European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 26, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a a the stars and stripes monday. February 26. 1990 urn giant what giant a Man dragging a cardboard Box pays no attention to on the Side of a building is popular with camera Tot a giant mural in downtown san Diego. The painting ing tourists and fashion . Discovers Mexico growing 10 times the marijuana estimated los Angeles up a new satellite surveillance by the Cia reveals that Mexico grows 10 times the marijuana previously estimated lending credence to suspicions that the mexican government has understated the nations role As a drug producer it was reported sunday. The Bush administration will report the new intelligence this week in a move that could further Strain relations Between the United states and Mexico the los Angeles times reported. The findings which establish Mexico As by far the world s top marijuana grower Are expected to Spur congressional sentiment to rebuke that country despite administration plans to certify that Mexico has a cooperated fully Quot in anti drug efforts and therefore remains eligible for foreign Aid. In a meeting this month with drug enforcement administration chief John c. Lawn a top mexican official Quot nearly went into apoplexy Quot when informed of the new marijuana production estimate the times quoted a source with knowledge of the meeting As  goes Back to Knute Ole land St. Paul Minn. Apr Garrison Keillor has returned to his roots broadcasting his Quot american radio company of the air from the world theater from which his Quot Prairie Home companion Quot originated. _ Quot it s so Lovely to come Back to this old theater Quot Keillor who left Minnesota in 1987 and lives in new York said in saturday s broadcast. Quot it s like no time has elapsed. It s like we re Back where we were wherever that  his monologue dealt with life As a minnesotan in new York City. He talked about the a exclusive Quot Loon club where he and other Minnesota expatriates gather to eat Macaroni and cheese Tell Knute and Ole jokes and imitate the Call of the Loon. Guest Bob Elliott of the comedy team of Bob and Ray encouraged elderly vacationers to skip Disney world and take the guided Canoe tour of the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The Minnesota Public radio show went out to about 250 Public radio stations nationwide. . Drug fighting officials fear Mexico could express its resentment of any official criticism by backing away from its pledge to assist the United states in cracking Down on drug trafficking along the Border which is the major entry Point for cocaine. Anti drug officials explained that the huge increase in the marijuana figures reflects previously inaccurate estimates based on inadequate data rather than a sudden explosion in Mexico a marijuana production. The new state department figures place mexican marijuana production at 47.500 metric tons in 1989, up from the estimated 4,750 tons reported for 1988. That compares with the latest estimate for Colombia of 2,810 tons and 5,000 to 5,000 metric tons for the United states ranked As the world s no. 2 producer. The state department had warned that its previous estimates might have been inaccurate and department officials complained privately that the refusal of the mexican government to permit . Surveillance flights forced the United states to rely largely on mexican figures. By the associated press Arctic air sunday brought an abrupt end to weeks of unseasonably mild weather in the Northeast and roads Slippery with Snow forced the cancellation of Church services in the Boston area and led to numerous Highway fatalities in the Ohio Valley. Quot we did t get january in january so we re getting it in late february Quot said Mel Goldstein director of the weather Center at Western Connecticut state University in Danbury. Two Days after highs reached the mid-60s in new York City Philadelphia and Boston afternoon readings on sunday were in the mid-20s, with wind gusting to 30 Mph in new York. The National weather service said Boston would chill to Zero overnight with wind making it feel like minus 35. Without the wind chill temperatures were expected to drop As Low As minus 25 monday morning in parts of the Adirondack mountains in Northern new York said weather service forecaster Larry Bach in Albany. The storm that dumped As much As 6 inches of Snow on parts of Massachusetts started saturday around the great juries tougher than judges report finds Washington apr the term a changing judge Quot May have to be rethought. More people convicted of felonies by state court juries wind up in prison than those found guilty by judges and they spend a longer time incarcerated says a study released sunday. At the same time an overwhelming majority of convicted felons a 89 percent a plead guilty and those who own up to their misdeeds spend a Shorter time in prison than those convicted by a judge or a jury the Justice department reported. The penalties of life in prison or death Are meted out to 47 percent of those convicted by juries of murder or non negligent manslaughter. Meanwhile Only 15 percent of those who pleaded guilty to such charges and 12 percent of those found guilty by judges received those penalties said the report by the departments Bureau of Justice statistics. It is unclear Why defendants convicted by juries were More severely punished the study said. But it noted that a a higher percentage of the convictions by juries were for violent  within each Type of offence a ranging from murder and drug trafficking to larceny a a a higher percentage of particularly serious cases May have been decided by juries Quot the study said. Quot defendants in such serious cases violent and nonviolent May have been less willing to plead guilty because they expected very severe penalties Quot it added. A in addition prosecutors May have recommended and judges May have imposed Shorter sentences for those who pled compared to those found guilty by  the study a based on information from 100 counties in 37 states regarding All convicted felons sentenced in 1986 a cautioned that the findings should be considered preliminary because of the limited Sample size. The next Survey will cover 300 jurisdictions. Of the estimated 583,000 people convicted of a felony in state courts in 1986, 89 percent pleaded guilty 8 percent were convicted by juries and 3 percent were found guilty by judges the report says. But Many of the guilty pleas were for lesser offences with 92 percent of the larceny convictions and 90 percent of the burglary convictions based on guilty pleas. Only 58 percent of the murder convictions and 68 percent of the rape convictions were based on such pleas. Felons convicted by juries were sentenced to an average of 159 months in prison compared with 103 months when felons were convicted by judges and 72 months for those who pleaded guilty. Also 84 percent of felons convicted by juries were sentenced to prison or jail rather than probation or other types of sentences while 71 percent of those convicted by judges were incarcerated and Only 65 percent of those who pleaded guilty were incarcerated. Prison sentences not including jail terms were handed Down to 71 percent of those convicted by juries 50 percent of those found guilty by judges and 44 percent of those who pleaded guilty. Lakes and Ohio Valley. Chain reaction crashes involving As Many As 100 vehicles and other traffic accidents in Baa weather killed 13 people in Ohio nine of them in one pileup. Three people died in accidents in Illinois and one each in Michigan Indiana and Kentucky. Snow covered roads made driving hazardous across Massachusetts and wind made it difficult to keep roads Clear. A a they re being continuously slowed and sanded to no Avail. It just piles up again Quot said sgt. Jonathan Mosely of the metropolitan District commission police serving the Boston area. In new York state poor visibility in blowing Snow sunday morning forced police to close a 16-mile stretch of the new York state thruway in the Hudson Valley. Western Connecticut got 10 inches of Snow and Crawford county in Pennsylvania near Lake Erie got 12 inches. Ohio was especially hard hit by saturday s storm. Nine counties were closed after authorities shut Down All roads under Snow emergencies and thousands of Homes were without Power during the storm which ended Early sunday. Arctic wind and Snow Send chill through Northeast Ohio Valley