Slegian'iooyears
April 1887-April 1987
House passes $ 100-million Contra aid bill
By TIM AHERN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) The House heeded Presi
dent Reagan’s pleas last night and approved $lOO million
of mostly military aid to rebels fighting to overthrow the
government of Nicaragua.
The Democratic-controlled chamber approved, 221-209,
a plan for $7O million worth of military hardware and $3O
million in non-lethal aid. That reversed the House’s 222-
210 defeat of a similar package three months ago.
The Contra aid proposal was attached to a bill appro
priating $B.l billion for military construction projects and
that measure was passed 249-174. The Republican-con
trolled Senate must pass the bill before it can reach
Reagan.
Under the plan, the U.S. government for the first
time would openly give military support to the rebels
known as “Contras” and permits the CIA and Pentagon to
manage the contra program. The rebels had been co
vertly supported by the CIA from 1981 to 1984.
The House approved, 215-212, an amendment by Rep.
Robert Mrazek, D-N.Y., to bar any U.S. military person
nel in Honduras or Costa Rica from getting to within 20
miles of the Nicaraguan border to help the Contras. The
administration said it had no intention to use combat
forces against the Contras.
The Nicaraguan embassy in Washington issued a
statement saying approval of the funds, “moves the U.S.
closer to the ultimate military solution, that is the
deployment of U.S. armed forces to the region.”
“The contras can win their battles in Washington but
they are being defeated by the people in Nicaragua,” said
Nicaraguan ambassador Carlos Tunnermann.
As he arrived at Point Magu Naval Air Station near
*' ‘ *
If you were planning go to the Train Station for nachos this weekend, forget it. The one. Former Train Station employees said Herlocher told them that the building will house a
restaurant, which opened in 1974, closed its doors Monday. Train Station owner Charles Burger King. Herlocher said he had planned to close the restaurant for renovations after the
Herlocher said he is leasing the building to an national food franchise, but won’t say which Arts Festival, but the franchise wants to move in as soon as possible so he closed Monday.
'Herb' might be getting off at the Train Station
By JILL A. BEDFORD
Collegian Staff Writer
Instead of getting off at the Train Station,
State College residents may soon be getting
it their way at Burger King.
The Train Station, 418 E. College Ave.,
closed its doors for the last time at 3 p.m.
Monday putting about 65 people out of work.
Charles Herlocher, owner of the Train
Station, said yesterday that he had reached
an agreement with a national food franchise
'to lease the building that formerly housed
the Train Station. He would not confirm
which franchise it was, but former employ
ees said Herlocher told them Monday the
franchise was Burger King.
Herlocher said he had planned to reno
vate the restaurant and bar, which opened
in 1974, to make way for a new style restau
rant and had negotiated with several nation
al food franchises to rent space in the newly
renovated building.
The Train Station was originally sched
uled to close for renovation for 3 to 4 weeks
starting July 14 after the 20th annual Cen
tral Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts,
Herlocher said, but the national franchise
was interested in moving into the restau
rant right away
Negotiations were finalized Friday and
the
daily
Santa Barbara, Calif, to start a vacation, Reagan was
asked whether he thought the Contras would now be able
to win their battle against the Sandinistas.
“I think so,” Reagan replied. A senior administration
official traveling with Reagan said the presidential party
was unsure it had the votes in hand to win before they left
Washington.
In addition to the $lOO million Contra aid, the House vote
apjproved $3OO million in economic aid to four Central
American democracies Guatemala, Honduras, Pana
ma and El Salvador. House Republican leader Bob
Michel of Illinois said one of the reasons he thought the
package was approved this time was because it also
contained that money, giving some members of the House
a reason to change their position.
The House disapproved, 245-183, a proposal by Rep. Lee
Hamilton, D-Ind., which would have eliminated all Contra
aid money from the bill. Hamilton’s proposal would have
only provided $32 million to resettle Contras who stop
fighting Nicaragua.
. The House also voted down, 225-198, an amendment by
Rep. Michael Barnes, D-Md., which would have barred
the administration from spending any money until Rea
gan could assure Congress that the Contras had ac
counted for how they spent previous funds.
During the debate, much was made of $27 million in
non-lethal aid previously provided, the Contras. Oppo
nents of further aid said large amounts of that money
ended up in the pockets of the Honduran military and in
bank accounts in the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands.
Otherwise the debate covered familiar ground. Rea
gan’s supporters said military aid was essential to curb
communism and restore democracy in Nicaragua while
opponents said the administration had failed to pursue a
peaceful outcome through negotiations.
Herlocher began to notify employees Sun
day night.
Bill Doscher, an assistant bar manager
since last November, said he discovered
Sunday, night the Train Station was closing
when he read an auction advertisement in
The Pittsburgh Press.
“I had an idea something was up,” Dosch
er said. “I knew that some of the Train
Station memorabilia was about to be sold
because of the renovation and I just put two
and two together (concerning) the stuff he
was selling.”
Doscher and former waitresses Annette
Thomas, Liz Poppert and Barbara Ruse
said they were not notified of the closing
until Monday afternoon after the lunch
shift.
“(Herlocher) called a meeting because he
said he wanted to clear up any rumors about
the restaurant closing,” Poppert (junior
health, physical education and recreation)
said. “(Herlocher) told employees he was
negotiating with four different restaurants
since November and this deal (with Burger
King) just came through last week.”
Doscher said the staff knew of Herloch
er’s plans to renovate the restaurant later in
the summer and replace it with a chicken
and ribs place, but the restaurant’s closing
had been rumored for months.
“Food orders had been canceled, not by
people who order the food, but by Herlocher
himself. (Herlocher’s) explanation was
that, because of the renovations, he wanted
the kitchen manager to order the food bit by
bit, week by week,” Doscher said. “(Her
locher) had been confronted multiple times
since April about the rumored clo
sing. . .and (the staff) was pretty much left
in the dark.”
Herlocher said he was “very concerned”
about the employees.
“It’s not like we were going to close (the
Train Station) without being concerned
about anybody,” he said, adding that he
notified the unemployment office and six
area bars and restaurants of the closing of
the Train Station.
Ethel Hall, unemployment compensation
supervisor at the State College Job Service
Office, confirmed that Herlocher had noti
fied the office of the restaurant’s closing.
Only four former employees signed up for
unemployment, she said.
Poppert said Herlocher presented the
employees with several applications for
other area restaurants and bars that were
looking for employees, including Burger
King.
“I walked the streets Tuesday and ap
plied for jobs everywhere,” said Ruse (ju
nior-elementary education). “I may have to
go home.” '
In summing up the opposition, Rep. Thomas Foley, D-
Wash., said that by approving military aid the United
States would be “embarking on what would be a virtually
unprecedented action the United States would be
undertaking ... a proxy war (against) a government with
which we technically are at peace and technically have
diplomatic relations.”
Michel urged his colleagues to abandon partisanship.
“Let’s have the guts to nurture democracy and fight
communism in our hemisphere today, not tomorrow.”
The battle took on a personal quality this week when
House Speaker Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. rejected a White
House request to permit Reagan to make a pitch fron the
House rostrum. O’Neill said such an action would be
unprecedented and unorthodox, and offered to give Rea
gan a forum if he would submit to questioning from House
members or address a joint congressional session in
stead. Those terms were rejected and Reagan made a
noontime speech Tuesday in the White House, which the
three major television networks declined to carry.
The administration-backed plan was sponsored by
Reps. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., and Mickey Edwards, R-Okla.
The $lOO million in non-lethal and military aid would be
released in three installments.
The first $4O million would be made available upon
enactment of the bill with an additional $2O million being
made available on Oct. 1. The funds could be used only to
buy “light” weapons.
The final $4O million would be released on Feb. 15,1987
and could be used for “heavy” weapons. Congress could
block the release of the final $4O million by taking another
vote.
Reagan lobbied until the last minute to win support and
reverse the earlier defeat. He even made calls from Air
Force One while flying West.
iglan Photo/Yiannos Nicolaides
Doscher said Herlocher tried to be as fair
as he could to the employees.
“He spoke to restaurant owners and got
applications and wanted to tell the staff (of
the closing) himself,” he said. “The only
unfair thing was the lack of information.”
Doscher added that most of the Train
Station employees were students putting
themselves through school.
“I’m bummed about the closing, mostly
because there was a good social atmosphere
and (the staff) all got along well,” he said.
“People have to pay rent and bills. There
were people who scrubbed the kitchen floors
to earn money for their families,” Ruse
said.
Herlocher also owns the 12-Week Bar and
the Thrifty Bottle Shop, adjacent to The
Train Station, and three CC Peppers restau
rants in State College. He plans to relocate
the bottle shop on the corner of Calder Way
and Sowers Street and open a new bar
called Taps on Sowers Street July 23.
In addition to the 50 to 75 jobs created by
the new food franchise, Herlocher plans to
create 75 to 100 new jobs by constructing a
new building, which would house 15 com
mercial rental spaces and three floors of
apartments. The new building, which would
replace the one that now houses the 12-Week
Bar, is scheduled for completion in May
1987.
Thursday, June 26,1986
Vol. 87, No. 9 12 pages University Park, Pa. 16802
Published by students of The Pennsylvania State University
©1986 Collegian Inc.
‘lt’s only round one, but, oh boy,
what a round.’
Several congressmen who switched their votes said
they supported Reagan this time because they felt deci
sive action was needed to force the leftist Sandinista
government to negotiate in good faith with its opponents.
Some Democrats backed an alternative package of $lOO
million which would give the Contras $3O million now for
non-lethal items like clothing but which would hold off the
military items until after another House vote Oct. 1. The
delay was intended to give peace talks a chance to work.
As in previous debates, supporters said the Sandinistas
are a danger to their Central American neighbors and
eventually may even threaten the United States, expo
nents contended the rebels are not a military match for
the Sandinistas and have wasted much of the past U.S.
aid.
Rep. Matthew Rinaldo, R-N.J., said that “if we fail to
assist them (Contras), we will witness the collapse of the
only armed resistance to the Sandinista domination of
Central America.”
Rep. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., noted reports that the
Contras have been involved in drug smuggling and said
providing more money to them would not help free
Nicaragua’s people.
However, Rep. Henry Hyde, R-111, turned to Boxer and
said, “If you need a rationale for helping the freedom
fighters, read our Declaration of Independence.”
Senate OKs
6% increase
to Penn State
By JILL A. BEDFORD
Collegian Staff Writer
Penn State could receive $181.9 million in
general appropriations according to a budget
plan approved by the state Senate yesterday,
a legislative aide for Sen. J. Doyle Corman
(R-Bellefonte) said.
Elizabeth Sarge Voras said House Bill 2509
would allocate almost $2 million more to
Penn State than Gov. Dick Thornburgh had
proposed.
The bill, approved earlier by the state
House of Representatives, would be an in
crease of 6 percent over last year’s general
appropriation of $171.6 million. However, it
still needs Thornburgh’s approval.
“(The University) appreciates the work of
the House and Senate Appropriations Com
mittee in fashioning this budget and in taking
into consideration the needs of Pennsylva
nia’s largest comprehensive university,”
President Bryce Jordan said yesterday in a
prepared statement. “We hope the governor
will sign the (bill) as soon as possible so that
Penn State can plan for the coming year in an
orderly fashion.”
Other state-related universities included in
the bill were the University of Pittsburgh
(appropriated $100.3 million), Temple Uni
versity ($110.2 million) and Lincoln Universi
ty ($7.5 million).
The bill will allocate $135.9 million for
education and general expenses; $ll.B mil
lion for research costs; $3.7 million for in
struction of medical doctors; $14.1 million for
agricultural research; $11.9 million for agri
cultural extension services; $3.9 million for
operating Elizabethtown hospital; and $200,-
000 for enhancing recruitment and retention
of disabled students.
Voras said Penn State could receive an
additional $2.85 million in the general fund’s
educational equipment grant program, but
the general budget fund had not been ap
proved yet.
Thornburgh originally budgeted $l7B mil
lion for Penn State. The University had asked
for $203 million in appropriations.
“We believe that Pennsylvania’s legis
lators are increasingly aware of Penn State’s
special role as the Commonwealth’s land
grant university in providing comprehensive
programs of instruction, research and public
service to the state’s many diverse constitu
encies,” Jordan said.
inside
• USG Vice President Sue Sturgis said
three student representatives are prepar
ing alternatives to a tuition increase
which they might present at next
month’s Board of Trustees meeting.
Page 12
index
comics
weather
This afternoon, abundant sunshine ac
companied by a few fair-weather clouds.
High 78. Tonight, mostly clear with more
seasonable conditions. Low 57. Tomor
row, summer makes its return with in
creasing humidity and lots of Hazy
sunshine. High 85 Heidi Sonen
President Reagan