state/nation
Nicaragua denies killing 2 U.S. journalists
By FREDDY CUEVAS
Associated Press Writer
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras Nicaragua
denied yesterday that its forces shelled and
killed two American journalists near the
Nicaraguan border, and implied that Hon
duran gunners or U.S.-backed Nicaraguan
rebels were responsible.
An air force helicopter flew into the capi
tal with the bodies of the two identified by
military authorities as Dial Torgerson, Los
Angeles Times bureau chief for Mexico and
Central America, and free-lance photogra
pher Richard Cross who had been on assign
ment for U.S. News & World Report.
Honduras accused Nicaragua of a cross
border attack, but the Sandinista govern
ment said “at no time has there been an
attack against Honduras.”
The Sandinistas accuse the U.S. and Hon
duran governments of supporting anti-gov
ernment Nicaraguan insurgents and
allowing them to use Honduras as a base.
Nicaragua also charges that the Honduran
Banks sentenced to death
By LEE LINDER
Associated Press Writer
WILKES-BARRE George Banks, a former prison
guard convicted of killing 13 people, including five of
his own children, was sentenced to death yesterday by
the jury that had found him guilty.
After jury foreman Thomas Boory read the death
sentence for each of 12 first-degree murder verdicts,
the defense asked that the jury of eight men and four
women be polled.
In all,, the word “death” was spoken 156 times. One
juror, Nancy Young, cried as she pronounced it.
Banks then cried out to the juror, “It’s not your fault,
you were lied to, ma’am.”
Banks, who turned 41 yesterday, had said in pretrial
interviews that he expected to receive the death sen
tence. Over his lawyers’ objections, he had taken the
stand to testify that he shot all 13 people, but that
someone else had fired at least nine of the shots that
proved fatal.
He was convicted Tuesday of 12 counts of first-degree
murder for the premeditated slayings of the children,
ages 1 to 6, the four women who bore them and three
other people related to a former girlfriend.
Truce offered to PLO chief
by rebel leader Abu Mousa
By FAROUK NASSAR
Associated Press Writer
BEIRUT, Lebanon Rebel lead
er Sae’d Mousa offered Palestine
Liberation Organization chief Yas
ser Arafat a truce yesterday, say
ing the mutiny could be resolved by
“democratic dialogue.”
There was no immediate re
sponse from Arafat at his new
headquarters in the north Lebanese
port of Tripoli. But another spokes
man for the mutineers, Jihad Sa
leh, charged that Arafat was
regrouping his forces in northern
Lebanon in preparation for “some
action that will result in violence.”
Tripoli already is the scene of a
local civil war between pro-Syrian
Alawite and anti-Syrian Sunni Mos
lem militias vying for dominance of
Lebanon’s second largest city. Po
lice reported 10 people killed and 27
wounded in fighting from midnight
to dawn.
In southern Lebanon, an Israeli
military supports the insurgents with cross
border fire.
A statement from the Nicaraguan Foreign
Ministry said “The false accusation made
by the government of Honduras lies in the
plans for escalation made by the Central
Intelligence Agency of the United States,
which has as its objective justifying greater
aggression against Nicaragua.”
Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Miguel d’E
scoto appeared at a news conference and
said the Honduran charges are “the most
reprehensible cynicism.”
“Everyone knows that it is the Honduran
army, which supports the mercenaries di
rected and financed by the CIA to provoke
Nicaragua, and I hold thfe governments of
the United States and Honduras responsible
for the death of the journalists,” he said.
Foreign Minister Edgardo Paz Barnica
said Torgerson and Cross were killed
around 5 p.m. EDT Tuesday, by anti-tank
fire from Nicaraguan troops across the
border. He said an anti-tank shell shattered
the journalist’s automobile as it drove a dirt
He also was convicted of third-degree murder for
gunning down bystander Raymond Hall, 24, in the
street after shooting eight of the victims in his Wilkes-
Barre home last Sept. 25. The third-degree conviction
means the jury felt the death was not premeditated.
Luzerne County Court Judge Patrick Toole told
Banks he had 10 days'to file a motion for a new trial and
for arrest of judgment. Otherwise, the verdicts and
sentences will stand, he said.
District Attorney Robert Gillespie Jr. had sought the
death penalty, telling jurors earlier in the day that
Banks had shown “no mercy, no sympathy for his
victims. Show him no sympathy, no mercy.”
The defense had failed to convince the jury that
Banks was insane, and defense attorney A 1 Flora Jr.
said he was disappointed that the jury didn’t vote for
life imprisonment.
The state’s last execution was in 1962, when Elmo
Smith died for the rape and murder of a young girl.
Pennsylvania dismantled its electric chair before the
U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1972 that the death penalty
was'being applied unequally. was sentenced
under a capital punishment law approved by the state
Legislature in 1978.
guard was killed and three were
wounded when guerrillas am
bushed a border patrol near the
village of Arab Salim. It was the
fourth attack on Israeli forces in
Lebanon in two days.
Mousa, better known by his code
name of Abu Mousa, told reporters
at his headquarters in Hammara,
in the Bekaa Valley, “there is no
need for more fighting” between
the mutineers in the Fatah faction
of the PLO and those still loyal to
Arafat. *•
“We advocate continued warfare
against Israel,” he declared. “We
advocate continued Palestinian
presence in Lebanon. We will never
leave Lebanon as long as there is a
vein throbbing in us.”
Both Abu Mousa and the Syrian
government news agency denied
Arafat’s charge that Syrian tanks
led the mutineers early Tuesday
when they seized the positions held
by pro-Arafat forces along the Bei
rut-Damascus highway through the
road a few yards from the border.
The road runs between the villages of
Cifuentes and Las Trojas, about 75 miles ’
directly east of Tegucigalpa but 215 miles
by car because of the winding, mountainous
road to the region.
Fellow reporters said the newsmen left
Tegucigalpa early Tuesday in a car that did
not carry any of the “international press” or
other .precautionary signs that journalists
use in El Salvador.
President Reagan was informed of the
incident Tuesday night and said he “deeply
regrets the loss of life of two outstanding
journalists who were carrying out their
professional responsibilities in a>ery diffi
cult situation,” White House spokesman
Larry Speakes said.
He added, “The president joins with all
who believe in a free press in paying tribute
to these professionals who were the tragic
and unfortunate victims of violence.”
The Hondurans originally said Time mag
azine reporter William McWhirter also was
killed because they thought he was traveling
central Bekaa Valley.
But Arafat’s top military aide,
Khalil Wazir, told a news confer
ence in the Bekaa Valley' town of
Baalbek the local Syrian army
command admitted the Syrian tank
support for the mutineers’ attack
and told him it was “the result of
the individual behavior of one Syri
an officer.”
“Arafat was preparing his forces
to attack and overrun our posi
tions,” Abu Mousa said. “He then
positioned forces to block our sup
ply routes and began an advance
toward our positions, so we staged
a counterattack, throwing his
forces back and reopening our sup
ply routes. We threw them back
very far.”
After the attack Tuesday, the
pro-Arafat majority on A 1 Fatah’s
Revolutionary Council authorized
Arafat and the other 12 members of
the Fatah central committee to do
whatever was necessary to end the
mutiny.
world
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Antlers up!
Two plastic reindeer statues hold their ground yesterday as flood waters rise to three-foot levels in Gayland Brock’s back
yard in Garrett, Pa. Twenty-five homes were flooded but no one was injured in the rising waters.
.with Torgerson and Cross. But it was
learned later that'McWhirter had flown to
Miami Monday night, and Honduran offi
cials retraqted the report.
Twelve foreign journalists, including two
other Americans, have been killed since
revolution brought violence to the region in
1978.
The army declared the area where the
reporters were killed a zone of high danger
yesterday and sent officials to warn people
that it is dangerous to go there.
A protest note from Honduras said “the
Honduran government. . . holds the govern
ment of Managua responsible for whatever
incident that may occur as a consequence of
the constant harassment by the Sandinista
army against the territory and population of
Honduras.”
A brief ceremony was held at the air base,
where military chief Gen. Gustavo Alvarez
Martinez said, “The situation with Nicara
gua is extremely serious. The Sandinistas
are attacking us constantly without any
justification. Because of that, we are going
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to take actions rapidly.”
He did not explain what those actions
would be.
The bodies were taken to a funeral home
to be turned over to relatives arriving from
Mexico and the United States.
Torgerson was born April' 19, 1928, in
Southport, N.C., and was graduated from
the University of Southern California in
1951. He had worked for The Los Angeles
Times since 1967 and was named bureau
chief for Mexico and Central America in
March 1981 after foreign assignments in
Africa and the Middle East. He worked for
The Associated Press in Los Angeles from
1954-66.
Cross, 33, was born in Kansas City and
.worked through the photo agency Black Star
for a number of publications, including
Newsweek. He lived in Mexico City and had
gone to Honduras last weekend on assign
ment for U.S. News & World Report. Cross
was a free-lancer for the AP during the 1978-
79 Sandinista revolution.
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The Daily Collegian
Thursday, June 23, 1983
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AP Laserphoto
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Bill would prohibit teachers' strikes
HARRISBURG, (AP) The right to strike for public school
teachers would be severely limited under legislation introduced
yesterday in the House.
The seven-bill package is designed primarily to prevent teacher
strikes. State employees would also be affected by some of the
legislation’s provisions.
Reps. Stephen Freind, R-Delaware County, and Joseph M.
Gladeck, R-Montgomery County, said they “completely and un
equivocally oppose” giving public employees the right to strike.
The legislation introduced yesterday would:
• Amend the state constitution by permitting contract set
tlements for all public employees by final, best-offer arbitration.
• Prohibit teachers from striking unless a court has ruled that a
school board has been bargaining in bad faith.
• Impose strict fines on striking teachers.
• Make such issues as class size, school calendars, reductions in
force and teacher evaluation matters of managerial policy, not
subject to collective bargaining.
Floods cause $lO million damages
N BEDFORD (AP) Bedford County officials yesterday esti
mated flash floods caused more than $lO million in damage,
including at least $2 million in damage to the grounds of the historic
Bedford Springs Hotel south of this Allegheny mountains commu
"'officials asked state and federal governments to declare parts of
Bedford County as disaster areas following cloudbursts that
dropped more than four inches of water on central Pennsylvania
before dawn Tuesday, according to National Weather Service
estimates.
Rainfall in the Bedford area was measured unofficially at 5.26
inches. , -
No one was injured in the downpour and subsequent floods.
AMA questions danger of dioxin
CHICAGO (AP) There is no scientific evidence that dioxin
contamination poses imminent danger to people, the American
Medical Association said yesterday as it approved a publicity
campaign to counter news reports about the chemical.
“The news media have made dioxin the focus of a witch hunt by
disseminating rumors, hearsay and unconfirmed, unscientific
reports,” says the resolution approved on a voice vote by the
AMA’s 151-member House of Delegates.
The campaign is intended “to get accurate information before
the public to prevent irrational reaction and unjustified public
fright,” it said. .
However, one of the resolution’s sponsors, Dr. George Bohigian,
said dioxin’s longterm effects on humans are not known.
Dr. Paul Wiesner, an assistant director of the Centers for Disease
Control in Atlanta, said that while he couldn’t comment on the AMA
resolution because he hadn’t seen it, “evidence is increasing that
there is an association with a rare form of tumor called soft tissue
sarcoma after occupational exposure (to dioxin.)
Wiesner also said studies clearly show that dioxin is poisonous to
- animals and that this suggests caution in human contact with it.
Possible herpes cure investigated
WASHINGTON (AP) A New York pharmaceutical company
said yesterday it will seek government clearance to sell, over the
counter, a possible cure for genital and oral herpes. But at least one
herpes researcher greeted that announcement with caution.
Arthur Colon, president of Dalin Pharmaceutical Co. of Farming
dale, N.Y., said that the product, known only as herpes formula
1423 A, had been successful in treating the disease and preventing
its recurrence when tested on more than 1,800 persons in the
Bahamas
Dr. Gregory Mertz, a researcher at the Herpes Research Clinic
at the University of Washington, said he could not offer an
evaluation of such a drug without having more specific information
on it.
world news briefs ; : .
Public health doctors continue fast
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) Nearly half of Israel’s 4,500 public
health doctors were reported fasting for higher pay yesterday, and
there was speculation that the army would put them on reserve
duty to keep hospitals from shutting down.
The protesters said four of the 17 major hospitals in Tel Aviv,
Jerusalem, Haifa and the Galilee - were rapidly closing depart
ments as almost 2,000 of the nation’s public health doctors observed
a water-only fast. Some began their hunger strike eight days ago.
Israel radio reported that' the director-general of the Health
Ministry, Dr. Baruch Modan, met with the directors of the nation’s
hospitals and the head of the army medical corps, stirring specu
lation that the army would order the doctors onto reserve duty to
staff the hospitals.
The doctors vowed to go on fasting until the Treasury offered a
substantial pay raise. Prime Minister Menachem Begin met with
Finance Minister Yoram Aridor and a delegation of doctors during
a heated debate in Parliament on a no-confidence motion over the
strike that the government easily defeated.
South American storms rage on
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) Unprecedented storms and
drought liave taken hundreds of lives and left millions without
homes or jobs across South America.
Weather experts say they cannot predict when the freakish
conditions will end
‘■‘This pattern could continue until the end of the year, or even
longer,” said Meteorologist Vernon Kousky of Brazil’s Space
Research Institute. ‘‘There is simply no way to tell.”
The mixture of cold air and warm water south of the jet stream
unleashes punishing rain storms, and to the north little precipita
tion can break months or even years of drought.
Most of the damage in southern Brazil has been to agriculture.
The grain crops are hard hit, and produce prices are rising sharply
in Brazil’s cities.
Market shows I Volume Shares ~ 1
heavy trading r 128,649,130
NEW YORK (AP) - The !, gBl
stock market turned in a ’
mixed performance in heavy Up ===_
trading yesterday as broad 890 jggg
indicators continued to shatter
records while the Dow Jones Unchanged gggg
average retreated from new 343
heights. §S|gj
Analysts said yesterday’s Down
seesaw session indicated that 748
traders still remain wary
about the course of the econ- • NYSE Index
omy, despite a series of 99.01 + 0.30
glowing reports that the re- • D OW j on es Industrials
covery from recession is broa- ,-p 1,245.69 - 1.71
dening.
DON"RDON'T!DON'T!DON'T!
AFTER INVENTORY
BARGAIN BONANZA!
Here’s Just a Sample of Our After Inventory Bargains—
Shop Early for the Best Selection!
MEN’S DEPARTMENT:
• Haggar Whisper Poplin Separates
. Coats, Reg. $BO, Sale 63.99
Vests, Reg. $25, Sale 19.99
Slacks, Reg. $3O, Sale 23.99
• Arrow Boardwalk Plaid Sportshirts
Reg.sls, Sale 10.99
• Men’s Poly/Cotton Knit Shirts
Reg. $l5, Sale 9.99
MISSES’ SPORTSWEAR:
• Misses’ Summer Skirts
Reg. $2O, Sale 12.99
• Misses’ Summer Blouses
Reg. $l6, Sale 9.99
• Misses’ T-Shirts
Reg. $lB, Sale 11.99
• Women’s World Skirts
Reg. $l7, Sale 10.99
State College and Nittany Mall Only
JUNIOR FASHIONS:
• Short Sleeve Camp Shirt
Reg. $l5, Sale 7.99 YOUR PRICE 6.39
• Cap Sleeve T-Tops in Assorted neck styles
Reg.s7, Sale 4.99
KITCHEN & BATH:
• “Savoy” Bath Towels by J. P. Stevens
REg. $7, Sale 4.99 YOUR PRICE 3.99
• “Royal Spendor” Tablecloths & Napkins
Tablecloths, Reg. sl3-$22, Sale 10.99-15.99 YOUR PRICE 8.79-12.79
Napkins, Reg. $2.50, Sale 1.29 YOUR PRICE .99
*Our Winter Coats and Our Foundation
Sale are not included in this sale.
Donlorli
DOWNTOWN STATE COLLEGE: Shop Thurs., Fri. 10-9,
Sat. 9:30-5. FREE parking every Thursday evening.
drinkndrivelittersmokcstQrtfircsoranythingelseforthqtmaiteryoutroublemokeryou
Going on Now thru Saturday
Downtown State College, Nittany Mall, Bellefonte
% OFF
All* Sale Clothing
and Home Fashions
and Additional
Take
.YOUR PRICE 51.19
.YOUR PRICE 15.99
.YOUR PRICE 19.19
YOUR PRICE 8.79
YOUR PRICE 7.99
YOUR PRICE 10.39
YOUR PRICE 7.99
YOUR PRICE 9.59
YOUR PRICE 8.79
YOUR PRICE 3.99
IjcinJc
DEPARTMENT STORES
L .O^f'
\ • p *i"“«'>' ■ -
□ I ..iser 2 "^
LADIES’ COATS, DRESSES, & LINGERIE:
• Entire Stock of Spring Coats & Jackets
Reg. $65-$145, Sale 32.49-72.49 YOUR PRICE 25.99-57.99
• Special Group of 1 or 2 Piece Sundresses
Reg. $2B-$46, Sale 18.49-30.49 YOUR PRICE 14.79-24.39
• Terry & Cotton Blend Cover Ups
Reg. $l6-$45, Sale 12.99-29.49
• Divided Petti Slips
Reg. $lO, Sale 3.99
• Ladies’ Cotton Blend Sleepwear
Reg. $lB-$26, Sale 14.49-20.99
LADIES’ ACCESSORIES:
• Entire Selection of Spring & Summer Scarves
Reg. $5-$2B, Sale 3.99-21.99 YOUR PRICE 2.99-17.59
• Entire Stock of Spring & Summer Handbags
Reg. $B-$5O, Sale 4.49-33.49 YOUR PRICE 3.59-26.79
CHILDREN’S DEPARTMENT:
• Girls T-Shirts
Reg. $lO & $132, Sale 5.99 & 6.99
• Boys Jeans - Sizes 4-7
Reg. $l3, 5a1e10.49
HOUSEWARES & GIFTS:
• Ginger Jar Lamps
Reg. $6O, Sale 38.99
• Aluminum Cast Cookware
1 qt. Covered Sauce Pan, Reg. $35, Sale 21.99
2 qt. Covered Sauce Pan, Reg. $45, Sale 28.99
5Va qt. Dutch Oven, Reg. $5O, Sale 31.99
11 inch Open Fry Pan, Reg. $2O, Sale 12.99
NITTANY MALL: Shop Thurs. thru Fri. 10-9, Closed Sunday
BELLEFONTE: Shop Thurs. 10-5, Fri. 10-9, Sat. 10-5
The Daily Collegian Thursday, June 23,
»*« V r Ve'.
All Regular Pricet
1983 Swimwear
YOUR PRICE 10.39-23.59
YOUR PRICE 3.19
YOUR PRICE 11.59-16.79
YOUR PRICE 4.79 & 5.59
YOUR PRICE 8.39
YOUR PRICE 31.19
YOUR PRICE 17.59
YOUR PRICE 23.19
YOUR PRICE 25.59
YOUR PRICE 10.39
25% OFF