European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 25, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday september 25, 1977 the stars and stripes Page 5 tube top for a tube spot italian actress Sophia Loren hikes up future Dick Cavett television show in her tube top As she tapes a segment of a new York. Up photo $800,000 behind in Bills Gas service is Cut off to South Texas town Crystal City Tex. Up Lovac gathering co., one of the major distributors of natural Gas in the state Friday Cut service to the 8,000 residents of this impoverished South Texas Community because it failed to pay $800,000 in delinquent Bills. While residents bought electric ovens to replace their Gas stoves and stockpiled Wood to heat their Homes City leaders promised to continue their fight against what they said were illegal and unjust rate hikes. Lovaca is raping people As far As rates Are concerned said Crystal City Legal Ai attorney Paul d. Rich who failed in an Lith hour attempt before the Texas supreme court to keep Gas flowing to the Prairie town. Most of the residents of the town located about 130 Miles Southwest of san Antonio Are mexican americans. More than half receive some form of welfare. In january 1975, Crystal City stopped paying its Gas Bills to protest an interim rate increase which threatened to raise the City s costs from 36 cents to $2 per 1,000 cubic feet. After two years of Legal Battles a super visor in Corpus Christi flipped a switch in the control Complex Friday morning to begin de pressuring the lines. Twenty six minutes later the final valve had closed. The giant Utility company claimed the Community had had More than enough time to pay its delinquent Bills and said it was time to end a two year litigation Al  other customers Are watching Lovaca attorney Joe Jaworski said. They cannot understand the discrimination that s going on Why they have to pay the rates and Crystal City does  there were indications that the Legal Battle was far from Over. House approves a crackdown on a medicaid mills1 Washington up the House approved new felony penalties Friday for doctors and other providers of health serv ices who defraud the medicare and medi Caid programs. By a 362-5 vote the House sent to the. Senate a Bill which would crack Down on the medicaid Mills flourishing in big City ghettos. The legislation also would delay about $250 million in medicaid penalties for 22 states which the department of health education and welfare has threatened to impose oct. 1. Under the Bill penalties would be in creased to a maximum of $25,000 and five years imprisonment for doctors and other providers of health care services who bilk either the medicare health insurance pro Gram or medicaid for the needy through kickbacks bribes or other fraudulent acts. Most fraudulent acts by providers of health services now misdemeanours with lesser penalties would be reclassified As felonies. Misdemeanour penalties would be retained for recipients convicted of defraud ing the programs but states would be allowed to suspend the eligibility of convicted medicaid patients. Hew Secretary Joseph Califano said House passage of the Bill was an important Milestone in the attempt. To make government medicare and medicaid pro Grams free from fraud abuse and  he said hew would use the new Powers granted by the Bill to the full extent permitted and urged prompt Senate action on the measure. The most controversial part of the Bill a provision barring government Access to most patient medical records was thrown out when the Bill came to the House floor. The administration claimed that the pro vision would hinder such Public health matters As venereal disease control and investigation of legionnaires disease. The Bill s provisions also would give a fledgling network of doctor watchdog agencies called professional standards review organizations new authority to Monitor the medicaid  a Senate investigation last year found that these facilities engage in such practices As Ping longing patients from one doctor to another without medical reason Canada East Germany agree on fisheries pact Ottawa up Canada and East Germany have tentatively agreed to a fish eries pact their first bilateral agreement since diplomatic relations were established in 1975, the external affairs depart ment announced. The proposed agreement subject to approval by both governments gives East German fishermen Access to Canada s 200-mile zone and recognizes Canad an interests in fisheries resources outside the new territorial limit. Lance transcripts being reviewed Washington up the Justice department is reviewing the transcripts of recent Senate hearings into the Bert Lance affair in an Effort to Check out a lot of things related to that Case department officials said Friday. I can t speculate on what they re look ing into a Justice department spokes Man said. They re looking into a lot  department officials specifically re fused to say whether they Are checking for indications of perjury during the Senate governmental affairs committee hear Ings into allegations surrounding Lance s personal financial affairs. Lance s testimony seemed to contradict that of several committee investigators on the Issue of How much he had disclosed about his financial problems before the panel confirmed his nomination As Federal budget director in january. Lance announced wednesday his Deci Sion to resign. To increase the amounts charged to medi Caid or charging medicaid for services to every member of a patient s family even though Only one person was treated. Only reps. Henry Gonzalez. D-Tex., Philip Crane r-i11., Harold Volkner d mo.,.larry Mcdonald d-ga., and Steven Symms a Idaho voted against the Bill. Unions press for curbs on steel imports Washington a the Carter administration and the Congress came under increased pressure Friday for import restrictions to protect the ailing steel Indus try and save jobs. Some 300 steelworkers from the Youngs town. Ohio area appealed to their senators and a White House official for help while local elected officials from steel Industry cities lobbied at the Commerce department. Steel Industry cutbacks have Cost More than 5,000 jobs at Youngstown alone. This is going to tear up the Community Edward Mann president of United steelworkers local 1462 in Youngstown. Told Midge Costanza a presidential assist ant. Mann and about a Union members met with Costanza at the White House Gate and gave her petitions urging the government to curb steel imports and to relax pollution control requirements. Costanza said she would try to arrange White House meeting with local officials and Union representatives. We want Roget to the Bottom of  she said. Sen. Howard Metzenbaum d Ohio told the steel workers that a meeting tentatively has been arranged for this week with president Carter key administration of l i vials and congressmen to discuss the prob Lem. Of time sept. 25, 1947 the famed leaning Tower of Pisa was Given Cement injections at the base to prevent its threatened collapse City architectural engineers said. The Marble Tower had been inclining at the rate of 1/25 of an Inch a year. It was More than 16 feet off the perpendicular. Sept. 25, 1957 Morris b. Sachs 61, a wealthy Clothier who donated his salary As Chicago s City treasurer to Charity died of a heart attack. During world War ii he had marked paid on almost a Quarter of a million dollars in debts owed him on Pur chases Tor . Service personnel. Sept. 25, 1967 James r. Hoffa teamsters Union president was sentenced for the second time to five years in prison and fined $10,000 on a 1964 conviction of fraud and conspiracy involving the Multi million Dollar Union pension fund