Weather Data Inc of Wichita Kan said Valley residents should wake today to find some lingering clouds Skies should clear by the end of the day The mercury should rise to about 88 today Etheredge said not too he said about normal for this time of year" Temperatures have been touching the high 90s for the past week even hitting 100 in some areas Wednesday Thursday's rainfall followed a brief surprise rain last week Anywhere from 006 to 021 of an inch fell in Fresno Sept 18 Grape farmers said the light rain which fell during the height of the monthlong drying season did only minor damage to the raisin crop Fiery show Atlantis illuminates the Thursday night sky as it blasts off from Cape Canaveral Fla and heads for Mir risks in spaceflight and NASA officials are "deeply touched" by the public interest in the flight and fears for the Mir well-being But "the decision to continue our joint participation aboard Mir should not be based on emotion or he said "It should not be based on fear A decision should be based and ia based on scientific and technical assessment of the mission safety and the ability to gain experience and knowledge that cannot be gained Rep James Sensenbrenner chairman of the House Science Committee which opposes sending more Americans to Mir said he does not believe Goldin waa unswayed by US-Russian relations What's more he said he hopes the safety evaluations are "not a NASA whitewash of the many significant safety risks aboard Mir" "We have learned from the Challenger accident that ignoring safety warnings can lead to tragedy and a setback of space exploration for the congressman said Setting it STRAIGHT The Runner of the Year series standings that appeared on Page D4 of Bee did not include points earned in the Cross-City Race Series organizers are compiling an updated list The Artist Formerly Known as Prince will perform Oct 2 at Selland Arena A headline on Page B2 of Bee gave the wrong venue Three charts on Page D1 of Bee contained incorrect information KSEE-24 announced it will televise Ryder Cup golf matches from 11 am to 5 pm Saturday and 5 to 9:30 am Sunday The Sacramento Kings are scheduled to play the NF Milwaukee Bucks in an NBA exhibition game Oct 12 at Selland Arena The Baltimore Orioles clinched the AL East title Wednesday On Page D6 the date of the Fresno City College-Modesto soccer game was incorrect The game waa played Thursday night It is the Bee's policy to acknowledge errors promptly Mistakes should be called to the attention of Too much rain said Kenneson also would hurt the harvesting of garlic in Fresno west side Huron Three Rocks and Firebaugh and could delay the ripening of the fall lettuce crops It waa still too early to say Thursday if any damage had been done to his crop But one thing was certain: The change in the weather was already costing him money IRS: Six agents testify about abuses Dog: Owner was treated for smoke inhalation Continued from Page A1 "It is shocking to sit here and listen to said committee Chairman Sen William Roth R-Del After the witnesses had been escorted down closed corridors under guard and snuck out of the Senate office building Michael Dolan acting IRS commissioner and a 26-year employee of the agency said he waa upset by what he had heard Dolan said he hopes employees would disclose more details to IRS inspectors so the problems could be corrected He promised there would be no retaliation Dolan said the agency has taken steps to prevent unauthorized browning through tax files And he said he would look into charges that the agency had intimidated taxpayers and its employ- Stunning testimony Witnesses said there was plenty to investigate "I have seen more violations of IRS procedures and policies than I can said one witness "In almost every instance IRS management supported the erroneous actions of the revenue offi cer Said another: "I have observed littfe or no accountability for misconduct mistakes andor errors whether innocent or intentional and seldom if ever does the IRS or the responsible employee ever apologize to the taxpayer for the errors committed by the IRS" Senators said they were stunned by the testimony "These accounts are absolutely appalling fearful and intimidated said Sen John Breaux D-La getting an inaide look at the culture of the Internal Revenue said Sen Robert Kerrey D-Neb "These are not the ravings of individuals with a Dolan's denial that the IRS uses a quota system to push agents toward improper tax collections waa received skeptically by Roth who presented a 1996 report from the San Francisco IRS office It said San Francisco IRS agents were failing to reach revenue goals and noted they were directed to bring in more money and spend less time doing it The report said San Francisco agents working on audited individual tax returns were bringing in only $771 an hour against a goal of $1000 an hour The average for the IRS western region waa $980 an hour the report noted "A general improvement ia the San Francisco managers told their agents large improvement can be made by bringing down hours per return" Dolan said he would lessen pressure on agents to prevent the unwarranted pursuit of taxpayers listen to complaints Dolan who ia serving aa the top IRS official until the Senate confirms a Clinton nominee for the post said he would summon hundreds of IRS district directors and senior collections officials to Washington within 30 days to review allegations that the agency waa violating rights And each of the 33 district directors will be required to spend a day each month listening to taxpayer complaints Dolan said "Regardless of how small a minority of employees may have misused their authority or judgment it ia no less offensive Dolan said "It ia my responsibility to sound an alarm with the organization These kinds of instances erode confidence in the entire Continued from Page A1 kept barking at her "She shut up unless I Wride said "She saved my life I would have stayed A a it was Wride said she needed treatment for smoke inhalation equal to "smoking a whole pack of cigarettes at one Wride believes the flames would have spread to the house if Chloe had not alerted the family Chloe munched on a special treat Thursday given to her for acting aa a fire alarm "I went out and got her some lamb Wride said The garage which is separate from the house was destroyed Fresno fire officials said the flames were sparked by a short between the washer and dryer They estimated damage at $10000 to the garage and $5000 to its contents Chloe 15 months is one of 13 dogs and puppies owned by Wride The collection of pooches consists of two Dalmatians two Chihuahuas and nine mixed-breed puppies They share the family's home and yard Wride'i three children and the dogs recently moved to i The Fresno Bee Close call Donna Wride hugs her landlord Nick WKchez after a fire caused by a short circuit in the clothes dryer destroyed her detached garage the home in the 2400 block of North Adoline Avenue Wride said Chloe haa keen instincts: The dog also had alerted the family to the birth of the puppies and to the illness of another pet 1.