European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 31, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes thursday August 31, 1989 Iceland s widow won t run for his congressional seat Houston a rep. Mickey Leland s widow ended speculation that she would run for her late Hus band s congressional scat saying her family comes be fore any political ambitions. Alison Leland a 30-year-old investment banker with Shearson Lehman Hutton inc., released a one Page statement tuesday saying she would not be a candidate in the nov. 7 special election to fill the scat her husband held for 10 a years before his death in a plane crash in Ethiopia. Leland has a 3-year-old son Jarrett and is nine weeks pregnant. My priority now has to be to my son who already misses his father very much and needs and deserves my attention even More now she said. We also have a new baby on the Way and i want very much for this child to come into the world Happy and healthy  Leland said she would support Houston City coun Cilman Rodney Ellis if he decides to run for the scat. It is Clear to me that Mickey would have wanted to be succeeded by City councilman Rodney Ellis she said. He loved Rodney he trusted Rodney and considered him to be among his closest friends previously Ellis said he would not make a decision until Leland announced her intentions. Ellis did not immediately return Telephone Calls to his office tues  s husband a Democrat and 15 others were killed aug. 7 in a plane crash in Ethiopia while on hunger rec of Mission to a refugee Camp. State sen. Craig Washington and state rep. Al Edwards have announced they will run for the scat and several others Are believed to be considering entering the race. Nancy Reagan denies not wanting to visit school in Block area of la. By the los Angeles times los Angeles Nancy Reagan tuesday said she was never unwilling or reluctant to visit a Junior High school in South Central los Angeles As charged at a los Angeles Board of education meeting and added that she would appear at the school to present a $50.000 anti drug Grant. Until news reports this morning 1 was not aware of the controversy surrounding the location at which the Nancy Reagan foundation will present a Grant to dare America for use at John Muir Junior High school the former first lady said in a statement. She said she never received an invitation to visit the school in a mostly Black neighbourhood to present the Check. There was never any reluctance or unwillingness on my part to visit John Muir Junior High school nor did the secret service object she said. The controversy developed at monday night s school Board meeting when Board member Rita Wal lers charged that plans for Reagan to present the Grant at Gates Street elementary school in cast los Angeles on sept. 14 was a slap in the face to the Black Community. Walters admitted tues Day that when she objected she was unaware that the Check presenta Tion at Gates was part of a broader birthday Cele bration for the los an Geles police department s anti drug program dare. The statement that i made was based on the very Best information Given me at that moment Walters said. Nancy Reagan had i not raised an objection the Grant would have been presented at Gates elementary school Miles away from Muir. I m  Mark Weinberg. A spokesman for former president Reagan s office said mrs. Reagan would appear at both John Muir and Gates. Deputy police chief Glenn Levant said organizers picked gales school for the presentation ceremony because the school was the site of last year s dare program. Lawsuit threat forcing schools to cancel activities group says Washington a educators Are cancelling or curtailing school activities such As shop classes cheer leading and gymnastics to avoid lawsuits and High insurance premiums a group backing revised liability Laws said  american tort Reform association released re sults of two surveys that the association s president Martin f. Connor said shows just How much Ameri Ca s litigious ass and risk aversion has diminished the Quality of life for All our  but the head of a trial lawyers group challenged the surveys As being insurance Industry supported scare tactics. "1 think this is a red herring said James tagline president of the trial lawyers association. He said the tort Reform group has the backing of the insurance Industry which wants to avoid paying out claims while reaping incredible profits from exorbitant premiums. Taglieri said the pl9y of the insurance Industry is to pressure the Public into thinking there is a Cansis in tort  according to surveys of attorneys and school Princi pals the threat of lawsuits is prompting educators to cancel class trips shop classes and athletic activities particularly gymnast stick football and cheer leading. Other school programs that have been affected include Laboratory science programs such As chemistry and use of school playgrounds. Those schools that Don t cancel activities Are paying the Price in the form of higher insurance rates said Connor and Ivan Gluckman staff counsel for the National association of secondary school principals. Robert Hunter president of the National insurance consumer organization  has an axe to grind Hunter said. The Reform group s purpose was to slant the questions in the surveys to get these results that were based More on gut feelings and attitudes rather than facts. Hunter said. Reduced activity is not necessarily bad depending on the risks and exposure Hunter added. If things arc too risky and cancelled then it s actually a Benefit not a degradation of the educational  the 190 principals who responded to the Survey All members of the National association of secondary school principals said that while Only 16 class related programs were cancelled about half of More than 240 activities were modified because lawsuits had been Ither threatened or filed Gluckman said. Fifty eight percent of the responding principals said there was a noticeable difference in the kinds of school programs being offered because of the threat of Taw suits and High insurance costs Gluckman said. The Survey conducted last december showed 51 extracurricular programs were cancelled and 301 mod  on athletics have included limits on the height of the human pyramids by cheerleaders Stop Ping the use of trampolines by gymnasts and ending diving competitions for swimmers the association  percent of the attorneys representing school boards that arc members of the National school boards association reported no changes in school activities. However most indicated that schools Are pay ing higher insurance premiums to continue offering the programs. Stateside murder count still rising in Washington suburbs Washington a the nation s capital is closing in on a record year Tor homicides a dubious distinction that police blame on the City s burgeoning drug Trade. Two deaths Early tuesday morning and another tuesday night brought the number of people killed in the District of Columbia this year to 302. At the same time last year. 216 people had been killed and the total of 372 homicides in 1988 set a City record. Police said at least one or tuesday s slayings was drug related. About 60 percent of the City s killings arc re lated to drugs according to police who add that drug related violence has also increased the Mur. Der rate in the City s suburbs. Twelve people have been killed so far this year in Montgomery county md., compared with nine at this time last year. In Prince George s county my 77 people have been killed this year compared with 53 at this time in 1988. Fairfax county a. Has had 19 killings this year compared with 12 last year and Alexandria va., has eight compared with three last year. 1 boy killed another Hurt when Sand Bank collapses Junction City. Kan. A a Sand Bank collapsed on two boys who were digging Foxholes. One boy was killed and the other was injured authorities said wednesday Anthony a Cigar 9, was buried under the Sand and probably died of asphyxiation Geary county sheriff Bill Deppish said. His 10-year-old Friend Travis Enders was buried up to his head. He was treated at a Hospi Tal and released. Deppish said Travis reported that the pair had been buried for a Little More than two hours before other youngsters heard his shouts for help. The Accident occurred along an 8-foot-Dccp drainage ditch near the Republican River be Hind the trailer court where the boys lived. Because of the recent Rains Down there it was probably a Little More unstable than nor Mal Deppish said. The top just caved  Hee haw1 director Dies from accidental gunshot Nashville Tenn. A Bob Boatman director of the syndicated television show he Haw for 17 years accidentally shot himself to death with a pistol authorities say. Boatman 59, was found in the garage of his House in Hendersonville outside Nashville. He was pronounced dead at Hendersonville Hospi Tal a Short time later. Police said Boatman accidentally shot himself in the stomach after he pulled out a drawer that contained a .22-Calibcr revolver. The gun hit the floor and discharged they said. Boatman had been directing Hec Haw since 1972. Winners of Illinois lottery get top single ticket prize Chicago a a suburban couple came Forward tuesday to claim a $42 million lottery Jackpot the richest prize won by a single ticket Winner in Illinois state lottery  and Kathleen Madigan who formed the Madigan partnership to claim the prize will receive 20 annual payments of $2.1 million officials said at a news  Madigan who live in Hometown a Southern suburb of Chicago bought their ticket for saturday s drawing at a White Hen pantry in suburban Oak Lawn. The convenience store will receive $420,000, i percent of their winnings lottery officials  Wittkowski a Chicago Printer who was a 1984 Winner held the previous state single Jackpot record of $40 million. The state s biggest Jackpot Ever was $69.9 Mil lion for the aprils drawing this year but the Cashin that grand prize Pool was divided four  Winner of the largest undivided lottery prize in the United slates was Sheelah Ryan of Winter Springs fla., who won $55.16 million in the Flor Ida lottery on sept. 3,1988