Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 1

Sports: Bonilla NL player of month i 1 11,1 Racing final stocks 5-5-886 VOL. 61 NO. 239 THURSDAY, MAY 5, 1988 25 CENTS J0 Israel says Lebanon drive over, 43 dead iff' -M -s-1 ft 'v jc Lebanon's state radio quoted a Syrian general in the Bekaa Valley as saying: "We are watching closely. We shall fight them if they make further advances." No casualties were reported among the Syrians, who came under Israeli fire for the first time since being forced out of south Lebanon by the Israelis' June 1982 invasion. Security sources said Israel added two mechanized battalions to its operation Tuesday night, doubling to 2,500 troops the size of the force that began the thrust the night before.

Invading soldiers penetrated several miles beyond the "security zone" that Israel has maintained just north of its border since ending a three-year occupation of south Lebanon in June 1985. The zone ranges from 6 to 10 miles deep. By Rima Salameh Associated Press Writer MASHGARA, Lebanon Israeli soldiers shelled a Syrian army garrison yesterday and used tanks to root pro-Iranian guerrillas out of villages, then announced that its two-day invasion of south Lebanon was over. The Israeli military command in Jerusalem reported three Israeli soldiers and more than 40 Arab guerrillas killed and 17 Israeli troopers wounded. It said the operation was over, and all Israeli forces had returned to their bases.

Israeli artillery shelled the 50-man Syrian garrison at Mashgara while other units were storming a nearby town with tanks, driving out guerrillas and knocking down houses. Whether the shelling was deliberate was not clear, and the Syrians did not shoot back. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Israeli troops on Associated Press for southern Lebanon yesterday. Space fuel plant blast kills one, hurts 96 HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) A series of explosions at a space shuttle fuel plant rocked southern Nevada yesterday, destroying the facility and a marshmallow plant, killing at least one person, injuring 96 and leaving scores of others missing.

Flames and orange smoke rose 100 feet into the sky and buildings shook 10 miles away in Las Vegas after the midday explosions at the Pacific Engineering Production Co. of Nevada. The plant manufactures ammonium perchlorate, an oxidizer used in fuel for the shuttle's solid rocket boosters, but NASA said the accident was not expected to delay resumption of shuttle flights. "What we see is pretty much total devastation," said Fred Gibson, an executive at the plant. All roads to Henderson, a town of 25,000 midway between Las Vegas and Hoover Dam, were closed because of concern that toxic gases might escape.

At the command post near the blast site, Clark County Fire Spokesman Mark Hector said at least one person had been killed. Emergency workers were forced to stand by for fear of additional explosions. State records showed that 125 people worked at Pacific. The next-door Kidd Marshmallow Plant employed 85, but few employees of either plant had been seen at hospitals, authorities said. "There are people out there who are probably dying," said Janet Smith, spokeswoman for Mercy Ambulance in Las Vegas, whose company dispatched ambulances.

"This is going to be a daylong and nightlong event because no fire unit has been out there. People are out there on the desert wandering aimlessly" if they were lucky enough to have escaped. David Coats, administrator of Saint Rose de Lima Hospital, said 96 injured people had been brought in. He said most of the injuries were minor, but at least three were critical. Gibson, asked if toxic products could have leaked, said the plant's ammonia tanks could not be seen.

"We can't tell at the moment wheth- er these tanks are secure. VftU "Tlfn TODAY Spring showers Overcast with a 70 percent chance of rain. High near 55. Cloudy tonight with a 40 percent chance of precipitation. Low in the mid-40s.

Details, Page 8. Strike mediators The Catholic church attempts to mediate in strike accross Poland, as the government calls the union federation Solidarity "terrorists" for preventing workers from returning to their jobs. Solidarity vows to spread the strikes. Page 2. surrender Jesse Jackson declares he will remain in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination despite Gov.

Michael Dukakis' most recent landslide victories in the Ohio and Indiana primaries. Dukakis says he welcomes Jackson's candidacy so long as he keeps his campaign upbeat and issue-oriented. Page 3. Missing the mark The Public Safety Training Academy dismisses 10 police recruits after they fail to pass a firearms proficiency test. The dismissals are expected to make it impossible for the city to achieve its goal of putting 1,135 officers on the street anytime soon.

Page 5. New directions Not so long ago, G.C. Murphy Co. was content to make its money in the stodgy variety store business. No more.

The chain is going on an adventure in retailing, selling clothes to poor people one moment, office supplies to business people the next It's also getting its pilferage problem under control. Business, Page 12. Dividends restored Copperweld Corp. announces that it will pay dividends on its common stock for the first time in three years because of a sharp rebound in its financial performance. Copperweld attributes the comeback to a re- structuring that spun off a steel subsidiary and marked productivity improvements at its manufacturing plants.

Business, Page 12. Timeless topics Some people wouldn't be insulted if they were accused of living in the past. Members of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, for example, will journey back with architect William Seale when he speaks at 8 p.m. on "History and the American Interior." And at 10 a.m. May 13, Alexandra Stoddard will reveal how to go about "Living a Beautiful Life with Antiques" during the Sewickley Antiques Show and Sale.

Magazine, Page 17. Campi omgs out Remember going to summer amp? Making those change purses? Crafting those ashtrays from plaster of Paris? Telling ghost stories after lights out? In the future, Clara Herron reportsit's likely fewer and fewer people will enjoy such memo- nes. wny a uaoy dusc, toiiowea oy a baby boom, soaring liability insur- ance rates and high camp fees, to name just a few. Magazine, Page 17. Vf muestone The Tax Foundation, a non-profit, nonpartisan research organization, marks Tax Freedom Day, the point when the average American would have all his taxes paid if all his wages were set aside for that pur- pose from the beginning of the year.

Despite tax reform, it took two extra days to reach Tax Freedom Day in 1988 than it did in 1987. By Mike Pelleqrini 7 a Magazine 17 Marriages 25 Obituaries 8 Sports ..28 Television 22 Theaters 20 Want ads 25 8 Ann Landers. 24 Astrology 27 Business 12 Comics ...24 Crossword ....25 Divorces 25 Editorials 10 Lottery 8 an armored personnel carrier head Tony Tye Post-Gazette praised for clarity from anyone outside HHS. The AIDS virus is spread through close contact with blood, blood products or semen from infected persons. The second page of the brochure bears the blue heading "How Do You Get AIDS From Sex?" and goes on to state that the AIDS virus "can enter the body through the vagina, penis, rectum or mouth." "Anal intercourse, with or without a condom, is risky," it continues.

"The rectum is easily injured during anal intercourse." The fourth page is half filled by a section boldly headlined: "What Is All The Talk About Condoms?" "Not so very long ago, condoms (rubbers or prophylactics) were things we didn't talk about very much," it says. "Now, they're discussed on the evening news and on the front page of your newspaper, and displayed out in the open in your local drugstore, grocery and convenience store. "For those who are sexually ac- CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 LTV unveils plan for debt By Jim McKay Post-Gazette Staff Writer LTV Corp. yesterday proposed a bankruptcy reorganization plan that maintains its steel, energy, defense and aerospace businesses and assumes it can permanently pass most of its past pension obligations onto a federal agency. The management plan, announced in Dallas by LTV Chairman Raymond Hay, will be a starting point for what could be protracted negotiations with creditors owed more than $6 billion.

Directors of the Dallas-based conglomerate approved the plan. LTV was the largest U.S. corporation to seek bankruptcy court protection when it filed for time to reorganize its debts in January 1986. "This is the first proposal on the table that will initiate the negotiations," said Larry Galie, a Duquesne Light Co. official who heads the committee representing unsecured creditors.

Galie said talks would begin after the unsecured creditors are briefed next week in Dallas on the proposal. The unsecured creditors are the largest of three court-appointed groups representing creditors and stockholders. "Obtaining a plan of reorganization that meets the needs of all the creditor groups is going to be difficult and certainly a challenge," Galie added. "It's a very complex case with an enormous amount of debt." CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 Historic designation of plant is repealed By Tom Barnes Post-Gazette Staff Writer Reversing a previous vote, City Council yesterday repealed the historic designation it had given a month ago to the old Jones Laugh-lin Corp. plant on East Carson Street.

LTV Steel which now owns the plant, had urged council to repeal the designation so the large empty buildings, which LTV had said it considers a health and safety hazard, can be razed. The Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation wanted to retain the designation for four to six months so that engineers could study whether the plant could be repaired and turned into a museum on the history of steel-making in Pittsburgh. Council President Sophie Masloff and members Jim Ferlo, Jack Wagner, Otis Lyons Jr. and Ben Woods voted to rescind the historic designation. Eugene DePasquale, who had to leave early to attend a funeral, said he too favored the repeal.

Mark Pollock, Michael Coyne and Michelle Madoff voted to retain the historic designation, which is the only thing keeping the buildings on the 100-acre property from being torn down. Council will take a final vote Monday. "As soon as the designation is lifted, the buildings can be demol- CONTINUEO ON PAGE 4 Lookina for helo Robert Lauten, foreground, joins a rally of 300 outside the Allegheny County Courthouse yesterday to protest low human services funding in Casey's proposed 1988-89 state budget. Story, Page 4. A clear, explicit message Surgeon general to mail everyone AIDS pamphlet ccm Cbm Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON Surgeon Gen- eral Everett Koop is mailing every American household a historic pamphlet with explicit advice on how to avoid the deadly AIDS virus, including the use of condoms, In unveiling the booklet at a news conference yesterday, Health and Human Services Secretary Otis R.

Bowen said the $17 million project represented "the first time the fed- eral government has attempted to contact virtually every resident, di- rectly by mail- regarding a public health crisis." The pamphlet will appear in mail- boxes about May 26, at an average cost per household of 16 cents. Koop's photo appears on the cov- er, along with a brief message over his signature. "Some of the issues involved in this brochure may not be things you are used to discussing openly," he wrote. "I can easily understand that. But now you must discuss them.

We a private public relations company, doe i not smack of officialese. Medical, health and education groups hailed the government's new AIDS booklet yesterday as clear, direct and compassionate, and said it should be required reading for all Americans. Despite some grumbling over the time it took to produce the eight-page pamphlet, there was almost unanimous praise for its content. "This pamphlet should be required reading for every American citizen," the American Hospital Association said in a statement. Rep.

Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee, said the booklet comes "years after any reasonable American would have expected it" and two years later than similar efforts by other nations such as Britain. He said it took two acts of Congress to pry the information loose from what he termed "White House censors." Congress expressly prohibited the booklet receiving clearance "Some of the issues involved in this brochure may not be things you are used to discussing openly. I can easily understand that. But now you must discuss them. Surgeon General C.

Everett Koop all must know about AIDS. Read this brochure and talk about it with those you love." Although fine print at the bottom identifies it as an official government document "HHS Publication No. (CDC) HHS-88-8404" the slick layout produced by Ogilvy Mather,.