10B
Wednesday, April 9,1997
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Flood waters still rising in North
Second wave could overwhelm some river towns
The Associated Press
MONTEVIDEO, Minn. — Towns along the lower Minnesota River stacked sandbags and measured the rising flood yesterday while Montevideo residents watched to see if they would be hit another time.
"People are worried.. but we're taking it as it comes," said Myrtle Sherod, who was helping her daughter operate Valentino's Restaurant, which was protected by the levees.
Schools reopened yesterday for the first time since last week, and many businesses on high ground also opened their doors once again.
But 80 miles downstream, high school students in New Ulm were hard at work piling sandbags along
The river rose 1.6 feet yesterday at New Ulm and is expected to crest there today.
the banks.
Farther downstream, a crest nearly 10 feet above flood stage is expected Sunday at St. Paul.
Although the Minnesota was receding at Montevideo yesterday, a day after cresting nearly 10 feet above flood stage, experts warned that temperatures warm enough to melt snow today meant the river could rise again. There is also a chance of more precipitation by the end of this week.
"Multiple crests can occur, especially with snow melt runoff," said Mark Seeley, a climatologist at the University of Minnesota. "We could have another surge."
The timing of the snow melt was complicated by record cold temperatures covering the region since a weekend blizzard dumped the snow.
Bismarck, N.D., dropped to a
record low of just 3 degrees above zero, while that state's western town of Dickinson fell to a record of 8 below. Watertown, S.D., where many residents had returned home after flooding eased along the Big Sloux River, had a record low of 4 degrees, and Minneapolis-St. Paul chilled to a record 11 degrees.
Another problem was ice jams that formed temporary corks, threatening to rupture and release new flood crests.
Along the Minnesota-North Dakota state line, a huge ice jam was lodged about four miles south of Breckenridge at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Red rivers.
"I haven't seen it, but from what I understand, it's about as far as the eye can see," said Jewel Jones, Richland County emergency management director.
"It's inaccessible," she said. "The Army Corps of Engineers came in and checked it and said they couldn't do anything with it."
Angle Kuhn/KANSAN
Floating ice on the Pomme ue Terre River toore a hole in a levee protecting the town of Appleton, about 25 miles from Montevideo, but volunteers poured in from neighboring towns to close the breach by morning.
"It's a small levee and a small town,
but if it's your home, it's everything," said Swift County Chief Deputy Scott Mattison.
Black church coalition hopes to fight crime
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A national coalition of African-American ministers announced plans yesterday to fight Black-on-Black crime by expanding a church-based program credited with helping to lower crime in Boston.
"We have a generation of de facto orphans now drowning in their own blood," said the Rev. Eugene F. Rivers, a Boston pastor. "We must mobilize in defense of our own future."
The plan is to use African-American churches, often found within the nation's most crime-ridden areas, as around-the-clock sanctuaries for young people seeking refuge from street life, Rivers said.
In addition, church volunteers
will act as missionaries to show drug dealers, gang members and other wayward youth that options exist. Rivers added.
The campaign, "Operation 2006," will mobilize 1,000 churches in 40 of the country's most dangerous neighborhoods to start or expand anti-crime programs.
Rivers said he was seeking $25 million from public and private sources to help push the program beyond its Boston base.
The first cities for expansion include Philadelphia, Louisville, Ky., Chester, Pa., and Tampa, Fla. Rivers said.
The Boston program is a network of churches that provides violent youths with mentors, counseling, drop-in centers and workprograms.
Air Force jet, pilot vanish over Rockies
The Associated Press
PHOENIX — Capt. Craig Button took off in a $9 million Air Force attack jet last week for a practice run. Within minutes the plane and its arsenal of four 500-pound bombs were gone.
All that's known for sure is that the A-10 Thunderbolt was last spotted on radar over the Colorado Rockies — nearly 800 miles off course.
Did it crash?
Was it sabotaged?
The Air Force rebuffs the idea that Button, an avid skier, purposely veered the plane off course.
Or did the pilot steal it, like something out of the movie Broken Arrow?
"Anything you can think of has probably been looked at," said Staff Sgt. Rian Clawson at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz. "But the evidence so far doesn't indicate any of these wild hypotheses, like he was trying to steal it, or he went off to Telluride to go skiing."
But officials acknowledged yesterday that investigators are looking into Button's background.
The mystery began about 90 minutes after Button's plane took off in formation with two other A-10s bound for the Barry M. Goldwater bombing range.
Button's plane was carrying conventional nuclear weapons.
One of the jets reported seeing Button's plane flying in the rear, but a minute later the lead pilot radioed Button and got no response.
When the other pilots realized the plane was missing, they broke formation and began the search.
Initially, the search focused in Arizona, but it shifted to Colorado three days later after authorities checked radar records and witnesses reported seeing a low-flying plane.
Taxpayers take revenge on IRS
Returns contain special messages
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — When the Internal Revenue Service worker opened the tax return, powdery, gray ashes spilled to the floor.
"You took everything else. Why don't you take him, too!" wrote a widow who said she had enclosed her husband's remains.
Americans are expected to mail about 120 million tax returns to the IRS this season, and some folks feel compelled to enclose a little something extra.
Audits be damned, these people want to sass the IRS.
One taxpayer burned holes in a return and enclosed a note that said "Burn Baby Burn," said John DiBacco, executive vice president of the National Treasury Employees Union's chapter at the IRS service center in Philadelphia.
The workers in the 10 IRS service centers, where returns are processed, are the ones who suffer Americans' scorn for the tax collector.
"They act like it's us doing this to them. We pay taxes, too," DiBacco said. "Why don't they talk to their congressman?"
The IRS said that, overall, only a small fraction of tax returns were adulterated. Such tax-time hijinks probably won't increase the likelihood of audits. But, depending on what taxpayers do, they could risk penalties or find their returns referred for possible criminal investigation, said IRS representative Jodi Patterson.
Some taxpayers, on the other hand, write thank-you notes to helpful employees. Cheer citizens also have been known to send in candy or an occasional cigar. But during tax season, more of the mail is mean, the workers at the service centers
"This is the only thing of value I have. Please sell it and apply the money
to my tax balance. "
Note attached to a gun that was sent to the IRS
report.
Cranky taxpayers use Band-Aids, sewing needles, nails, even chewing gum to attach W-2 income statements to their tax forms, said Teresa Hill, who works at the IRS service center in Kansas City, Mo.
An employee at the service center in Fresno, Calif., who asked not to be identified by name, recalled one taxpayer sending in a 1040 that had clearly been used as toilet tissue.
Unfazed, the IRS laminated the form and then went ahead and processed it.
Another taxpayer created a scare when he sent in a long-barreled gun.
Worried that the package was booby trapped, security officers had it X-rayed before it was opened, and the gun was found to be unloaded.
An enclosed note said: "This is the only thing of value I have. Please sell it and apply the money to my tax balance."
Tax preparers with H&R Block Tax Services Inc. discourage people from enclosing messages — it creates confusion and slows the processing of returns, said representative Todd Ransom.
Juke Box Bar replaces dance club Top 10 List For checking out the Newly remodeled Stanford and Son's
10. ALL drinks 2 for the price of 1 including long neck bottles
9. Free Popcorn
8. No Cover except on $1.00 pitcher nite every wednesday
7. 3 large stand-up Bars - booth and table seating
6. No more dancing
5. 7 nights a week 11pm-3 am
4. No Cover
2 drinks for 1
3. Pool room is the largest in Westport.
2. After Dinner the entire restaurant converts to KU's favorite new place to see old friends. You can choose the music - Alternative - Cutting Edge- Rock
1. NO COVER dancing Did we mention there is No Cover
"Cheapest Drinks in Westport"
504 Westport Road
Next to Kelly's in Westport
561-7454 - Call for Keg Parties
. . .
KU
Pom Cheerleading & Mascot Tryouts
Cheer & Pom Skills Clinic: Sun., April 13 6:00-9:00pm @ Anschutz-$5
Pom-Pon
Clinic: Wed., April 16 @ 6:30 pm Tryouts: Thurs., April 17 @ 6:00 pm All activities at Allen Field House
Cost $5
Cheerleading
Clinic: Fri., April 18 @ 6:00pm Tryouts: Sat.,April 19 9:00-5:00 All activities at Anschutz Sports Pavilion (west of Allen Fieldhouse)
Mascot's
Clinic: Mon., April 21 @ 6:30 pm Tryouts: Tues., April 22 @ 6:00 pm Big Jays: Ht. range 5'11- 6'1 Baby Jays: range 5'0- 5'2 (tumbling & stunting experience preferred) All activities at Anschutz Sports Pavilion