European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 29, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 news briefs the stars and stripes Friday january 29,1968 go sentenced to life for killing Girlfriend a Firnberg an army court sentenced a 12th Field arty brigade Soldier to life in prison for beating his German Girlfriend with a Ham Mer then strangling her 10 death july a a spokes Man said thursday. Fit. Donald r. Powers 26, struck 31 year old Manuela Manda 13 times in the head with a Hammer said Maer sol. Air Mic Ferguson 1st army div spokesman. Powers was sentenced Jan. 22. The court found Powers guilty of premeditated murder and obstruction of Justice in the four Day trial. The Corpus Chi Isle Texas Soldier also received a dishonourable discharge was reduced tothe lowest enlisted rank and was ordered to for Feit All pay and allowances Ferguson said. A Friend who became concerned when Manda missed a meeting discovered the Wom an s body july 5 in her Seine Bronn apartment near Btty Lingen Ferguson said. Powers was assigned to the brigade s service Btry 4th in in Crai Lihcit at the Lime of the murder. Powers is in the army confinement facility at Mannheim awaiting Transfer to fort leaven Worth Kan. Ferguson said. Ansbach teen Ager dead in apparent suicide Ansbach Germany the 17-year-old son of a 1st army div Soldier died in an Ansbach Hospital tuesday afternoon from an apparently Seli Ingli Elrd gunshot wound to the head a 1st army div spokeswoman said thursday. Craig e. Pills was pronounced dead at approximately 2 30 . By a German doctor. The Ansbach military police received a Anonymous Call at approximately 12 30 . Tuesday saying a boy had shot him Seir in the basement of a building in the Kalterbach hous ing area. Pitts was taken by ambulance to the Ansbach Hospital where he was initially listed in critical condition. Pills was a former student at the Ansbach Junior senior High school and worked at the Ansbach army heliport Burger King in Katler Bach. He is survived by his parents sgt. Maj. Joel a. And Sandra j. Pills and a brother rus sell who is stationed at fort Belvoir a. The death is under investigation by German and american authorities. Soldier Dies of injuries suffered in pistol Accident Erlanger Germany an sch inf div Soldier died in a local Hospital saturday of wounds to the head suffered when his Home made pistol apparently misfired a division spokesman said thursday. Spec. 4 John j. Whewell had been hospitalized in critical condition in an Erlanger Hospital since the incident Jan. 16 at the graft Wohr training area. . The incident was not training related the spokesman said. Whewell was assigned to cob 20slh support in in Bauchot Der where he worked As a fuel electrical system repairman. The Wale town n.y., native is survived by his wife Raeann Whewell 7-year-old daughter Amy and 4-year-old son John. 2-month-old child Dies suddenly at Ramstein a ramste1n a. Germany a 2-Monlh-Ojd girl died of sudden infant death syndrome i base housing wednesday afternoon base officials said thursday Erin Hicks was a renounced dead at 12 03 . By medical officials from the rams Lem clime said staff sol. Linda Brandon a base spokeswoman. She was the daughter of staff sols. Dan Hicks 7450th tac intelligence so and Donna Hicks. European electronic Security div. Democrat leaders support humanitarian Aid to contras Washington a president Reagan pressed his Campaign Tor a $36 million Aid package for Nicara Guan rebels thursday while democratic leaders i Congress supported a rival plan to provide humanitarian assistance but no military supplies. Senate majority Leader Robert Byrd said he would vote against the Reagan package because i m unwilling to continue in this direction pulling All our eggs in one Basket the Contra Aid  Byrd Laid he would not support even a totally humanitarian Aid package at a time when the government is cutting Domestic programs such As education and health. It seems to me the administration has its Priori ties mixed up the West Virginia Democrat said. At the White House administration spokesman Martin filzmaier said Reagan is considering a televised address on Contra Aid tuesday night the eve of a Caudal vote in the House but that no decision has been made. Offering arguments for Reagan s proposal which includes s3.6 million for arms and Anli aircraft mis Sites firewater said the presidents of the four Central american democracies generally support our policy and they support the work of the  however under questioning by reporters he acknowledged that one of the Leaden. President Oscar Arias of Costa Rica has expressed opposition to giving military Aid to the contras. Even so Fil realer said the leaders support the idea that they the contras have to be maintained As a mean of keeping pressure on the sandinista the leftist government thai rules Nicaragua. House speaker Jim Wright a Tenas who met privately with Reagan on wednesday told reporters that he is firmly behind a plan pushed by his fellow democrats to give the contras Only humanitarian Aid. Wright asked rep. Dante fat cell a Fla chairman of the House foreign affairs committee to draw up a package of humanitarian Aid in time to make details known to lawmakers before the showdown Vole on Reagan s proposal nest wednesday. Roth from Paga 1 at Maxwell fab at Montgomery Ala. We want to make Clear that these decisions Are not based on the schools participation and support. It s a matter of budget and end strength he said. The armed services must find 132,9 Billi Aoji spending cuts in fiscal 19s9, which Beti Bijj get to comply with budget limits establish in a deficit reduction plan. I air Force officials have cd Nancy must reduce personnel Levels by  a total of 577,750, to bring  into  an said the air Force is producing 50 per cent or More of its new officers each year to Roth. Or a total 3,131 in fiscal 1987. Of he said die air Force spent is Leaf aka in fiscal1987 on us Roth  $14 Mil lion of that was for Ihen a being closed or consolidated he said. To the Arnubi wednesday that it. Too it studying us Hsio its Roth program but that no final Bons had been made. The Navy said it does not Mic Pale any such cuts. Stephenson said the air Force selected the units for closure by reviewing such factors As annual officer production production of engineers minority officer production academic Quality of officer candidates Cost per commissioned officer and the sue and snare of the undergraduate Market at the  the most effective units were retained he said. Cafes from Page 1 percent this month compared to january 1987, Huwyler said. The figure probably would have been higher but a lot of shoppers were using layaway for their Pur chases he said. Layaway were up about 25 percent from last year an unusual occurrence for january he said. George Smith manager of the Frankfurt sound Cen Ter also reports increased activity i that store and predicts a sellout on saturday As shoppers Rush to beat the increase on sunday. "1 could be wrong but i think saturday will be an astronomical business Day Smith said. A Normal sat urday s turnover in sales � around 140,000, but he expects that will jump to around 165,000 because of the increase. I m getting a shipment in saturday and it la probably be wiped out that Day he said. January sales at the Frankfurt store Are up about 8percent Over last year when the shoppers bought 1913,000 in merchandise. Layaway also Are up about 15 percent but Smith predicted that a lot of Ibe Busi Ness on saturday would be through layaway or the deferred payment  now b to the customer s favor. Smith said. Shoppers could save 11 so or More on a Lor of-Lhe-4ine rack system that is currently Selling for around s990, or s45 on one of the most popular line of Vars now in the $270 to $300 Price Range or 1130 on a 26-Inch Multi system  Are not the Only items affected by the Price increase. Some brands of microwave ovens Power tools vacuum cleaners and China also will in crease. A lot of people when you say Japan they think electronics Smith said. They Don t realize that a lot of these things also arc made in  standoff from Page 1 sequence was not Clear. All the children Are out of icehouse and they re All Safe said Doug Bodrero Dep Uty director of Public safely he would not provide further details. The children were reported taken into the care of officials of the stale department of social services. At the end of the standoff two groups of about five people each with arms raised filed out of the main log ouse Ai the compound. Both groups included Chil Dren. The second group included a Man in a wheel chair presumably the 21-year-old disabled son of Vickie Singer. At the same time two ambulances and a helicopter carrying one person strapped to a Gummy raced from the compound. Then a Van belonging to the Federal Bureau of Alco hol tobacco and firearms pulled into the driveway. Three people entered the Bouse while two others wailed outside. Earlier police said they believed there were explosives in the log Bouse. In response wednesday 10 gov. Norm Banjo nor s plei to surrender Swapp and Vickie Singer the clan s cad cars sent letters couched in a lot of religious Dogma authorities said. The letters were fetched from the stronghold wednesday by Ogden Kraut a longtime Friend and polygamy proponent who had visited the clan. John t. Nielsen Utah commissioner of Public safety would not comment on the Content of the letters other than to Tell you they did nol contain what we had hoped  he would not say what officials had hoped Loe. Gorbachev from Page 1 Bush and Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole Aba Faith Well with favo ability ratings from 78 percent and 67 percent of the respondents respectively. But Gorbachev ended up running Nick and neck with rep. Jack Kemp of new York. Kemp was favor ably perceived by 56 percent of the republicans polled while Gorbachev was favourably viewed by 51 percent of the partisans. Gorbachev fared far better than half with a 43 percent favourable rating Dupont 33 percent favor Able and Robertson 28 percent favourable. The Survey had an error margin of plus or minus 3.9 percent