The Macon Telegraph from Macon, Georgia • 1

tj 4 XIw ood moves to Wednesday Macon cTclcntrapb Nems ood page 1 1 Pistons beat Bulls to take a 2 0 lead ixArtiMf OUR 164th No 143 Macon Telegraph Publishing Co 1990 MACON GEORGIA WEDNESDAY MAY 23 1990 HOME EDITION 4 SECTIONS 36 25C House votes to extend rights laws to the disabled By RA Zaldivar Knight Ridder Newspapers WASHINGTON Disabled Americans won an impor tant battle for recognition Tuesday as the House overwhelmingly voted to extend the protection of civil rights laws to the physically and mentally handicapped and the chronically ill The landmark bill approved 403 20 would outlaw job discrimination against the disabled and require public facilities transportation and communications services to provide access An estimated 43 million people nearly one fifth of the population would be covered by the bill By one count 900 types of disabilities would be covered bottom line of this legislation is that we are opening America to the said Rep Steny Hoyer Md vote was the last big hurdle for the bill The Senate approved its version last year and President Bush has indicated he will sign the final product A conference committee must settle several differ ences between the two versions including whether Senate employees should be covered (House employees are) and whether a controversial House amendment dealing with AIDS patients in food handling jobs will be allowed to stand Supporters said they expected the conference com mittee to have a final bill on desk before July 4 Leading business groups opposed the bill calling it a breeding ground for litigation The bill under consideration for three years was based on a compromise between the demands of the disabled and the concerns of business In exchange for a broad definition of disability it limits how much money victims of discrimination can receive in court No punitive or compensatory damages are allowed in the disabilities bill However a separate civil rights bill under consider ation could give the disabled a way to seek such damages The bill defines a disability as a condition that impairs major life such as walking hearing seeing or working People with a history of disability such as recovering drug users or alcoholics as opposed to those currently addicted are covered The bill also protects people who are as having a disability such as a disfiguring burn AIDS patients are covered by the legislation but under an amendment approved by the House an employer could prohibit a worker with AIDS from handling food being prepared for the public The amendment is expected to be dropped from the bill in conference Medical authorities agree that AIDS (See DISABLED page 3A) ill Twentieth Century ox ilm Corp Bart bimpson (center holding hand) is accused of sending kids the wrong message Educators up in arms 'r Up Jx JJH Barfs message is harmful educators say By Scott Williams The Associated Press NEW YORK Bart Simpson the goggle eyed cartoon kid with a corrugated hairdo is catching flak from educators who say his smart alecky attitude on gives children the wrong message Bart with his overbite and backtalk have a cow is fast becoming an icon of American pop culture helped along by a multimillion dollar merchandising blitz from ox Broadcasting Co The scene stealer on the runaway hit TV show also stars in Butterfinger candy bar commercials and there are plans for a starring role in a Nintendo video game Mattel Inc promises Bart dolls and action figures among more than 200 Simpsons products entering stores This summer Burger King launches a Simpsons based ad campaign influence has reached Stanford Uni versity and UCLA where he won votes in student elections He was disqualified in both races on the technicality that he was not enrolled prompting student protests In a telegram from ox to Stanford students Bart told voters to be patient: must tell you I have set my sights on higher goals Bart Simpson for US president in Bart is fast becoming the fictional youth American children identify with most Not bad for a 10 year old kid with only eight fingers eh? But his attitude bothers some critical school officials Last month Principal Bill Krumnow of Lutz Elementary School in Ballville Township Ohio banned And Proud of It shirt be proud of being an incompetent is a contradiction of what we stand Krumnow said strive for excellence and to instill (See MESSAGE page 3A) Killer tried to set fire to body By Dahlia Wren Macon Telegraph and News HAZLEHURST Authorities have not determined a cause of death in the slaying of Rhonda Sue Coleman but the 18 year old high school senior was not molested police said Tuesday body had been partial ly burned authorities said but that was not related to the cause of death uneral services for the Jeff Davis County High School student are scheduled for 4 pm today at Southside Baptist Church in Hazle hurst Her body was found Sunday three days after she disappeared on her way home from an evening with friends working on a senior banner for next graduation Reward money for information leading to the conviction of her killer has reached $9500 The gov office committed $2000 Monday The city of Hazlehurst added $2000 Tuesday The Snipes ville Neighborhood Watch in the community near where her car was found about 11 pm Thursday has added $500 The Jeff Davis County commis sioners authorized $5000 and they offered it as well for information leading to solving the slaying of another Hazlehurst woman Je anette Carter who was killed in November At this point authorities do not believe there is a connection be tween the two slayings But not ruling out Sheriff Mark Hall said Concern for apprehending Cole killer has spread across the state The 93 seniors preparing to graduate from Wilkinson County High School decided Tuesday to (See SENIOR page 3A) ne avenue to treat cancer By Daniel Haney The Associated Press WASHINGTON Experi ments have shown for the first time that human blood cells carrying foreign genes will ze ro in on tumors opening a new strategy for treating cancer researchers said Tuesday The preliminary study con ducted on seven patients is the first approved attempt at hu man gene therapy inserting potentially helpful genes inside the body in places where na ture failed to put them The experiment was intend ed to show that the approach was possible Physicians intro duced a bacterial gene that had no effect on the cancer Soon however they plan to equip blood cells with a gene that delivers a powerful natural cancer killing sub stance known as tumor necro sis factor The researchers hope that will cure the disease by blitzing the tumor with extremely high levels of toxic proteins (See SCIENCE page 3A) I Good morning! Today's word Ann Landers 5B Bill Boyd IB Business 8B Classified 5C Comics 4B Deaths 4C Editorials 6A ood ID Letters 7A Markets 6B Movies 3B Sports 1C Television 3B Weather 2A Synonymous having the same or nearly the same meaning Look for this word in the story "Veggies Skewer a few for new barbecue" on page ID Inside Jane onda says it is to receive the Golda Meir ellowship Award for her efforts to free Soviet Jews See People page 2A Bush suggests he will extend trade benefits to the Chinese By Owen Ullmann Knight Ridder Newspapers WASHINGTON In another sign of his special treatment for China President Bush hinted to Republican congressional lead ers Tuesday that he will extend US trade benefits to China for another year despite its contin ued resistance to democratic reforms expected decision to renew China's most favored nation status comes as the Beij ing regime nears the first anni versary of its brutal crushing of a student led drive for democra cy at Tiananmen Square By way of contrast Bush may refuse to sign a trade agreement with the Soviet Union at next superpower summit to protest the economic crackdown on Lithuania The (See CHINA page 3A) trade deficit grows Last year the US trade deficit with China reached $62 billion How the deficit has risen and a look at the trade picture: Thedeficit Id bigiqns i If 1985 1989 Most avored Nation Status Despite human rights abuses President Bush is expected to grant China this status which gives trading partners the lowest possible tariffs on US imports reasons for renewing trade status: Cancellation would derail quasi pijvate enterprise in China Hong Kong which ships goods would be hard hit Prevent disruption of US markets for consumer goods Top 5 exports to China in millions Wheat $6990 1 Synthetic resins $5961)1 rubber plastic Wood cork I $4471 ertilizers $37871 Commercial $334 J6 aircraft and parts Top 5 imports from China In millions Clothing $221261 accessories Toys games I $18384 1 sporting goods Textiles I $6080 Telecommun $5286 ications audio equipment Electrical $4656 machinery SOURCE: US China Business Council Department qj Commerce Research by LILY DOW Knight Ridder News Study: Tobacco companies earn $200 million annually selling cigarettes to minors By Bill Arthur Knight Ridder Newspapers WASHINGTON Tobacco compa nies make more than $200 million a year selling cigarettes to children according to a survey in the Jour nal of the American Medical Asso ciation In addition federal and state governments collect more than $300 million a year in taxes on cigarettes sold to minors according to the article nine days children pay federal cigarette taxes equivalent to the entire budget for the Office of Smoking and according to an article in the May 2330 issue a tragic cycle the 390000 adult smokers killed each year by tobacco are replaced by children who begin smoking by the thou sands each day The power to break this vicious cycle lies with govern wrote the authors Dr Jo seph Diranza of the University of Massachusetts Medical School itchburg Mass and Joe Tye of the Baystate Medical Center Spring field Mass Brennan Dawson spokeswoman for the Tobacco Institute an associ ation of cigarette makers criticized the article as series of assump She said industry want kids for customers always been our policy that young people The authors suggest that a 3 percent "illegal drug profits be levied on tobacco industry profits to match the 3 percent of industry profits totaling $221 million a year that they said come from sales to minors This money could pay for programs to prevent smoking among children they said The journal article comes as Congress is paying increased atten tion to smoking and children Thurs day the Senate inance Committee will hold a hearing focusing on the effects of smoking on children Last week the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee ap (See MINORS gage 3A) Sports page 1C.