European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 10, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday May 10. 1989 the stars and stripes Page 7 Navy Pilot Dies in midair crash of 2 Fa-18s Independence Calif. A two Navy jul fighters collided in flight monday Over the Sierra Nevada killing one Pilot who went Down with his aircraft and injuring the other officials said. The Fa-18 hornets based at Point Mug Pacific missile test Center collided around 11 . The single scat jets went Down about 45 Miles apart one into the Remote Foothills of the Inyo National Forest the other into Sand dunes to the South. Witnesses reported seeing one Parachute and a Navy spokesman said the dead Pilot did not eject from his aircraft. We have one confirmed fatality and one injured Navy it. Cmdr. Gene Okamoto said from Point Mug. The Pilot who was found dead was found in his  pilots names were withheld until relatives could be notified Okamoto said. The surviving Avi Ator s condition was t immediately available out a Navy spokeswoman said his injuries weren t serious. Vicki Wood owner of a Gas station heard an explosion and looked up to Sec the aftermath of one Jet s plunge onto the desert floor. It was like a big sonic Boom Wood said. It Wen Down in the Sand dunes and this big mushroom Cloud came up. There was one big Orange  injured Pilot was taken to Lone Pine Hospital for treatment. He Felt Good enough that he Felt Heddin t need to go said Loretta lung spokeswoman for nearby China Lake naval weapons Center. One of the planes went Down in the Foothills of he Inyo mountains 10 Miles Northeast of Independence about 175 Miles North of los Angeles. The other crashed in Sand dunes 4 i Miles East of Olancha said Cynthia Krill spokeswoman for the Inyo National Forest. Smoke was seen pouring from the aircraft that crashed in the Forest and there was no sign of the Pilot Krill  $23 million Fa-18 Hornet is a single scat twin engine Jet fighter that can be used for either air to air combat or air to ground attack. Volunteer firefighters Melisa Catherine and aimed  help handle a fire Hose during a training Drill near Bremerton wash., last week. The girls Ages 7, 5 and 2, respectively tagged along a tilth fireman father Jne while he and his department practice putting out a Blaze set at a vacant building. Besieged and surrounded Wright struggles on by the Baltimore Sun Washington "1 am besieged i am surrounded like Travis at the Alamo House speaker Jim Wright d Texas called out to aides monday As he fled into one of his Capitol offices with a horde of reporters in Tow. Invoking the name of William Barret Travis a Leader of the Texas forces who died at the hands of the invading mexi can army after a 12-Day siege of the famed fortress was a Strong response to being caught off guard in the hallway without his press Secretary. But the incident was simply the latest example of the almost Brittle tension in Washington As Wright struggles to de fend himself against charges of 69 Viola Lions of House ethics rules while new allegations Are reported almost daily in the nation s Media. In motions being prepared by his Legal team Wright is expected to ask the House committee on standards of offi Cial conduct to dismiss the pending charges on the grounds that it has no Clear and convincing evidence on which to find him guilty. Wright s spokesman also said the speaker would ask the committee to break the deadlock Between his lawyers and the committee s special counsel Richard j. Phelan on the release of Evi Dence and documents that will be pan of the Case against him. Phelan and William c. Oldaker the speaker s Lead lawyer have been negotiating for weeks Over release of the material. Wright s attorneys will be looking in particular for exculpatory evidence such As testimony Given to the commit tee by witnesses who contradicted pc Lan s conclusions. The motions arc being filed in Advance of a disciplinary hearing by the committee perhaps later this month on charges that Range from alleged receipt of $145,000 Worth of gifts from a Texas Developer to an alleged scheme to convert prohibited speaking fees into Book royalties. Meanwhile the speaker told reporters who tracked him after he left the House floor by a Back door monday that the court testimony of a former Texas Sav Ings and loan executive who claimed Wright traded influence on legislation for $250,000 in political contributions was absolutely  Wright said that while he had often done favors or attempted to intercede on behalf of constituents you can look until you arc Blind ask until you arc hoarse listen until you Are deaf and you will never find anybody of whom i asked a favor in return. David Farmer on trial in Dallas for attempting to evade Campaign financing Laws testified in Federal court Friday that he had been told by another so official that Wright had pledged to Block legislation hurtful to the institutions if they contributed to a political action committee run by one of his supporters. Asked about another report in Mon Day s Wall Street journal that he had accepted several free flights aboard a plane owned by . Jewell the operator of a nursing Home leasing company in which he had invested Wright shot Back or. Jewell gave me a ride but it was t aboard any  took me for a ride Wright added referring to his $100,000 invest ment in the venture which eventually went bankrupt. I lost a substantial sum of  but Wright did manage to Salvage $22,000 of his investment at a time when other investors were getting nothing according to an account in Friday s new York times. Court says Aid to mentally retarded can be Cut Philadelphia a the 3rd . Circuit court of appeals has ruled that the Constitution does t guarantee programs for the mentally retarded living at Home. The court reversing a lower court s decision rejected arguments that cuts in services to the mentally retarded in Philadelphia violated rights to equal Protection and due process. It is impossible to find an affirmative stale duty to protect the mentally retarded living at Home the three appeals judges said in their ruling monday. A group of 32 Man tall retarded people and the Phil Delphia police and fire association for Handi capped children inc. Filed suit in july after the City Cut programs for 9,000 people in a Cost cutting measure. In november . District judge Raymond j. Broderick ordered the City and stale to continue pro Viding the programs. Three months later Broderick ruled the state in contempt of his decision and forced it to pay the City $4.93 million for the programs. The appeals court said the City could classify retarded residents living with relatives and those at group Homes differently for a legitimate purpose. Jurisprudence on the equal Protection clause recognizes that the act of governing often requires a state to bestow a Benefit on some but not All of its citizens wrote chief judge John j. Gibbons. The panel rejected the lower court s ruling that the decision to single out those living at Home was arbitrary and irrational saying the action followed the City s desire to reduce spending with a minimal disruption to the system. The court said even if retarded patients living at Home regressed because of the cutback relatives might be willing to continue providing care. But if cutbacks at Community Homes caused regression the staffs might be unable to handle the increased demands forcing the patients to enter institutions the court said. To minimize the cuts City officials opted to curtail services they considered less critical such As Case management and family support services and maintain services they considered vital such As vocational train ing. Attorney David  who represented the Plain tiffs said he was disheartened by the ruling and would Appeal. Philadelphia solicitor Seymour Kurland and a spokeswoman for the department of Public welfare which administers the state s programs for the retarded could not be reached for immediate comment