European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 21, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes saturday december 21, 1985 buyers forced improvement of car designs author says Washington a the author of the car Book an annual rating of 106 automobiles says consumer demand has generated dramatic improvements in the Overall Quality and safely of Domestic and japanese cars. The result is the automobile manufacturers Are responding Wilh safely improvement and lower maintenance costs says Jack Gillis a consumer advocate who once wrote the Book for the government and started publishing it privately when the Reagan administration abandoned it. The Book rates each car on crash Protection fuel econ omy preventive maintenance repair and insurance costs but putt particular emphasis on the crash tests. In the 1986 lineup . Manufacturers have 14 of the 20 Best bets cited by Gillis and the Chrysler corp. Has All six of the top rated cars in the compact category. It s Clear that Chrysler has made some dramatic improvements in the 86 models Gillis said. He said the Chrysler a cars in particular Are showing improvements in the area of crash Protection. Gil i suggested that All of the manufacturers Are placing More emphasis on safety and Quality control because of consumer demand. He cited for example he decision by Many manufacturers to keep the stronger 5-Mph bumpers on Many cars even though the government reduced the Federal Regula Tion on bumper strength so they must withstand Only a 2.5-Mph Impact. There s also More Competition in the warranty area. Domestic manufacturers seem to be offering better warranties. And manufacturers Are competing to keep their Cost of repairs Down As Well Gillis said. The Book divides the cars into subcompact compact intermediate and Large categories. Here Are the Best and worst of each category subcompact Best Honda civic Honda prelude Dodge Colt Ford escort. Mercury Lynx. Plymouth Colt toy Olu Corolla sr-5. Toula mr-2. Worst Chevrolet sprint Mitsubishi Trudia. Nissan stanza Chevrolet spectrum. Compact Best Dodge Aries Plymouth reliant. Chrysler  Baron. Dode 600. Chrysler laser Dodge Daylong. Worst Nissan 200 so. Bow 31 is Buick Somerset regal. Oldsmobile Calais Volkswagen quantum Isuzu impulse. Intermediate Best Chrysler new yorker Plymouth Caravelle Buick Century Mercury Cougar Volvo 760. Worst Audi 5000. Nissan Maxima Nissan 300 ext. Urge Best Ford Ltd Crown Victoria Mercury grand Marquis Pontiac Parisienne. Worst Cadillac Deville Fleetwood. Oldsmobile 98, Buick Elc Clra Chevrolet Caprice. A Nissan spokesman in los Angeles said Laic thurs Day the company would have no comment until it had seen the Book. But we believe our cars  High Quality and the ratings Don t seem to fit our buyers perception or our perception of the cars said a company official who asked not to be identified. The car Book was one of the most popular govern ment publications when distributed by the transportation department with a printing of about 2 million co pies. After the department decided in 1981 to halt Publica Tion Gillis who assembled the Book while he was an employee of the National Highway traffic safety administration began publishing it privately. Last year he said about 70,000 copies were sold. In ghz court offends official again Charleston , a a slate official concerned about West Virginia s image has renewed his at tack against  for a two part segment of the comedy night  state treasurer a. James Manchin said wednesday that  defamed the stale then lied when it said it would not do so again. The network issued an apology after the dec. 5 episode of night court which included members of a family who said they were left jobless and homeless after a storm struck their Home in West Virginia. Manchin said the joking about West Virginia storm victims came too soon after floods devastated the state nov. 4-5. Killing at least 39 people. Abc spokesman Bill Kiley in Burbank calif., said then that the family would not reappear in the second Purl of the two part episode broadcast dec. 12. But the family appeared three times in the second part with the parents referred to As or. And mrs. Night of the living  the family also was portrayed during the second segment As watching people eat bugs for entertain ment. Kiley said wednesday he had not seen the script for the second episode when he told Manchin the family would not reappear. That did t satisfy Manchin. Not Only did they defame us but they lied to us to Boot Manchin said wednesday. Abc is a liar of inane  Manchin s Campaign against  and night court began when the Wheeler family showed up in judge Harry Stone s new York courtroom in the dec. 5 episode asking to be institutionalized for life and put on welfare. In addition to the storm reference Manchin also was upset that the West virginians were depicted As jobless. The state has led the nation in unemployment for three years. Maggie Bagley a senior publicist for Warner Brothers which produces night court said the episodes were filmed before the West Virginia floods. Reinhold wedge creator and executive producer of night court said that the West Virginia reference was picked out of the air. It was of no importance to the Story. In the second episode it was never mentioned. Certainly there was no intention to represent West Virginia even slightly. I would have avoided the whole thing referring to a state if i knew someone would  night court broadcast on thursdays consistently finishes in the top 20 of the . Nielsen ratings. Weege whose starry night productions studio prepares the show for Warner and  said the average person would not believe that All West virginians Are similar tothe wheelers. Anyone that would Wrege said is not crediting the american audience with enough  killer s medical furlough revoked Nashville. Term. A a convicted killer fur laughed because he is dying of lung cancer was Back behind bars Friday after outraged relatives of his victim protested to the slate correction department. Correction commissioner Steve Norris revoked the dec. 10 furlough of Henry Douglas Gentry 47, from the ten Nessee state prison spokesman John Taylor said. Gentry was sentenced to life in prison three Yean ago for the Jan. 4, 1982, murder of Eunice Diane Casl Lonan who was shot twice in the Chest with a ,38-caliber pistol at her House in Grcic Brier about 10 Miles North of Nashville. Nobody was there that night that he held me at gunpoint when he killed my Mother said her daughter Lynne Boone now 25. I want to see him serve his sentence and if that Means he Dies behind bars that s what i want Taylor said corrections officials henceforth will Call local District attorneys to discuss medical furloughs before making a decision. In this Case it had such a traumatic effect on the daughter. That was the main reason we decided to bring Gentry Back in Taylor said. Gentry s release approved by Warden Mike Dulton allowed him to go to his mothers Home in Madison after he was judged in imminent peril of death Taylor said. In an interview at his Mother s Home Gentry said a walk to the Mailbox and Back to the House winded him. I just want to live the rest of my life in peace and Content ment with my family he said. I just want Lodic at  his Mother. Pear Gentry said Cas Leanan s family has no cause to be afraid of her son. He can t even get out of the House she said. Douglas is not going to Hurt anybody he s got cancer and he snot going to live  Gentry was returned to prison although Taylor said prison officials bad determined he i longer is a threat to society. Stateside  won t give preference to disabled for broadcast License Washington a veterans and the physically handicapped should receive no special preference when applying for broadcast licenses the Federal communications commission has  paralysed veterans of America the California association of the physically handicapped and the wests pc Community for Independent living had asked the com Mission to extend preferences granted to racial and ethnic minorities to include the handicapped. The commissioners voted unanimously that there was nothing in the rehabilitation act of 1973 or the communications act which required it to promote ownership and management of broadcasting facilities by the Handi  in fact the  ruled it might go against com Mission policy of promoting diversity of programming by encouraging diversity of ownership. General motors issues recall of 28,860 cars Light duty trucks Detroit a general motors corp. Say it he recalled 18,860 1985-Model cars and Light duty Trutta for Battery Cable fuel line and wheel inspections. About 28,000 Chevrolet Caprice and Parisienne models May have defective Battery cables and faulty fuel Una that could spark an engine lire although no incident hate been reported pm said. The cables and fuel lines on the 1985 can could be disposition cd pm said. About 860 Chevrolet and Csc Light duty trucks built with dual 16-Inch by 6-Inch wheels Are being recalled for potential wheel cracks. No accidents have been linked to the wheels on the 1985 trucks the automaker said. Tip off leads police to youth who stole Teddy Bear from grave Stafford Conn. A a Teddy Bear stolen from a Glass Case atop an infant s grave has been returned to the boy s parents after police were tipped that it was in a youth s Home authorities say. It would t happen again not after All this said Duuglas Bull. He said he would put the Bear Back on the grave of Kevin who died in october in Newington Chil Dren s Hospital at the age of 2 months. The theft sparked a flood of Telephone Calls including offers of Reward Money and replacements said Irene Rolfe whose children gave Kevin the Bear. It was Given to him at birth and snared his incubator during his fight with a Bone disease. When Kevin died the Glass Case served As a Headstone. Acting on a tip from a Friend of the youth who had the Bear trooper Louis Lacaprucia recovered it wednesday night. No decision has been made on whether to charge the youth. Reagan to name us a counsel to Etc then name him chairman Washington a president Reagan intends to nominate Daniel Oliver to the Federal Trade con Nainoa and designate him As chairman once he is confirmed by the Senate the White House has announced. Oliver who would succeed James Miller i. He heat general counsel at the agriculture department since ism. M Iller became Reagan s budget director earlier this year. From 1981 to 1983, Oliver was the general omut at the education department and before that practice a with a private firm in new York City. From 1973 to 1976 he was executive editor of the conservative Magazine National review. 51% in newspaper poll favor quarantines for aids victims los Angeles a a majority of people questioned in a recent poll favor the quarantine of aids patients and some would embrace measures As drastic u marking those who suffer the deadly disease with to toot the los Angeles times said. The poll found that 51 percent of adults support a quarantine of aids patients 48 percent would approve at identity cards for those who test positive for aids antibodies and 15 percent support tattooing those with aids. The poll one of a series the times has done on aids ? found Hubli aversion to electing . To largest aids risk group to political office. Peop Fco said they Are reluctant to support candidates who adv Etc homosexual causes. The Survey of 2,308 people directed by Timet polow . Lewis sought to measure support for proposal ?T5u and me extreme that have bean tested m the Public debate for controlling aids. Me poll was conducted by Telephone dec. 5-12. Tto margin of error in the Survey is 3 percentage Point