The Kansas City Star from Kansas City, Missouri • 10

a I i Npvember 0(1D90 -i Npv -TTy -'it 1 -'V" 'y v-'- iv-'1 I va'a a -I A 10 THE KANSAS CITY 8TARA- AHJ: 0 'T HE COVER' -J Saturday CRASH: Robot diver close to crashed airliners i 'Trryrili iuM Data from thscodiptt voice Black box locations i recorder-known as the black txx-and the digital flight In equipment recorder Sacowhna sntDtsxrcaarottjmoii- TRACK: Gonsiruction Authorities have found only one body and do not expect to find oth- er bodies Intact -The Investigation Is exploring all poasMllies ofthe cause including Human emit mechanical failure --and sabotage Searchers on the USS Grapple who had been stymied for three days by rough seas and high winds took advantage of a brief break in the weather Friday Waves that had been as high as 20 feet eased to about eight feet foe upper limit at which the Navy can place the Deep Drone into the ocean Back on short the state medical examiner)! office paased out blood-sample kits at the hotel where relatives of victims were staying The kits will be used to make DNA matches with remains taken from the water Relatives who had been into I I Continued from A-I 1 lSfljDOO people Is being carved out lot (be sandstone Mow less than a year alter gftund was broken at the 1250-' acre site near Interstates 70 and 1 435 it is easier to understand why 1 the final price tag for the track wifi I he S287 million be $287 million Earlier for some people it was Impossible to understand why International Speedway Corp par- -spinoff rewards sought by the government should occur there first lent of trade developer Kansas of 400 acres north and east of the of 400 acres north and east she The economic development help Investigators a i WIC1 climbed back up to 24000 feet before diving again to 10000 feet where It either broke up or began shedding significant pieces of its airframe Many outside radar and aircraft experts have expressed skepticism that the plane could have maneuvered that way without breaking up long before it apparently did They were also skeptical that the avaii-able radar data was accurate enough to draw those conclusions so early in an investigation Howcvcri Hall saidthe Air Forcefc 84th Radar Evaluation Group had rechecked its data several times and was confident it was correct Also he said safety board special Stored WCQrair MWnQtr' Cocfcnit mica raconlMf -i Automatlcaly records noises alarms and conversations In cockpit over -v kitarcorn with control tower 1 Digital fUght data racorder Steel tape records speed altitude" pitch and rod flap and riat positions for 25 hours or more -W i a -r SBDMKOilcaipilHbHM Bote iMtaai ists had performed a computerized simulation that indicated the plane capable of flying those maneu vers "It appears from those simulations that a 767 can fly that altitude profile" Hall said Only the plane's on-board recorders if they have good data can tell investigators exactly how the plane maneuvered and why it began its abrupt dive Speculation in the aviation community ranges from an on-board shooting incident to some sudden first-time mechanical problem or perhaps a problem that led the pilots to descend so rapidly that they lost control I I pinging sound emitted by the 270 feet down shortly after the ro bot was lowered into the sea Riday morning The robot came within 20 feet of where the bates are thought lobe Tfechnicians on the USS Grapple found the pinger signals to be so "loud they had to take their earphones out" Marsh said However an effort by the giant underwater robot to snare the boxes was buried under or something else at the bottom of the sea he said Work was also slowed as technicians tried to maneuver the Deep Drone closer to the boxes because visibility was blurred each time they tried to moveanything to "Every time you start to dig Into anything you Immediately have a puff pf smoke come up Marsh said "You have to let the current clear that out and then go in The search for the boxes was suspended when the waves reached higher than 10 feet said Tbd Lopakiewicz spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board As soon as the weather improves the search wiU be resumed Once the boxes are pulled out of the water they will be taken to Washington for analysis by the National Transportation Safety Board The Boeing 767 crashed shortly after leaving New York for Cairo dunging from 33000 feet into die ocean On Friday National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jim Hall exprened confidence in an Air Force radar study that indicated the plam dived rapidly from 33 000 feet to about 16000 feet then Egyptians 1 The Associated Press CAIRO Egypt Egyptians converged on mosques throughout foe country Friday to pray for persons lost in the Atlantic on EgyptAir Flight 990 and clergymen hailed the 217 on board as martyrs who went to heaven Separate prayers were heid at the Armed Forces Mosque In Cairo for the 33 military ofihxn on board -most of them returning from training in the United States -Another sermon was given at Cairo International Airport for die 18 crew members who died in the crash Sunday about a half-hour af- ter the jet left New York bound for Cairo regard them martyrs and plead with God to forgive their -Sayed Mohammed Tantawi one of the top clerics of the Muslim world told officers at the Armed Forces Mosque Islamic scholars say that those who die by drowning are considered martyrs Security was tight Friday the Muslim Sabbath outside most important mosque Al-Azhai and the nearby Al-Hussein Mosque on the edge of the Khan el-Khalili bazaar crowd mosques pray for crash victims Speedway Corp should build the nvbsive structure at al lawsuits by people who owned jlipl upon which the track is being buih stalled the earthmovingma-' chinery And created anxiety was frustrating for us and oth-en who wanted this project to said Giant tynch president of Kansas Speedway Crapt "While we were in sympathy (with die folks who owned the land and didn't want to move) we had to look at the big picture Letting a few Individuals hold up what is good for the 'whole community was difficult" But developers never thought about chucking the project The hurdle posedby the lawsuits stop construction but it did push back the start of racing from 2000 to 2001 A tour of the site now leaves little "doubt that the track should be ready by that date Sanctioned events No formal agreements have yet been reached with auto-racing sanctioning bodies to hold races at die track Not to worry The highest-proGle racing series In the country is a vir-' tual lock to run a race at die speed-' way in 2001 want a Winston Cup race" lydch said "Bill France Jr and Mi)te IleRon (NASCAR's top two V- oflidals) have both announced (hey think this place should get one" Schedules for the 2001 racing season wiU not be determined untiT next year NASCAR also will probably grant a Grand National race date to the 'speedway Indy-type racing is also all but a sure thing in 2001 -The Indy Racing League which -competes in the Indianapolis 500 and Championship Auto Racing 3 Tpams are the top two open-wheel series in this country 1-': One and possibly both could race at the Kansas track in 1 2001 Asked about negotiations' with those series lynch said "We Jiave becnand will talking jn addition a traveling stock-car aeries race will be held The track was designed to facilitate construction of a road course Id the infield so a sports-car race is TUto a future possibility ZIbose attending races lynch in-' listed will be treated to "features 11 jtot available at any other racing fe- Such as? imittedtodolng' SpinoiT development A key indicator of how strong the economic impact the track will have on the area will come Mon-when officials will bold day when officials will hold a briefing for potential developers and the briefing will be the first test of developer interest The governments vision for the privately owned property Is detailed in a brochure sent nationwide to large developers It pictures nearly 34 million square feet of retail and commercial and nearly 15000 parking i Malls hotels a theater restaurants office buildings even a water park and NASCAR model racing attraction ate Included in the plan The total floor space envisioned Is mote than double Oak Park Mall's 15 million square feet And the acreage is larger than the 384 acres of the lYuman Sports Com-pletL A development that large could take 10 or 15 yean to develop said LaVert Murray Unified Government director of development He said the government sought a master developer with the resources and experience to tackle such a large project and control its ss Other developers could (xi individual projects under the master developer The master deyeloper also would change the Unified Government's plan to reflect market conditions and die developer's unique approach But the changes would be subject to the approval of the government Murray said International Speedway Corp could qualify as the master developer if it chose ta Kennedy said the corporation had studied the possibility but hadnt decided whkher to submit a proposal The deadline for proposals is 5 pm Dec 15 "The property next door is of in-terest to us" Kennedy said we can do to help the economic development efforts of the Unified Government we'll da" 400 acres have been designated as a major tourism area by the Kansas Legislature so it qualifies for sales tax revenue bonds or so-called STAR bonds It also has been designated as a tax-incre-: ment financing district which includes the power of condemnation All sales taxes generated within the district for up to 20 years can be used to help pay for the costs of development State and local sales taxes at the site total 69 cents on a dollar The Unified Government granted nearly total property tax abatement for the 1250 acres of the speedway but no property tax breaks will be offered within the adjoining 400 acres The sales tax officials reported Minority-owned businesses have 243 percent of the contacts and firms owned by women have 72 percent All but $82 million in the $228 million speedway's first phase will be financed from public sources ments $713 million in tax incre- ment financing bonds repaid by International Speedway Corpi instead of paying property taxes $247 million in STAR bonds repaid with sales taxes collected inside the speedway $6 million in state economic development ini ccntives and $103 million in utility and street Improvements from the Unified Government and the Board of Public Utilities plaining about a lack of information learned that they would be taken today to look at the wreckage re-covered so fee The debris is at a former Navy base in Quonset Faint State Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse said he will file a petition on Monday seeking authority to issue "certificates if presumption of death" for the victims The certificates represent a judicial presumption of death so victims do not have to wait until the remains are identified Also Friday the Muslim Sabbath about 150 mourners attended a Muslim funeral service in a makeshift mosque at the Double-tree Islander Hotel in Newport "Tb this crash the best answer is in faith" NihadAwad executive director of die Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations said in his sermon "We believe that this life is very short and very temporary The real life is the eternal lift" A larger service for victims of all faiths was planned for Sunday wyjwm i jmjyi -if 1 better to read verses from Allah's book for his soul than wait for false and the governor have relied oi state surpluses to help support in creased spending and tax cut! Those surpluses now have beei nearly exhausted and new revenu is not flowing into the treasury fei enough to cover demands for in creased spending Graves said he was reluctant ti ask state employees to shmildf more vwuk during the hiring freezi "but this action may help aver even more difficult measures In th future" Tb reach JoiinL ft tenon Tbpeka correspondent for Tim Stan call (785) 354-1388 or send e-mail to JpettmontkjnetworiciAom f- I A A "j1 A 1 r- U- Vv A 4- yj i zen should fed Ihepaia The country's dergy had called Al Worshipers spilled from the nraver hrdh iiitothe courtvards'of gatheml Friday at Al-Azhar Mosque tad other centers of Muslim worship to pray for the vktlmi of themosques EKyPlAi' Flight 990 Special prayer services were held In addition to the regular Friday holy day The country "ThdVictims were "martyrs hd lyiHfon to attend Fridayk Prayers for the Missing Similar prayers will be held Sunday In God vriio went to heaven" said churches Sheik Eld Abdel-IIamid who led the prayers it the Al-Azhar Mosque "I wont say exactly but fens wiU te up close and personal in ways ment restaurant and lodging o( aviifiiible af other husiiiessesilialgcnerateliiles tax-lynchsaid es not office buildings Major facing wiU take place at the Lynch said the track and adjoiri-2rack as often as four times a year ing development had 70000 cars Sbiwevei that doesn't mean die fa- 1 Jility will be used only four times a grar- Similar speedways are used al-' tost every day The Kansas track wviU be home to driving schools car Shows tours ride-and-drives cor-Xordte outings testing sessions jnd other events Lynch estimates something will incentive favors retail entertain- The participation of businesses owned by minorities and women has surpassed the Unified Govcni- mentis goals of 15 percent and 7 percent respectively speedway Amina Thha a worshiper wept as on Egyptians to attend Fridayls "It was dear that our presence hope" she performed the two-minute Prayers for the Missing Similar was said Maria el- Authorities have said they have prayers and said afterward that she prayers will be held Sunday in Habashy wife of Ahmed el- found only one body and do not ex-was overwhelmed with grict churchci I hibashy one of Flight 990k pilots pect to find other bodies intact The rest their souls" she said Late Friday three relatives of two "Only fragments of bodies are being invwmlgailnn imploring afi here to join them in their id the crash victims returned home recovered" bfiitkx on die cause ofthe crash in- said Mustafa Kamal before from a vigil in the United States of- Thewifoofjamilcl-Batotyoneof eluding human emu mechanical he went into Al-Azhar "Every dti- ter giving up hope that the bodies Fliit 990's flight officers said: failure and sabotage of their loved ones would be recov- ercdintacL On Wednesday stale economists and budget watchers announced revised revenue estimates for the current budget year and a first-time tax collection estimate fin the bud-grtyear that begins July 1 Their forecast showed that just to continue state spending un-- changed next year would require an additional $108 million that the slate docsnltluve available That would not take into consideration about $50 million already promised local school districts and I Uglier education Public assis-: lance caseload increases employee salary increases and inflationary costs Included eillier In recent years the Leglsliaure going on at the track all but 10 Slays a year Y7 Speedway partnership Nothing would be going on at the bond Srark had a unique Slfijned between not been International Graves imposes hiring freeze in Kansas SpCtfdway Corp and the Unified including diverted taxes direct government of Wyandotte County subsidies and public improve-Kansas City Kan many ments gnontha aga International Speedway Corp is Dennis Hays Unified Govern-- investing the $82 millioa ienl administralot called the rcla- The public sources are $33 mfi-lonship with speedway developer lion in state highway improve- BUDGET: Continued from jk-I gathering today in Tbpcka to mail at least 13000 newsletters across the state to generate opposition to pro- posed cuts In mental-health pro- -grami Ellen Fickalkicwicz director of policy and planning for the Association of Community Mental I Icolth Centers of Kansas said the slate Department of Soda and Rehabilitation Services had proposed cut-: ting $10 million in state aid to community mental-health centers for the budget year that begins on July 1 The association a member of the coalition reported that proposed cuts included dropping the $1 million already approved for a children)! mental health prevention program eliminating $750000 in aid for homeless people with men- tal illness as well as the 1 percent cut in mental health services dollars for the current budget year In additioa Pickalkicwicxsaid Social and Rehabilitation Services officials plan to close the Rainbow Mental Health Facility in Kansas City Kan The facility has hudget of about $7 million and'cmploys nearly 150 ptiopic Prospects of hudget cuts across Stale government moved closer to reality with the latest round of revenue forecasts public-private partnership with Xommnn interests and common oals' The object was "profits for them £nd growth for us" Hays said Now well into that partnership If lays retains his enthusiasm for it ind belief in it was didicull nnd chuUenging" 3n the eariy stages he said "Thart Jveil behind us Vtfc are both moving IWWard to doing whut we are com I A-'- r-:.