European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 29, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday May 29, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 7 Rogers ends command of Vincennes defends Aegis Calls for combating terrorism san Diego a capt. Will c. Rogers ended his two year command of the guided missile Cruiser Vincennes saturday without apology for the Cruiser s mistakenly shooting Down an iranian Airliner and with a Call to combat  capt. Robert b. Lynch took Over As the new commander of the Cruiser equipped with the Aegis combat control system that Rogers defended As a masterpiece of american technology and ingenuity despite past criticisms. Rogers made no mention of the Airliner s destruction july 3, 1988. Instead focusing on a pipe bomb attack in March that destroyed a Van driven by his wife Sharon Ashe drove to work. Mrs. Rogers escaped injury. The Van bombing remains under investigation bythe Fri As a possible act of terrorism. Rogers speaking to a crowd of about 200 aboard the heavily guarded ship denounced terrorism saying it is a subterranean and shadowy War that preys on a Lack of courage and enlists those without moral  the Vincennes was engaged in combat with seven Ira Nian patrol Craft when the iranian jetliner was misidentified As an attacking military aircraft and the cruisers mis Siles were fired at it. All 290 aboard the Jet died. Rogers who took command of the Vincennes in april 1987. Defended the Aegis system which enables a ship like the Vincennes to make computer recommended Battle decisions for entire fleets. But the system was found flawed in the persian Gulf confrontation. According to Pentagon analysts split second decisions were affected by the inability of radar scope interpreters to immediately match the plane s Blip with digital direction Altitude and Speed information displayed on another screen. The Vincennes will be moved to Long Beach naval shipyard within five weeks for modifications of its Aegis system the san Diego Tribune reported. During the ceremony Rogers was commended by naval surface Force commander vice adm. Robert . Kihung who presented him with the legion of Merit. There Are very few officers in our ranks who have been faced with the challenges of command that capt. I or. Capt. Will Rogers jives " Farewell Sahmie before yielding command of the Vincennes to capt. Robert b. Lynch. Will Rogers has had to face Kihung said. I can slate today without any exaggeration that capt. Rogers has met every test and has moved on to instill Pride in his men and to command his warship with True professionalism Kihung said. Rogers new assignment is at the Navy s tactical train ing group at nearby Point Loma which trains senior naval officers in handling close combat situations. I be and his wife arc under a naval investigative service guard that has been in place since the Van bombing. The Vincennes which was commissioned in 1984, is expected to leave san Diego for a routine six month do ploy Cal to the far East and Indian Ocean in Early de Cember. Voter landslide gives Elpaso first woman mayor Elpaso a Suzie Azar has be came the first woman mayor in Elpaso history Wilh a landslide Victory Over Fel Low City Council member de Elsey in a Runoff election i m thrill cd to death. I m ready logo to  Azar said after the Vole Sal urday. One Hundred seventeen years is a Long Lime for Elpaso to wait and i m glad they waited for  the final but unofficial locals showed Hal Azar Cape Rcd 65 percent of the Voles or 29,961, to 35 percent or 16,218, for Alscy. When you get a margin like 65 per cent that s a mandate from the people that they re willing to work Wilh  Azar said. The successor to mayor Jonathan Rog ers who by Law had to step Down after four consecutive two year terms will face prob lems posed by widespread poverty and rapid growth. Unlike most Texas cities Elpaso has a Strong mayor form of govern ment with no City manager. The new mayor is expected to grapple ill a High car theft and House burglary Ite a growing youth gang problem High lies of hepatitis and tuberculosis in Oul rate rate lying areas double digit unemployment and a steady influx of mexicans Many of whom work illegally for Low wages. Nonetheless the Runoff was almost de void of issues until two weeks ago when Alscy brought up inc Mailer of Azar s finances. Azar s husband Dick leases business property from inc cily owned Airport and Elsey said he wanted to know How much inc Azars made from businesses on inc property. Al Elsey s prodding Azar released a Sale men showing that she and her Hus band had a net Worth of about $3.7 Mil lion. Elsey owner of a medical Supply business has a net Worth of about a 10th As much. The two City Council members Defeated four other candidates in the May 6 general Clellion to make it to saturday showdown. Before the May 6 election inc six candidate Campaign focused on taxes police Protection and economic development. Bui Alscy and Azar held similar views and Alscy chose to stress personal wealth As a Campaign Issue. Elpaso s elections Are non partisan and Uherc arc no party primaries. Alscy is a Republican and Azar is a Democrat burglars May get off with spanking this time Westminster Colo. Up two Young burglars caught red handed looting an apartment will not face criminal charges police said. The two thieves were spoiled Fri Day filling a shopping cart Wilh tool a camera some Cash costume jew Elry makeup five eggs six Cartons of Yogurt and a bathroom scale from a Garden level apartment. The apartment manager saw inc older of inc iwo. A 5-year-old girl passing some jewelry through the win Dow to her 4-year-old brother and told neighbors to Call inc police. He held inc boy until police arrived bul the girl ran Back to her grandmother s nearby apartment. He told me it was his sister s idea said manager Mark Farmer. Thai was Aboul All he said. He was pretty scared. He was  Farmer said he called police be cause he thought it would be a better lesson than if he just sent them Home. Police think the children took Oft a screen and opened an unlocked win Dow to get into the Apan men. We asked them where they got the idea and the Best we could determine it May have come from playmates of about the same age said police spokesman Paul Newton. The victim of the attempted Bur Glary Lorraine Montoya. 27, took the whole thing in stride. I was just in Awe. I did t believe that Lillic kids could do thai she said amused by the thieves Choice of loot. If adults had done this i would have lost a to and a  the Case has been forwarded to theadaus county department of social services. Raven poisoning plan to save tortoises halted by the los Angeles dully news California City Calif. A judge has halted a Federal plan to save Mojave desert lotto discs by poisoning Ravens Hal Eal baby lotto discs. . District judge Royce Lamberth granted a humane society s request last week for a halt to the Raven poisoning for Al least 10 Days. At another hearing tentatively set for june 7, the society will ask for an order permanently barring the poisoning. The . Bureau of land manage Mcnol began placing poisoned hard boiled eggs on platforms earlier in he week saying Ravens have been devouring numerous Young soft shelled tortoises threatening inc species. Blk off idols have said inc desert Tor Toise population has been declining at an alarming rate in acc Cal years partly be cause of he Ravens. One study documented a 45 Pyrc Cal decline in the California Tortoise Popula Tion Between 1975 and 1985. But the humane society argued the blk s plan will kill lop Many Ravens Hal have nol been attacking tortoises. We re in favor of tortoises and we re in favor of Ravens. We re not in favor of the Blind killing of either said John w. Grandy vice president of the 930,000 member humane society of the United slates. The blk obtained a . Fish and wildlife service permit to use Poison and rifles to kill up to 1,500 Ravens in three desert Sites including a desert Tor Lois preserve near California City about 200 Miles North of los Angeles. Shooting Only the Ravens known to be attacking tortoises is impractical in most of the vast desert said David Almand chief of inc blk s division of wildlife and fisheries in Washington. There is no Way we have the capability to track and follow those Birds and watch what they Cal Almand said