European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 11, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes sunday september 11,1977 a vote for bussing screen Star Billy Dee Williams has a kiss for Claire Ford newly crowned miss Black America in Santa Monica Calif. A photo Memphis St. Sophomore miss Black America 77 Santa Monica Calif. A the first thing Claire Ford did after winning the miss Black America Crown and return ing to her Motel room was to order up a Juicy hamburger and some f Rench Fries. I did t eat anything All Day because of the swim suit Competition but i m ready now Ford 18, the Tennessee entrant said in a Telephone interview saturday. It feels Good when your prayers Are an swered added the shapely Sophomore English major at Memphis state University. I prayed and it s great. I m so  the 5-foot-10, 135-Pound teenager was crowned Friday night during the first Tele vision broadcast of the event. Ford won the Crown Over a Field of 30 other candidates from the . And puerto Rico. During the Talent portion of the show she Sang everything must change by Quincy Jones. The youngest of three children Ford wants to be a corporate lawyer. Her father Henry c. Ford is a mortician and her Mother Norma teaches sixth Grade. In addition to a $10,000 Cash prize she will be Given a screen test at Universal pictures and the National broadcasting co. Studios. Broadway and television Star Ben Vereen hosted the program which was broadcast live to the East coast and delayed in the West. Vereen helped outgoing Queen Twanna Kilgore of Washington . Place the Crown on Ford s head. Mary Bentley 20, of Indianapolis ind., was first runner up. She Sang lean on me by Vance Mccoy to win the Talent prize among the 10 finalists. Bentley is a telecommunications major at Indiana University and wants to be a broadcast journalist. If Ford were unable to serve As miss Black America Bentley would take he place. Miss Ohio Nina Maria Lucas 18, of Dayton was second runner up. She per formed a modern Ballet during the Talent segment of the contest. Lucas is a dance major at Ohio state University. The third runner up was miss Black Nebraska Johndrew Whitmore 20, of Omaha. Miss Black South Carolina Valerie Althea Hines 20, of Florence was fourth runner up. Miss Oklahoma Pinkie Alexan Der of Boley was selected by her fellow contestants for the special miss positivity award. She is a 22-year-old business education major at Langston University. Stateside postal deficit will be less than expected Washington a the postal serv ice says that its deficit for the fiscal year ending sept. 30 will be $400 million one third of the loss of the previous year. Frank Biglin senior assistant postmas Ter general said the less than expected deficit is the result of increases in the amount of mail and reductions in the labor  a report to the postal service s governing Board Biglin said that mail volume increased from 89.6 billion pieces in thelast fiscal year to an estimated 91.7 billion this  deficit is the sixth in the six years since the postal service was established to replace the Post office department. It Isth lowest deficit except for the $13 million in fiscal 1973.the postal service finances its deficits by borrowing Money from the . Trea sury. Tests ordered for Mother who fed Lye to baby los Angeles up a teen age Mother who spiked her infant daughter s formula with Lye has been sent to stat prison for psychiatric evaluation. Superior court judge Daniel Fletcher ordered Letha Mae veal 19, to Frontera women s prison for a 90-Day study prior to her . 8 sentencing. Mrs. Veal and her husband Eddie 21, were convicted last month of Femy charges of child endangering. Prosecutors said the couple poured Lye i their 5-week-old daughter s formula in an apparent plot to sue the baby food manufacturer. The infant Jeanette was treated for severe Throat Burns and placed in a Foster Home. Suit asks decriminalization of drunkenness los Angeles not four indigent alcoholics have filed a class action suit in los Angeles Superior court seeking the decriminalization of Public drunkenness. The four who have been jailed hundreds of times on the offence contend that the Cali fornia Law against intoxication in Public is unconstitutional because it inflicts cruel or unusual punishment on thousands of chronic homeless and indigent alcoholics. The men further contend that alcoholism is a disease and that the local authorities should therefore Send chronic alcoholics to hospitals and detoxification centers for treat ment instead of subjecting them to a bargain basement criminal Justice system that denies their constitutional rights to due process of Law and confines them to unsanitary and dangerous  71 Banks team up to buy auctioned Gold Washington a three Swiss Banks two British one West German and one Luxembourg Bank joined four Ameri can organizations in the successful bidding for 524,800 ounces of Gold auctioned off by the International monetary fund the if reported. The monthly auction yielded approximately $56.2 million for a Trust fund that assists developing countries with balance of payments problems. Awards to Success Ful bidders were made at the prices actually bid ranging from $147.61 to $149.65 an ounce and averaged $147.78. New police sting1 setup nets 200 suspects Washington up police and Fri agents in St. Louis and Washington have ended a series of sting operations in which they posed As criminals and conned thieves into Selling them nearly $2 million Worth of stolen cars jewelry drugs and other goods. Officers began rounding up nearly 200 suspects at Dawn in both cities wrapping up the latest police run fake fencing operations named after a scheme used by professional con artists in the movie  in the 21 cities where agents have stung thus far officers have made nearly 2,000 arrests and recovered about $46 million Worth of stolen goods at a Cost of less than $1.5 million to taxpayers. Judge upholds pan am policy on pregnancy san Francisco a a judge has ruled that pan american world airways May for reasons of safety Force its flight attendants to go on leave if they become pregnant. The ruling came in a class action Sui filed on behalf of 3,400 female flight attendants to Challenge pan am s policy of re Quiring pregnant stewardesses to go on unpaid leave. . District court judge William w. Schwarzer said there was heavy support for pan am s position that flight attendants Are safety officers who must be physically and mentally capable of per forming emergency duties at All times. Schwarzer said pregnant stewardesses might not be Able to perform such Emer gency duties As pulling pushing or drag Ging passengers. Carter names Rochi m to attend Vienna talks Washington a president Carter has announced he is nominating Robert s. Rochlin an official of the arms control and disarmament Agency to be an alternate . Representative at the 1977 conference of the International atomic Energy Agency. The session will be held in Vienna starting sept. 26. Rochlin is Deputy assistant director of the Bureau of nonproliferation. Bid to Embarrass taxpayers backfires on Boston Boston up a highly publicized attempt by mayor Kevin h. White to Embarrass delinquent taxpayers backfired Friday when it was Learned one of the people owing Money died several years  Goldman one of about 20 people whose names or pictures were posted inside City Hall thursday died about five years ago said his son Barry  said the photographs will hang in the main lobby for one week to Embarrass property owners into paying. The displays part of a six month Campaign to collect an estimated $50 million in Back  Are some taxes owed but it s no where near the $94,000 figure Goldman said. And the building is not even stand ing. It was demolished two years ago by  Goldman said the Bill was three Yea sold and was for the land the building had been standing on. The Trust company Man aging the property is fighting for an Abate ment in court on the one acre plot he  family might sue the City Goldman  City treasurer Newell Cook insisted the Bill covered six properties and totalled $94,000, but acknowledged the use of Goldman s name May have been a error. It May be the family or heirs have fallen Down in correcting the Trust re cords Cook said. And it May represent somebody using a dead Man As a  Cook said he will keep the picture of Goldman s property on display and will change the name to the Trust  White s office already is talking of bigger and better tactics to hound delinquents into paying their Bills billboards. We be been offered space and the Cit will use it said George Regan the mayor s press Secretary. We re definitely going to use one in Park Square one of Boston s busiest downtown intersections