European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 10, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 a a the stars and stripes saturday february 10,1990 january a wholesale prices Rose at highest rate since �?T74 Washington up a wholesale prices surged by 1.8 percent in january in the biggest jump since the 1974 Energy crisis fuelled again by a huge increase in Oil and Gas prices inc government said Friday. Vegetable prices also took a beating but analysts placed the blame on the brutal Winter weather this time a not International tensions a and predicted moderate inflation for the year. The Quot unusually Large Quot 13.6 percent increase in Energy prices was the steepest since the government started tracking wholesale Gas and Oil prices in 1974, a retail i Quot a a largest s. Year. Inc labor department said. And inc Overall increase in the producer Price Index was the largest since 2 percent in november of that fuel Oil prices zoomed 25.3 percent and gasoline prices jumped by 16.7 percent in january accounting for most of the Energy Price surge. Natural Gas was up 3.2 percent. A 2.1 percent jump in food prices also contributed to inc january surge following an Overall 0.6 increase in the Index in december a 0.1 percent increase in november and a 0.5 percent increase in october the department said. Those numbers were revised to reflect updated data. If americans wholesale prices a which influence prices Consumers pay a continued to gain at tote current rate. Inc producer Price Index would finish the year with a staggering 24.1 percent increase the labor department said. But the january surge appeared to be a one time shot. A we had the cold weather hit and nobody in the stateside California gang members helping . Drug dealers Cheektowaga. . Apr increased violence by drug dealers trying to establish turf in Western new York has prompted some dealers to enlist members of a notorious California gang to fight their Battles police said. Police who have suspected that members of the los Angl is based crips were in Buffalo for the past 18 months have arrested six people believed to be crips. Quot our investigation indicates they were being brought in to assist in retaliations of narcotics shootings in  said la. M. James Starr in charge of the Cheektowaga police narcotics division.�?T60s Singer Del Shannon apparently kills himself Santa Clarita Calif. Api a Charles was Lover. Better known As 1960s Rock v Roll Singer Del Shannon was found dead in his Home apparently killed by a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head authorities said Friday. The Singer of the no. I hit song Quot runaway Quot and other top 20 singles was 55. Wisto Vcra a wife. Bonnie found her husband s body when she returned to their Home 35 Miles Northwest of los Angeles about 11 25 . Thursday said Roger Horn a los Angeles county sheriffs Deputy. A .22-Calibcr Rifle was found next to Westov or s body in the Den Horn said. Northeast was prepared for it Quot said professor Donald Ratajczak director of the economic forecasting Center at Georgia state University. A fall the Homes had Low Oil tank Levels. They thought we were going to have another mild Winter Ratajczak said. A they All scrambled to buy fuel Oil and the Price  the cold also wiped out crops in critical Winter growing regions in Florida and the Rio Grande and caused equipment failures at several refineries he said. A crippling fire at a major fuel Oil refinery also Hurt production. Aside from the traditionally volatile Energy and food prices the Index for other finished goods edged up by Only 0.1 percent in january following a 0.5 percent increase in december. On food shelves prices for vegetables broke a wholesale record in january a a rocketing Rise of 58 percent for cabbage for example a with the Cost of cabbage lettuce and tomatoes More than doubling the department said. A prices also turned up after falling in the previous month for fish soft drinks fresh fruits and pork a the labor department said. Otherwise the prices for passenger cars and tight trucks declined As did the Cost of tires. Tobacco costs were also Down and wholesale prices slowed considerably for prescription drugs soaps and detergents cosmetics periodicals and household appliances the department said. But wholesale prices for children a clothes alcoholic beverages and household glassware turned up alter falling in december the monthly report  quote a Only the Little people pay taxes Quot a quote attributed to hotel Queen Leona Helmsley and reminiscent of another Queens remark a let them eat cake Quot was denied thursday. Convicted tax evader Helmsley seen leaving . State supreme court called the report of her remark an a out and out lie Quot in an interview on tvs a a current  reputed mobster Gotti cleared in shooting of Union official new York apr reputed mob Boss John Gotti was found innocent Friday of assault and conspiracy charges in connection with the shooting of a Union official. A new York state supreme court jury found the reputed Gambino crime family Boss and a co defendant innocent of All charges in the May 1986 shooting of former carpenters Union local vice president John f. Of Connor. O Connor survived and was a Surprise witness in gottis defense. Some in the courtroom broke into applause As the Anonymous jury Foreman read the verdicts prompting the judge to threaten them with 30-Day jail terms if they did no to Stop interrupting. A yeah Johnny Quot shouted one supporter. Gotti Shook hands and kissed attorney Bruce Cutler after the verdict. The jurors were in their fourth Day of deliberations when they reached the decisions. It was the third time Gotti 49, had escaped conviction in a government Case in recent years. But he faced 25 years to life in prison As a persistent Felon because of convictions in 1969 and 1974. Gotti dubbed the Quot Dapper Don Quot because of his Well Cut suits and co defendant Anthony Guerrieri were accused of commissioning the Westich a Manhattan gang to shoot o Connor on May 7, 1986. The shooting took place a few months Afler Golgi was said to have taken charge of the Gambino family after the murder of his reputed predecessor Paul Castellano who was shot to death on a Manhattan sidewalk. The prosecutor. Assistant District attorney Michael Cherkasky said Gotti arranged the shooting of of con nor because the Union official ordered thugs to vandalize a mob run restaurant in Manhattan that was being built with non Union labor. Defense lawyers Gerald Shargel and Cutler had claimed Golgi was being persecuted because of his reputation As a gangster. The Gambino crime family is the largest and most powerful of the five new York City Cosa Nostra families. His lawyers ridiculed the prosecution s main evidence the testimony of former a cystic James Mcelroy and hard to car tapes secretly recorded in 1986 in the Rikars Island jail visiting room and at Gotti s Queens hangout the Burgin Hunt and fish club. Cutler and Shargel said a key tape on which Golgi allegedly says Quot Wco re Gonna Gonna bust him up a is inaudible and that prosecutors transcribed it to suit their theory that Gotti had of Connor shot. They also asked Why prosecutors did t warn o Connor that his life was in danger. Mcelroy who testified that he was part of the group that shot o Connor As a favor to Gotti was portrayed by the defense As a liar who hoped to shorten the 60-car prison term he is serving and get better terms for is Girlfriend in a drug Case. Of Connor testified for the defense. He admitted his Union was plagued by internal troubles and acknowledged it was possible that a Union rival could have arranged the shooting. After their swearing in about three weeks ago the jury was sequestered to shield them from publicity and possible jury tampering. Court officials estimate it Cost $ 1,200 a Day to feed House and transport them. A a herpes Gladiator my causing wrestlers rash of woes Atlanta apr herpes skin infections can be transmitted during a wrestling match say health officials no reported thursday that Quot herpes Gladiator my swept through a High school wrestling Camp in Minnesota last summer. The Camp outbreak gave 60 out of 175 Young men symptoms including a Blister skin rash fever sore Throat and swollen Lymph nodes the National centers for disease control reported thursday. The cd said the disease is spread through Quot skin to skin Contact Quot a obviously a problem for wrestlers who would be hard pressed to avoid it. The virus is inc same one that causes cold sores a herpes simplex Type i. A different virus herpes simplex Type 2, is the one that causes genital herpes. Although the skin rash and other symptoms go away the infection like All herpes infections does not it can reappear months or years later. A 1985 Survey of athletic trainers found that about 3 percent of the nation s High school wrestlers had herpes skin infections during the previous wrestling season but researchers still Arentt sure How big a problem herpes Gladi Torum is. A we really done to know to what extent it is a problem but it seems to be recognized by the wrestling Community As something to watch out for Quot said or. Edward belong a a cd medical epidemiologist at the Minnesota department of health. The Atlanta based cd said wrestlers should have routine skin examinations before practice or matches and wrestlers with suspicious skin lesions should sit out. Herpes Gladi Torum first was reported in a 1964 study in the new England journal of Medicine. It was defined As a herpes simplex skin infection in wrestlers and Rugby players who also engage in physical Contact on the Field. The cd in thursdays report called for More educational efforts about herpes Gladi Torum for athletes and trainers. Some of the 60 Young wrestlers who became ill at the Robinson wrestling Camp at the University of Minnesota last summer already have had a recurrence Belongia said. Its not known if they have spread the ailment to any other wrestlers in this year s Competition he said. The outbreak was discovered during the final week of the 26-Day Minnesota Camp and Contact was discontinued for the final two Days. Herpes conjunctivitis a inflammation of the Eye covering occurred in five patients