The University Daily
University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas
KANSAN
Friday, March 25,1983 Vol.93.No.121 USPS 650-640
A
John Horton, who resigned as business manager for the Environmental Protection Agency in February, defended the agency at a news conference in the Kansas Union.
Former EPA manager rebuts criticism received by agency
By DAVID POWLS
Staff Reporter
A former Environmental Protection Agency official said yesterday that political pressure from disgruntled agency lawyers and congressmen prompted President Reagan to ask him to
John Horton, who resigned in February as business manager for the EPA, continued to deny allegations that he had conducted private business from his agency office. In a news conference in the Kansas Union, Horton said that he was incompetent to conduct the EPA staff because it was inexperienced.
"SOME MISTAKES have been made, but many accomplishments have been overlooked in the fervor." Horton said. "People at the White
House felt they had to do something to give the appearance of being in control."
He said that because the EPA had made several out-of-court settlements regarding violations of its regulations, enforcement officials had thought the agency was not doing its job.
"The lawyers, who were kings in the Carter administration, suddenly found themselves secondary to the scientists and engineers," he said. "We focused on environmental results."
"If you go to court, you get caught up in the rigorose, and nothing gets done for five or six."
CONGRESSMEN HAD also criticized the agency for concentrating on specific areas of the country and not providing comprehensive policies, he said.
See HORTON page 5
Reagan to ask more officials to leave EPA
By United Press International
WASHINGTON — President Reagan plans to ask today for the resignations of acting Environmental Protection Agency chief John Hernandez and two other top officials of the embled agency, White House sources said yesterday.
The sources said assistant administrator John Todhunter and Paul Cahill, head of the EPA's Office of Federal Activities, would be asked to assist with the investigation of nominal chinese were likely in the next few days.
SOURCES SAID EPA general counsel Robert Perry will probably be asked to leave his post in the past several weeks, climaxing a purge at the agency that led to seven earlier firings and the resignation of former Administrator Anne Burford.
Reagan Monday nominated William Ruckelshaus, who was the EPA's first chief in the Nixon administration, to head the agency. Ruckelshaus said he had received assurances that he could put the "best people" in charge at the agency.
EPA SOURCES said it was possible that Buckleaus, as a formality, would ask for the resignations of all political appointees at the agency — about 100 employees.
One White House source said Hernandez, who with Todhunter got in trouble for allegedly catering to the interests of the Dow Chemical company, told reporters several days that he wanted to leave the agency.
Sources at the White House and the EPA said Lee Verstandig, who only two weeks ago was named an assistant agency administrator for the FEMA agency to the EPA chief pending Rückkehr confirmation.
RUCKELHAUS IS to succeed Burford, who resigned under pressure March 9 in the face of a barrage of allegations of mismanagement, cozy control by the insiders by many of her aides and a close adviser.
No sooner did Burford's deputy, Hernandez, take over acting command of the agency than he became involved in the scandal for allegedly not meeting agency staff recommendations at industry's request.
See EPA page 5
Reagan seeks speed-up of futuristic weaponry
By United Press International
The order, a directive to the joint chiefs of staff, will put into formal language Reagan's decision on military defense which he announced in a televised speech Wednesday.
WASHINGTON — President Reagan will order a speed-up today in work on a science-fiction beam weapon that is being designed to destroy Soviet ballistic missiles before they leave Soviet airspace, administration officials and other sources said yesterday.
Reagan said in the speech that he wanted to put America on a course away from dependence on nuclear retaliation toward a seemingly more defensive posture with a new generation of
IN REACTION to Reagan's speech, Democrats criticized President Reagan's call for a space-age missile defense system as science fantasy, and said he would propose the proposal would violate arms control treaties.
Reaction from Republicans generally was subdued, but Democrat after Democrat rose in the U.S. House of Representatives to criticize the war on Syria and to fictional weaponry of the movie "Star Wars."
In Moscow, the official Soviet news agency Tass said American installation of an anti-ballistic military defense system in space would boost the United States' Strategic Air Limitation treaties with Moscow.
Tass reported that Reagan's proposal meant that the United States was trying to upset the military balance between the superpowers by achieving superiority in nuclear arms.
The five chiefs "were taking a look at where the United States is going in the future because there doesn't seem to be any hope of ending" the nuclear arms race, one source said.
THE "BASIC IMPETUS" for Reagan's decision came from the joint chiefs, the heads of the nation's armed forces, who handed their proposal to the White House about a month ago, said high-level officials who requested anonymity.
The source said that the chiefs "wanted to find another way. It sounds simplistic, but that's the honest feeling."
An administration official said the search for a workable beam weapon would be a long-term project. He said it would be five to 10 years before there would be any need to consider whether the new weapon and its basing method correspond to Soviet-American arms control treaties.
ADMINISTRATION officials who briefed reporters at the White House on background about Reagan's initiative were vague about what type of weapon would be developed, how long it would take, where it would be based or how much it would cost.
No additional money would be requested until the second phase of the project, which is expected to begin in fiscal year 1985, the officials said.
The sources said Reagan's directive was part of a three-part package which included a statement that will be publicized on March 31 about an arms control initiative, and an announcement a week later about his decision on the MX missile and its basing plan.
Research into directed energy weapons — lasers, particle beams and power microwaves — is now being tested. The officials said Reagan's directive was designed to give their development a higher priority.
THE PRESIDENTIAL directive orders the joint chiefs to define a purpose for the new weapon, develop a broad outline of goals, and set up guidelines for research and development and estimated costs as part of phase one of the program, the officials and sources said.
Reagan is said to be considering proposing an interim step to the Soviet Union in the Geneva arms control negotiations aimed ultimately at forcing the Soviets to dismantle about 600 medium-range nuclear missiles aimed at Western Europe.
"The program today is sub-critical and we're trying to drive it to a critical program," one
Kansan applications open
Applications for the University Daily Kansan editor and business manager for both summer and fall 1983 will be available Monday.
In return, the United States would forge deployment of 572 Pershing 2 and cruise missiles in Europe under what Reagan calls the "zero ontion."
Those interested may pick up the applications at the office of student organizations and activities, 220 Strong Hali; the Student Senate of Blizz, 1B15 in the Kansas Union; and the Kansan Association.
A PRESIDENTIAL commission on the controversial new MX missile has held 23 meetings in the US.
See REAGAN page 5
An applications must be brought to the office of the School of Journalism, 200 Fist Hall, by 8:45 a.m.
Today will be cloudy with a 60 percent chance of rain. The high will be 50. Winds will be from the southeast at 15 to 25 mph
The weekend is expected to be cloudy with a chance of rain. The high temperature tomorrow will be in the 40s.
Tonight will be cloudy with a 60 percent chance of rain. The low will be in the upper 30s.
Panel OKs proposals on saloons, gambling
By JEFF TAYLOR
Staff Reporter
*TOPEKA - Bottoms up, Kansans. The state's two "sin laws" are off and running.*
Both resolutions would amend the state constitution and would require a two-thirds vote of approval from the House and Senate, before being subject to voter approval.
Despite heavy lobbying against the proposals,
a Senate committee yesterday passed a resolution to legalize gambling at race tracks, which will allow the open sale of liquor in restaurants and bars.
THE SENATE Federal and State Affairs Committee sent the resolutions to the full Senate and endorsed an amendment for both proposals that would place them on the 1984 April primary
Under the liquor resolution, individual counties would have the option of voting for liquor by mail. In some cases, the liquor
Currently, alcohol cannot be sold in open saloons, but is sold in private clubs.
Although horse racing is legal in Kansas, the patentum galletching resolution would allow legalized gambling at horse and dog races. An amendment to the bill made all forms of racing
OPPONENTS OF both resolutions have said that poor people would squander their money drinking in saloons and betting at race tracks. Also, opponents of parimutuel betting have said that organized crime would move into the state and take control of the tracks.
State Sen. Ben Vidrickson, R-Salina, voted for both resolutions and said organized crime could
not control racing, because the state would regulate the tracks.
Along with several other senators, Vidrickson said voters should decide the drinking and gambling issues.
State Sen. Ed Rellly, R-Leavenworth, chairman of the committee, agreed that the Legislature had kept the issues from voters for too long.
"Regardless of what pub laws we have had, still have a ridiculous system of liquors in our pubs."
REILLY SAID patrimutual garden and open saloons would offer resources to the state for education.
Other senators said they wanted to scrape the cushion of the state's private club law, which allows individuals to run businesses.
Miami, said she even hated him. A woman
Morris said even prohibition would not bother
him, as long as the state's liquor laws were less
tangled.
State Sen. Wint Winter Jr., R-Lawrence, agreed that the state's liquor laws needed evaluation and said the state already had liquor by the drink at private clubs.
Winter voted in favor of open saloons but voted against pimmutual wagering.
"WE'VE GOT an archaic liquor system," he said. "It encourages confusion, is all it does."
He said he was concerned about the humanity of permitting dog races, and other kinds of cruelty.
State Attorney General Robert Stephen testified during hearings on bingo that large casinos were operated by organized crime, Winter said. Winter was chairman of a subcommittee that revised the state's bingo laws.
KU poison center saves lives despite financial constraints
Staff Reporter
By MICHAEL BECK
Judy Clark was talking with her sister-in-law when the boy staggered into the living room, vomiting and reeking into the biting odor of bleach.
Three-year-old Jamie was playing in the kitchen this week when he spied the enticing liquid in the plastic jug on the shelf above the clothes washer. He took a drink and ran gasping from the room.
The sister-in-law took Jamie into the bathroom to clean him, while Clark tried to call her
"I PANICKED," she said. "I could smell the bleach, but I didn't know how much he drank."
Attempts to talk with the doctor failed, so Clark called the Mercy Hospital emergency room in independence. Its staff, not knowing what to do, referred her to the Mid-America Poison Control Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Clark called the center, and the nurse on duty instructed her to give the boy some milk. The
Clark was to observe Jamie for a few hours. If he started crying, his throat was probably burnt. If he would not eat, there could be problems with his stomach.
"We watched him for a while." she said. "In a few hours, he was out playing again and that bottle of bleach is now on the refrigerator."
"Tings are tight these days, and there's just not enough money to go around," he said.
But the Med Center does not even have enough funds to provide 24-hour service, he said. The center operates for only 12 hours a day, and the emergency room handlers calls the rest of the time.
JAMIE IS among 8 percent of all area poison victims who have received treatment at home because of the poison center at the Med Center.
Snodgrass said that the center had received about 10,000 calls since its opening in July 1982.
Because of inadequate financing, the center also cannot follow up on cases as it wants, Snodgrass said.
Wayne Snodgrass, director of the poison center, said that the availability of the center saved people about $0,000 a year in emergency room fees. The center also provides prompt instructions to people who need to know about poisoning.
THE LEGISLATURE allocated $30,000 last spring to establish a 24-hour poison control center, but that provided for the salary of only one nurse.
the budget money to go forward.
The Med Center's 1984 budget, which includes additional financing for the center, will go to the Kansas House in about two weeks.
Despite inadequate financing, those who use the center have no qualms about its service.
CLARK SAID that the day after Jame drank
DO YOU POHN Page 5
Leonard Mattoich, a former Air Force technical sergeant who challenged military regulations banning homosexuals, spoke to a group of students last night in the Kansas Union. His visit was sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Services of Kansas as part of Gay and Lesbian Awareness Week. See story page 10.
Committee votes to take out limits on spousal rape
Staff Reporter
By DIANE LUBER
In a move that repeated earlier Kansas House committee action, a Senate committee yesterday voted to eliminate the protection spouses have previously had from charges of rape.
The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously deleted from a bill the condition that great bodily harm be inflicted before rape within a marriage would be considered a crime.
"Rape is rape," said State Sen. Norman Gaar, Bwestwood, who proposed eliminating the prosecutor's office.
EXISTING STATE law defines rape as the act of sexual intercourse committed by a man with a woman, who is not his wife, without her consent and when her resistance is overcome by force or
The bill has already been passed in the House. If the Senate committee's changes are approved by the full Senate, the House would have to agree to the amendments before the bill goes on to the House.
People who wanted to keep partial or total spousal protection in the law had testified before House and Senate committees that convictions based on charges of rage by a spouse would be rejected.
But State Sen. Wint Winter Jr., R-Lawrence, said conviction would be no more difficult in the case of marital rape than it already was in cases where rape took place between two unmarried
book place between two unmarried See RAPE page 5