Wednesday, October 20, 1999

THE POST

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THE POST
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Jean-Marc Bouju/ASSOCIATED PRESS
A woman is overcome with emotion after watching the coffin of Julius Nyerere pass through the streets on the way to the national stadium after a Mass at St. Joseph's Cathedral. The ceremony was in Dar-es-Salaam Tuesday.
Assembly votes to accept East Timor independence

JAKARTA - Just 16 months after authoritarian President Suharto was forced from power, Indonesia's legislature delivered what could be a crushing blow to his hand-picked successor today.

In a session that dragged from yesterday into the early hours of this morning, the 700-member People's Consultative Assembly narrowly rejected President B.J. Habibie's speech defending his brief tenure as leader of the world's fourth most-populous country.

The assembly also voted to recognize East Timor's vote for independence, paving the way for the half-island territory to become the world's newest nation. After the votes, supporters of Habibie's rival for the presidency, Megawati Sukarnoputri, marched jubilantly through the streets of the capital, Jakarta.

"It's the voice of the people. I'm really proud that the assembly members listened to the people's aspirations," said one reveler, Mohammad Hussein.

The assembly is to reconvene later today to choose Indonesia's next president in its continuing transition to democracy after Suharto's 32-year reign.

Some members of the assembly cheered as the 355-322 vote rejecting Habibie's speech was announced.

Cost-of-living raises en route for Social Security

WASHINGTON - Retirees will get the biggest cost-of-living increase in their Social Security checks that they've seen in three years - an average $19 a month - beginning in January.

The 2.4 percent benefits boost, announced by the Social Security Administration yesterday, will be nearly twice the 1.3 percent increase senior citizens got this year, largely because of a recent spike in energy prices.

With inflation remaining relatively tame, the 2000 Social Security payment update will continue a 1990s trend of modest increases. The annual adjustment is tied to the government's estimate of increases in consumer prices.

"Inflation remains under control, which is important for all consumers, particularly seniors who live on fixed incomes," said Social Security Commissioner Kenneth S. Apfel.

The 2000 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment means the average monthly check for retirees will rise by $19, from $785 to $804.

In addition to retirement benefits, Social Security payments will increase for disabled workers and families whose breadwinners have died. Monthly payments for 6.6 million low-income individuals receiving Supplemental Security Income, known as SSI, also will rise 2.4 percent.

The increases show up in benefit payments for January.

Separately yesterday, the government said the monthly Medicare premium deducted from most elderly and disabled Americans' Social Security checks for insurance coverage of doctors' office visits will stay unchanged at $45.50.

Monthly checks from Social Security, the government's biggest benefit program, with 44.2 million Americans on the rolls, are adjusted annually to keep rising prices from eroding recipients' buying power.

Clinton, GOP discuss budget disagreements

WASHINGTON - Top Republicans pledged yesterday they would reject any budget deal that used Social Security surpluses as they headed for White House talks on their spending impasse with President Clinton.

"There will be no winks and nods" about using Social Security funds for extra spending, House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, told reporters. "There will be no backroom deals."

Eager to cast the administration in a cooperative light, White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said, "It's our hope the Republicans will put the attack ads aside, the talking points aside, and come down and work with us in good faith."

The comments came before Clinton and congressional leaders held a late afternoon White House meeting on their budget dispute, which has so far prevented enactment of eight of the 13 annual spending bills for the 19-day-old fiscal year. Five of the bills have been vetoed or face veto threats.

Despite differences over spending for hiring teachers and purchasing park lands, neither side was ready to let the dispute escalate into government shutdown.

With a stopgap bill keeping agencies open set to expire Thursday night, Congress sent Clinton a measure extending that deadline through Oct. 29. The president was considered certain to sign it.

Once-secret report reveals nuclear locations

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is acknowledging for the first time the locations of U.S. nuclear weapons outside the United States during the Cold War, including naval depth bombs in Cuba during the 1962 missile crisis that brought America close to war with the Soviet Union.

The names of nine places where bombs or bomb components minus their nuclear charges were located between 1951 and 1977 are revealed in a 332-page official Pentagon history. The names of 18 other locations were blacked out by government censors before the document was released to Robert S. Norris, a private specialist on nuclear weapons and author of numerous books on the topic.

Using other documents, Norris and his co-authors said they could identify 17 of those other locations, ringing the globe from Canada to Iceland to South Korea and Japan.

The nine nuclear weapon locations named in the Pentagon document are Cuba, Puerto Rico, Britain, West Germany, the U.S. territories of Guam, Johnston Island and Midway, and Alaska and Hawaii, which were U.S. territories in the early years of the Cold War.

Even with material blacked out, the "History of the Custody and Deployment of Nuclear Weapons," published in February 1978 as a top secret document, reveals new information about the location, timing and types of U.S. nuclear weapon deployments.

"It shows a huge expanse of nuclear weapons around the globe," Norris said in an interview Monday.

Study: Vitamin E offers lung cancer protection

WASHINGTON - A diet rich in vitamin E foods such as nuts and whole grains can lower the risk of lung cancer among smokers by about 20 percent, according to a new study.

In the study of more than 29,000 male smokers in Finland, researchers found that those who had high blood levels of alpha-tocopherol, the main form of vitamin E, reduced their incidence of lung cancer by 19 percent to 23 percent.

The benefits were most dramatic, the study found, among men under age 60 and among light smokers who had been using cigarettes for less than 40 years. The reduction in lung cancer risk in these groups was from 40 percent to 50 percent.

Despite the encouraging finding, said Dr. Demetrius Albanes of the National Cancer Institute, the most beneficial health action smokers can take is still the same: Stop smoking.

"We have to emphasize that not only for lung cancer, but for oral cancer, pancreas cancer, kidney cancer and a bunch of other cancers, stopping smoking is crucial," said Albanes, the senior author of the study today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

In the study, which lasted for almost eight years, researchers took periodic blood samples to measure the levels of alpha-tocopherol, the most active form of vitamin E in humans. The levels of alpha-tocopherol were then linked to health outcomes among the men in the study. There were 1,144 cases of lung cancer diagnosed in the group during the study.

The lung cancer rate reduced among men with the highest levels of alpha-tocopherol, said Albanes, and the cancer protection was most pronounced among men with the shortest history of smoking who also had high vitamin E levels.

Although the new study involved only smokers and lung cancer, earlier studies have shown that healthy levels of vitamin E give some protection against heart disease, stroke and some other types of cancer, such as prostate cancer.

Competing plan could shrink tobacco settlement

COLUMBUS - Some Republican lawmakers think Gov. Bob Taft's proposed 25-year spending plan for Ohio's $10.1 billion share of the national tobacco settlement is too long and have proposed shrinking it to between eight and 12 years.

Taft would be willing to consider alternatives if they keep his spending priorities for education and public health, a spokesman for the Republican governor said yesterday.

"Obviously the governor prefers the 25-year plan. It's what the task force passed, there was a rationale behind it," said Taft spokesman Scott Milburn. "If another plan were brought forth that does the same thing, prioritizes public health and education in the same way, the governor will take a look at it."

Democrats said yesterday they oppose any shortening of the spending plan.

The governor's 15-member task force last month recommended spending $9.8 billion on public health needs, schools and education technology over 25 years.

Senate Republicans and Democrats each held closed-door meetings yesterday to discuss Republican-led proposals to shrink the spending plan. One concern is that future legislatures will have to reconsider tobacco settlement spending no matter what plan is agreed upon now.

"A plan is nice as a guideline but as a practical matter the Legislature appropriates every two years," said state Sen. Roy Ray, R-Akron, the Senate Finance Chairman.

Taft told Republican lawmakers yesterday that he is willing to move to a 12-year spending plan in order to mesh with his plan for rebuilding school facilities, Ray said.

Last month, Taft released a 12-year proposal to provide about $10.2 billion in state money to help rebuild Ohio schools. About $2.5 billion would come from the tobacco settlement.

Taft is hoping the Ohio Supreme Court takes his new program into account before it rules on whether the state has done enough to fix the school funding system. The court ruled two years ago that Ohio's system is unconstitutional.

Official: Recorder missed work, wasted funds

DAYTON - A campaign to unseat a county recorder, who came to the office sporadically over the past year and not at all for months at a time, has begun.

State Rep. Jeff Jacobson, chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party, has released a list of allegations against Montgomery County Recorder Joy Clark. They include allegations that she failed to perform her duties and wasted taxpayer money.

Jacobson said they will be the basis of a petition drive to remove her from office.

Attempts to reach Clark yesterday were unsuccessful. A message left on her office answering machine was not returned. And Deputy Recorder Tom Wamsley said Clark would have no further comment.

In comments to reporters Monday, Clark denied all the allegations, calling them "nonsense."

"He has no substantiation for any of this," Clark said of Jacobson. "It has not happened, so there can't be any. This is such nonsense I'm not even going to dignify any of this with a reply."

The 59-year-old Clark, former mayor of nearby Vandalia, was appointed to the post in 1995 by Jacobson, a fellow Republican. Clark's term ends in December 2000, and she has said she will not run for re-election.

Clark said she had not been coming in to the office because her job had no purpose. She had been there only once since July 2 before returning Oct. 5 and promising to resume a regular work schedule.

The allegations released by Jacobson claim that Clark publicly stated her belief that the county recorder has no duties and thus she had not performed any duties. That constitutes willful neglect to perform an official duty, the allegations state.

Labor group lauds ruling, access to public jobs

CLEVELAND - A judge's ruling against a new state law that had been challenged by organized labor will increase union clout on public construction projects, a labor leader said yesterday.

"It means there will be union workers eligible to work these jobs at better wages and the project will be on budget and on time," said William Burga, president of the Ohio AFL-CIO.

The law enacted in June prohibited project labor agreements. Such agreements guarantee union participation in public construction projects in return for a no-strike, no-picket pledge.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Eileen Gallagher ruled Monday that project labor agreements are essentially collective bargaining agreements and banning them would violate federal labor law.

Gov. Bob Taft let the bill become law without his signature and predicted it would not withstand a legal challenge.

A coalition of labor groups challenged the law in a suit against the Cuyahoga County commissioners. A dispute began over construction of a juvenile detention center when the county broke off negotiations with unions after the law was enacted.

While the judge's ruling applies only in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, Burga predicted any challenge elsewhere also would favor organized labor. A ruling upholding the law could lead to the Ohio Supreme Court settling the issue.

Burga estimated that the ruling could affect up to 100,000 union construction workers statewide.

A spokesman for county Prosecutor William D. Mason said the county was prepared to comply with the judge's ruling.

The state attorney general's office had not decided whether to appeal the ruling, spokesman Todd Boyer said yesterday.

"The bill basically called for union or nonunion (contractors) to have the same opportunity," he said yesterday.

Joyce Goldstein, a labor lawyer, said unions involved in the challenge hope to resume negotiations with the county commissioners on union participation in the juvenile detention center project.

Coach agrees to plea; no prayer before games

COLUMBUS - A settlement between the London school board and the American Civil Liberties Union said a high school football coach cannot lead his players in prayer any more.

Dave Daubenmire, the head coach at London High School was sued by the ACLU in June. The suit, which named others including the school board, was filed on behalf of parents who complained that the prayer sessions violated the separation of church and state.

Daubenmire, who has been at London since 1989, has said he led players in prayer in the past, but he stopped doing it last year when he was told it was illegal. Since then, students have led team prayer sessions.

The settlement was approved by the school board Monday just hours before a hearing scheduled for yesterday in U.S. District Court in Columbus.

It prohibits Daubenmire from initiating or leading students in prayer or other religious activities while teaching, coaching or conducting extracurricular events. Residents of the school district agreed to withdraw their complaint.

Daubenmire agreed that neither he nor his coaches would lead students in prayer. Students have the right to pray provided it does not disrupt school.

"We could continue to fight this and go to court and I believe win. But I think this is a resolution all of us can live with," Daubenmire said Monday after the London Board of Education approved the out-of-court settlement.

"It's best to put this behind us and try to move on and help our kids be successful," he said.

The ACLU's lawsuit described an eight-year period during which coaches delivered religious sermons, coordinated student prayer sessions and conducted mandatory prayer sessions before and after games.

Judge James L. Graham will maintain jurisdiction over the case for two years.

During that time, Daubenmire is to be monitored by principal Cathy Buckerfield, who occasionally will observe team meetings, practices and other school gatherings.

Any violations will be put in writing, and Superintendent Thomas Coyne will have 30 days to address the problems.

Supreme Court justice to address local law group

An Ohio Supreme Court Justice will speak at a luncheon for the Athens County Bar Association Thursday.

Justice Alice Robie Resnick and members of the Legal Assistance Education Committee will meet at the luncheon to view the operation of the Athens County Bar Association's monthly Poverty Prevention Clinic.

The clinic offers advice concerning civil matters to low income Athens residents free of charge.

Athens dog catcher chasing local pocketbooks

Athens County residents who do not have current tags for their dogs could be paying much more than the cost of a new tag if caught.

At the urging of Athens County Dog Warden Gerald Koska, Jr , the Athens County Commissioners agreed to a new dog tag spot check plan at yesterday's commissioners meeting.

Between Oct. 25 and Nov. 15, three Athens County dog wardens will be going door to door to conduct checks on tag-status of several residents' dogs, Koska said.

If a dog owner is caught without a tag during the spot check, he or she could be cited and charged an $82 fee, in addition to a $16 late charge for purchasing a tag after Jan. 30, he said.

The normal cost of a dog tag, before the Jan. 30 cut-off date, is $8. Dog tags must be renewed every year and sometimes people forget to buy them, he said.

Koska said the spot check campaign is necessary because the county sold between 1,500 and 2,000 dog tags less than it did in 1998.

"I think we need to make sure that people who own dogs have tags, rather than raising the dog tag rate on everybody," said Athens County Commissioner Bill Theisen.

In other business, the commissioners approved the use of the courthouse rotunda as a booking area for Halloween weekend. Similar to what was done last year, law enforcement officers will walk arrested citizens through the rotunda and then take them into various holding areas.

The commissioners also declared Oct. 23 to Oct. 31 "Red Ribbon Week" in Athens County. It will include alcohol and drug education as well as prevention activities.


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