Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 3

Fres Press telephones City News Desk 222-6600 To Place Want Ads 222-6800 Insurance Dept. 222-6470 For Home Delivery 222-6500 All Other Calls 222-6400 Today's Chuckle An inferiority complex could be a blessing if the right people had it. Section Page 3 SECOND FRONT PAGE Thursday, September 6. 1979 If I 'TTTi i art 1 1 1 9 Tl earners rac -1 uck 11 is Nip and Early Voting ,....1.,, 'Lfc By PATRICIA MONTEMURRI Free Press Staff Writer As Detroit teachers passed out pencils and books to students on the first day of class Wednesday, representatives for the Detroit Federation of Teachers passed out ratification ballots to teachers. Union officials predicted a tight vote on a new three-year contract.

"I think it will be a close vote," said Mary Ellen Riordan, union president. "And, unfortunately, if the vote goes against us, we will not be in school Monday." Interviews with Detroit teachers in several schools showed that sentiment on the contract appeared evenly split, while teachers in some buildings had already cast their ballot, with the contract being voted down in at least two of the city's 291 schools. Special education teacher Jim Sears said his colleagues at Poe Elementary School on the west side, where he is union representative, cast 10 votes against ratifying the contract and nine votes approving it. At Murray-Wright High School, teachers voted 68 against and 22 for ratification Wednesday afternoon, said chemistry teacher Doug Smith, who was present when the vote was tallied. MEANWHILE, in the tri-county area, contract disputes Wednesday held up classes for 55,000 students in 10 suburban districts.

A Free Press Photo By JOHN COLLIER to vote on the pact negotiated over the week- end. Mrs. Riordan said some union represent-' atives had already called in the vote from individual schools Wednesday and said the fulkount should be known Friday afternoon. Many of the teachers interviewed at Murray-Wright were dissatisfied with the salary package, an overall 25 percent increase oyer three years with no cost-of-living allowance. One, who asked not to be identified, noted that a nine percent increase in the third year of the pact appears to be a hefty hike now; "But that nine percent increase in 198L just might need to be 1 3 percent with the way inflation is going," she said.

However, Nathaniel Chillis, Murray-. Wright's music instructor, said he voted for-ratification because "I just don't think the board's got any more money." "The board isn't like GM," Chillis said. "They can't sell more cars to pay for the cost-of-living." POE'S SEARS said he voted against the: contract because "it locks us into three years without no cost-of-living or wage reopener Sears said he would prefer to see bargainers go back to the table and negotiate a one-year contract, but that option is not available to Detroit teachers. "On the ballot, you can vote yes to approve the contract. Or you can vote no with the understanding that if the contract is not approved, we go on strike," said Mrs.

Rior- See TEACHERS, Page 15A Each of the Grunyons has an individual singing style but all have fun. From the left are Roland Sharette, Wood Geist, Jim Leese, Bill Dunn, Doug wieger, John Ford, Ron Fredrick and John Prost DON'T LET SUITS FOOL YOU They love to sing. anytime Medicaid abortions OKd; foes to fight on total of 36 school districts throughout the state remained on strike. Detroit's 12,000 teachers have until Friday By KEN FIREMAN Free Press Staff Writer The Michigan Supreme Court apparently wiil have the final say in a running battle between Gov. Milliken and the Legislature over the use of state funds for abortions.

By PATRICIA CHARGOT Free Press Staff Writer Fifteen minutes before their lunch hour performance was set to begin Wednesday on Washington the Grunyons didn't even know what they were going to sing. Only half of the members had showed up, no one had remembered a pitchpipe, and they hadn't rehearsed in months. But the Grunyons didn't care. Rarin' and ready to sing anytime, anywhere, they were sitting around a big table at the Haberdashery pub in the Radisson Cadillac drinking beer. "Even if we bombed, what difference would it make?" laughed John Prost, one of the members.

"We're just a bunch of middle-aged businessmen who like to sing." AND WITH THAT, eight Grunyons burst into a rousing rendition of "Lazy Days" in six-part harmony. When it ended, everyone in the pub was clapping and all the Grunyons were grinning. "We love to do this," said Prost, half-jumping out of his chair. "We love it. We love it." Then the Grunyons drained their shells and walked on over to the plaza in front of St.

Aloysius Church to sing some more." "It's really a visual act," kidded Prost on the way over. "If you hear us on tape, we're not that good. But to see us, we look good. People think we're good because we look like we're having such a good time." To say that the Grunyons a ninth member materialized just before the 20-minute performance ended looked as if The state Court of Appeals they were having a good time Wednesday is an understatement. From the moment they broke into song, each man looked as if he had found his true calling.

Some put their hands in their pockets, closed their eyes, and rocked back and forth, crooning. Others snapped their fingers and let out with background vocal syllables, bop-bops and doot-doots. They were only nine men performing under adverse accoustical conditions, but they filled the whole plaza in front of the church with sound. AND THEY LOOKED as if they were having more fun than anyone who dresses in a business suit and tie deserves to have on his lunch hour, especially when Prost put on a wig for the last number, "Blue Moon." After the concert, the Grunyons returned to the Haberdashery for cheeseburgers, more beer, and more impromptu singing. The Grunyons, started by a couple of former Yale Whiffen-poofs in 1949, is a group of Detroit area business and professional men who sing for recreation and perform free at charitable functions.

Instead of bowling or playing cards, they get together once a week to sing and drink beer. They pride themselves on their informality, shunning choral robes, "because we refuse to dress absolutely alike." "The Whiffenpoofs sing with a great deal more precision," said Bill Gard, one of the Grunyons' two original members and a former member of the Yale singing club. "But they don't have as much vitality or enthusiasm. They're stiff." sided Wednesday with the governor and ruled that the state could continue to use Medicaid funds to finance abortions for poor women. But anti-abortion legislators promptly vowed to ap peal that ruling to the Supreme Court.

It an unbelievable opin ion, said ben. John A. Wel-born, R-Kalamazoo. "It will wM a. f.

-f Yi definitely be appealed to the Supreme Court. It would virtually give dictatorial powers to the governor." Pli ice war THE APPEALS court over turned an earlier decision by Ingham County Circuit Judge Riecardo, senators talk Chrysler aid strategy Jack Warren, who had ruled that Milliken overstepped his authority last year when he vetoed a legislative ban on feared by beer lobby By HUGH McDIARMID Lansing Bureau Chief LANSING Beer and re Free Press Photo by CRAIG PORTER Mrs. Pelie Chan explains a point to her class at the Burton school. Medicaid abortions. "The court is mindful that it is not called upon to judge whether a non-therapeutic abortion is morally justifiable Back to pencils and books By William J.

MITCHELL, DONALD WOUTAT AND BILLY BOWLES Free Press Staff Writers Chrysler Chairman John Riecardo met in Washington Wednesday with Sens. Don- the three-judge panel tail interests joined a leading temperance spokesman Wednesday in renewing op wrote. "Rather the court must and it fun the first day make its ruling with the un Mir position to rule changes designed to check the rapidly rising price of beer in derstanding that non-therapeutic abortions are legal." By SALLY SMITH Why, then, do you like the first day? she" Free Press Staff Writer was asked. But the state Liquor Con THE LEGISLATURE has "Because you get all the easy It was easy work time all over Detroit trol Commission, under pressure from Gov. Milliken, ap Rachael said.

voted to delete funds for Medicaid abortions from the state budget four times in the past Wednesday as the school year cranked up for the city's 219,000 public school students. The weather augured well: It was a bright blue pears ready to press ahead with the changes anyway. THAT MAY BE OPEN to argument. At the; 14 months. The commission, accord Burton School, which places a special emphar Milliken has vetoed each sis on learning the various ethnic backC morning, and despite a late bus here or a lost student there, things went off smoothly in most of the 291 local schools.

ing to Chairman Stanley Thayer, believes benefits to their moral support to the company. Chrysler officials were secretive about the plan they will present to the Treasury Department. A Chrysler spokesman in New York confirmed that several directors met, but the spokesman refused to say who attended or what was discussed. He said it was not a "full-fledged" meeting. Chrysler officials have been adamant about keeping details of the financial aid plan secret until it is submitted, saying that is part of the company's agreement with Treasury Department officials.

CHRYSLER had requested $1 billion in cash from the federal government, but the Carter Administration turned the company down. Instead, Teasury Secretary G. William Miller said last month that the federal government will consider loan guarantees "considerably less" than $1 billion. Other officials have said See CHRYSLER, Page16A grounds of the 475 students who hail from; France to Pakistan, Mrs. Pelie Chan mopped- attempt, and lawmakers have never been able to muster the two-thirds vote needed to override his veto.

beer-drinking consumers will Rachael Young, for one, didn't mind going outweight the problems to the industry and the concerns expressed by temperance lead aia Kiegie jr. and Carl Levin of Michigan and Thomas Eag-leton of Missouri to discuss strategy for obtaining federal aid for the ailing auto company. Riecardo told reporters after the meeting that the proposed financial plan is "substantially but not entirely" completed. He said he would not discuss the plan until it is submitted to the Treasury Department and he said he did not know when that will be. Earlier, several Chrysler directors met at the company's New York offices, presumably to review the financial assistance plan Chrysler will present soon to the U.S.

Treasury Department. THE MEETINGS were among several developments Wednesday in the effort to obtain federal assistance for Milliken argues that it is her brow and got on with the business of! bouillon. A French vord, she said. There was also a spelling test. In the third' row of the 22-student combined second and! third grade class, dark-haired Michele' back to school at all.

In her case, the school was the Burton International School on Cass Avenue, where the seven-year-old pigtailed student was caught nibbling on a pencil at midmorning. ers. THE CHANGES, if ap- knocked off words like a champ. "I like to unfair to deny abortions to poor women when more affluent women can obtain them. But many lawmakers believe it is equally unfair to force anti-abortion citizens to pay for abortions with their tax dollars.

come to school, she said. I like to learn. I Rachael was deep in thought, a musty exercise at best after a long summer. John Riecardo: A parley in Washington Chrysler, which lost a record $204.6 million last year and lost an additional $260.8 million the first half of this year. The Democratic members of the Michigan congressional delegation also huddled in Washington to discuss strategy for getting Congress to enact legislation to bail out Chrysler.

And in Detroit, community leaders met to lend like reading, and, uh, I really like spelling, too." Michele bent to her paper, pencil in hand. Nevertheless, she' seemed remarkablv proved by a joint legislative rules committee, would eliminate the ban on retail advertising of beer prices, remove the prohibition on quantity discounts to retail stores and lower from 180 days to 30 days the time between post- clear-minded and said she thought the first and last days of the school year were the She began to scratch out the letters of her The lawsuit challenging tunnest. The last day was especially fun, name. Some confusion ensued over her last name. Milliken's veto was originally filed by Welborn and Rep.

she said, because the year's mental hurdles Is it Druan or Duran? Michele, temporarily! Thaddeus Stopczynski, D-De had been jumped and you get all the easy work." See BEER, Page 16A troit. See STUDENTS, Page 15A: tipofff lollowiip Sportscaster gets spot Win Joe Pellegrino (right) has been resurrected on local television, thanks to Channel 62, tagged as Detroit's religions TV station. The popular sportscaster will host a new football show starting Sept. 12. It will feature interviews with Lions players and coaches and filmed highlights of each game.

Pellegrino hasn't appeared on TV since he was canned a year agoduring some Channel 4 house cleaning. In the meantime, he's Bygone days to return The biggest birthday party in Detroit is scheduled for Sept. 23, and the guest of honor is Belle sle. The city is throwing a shindig to celebrate the 100th birthday of the recreation oasis, where genteel fun was the rule long ago (right). Food prices will be reduced to reflect a bygone era.

Hot dogs will be 25 cents, soft drinks five cents, and popsicles free. Fred Sanders Co. is creating a special cake in the shape of the island. Festivities will start at 10 a.m. Swimmers don't come back The three-week swimming ban at Stony Creek-Metropark was lifted Aug.

9, but the park neve recaptured the swim crowd. The illness scare, cou-! pled with cold weather, has created a $50,000 loss in gross revenue for the park. Of icialshowever, don't think the loss will affect the park's operation next' year. Meanwhile, the cause of the flu-like illness-that struck aboutg 400 lake visitors is still investigation. Health officials are "fairly the outbreak was caused by a virus in the laki water.

One theory is that raw sewage from a septic: tank was dumped illegally into one. of the lake's tributaries and created a heavy dose of contamina--' tiion for several days. Static at stations It's a little hard to keep up with all the actions against Booth American owner of WJLB and WMZK radio stations in Detroit. The troubled company was hit with another lawsuit this week. This one comes from Faisal Arabo, producer and host of "The Arab Voice of Detroit." He alleges that the Federal Communications Commission and Booth teamed up to pull his show off the air in May because of his politicaal commentary.

By the way, the Arabic community, avid listeners of Arabo, is in an uproar over his firing. Other Booth troubles: FCC payola charges and a $1 million suit brought by a former record distributor charging that he lost his job because he wasn't part of the payola game. fill iris "AT far been doing sportscasts at WXYZ radio. i I Compiled by DONNA URSCHFL.