THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VOL.100,NO.84
THE STUDENT NEWSAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
THURSDAY FEB. 1, 1990
(USPS 650-640)
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
Trafficway ruling withdrawn
By Kathryn Lancaster Kansan staff writer
The Kansas Supreme Court agreed yesterday to reconsider its December ruling against a Douglas County bond issue for the proposed South Lawrence Trafficway.
In a rare move, Justice Harold Herd signed an order for the court to withdraw its earlier opinion, said Ron Keefero, Supreme Court information officer.
The court seldom decides to reconsider cases, Keefover said. It happened only once in 1989. The resched-
pended date has not yet been set.
NEWS:864-4810
"We're very pleased," said Mike Amzy, county commission chairman. "Hopefully, this will be a way to deal with that." He voted on elections and set on with business."
On Dec. 8, the court ruled that Douglas County had exceeded its home rule authority by issuing $4 million in general obligation bonds for the trafficway without voter input.
Plans for the trafficway, a 14.2
mile, $58.2 million project that would link Kansas Highway 10 with the Kansas Turnpike, could not be implemented without a court decision or legislative intervention.
In separate but related action, the court agreed to consider whether to force Attorney General Bob Stephan to approve a $4.85 million bond issue for improvements at the Sandstone Amphitheatre near Bonner Springs.
Mary Horsch, Stephan's press secretary, said previously that the attorney general would not approve any bond requests authorized under home rule power until a ruling on the traffiway was given.
The attorney general's hesitation to certify the Wyandotte County bonds forced the decision to rehear the trafficway case, said Donald G. Strole, attorney for Leslie Blevins Sr., who filed the original complaint.
"All we ever asked for was a vote on the bonds," Strole said. "As long as a vote is conducted, we will be
happy, regardless of the outcome of the court hearing."
Lawrence officials and Douglas County commissioners have said bond elections would be scheduled after the court reviewed the case.
"We're very pleased that the courts have withdrawn their original opinion and have decided to rehear the case, said Chris McKenzie, county administrator. "We look forward to the opportunity to argue the case again."
Bush proposes troop reductions in Europe
WASHINGTON — President Bush, acclaiming the "revolution of '89" in Eastern Europe, proposed a sharp combat aid a joint time
President's speech gets mixed reviews at KU
In his first State of the Union address, Bush also announced plans to withdraw — before the end of February — the last 3,000 troops from a force of 14,000 sent to Panama to oust Gen. Manuel Antonio Nortega.
"One year ago, the people of Panama lived in fear, under the thumb of a dictator," Bush said. His democracy is restored, Panama is free."
Hours before he delivered his address, Bush telephoned Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev to advise him of his proposal to cut U.S. and Soviet forces in Central Europe to 195,000 on each side. Later Bush characterized Gorbachev as receptive.
The cuts would be nowhere near equal since the Soviets have a huge advantage in European military force. The United States has 305,000 troops in Europe, compared to 565,600 Soviet forces.
Last May, Bush proposed a 275,000-troop ceiling, and he had said he would not seek cuts until U.S.-Soviet negotiators had finalized that agreement. Yesterday, the administration said it wanted parallel discussions on the deeper cuts.
The European troop offer was the surprising — and popular — centerpiece of a speech in which Bush also proposed lofty goals for U.S. schools and prodded lawmakers to approve his plans for a capital gains tax cut and bills dealing with clean air, child care, crime and drugs.
"It's time to act together," Bush said in a speech intended to help set an election-year agenda for a Democratic-run Congress. Even so, partisanship was clear when Bush extolled his "no new taxes" budget plan. Republicans erupted with applause. Democrats didn't.
By Pam Soliner
Kansan staff writer
President Bush didn't have much of a chance to lure campus television viewers from the second-ranked Kansas Jawhaws.
While Bush gave his first State of the Union address to Congress and the U.S. people last night, much of the University population, including some professors in the political science department, was glued to the action in Allen Field House.
Dwight Kiel, assistant professor of political science, said that he planned to watch a re-broadcast of the address but that last night he was more concerned with KU's bout against the University of Colorado.
"Our department is big on basketball." Kiel said.
In fact, at least six professors in the department either were going to the game or were watching it on television. That didn't surprise Kiel.
"The last eight or ten years of televised politics haven't been that excited." Kiel said.
Burdett Loomis, chairman of political science, said Bush had no overriding theme, only a catalog of events, particularly of the massive democratic uprising in Eastern Europe. Yet Loomis said that Bush's role as president revealed a real tension Panama before mentioning the changes in Europe trivialized the points he made about freedom and democracy.
"I found that just incredible. We invaded the Banana Republic, and he equated that with the democratic revolution in Eastern Europe." Loomis said.
Loomis said Bush presented lofty goals for education, including a 90 percent high school graduation rate and a top world ranking for all
students in math and science by the year 2000.
"Bush is talking past 20 to 25 percent of the educational system," Loomis said of country's worst schools. "Education is getting a lot of talk, but it's certainly not getting the talent of the administration. The education secretary is the least influential of the staff."
"No one is going to object to the goal of education, but the truth ends up in the pudding."
Harry Shaffer, professor of economics and faculty adviser for KU Democrats, said the speech was emotional and eloquent. But he said Bush wasn't specific on plans of action, especially on increasing the high school graduation rate.
"Money alone is not the answer, and the money for education is very, very minimal compared to the rest of the budget," Shaffer said. "He should tell us how he's going to do it."
William Cheek, teaching assistant in political science, rated the speech as "reasonably luke warm."
"He didn't state a grand theme, to state a unity of what he's going to do domestically." Cheek said.
But Cheek said Bush was on an enormous winning streak, giving former President Reagan "a run for the money on the warm side."
Lisa Hicks, chairman of College Republicans, said Bush presented a strong, attainable agenda.
"He has an ambitious agenda for Congress and the American people," she said. "If everyone works hard, it can be achieved."
Sheila Zuschek, president of KU Democrats, attended a meeting during the speech and therefore couldn't comment.
Herbicides found in Clinton haven't tainted water supply
Editor's note: This is part one of a two-part series on area water contamination.
Kenan staff writer
Traces of possible cancer-causing herbicides were found in Clinton Lake, according to a study released last week by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The herbicides atrazine and alachlor were discovered in fall 1899 in the lake, a major source of water for Lawrence, said Ray Vandenberg, aquatic biologist with the Army Corps of Engineers in Kansas City, Mo.
However, Vandenberg said the amount of herbicide found was below the Environmental Protection Agency's recommended maximum-contaminant level.
Samples taken between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30 of 1989 found that the Clinton herbicide level was 1.5 micrograms-a-liter, which is less than the EFA's recombinant level of 3.0 micrograms-a-liter. Vandenberg said.
The Corps tested 15 Corps-operated lakes in the Kansas City District for pesticides in the spring and fall of 1989.
Clinton Lake and the Kansas River are the two major sources of Lawrence water. Thomas said, "Tomorrow's
K. T. Joseph, chemist at the Lawrence utilities office, said the amount of herbicide in the Clinton water was so low that the water supplied to Lawrence did not pose any health dangers.
Dale Armstrong, EPA spokesman, said the EPA's maximum-contaminant level was a goal set for water treatment plants. He said the EPA had no way to force plants to obey the requirements
He said, however, that the EPA was reviewing a proposal to make the level enforceable.
Armstrong said the weed-killing herbicides in Clinton were found to cause cancer in animals after heavy, longterm exposure to the chemical. He said the 3.0 microgram-a-liter level was safe enough to enter the water supply.
Vandenberg said the chemicals could be dangerous to algae and other plant life in the lake. There is no danger to people using the lake for recreational purposes, he said.
He said if levels ever did reach the EFA standard, the Corps would adopt a different filtration method to remove the herbicide from the water supply.
Dave Rhoades, park manager at Clinton, said the treatment plant at Clinton removed about 10 percent of the chemicals before the water was sent to Lawrence.
"At that level there isn't any danger to humans," Armstrong said.
There are no filters specifically designed to remove the chemicals, but some of the herbicide is removed during use.
"The level is high enough now to cause us concern."
Indicates we need to reach the EAP's level, we are to do something about it.
Rhodes said charcoal filtering was a possible option for removing the herbicides.
Seating problem
Vandenberg said atrazine and alachlor were herbicides used for weed control on farmland near Clinton Lake.
Vandenberg said the Corps would ask lesses to look for alternatives to atrazine and alchlor this year. He said the Corps probably would ban the chemicals in 3,000 acres of farmland than 3,000 acres at Clinton and leases the land to farmers.
The chemicals drain into the lake and its tributaries after rainfall washes them from fields, Vandenberg said.
Many of the chemicals, however, come from land that is not dug or regulated by the Cities. Wandenberg said.
Robert Gabriel, who leases land at Clinton and uses atrazine, said finding substitutes for atrazine and alachlor could be a problem.
Another newspaper, the party daily Pravda, urged authorities to strengthen the powers of the press, and Gorbache from efforts to oust him.
MOSCOW — Mikhail S. Gorbachev yesterday denied a report he might resign as head of the Communist Party while remaining Soviet president, and a leading newspaper called him too valuable to risk losing.
Bill Anderson (top), Overland Park sophomore, walks by broken chairs stacked on the fourth floor of Wescoe Hall on his way to class. Students (above) In Paul Gump's child psychology class in Wescoe have found that the only seats left in the room are on the floor.
Correspondents covering Gorbachev's meeting with Brazilian president-elect Fernando Collar de Mello asked about a Western television report that he was considering quitting the party leadership.
Soviet leader denies rumor
The Associated Press
"All this is groundless," Gorbachvei said in remarks that led the Soviet television news last night. "It ignores its interest to propagate such things."
Gorbachev has strengthened the presidency and tried to shift power from the ruling Communist Party to the elected government.
He added that similar rumors are becoming common in the Soviet Union, and "it demonstrates that we are a different country, a different society. Everything is discussed, and discussed openly."
Two teens to be tried for deaths in Topeka
The Associated Press
TOPEKA — Two Topeka teenagers were bound over yesterday for trial on first-degree murder charges in connection with the Dec. 3-4 slayings of three elderly Topekans in a burglary gone awry in the affluent Westboro neighborhood of west Toneka.
Shawne County District Judge James P. Buchele ordered that Tyrone L. Baker, 19, and Lisa Ann Pfaffenstiel, 18, stand trial for the murder of Ida Mae Dougherty, 72, after a preliminary hearing that started Tuesday.
Baker also has been charged with two other counts of first-degree murder in Douglas County in the deaths of Lester Haley, 87, and his wife, Nancy Haley, 69, neighbors of Dougherty.
After listening to a full day of testimony Tuesday and prosecution and defense attorneys' arguments yesterday, Buchele ruled that there was sufficient evidence to sustain the murder charges.
Plan for tightening defense budget challenges Kansas National Guard
By Buck Taylor
Kansan staff writer
If lawmakers approve President Bush's proposals for trimming the nation's defense budget, more than 2,000 Army National Guard troops in Kansas could be eliminated in the 1993 fiscal year.
The cutbacks are part of a five-year Pentagon plan to reduce spending. The proposed thinning of the Guard would apply to 2,028 Kansas troops in the 35th Infantry Division, and in Kansas and surrounding states.
Maj. Joy Moser, public affairs officer for the Kansas National Guard, said it was not possible to predict which Kansas communities would be affected if the cutbacks were approved.
"We would have to analyze it and determine which ones would need to be tested."
Although the two companies based in Lawrence have not been targeted for reduction, one Pentagon proposal would cut 823 personnel from one of Kansas' two mechanized infantry
battalions in Kansas City and Wichita.
Todd Zollinger, Andover senior and
"Cutting numbers helps to improve the quality of the units," he said. "It also increases chances for promotion and advancement within the battalion."
Jeff Houston, McPherson senior and one of 10 KU students assigned to the second battalion in Kansas City, said although forced troop reductions were unfortunate, cutbacks could have positive benefits.
In addition, Moser said the Guard would have to decide whether to close armories in some communities or realien troops to keep them open.
Although the units would become more competitive with less troops competing for promotions, Moser said if cutbacks were approved by Congress, there would be a substantial economic impact on Kansas from lost wages and increased taxes to support potential losses up to $17 million a year. The average guardman earns $87.48 a year, she said.
member of the second battalion, said the reductions could cause problems in placing KU ROTC students.
"When they limit the number of troops, they will be more scrutinizing about who they will put in ROTC," he said. "Finding places for all the officers will be a big problem if our unit is closed."
Capt. Steven Johnson, assistant professor of military science, said that about 80 percent of Army ROTC students, or from 66 to 70 members, were involved in the Kansas Guard in some way.
"We have students in many units around the area," he said. "We hope our program will not be too badly affected."
The two units in Lawrence now have about 60 KU students serving in them, said staff sergeant Todd Martin, training officer for Detachment 1 of the Headquarters Company. One unit is an anti-tank company and the other is an infantry battalion, he said.
The Associated Press contributed Information to this story.