Simply put , the question was who should be counted as a person and who , if anybody , should not . But there 's nothing simple about it . The Senate voted one answer and , in effect , invited the Supreme Court to decide whether it was right or wrong . That happened because in the arithmetic of congressional reapportionment , every question becomes complex , contentious and politically charged . The point at issue in Senate debate on a new immigration bill was whether illegal aliens should be counted in the process that will reallocate House seats among states after the 1990 census . There could be enough of them to shift seats away from at least five states to Sun Belt states with large numbers of illegal residents . Nobody is certain because counting illegal aliens is a hard thing to do , given the fact that they do n't want to be spotted by the government . Then again , the Census Bureau maintains that not including them , and still coming up with an accurate 1990 population count , would be even more difficult . `` A census of only legal residents can not be done as accurately as a census of all residents , '' according to Census Bureau testimony to Congress . After the 1980 census , the government estimated that there were 2.57 million people in the United States illegally . There were other guesses , some of them far higher . The government made no attempt to count them out in the redistricting process ; indeed , the two previous administrations decided that the Constitution required that the census cover illegal aliens along with citizens . There is not likely to be any change in that prior to the 1990 census next spring . The Senate has passed an immigration bill including an amendment that would cut illegal aliens from the redistricting numbers , but it is not likely to clear Congress before the next year 's national head count . Sen. Richard Shelby , D-Ala. , proposed , and won , the immigration bill amendment that is supposed to exclude illegal aliens from the redistricting process . It would give Secretary of Commerce Robert Mosbacher the assignment of adjusting the census figures so that illegal aliens do n't count for purposes of redistributing House seats . It does not come with instructions , so the department would have to figure out how . Shelby 's amendment says only that the secretary is to `` make such adjustments in total population figures as may be necessary , using such methods and procedures as the secretary determines feasible and appropriate '' to keep illegal aliens from being counted in congressional reapportionment . That task would be perilous politically , since it would involve taking House seats away from some states and giving them to others , all on the basis of estimates . With 435 seats in the House , every representative gained by a state is a representative lost by another . Opponents of the Shelby amendment , led by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy , D-Mass. , said it was unconstitutional , as well as unworkable . `` The framers of the Constitution intended to count all persons , '' Kennedy said . The Constitution itself says the apportionment of the House is to be determined on the basis of `` the whole number of free persons , '' excluding Indians and counting every five slaves as three persons . That was amended after the Civil War to say that the apportionment of House seats will be based on `` the whole number of persons in each state . '' Neither the original article nor the amendment mentions citizenship in connection with apportionment , although the term `` citizens '' is used in some other provisions . Opponents of the amendment said that showed the authors of both documents wanted everybody counted for purposes of apportionment . But Sen. Alan K. Simpson , R-Wyo. , said the people who wrote the documents had no concept of illegal aliens because there were n't any in their time . That came later , with immigration restrictions that began in 1875 . Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas , the Republican leader , said the question should be put squarely to the Supreme Court . He said it is unfair to count illegal aliens in reapportionment . `` It just does not make any sense , '' Dole said . `` It does violate the constitutional principle of one man , one vote . '' But opponents of the Shelby measure said apportionment does n't involve who votes and who does n't . Women could n't vote when the Constitution and the 14th Amendment were adopted , but they always were counted . Children ca n't vote , but they count , too . The amendment was adopted after the Senate voted 58 to 41 against a move to reject it , and 56 to 43 against scuttling it as unconstitutional . Shelby said that is sure to put the matter into the hands of the courts for a final judgment . `` Somebody is going to challenge it ... '' he said . `` Then , for the first time , we will let the Supreme Court of the United States decide something that we need an answer to ... ''

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

illegal aliens
1990 census
house seats
illegal residents
national head count
census bureau
congressional reapportionment


Allegations of police racism and brutality have shaken this city that for decades has prided itself on a progressive attitude toward civil rights and a reputation for racial harmony . The deaths of two blacks at a drug raid that went awry , followed 10 days later by a scuffle between police and blacks at a downtown hotel , touched off an outcry by minority leaders for an outside review of the department . `` It 's like a watch spring . You can only wind the watch so tightly before it 's going to snap . I think we 're approaching that breaking point , '' said Van Hayden , 25 , a student who says police beat him at the hotel . The city 's police chief , John Laux , says there is no reason to assume the department would be immune to a problem that is present in all segments of society . `` The whole society to different degrees has problems of racism , '' he said . In a letter to police supervisors in mid-February , Laux said : `` Let me make one thing perfectly clear _ any act of bias will be dealt with directly and severely . There will be no tolerance for that type of inexcusable behavior . '' Since former Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey , then a 35-year-old mayor running for the U.S. Senate , electrified the 1948 Democratic National Convention with his historic speech in support of civil rights , Minneapolis has been viewed as a liberal , progressive city . Some , including Hayden , say that image now blocks progress . `` I think this city has to wake up . Everyone always says , ` I ca n't believe this is happening in Minnesota , in Minneapolis , the home of progressiveness . ' That is real tricky , '' Hayden said . `` If we get preoccupied with the image of the city , we 're not going to be able to thoroughly address the problems we 're facing . '' `` The liberal image is a false picture , '' said Chris Nisan , a University of Minnesota student who has been involved in recent protests . In a series of rallies in recent weeks , protesters demanded that officers involved in the drug raid be suspended , charges against those arrested at the hotel be dropped , and that a citizen police review board be established . City Council voted last week to study the problem . `` There are bad apples in every bunch and the Minneapolis Police Department is no exception , '' said Councilwoman Sayles Belton . `` I do n't think they -LRB- the good officers -RRB- are pleased with the few that are giving them the bad rap _ the spoilers . '' Lloyd Smalley , 71 , and Lillian Weiss , 65 , were killed Jan. 25 in a fire that started after police hurled a stun grenade into their apartment , where others also lived , during a drug raid . No one conducting the raid knew the elderly people were living there , said Laux . A grand jury decided not to bring charges against any officers , but an FBI investigation is continuing . In the hotel scuffle , police said they responsed to a call of a loud party . Partygoers alleged that officers used the term `` nigger , '' and beat some of those arrested . Laux said his officers have denied using racial names and said protesters lied about the number of people receiving medical attention following the arrests . Gleason Glover , president of the Minneapolis Urban League , which works for interracial cooperation , said police racism has been a problem since he took over the league position 21 years ago . `` The matter of police misconduct and brutality has been going on for at least the 21 years I 've been here , but I think the deaths pushed the issue beyond the point of tolerance that usually is the case in matters of police misconduct , '' Glover said . `` There is deep resentment in both the black community and among police officers with regard to how they feel they are perceived by each other ... I do not see a quick fix solution to it , '' Glover said . Allegations of police misconduct currently are reviewed by a panel appointed by the mayor . The panel can only make recommendations . Laux opposes establisment of a citizen panel to look into police actions . `` The key point is that any time the head of the police department can not hire , fire or impose discipline , you are no longer in charge , '' he said . Laux said the 750-member department , which includes 62 minority members and 68 white women , will begin cultural awareness training for all officers , probably this fall . `` We need to get more education about ourselves and about everyone else . Our goal is to find out who can offer that to us and in what form , '' said Laux . `` But it must be thoughtful and be done by the right people . ''

O O B I O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O B I O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

police racism
brutality
civil rights
racial harmony
drug raid
police misconduct


Elizabeth Taylor will remain in the hospital six more weeks due to complications in her fifth week of treatment for pneumonia , doctors said . The recovery of Miss Taylor , near death two weeks ago with viral pneumonia , was dealt a setback by bacterial pneumonia and a yeast infection , her doctors said Friday . `` This secondary bacterial pneumonia often follows viral pneumonia . Her condition is listed as stable and she is improving significantly , '' they said in a statement released by St. John 's Hospital and Health Center . Earlier this week Miss Taylor 's New York publicist , Chen Sam , had said the 58-year-old actress was improving and would be released from the hospital this week to recuperate at home . During a news conference last month , Miss Taylor 's doctors revealed she was near death on April 22 . The Oscar-winning star of `` Who 's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? '' and `` Butterfield 8 '' entered Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital on April 9 with a sinus infection , but her condition deteriorated and she was moved to St. John 's for treatment of viral pneumonia .

B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O B I O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O B I O O B I O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O

elizabeth taylor
miss taylor
recovery
viral pneumonia
yeast infection
bacterial pneumonia


A major issue hanging over the 1990 Census is resolved with the decision to include military personnel stationed overseas , but Congress is arguing over whether to keep counting illegal aliens . The House blocked an effort Tuesday to require aliens to be excluded from the census numbers used in House reapportionment every decade . But the question still may be raised in committee and in the Senate . The national head count will be taken April 1 , 1990 . Census figures are used to redistribute the 435 House seats among the states every 10 years and to distribute federal aid to local governments . The reapportionment issue has riveted the attention of House members from states where slow growth threatens to result in losses of House seats . Most of these states are in the North , where growth has lagged behind that of the South and West . Undocumented aliens are largely concentrated in the South , West and industrial states like New York , and other states fear a loss of power to those areas if the aliens are counted . While aliens have been counted in the past , military personnel stationed overseas have not . The Commerce Department settled that problem by announcing it will work with the Defense Department on ways to count the 1.2 million to 1.6 million military and civilian defense workers who live overseas . The problem has been in deciding which states may count these people as residents . That has yet to be decided , but possibilities include counting the state where the person owns a home or the last state where he or she lived for at least six months . The battle over illegal aliens , meanwhile , was taken up both in committee and on the House floor . Rep. Tom Ridge , R-Pa. , unsuccessfully sought to attach a ban on counting aliens to an appropriations measure providing $ 5.8 million to run the State , Justice and Commerce departments next year , including $ 800 million to take the census . The bill was approved 258-165 and sent to the Senate . Opponents noted the Constitution requires House seats to be apportioned based on all the `` persons '' residing in a state . `` Every census since the Constitution was created has counted all residents of the states , both citizens and non-citizens , '' observed Rep. Don Edwards , D-Calif . `` Congress is empowered to identify those to be counted '' in the census , responded Ridge . The Census Bureau 's $ 4 billion budget for the census is large enough to identify and separate out the illegal aliens , he said . Rep. Mervyn Dymally , D-Calif. , charged the debate is really over population shifts that will lead to more House seats for southern and western states . `` Pennsylvania , I do n't care what they do , unless they go down to the Southwest and bring the people back , they 're going to lose a seat , '' said Dymally . Rep. Tim Valentine , D-N.C . , said , however , that counting illegal aliens `` is not fair . It may be constitutional , but it 's just not right . '' Census officials generally have opposed any attempt to delete illegal aliens , contending they can not determine who is in the country legally . Asking people about their status likely would result in people lying or refusing to participate in the count , officials say , resulting in a potential undercount of residents in many areas .

O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

illegal aliens
1990 census
census numbers
house reapportionment
national head count
house seats
census bureau


From a helicopter , the wave-washed beach looks as if the worst oil spill in U.S. history had never touched it . Silvery sticks of driftwood poke through a deep blanket of snow , and smooth gray pebbles roll in the surf under the gaze of a bald eagle perched in a shoreside spruce . But the view does n't impress Joe Bridgman of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation . Dashing out as the chopper lands , he digs into the cobble beach and quickly finds what he knew he would . `` Oil , '' he says . `` Smell it ? '' The pungent odor of petroleum wafts through the air as the hole turns black with crude oil , an oozing remnant of the 10.8 million gallons spilled into Prince William Sound last March 24 by the tanker Exxon Valdez . Bridgman scoops up a shovelful of gravel , lugs it to the water 's edge and dumps it in . A rainbow sheen of oil spreads across the water . `` Hundreds of gallons of oil are locked up under this beach , '' he says . `` And this is n't isolated . There are hundreds of beaches all over the sound that are still oiled , and the oil is slowly bleeding out . `` The beaches can look beautiful at the surface , but you can dig down , in this case just a few inches below the surface , and find lots of oil . Now , is that a threat or is n't it ? '' A year after the wreck of the Exxon Valdez , the question clings like the oil under this Perry Island beach . Certainly , the worst is over ; thousands of dead birds no longer wash up on shorelines as they did last summer . But assessing the continuing damage wrought by the nation 's most extensive _ and expensive _ oil spill has just begun . As a growing slick of lawyers haggles over who is to blame , Exxon Corp. and government agencies debate how to clean up what 's left and scientists track wildlife populations ' first steps on the long road to recovery . Any hope of a quick solution faded last summer as oil from the Exxon Valdez spread across 1,100 miles of Alaska 's wild southern coast . A cleanup army of 12,000 workers polished rocks by hand , blasted beaches with hot water and sprayed fertilizer to promote the growth of oil-eating microbes . But when Exxon suspended its $ 2 billion cleanup in mid-September , it had recovered only 5 percent to 9 percent of the oil spilled , state officials estimate . About 20 percent to 40 percent is believed to have evaporated . That leaves 50 percent to 75 percent of the oil in the water , on the ocean bottom or on beaches . Some was soaked up by unwilling sponges : the seabirds , eagles and sea otters whose carcasses now lie frozen in five vans in an Anchorage storage yard , awaiting their day as physical evidence in court . Workers found more than 1,000 dead otters , a sizable chunk of the spill area 's total population of 15,000 to 22,000 . Many of Prince William Sound 's 3,000 bald eagles also suffered ; at least 151 died , most poisoned by scavenging the oily remains of some of the 34,400 dead seabirds recovered . Those numbers alone make the Valdez spill the most lethal ever , but scientists say the actual death count is much higher , estimating that up to 90 percent of the seabirds caught in oil sank from sight or drifted out to sea . Exxon notes the spill did not wipe out any species and says surviving animals and birds will rebuild populations . But that may take up to 70 years for some hard-hit seabird colonies , U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service researchers say . `` We never claimed that the spill put any animal on the endangered species list , but that 's missing the point , '' said Fish and Wildlife spokesman Bruce Batten . `` It 's still the greatest human-caused wildlife disaster that this agency knows about . '' Oily carcasses were an obvious measure of the spill 's impact , but victims also included less visible members of the ecosystem , such as young salmon and tiny intertidal creatures . Assessment studies for these populations are not finished , and even preliminary findings are hard to come by _ researchers have been told by lawyers to save their findings for court , where it seems nearly everyone involved in the spill is headed . Capt. Joseph Hazelwood , skipper of the Exxon Valdez , is on trial this month in Anchorage on charges including criminal mischief and drunken driving of his vessel , and a federal grand jury recently issued criminal indictments against Exxon , starting a case that could take years to finish . Exxon already faces more than 150 civil lawsuits . Fishermen sued because of lost seasons . Tour-boat operators sued because fewer people wanted to cruise an oiled sound . The state sued , claiming the company was negligent in responding to the spill , only to be countersued by Exxon , which claimed state officials hindered the use of chemical dispersants that could have broken up large quantities of oil early on . Information about the spill is filtered through this litigious atmosphere , making much of it suspect . Exxon distributes before-and-after pictures of cleaned beaches ; Bridgman and other state officials , accusing Exxon of `` myth-making , '' eagerly make room for journalists on flights to oiled beaches . State officials cite an October survey that showed 117 miles of shoreline remained moderately or heavily oiled , with oil more than two feet deep in some spots . They say observers flying over the sound still report 15 to 20 oil sheens bleeding off beaches daily . Exxon officials , meanwhile , say their winter monitoring of 64 sites shows wind and waves have scoured away , on average , more than half the surface oil left in September , and up to 80 percent of the buried oil . `` From a layman 's point of view , what 's left out there is really insignificant , '' said Exxon scientist Andy Teal .

O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

oil spill
environmental conservation
crude oil
tanker exxon valdez
wildlife populations
criminal indictments
civil lawsuits

human-caused wildlife disaster
capt. joseph hazelwood


Elizabeth Taylor has rallied from a near-fatal bout with pneumonia _ and even joked about coming out in her `` balcony attire '' to wave to reporters _ but is `` not out of the woods , '' doctors say . `` I believe her life was in jeopardy over the weekend and I believe that has now passed , '' Dr. Bernard Weintraub , a lung specialist treating Miss Taylor at St. Johns Hospital and Health Center , said Wednesday . The 58-year-old actress was taken off the ventilator that had aided her breathing for several days and was smiling again and `` very happy the tube was out , '' said Dr. Patricia Murray , an infectious disease specialist . `` She said she 'd come out and wave to you but she 's not in her balcony attire , '' the doctor said . About 80 reporters and camera crew members , along with some 100 St. Johns employees , jammed the hospital courtyard to hear the latest reports on Miss Taylor . Miss Taylor has had back troubles since she fell off a horse during filming in 1945 of `` National Velvet . '' She had to undergo a tracheotomy during a bout with pneumonia in 1961 that nearly killed her . In 1983 she acknowledged a 35-year addiction to sleeping pills and painkillers , and her weight has been up and down over the years . In response to persistent rumors about AIDS and other illnesses , Weintraub said there was `` no suggestion of either cancer or infections commonly seen in AIDS . '' The actress had issued a statement earlier denying she has AIDS . Weintraub said the actress , hospitalized since April 9 , remained in intensive care . `` She is in serious condition . She is not out of the woods , '' he said . With her were her four children from three marriages , Maria Burton-Carson , Liza Todd-Tivey and Christopher and Michael Wilding . The hospital released a statement on Miss Taylor 's behalf thanking fans and friends for their cards and letters .

B I O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O

near-fatal bout
st. johns hospital
58-year-old actress


Thousands more acres of brush and timber went up in smoke Saturday in seven states in the West , threatening homes in some places , and firefighters contended with wind and high temperatures . `` As the day heats up , you 'll get these reburns going out and the trees dry out and they 'll torch , '' said Forest Service spokesman Ed Christian in Wyoming . `` We hope Mother Nature cooperates with us , '' said Mary Plumb of the federal Bureau of Land Management in Utah . Record highs included 97 at Cheyenne , Wyo. , and 100 at Denver , while Casper , Wyo. , tied its record of 100 . That was Denver 's fifth consecutive day at 100 degrees or higher . Fire crews were at work in Utah , Wyoming , Colorado , New Mexico , Arizona , California and Washington . Elsewhere , four big fires burned in interior Alaska , one having charred an estimated 24,000 acres . A fire in Georgia 's Okefenoke swamp that burned 500 acres of habitat for an endangered species of woodpecker was reported contained Saturday . The Boise Interagency Fire Center in Idaho , which coordinates federal firefighting efforts , listed 7,000 to 7,500 people on the fire lines , along with 42 air tankers , 14 guide planes and 10 helicopters , spokesman Arnold Hartigan said Saturday . So far this fire season , the agency has had 31,000 fires reported , which have burned 1,117,000 acres . In the same period last year , it had 54,000 fires but 765,000 acres burned . The fact that there are more acres burned this year , but fewer fires , `` means this year 's fires are in very rugged , inaccessible terrain , which makes them hard to fight , '' said Hartigan . `` Also , some of them are in areas where there have not been any fires for years , and that means there is excellent fuel available . '' The largest fire in the Lower 48 states was the week-old Diamond Peak fire in Utah , which had burned 12,200 acres of forest and brush in an area 20 miles west of the Utah-Colorado border , just north of Interstate 70 . It was 80 percent contained , but after a week of temperatures around 100 degrees , the National Weather Service predicted possible dry lightning storms and gusting wind . Elsewhere in Utah , the Uinta Canyon fire had burned 3,850 acres 20 miles north of Roosevelt in the Ashley National Forest . Forest Service spokeswoman Cece Stewart said three helicopters scattered incendiary bombs made of chemically treated plastic balls on an unburned 200-acre area between fire lines and the main fire in an effort to stop the fire 's advance . High wind also was expected in northern California , where a 2,500-acre fire near Janesville on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada destroyed two mobile homes . U.S. 395 between Milford and Janesville was closed . `` The wind was pretty brisk . It just blew the fire and pushed it out , '' said Forest Service spokesman Dave Reider . Relentless winds first pushed the fire north , then south , prompting Sheriff Ron Jarrel to order the evacuation of a sparsely populated area about a mile south of the fire line , Reider said . It was unknown how many people were affected . Spokesman Larry Lathrop said a helicopter battling the fire crashed Saturday about four miles southeast of Janesville . Lathrop said the pilot walked away from the crash , but the helicopter was destroyed . The chopper apparently was making a water drop when it crashed . In the Sierra foothills near Oroville , north of Sacramento , a 750-acre fire was contained Saturday after burning four homes , six outbuildings and six vehicles , and forcing about 150 residents to flee briefly Friday night , according to the California Department of Forestry . Firefighters gained the upper hand on a trio of forest fires in Colorado 's drought-stricken mountains Saturday , but a new blaze of an estimated 3,000 acres in grass and timber on the eastern plains had crews scrambling to protect a subdivision in Elbert County . Residents of nine homes in the subdivision about 25 miles northeast of Kiowa were evacuated Friday night , but later were allowed to return home . In the Bridger-Teton National Forest in western Wyoming , a fire had grown to 3,420 acres , burning an additional 1,000 acres in 24 hours , according to forest officials . Forest spokesman Ed Christian said the fire was about 50 percent contained by Saturday night and that with some cooperation from the weather , crews should be able to complete their containment line by Monday . Officials in Arizona gave priority to the Marijilda fire , which had blackened 2,500 acres of forest on the north side of Mount Graham near Safford , and the Chiva fire east of Tucson , which had burned 8,300 acres in the Rincon Mountains , according to BLM spokesman Wendell Peacock . Arizona 's largest fire until Saturday , in the Peloncillo Mountains south of Duncan , along the Arizona-New Mexico border , had charred 8,000 acres but was 80 percent contained . Firefighters spent an eighth day Saturday battling the lightning-caused , 8,139-acre Divide fire 50 miles northeast of Silver City in the Gila National Forest in southwestern New Mexico , U.S. Forest Service officials said . Firefighters in north-central Washington encircled a 4,500-acre range fire early Saturday .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O

forest fires
firefighters
fire crews
fire lines
fire season
federal firefighting efforts


The Senate today confirmed conservative civil rights official Clarence Thomas as a federal appeals judge , brushing aside complaints about his record from some liberal and senior citizens groups . The Senate had planned to take a roll call on the nomination but changed course at the last minute and confirmed Thomas on a voice vote . Thomas , 41 , will be a judge on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia . As chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over the last eight years , he has been one of the most visible black officials in the Reagan and Bush administrations . Thomas , a critic of quotas and affirmative action to fight hiring discrimination , has been highly praised by conservatives . But liberals have criticized his record . It became clear Monday night that Thomas ' critics had failed to muster enough support to defeat his nomination . `` I am prepared to concede that Mr. Thomas is going to be confirmed , '' said Sen. Howard M. Metzenbaum , D-Ohio , a leading critic . The only other opponent to materialize in the debate was Sen. David Pryor , D-Ark. , chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging , who complained that the statute of limitations on 15,000 age-discrimination cases before the EEOC ran out without any action being taken while Thomas was in charge . `` Those cases might as well have been sent to Beijing , '' Pryor said . `` They might as well have been sent to Bulgaria . They might as well have been sent to Romania . ... It 's too much to overlook . '' Pryor said , however , that Thomas was virtually guaranteed to win confirmation and added that he wished the nominee well in his new post . Danforth , Thomas ' chief Senate supporter and former employer , said he could vouch for the nominee 's abilities as a lawyer . `` I hired him twice , '' Danforth said . `` People say , ` Do n't you ever make a mistake ? ' Well , yeah , but not twice . '' Sen. Alan Simpson , R-Wyo. , dismissed complaints that Thomas had failed to cooperate with the Aging Committee several years ago when former Sen. John Melcher , D-Mont. , was chairman . Simpson said the panel 's investigation of the employment commission was flawed to begin with . `` They wasted a lot of time trying to nail Clarence Thomas , '' he said . Thomas was born in poverty in rural Georgia , worked his way through college and is a graduate of Yale Law School . Before becoming chairman of the commission , he worked under Danforth in the Missouri attorney general 's office and in the Senate as well for the Monsanto Corp. . Civil rights forces have been divided over the nomination . The Alliance for Justice , a liberal court-watcher group based in Washington , and several senior citizens groups have been critical . But the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People did not take a stand on the issue .

O B O O O O O O B I O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

clarence thomas
federal appeals judge
black officials
nomination
columbia
senate


People caught by Hurricane Hugo last year might disagree , but forecasters here say the deadly storm may have had a positive side effect _ it got the public 's attention . And one forecaster says hurricane seasons may be getting worse . Hugo , which caused an unprecedented $ 10 billion in damage , killed 28 people in the Lesser Antilles islands and an additional 29 in South Carolina . But it would have been much more deadly if it had hit almost anywhere else , says Bob Sheets , director of the National Hurricane Center . At the advent of the Atlantic hurricane season , which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 , Sheets and other hurricane experts are using Hugo 's example to get the attention of complacent coastal residents who 've never experienced such fury . `` We 'll take advantage of the fact that there was a Hugo last year and raise people 's awareness , '' said Sheets . `` The consequences of not being prepared are too great . '' Early warnings about Hugo last September allowed 350,000 people to evacuate safely , and in South Carolina the worst of the hurricane struck the Francis Marion National Forest between Charleston and Myrtle Beach , Sheets said . It heavily damaged the fishing village of McClellanville and several small rural communities , but the population there is sparse . If Hugo had struck a major coastal population center , the destruction would have been greater than most Americans have ever seen , according to computer simulations known as SLOSH models , for Sea , Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes . With SLOSH , forecasters can predict the height of the storm surge _ the mass of water piled up by the storm that is a hurricane 's most destructive component _ anywhere along the U.S. coast by punching in a storm 's speed , size and intensity , Sheets said . `` The population density in South Carolina is a lot different from the Florida coast , New Jersey or Galveston , Texas , '' Sheets said . `` Compare that situation to the Miami-through-Palm Beach area _ all of Dade , Broward and Palm Beach counties would have been ... destroyed . '' Hugo was the worst hurricane to strike the southeastern U.S. coast since Betsy hit the Florida Keys in 1965 , killing 74 before it went on to Missisippi and Louisiana . Since then , the population of areas such as south Florida has ballooned and most residents have never directly experienced a hurricane . According to one of the nation 's leading hurricane experts , Hugo may have been the first in a new era of killer storms . `` No one knows for sure , but the odds are , Florida and the East Coast are going to get it , '' William Gray , professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University , told a national conference of weather experts this month . Gray came to this conclusion after his usually accurate predictions for hurricane activity were off the mark last year . He had figured the 1989 season would be relatively mild , with only four hurricanes ; instead , seven hurricanes and four tropical storms killed a total of 84 people . `` He blew it pretty bad , '' Sheets said . `` But then he looked at the rainfall over Africa , and found an amazing correlation between rainfall there and hurricane activity over Florida . '' Gray realized the 30-year drought in Africa 's Sahel region corresponds almost exactly to the years when no major hurricanes have struck the southeastern coast . `` Whether one causes the other is uncertain . They both may reflect larger-scale events . But the Sahel is now getting up to near-normal rainfall , '' Sheets said . Gray plans to release his predictions for 1990 on June 5 . Tropical storms have been recorded in the Atlantic in every month except April , but are rare outside the June 1 to Nov. 30 season . Last week , a preseason tropical depression brought heavy rain to Cuba . A tropical depression becomes a tropical storm and is given a name if its sustained winds reach 39 mph ; it becomes a hurricane if winds reach 74 mph . The names for Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms this year are : Arthur , Bertha , Cesar , Diana , Edouard , Fran , Gustav , Hortense , Isidore , Josephine , Klaus , Lili , Marco , Nana , Omar , Paloma , Rene , Sally , Teddy , Vicky and Wilfred .

O O O B I O O O O O O B O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

hurricane hugo
deadly storm
atlantic hurricane season
damage
south carolina
forecasters
population density
william gray


The calm waters of Prince William Sound have stymied efforts to disperse the largest oil spill in U.S. history , which spewed from a ship that ran aground trying to avoid chunks of ice , officials said . The spill of some 270,000 barrels _ or 11.3 million gallons _ occurred early Friday when the 987-foot tanker Exxon Valdez went hard aground on Bligh Reef , about 25 miles outside Valdez , the northermost ice-free port in the United States . Coast Guard spokesman Ed Wieliczkiewicz said the use of chemicals to disperse and sink the heavy North Slope crude oil failed because the agents depend in part on rough seas to break up the oil . He said Exxon officials plan to pump the oil remaining aboard the Exxon Valdez onto the Exxon Baton Rouge , another tanker . Early Friday the Exxon Valdez was losing 20,000 gallons of oil per hour , but the flow slowed to a trickle later . An oil slick snaked about five miles from the ship as wind and tide pushed the crude oil into the sound and away from shore . `` This is the largest oil spill in U.S. history and it unfortunately took place in an enclosed water body with numerous islands , channels , bays and fiords , '' said Richard Golob , publisher of the Golob Oil Pollution Bulletin . Gov. Steve Cowper said the ship was `` impaled on the reef . '' He said the vessel steered from its course to avoid chunks of ice and did not return to its normal traffic lane . Dan Lawn , an engineer for the state Department of Environmental Conservation , said the captain could not steer the Exxon Valdez back on course in time to avoid a collision . Lawn likened the ship 's situation to `` trying to park a Cadillac in a Volkswagen spot . '' Divers were to check the ship 's hull and their findings were to be used in making plans for the removal of crude oil still aboard the vessel . `` A spill of this size in such a complex environment promises to be a cleanup nightmare , '' said Golob , a Cambridge , Mass.-based consultant whose firm has studied oil spills and environmental disasters for 15 years . In Washington , Interior Department spokesman Steve Goldstein said efforts had begun to evacuate waterfowl , sea otters and other wildlife from the danger area . The Exxon Valdez had loaded 1.2 million barrels of oil at the Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. marine terminal at Valdez and was en route to Long Beach , Calif. , when it crunched onto the reef . The ship marks the second aniversary of its maiden voyage today . The terminal was closed early Friday to tanker traffic as officials tried to deal with the mammoth spill . The flow in the trans-Alaska oil pipeline also was reduced to 800,000 barrels daily from 1.2 million barrels . Alyeska spokesman Tom Brennan said that , at the reduced rate , the marine terminal 's capacity would allow nine days of operation before the line would have to be shut down . Valdez , a town of about 3,000 year-round residents that grows to more than 4,000 with a summer influx of fishing industry workers and travelers , is a picturesque community about 125 miles east of Anchorage . It relies on the fishing , oil and tourism industries . The sound is considered a playground for kayakers , sport fishermen and tourists . Jason Wells , executive director of the Valdez Fisheries Development Association , said he believed the oil slick would cause little damage unless wind pushes it back toward Valdez . The fishing industry is between seasons . Wells said the black cod fishery is scheduled to begin April 1 , but the region 's major herring fishery is not expected to get under way until mid-April . But the spill likely will draw increasing fire from environmentalists sensitive about the trans-Alaska pipeline and efforts to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil development . `` It 's of concern for two reasons : one is the size of the spill and that this is such a sensitive , very productive area , '' said Lisa Speer , senior staff scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York . Valdez City Manager Doug Griffin said the 800-mile trans-Alaska pipeline which carries oil from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez and the marine terminal have an enviable environmental record . But he added : `` Living in Valdez , we 've always worried that sometime something like this could happen . '' Previously , the largest U.S. tanker spill was the Dec. 15 , 1976 , grounding of the Argo Merchant tanker off the Nantucket shoals off Massachusetts , in which 7.6 million gallons of oil spilled , Golob said . The largest tanker spill in history was in the July 19 , 1979 , collision off Tobago of the supertankers Atlantic Empress and Aegean Captain , in which 300,000 tons _ more than 80 million gallons _ of oil was lost .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

oil spills
bligh reef
oil slick
environmental conservation
crude oil
environmental disasters

u.s. tanker spill
987-foot tanker exxon valdez


Drug abusers who are infected with the AIDS virus and tuberculosis bacteria should be treated with medicine to prevent full-blown TB , says a study published today . Doctors have noticed a growing prevalence of tuberculosis in recent years among people at high risk of AIDS , especially drug addicts . In the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine , the TB usually resulted from activation of lingering tuberculosis infections , not new exposures to the bacteria , in people who also are infected with the AIDS virus . The doctors warned that besides being at risk of getting tuberculosis themselves , AIDS-infected addicts who carry the TB bacteria also may pass the germs to people they live with , to health care workers and other people . `` The aggressive identification and treatment of HIV-infected intravenous drug users with latent tuberculous infection is therefore of both clinical and public health importance , '' wrote Dr. Peter A. Selwyn of Montefiore Medical Center in New York . People may carry either the AIDS virus or tuberculosis bacteria for many years without getting sick . While most people with the AIDS virus eventually go on to get acquired immune deficiency syndrome , people who carry the tuberculosis bacteria ordinarily have only about a 10 percent life-long risk of getting TB . HIV _ the AIDS viurus _ weakens the body 's defenses against disease . The study suggests that it lowers resistance to the tuberculosis bacteria , putting people at much higher risk of TB . The study was conducted on 520 drug users who were in a methadone program . When the study began , 42 percent already were infected with HIV . Twenty-three percent of those with HIV also carried TB bacteria as did 20 percent of those who were free of the AIDS virus . During almost two years of followup , active tuberculosis developed in eight of the AIDS-infected people , but in none of those who did not have HIV . Seven of the eight TB cases occurred in people who were already infected with tuberculosis bacteria before the study began . The doctors noted that 13 people who carried HIV and TB bacteria were treated with the drug isoniazid , and none of them went on to get active tuberculosis . However , seven of 36 people with both infections who did not take the medicine got TB . The doctors said that the drug is now administered along with daily methadone doses at the clinic where the study was conducted .

B I O O O O O B I O B I O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

aids virus
drug abusers
tuberculosis bacteria
medicine
drug addicts
tuberculosis infections


America 's 1988 drought captured attention everywhere , but especially in Washington where politicians pushed through the largest disaster relief measure in U.S. history . The Associated Press went back to track where the $ 3.9 billion went and found the money spread far beyond the drought .

B O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O

disaster relief measure
america
drought
associated press

drought relief program
drought relief bill


Inside a small motor home , Joanne Pierluissi raised her sleeve as nurse Mary Perez inserted a needle into the vein above her forearm , drawing blood into a tube for a diabetes test . As her daughters watched , Pierluissi , 24 , said it was for them , as much as for herself , that she agreed to be tested for the deadly killer of Hispanics . Twelve million Americans have some form of diabetes , but it most prevalent among minorities , especially Native Americans , blacks and Hispanics . Hispanics are three times as likely to develop diabetes as the general population , and 40 percent of the 700,000 victims in Texas are Mexican-American . More than 150,000 Americans die from diabetes each year ; another 150,000 deaths are diabetes-related , according to the American Diabetes Association . No one really knows what sparks it , but researchers believe Hispanics could hold the key . San Antonio , the nation 's ninth largest city , with a population that is 50 percent Hispanic , is becoming the base for diabetes studies . San Antonio 's Hispanic makeup led Dr. Ralph DeFronzo to abandon his prestigious position as a Yale University diabetes researcher and persuade his four-member team to relocate to the University of Texas Health Science Center . Epidemiologist Dr. Michael Stern has devoted 10 years to studying Hispanic diabetes and led the grassroots study of the most common form , which develops mostly in obese adults over 40 who may have a family history of the disease . Stern said family studies of diabetic patients are brining him closer to finding the gene that triggers the disease , and to a screening test . Researchers believe that poor Hispanics ' diets of cheap , processed foods , lack of exercise and infrequent medical attention _ either due to poverty or a cultural bias against doctors _ increases their risk of acquiring diabetes . Educating elementary-school-age children about healthy diets would help reduce the number of diabetes cases , DeFronzo said . `` If you have a 65-year-old mother who weighs 220 pounds and you tell her to go out and jog five miles Monday , Wednesday and Friday , she is going to laugh at you . ''

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

diabetes test
minorities
american diabetes association
diabetes studies
hispanic diabetes
diabetic patients
healthy diets


The major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay area Tuesday occurred in a region seismologists targeted as having the highest probability of a strong quake in Northern California . A 1988 report by the U.S. Geological Survey placed the probability of an earthquake of 6.5 magnitude on the Richter scale at 30 percent by the year 2018 in the Southern Santa Cruz mountains . The high probability is based on several factors , including length of time since the last major earthquake struck the area in 1906 , said Clarence Allen , professor of Geology and Geophysics at the California Institue of Technology in Pasadena . `` This is not to say we predicted the earthquake . It just has to do with the probability of an earthquake in this area , '' Allen said . He noted that the 1988 report , titled `` Probabilities of Large Earthquakes Occurring in California on the San Andreas Fault , '' presented information that was already widely known among scientists . Allen said this information should have alerted officials to take preventive steps . Frank Baldwin of U.S. Geological Survey 's Earthquake Center said the quake 's magnitude was 6.9 on the Richter scale . It was centered in the Santa Cruz , Calif. , area , 75 miles south of San Francico . The Richter scale is a measure of ground motion as recorded on seismographs . A reading of 6 can cause severe damage . A quake of 7 magnitude , a `` major '' earthquake , is capable of widespread heavy damage . Initial reports indicated widespread damage from Tuesday 's quake , especially affecting highways and old masonry buildings . `` It 's not like an earthquake of this size in this area is a calamitous event . It 's something we should therefore be ready for , '' Allen said . The damage in the Bay area occurred to the same kind of structures heavily damaged in the 1987 Whittier quake in the Los Angeles area , which registered a 5.9 Richter reading , Allen said . `` I think we 'll learn a lot from an engineering point of view from this earthquake , '' he said . `` What will be important is to see how the modern structures behaved . '' Allen said many of the same kinds of older structures that appeared to have been damaged in San Francisco also exist in the Los Angeles region . In addition , some of the roadways and overpasses in the area have roughly the same kind of construction as the Bay Bridge . In some areas of Southern California , there is a higher probability of a major quake occurring . The highest , the USGS says , is in the central California town of Parkfield , where there is a 90 percent probability of a magnitude 6 earthquake by the year 2018 .

O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

northern california
strong quake
richter scale
high probability
large earthquakes
earthquake center
widespread heavy damage
major earthquake


The drought of 1988 hit hardest in the upper Midwest _ perhaps nowhere harder than in North Dakota . More disaster relief aid went there than to any other state . The third story in a four-part series , `` Cashing In on the Drought , '' examines how the $ 3.9 billion disaster aid program helped farmers most in need .

O B O O O O O O B I O O O O O O B I O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B I I O B O O O O

drought
upper midwest
north dakota
disaster relief aid
disaster aid program
farmers


Lightning has set the West ablaze this summer , and electricity is again surging through the nation 's wildfire command post . `` The whole place is running at the max , full out , '' Reed Jarvis of the Boise Interagency Fire Center said last week . But this year is different because the center 's strategists and quartermasters who direct the nation 's wildfire battles can see some of the worst blazes from their windows . As nearly half the acreage afire burns within 150 miles , specialists in the logistics center marshal resources from around the nation . On Saturday , there were about 220,000 acres ablaze in four states , with 102,000 of them in Idaho and the rest in Oregon , California and Utah . `` Tell me when the airplane 's got to leave and I 'll have the team on it , '' coordinator Lynn Findley says into the phone cradled on his shoulder . He hangs up , makes another call and arranges for a procurement expert to fly from Atlanta to LaGrande , Ore. . Another staff member fields a caller searching for a fire officer called `` Joe Blow . '' `` Can you believe it ? '' she says over her shoulder . `` He spells his name B-L-O-U-G-H . '' Others juggle as many as three of the constantly ringing phones , scanning computer terminals for personnel , airplanes , red chemical retardant and gear . `` We drop slimy red mud on burning trees from antique airplanes , '' declares the slogan on one T-shirt . In one leg of the L-shaped logistics room , the intelligence division keeps track of fires around the country . The other finds the crews and equipment to attack the flames . A big chalkboard plots the fires as they eat up mile after mile of fuel . Magnets resembling aircraft dot a map of the country , giving the location and type of equipment available . `` Obviously , firefighting on the line is stressful , '' said Fire Center spokesman Arnold Hartigan . `` But the support people are dealing with human life facing fire , which is inherently dangerous . '' Hundreds of fires burned fitfully in the Idaho backcountry for days after the last `` lightning bust . '' One storm laid down 2,000 strikes an hour with little rain . Then winds reaching 80 mph and temperatures pushing triple digits whipped those spots into major conflagrations . Three-inch-thick burning branches blew up to two miles ahead of the main fires . Flames swept over thousands of acres in several hours ' time , creating a smoky miasma around Idaho 's capital city . The buzz at the wildfire nerve center intensified dramatically . `` Fortunately we do n't work at this level all year , '' Hartigan said . `` It would be unbearable if we had to do this 365 days a year . '' The complex has taken on a military look . National Guard troops in camouflage fatigues march toward trucks for transportation to the fire lines . Smoke jumpers sit in the shade of a building waiting for their next leap into 100-foot-tall ponderosa pines , laden with chainsaws or water pumps . `` We are definitely an assault organization , '' Hartigan said . `` It 's patterned after military operations because they work . We 're the supply lines for the troops . '' In the logistics center , specialists spin Lazy Susans with pink and blue requisition forms as each plea from the fire line is answered . The requests are for airplanes , helicopters , axes and shovels , portable marine pumps , hoses , fresh fruit , disposable sleeping bags , soft drinks and , most important , manpower . World War II Navy bombers _ PB-4Y2s and Neptunes _ are lined up on the flight deck , spattered with red retardant . They fill up again and again with thousands of gallons of `` slurry , '' a fertilizer-based substance that stops fires cold . Then the craft roar aloft toward the smoky mountains to the north . After five dry summers , backcountry timber has a moisture content only slightly higher than kiln-dried lumber , and strategists have settled in for a long campaign . It will take fall rains and winter snow to douse many of the nation 's fires . Until then , the lights will be on at the Fire Center , and the pace will be frenetic . `` It 's like Wall Street , it 's like an operating room , '' Jarvis says . `` Everybody knows it 's stressful , but they 're not snapping at each other . The key is cooperation . ''

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

wildfire battles
worst blazes
firefighting
wildfire command post
fire lines
boise interagency fire center


Rescuers crawled through collapsed homes and shops today looking for more victims of a tornado that carved a 3-mile stretch of destruction , killing 17 people , injuring 463 and leaving 1,000 homeless . `` It 's like taking six to 10 city blocks and putting them in a blender and putting it on liquefy , '' said rescue worker Bob Caraway , whose specialty is cave rescues . He was among those called out to help dig through rubble for survivors or the bodies of the dead . The tornado was one of a series that touched down Wednesday in an arc spanning at least seven states from the Deep South to the Midwest . The other tornadoes caused at least 19 injuries and far-flung property damage . In Huntsville , teams with cranes and floodlights searched for the injured or dead , hampered by wind-whipped rain and temperatures that plummeted overnight from 73 degrees into the 30s . Gov. Guy Hunt sent 50 National Guardsmen to help and said he would view damage Friday . His spokesman , Terry Abbott , said aerial surveys indicate the twister hopped along a 25-mile path , much of it straight through Huntsville . By this afternoon , severe thunderstorms were crossing the Northeast . The National Weather Service put out a tornado watch for parts of Maryland , Delaware , Pennsylvania , New Jersey , New York , all of Connecticut and Rhode Island , and parts of Massachusetts , Vermont and New Hampshire . In Pennsylvania , the weather service said it received unconfirmed reports of a tornado that turned over a car and knocked down trees and power lines near Gettysburg . Elsewhere : _ In Georgia , 19 people were injured , four critically , and at least 200 people were evacuated after a tornado strus.C. , and a tornado toppled trees , downed power lines and damaged 20 houses near Greenwood , S.C. No injuries were reported in either state . _ Tornadoes caused minor property damage in Mississippi , Kentucky and Indiana . _ In West Virginia , high winds believed to be tornadoes swept Jefferson County early today , overturning trailers , blowing roofs off homes and downing power lines , authorities said . Four people were injured , two seriously . _ Heavy thunderstorms destroyed at least a dozen homes in Alorton , Ill. , killing one person and injuring 20 others , five seriously , authorities said . The tornado struck Huntsville with virtually no warning Wednesday afternoon as the city 's streets grew busy with the approach of rush hour . In a matter of seconds , cars were hurled through the air and crushed , and apartments and stores looked as if they had been bombed . `` It was fast , '' said Lucy Lee Rusk , whose apartment was battered by debris . `` It was like one big pop and that 's when everything went . '' The National Weather Service had issued a tornado watch earlier in the day , but did not issue a more urgent tornado warning until 4:39 p.m. CST , when the tornado was spotted at the municipal golf course . By then , it was already tearing up the city . A watch means a tornado is considered possible , while a warning means a tornado is believed to exist . Huntsville Police Maj. Robert Moder said this morning that 463 people were injured by the twister , which plowed through a school and rural areas as well as a shopping mall and adjacent apartments . Police Chief Richard Ottman initially put the number of dead at 19 , but his clerk , Kitty Whitworth , later said the death toll was lowered to 17 after police confirmed the count of bodies . She said police had no firm reports of people missing . No children in the school were killed , but about 30 youngsters were in a kindergarten class at the building , and five were reported injured . Most of the dead were in apartments , stores or cars . Mayor Steve Hettinger estimated the number of homeless at 1,000 and said officials were preparing a request for federal disaster assistance . A worker at a building owned by the Madison County Jaycees said 42 people were staying there early today , and described the mood of the survivors as `` shock , mostly , and disbelief . '' `` They 're thankful to be alive and they 're thankful their families are alive , '' he said , adding that the shelter had received calls from around the country from worried relatives . The tornado was Alabama 's deadliest since a 1975 twister killed 22 people in Birmingham , said Danny Cooper , state emergency management director in Montgomery . Along a highway near a destroyed apartment complex , cars were flipped and smashed into telephone poles and crushed by trees . The roadway was strewn with used bandages and medical gloves left by emergency workers treating the injured . Humana Hospital administrator David Miller said doctors had difficulty reaching the hospital because of blocked roads . Those in the tornado 's path spoke with awe of its fury . `` It came in with a huge roar , an enormous amount of water , and it just started shaking and tearing at everything it could get hold of , '' said real estate broker Ike Carroll , who was in his car . Heavy overhead power lines `` started snapping just like a circus performer would snap his whip , '' Carroll said . `` All of these heavy arcing , flashing lines that were just popping and snapping over the top of us . ... It was as if you were looking into an arc-welder , they were so bright . '' Kenneth Lenhard had undergone an operation at the Crestwood Hospital on Wednesday and returned to his room about an hour before a window in the next room blew out as the tornado passed . `` There was n't anything I could do , so I covered my head , '' Lenhard said . `` I thought , ` What the heck , I 'm already half dead . ' '' The downtown Jones Valley Elementary School , the Waterford Square and adjacent Queensbury apartment complexes were reduced to rubble . Kindergarteners were the only pupils left at the school by the time the twister hit . The city is home to NASA 's Marshall Space Flight Center and the Army 's Redstone Arsenal , but no serious damage was reported from the space agency or weapons testing center . At least two other tornadoes were reported in Alabama , injuring at least three people in addition to the Huntsville total . Near Palmetto , Ga. , resident Jeff Bryant said his home at the Sweetbriar Mobile Home Park near Interstate 85 began to vibrate when the twister approached . `` Then we heard a large , loud , swirling and humming noise , '' he recalled . `` It did n't sound like a train like everybody says it does . I lived near a train track . It did not sound like a train . It sounded more like a jet aircraft at very close range . '' Thomas Farr was driving on Interstate 85 when the tornado hit . `` It was picking up cars and tossing them like toys off the interstate , '' he said . `` I saw one 18-wheeler flip over . The car in front of us was flipped about 100 yards , and the guy was thrown out of his passenger window and landed 50 feet from his car .

O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O B I O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

tornadoes
severe thunderstorms
tornado watch
huntsville
disaster
victims
property damage
destruction
rescue


Two days of racially charged hearings on police brutality and a report detailing widespread segregation in the nation 's third-largest city show the new mayor must still heal some old wounds . Richard M. Daley was elected mayor April 4 amid fears by black activists that he would bring back the machine politics of his late father , Richard J. Daley , who was mayor for more than 20 years before his death in 1976 . The younger Daley emphasized empowerment of minorities in his spring campaign , and after defeating black challengers in the primary and general election , he named minorities to 11 of his 21 Cabinet positions . But now Daley finds himself on the defensive . Some black politicians say the mayor is indirectly sanctioning racism by not doing enough to stop it . The racial issue resurfaced last week in two days of special hearings called by a City Council committee to look into allegations of police brutality against blacks . `` There 's been no demonstrable change on the part of white leadership in this city to end racism , '' said Bob Starks , associate professor of inner city studies at Northeastern Illinois University . `` It 's the same stuff , and it 's seemingly getting worse . '' But Daley maintains that what 's getting worse is `` irresponsible political rhetoric '' from black politicians who are looking ahead to the 1991 mayoral election . Daley is filling the remaining two years of the term of the late Harold Washington , the city 's first black mayor who was just a few months into his second term when he died in November 1987 . Daley has denounced the alleged police brutality . `` I will not ever tolerate police brutality , bias or bigotry in the city of Chicago , '' Daley said . `` Everyone should join together ... to help alleviate this problem . '' Also last week , a human relations task force made up of business and civic leaders released a report saying racism in Chicago was fueled by `` a shocking lack of contact '' between the city 's ethnic groups . The report , based on a 15-month investigation of the city 's race relations , concluded that racial divisions `` threaten to make Chicago an increasingly unpleasant place to live and are antithetical to the city 's economic growth and prosperity . '' At the City Council hearings Thursday and Friday , blacks who alleged they were the victims of police brutality accused officers _ most of them white _ of unprovoked beatings , false arrests , intimidation and insulting them with racial slurs . Among them was a 55-year-old grandmother , Callie Bryant , who testified that she and her daughter were beaten up in 1987 by seven white police officers who gave her `` the sign of the Ku Klux Klan . '' Two teen-age boys testified that in August they were picked up by white officers , roughed up , and then dropped off in a white neighborhood where they were attacked by white youths . The poice department 's record was defended by Police Superintendent LeRoy Martin , a black appointee of Washington . `` I 'm the head of this police department , and if this police department is bad , it 's because I 'm bad as superintendent , '' Martin said . `` When this police department is attacked , I must defend it . When it 's wrong , I must correct it . ''

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police brutality
racism
race relations
chicago
racial issue
blacks
new mayor


Exxon crews Tuesday finished pumping the remaining crude oil out of the tanker Exxon Valdez in preparation for refloating and removing the source of the nation 's worst-ever oil spill . The fugitive captain of the Exxon Valdez sent signals he was ready to surrender to face criminal charges of operating the vessel while drunk . Meanwhile , Exxon said placing an oil-catching boom around the ship immediately after the grounding could have touched off a giant explosion of gases from the oil , although that was not the reason it took 11 hours to set the first containment line . `` The worst thing we could have done early on was try to boom the vessel . We would have lost the vessel , '' said Exxon Shipping Co. . President Frank Iarossi . A boom was n't placed around the vessel for 11 hours because it was n't available in Valdez , Exxon officials have said . Iarossi also said Exxon has changed its policy because of the spill and now requires crews to be aboard ship , where drinking is prohibited , four hours before sailing . Authorities charged the captain had been drinking before the Valdez sailed . Thick oil has floated over more than 1,640 square miles and soiled 800 miles of beach . Thousands of animals are known dead , including 30 sea otters . Early Tuesday , Exxon said it had finished transferring about 42 million gallons of crude to three other ships . Another 42 million gallons of oily waste water remained aboard the Valdez , which spilled more than 10 million gallons of crude into Prince William Sound when it struck a reef March 24 . The company said crews would attempt to pump air into the hold and refloat the vessel off a reef at high tide Wednesday afternoon . If freed , the still-leaking ship , which has eight holes some 20 feet long in its hull , will be towed to a remote and already fouled cove for repairs . Exxon then planned to take the ship to a port in the Far East , or to a Portland , Ore. , dry dock . Port officials there said they were n't sure if they 'd allow that , even though the $ 12 million repair bill would provide about 200 jobs . `` We 're not willing to trade in the environment for jobs , '' Portland port spokesman Darrel Buttice said Monday . Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt said Tuesday there are `` a lot of questions that need to be answered '' before the Valdez is allowed in . Canadian authorities also asked Exxon for assurances there will be no damage to the British Columbia coast if the tanker is towed to Oregon , and the mayor of Valdez said the ship was not welcome back in the port where it took on the load of crude . In Washington , Environmental Protection Administrator William Reilly said the spill could put the brakes on petroleum exploration there and in other areas . `` We will take apart the environmental planning for every aspect of oil development in Alaska and in other sensitive areas where the environment potentially could be threatened , '' he told a House appropriations subcommittee . The family of the fired Exxon Valdez captain , Joseph Hazelwood , said the skipper wants to surrender but is awaiting advice from his attorney , according to Lt. Thomas Fazio , commander of the New York State Police on Long Island . But after Long Island law enforcement authorities waited a second day for Hazelwood to turn himself in , the Suffolk County district attorney 's office announced there would be no surrender that day . Hazelwood , 42 , is accused operating the ship while under the influence of alcohol , reckless endangerment and negligent discharge of oil . Bail was previously set in Valdez at $ 50,000 . Of about three dozen oil-soaked otters rescued following the spill , about one-third have died , Alaska Department of Fish and Game spokesman Jon Lyman said . `` Dozens of otters are dying before rescuers can get to them , '' he said . Six otters were flown to Sea World in San Diego on Monday for rehabilitation . Fishermen counting on the sound 's $ 12 million annual herring industry were told Monday by the state that it will not allow a season this year . Sablefish and shrimp fisheries in Prince William waters also have been closed . An effort at Sawmill Bay , 11 miles west of Valdez , to keep oil away from a hatchery where 2 million salmon are waiting to be released to the sea appeared to be failing . Tendrils of oil had floated past a boom streched across the bay , said officials . The spill has shifted public opinion in Alaska about the energy industry , which has been lobbying for new exploration . U.S. Sen. Frank Murkowski , a champion of oil exploration in Alaska , asked that plans for drilling in Bristol Bay , the state 's richest fishing grounds , be set aside until the industry can demonstrate that it can respond effectively to spills . `` The Exxon Valdez accident has taught us that simply having a plan is not sufficient , '' the Alaska Republican said . At the first Valdez City Council meeting since the spill , two council members and Mayor John Devens expressed concern that anger and frustration over the spill was surfacing as harrassment of pipeline company workers and their children . Meanwhile , a multimillion-dollar class-action lawsuit was filed Monday in federal court in California against Exxon Corp. , charging that the spill has led to gas prices of 10 to 15 cents more a gallon for California drivers .

B I O O O O O B I O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

exxon crews
crude oil
tanker exxon valdez
joseph hazelwood
annual herring industry
criminal charges