European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 28, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes monday april 28, 1986 cold damages up to 90 % of . Potato fruit crops by the associated press by the associated press from the potato Fields of Alabama to the Apple Orchards of Michigan Farmers and agriculture officials who went out to see the results of last week s record cold snap say prospective harvests have been Cut by up to 90 percent. The heart s killed. It s dead said Bob Macqueen As he toured his 200-acre Apple Orchard in Holland Ohio on thursday. This was a real record. In 56 was the last time it was that  he estimated the freeze which broke records in 14 states Early wednesday from the Gulf of Mexico to the great lakes and continued to chill much of the Region thursday killed half the buds on his Trees. He put his losses at $250,000 to $300,000. Richard Funt of the Ohio Extension service said wednesday that the damage statewide could reach $20 million to $25 million while officials in Michigan Esti mated that a Quarter of the state s Apple crop was dam aged. Officials in Indiana Kentucky and other states were still counting their losses. In Northern Alabama farm experts said the cold would result in smaller potatoes making each Pound that farm ers grow Worth Only a fraction of the value of full sized spuds. Red delicious apples in five southwestern Michigan counties which make up about 25 percent of the state s crop were pretty Well cleaned out said Mike Thomas of the Michigan state University cooperative Extension service. Later Blooming varieties of apples still have Good potential he said. Thomas also estimated that Only about 60 percent of the Region s tart Cherry crop would come in although damage was less in other Cherry growing parts of the state. Some Central and Southern Ohio growers lost 90 percent of their fruit crops despite the use of smudge pots and helicopters to try to raise Orchard temperatures said Jim Utzinger of the Ohio cooperative Extension service. They can Only gain about three or four degrees he said. But the temperature went to 23, and we generally think the cutoff Point s 26 or 27." whether the crop losses would affect food prices later this year remained to be seen. Blake Gerber executive director of the Ohio fruit growers society said the smaller Apple crop in the mid West this year would Likely be offset by a larger Apple crop from Washington the largest Apple producing state. In Eastern Kentucky temperatures dipped to As Low As 16 degrees wednesday morning said John Strang Exten Sion Horticulturist at the University of Kentucky. We Don t expect any crop in areas like that he said crops threatened by record cold but added that he could not estimate the amount of dam age in the Region. Indiana officials also were assessing the loss. It May not be As bad As it was about 20 years ago when we just about lost the Complete crop said Richard Hay Den a fruit expert at Purdue University. We had some apples for pies but no commercial crop. It will take a couple of Days before we know the extent of damage but i anticipate it will be  Curtis o Daniel agricultural Extension agent in Ala Bama s Dekalb county said he toured Dekalb and Jack son counties to Check damage to the state s $10 million potato crop. I saw a lot of plants with darkened leaves he said. Robert Murphy Jackson county s agricultural Exten Sion agent said the cold snap would mean smaller Pota toes. When you have Small potatoes the Price the Farmer gets drops from 14 cents a Pound to Down to about 3 cents Murphy said. And that s a lot of Money when you talk about millions of  now Here s a Capra a Midnight with a special message Tor Hob new York a a message from someone who identified himself As Captain Midnight interrupted Reg ular programming on Home Box office Early sunday and broadcast what seemed to be a protest at Cable television fees. We be had quite a few Calls about it said Mindy Langbein operator of an answering service for the All american Cablevision in Columbus Ohio. The message superimposed Over a color bar test Pat Tern apparently was in protest of monthly fees charged by pay to View satellite networks. It read Good evening Hob from Captain Midnight. $12.95 a month no Way Showtime movie Channel beware " it was seen by viewers in several states including new York Texas Ohio and Illinois. Greg Mahany 28, told the associated press he was watching the movie the Falcon and the snowman on Hob at his parents Home in Middletown Ohio when the message appeared. Hob was trying to get its signal Back and got it Back for a few seconds he said. It looked like a fight for control of the microwave  Mahany said he thought the message stayed on the television screen for about five minutes before regular programming was restored. He said he tried to photograph it but did t get his camera in time. No one answered Telephone Calls to Hob s new York offices when the a called seeking an explanation or com ment. . Ross an entertainment attorney in Chicago said he videotaped the message. I was just changing channels and i saw some printing on the screen and that was unusual. I figured this is some thing  i think it s some irate satellite dish owner with Access to an unlink who was upset about the implications of scrambling the satellite dishes Ross said. He noted that litigation is under Way about whether scrambling television signals sent via satellite is a violation of antitrust regulations. But the ability of someone to Send a message on the satellite network has implications of its own he said. It has amazing implications. It s a criminal act. The implication is that someone in a National emergency could do this on a civil defense Type of thing. Even to Abc lbs or  but As a satellite dish owner and having some empathy for people in isolated areas i can understand the motivation of the  i have a client in the satellite dish business. And Bis sales have gone Down 60  stateside Clarke College opens doors to local displaced Farmers Dubuque Iowa a Clarke College will offer full tuition to displaced Farmers to allow them to return to College officials said. The Sisters of Charity who founded Clarke College made their Home among the Farmers 153 years ago so we owe a great Deal to them said Clarke president Cathe Rine Dunn bpm. It is incumbent upon Clarke to assist those who have had the misfortune of losing their Liveli  the Grants would be renewable for up to four years dependent upon sufficient academic Progress said Jane Daly a spokeswoman for the College. Tuition at the College next year will be $5,770, and College officials said they anticipated about 10 Farmers would be aided under the program. 140 nations invited to celebrate Bicentennial of . Constitution Washington a invitations Are being sent to 140 nations to Send representatives to Philadelphia next year to help celebrate the 200th birthday of the . Constitution. Organizers of the yearlong event Are asking the nations to Send their government leaders business representatives performing arts groups athletes or scientists. According to a guest list 56 of the nations from France and England to Burma and Trinidad Tobago sent representatives to a reception at the National archives Rotunda where the front and Back pages of the Constitution Are displayed. We re asking if you would like to come to Philadelphia and be a part of what we re doing said Hobie Cawood chairman of a committee planning the festivities. Celebrations of the Constitution s Bicentennial will kick off sept. 17 the 199th anniversary of the signing of the document at Independence Hall. Customs officials in san Diego assisted by marines As needed san Diego up marines Are used As needed to assist . Customs service officials with radar surveil Lance along san Diego county s mexican Border a Cus Toms spokesman said thursday. The radar Sites Are part of the customs service s Effort to detect narcotics smugglers and other illegal activities along the Border. Pete Kendig chief of the customs service s aviation operations for the san Diego sector said marines have been called to help As needed at the radar Sites since 1984. He said As Many As eight marines have assisted at times while at other times Only one or none Are used. Group completes Purchase of preserve to protect lizards Coachella Calif. A after three years the California nature conservancy has nearly finished acquiring a 13,000-acre desert preserve to protect the endangered Coachella Valley fringe toed Lizard. The $25 million land Purchase is one of the most expensive single species conservation projects Ever attempted. The tiny Lizard which ranges from 3 to 10 inches Long exists Only on the 13,000-acre preserve East of Palm Springs and on two smaller preserves elsewhere in the Coachella Valley. Cameron Barrows spokesman for the group estimated that about 95 percent of the Lizard s habitat has been destroyed Over the years and that the Lizard population has declined. There Are no accurate estimates on How Many lizards remain he said with the number ranging from 1,000 to 200,000. P anti khad Afy to shirts make big hit at store in Ohio Ohio up the hottest Selling item at Marc Biales gift store and lifestyle shop is a to shirt with the slogan get Qaddafi waste 4em now Biales said he measures the political pulse of the College town by the to shirts he Sells at his store called the wild Berry. Biales said americans have latched onto a villain in libyan Leader Moa mar khad Afy. He s a troublemaker said Biales. A real wild  the Black kill khad Afy shirts carry a silk screened Pic Ture of the libyan strongman entered in the Cross hairs Ofa Rifle. We be had the shirts a few months but since the . Attack on Libya they be been hot Biales said. Biales said he Sells whatever his customers want. Right now it s the khad Afy shirt. Most people think it s great he said. Funny