Macon Chronicle-Herald from Macon, Missouri • Page 1

"i fn TzZ 1 -V. ACON Tonight, partly doudy with a 90 par cant chanca for ahowara. Low In tha mid -to uppar 40a. Wind iouthw.it 10 to 20 in ph. Friday, mOtUv Cloud hlVMtV Hi Of i hronicle Id and cooler.

Hich in tha mid -to udm? fife. High Wednesday 73 Ixw Wednesday 51 Thia am. 57 Minouri aitanded forocaat: Saturday through Monday: Littla or no rain. Lowa in 40s. Higha near or in 60a.

Ashcroft 0 Millions In Budget Cuts; Blames Downturn In Economy Will Also Use Court-Order Refund To Cut Deficit WASHINGTON (AP) A liberalization of Farm Credit System lending policies nearly 20 year ago triggered a land boom in the 1970a that led to hard timea in tha 1980a. Sea FARM paga 7. BISMARCK. N.D. (AP) A nirkel will get a loaf of bread thia week in North Dakota, whera farmera are demonstrating against wheat fTflf U- rS ess prices they say are forcing them out of busi ness.

Sea NORTH page 7. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) A jury Wednesday convicted a woman in tha arsenic-poisoning death of a former boyfriend. Sea lly SCOTT CIIAHTON Aociated Press Writer JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -Participants in a teacher-enrich-ment program must wait a couple of extra months for their stipends as one of Gov.

John Ashcroft's steps to overcome a $70 million state budget shortfall. The governor also said Wednesday that he will cut state spending by nearly $21 million for the rest of the fiscal year, and use a $23 million court-ordered refund from the Kansas City school desegregation case to offset lack-luster revenues. Resides slowrr than expected state income growth, Ashcroft also blamed the shortfall on the The moves bring to 10 percent the amount agencies have been ordered to withhold from their budgets this fiscal )ear. Higher education's withholding will total 5.5 percent. Ashcroft would not rule out more spending cuts this fiscal year, but said, "If our situation deteriorates and we have additional shortfalls in resources, we will curtail spending additional-ly." "We will not spend money we don't have and if things deteriorate, then we'll have to make additional adjustment," he said.

The latest projections "represent our best current judgments (Set ASHCROFT psge 10) JURY page 9. WASHINGTON (AP) President Bush marks an environmental milestone as he prepares to sign a far-reaching and expensive clean air bill. See BUSH page 10. BREAK-LN Sometime overnight, the Excello Post Office was broken into, according to Macon County Sheriff Gene Roebuck and Excello Postmaster Kay Winn. Winn said when she arrived for work at 7:15 a.m.

today, she discovered a window on the north side of the building had been broken out She then called the M.iron County Sheriff Department. The nrea has been sealed off and postal authorities from Kansas City nre on their wny to Excello at this time to investigate. Neither Roebuck nor Winn would sny what, if anything, was taken in the brenk-in. (Staff photo by Jim Brown) EM 1 KIRKWOOD, Mo. (AP) The student newspaper at Kirk wood High school has dxHded to continue running a controversial ad by Planned Parenthood and also to begin publishing one by Birthright Counseling.

See COUNTER page 5. ST. LOUIS (AP) A proposed review of child deaths in Missouri would involve an unintru-sive process that would not be known to most families who lose a child. See REVIEW page 5. Authorities Say Chillicothe Shooting Is Murder, Assault Couple Were Partners In Large Row Cropping Operation Iowa Couples In Race For Pregnancy By ROGER MUNNS Associated Press Writer DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) It used to be that couples striving for parenthood said so with a blush and a demure mm "We're trying." Now three sluggish national economy and higher oil prices resulting from Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

Those factors prompted more pessimistic economic projections for the fiscal year that ends June 30, he said. "Unlike states that have billion, dollar deficits, Missouri will cut spending in order to live within its means. Missourians expect a balanced budget, and they will get a balanced budget," the governor told a news conference in his Capitol office. Ashcroft snid he asked slate department chiefs to find ways for cutting their budgets, possibly including lnyofTs or furloughs of workers. Missouri's fiscal 1991 budget totals $8.4 billion.

He offered no details of possible cuts, but snid the average Mis-sourian would not have a "noticeable impact in his dny-to-dny life because of the actions. State agencies were told to withhold 4 percent of their budgets for the fiscal yenr that ends June 30. Higher education wns asked to withhold only 1 percent. A withholding amounts to a cut since prospects are blenk for improvement in the economy, the governor snid. Iowa couples are forgoing such niceties in a radio contest to see who conceives first.

"It's noTnaify anything dif KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The Big Eight led the country last year in scoring points and getting teams ranked No. 1, but duplicating that feat seems like a long shot, Sea BALANCE page 2. t-. KANSAS CITY, Mo.

(AP) Marty Schottenheimer won't say for sure, of course, but there could be about 500 pounds of running back facing the San Diego Charges ferent than what other people do, it just that we re telling the whole world that we re CHILLICOTHE, Mo. (AP) A farm wife was killed and her husband was seriously wounded during an early morning shooting at their rural Chillicothe home. Authorities are investigating the Wednesday shooting of Catherine Robertson, 41, and Lyndel Robertson, 44, as a poaaJbl homirida and first-degree auaultr-" No suspects were in custody but "at this time there remain several leads to be checked out," Livingston County Sheriff Leland ODcIl said Wednesday evening. The case was not being investigated as a murder-suicide attempt, O'Dcll snid. But he would not comment on whether burglary was a motive.

Officers were called to the Robertson home, eight miles west of Chillicothe on Missouri Highway 190, at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. Mrs. Robertson was pronounced dead at the scene by Livingston County Coroner Scott Lindley. Her husband was transferred to Research Medical Center in Kansas City, where he underwent surgery.

He was listed in serious condition. The couple have five children, four of whom are living at home, O'Dell snid. The oldest daughter is a student at Missouri "Western State College. Jackie Woodworth, the wife of Lyndt-11 Robertson's business partner, snid she received a phone call about 12:30 a.m. from one of the four Robertson children living at home.

The child asked Mrs. Woodworth's husband to come to the home. "When he arrived, the children were in a car of a friend from Chillicothe who took enre of them. Officers were already there," Mrs. Woodworth said.

About 30 officers with the North Missouri Major Case Squad nre investigating the shmtings, O'Dell snid. Officers interne CHILLICOTHE page 10) trying to have kids," said Roger Fouche. Fouche is one of three hus Sunday. See SCHOTTENHEIMER page 2. bands entered in the Breeders Cup contest sponsored by KRNQ-FM, which has offered prizes to the first couple to conceive.

A similar competition CHICAGO (AP) Taking a couple aspirins with a cocktail can get drunker. See RESEARCHERS page 5. (See COUPLES page 10) WIS I LIMIT a tr i i i tr jm Hi a Callao Acts On Sewer Bond Issue Laws On Dangerous Structures, Dogs Approved The city of Callao moved forward with plans to put a sewer bond issue on the ballot in February, and took several other actions, during its regular meeting Tuesday night. Mayor Wally Simmons said the council passed a law and hired McLiney and Company of Kansas City as financial advisors and underwriters for the bond issue election for the proposed sewer system. The election is tentatively scheduled for Feb.

5. Simmons declined to state the estimated cost of the project, saying he would like to wait until a brochure describing the project is completed for distribution to city residents. He did say it is hoped the project can be funded with grant money, general obligation bonds (city tax dollars would be used to pay them off), and revenue bonds (which would be paid off from the payments of sewer bills). While it used to be that a community could secure grant funds and then pass a bond issue, the federal government now requires that the bond issue be approved and then it will approve a grant, Simmons said. In that way the government is sure the community is committed to the project.

The system would serve approximately 175 customers. The city also passed two other laws. One deals with dangerous buildings or structures as nuisances and provides a procedure for the city to demolish or repair them. Simmons said the cost of (See CALLAO page 10) WENTZ STREET BRIDGE The one-lane Wentz Street bridge in Macon, shown above, is to be replaced once all the needed paperwork is completed. According to City Clerk John Lewis, the project has been delayed while the city waits for the Burlington Northern to sign its part of the project agreement.

Railroad officials say those signatures should be made soon. (Staff photo by Mark Snow) Railroad Promises Needed Signatures For Wentz Street Bridge Replacement If the railroad comes through on its promise this time, "it will be great news," Lewis said. The railroad would normally have been responsible for maintenance of the bridge once it was constructed. However, the city reached an agreement with the railroad, whereby the railroad would pay the city's share of the project, and the city would assume the cost of maintaining the bridge. The estimated cost of the project is $300,000.

A federal funds will pay for 80 percent of the construction cost. That means the railroad will need to pay approximately $60,000. Buescher said one of the negotiating points that remained was the railroad's provision that it be notified any time construction workers are within 25 feet of the railroad right-of-way. Normally the distance for notification is approximately eight and a half (See RAILROAD page 10) By MARK SNOW Editor Over a year and half has passed since the city began the final paperwork on a project to replace the Wentz Street bridge over the Burlington Northern Railroad in Macon, but the project may be getting closer to point when bids can be obtained. Dan Buescher, a lawyer for the railroad, said Wednesday the final details of the paperwork for the project were worked out this week and the needed signatures from railroad executives should be completed "very shortly." That's good news to City Clerk John Lewis, who late last week said "I'm getting a little upset" over the project.

Lewis said the railroad has been promising for the last five or six months to sign the final documents so the project could but always failed to do so. IMPROVING THE SYSTEM Macon Municipal Utility workers are shown above putting up a utility pole as they work to improve the electrical system in the area around Macon Lake. From left to right are Mark Truitt (operating the truck lift), Jeff Hams, and Duane Graves. The utility is adding another circuit to the electrical substation at the lake which should make any outages cover a smaller area. Previously one circuit fed electricity to a large area.

When the work is completed two circuit will feed electricity to two smaller areas so the areas affected by a power outage should be about half as big. Jim Millard, assistant superintendent over electricity said tree limbs have been the major cause of outages in the past few months and the city will be doing a lot of tree trimming after the Christmas holidays. (Staff photo by Mark Snow).