European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 31, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday. December 31, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 5 american teacher found dead in Panama Washington a the remains of an american teacher were discovered in Panama Friday and his daughter blamed panamanians for his death. The american the third . Civilian to die since the conflict began was identified by his daughter As Ray mond Dragseth a teacher at the Panama canal  . Defense department facility. The body was exhumed Friday from a common grave in a Public cemetery. He had been shot in the Back of the Dragseth was reported to be the Uncle of Richard Paul a defense department family member who was killed a week ago. An american who was working in Panama As a teacher. Candy Helin was killed shortly after the invasion began. The Pentagon said 23 servicemen have died since the dec. 20 . Military invasion in Panama. Carolyn Dragseth. Appearing at a news conference from Panama broadcast by Cable news network blamed panamanians for the abduction of her father saying they just took my father i Don t know  they came Here looking for  she said. Can said Raymond Dragseth was Abdu cd from the family s apartment several hours after the american inva Sion began. The news station said Dragseth s wife told them she had tried to convince the panamanians who abducted he husband that he was european. Asked whether her family had been contacted by the . Embassy Carolyn Dragseth said they be been keeping in touch with us especially since we. My family located the  the Pentagon said the remains of an individual have been recovered and once autopsy and identification efforts arc Complete additional details will be provided. No information was available on where the body was found. Al the state department an official said . Authorities were informed that panamanian officials Are in the process of exhuming a person whose description would fit that of a private american citizen. The official had no additional information. 18 charged in sneaker piracy indictment by the los Angeles times Washington eighteen peo ple from South Korea and the United states were charged by a Federal grand jury Friday with a worldwide conspiracy to Market counterfeit Mer Chandise including millions of pairs of sneakers bearing such trendy labels As Reebok Converse and . Gear. The government investigation coordinated by Federal prosecutors in Arizona and by the . Customs service began in August when 385 Cartons of counterfeit foot Ware bound for Mexico were stopped by mexican authorities at the . Port of entry at Nogales. Ariz. . Cus Toms inspectors then seized the ship ment and began the investigation. It s Safe to say that millions of counterfeit sneakers were distributed in the United states Over the past two  said Stephen m. Mcnamec the . Attorney for Arizona where the 18-Counl indictment was filed. The shoes were produced in South Korea. Large losses have been sustained in recent years by a number of Ameri can and foreign companies who have seen their products from sneakers to expensive rolex watches copied and sold at bargain basement prices. Pirating of consumer and Industrial Good costs . Business More than $20 billion a year according to estimates by government Trade officials. American producers have alleged that the biggest offenders arc Hurley i. Lewin an attorney for several shoe companies compares counterfeit and authentic sports shoes at a news conference in Phoenix. Manufacturers in South Korea. Tai wan Singapore and Indonesia. Much of the Spad work for the indictment by a Federal grand jury in Phonix was done by a relatively Small Southern California foot Ware producer the Van Doran rubber co. Of Orange county whose $55 million in annual sales pales beside the Bil lion Dollar annual operations of its giant competitors. The August seizure that sparked the investigation involved shoes supposedly produced under the company s vans Label. We be had people copying our shoes for 12 years said Steven Van Doren who oversees the 24-year-old company s foreign sales. The company was enjoying Good sales in Mexico he said until sneaker pirates Cut into its business. It investigated and found that its sneak ers which sell for about $32 a pair were being marketed for less than half that Price. Indicted on charges of trademark violations and Money laundering of the profits was an alleged Kingpin of the pirate sneaker operation. South korean businessman Dae Yun Hwang president and chief operating officer of Royal trading corp. And Miju trading corp. Of Pusan. South Korea. Seventeen other people were named in the indictment including three other koreans two mexican nationals and eight individuals from san Diego. Coned explosion kills 2 injures 29 Sands of time by the los Angeles times new York hundreds of thou Sands of residents of Manhattan s fashionable upper East Side and the Bronx were left without Power Friday when a massive Gas explosion and five alarm fire ripped through a consolidated Edi son co. Plant. Two people were killed and 29 others injured. Scores of people were trapped in stalled elevators in darkened High Rise apartment buildings. The metropolitan museum of an and four hospitals were forced to turn to emergency generators. Grade mansion the mayor s official residence was darkened As were All Street and traffic lights in a 2 mile Long area of the City. Subway service was widely disrupted and for a time there was no service into the Bronx transit authority officials said. Because of the intense heat firefight ers were forced to Battle the Blaze at the Plant from a distance. Commuters on the nearby Treborough Bridge Felt the fire s warmth in their cars. Because of the threat of secondary explosions about 900 people were evacuated from a bus depot near the fire. The fire was first reported at the Hill Gate switching facility of Consol in the stars and Stripe Manhattan Bronx without Power 40 years ago today Ida cd Edison co. At 1 10 . And quickly became a five alarm Blaze. Police said a coned Crew was working behind the station when a Gas line was ruptured. The Force of the explosion apparently hurled two workers into the East River where they were rescued. Police said the worker who was killed was digging a Hole behind the station with a Backhoe when he apparently ruptured a 26-Inch Gas main. The explosion gulled his vehicle. A teen age boy who suffered a heart attack after the Accident died Friday night. A plume of flames and smoke fed by the ruptured Gas line soared 400 feet into the air. It was an awesome fire said fir chief Carlos Rivera who helped direct 250 firefighters at the scene. It was  the lights dimmed really quickly and then i heard a big blast said Frank Wiles who works across the Street from he Plant. You could see bricks and debris Landing around  it took firemen and Utility company workers More than an hour to shut Down the Gas main. Bush s brother in Law Dies of stroke Boston a Alexander Ellis ii brother in Law of president Bush died Friday of a stroke. He was 67. Ellis a businessman was married tenancy Walker Bush Ellis sister of the president. He had been hospitalized for the past two weeks at Massachusetts general Hospital and had undergone an intestinal operation monday said his son Alexander Ellis id. Bush was very close to the family. He has been in touch constantly through this two and a half weeks the younger Ellis said. Ellis a world War ii Veteran who was wounded at the Baltic of the bulge was Active in stale Republican politics serv ing As a slate committeeman and a Delegate to the 1964 Republican Conven Tion. Dec. 31. 1949 plans to extend giving american arms and technical Aid to the faltering chinese nationalists in their fight against the communists gained strength in the Truman administration. 30 years ago today. Dec. 31, 1959 Hubert h. Humphrey announced that he was in the run Ning for the i960 democratic presiden tial nomination. 20 years ago today. Dec. 31. 1969 upon signing the most far reaching tax Bill since the enact ment of the Federal income tax in 1913,president Nixon indicated he would ask for new Revenue raising legislation or Cut government spending to curb the Bill inflationary aspects. 10 years ago today. Dec. 31, 1979 the . Security Council announced approval of . Secretary general Kurt Waldheim s immediate visit to Iran to negotiate the re lease of . Hostages. Iranian officials said Waldheim would be Welcome but would not be issued a formal invitation