European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 30, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 a a a the stars and stripes Friday March 30,199062 pounds of plutonium entered plants air ducts Denver apr about 62 pounds of deadly radioactive plutonium escaped into nearly a mile of air ducts during the 38 years the Federal government operated the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons Plant officials said. That much plutonium could make six bombs and would be Worth billions of dollars if sold on the Black Market said Melinda Kassen an attorney for the environmental defense fund and member of a Rocky Flats monitoring committee. Quot we feel the 28-Kiogram figure is fairly solid a Jim Breen a spokesman for Plant operator leg amp a inc., said wednesday. A but we still have More measurements to  Twenty eight kilograms equals about 62 pounds. The Energy department confirmed in october that there had been at cast one accumulation of plutonium that had a a serious potential for causing a criticality Accident under certain  if enough plutonium gathers in one spot potentially a nuclear Chain reaction and a blast could occur. Even if the plutonium poses no risk of criticality a the Point at which a nuclear Chain reaction becomes self sustaining a it still is dangerous to hundreds of thousands of people in the Denver area Kassen said. Plutonium is so toxic it is usually expressed in quantities of Grams a thousandth of a kilogram. The Energy department estimated last year that there were 12 kilograms of plutonium in the 4,000 feet of exhaust ducts for the hundreds of Glove boxes that workers use to handle and process the plutonium at Rocky Flats. Plutonium operations at Rocky rats were closed Down last fall for routine maintenance and plutonium inventory and they have remained closed pending the Resolution of safety and health problems at the Plant officials said. Breen said Wellesley  leg amp a which operates the Rocky Flats Plant under contract to the Energy department is working on recovering the plutonium. He  elaborate  letter to hostages son tells 9-year-old to a stay Strong Malden mass. Apr the 9-year-old son of hostage Frank Reed is lonely and confused not to have his dad but has spent the last few Days cheered by a letter from president Bush advising him to a stay  a the president said he knows i miss my father a lot so he a doing All he can do to free the hostages a said Tarek Reed whose third Grade class All wrote letters to the Oval office asking Bush for help. The president wrote Back to All 18 students. Reed the director of the lebanese International school in Beirut was abducted on sept. 9,1986. Peggy say whose brother Terry Anderson is the longest held Western hostage delivered the letters when she and other relatives of the eight americans missing in Lebanon met March 16 with Bush and his wife Barbara. The meeting was on the fifth anniversary of Andersons abduction. An iranian backed fundamentalist group islamic jihad claimed it kidnapped Anderson the chief Middle East correspondent for the associated press. �?o1 was amazed at the Quick time with which Bush answered a said Reeds syrian born wife fifi. A How can you not like a president like this so Down to  the presidents Secretary called Glenwood school soon after the hostage families reunion to get the students Home addresses mrs. Reed said. His replies started showing up at Homes around this Boston suburb on monday. A the school has been enraptured Quot said Reeds 91-year-old Mother Lota Sprague. A and Little Tarek has read it and read  the letter said a a we re trying hard to help bring your dad Back Home. Everyone tells me he a a wonderful Man and i know you miss him a lot. I Hope that All the hard work and All the prayers will result in the release of the hostages. A stay Strong Pray for your dads Safe  mrs. Reed said she was a not that optimistic that her husband will be freed soon. A but in a not an Optimist by nature a she added. Reeds Mother said the presidents gesture helped keep the family Strong. A this was just a Lovely thing for him to do because our Little boy is Tom Between knowing what we can to do and wishing we could a she said. A we can to answer his questions because we re asking the same thing Why Why must this go on a Tarek Reed and members of his third Grade class show letters they received from president Bush. Stateside judge voids election plan of Dallas City Council Dallas a a Federal judge ruled the City s method of electing Council members illegal and ordered new elections As soon As possible to pilfer better representation to Blacks and Hispan . District judge Jerry Buchmeyer a Ruline wednesday gives the nations eighth biggest cite 30 Days to submit a plan for the special interim election. The judge did not set an election Date Buchmeyer said he wanted an election plan with 11 to 15 single member districts and a mayor elected at Large. Eight City Council members Are currently elected in single member districts while three including the mayor Are elected at Large. A Only the mayor would be elected at Large Buchmeyer said. A if the City fails to develop an interim election plan within 30 Days Buchmeyer would devise a court ordered one said Betsy Julian executive director of the Legal services of North  Senate oks massive education Reform Frankfort by. Apr the state Senate on wednesday approved an overhaul of the school system funded with a $1.26 billion tax increase that is designed to boost Kentucky sailing schools into the nations front ranks. The Bill is a a do or die Effort for elementary and secondary education in this state a said state majority floor Leader Joe Wright a driving Force behind its passage. The 946-Page Bill which would repeal and rewrite All Kentucky Laws dictating How Public schools Are run passed by a 30-8 vote. It goes Back to the House where it originated for action on Senate amendments. Gov. Wallace Wilkinson elected in 1987 on an education platform said the 1990 general Assembly would leave a a legacy of education  most of the programs foreseen in the Bill can be found in various school districts around the  Bear maims keeper in Cincinnati zoo attack Cincinnati apr a Polar Bear attacked its keeper at the Cincinnati zoo tearing off her hand and some of her forearm a zoo spokeswoman said. Bear keeper Laurie Stober was in fair condition following surgery wednesday night at University Hospital. Her surgeon or. Lawrence Kurtzman remained hopeful that Stober would retain her Elbow zoo spokeswoman Susan Burg Mann said. Zoo officials said the Bear attacked Stober 25, through the bars of its Cage. A the Best that we can reconstruct she was either feeding or watering the animals and he was Able to grab hold of her fingers and pulled her Arm in a Burgmann said. A these Are very dangerous wild animals and when they do this they Are just acting naturally a she said. Burgmann said the Bear stopped the attack on its own and wandered away As another zoo attendant ran for help. She said the zoo does l plan to take any action against the Bear. Lawn care May be risky to health Gao says Washington apr the $ 1.5 billion that americans spend each year on picture perfect lawns May be damaging their health congressional investigators said wednesday. The general accounting office an investigative Arm of Congress also said the environmental Protection Agency Isnit doing enough to regulate commercial Lawn care services. Epa is allowing to use advertising it Gao investigator a Senate Environ Nesses about the effects of commonly used Lawn care pesticides a Thomas prior of Maplewood n.j., said his brother died after being exposed to a chemical that had been sprayed on a Golf course he had played. A Sharon Malhotra a nurse from Murrysville pa., said the chemicals used outside her town House have made her so sick that she has had to leave her Home during spraying. Furthermore the Lawn care companies knows to be false Peter Guerrero told ment subcommittee. The panel heard from several wit Kevin Ryan also said that past expo a an 11 year old boy from Arlington Heights iii., said he can to even play in his own Yard a because my neighbors Spray their lawns and  sure to the chemicals has brought on numbness Chest pressure aching joints respiratory discomfort nausea stomach pain memory loss irritability depression and fatigue. The committees chairman sen. Harry Reid d-nev., said the Epa a does not appear to have Given a very High priority to testing Lawn care chemicals. He said that More than 7 million americans use Lawn care services firms that Gross More than $1.5 billion annually. Testimony presented to the committee by the Lawn care Industry said that proper precautions Are being taken by applicators and that the chemicals Are Safe. Roger Yeary of chem Awn services corp., said Lawn care services present no special or unusual Hazard. Even though More pesticides Are us on agricultural land treated res1� a lawns show concentrations of up to times the toxic chemicals used on Talt Reid said. The Gao report was a followup of on it did four years ago. That study. A the Epa had made very Little Prog it assessing the health risks of wide y Lawn care pesticides and had taken enforcement action against advert claims made by the pesticide indu by