—The Dally Collegian Tuesday, March 12,1996 Gov. Ridge proposes gasoline-tax Gov. Ridge’s 6.5-cent-a -gallon gas-tax increase is expected to face resistance in the House. By PETER DURANTINE Associated Press Writer HARRISBURG After months of publicly rejecting an increase in the state’s gasoline tax while quiet ly probing for legislative support, Gov. Tom Ridge proposed a 6.5- cent-a-gallon hike yesterday. He said severe winter weather had pushed Pennsylvania “over the edge” and there is no way to solve the state’s highway and bridge repair and construction problems without the increase. The governor made the remarks in opening a special legislative ses sion to deal with the effects of the winter storms. The average motorist, who dri ves roughly 11,000 miles a year, will pay an estimated $33.40 more annually, said Transportation Sec retary Bradley Mallory, who had pushed hard for more funds. The increase would make Penn sylvania’s gas tax the third highest, behind Connecticut’s 33 cents a gallon and Rhode Island’s 29 cents. Mallory could not say how many Phi Sigma Pi \ National Honor Fraternity Presents: \ \ WIN. LOSE, or DRAW ' to benefit the Centre County Women’s Resource Center Saturday, March 30 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. in the Pollock Rec Room Registration for 4 person teams will be held Tuesday, March 12; Wednesday, March 13; and Thursday, March 14 in the HUB basement. The cost per team is $2O without T-shirts and $4B with T-shirts For more information, call Cathy at 234-2697. Half-Price Happies 5-7 BUDWEISER Feature 9-Hpm Stoney’s Bottle Shop Now Open! Open Mic Night 146 If. Atheiton St. 231-2555 - Next to the Bui Station Let the Collegian be your guide. increase more miles of highways will be built or maintained with the extra money, but said the money was crucial to making substantial progress against the storm damage and the backlog of maintenance and new construction state drivers are demanding. The state maintains 44,309 miles of road, more than the combined state systems operated by New York, New Jersey and the New England states. The Pennsylvania network is the nation’s fourth largest. The tax increase, which likely will face a tough time in the House, would raise an additional $358 mil lion a year. Local government would get $2B million and the Penn sylvania Turnpike will get $9 mil lion, which will be used to borrow to help complete two sections of the Mon-Fayette Expressway in Pittsburgh, Mallory said. Ridge said Mallory had built a sound case for the increase, which he agreed to support within the last week. “There is really only one thing to do,” Ridge told reporters after he outlined his plan to a joint session of the Legislature. “We’ve stretched these dollars every way conceivable. We looked at every possible scenario and \ IMM : 0§ CiMSM ■ I; Lady Lion Basketball Hosts NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament FRIDAY, MARCH 15 KENT VS. TEXAS A.M. 6:00 RM. YOUNQSTOWN ST. VS. , . ; .;SDNB|^ f MAi%Ilt / '■ WINNER GAM£ p «-' i v : / v- f 'V -V < ,j <‘?i , • numSmm For Adult and Student Ticket Information Call 86^3336p*> 865-5555 or stop by the Jordan Center Ticket .. Office. Gov. Tom Ridge proposed gas-tax increase exhausted every means. There is no way we can get from point A to point B without this increase,” the Republican governor said. Although Ridge has the votes in the Senate for the increase, he faces a tough sell in the House. Sit ting on just a one-vote majority in the 203-member House, Republi cans so far do not have the votes. While House Republican leader John Perzel of Philadelphia would vote for the increase, he will not bring the bill to a vote unless he is sure it will pass, said Steve Drach ler, Perzel’s spokesman. Rep. Dwight Evans of Philadel phia opposes a gas-tax hike. He said that Ridge should have put more money into roads last year. Dateline U.S. to intervene in Taiwan By JIM ABRAMS Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON, D.C. Secretary of State Warren Christopher accused China of “reckless” provocations against Taiwan on Sunday and said U.S. warships would move closer to Taiwan in the coming days. Christopher said the United States wanted the battle group led by the aircraft carrier Independence, already in the region as part of the Seventh Fleet, to move closer fo Taiwan and noted that the carrier Nimitz and its battle group recently sailed through the strait separating Taiwan from China. “I will say that carrier task forces have gone through that strait before,” Christopher said in response to a television interviewer. “We’re con cerned to make sure that those forces, that carrier battle group, are in a position to be helpful if they need to be. They’ll be moved somewhat closer to Tai wan in future days.” U.N. inspectors allowed into Iraqi base By LOUIS MEIXLER Associated Press Writer UNITED NATIONS After a 12-hour stand off, Iraqi soldiers allowed U.N. weapons monitors yesterday into a training base used by Saddam Hussein’s elite guard. It was the second confrontation in a week between U.N. weapons inspectors and Iraq. After a flurry of diplomatic con tacts and meetings, James Moore, director of operations for the U.N. monitors, said inspectors had been permitted into the compound but he did not elaborate. Where wilt I live next semester? How will I find roommates? I need stuff for my new apartment. I need a jobl EXERCISE REGULARLY AND YOU COULD LIVE LONGER. INVEST REGULARLY SO YOU CAN AFFORD TO. Americans are living longer than ever. So it’s quite 1. \. possible you II spend 20 or 30 years or more in retirement. Can you afford it? Unless you re indepen dently wealthy, chances are you'll need more than your pension and Social Security to support the kind ol lilestvle you'll want. How can you help ensure that you'll be in good financial shape? Sign up for TIAA-CREF SRAs tax-deferred annuities available only to people in edu- cation and research. SRAs are easy. No pain, no sweat. 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While it was not clear from the sequence of ques tions whether Christopher was referring explicitly to both the Independence and Nimitz being moved closer to Taiwan or only the Independence The Wash ington Post reported that the administration would announce yesterday that the Nimitz will arrive back in the region in about two weeks from its recent duty in the Persian Gulf theater. Hours after Christopher’s remarks, the Chinese for eign minister warned the United States not to inter vene in its sovereignty dispute with the island. “Taiwan is a part of China and not a protectorate of the United States,” Qian Qichen said in a news confer ence. China has sought to influence Taiwan’s presidential election scheduled for later this month and discourage the pro-democracy movement on the island by staging missile tests off Taiwan’s coast and announcing plans for live ammunition tests in the straits that divide Tai wan from the mainland. It was unclear whether this area is a few miles south of Salman meant the Iraqis had agreed to Pak, which was Iraq’s main biologi allow a full inspection of the site. cal weapons center. The stand off began at 11 a.m. (3 U.N. inspectors surrounded the a.m. EST) when the Iraqis blocked site and used helicopters to moni- U.N. monitors from inspecting a tor the area during the stand off, compound used by Iraq’s Republi- Moore said. can Guard. Last Friday, Iraqi officials The inspectors are authorized to allowed U.N. inspectors to enter a monitor the dismantling of Iraqi Ministry of Irrigation building in programs for chemical and biologi- Baghdad after an 18-hour impasse, cal weapons and long-range mis- “This is certainly a worrying pic ture,” British Ambassador John Moore would not say why the inspectors wished to inspect the compound in Sarabadi, about 35 miles southeast of Baghdad. The Student Counselors Present... 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers