European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 24, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes sunday september 24,1989 Rockwell stops operating nuke Plant Denver a Rockwell International corp. Bowed out suddenly after 14 years a operator of the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons Plant marking the final breach Between the company and the government Over the disposal of hazardous wastes. The move was announced late Friday by the department of Energy one Day after Rockwell sued the government Over the Dis Pute at the Plant which makes plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons. The contractor maintained it was impossible to follow both its contract with Dot and the waste Dispo Sal rules of the environmental Protection Agency. The Doe has identified Rocky Flats As the most environmentally hazardous site in the nuclear weapons Industry because toxic chemicals contaminate an underground Reservoir and threaten nearby City water sup plies. Adm. James Watkins the Energy Secre tary said egg inc., a Wellesley. Mass. Based scientific engineering firm had been asked to replace Rockwell. Egg officials will arrive at the Plant monday the Doe said. Watkins said he and Rockwell chairman Donald Bacall had agreed to change Rocky Flats management in the Best interest of both  Colorado gov. Roy Romer a critic of safety practices at the Plant warned that a management change would t end state efforts to track possible waste violations at inc Plant. I am going to continue to hold the feet of Doe and the operator to the fire to be sure that there is no  to the citizens of Colorado from the operation of the Rocky Flats  Romer said. I have been informed by Doe that egg is an experienced operator and that there will be an orderly transition in which the current Rocky Flats employees will retain their jobs. The decision came so suddenly that Plant employees were not notified of the change until after inc 4 . Shift change Friday afternoon Rockwell spokesman Pat Etchart said. It was announced Over a Public address system late in the afternoon Etchart said. Egg is the prime contractor for Doe s Idaho National engineering Laboratory and is a contractor at the Nevada test site and government facilities in new Mexico. Egg officials did t respond to Calls placed late Friday to the firm s Headquarters and Branch offices in several Western Stales. Rockwell sued the government thursday in . District court in Washington claim ing conflicting Federal rules require it to Vio late Laws on the disposal of hazardous wastes at the Plant. The same Day the Epa cited Rockwell for violating storage Laws for Rocky Flats hazardous wastes. The lawsuit named the government the Justice department the Doe and Epa and asked the court to clarify the obligations of Rockwell and the government in running the Plant. A week ago Rockwell threatened to close the Plant unless the regulations on Hazar Dous wastes were clarified. Later in the Day Doe environmental Protection Agency and Colorado officials announced a plan to resolve the problems Over the next year. But Bacall said the assurances Given by the government were inadequate to protect Rockwell employees against possible Crimi Nal prosecution for violating the Environ mental rules. The Doe s statement said Rocky Flats current work Force of 5,000 would not be affected by the change in management. Federal Law prohibits storage of Hazar Dous wastes at a production site for More than 90 Days but there is no federally approved disposal Silc or treatment process Lor Rocky Flats wastes. Rockwell has been stockpiling wastes at Rocky Flats since Idaho gov. Cecil Andrus refused to accept further shipments at a temporary storage site in Idaho. .-,-?,rt� w  r .,j7s � is v a it " jts .v.y. 2 Stamps could bring $1 million Indianapolis a a pair of 10-cent Stamps found on a 142-year-old letter Are Amon the first . Stamps issued and could be Worth As much As $ i million collectors said. The philatelic foundation a non profit stamp authentication Agency based in new York has certified that a 142-year-old envelope mailed to the Marion county clerk on july 2, 1847, is the earliest known use of a . Stamp. The discovery of this historic rarity was the stuff philatelic lore is made of and rivalled the great est finds in the history of stamp collecting the foundation said in a statement. It May Well be the closest philatelists will get to an actual first Day Coyer foundation chairman Roberto m. Rosend said. The two Black Stamps which picture George Washington Are known to collectors As . 2, an they a arc first issued on j uly 1, 1847, in new York. They were among the first . Stamps issued to postmasters to replace hand inked impressions As proof of postage paid. The Stamps and their envelope arc major assets of the estates of two Indianapolis men Delmer a b. Blackburn and or. Harry d. Mark. Blackburn died in april 1987, and Mark died last month. Both estates arc pending in the probate division of Mari on Superior court. The two men shared ownership of the rarities which they discovered in some books they had Pur chased at the estate Sale in the late 1960s of Indi Anapolis lawyer John w. Becker. The Stamps will be sold through a National dealer said John f. Sullivan jr., an attorney represent ing one of the estates. Obviously the Price will be whatever a willing buyer will pay but we think it could be Worth $1 million he said. Stamp experts including Eric Scott part owner of the stamp shop in Indianapolis believe Sulli Van s estimate is excessive. Some say the envelope could bring As much As $200,000. Stateside dam evidence accepted in murder conviction Richmond a the nation s first murder conviction based on the use of so called Dan fingerprinting evidence was upheld Friday by the stat supreme court. In a pair of unanimous rulings the court conclude that Dan tests linking Timothy Wilson Spencer to the rape slayings of two women were scientifically , doxy ribonucleic acid is the Basic genetic material in human cells. Scientists believe that every one except for identical twins or other multiple births has a unique Dan pattern. 2 die 3 injured in blast at Minn Gram elevator Bingham Lake Minn. A a Grain elevator explosion in this southwestern Minnesota town Friday killed two people and injured three authorities  bodies of two employees of Cargill inc., which owns the elevator were recovered about two hours after the 2 30 . Explosion said a dispatcher for the Cottonwood county sheriffs  dead were identified As John William Gahler 39, and Leonard  51, both of Bingham  workers had to empty the 75,000-Bushel bin to recover the bodies the sheriff s department  people were hospitalized at Windom Hospital with minor injuries suffered in the explosion nursing supervisor Carla Mitchell said. All three were in stable condition and remained under observation Friday night she said. Some holders of itt Loans in Calif May get refunds san Francisco a about 300,000 califor Nia residents arc eligible for refunds on High interest Loans under settlement of a lawsuit that could Cost it consumer financial corp. Up to too million. The company did not admit wrongdoing but stat attorney general John Van de Kamp said itts loan practices since 1986 amounted to consumer fraud Ona grand  Van de Kamp said the Minnesota based company took advantage of people in desperate need of Money and charged them up to 35 percent interest on Loans that were packed with unnecessary extras. The settlement came on a civil complaint filed by Van do Kamp that accused itt of assorted deceptions lies and bait and switch tactics. Condo res def Board in uproar Over doors in Hallandale. Fla. A France Reiter can t figure out what s offensive about the heart shaped god bless this House sign on the front door of her apart ment but her condominium Board says it has to go. Reiter who has lived at the Fairway Riviera Complex for 17 years said she s been told to remove the sign by monday she is not supposed to put anything strange on her door Condo Board member Theo Zellander said thursday. Reiter can t Sec what s wrong with he sign because other residents decorate their doors with Mezuzah biblical inscriptions in hebrew meant to be Hung on doorposts. Are we in America 1 have every right to have that sign on my door Reiter said. I am a Christian. This is my religious sym Bol asking god to bless my  the Board s president Sidney Jacobs would t explain Why the association found the sign offensive but said it has Togo. If the sign was somewhere else on an other front door hidden from View it would t Mailer but her door is very closely the Rondo s meeting room. A lot of peo ple have to pass by her door and it s Offen Sive to everyone he said. Jacobs has sent a letter telling Reiter that the Condo association would remove the sign if she does not. He said she was i violation of a Condo regulation that prohibits residents from decorating their front doors. Reiter said that she has called a lawyer and is ready to go to court. If they pull Down that sign she said there will be