Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 7

DETROIT FREE PRESSSATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 1987 7A Auto thief sidetracks Mover critic's debut ride Ill III Weinberger says Reagan was misled HEARINGS, from Page 1A war with Iraq. Reagan, according to the notes, told aides the U.S. arms sales could be justified on the grounds the United States wanted to "have things even" in the conflict. I Nr 1 1 1 Ralph Stanley missed two Friday morning As administra tor of the federal Urban Mass Transit Administration, Stanley was a sharp critic of the People Mover and frequently Mayor Young. But btanleV when Young invited him to the rail system's debut Friday, Stanley, who left the federal post in June for a private firm, said he eagerly accepted.

rides I 'X "I was all set to go to Detroit. I had my plane ticket. I had 50 cents in my pocket for the fare," Stanley said Friday afternoon in a phone interview from New York. "Then this morning I walked out of my apartment, on the upper east side and found my car had been stolen." Stanley said pol'ce held out little hope for recovering his 1982 Toyota. Told of Stanley's transportation troubles, Young laughed and said: "Beautiful.

I think it was poetic justice, for somebody who was trying to mess with our ride." Patricia Edmonds Ms People Mover rolls on its inaugural ride Ft: A victim of one of Friday's tornadoes is rescued by emergency crews through Edmonton, Alberta. 32 killed by tornadoes Canadian Press shortly after the storm passed monton suburbs of Ft. Saskatchewan, Millwoods, Clareview and Sherwood Park. There were no immediate reports of damage in downtown Edmonton, but weather officials warned that more tornadoes could hit Friday night. West Edmonton Mall, the world's largest shopping center, apparently escaped any damage, witnesses said.

Sirens from emergency vehicles wailed throughout the city as Edmonton officials put Canada's sixth largest city's disaster plan into effect. Gas lines were reported severed in some areas, prompting fears of fire. TOOLS STUFF Pontlac, In The Tol PEOPLE MOVER, from Page 1A If opening day was any indication, so did a lot of others. The People Mover cars were so crammed with first-time riders Friday afternoon that officials asked them via a speaker system to ride the 2.9-mile, elevated loop only once so others could try it. At some stations, transit officers counted people who got off each car and allowed only that number to get on.

Officials later put the system's only spare vehicle on the track to handle the crowds. But the first day was not normal. Thousands came to ride because of the novelty and because the controversial system is free through next Friday. When fare-paying begins on Saturday, Aug. 8, city officials will begin to see whether they can beat the federal government's ridership projection of 16,500 a day.

FRIDAY'S FESTIVITIES began with music, speeches, ceremonial cake-cutting, a block party and the release of hundreds of balloons at the Financial District Station on Larned between Shelby and Griswold. Honored with small crystal sculptures were Young and Fisher, who helped persuade the Reagan administration to restore money for the People Mover when it was under fire for construction problems and cost overruns. Young, in fact, joked about Fisher, a powerful Influence in national Republican Party circles. "You know, Max, for a long time, has had a key to the back door of the White House when the Republicans are in, that is," said Young. When Ralph Stanley, then chief of the federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration, tried to kill the money for the People Mover project, Young said he arranged for him to meet with Fisher.

At that meeting, Stanley walked in to see Fisher "winding the key to the back door of the White House around his finger," Young said. "Needless to say, Stanley ain't stupid," Young said. "He quickly got the message, and today you see what you see." Asked before the ceremony about his contacts with the White House regarding the People Mover, Fisher said, "No comment." Stanley, now in private business, was unable to attend Friday's opening. YOUNG USED the event to promote the People Mover as his hope for a revival of a regional mass transit system. Plans for a network of new subway and rail lines have been stymied because of regional bickering and lack of money.

"Detroit is a great city but we will not retain that greatness unless we come into the 20th Century" with a mass transit system, he said. "I consider this People Mover the first step in EARLIER, Regan testified that Rea- gan had rejected a proposal that he pardon Poindexter and North. Asked about pardons at a picture- taking session at the White House, Reagan said that he hasn't "heard a single word" to indicate that laws were broken. He said he will deliver a speech on the "whole affair when the hearings are over," but White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said such a speech won't come until the fall. Weinberger, the final public wit- ness, is expected to finish his testimony Monday.

The congressional panels are expected to interrogate several CIA officials privately next week, and then spend August writing a summary re- port. In another development, the com- mittees released notes that Reagan, the day before his first speech on the Iran arms sales, argued last Nov. 12 for I stating falsely that the Iran operation had its roots in the Jimmy Carter White House. Reagan, who was under pressure then because of disclosures about the initiative, said at a meeting of his aides he would "go public" that this "policy with Iran began (in) 1979," the notes said. Testimony has shown that Rea- gan's Iran initiative, which included arms-for-hostages deals, actually be- gan In mid-1985.

But Reagan, in his Nov. 13 speech to the nation, did not mention his Demo- cratic predecessor's policies on Iran. Carter, asked about the notes Friday in Charlotte, N.C., where he was promot- ing a project for the homeless, said, "I don't want to talk about Iran, thank you." I- Weinberger spelled out for commit- tee lawmakers his repeated objections to the Iran arms sales and efforts by the National Security Council staff to keep him in the dark about the initiative. Weinberger said he began his heat- ed objections to the Iran arms ship-ments in the summer of 1985. DPI contributed to this report.

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"The tornado just picked them up," he said. Another witness said smashed cars, some with people inside, were stacked on top of each other in some areas "just like in a wrecking yard." The storm ravaged the east Ed (Now Open In "AsSeenonT.V.H" The Belly Buster On Now Only kM T.V. $Q99 1 500 units chalnwlde 4 Pc. Duty 10 pc. 38" Drive Torx Bit Set Reg.

Now 4 $2" 415 units chalnwlde Set Reg. that direction." Fisher complimented Young aide Dorothy Brodie for her work on the project and told the crowd at the downtown block party: "A city is not built in one day. Every one of these projects that are built is another building block for the future." Asked later what the project's final cost would be, Young said, "I'm waiting until I get a final count." He appeared to hedge on the city's earlier assertion that it would finish the project for $200.3 million, about $10 million less than SEMTA had projected it would need when it was in control of the project. "I think we will be well within the limit (SEMTA set) that was $210 million, $211 million," Young said. "We are required to bring it in at what the SEMTA limit is, and I'll settle for that." However, Young said, "I still think we might do even better than that." The federal government paid 1 57.2 million for the project; the state, $41.1 million, and the city $2 million.

It is unclear who would pay for an overrun. The city has appropriated $5.9 million for the first year's operating subsidy. AFTER the People Mover opened for passengers, Angela Wheeler got on at the Renaissance Center Station with her brothers, eight-year-old Dennis 'and four-year-old Mark, and with her grandmother, Viola Wheeler of Detroit. As she rode the air-conditioned People Mover car, Wheeler, 66, reminisced about riding the Detroit streetcar system decades ago: "We used to pay six cents to go to Belle Isle," she said. "This is so beautiful.

It's much better." The day was not without hitches. Some riders in wheelchairs had problems getting onto trains because of crowds. A passenger dropped a set of keys between the rails at Cadillac Square Station shortly before 2 p.m, but it didn't stop traffic. The system's Quick Response team a maintenance team on duty to troubleshoot during operating hours fished them out. Trains were delayed when people held doors open to squeeze in more riders.

Control operator West periodically reminded passengers they should stand behind yellow safety lines on the loading platforms and that no smoking, drinking or eating is allowed. After the opening ceremony, as a Mover car got rolling with Young, Fisher and a pack of reporters, so did a bright, buoyant model of a People Mover car crafted from more than 10,000 white, black, green and yellow balloons. Dennis Caver of Balloons Instead, in Trappers Alley, said about 60 people worked for four days to assemble the mass of small balloons that measured 33 feet by 8 feet. Bunches of helium-filled floats bore it aloft as the first car pulled out of the station. Ron Morris, a 32-year-old yoga instructor, said the air-conditioned system "sure beats the heat." Still, there was some criticism.

Members of a group from the Center for Independent Living testing the accessibility of the system using wheelchairs and a motorized scooter said they will have to test the system more thoroughly before drawing conclusions. As the group exited, the elevator at the Financial District Station was out of order for more than 10 minutes, stranding those who could not walk on the elevated boarding platform. Some riders were put off by the crowds. William Wall, an 80-year-old retired factory worker, said he will never ride again when the train is as crowded as Friday, saying his pocket was picked on a crowded Dexter Avenue bus last year. And Elizabeth Gosczynski of Detroit said, "There were just too many people I wouldn't ride it anymore." 6 Outlet Power Strip On-Ofl Switch Circuit Breaker Reg.

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Nicholas Hood spared no allusion when he prayed, at a Friday luncheon for 100 city dignitaries, for the success of the downtown People Mover: "Heavenly Father: We thank you for that spiritual guideway and divine automation that directs us through life. "Elevate our hearts and spirit so that as we commute on our individual routes through life, we pick up passengers for you through illustrations of love, patience and understanding. "Lord, you are the ultimate people mover. And we ask that you lead the spirit of Detroit, and captivate citizens and visitors as this People Mover zips through downtown. "Finally, we ask that you watch over us and keep us on the fast track of your will.

Amen." soundoff Do you back Reagan abortion rule? President Reagan announced steps Thursday to bar federally financed family planning programs from encouraging or advising pregnant women on the option of abortion. The move drew immediate protests from pro-choice forces. Do you support the president's decision? NO, 81 percent: "Reagan will depress the poor even more by making them have unwanted children." "He is putting politics before the rights of YES, 19 percent: "That's the best idea Reagan has had yet." "I don't want my money being used to eliminate life." Soundoff Is a non-scientific, reader-opinion feature. Percentages are based on 1,128 calls. A mechanical problem with the recording device Friday morning may have reduced the NO votes.

Today's question: The Soviet Union Friday presented a draft treaty calling for the two superpowers to cut their long-range nuclear arsenals in half, but it said no agreement was possible unless an accord is reached that would restrict the U.S. "Star Wars" program. (Story on Page 10A.) Do you think the United States should agree to restrictions on Star Wars to achieve a major reduction in the long-range nuclear arsenals of both countries? Call before 2 p.m. to vote: 4Pc. C-Clamp Set Heavy 8" Reg.

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"It's fun, I like it here," she said as she crouched in her seat and peered wide-eyed at the passing cityscape. AT LEAST one rider saw the mover in near-religious terms. "Is this the highway to heaven?" asked Anne Alexander Jones, 83, as she left the escalator at the Financial District Station. She had waited 20 minutes in line on the street and was about to join the small crowd waiting to board one of the next trains. Others saw the People Mover as a different kind of salvation.

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