The Olathe Daily News from Olathe, Kansas • 10

4B Weekend July 1 112 1998 State Nation THE OLATHE DAILY NEWS muster I Dm Senate reiterates policy on Thi wan TOPEKA All legal challenges to the planned speedway in Wyandotte County were effectively rendered mpot by a Kansas Supreme Court ruling that die new state law encouraging die track is constitutional In a unanimous decision the court rejected all challenges to die proposed construction of die track contained in a lawsuit filed by Wyandotte County District Attorney Nick Tomasic Those challenges included claims die law was drafted to apply only to Wyandotte County and 'that enhanced compensation to displaced landowners was unconstitutional including areas where other lawsuits were attacking it He asked for an immediate hear-' ing and it was granted got together and raised all die issues we think might be involved so this would be settled once and for Tbmasic said filed directly in the Supreme Court because their decisions are binding on all lower TWo other lawsuits filed in Wyandotte Coun- ty District Court were examined and Tbmasic raised issues from those cases as well noth- -ing was left Those cases all practical purposes are moot and will likely be dismissed he said 1 The Kansas International Speedway Corporation issued a Statement that it was pleased with die ruling and that it had 78 contracts with 1 property owners The $252 million track would be build on 1000 acres near the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435' There are about 146 homes and four businesses on die site The new law allows die unified Wyandotte County-Kansas City Kan to issue speedway bonds for 30 years instead of the 20 years under die previous law It also provides residents be compensated at a rate of 125 percent of the appraised value of their property Assistant District Attorney Thomas Martin had argued die 125 percent compensation rate violates laws providing for just compensation and equal protection But die Supreme Court disagreed Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution requires only that just compensation be paid for the taking of private property It does not prohibit a condemning authority from -paying more than what is determined to be just Justice Bob Abbott wrote for thecourt Another major issue was the increased time of bonded indebtedness for the one particular project and whether the distinction was On that point the court ruled The fact that similar extensions of time for repayment are not granted to other types of tourism does not violate equal protection The lawsuit also challenged whether the track would be for a public purpose as is required for die issuance of some bonds WASHINGTON Die Senate underscored die US commitment to Thiwan in a 92-0 vote Friday that Republicans called a repudiating Presklent Clinton's comments during his China trip Democrats said the resolution repeating a US pledge to help Thiwan a sufficient self-defense merely reaffirms existing law position has been the same before and after the trip to Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said in explaining why Democrats stampeded to support -what had originated as a largely GOP slap at Clinton During his recent China tour Clinton publicly stated Washing- ton's opposition to Taiwanese independence a separate Thiwan government and the island bid to join the United Nations That brought sharp criticism from Taiwanese leaders who fear such a public pledge could diminish effbrtsfor more world recognition and from congressional conservatives Clinton also taflrcd about the peaceful of Thiwan with the Chinese mainland using a word that does not appear in any US doctrine nor is it part of the US policy Conservatives have aigiral that Clinton altered the UJS position on the relationship between the mainland and Thiwan by moving closa to China's position on unification V- pleased with die decision even though I said Tbmasic who supported the new law'- The purpose was to get a final determina- don They ruled right down (each point of) die law Tbmasic said The 1998 Legislature amended several urban redevelopment statutes to change bonding law and compensate displaced property owners above die fair value of their land Tbmasic challenged the law on several fronts Two Marines face courts-martial RALEIGH general ordered two Marine jet crewmen tried for manslaughtra Friday for slicing through a ski gondola cable in the Italian Alps and sending 20 people to their death Accepting the recommendation of a military judge LL Gen Peter Pace commander of Marine Corps Forces Atlantic said there is enough evidence for a court-martial for Capt Richard Ashby die pilot and Capt Joseph Schweitzer the navigator Ashby and Schweitzer both 30 are accused ofhotdogging through a mountain pass in their EA-6B Prowlra in file Feh 3 acd- i denL They could get up to life in prison The accident caused an uproar in Europe and strained relations between Italy and die United States Italians demanded that the crew be tried in that country and that US landing rights at Italian bases be revoked The officers' lawyers had argued that file aviators were chaiged because of political pressure that went as high as file White House Pace dismissed charges against file two back-seat officers in the jet CapCs Chandler Seagraves and William Raney ILEvi-' 1 dence during a hearing showed they had very Untiled visibility and no control ova file radar-jamming plane Dallas diocese settles pedophile case DALLAS Bringing to aclose one of file biggest sex scandals 4 ever to hit the Raman Catholic Church the Diocese of Dallas agreed to pay $234 million Friday to nine forma altar boys who said they were molested tty a priest The chuitfi had been accused of trying to cover up the allegations against flic priest 53-year-old Rudolph Kcs who is now serving a life senlenoe in prison Earlier this week the fctican stripped him of his priesthood Itisoneof the largest settlements ever paid by the church in a sexual abuse case the moment it brings an end tothe very active phase of what -took place the trial the aftermath and the Bishop Charles Grahmann said a lot of healing has to take dace a lot of The bishop alsp apologized for and lbr the way lhgnj diocese handled the allegation Eight of fijcfqnreboyp were sqiong 11 victims who won $1 196 miUiop in a lawsuit a year ago in fix biggest verdict ever against a dioceselAhirifli forma altar boy also shared in Friday's -hnrt -Jfi i frJ'! '-w yrrwi- Associated A llio A military honor guard carries the casket containing the remains of Air Force Li Michael BlassiefridayiU i TfctAaaooiatodPfNs ForiValue of what has happened and die significance of who Michael was die family realized that it just Michael Blassie coming home to the Blassie family" Pat Blassie said sharing it with a couple of thousand families whose loved ones come home The ceremony marked die first of several public memorials planned for Blassie A memorial service was held lata1 in die evening at St Thomas die Apostle Catholic Church in suburban St Louis where mother is a member service 1 motiier three sisters and George Blassie each carried a small American flag rest place of Michael was for so long the Tomb of the Rigali said This shrine was still distant from his house die soil of Missouri the banks of the Mississippi Tbday he comes A graveside service was scheduled for Saturday morning at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery An honor guard will fire a 21-gun salute and F-15 Ragle fighters will roar overhead in a flyover Secretary of Defense William Cohen and other top-ranking military personnd were to attend Blassie had been missing since May 11 1972 when his A-37 fighter was shot down over An Loc The 24-year-old first lieutenant was on a bombing run His wingman saw his jet lose a wing then crash and bum Later that year remains were recovered dining a mission into the South Vietnamese jungle ST LOUIS For 14 years he was an unnamed hero buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns Now Air Force Lt Michael Blassie is home still a hero but anonymous no more remains were brought home Friday for a solemn service befitting a pilot killed in die line of duty in Vietnam A military band played softly as six members of an Air Force honor guard carried his flag-draped casket from the C-130 cargo plane at Scott Air Force Base 111 near hometown of St Louis -J Members of family watched and wept quietly of a sudden as if no time has said sister Pat Blassie grieving all over again" Several hunched people a mix of civil- ians and members of die military saluted or held their hands over their hearts during the brief ceremony Model 1 was a significant day for brother George Blassie said during die service This has meant so much to us We believe Michael would have been proud of how we pulled together to bring him George Blassie was die only family member to speak at the service which was lead by Archbishop Justin Rigali About 350 family members friends and veterans attended the ISHPBrigplSMtan lnM0HVnglnswh alMw WiMMlichsrgs Ui-1 mowing dMkitti 1 stindMl mulch bofls 1 EtodrtcPTO dutch $1899 High court upholds sentences of wife murderer child kQler iRetliWing Slloe Store! NO INTERESTNO PAYMENT UNTIL OCTOBER 11998 10 Down Required with Approved Credit If you Depend on Your Shoes or Boots vaiey viewsc 8423 95th Street Overland Park KS 66212 833E WideCut Mower Phone Fax 913-648-7860 JSeltfropelled owerj During that trial testimony was that Parks told his wife that had to kill her like he had killed Based on that informa- tion Kansas filed a murder charge against him Parks eventually pleaded no contest to the Kansas charge and die trial court imposed the sentence and ordered it to be served after his New Mexico sentence jm? M599 7 $429 Work ShoeSport Boot Headquarters SO TOPEKA A man who told his wife as he tried to kill ha that he had murdered his previous spouse lost his lad to have his life sentence overturned by the Kansas Supreme Court -Also Friday the state's highest court let stand (he life sentence of a woman convicted of killing ha 3-y ear-old adopted daughter after repeatedly hitting and shaking the toddler -In a unanimous decision the court rejected an appeal by Phillip Parks saying a statement by the sister-in-law wasn't reason enough to set aside his sentence Parks was charged in 1996 with the 1978 strangling and drowning of Rachel Parks in Reno County In 1978 a statement from Parks was suppressed by a court order that was upheld on appeal The state dismissed its murder charge in 1981- But Kansas got a break in the case during Parks' trial in New Mexico for the 1993 attempted murder of his new wife He is serving 12 years for that crime UHPBriggsBSImBonlCangiN OMrpnjpMKI umWiMmI WRi 4 tofinrd iptidi md powwf inmm 33lHlomidWn-1cuanfl(Mtwii mukhbaffla BKMemit upvon Dagger mmd 63 HP Briggs 4 Station HR OHVEngkw Mulching Dock W9-Bii 6klidiciiwgo FitMCMlorwhoiii dltanwiMon 4 OVERDRIVES FRONT a RSAR WHEEL DRIVES CLUTCHES TRANSFER CASES Always providing Prompt Pro torsi Sorvico Tow A Comordianiilvo Diagnosis kCsrtHM TsdmlelaM ATRA Units Prs-Tbswd wMi SttiM-of-AH On Banal Vihielw Extandsd Wsmmty A Financing AvsHablo OLATHE TURF TRACTOR 15484 169 Highway Olathe' (One mile south of 1-35) i 782-0470 The One With The Drive 503 East Sants Fs 829-3388 Plus 4 mom City Ann locations rvoynu i Is VsfrB gifr- Kan i 1 4 rdtr- 1 -tf.