Concord Monitor from Concord, New Hampshire • 1

i i' I I I if 4 Concord New Hampshire 181at Year No 086 40 Pages 35? Wednesday April 12 1 989 -n House Increases Cigarette tax Aid or Tourism 1 yZ -V i' i 'C'' -jV ''i'i Manchester Bridge To Be Replaced Manchester shut nrtr last weefogiant Jackhammers have been eating am at the tut approach at -the Notre Dame Bndge Working lOte ri iii -iit v-S? -y mbs ByFELl Mouitor FEUCEBELMAN Staff Writer sifion Drug Alcohol Abuse Money Cut Back hundreds offset of bridge to pBea of concrete and tangled ateeL Tha lot part to come down will be the steel Monger Cokimnkt arch that oneftMton each bank 9 spans the v-' Merrimack River If the 1 work keeps Richard Mortens BP march of Bridge is narrow Ta some people this is progress The Notre Dam andoid and U-euited to the Dame wheelers that travel roods todinr The salt and freezing of 51 winters have weakened the concrete approaches The dfy using federal money is replacing it with a sleek four4ane Without a word of state representatives to increase-the state's cigarette tax to 111 cents per pack The move would raise dose ta 111 million over the next two years according to House Ways and Means Chairwoman Donna Qytek It's a 4-cent increaae over the current 17-cent tax The House also voted to put an extra ft million into promoting New Hampshire tourism Sytek said every dollar put Into travel advertising would bring in at least $3 from tour-ists The tourism money would be In addition to the 1 million a year suggested hy both Gov Judd Gregg and the House Appropriations Committee Together Sytek said the cigarette tax and tourism money would help balance the two-year budget written by the House Appropriations Committee They passed by a vote of SM-tO-44 The House rejected a move to raise the tax on restaurant meals and hotel rooms from 7 to 7A percent The cigarette tax was offered by House leaders last week as a-more palatable alternative Although Gov Judd Gregg maintains the state budget can be balanced without tax increases he has Yesterday's actions represent a big victory for the tourism industry At heering last month restaurant and hotel owners pleaded with lawmakers not to raise the tax on hotel rooms and restaurant meals But they urged if the tax did have to rise at least more money into travel promotion Yea- bridge that will hurt traffic across the river much faster than the old one Two of the lanes are already built and earning traffic But a few people like Dean Kamen remain skeptical Kamen is a businessman who owna several buildings just downstream of the old bridge and Its most outspoken champion FTom his offices he can keep track of the an affront to both to beauty and history a part of everything that makes up and the be said "It's a piece of The American Bridge Company built die Notre Dame Bridge in l9S7using Camegia steel The decision to demonsh it entirely ca last week Kamen who owns companies that design medical equipment and build helicopters wanted the dty to move the arch FEUCEBELMAN Staff Writer Few state representatives had a chance to read a proposal on drug and alcohol abuse prevention before it was debated on the House floor Still a large majority voted reversing a position taken Just last week this session House members have said they wantethe tax on alcoholic beverages inemsed and the extra money used far abuse prevention programs Yesterday howev-approved an Ap-Committee amendment the tax increase The amendment would put some new money into abuse programs but less than originally proposed -The measure was rushed to the House floor ta meet a legislative deadline The Appropriations Committee held a hearing on the bill Moo- day and the amendment got unanimous approval from the paneL Because there was no time far copies of the amendment to be primed up in yesterday's House agenda Houae Clark James Chandler had to read it aloud bo representativea would know what they were voting on The 144-M vote made Manchester Democrat Ann Bourque mad She thinks there should be a connection between the money the state geta from selling alcohol and the money used to prevent abuse She thinks a lot more money is needed Appropriations Committee the said Bourque one of original sponsors TVS inconsistent with previous House Bourque's original bill would have meant an extra million far prevention program A Ways and Meana See ALCOHOL -FagaAri could upstream Ha envisioned a that would become parkAtternatlvefy be rented out to businessmen for shops He would become part of the dtya riverfront no thought the bridge 5' Ti 4 this vision to the famous Ponte Vecchio over the Arne in Florence "It would be bigger than RhrerfestT he said It was a bold Idea but It came late and ffidnt catch on Perhaps it was too viskmuy far The Notre Dame arches rise 130 feet ownr the Merrimack River members of the Manchester city coundL They were wonted about balancing the dty budget '-4" Ways ai are told representatives that even without the rooms and meals tax faKreaae the travel money was important was orij moms and meals said Densmore a Democrat from Franconia Kennedy a lobbyist far the New Hospitality Association said this that keeping the tourism money was a smart move is the number one industry far the state This Is a good invest Kennedy said his group was opposed to any tax increases but that the cigarette tax was better than the rooms and meals tax and saving a bridgeior a purpose they wereaX wider shirdl bridge For a long tim too thn': Wj sure of seemed extravagant hu been convinced that it would cost too ChiMopher Close a consultant in Concord The bridge "had some value some historic much to repair the old bridge and to reinforce who specializes ki the praaervation of bridges significance topeopte In the dty -It did to me" it to bmr heavier loads These decisions were said it is becoming more common in the United Mayor Emile Beaulieu said But he even though a recent stwhr States to reftsbisfl rather than replace old job is to listen to the people who pay and commissioned by the state eonauded that the bridges But less so in New Hampshire old bridge was in good condition and that the "Rather than preserving the sted arch central arch would last for more years bridges there is an unqMkapoUcy to replace Job is ta listen to the people who pay and most people did not want to save the The destruction of the Notre Dame lore years i I ectualiy been a long time coming years since Manchester decided it needed a hay actually been a long time coming been was beyond the realm of engineering and said Kamen Tt had become fafJHERlSM PagaArt See TAX -Page Art Dnside 'l- v' -vi t- Channel 21 Statements jVlissed Mark1 City Police Trying To Unionize I i 4 By NEAL SHULTZ Moattor I Stkff Writer fan Moail PAUL SHREAD Iter Staff Writer Two wieda ago Thomas Flatley Jolted tha O-odd employees of Channel 31 with a mixed mrisdgr The bad news was that he was puffing the plug on the Concord station abutting it down The good news was that tha operation was merging withWNDS in Deny and would have Joba for at least the sales and administration staff As it tuna out neither pronouncement may be entirely true Two weeks after the blackout the owners of WNDSsq their station is still entire separate from Channel II and won't hire all the staffers Flatley suggested they would -Meanwhile the federal government has nted Channel SI'S request to keep its ing license temporarily leaving possibility the CBS sffiuate could ksetf In altered form open the resurrect Concord police officers filed a petition to form a union yesterday with the state Public Employee labor Relations Board the city challenge any of the 41 positions that would be represented by the union the officers could vote on forming a bargaining unit within few weeks said Evelyn LeBrun executive director of the state board Concord is the largest dty in the state without unionized police officers LeBrun said Dover was the second-largest dty without unionized police department until its officers voted to form a bargaining unit recent- fy- Police Chief David Walchak and the police officers' representative Mart IAguanna vice president of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers had no comment City councilors who talked about the union effort in a private session Monday night wouldn't comment either except for Kenneth McDonnell who repeated a phrase he has often told dty administrators "Unions are created by employers not said McDonnell i cj IBS -w JJ r' iify flatley itil and everything in said Gerald Nash co-er akxig with James Stelios of WNDS Channel he does with is his busi- Polishing Off The Sabres Bobby Joyce and Cam Neely (8) Craig Janney after his goal In the 4-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres The Bruins earned a shot at Montreal ki the second round of the NHL playoffs See story page C-l I -r- ABOUT THE TOWNS M-i MOVTtS J-2 CAUN04B J-3 NEWS OF RECORD J-2 CLASSIFIED D-7 OBITUARIES COMICS 0-5 SPOTLIGHT ja-2 0-1 Flatley (fid not return telephone rails to his office in Braintree Mass Ron Pulen the station's general manager cautioned viewers to stay tuned for farther details a possibility the atatioa may come beck in another form whether as a syndicated network or another shape I cannot say" he said What is clear is that tha arrangement Flatley made with WNDS lent a merger at afl In fact hy law It cant be WNDS and WNHT hold broadcasting licenses within the See CHANNEL Zi Page AS C-l EDITORIAL GOREN BRIDGE -B-G SPORTS TV D-15 LOCAL-STATE B-1 WORLD-NATION Ji-2 Out Of Control A helicopter drops to the ground after It malfunctioned while working on construction project in Milwaukee Saa story pagaA-2 Weather 12 Victims Of Satanic Cult Uncovered City Manager James Smith and Assistant City Manager Barry Brenner said they were disappointed that officers wanted to form a union "No officers have come to the city identifying any Brenner sakL certainly an employee's right to organize hut giventhei relations I a situation where 1 Smith said he doesn't know what the officers were concerned about He also foql aura why the officers decided to organize when they did the city doesn't make decisions on pry raises until December or January "Normally you rattle the organising sword when it's time for wage decisions Smith said not an opportune time" He said the timing of the petition may be the result of an organizing drive by the union The dty began offering a new Health benefits plan uiia week called a flexible benefits program Smith said employees have been anxious about the new plan it's a poor issue to waste the big bullet Employees currently have a Blue Blue Shield medical plan and a sick leave policy that allows employees to accumulate up to SO rfaya Employees can stick with See POUCH -Page AS Increasing cloudiness tonight with a chance of snow lows in the 30s Cloudy tomorrow with wet enow or rein highs 40 to 45 Alishia little-field of tha Harold Martin School la HopUnton draws a wet day Mon weather page BS male that particular night" Gavito said Authorities would not identify the other victims but said all were males Some victims were shot in the head and others appeared to have been killed with machetes or sledgehammers The cult had been involved in human sacrifices for about nine months Gavito said and preyed to the devil "so the police would not arrest them so bullets would not kill them and so they could make more See KILLINGS Page AS der efty of Brownsville was like a human slaughterhouse" The suspects were UK and Mexican cilizena said Sheriff's LL George Gavito who did not identify them farther The dead included a It-yearokl University Texas student Mark Kilroy vanished last month in Matamoros Gavito said Kilroy apparently was chosen at random hy drug smugglers who had hoped human sacrifices and cannibalism would protect them from harm Kilroy was grabbed after the cult members "were told to pick one Anglo ftea Monitor Wire Reports MATAMOROS Mexico Twelve mutilated bodies were unearthed yesterday Just outside the Mexican border city of Matamoros victims of a Satanic cult of drug smugglers authorities said Five people were arrested by Mexican police in connection with the killings and on drug charges The police planned to resume digging today searching for two more frofljfif was Sheriff Ales Peres told a news conference in the Texas bor rt jty Cc 9 5 1T.