European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 8, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday february 1989 the stars and stripes Page 5 Arctic cold causes death destruction new Mexico ski resorts get 7 feet of Snow by the associated pres the number of deaths blamed on the weather in the ast week increased to 56monday As Arctic cold virtually paralysed areas in some states and dumped up to 7feet of Snow on new Mexico ski resorts. The Artic air turned highways into dangerous skating rinks with Snow and freezing rain from the deep South to the Northeast. A week after the Arctic air that stunned Alaska crossed Canada into the lower 48, thermometers dropped to 49 degrees below Zero at Craig Colo., with an unofficial minus 52 at nearby Hayden Colo. San Francisco hit a Low of 31 degrees the lowest for february since record keeping began in 1872. Heavy Snow closed parts of Highway monday in Northern and Central new mex Ico caused scattered Power outages an closed schools in More than a dozen towns. I Don t think we be Ever had a bigger storm said Judy Miller owner of the enchanted Forest Cross country ski area at red River which got 2 feet of Snow. This is the first time in 25 year that we be had to close our ski area Down because of the  the red River ski area in norther new Mexico got 7 feet of Snow Over the weekend mostly on sunday and the nearby Angel fire resort got 6 feet according to the ski new Mexico Agency. On sunday wind estimated at 80 Mph blew Railroad cars off tracks near Abo n.m., West of Mountainair said Santafe railway superintendent John ish. At least 56 deaths have been blamed on the weather since Jan. 31, most of them in traffic accidents or from hypothermia. In Austin Texas a paraplegic found dead sunday apparently got out of his car and into a wheelchair which then � of i a " i Aphis chicagoan had plenty of Snow to shovel after the area received 7.2 inches from a storm that ended monday and left More misery in the form of subzero temperatures. Slid Down an icy ramp the Man was unable to climb police said. In Garden City kan., a couple an two of their children died monday in an Early morning Mobile Home fire that started when an electric Blanket wrapped around water pipes ignited the underside of the trailer authorities said. Thirty three cities posted record Low temperatures monday according to the National weather service. Ely nev.,dropped to 30 below Zero its coldest on record for any Date. Other All time records were 47 below Zero at Roosevelt Utah erasing the pre Vious record of 32 below Zero and 33below Zero at Richfield Utah. Gov. Cecil Andrus declared Idaho Sclark county a weather disaster area As ranchers fought to Rescue thousands of cattle and sheep buried in Snow drifts. The civil air patrol discovered Allaird s Herd of 980 sheep buried in drifts As deep As 15 feet. Laird s wife. Pearl said the family May be Able to save 150 of them. Four wheel drive vehicles were use monday to Rescue More than 20 people from a Hilltop country club near Austin Texas where they had been stranded since saturday by icy roads. Stuck at the country club with the was an owl a Falcon a Turtle weighing several Hundred pounds and Peter Gros of Mutual of Omaha s wild  freezing rain was reported Early Mon Day across the Eastern Seaboard and South and West across Ohio Kentucky Tennessee Mississippi and into the Texas Gulf coast and Central Texas. Northern and Central Mississippi had Power outages downed Trees and mount ing traffic accidents and ice closed major Bridges and fallen Trees blocked some secondary roads. About 20 school districts in Northern Texas were closed monday after the Lone Star Gas co. Enacted emergency natural Gas conservation measures to ensure sufficient supplies for Home an business heat. Natural Gas problems also affected la vegas. The record tying Low of 19 de Grees at Las vegas coincided with a Mal function in a compressor station. More than 6 inches of Snow fell on much of Illinois providing some encouragement for Farmers who feared the shortage of Winter moisture was a har Binger of another drought. Major City school districts in Oregon opened their doors monday for the first time since tuesday As temperature moderated but the warming trend was potentially bad news for boat owners. Schools blamed for Lack of qualified workers Washington up the . Labor Marketis heading for a crisis due to the increasing difficulty companies have in recruiting qualified personnel according to a National Survey. The Survey which appears in the february Issue of the american society for personnel administration Magazine found a growing crisis in the labor Market and a real emergency in the educational system which seems unable to produce people with verbal and math skills. An spas Survey queried 4,470 of the Organiza Tion s 42,000 members about the availability of qualified Job applicants. At least half of All Survey respondents reported having moderate to great or very great difficulty in recruiting qualified applicants for All types of jobs. For technical and skilled craftsmen positions some two thirds of the respondents Are having prob lems of varying degrees in finding qualified people Aspa said. Fifty four percent 9f the respondents face crunch in filling professional slots. Aspa members also complained that Many Job applicants Lack Basic communications skills. Forty nine percent of All the respondents said Job applicants Lack verbal communications skills while 30 percent reported the absence of Basic Reading skill Sand 28 percent cited a deficiency in Basic math skills according to the Survey. The Aspa Survey respondents said they had instituted a variety of methods to attract More qualified workers. Fifty eight percent said their companies had raised wages. Other companies Are offering Tui Tion assistance increased health benefits savings plans and benefits for part time workers. Companies Are also turning to non traditional applicant pools for employees. Fifty three percent of those responding said they Are targeting More Stu dents 43 percent Are reaching out to retirees and 36percent Are trying to attract homemakers. Many Survey respondents said business must educate the educators by making their needs known to schools in order to assure a qualified labor  response to an open ended question about what business could do to alleviate the shortage of Quali fied workers the majority of suggestions entered around worker education. Specific ideas included financial assistance in the form of training Grants Access to equipment and instructors internships and work study opportunities Aspa said. Aspa is a professional organization of personnel and Industrial relations executives. Airline consumer complaints jump 50 percent in january  in the stars and stripes Washington a consume complaints against major airlines Rose Al most 50 percent in january and airlines reported increases in late flights and mis handled baggage at the end of last year a government report said monday. The department of transportation units monthly consumer report on air travel said consumer complaints against the Industry reported to the department went from 724 in december the Low est level in four years 19 1,086 in Jan uary. The new total was still a 70 percent improvement Over the 3,674 complaints received in january 1988. The nation s 13 largest Domestic carriers reported that 76.1 percent of their flights were on time in december com pared to 77.7 percent a month  rate was still nearly 10 Points better than december 1987 when one third fall flights were late. For the third straight month Eastern air lines reported the Best on time record with88.1 percent of its flights arriving within 15 minutes of posted time. Earlier this year Eastern was consistently among airline with the most delayed flights. Eastern was followed by Southwest with79.6 percent on time and Delta with 79.3 percent. Piedmont had the worst record for mishandled baggage 12.27 per 1,000 Pas sengers and Southwest had the Best 4.59per 1,000. 40 years ago feb. 8, 1949 Norway said no formal reply to the soviet proposal for a non aggression pact with Norway would be sent before foreign minister Halvard Lanee returned from Washington meetings. 30 years ago today. Feb. 8 1959 a Titan icbms was fired aloft for the first time from Cape canaveral fla., on a reportedly highly successful test. Two earlier tests failed to eel the rocket off the ground. 20 years ago today. Feb. 8, 1969 soviet ambassador Semyon Tsarapkin warned the soviet Union would use serious measures if West Germany completed its plan to elect its new president at an electoral College meeting in Berlin. 10 years ago today. Feb. 8, 1979 conservative opposition members filed a Bill in the West German parliament proposing the 30-year statute of limitations on nazi murders be lifted so nazi crimes could be prosecuted