European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 7, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes first class rate to to it of no it try  a Caulrig  ice Rair  n of  Rwei Page 4 a a letter rate of 30<t gets 1 St step of Washington apr the governors of the . Postal service voted tuesday to raise rates including a Nickel jump in the Cost of mailing a first class letter but there could be As much As a year of skirmishing before any increase takes effect. Quot even at 30 cents postage is one of America s Best buys a said postmaster general Anthony m. Frank noting that . Postage remains the lowest in the industrialized world. The proposal Calls for the Cost of a first class letter to increase from a Quarter to 30 cents with the Price for each additional ounce rising from 20 cents to 23 cents. Postcards would Cost 20 cents also up a Nickel _ while express mail would go from $8.75 to $9.75. Overall rates would increase by about 19 percent on All types of mail. Frank said the increases Are needed because the postal service could face its biggest deficit Ever this year Between $ 1.4 billion and $ 1,6 billion. In addition to the first class increase the proposal would raise the Cost of mailing a typical weekly newsmagazine from j 3.5 cents to 16 cents while a heavier monthly publication would Rise from 29.7 cents to 37.4 cents. The parcel Post rate for a 7-Pound package would Rise from $4 to $5.06. Increasing the Cost of a postage stamp Isnit a simple process. The proposal must go to the Independent postal rate commission which has 10 months to consider the request hold hearings and Issue a Repert. If the commission agrees rates can increase. At any rate an increase will not occur before Early 1991. For comparison postal officials report that first class rates in Australia Are the equivalent of 30.7 cents and canadians pay 32.5 cents. The rate amounts to 33.5 cents in Switzerland and 33.9 cents in England. It is the equivalent of 40.5 cents in France 42.8 cents in Japan 56.4 cents in Italy and 59.9 cents in West Germany. Wednesday March 7,1990 1900 h i to 15 to a Blackbird spy plane sits at Dulles International Airport after crossing the country in 68 minutes 17 seconds. Blackbird goes out in glorious Rush by crossing country in record time Chantilly a. Apr americans Premier spy plane a the sr-71 Blackbird a came in from the cold War after a Quarter Century of supersonic snooping setting a transcontinental Speed record tuesday before retiring to a museum Home. In a final fling for the history books one of the Black Dagger shaped aircraft flashed from coast to coast in 68 minutes 17 seconds arriving at Dulles International Airport outside the nations capital to the cheers of hundreds of onlookers. The old record was 3 hours 38 minutes set in 1963 by a Boeing 707. The Blackbird took a running Start refuelling Over the Pacific Ocean at 60,000 feet before heading East from the California coastline and crossing its finish line near Salisbury md., said Malvern Gross president of the National aeronautics association. The Blackbird then refuelled before cruising to Dulles. The flight also set three other Speed records. A Bye Bye Blackbird a said Ben Rich the Lockheed aircraft corp. Executive who helped design the plane. A i cannot honestly say this is a Happy Day for  the Blackbird Model no. 17972 was donated to the smithsonian institution which plans to display it at a Dulles Wing of the National air and space museum. It was one of the few Public displays of a Blackbird. And despite the Rush to publicize this final run most details of the planets design and capabilities Are still top secret. The air Force wont even say How Many of the planes exist. Maj. Suzanne Randle of the strategic air commands Headquarters at Offutt fab neb., said nine blackbirds Are going to museums three Are being mothballed at Palmdale calif., and three will be used by Nasa for research. Randle said she could not say whether that accounted for All the planes. The first flight of a Blackbird was in december 1964. It regularly flew missions Over heavily defended North Vietnam and provided intelligence in Many other regions including the Middle East and China. In 1982, its photographs revealed the presence of soviet Mig fighters in Nicaragua touching off an International dispute. The air Force officially retired the Blackbird Fleet in january saying the planes were too expensive to keep in the air despite their technological prowess. The Blackbird can outrun the fastest fighters and has never been shot Down in 25 years of spying. It remains the fastest and highest flying Jet aircraft in the world. Built to withstand temperatures of More than 800 degrees fahrenheit its skin is a titanium Alloy instead of the aluminium used on most air planes. Powered by two Pratt amp Whitney Turbojet engines it can sustain a Speed of Mach 3, or three times the Speed of sound. Its maximum Speed is classified. On tuesdays flight the plane set separate Speed records of 2,153.24 Mph Between los Angeles and Washington 2,242.48 Mph Between St Louis and Cincinnati and 2,200.94 Mph Between Kansas City mo., and Washington. The Pilot was it. Col. De Yeilding and it. Col. . Vida was the reconnaissance systems officer. Atwater has non malignant growth Washington apr Lee Atwater chairman of the Republican National committee has a non malignant growth in the right Side of his head a neurosurgeon said tuesday. Atwater was hospitalized monday after collapsing during a speech. Or. Edward r. Laws chairman of the department of neurosurgery at George Washington University medical Center said no surgery was planned and he expected Atwater to be released from the Hospital by the end of the week and be Able to resume Normal activities next week. A Lee Atwater completed tests this morning which revealed a Small non malignant growth in the right Side of his head a the doctor said in a statement released by the inc. He did not say what treatment Atwater would receive. Radiation is often used to treat benign tutors. White House spokesman Marlin Fitz water said president Bush phoned Atwater at the Hospital. Another source who did not wish to be identified said former presidents Reagan and Nixon also called Atwater. Atwater 39 years old and a regular exerciser fainted As he was speaking to a group of gop contributors monday morning and was rushed to George Washington University Hospital. He remained in the Hospital overnight. Earlier this year the chairman went on a liquid diet in Hopes of losing a few pounds. He told a reporter last week however that he had Given up the diet and had actually gained rather than lost weight. Strict liquid diets have been associated with a variety of Side effects including fainting. Heating Oil Barge hit by explosions Linden . Up a a Barge carrying 4.4 million Gallons of heating Oil was wracked by two explosions tuesday shortly after it left a Linden terminal of Cit go Petroleum corp., a company spokesman said. Just before 2 p.m., the Barge cipro Savannah owned by Montauk transportation was hit by an explosion be tween 100 to 200 feet offshore in the Arthur kill waterway after it had left the Cit go terminal said spokesman Kent Young at Cit go a Tulsa okla., Headquarters. A second explosion occurred about 15 minutes later Young said. He said the Barge had just completed loading 105,000 barrels or 4.4 million Gallons of no. 2 heating Oil. Some Oil spilled into the kill coast guard spokesman John Hollis said. Booms were placed around the Barge to contain it. Young said he did not know How Many people were aboard the Barge which was bound for Northeast Petroleum a division of Cargill in  Battle Moose Snow Rohn Alaska apr leaders in the id Tarod sled dog race faced deep Snow and bitter cold tuesday after leaving More sheltered terrain where one Musher had to kill a Moose that attacked his team. Defending Champion Joe Runyan held the Lead after passing four time Winner Rick Swenson. Twenty eight racers nearly half the 68 remaining in the race were reported tuesday morning at Rohn roadhouse in alaskans Interior. The site is the ninth checkpoint and 271 Miles from the Start of the 1,160-mile trek. On monday a Musher in 44th place and 78 Miles behind the leaders had to fire five pistol rounds to drop a Moose that attacked his dogs. One dog was Cut across the head but Lorren Weaver 50, a physician fron Knik and his team were otherwise unhurt