European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 21, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pages stars and stripes Friday. February 21, 1986 a drops plans to restrict Home loan guarantee program stateside Washington a the veterans administration will continue its Home loan guarantee program Tor military veterans without restrictions until it reaches the loan commitment limit Tor the fiscal year. That decision came wednesday one week after the a announced that spending limits under the Gramm Rud Man deficit reduction act had forced it to impose restrictions on its guarantee program that would sharply curtail the size and availability of insured mortgages. Acting a administrator Everett Alvarez or. Said he was aware of several proposals in Congress to raise the loan commitment limit and allow the program to operate without interruption until the end of the current fiscal year sept. 30. The a fully supports a legislative remedy to the problem Alvarez said providing the Congress will also allow a to implement a 2 percent loan funding fee asked for in its fiscal 1987 budget allowing the a to meet its future deficit reduction  the current $ 11.5 billion ceiling on guarantees could be reached by april i a officials said. The announcement Drew a mixed reaction from one official. We Welcome the fact that they Are backing away from the curbs said Warren Lasko executive vice president of the mortgage Bankers association whose member Bank ers make Loans under the a guarantee program. But it is blackmail for them to say this action is conditioned on approval of legislation that would double the fee charged veterans. There is no logical connection Between removing a ceiling that should t be there in the first place and in effect charging a tax or penalty to Correct the wrong he said. The a has no limit currently on the size of Loans it will guarantee but most lenders maintain a $110.000 limit for a Loans with no Down payment with larger amounts available if a Down payment is made. The a guarantees to lenders a portion of the mortgage amount up to $7,7,500. Lasko said that currently veterans Are charged a i per cent fee on Loans backed by the veterans administration but the a is supporting legislation to double that officials said the a decision is a result of a grossly underestimated level of loan activity in 1986. The de Mand for a Loans with a mortgage rate of 1 w percent is High according to officials. Robert m. Otoole director of the a loan guaranty said surveys of the mortgage Market indicate a s original projections would soon be exceeded. The a also announced that with the continuation of its unrestricted loan program certain loan limitations that were to begin March 1 would be withdrawn. The limitations included denying requests for refinancing and for restored or partial guaranty entitlement As Well As setting a $90,000 limit on Loans. The office of management and budget has endorsed the proposal a officials said. Weinberger asks Congress to hike military Aid to Turkey Washington a defense Secretary Caspar w. Weinberger on wednesday appealed to Congress to boost military Aid to Turkey because funds were Cut to insufficient Levels for this year. We Are very concerned about the Cut which was imposed on the program for Turkey one of our most important nato allies Weinberger told the House foreign affairs committee. Adm. William j. Crowe the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff joined Weinberger in testifying. Crowe said the administration also is seeking increases in military assistance to Portal Spain and Greece. The boost to the four Southern members of nato is intended to strengthen the Alliance s Southern flank nato s most vulnerable front said Crowe. The administration is asking $224 million for Portugal up from $189 million this year $415 million for Spain compared with $397 million this year and $502 million for Greece up from $432 million. Weinberger did not dwell on relations with Greece but in response to a question said he had seen no Basic change recently in greek prime minister Andreas Papandreou s anti american stance. Last year the Reagan administration requested nearly $800 million in arms Aid for Turkey but Congress trimmed some $170 million from the request. Then across the Board cuts in government spending reduced the military Aid for Turkey another $28 million. Employment adviser is full of excuses new York up people who think they be run out of excuses for being late for work May be inspired to new Pinnacles of procrastination by an employment specialist s tips on tardiness. Robert half whose Robert half International recruits employees for financial accounting and data processing jobs released the following list of unusual excuses wednesday. Someone stole one of my shoes on the  my digital watch blew a  my astrologer warned me not to come to work before  suddenly the doors on the armoured car in front of me opened up and $10 Bills starting flying out. It caused such a traffic Jam that i was an hour  As a joke my 6-year-old son set All the clocks Back an  i ate so much during my vacation that none of my clothes would fit me. So i had to spend the morning having them  i was having breakfast at a Coffee shop when i fell asleep at the table. The waitress did t Wake me up until 9 30." the old Homework excuse about the dog eating the assignment has grown up with the schoolchildren. Hospital apologizes to patients for treating injured Puppy Thomasville a. A the president of a hos Pital apologized after patients complained that a Stair sector treated an injury dog in the emergency room but he said patient care was not disrupted. Archbold memorial Hospital received comp Umu . Martha Ward who lives across the Street treated her pm Dren s Puppy for an injured head. She was off duty at the time. Hospital president Ken Beverly said it was purely  r. J t gutted an Hospital president Ivan  Raj a act of humanitarianism but he said he regretted any inconvenience it caused patients or visitors to the Hospital. Widow of retired police officer gets ring stolen 17 years ago Brooksville Fla. Up a Gold a. A stolen 17 years ago from a retired new York qty police officer s Florida Home has been resumed to the Man i widow. The ring which has a Small Diamond and a replica of police badge 17642, was found in a Madeira Beach Street two weeks ago by a woman walking to the Bank. The woman turned it in to police. The ring was presented to Charles Carlin when he retired from tie new York City police department in 1947.julia Carlin 75, said she and her husband moved to Madeira Beach near St. Petersburg after he retired and the ring was taken when a burglar ransacked their Home 17 years ago. I never thought i d see it again she said. The badge number was slightly defaced and the rest of the ring was scratched but officers found an inscription on the inside of the band Reading presented to Charles car Lin at his retirement from members of the 94th precinct. May 31,1947." widow s Black lung benefits finally approved after 14 years Washington a a Pennsylvania woman who applied for widow s Black lung benefits in 1972 has finally had her application approved and been told that she Quali fies for $36,000 in Back compensation. Anna scrippets 83, of Wilkes Barre pa., is one of thousands of Black lung claimants whose cases were placed on hold because of a massive overload. In 1984, the general accounting office said the department of labor s Black lung backlog about 21,000 cases would take 35 years to Clear away unless changes were made in the system. Scrippets applied in 1972, three years after her husband died of the debilitating disease after working in Coal mines for 17 years. For years she waited to hear whether she qualified. A hearing on her Case was not held until last summer. Then during the first week of february she Learned that she had been awarded $36,000 in Back benefits plus $328 per month for the rest of her life. Runaway truck strikes train at rail crossing 1 injured Langhorne a. A a runaway Oil truck bit commuter train at a rail crossing and was dragged about 50 feet where it struck a Man As it came to a halt authorities said. Carl Dodson 32, of Feasterville was in fair condition with cuts and bruises at St. Mary s Hospital in Lang Home. The Accident occurred at the Langhorne Penndel Sta Tion As Dodson stood at a ground level waiting area. Truck Driver William Gentry jr., 46, of Huntingdon Valley told police he had trouble with his brakes As he approached the tracks and had to veer around can stopped at the crossing. The truck crashed through the Gate and struck the train. No one on the train was Hurt and no Oil spilled police said. New Jersey is Centrepiece of Pacific exercise Washington a the Navy said wednesday it had launched a major Fleet training exercise in the Pacific Ocean that for the first time in decades centers on a Battle group led by a battleship instead of an aircraft Carrier. The exercise code named readies 86-2, began tuesday off the coast of Southern Cali fornia with the battleship new Jersey Assum ing the Lead role. Fourteen other ships including the nuclear powered Cruiser Long Beach also Are participating the Navy said. Although the Navy has conducted numerous exercises using battleships in the past the largest Fleet training Maneu vers the flee Tex series for the Atlantic Fleet and the readies series for the Pacific Fleet have entered on aircraft carriers Ever since the huge ships were developed. The exercise began just two weeks after defense Secretary Caspar w. Weinberger informed Congress the Navy was planning in the future to begin alternating Pacific Ocean deployments Between earner Battle groups and battleship groups. That change is being made As part of an Effort to reduce deployment times for All Navy ships and to make better use of the world War in Era battleships that Are being modernized and returned to service. According to the Navy about 5,000 men aboard the 15 ships Are participating in the exercise which will provide realistic mul Tith Reat open Ocean training for participating units. That total does not include the Crews of participating submarines. The Navy routinely refuses to disclose the location of its submarines or How Many take part in a particular exercise. Besides the new Jersey and Long Beach the exercise involves one other Cruiser two destroyers nine frigates and one support ship. Various types of aircraft will also participate flying from bases in California that include Miramar Nas Moffett Field and the Marine corps facility at Al Tore. Drills will include anti submarine and anti aircraft warfare. Maritime patrol air Craft from Canada will also participate the Navy said. The exercise will last about three weeks