European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 27, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes sunday october 27, 1985 controllers Outing created a Hazard lawmaker charges Washington up the near collision Between an pastern airlines jetliner carrying 175 people and a helicopter occurred while several air traffic controllers were Given time off to play Golf a congressman charged Friday the government immediate denied the accusation and said the control Tower at National Airport just outside of Washington was fully staffed at the time of the near collision. Rep. James of Crosiar chairman of a House subcommittee on Public works and transportation said the controllers a rare permitted to leave their jobs at Washington s National air port on sept. 24 just hours before the incident. The lower was not staffed adequately because of the Golf ing  of Crosiar said. This shows the level of air safety is declining at a time when it should be  the Minnesota or Novnit said his subcommittee plans to conduct a congressional hearing into the matter As part of an investigation into the nation s air traffic controller system. A spokesman for the Federal Avi Alinn administration said it is totally untrue that the near collision to place because the lower was undermanned in favor of a Golf Outing. The Tower was fully staffed at inc time of the incident the spokesman said. At the Lime of inc late Al croon incident a supervisor was training a new controller and apparently did not hear that a Veteran controller had cleared the helicopter to take off. The Eastern jetliner had to abort his Takeoff to avoid the helicopter. There were no serious injuries. The Faa spokesman said 20 controllers did go to the Golf course As part of an annual ruling. He said the evening Walch consisted of one area manager two supervisors and 17 controllers the Normal complement of staff. The Golf Outing had been planned in Advance and was fully scheduled for and did not in any Way affect the operation of the  he said. The annual Golf Outing has been a routine for Many  a recent congressional report prepared by Oberstar s panel charged that there arc not enough experienced air traffic controllers. It also said staff morale is generally bad. Morton in Macy Morton Downey the Irish Thrush Dies in Palm Beach Palm Beach Fla. A Morton Downey who performed with the Ziegfeld follies and preceded Bing Crosby As Singer with the Paul Whiteman orchestra in the 1920s and 1930s, died at his Home Here Friday after a Long illness. He was 85. Known As the Irish Thrush Downey became one of the earliest singers to be recorded around 1916, and went on to write Many popular tunes including Wabash  the Tenor who was one of Britain s first radio and recording stars broke into radio singing Irish ballads and went on to Host a 1940s radio show songs by Morton  grocery offer lures new families Rothsay. Minn. A local officials Are offering free groceries to any family with school age children that moves into this West Central Minnesota town. As part of a Campaign to entice families into the school District the Rothsay Community development corporation ill pay $10 per week per family member up to a maximum of $50 a week for three months said Tom Fosse director of the Rcd. The offer will last until the funds run out. Only three people have responded to advertisements that began running last week in area newspapers said Fosse who Sells insurance in this town of 450. My goal is to have somewhere Between five and 10 families he said. We d be very satisfied with  Fosse said the Rothsay school which currently has an enrolment of 222 students does not have financial prob lems but it could absorb up to 10 new students per  especially attractive is the fact that every new student brings in an additional 52.000 in state Aid he said. "1 think one of the Best assets we have in our Community right now is our school said Fosse a former teacher. He said other pluses in the Community Are the Avail ability of housing and reasonable  it was those pluses he said that spurred the free grocery Campaign which began with 12,000 from the Rothsay Lions. There arc currently about 25 houses for Sale in Rothsay Fosse said and at least 12 openings at the Mobile Home Park. He said the Best Case is that of a 3-Bcdroom newly re modelled Home which is listed at $23,000 a Price that is about a third of list prices in larger communities. Buckley s Magazine wins libel suit Washington a a Federal jury Friday found Liberty lobby guilty of libel for saying National review s editor William f. Buckley jr., had a close working relationship with the founder of inc american nazi party. The six member jury which deliberated about 316 hours on charges traded by the conservatives awarded $1 in regular damages and ,000 in punitive damages to the Magazine for the comment linking Buckley with George Lincoln Rockwell. The jurors however also found that Liberty lobby s weekly newspaper. Spotlight did Nyji libel the Magazine when it called an article in National review a muddled smear on the lobby s founder William Carlo. The jury did not award damages on two other libel counts on which Liberty lobby previously had been found guilty. National review had sought $16 million in the Case. Mark Lane Liberty lobby s attorney called the verdict a Victory and said we re satisfied with that. We can afford  j. Daniel Mahony lawyer for National review was not in court when inc Verdi i was announced. An assistant Thomas j. Mulligan declined to comment on the outcome. During the three week trial opposing attorneys called each other liars and Lane called Buckley and the mag Azine racist pro nazi and  the Case began in 1979 when Liberty lobby sued National review for libel because of an article published that year saying that Liberty lobby s founder and the organization tunnelled Money to Lyndon h. Larou fac or. And his National caucus of labor committees. National review counter sued about articles in spot Light. In 1983, is. District judge Joyce hens Green dismissed Liberty lobby s suit but let the one by National re View stand. She also ruled that spotlight lib eled Buckley s Magazine in two of four counts in the defamation Case. She found Liberty lobby guilty for saying that nation Al review favored giving militant sex deviates. The right to molest your children and that the Magazine had surrendered its editorial Independence to zionist Finan Cial Power through a Deal with the anti defamation league of b Nai b Rith in order to bolster its circulation. Procedure eased for obtaining medals awarded in past wars Washington a veterans arc finding it easier to get medals awarded in past wars but a proposal to shift Rispon Sibilly far handling their requests May under mine efforts to reduce a backlog inc general accounting office says. After news reports advising pc crans How to request medals icy were awarded but never received or which were Losi. Government offices in is. Ixia is were swamped with re quests. Mostly from world War ii veterans the Gao said. It said that by october l�83. Wilh the offices facing a backlog of  Raju cols temporary workers were hired and military personnel were assigned to help. By last january the Gao reported the backlog was reduced to about s.500 requests. Two agencies were assigned to inc distribution system Lite army Reserve Coni ponets personnel and administration Center in charge of army medals and the nation Al personnel records Center National archives and re Cord administration responsible for Navy air Force Marine and coast guard medals. The Gao warned however thai a proposal to let the individual services handle the distr Bulion could result in a new backlog being created. Holdup victim comes up Short on dignity after pants stolen new Orleans a stripped of his dignity when a gunman look his pants the victim made it three blocks to the police station Only to discover thai he had to report his loss to a woman officer. He stood to one Side of the Glass and leaned Over to explain that he d been robbed of $125, a Chain a medal lion and his trousers. I could t see anything the policewoman who asked not to be identified told the times Picayune and slates item newspaper. Just him half leaning into the window. He was t trying to show and i was t trying to  at any rate the Man s Shin was Long enough to cover what needed to be and police gave him a ride Home. The policewoman said it was the second time in two weeks that she d had to Deal with a Man whose pants had been taken by a robber. Settlement near in suit spurred by police spying in Chicago Chicago a the City Hai agreed to pay $306,250 in damages to 20 targets of the police depart ment s now defunct red squad an attorney announced but the City said the agreement was not final. The tentative out of court settlement was the result of a 1974 Federal lawsuit by 25 plaintiffs called be Alliance to end repression and others said plaintiff attorney Rich Ard Gutman. However City attorney Joe Gagliardo said Gutman s announcement was premature. The plaintiffs contended Hal the squad systematically spied on and disrupted lawful activities of local comma Nily Church and civic groups. Payments of $20.625 each will go to 10 organizations while 10 individuals will collect $10,000 each Gutman said. Gagliardo did not dispute the figures but he said the Issue of splitting off the cases of other plaintiffs not party to the agreement was still under discussion. Tainted beef Jerky confirmed As cause of 29 . Illnesses Atlanta a contaminated beef Jerky caused an outbreak of a rare bacterial illness that sickened 29 people in new Mexico earlier this year Federal health officials said. The National centers for disease control said there were 29 confirmed cases of Salmonella Cerro a rare Strain of the Salmonella bacteria. The victims became ill Between May 8 and july 2, and seven people were hospitalized. Eight of 10 patients interviewed reported eating came Acca a snack food also known As beef Jerky and two were Able to identify the specific Brand the cd said. A subsequent in Esli gation found Salmonella Cerro in thai Brand or beef Jerky purchased in three cities and found the bacteria at numerous locations at the manufacturing Plant. The cd report did not identify the company but news reports at the time of the outbreak identified the product As la Tien Dita beef Jerky. New Mexico officials allowed production Al the company s Alcalde ., Plant to re sume in August