European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 18, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a the stars and stripes thursday. January 18,1990selection of jury starts off poorly in trial of Gotti new York apr a prospective juror in the assault trial of reputed organized crime Boss John Gotti said she thought she was being called to judge the ease of subway gunman Bernhard Goetz. Quot you mean you confused or. Gotti with or. Goetz Quot Bruce Culler. Gotti s lawyer asked the Young woman who appeared to be in her 20s.  she said adding that she has lived in new York about five years. She was dismissed tuesday As were All but one of the 21 Polc tial jurors who participated in the session. Their names were kept confidential. Selected As a juror was a High school teacher who appear j to be in his 40s and who said he was aware of Gotti s Quot notoriety Quot and alleged involvement in crime lie will be sequestered immediately and remain in coun custody a sleeping in motels a until anal s end said the trial judge. Acting state supreme coun Justice Edward Mclaughlin. The juror selected at the end of the Day. Said Gotti impressed him As a dignified Quot and a Sharp Dresser. Gotti 49, and co defendant Anthony Guerric i. 60. Are being tried on assault and conspiracy charges in connection with the shooting of John f. O Connor vice president of carpenters Union local 608. High court upholds state tax on goods to evangelists sell Washington apr states May Las the sales of religious books tapes and other merchandise sold by television evangelists the supreme court ruled wednesday. The court unanimously upheld taxes imposed by California on the Louisiana based Jimmy Swaggart ministries ruling that forcing the to preacher s organization to pay such taxes docs nol violate religious Freedom. Quot California s lion discriminatory sales and us tax Law Roqu ires Only that swagman s ministry collect the tax from its California purchasers and remit the tax Money to the stale a Justice Sandra Day o Connor wrote for the court. Quot collection and payment of the generally applicable lax in this Case imposes no constitutionally significant Burden on Swaggart s religious practices or beliefs Quot she said. The decision upheld rulings that forced Swaggart s organization to pay California j 183,000 in Back taxes and interest Forth years 1974through 1981. The justices were told during Oral arguments in october that California is the Only state imposing such taxes on religious organizations. Bu1 now that the tax has been upheld other slates Are free to do the same. For the years at Issue in the Case mail order sales from Swaggart a base in Baton Rouge la., to California Consumers totalled si.? million. Sales of merchandise at California crusades totalled $240,000. During the Oral arguments Swaggart a lawyer Michael Mcconnell told the court Quot this minis inf is not in the business to make Money. The purpose of All this is to spread the  he said such taxation must be prohibited a unless we arc to say that All religious leaders Are charlatans. A but o Connor wrote that the California tax Quot is not a tax on the right to disseminate religious information ideas or beliefs per so rather it is a tax on the privilege of linking retail sales of tangible personal  Swaggart s Challenge of the California tax was supported by an array of religious groups a from Hare Krishna to mainline protestants. Lawyers for the National Council or churches representing most protestant denominations called the California tax Quot a serious threat. A tax on the dissemination of religious messages and thus a forbidden tax on the exercise of  backing California s authority to impose such a lax were two organizations not usually Allied in court a the american civil liberties Union and the National conference of state Legislatures. Swaggart s lawyers had relied heavily on a 1943 High court ruling that overturned the convictions of Echo vah s witnesses who violated a City ordinance requiring All people engaged in door to door canvassing to get a License and pay a fee. The Jehovah s witnesses were distributing religious literature and the 1943 ruling said Quot this form of religious activity occupies the same High estate under the first amendment As do worship in the churches and preaching from the  but wednesdays decision Drew a distinction Between those fees and the California lax. A your concern in the 1943 ruling that a Flat License tax would act As a precondition to the free exercise of religious beliefs is simply not present where a tax applies to All sales and uses of tangible personal property in the state Quot of Connor wrote. Thar a Gold under that army missile Range 2 men say t Al a in iin4r4 Ito Novra Mirtil Siul Las Cruces. . Apr the grandsons of a prospector killed in a 1949 dispute Over buried treasure say they plan to resume the search in what is now an army missile Range. Even if it proves to be fool s Gold Terry and James Delonis Hope their As Yel unscheduled expedition will remove the 30-Ycarsligma attached to their family. Quot this is More exciting than 1 can  Terry Delonis said. The Deionised a Grandfather Milton e. Quot Doc Quot Noss. Claimed to have discovered a Cache of Gold Bullion and coins inside a Cavern on Victorio Peak while he his wife and some friends were Hunting Deer in 1937. Noss and his wife. Ova said icy made several efforts to recover the Gold but accidentally scaled the Entrance while trying to expand it. During world War ii the army took Over the area and it now lies on the restricted White Sands missile Range. Noss was shot to death during an argument with a Backer in a treasure hurl in 1949. Ova Noss died in 1979, hut the grandsons plan to continue the quest for the fabled treasure. The Brothers said they grew up hearing tales of the buried treasure from their grandmother who told the stories in great detail. Quot she also had a Good mind for  James Delonis said. A she could recall Depths distances  the army allowed a professional treasure Hunting company expeditions unlimited of Florida onto the Range in 1977. The company which represented several claimants to the treasure. Found nothing but said ground radar did indicated a Cavern beneath the Peak. The company headed by Norman Scott ran out of Lime before the Cavern could be excavated. Two previous searches also failed to turn up any Gold and the army said after the 1977 Hunt that the Range would be dosed 10 searchers. But rep. Joe Skeen r-n.m., sponsored an amendment to the 1989 defense authorization act to allow Noss family heirs to dig for the legendary treasure although they must pay the expenses. Skeen said anything found would be turned Over to the courts to decide ownership. The Brothers hired expeditions unlimited to head the operation and an Lioun cd they have formed a foundation to help in searching for the treasure. Terry Delonis said recent ground radar readings again revealed a Cavern in the same place indicated by the 1977 expedition. No Dale for the search has been announced. But the army has agreed to take reporters to the site Jan. 2 a. The Gold according to various stones was said to have been stored in the Peak by Spanish conquistadors who mined n nearby or was loot gathered by the Apache Chier Victorio for whom the Mountain was named. Some have contended the Federal government found and removed the Gold years ago. But the army has denied those stories. Major airlines to hike fares again to pay rising fuel costs by the associated press several . Airlines said tuesday they were raising air fares again to offset Jet fuel costs the second such hike in two weeks by major carriers. One of the airlines also announced a fuel surcharge. American airlines us air and Northwest airlines said they planned to increase by 10 percent selected one Way discount fares Ofinn used by business travellers. American and Northwest also Are adding a three Day Advance Purchase re Auric men and us air is Selling a so Van a Advance Purchase Rule for fares in that category that now Don t require Advance Purchase. The changes Are effective Jan. 24 for Northwest and feb. I for american and us air. Under american s changes an unrestricted one Way fare Between Chicago and Dallas which was s314 on Jan 1, increased to s327 on Jan. 11 and would go to $360 on feb. I. When it must be purchased three Days in Advance. Another $ 6 would be added on feb. 9. Spokesmen for United airlines Delta air lines and Eastern airlines said those carriers arc studying the 10 percent fare hike. Earlier this month Industry Leader american and other big . Airlines raised fares by 4 percent to help pay fuel costs while Northwest and others imposed a special fuel surcharge the first such charge since the 1970s Oil crisis. The 4 percent hike took of acct on one Way tickets last thursday and also will apply to round trip tickets starting feb. 1. Said Mary o Neill a spokeswoman for american in fort Worth Texas. She also said american plans a fuel surcharge of $6 one Way and $12 round trip on All tickets effective feb. 9. Northwest previously planned a $6-$12 surcharge also to take effect feb. 9. Us air spokeswoman Susan Young said a surcharge was under review. Quot All these actions arc very much related to the skyrocketing fuel costs that we Are seeing Quot said a1 Decker a spokesman for american. He said the Price american pays for Jet fuel has jumped from an average 58 Celsa gallon at the beginning of 1989 to around 96 cents As Oil prices have surged. Jet fuel generally represents around 35 percent of an airlines operating budget. The fuel surcharges do not require govern ment approval for Domestic flights. And do you take this executioner Sandy Mcdonald right performs a marriage ceremony for Honey and Ron die Bola at the Florida keys Renais Sance Faire in Marathon Fla. The Dieboldt had attended previous festivals Ami requested the ceremony