European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 21, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday april 21, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 7jury told Marcos spent $56 at Mcdonald a new York apr when Imelda Marcos visited new York in 1983 and 1984, she made a $1 million Down payment on a Michelangelo painting and spent millions on jewelry according to documents introduced at her trial on fraud charges. The purchases were logged in notebooks kept by Marcos personal Secretary be Roa Jimenez during Marcos trips to the United states in the Early 1980s. The notebooks show expenditures ranging from $56 at Mcdonald a to a $200,000 Diamond Bracelet and bedsheets and Ria for $18,401. The notebooks entered in evidence were found in the philippine presidential Palace in 1986 after her late husband Ferdinand e. Marcos was ousted As president and they fled to Hawaii. Marcos 60, is on trial on charges that she and her late husband bought four new York properties and financed a lavish lifestyle Between 1981 and 1983 with More than $ 160 million allegedly embezzled from their homelands  defends the Apache As worlds a finest Washington apr army Secretary Michael . Stone testified thursday that the service did not dispute congressional findings of shortcomings with the ah-64 Apache helicopter but is making Progress in rectifying the problems. The Apache is a the finest attack helicopter in the world an aircraft that has Given the United states a capability that is the envy of the world a Stone told a congressional hearing. As expected however the service was urged to drop plans to buy the remaining 132 apaches it has on order because of reliability problems with the aircraft. A reliability and maintainability have been a Nightmare a said rep. John Dingell d-mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce committees oversight and investigations panel. The general accounting office which found problems with the helicopters used in the december invasion of Panama recommended that the army not buy the final Batch of apaches. A Why buy More headaches a asked Richard Davis director of the Gao a army issues group. A use the Money to operate and fix existing  Gao officials testified that the army a a handpicked six of its Best apaches for the Panama incursion. Despite this one helicopter was not Able to take off because of a Hydraulic failure the fuel cel failed in another and still another was forced to return to the base when its target detection system did no to work the Gao said. Complicating matters were the helicopters sensitive electronic components which failed to work when rain and humidity caused a buildup of moisture. Army officials were forced to dry the parts in Kitchen ovens. A the Betty Crocker approach to Apache maintenance a quipped rep. Gerry Sikorski d-minn., a member of the subcommittee on oversight and investigations. The army planned to buy 807 apaches from Mcdonnell Douglas corp. At a Cost of $ 12 billion it is committed to 675. The last 132 would Cost $1.49 billion which has already been appropriated for the current fiscal year. The army had received 534 apaches from its first delivery in 1986 through december. Gao investigators found that the helicopter could Only perform its assigned missions an average of 49 percent of the time a Low rate for an army helicopter. The Gao also found that the apaches ability to perform decreased even further As flight hours increased. Lawmakers also questioned the army a warranty with Mcdonnell Douglas. The warranty is similar to health insurance in that the army must meet a certain a a deductible before being paid. The army has found 166 problems with the Apache and taken Steps to solve 90, the Gao said. But it said none of the costs associated with fixing the problems has been passed on to Mcdonnell Douglas under the warranty. A not All failures count against the warranty a Davis said a Only those that come up to the depot for repair. Questioned about the threshold Davis said the army would begin getting reimbursed for the Cost of repairing the Apache after about 2,000 or 3,000 failures. A a that a a rip off for taxpayers a said rep. Ron Wyden Dore. The biggest single expenditure during the May 1983 trip was the $1 million payment toward the unidentified Michelangelo painting leaving a $2.5 million balance. During a 1984 visit to new York Marcos spent $ 13,284 in a single Day at Bloomingdale a department store according to a Ledger. Food expenses ranged from the $56 for hamburgers and fish fillets at Mcdonald a to $305 for lunch at a Manhattan restaurant two Days later. In testimony thursday a former philippine banking official said the Marc oses worried about their country a diminished . Dollar reserves while they allegedly bought Manhattan real estate with embezzled government funds. The notebooks revealed bits and pieces of her social activities including Broadway shows and contained references to numerous celebrities such As Singer Julio Iglesias actor George Hamilton and industrialist Armand Hammer. One notation concerned a request by former philippine sen. Benigno Aquino or. To meet with Imelda Marcos in new York on May 12, 1983. Aquino a Marcos foe then living in exile in the United states was murdered at the Manila Airport when he returned Home three months later. In his testimony thursday former Central Bank governor Jaime Laya said he attended a meeting at the Marcos est official residence in Manila at which Marcos asked prominent filipino businessmen to use their contacts abroad to help the Philippines in its time of crisis. The meeting resulted in Marcos decision to Issue Treasury Bonds in . Dollar denominations that would be repaid with interest in two years Laya said. When the Treasury Bonds did not immediately Spur investments lava said he asked Marcos for help and a few Days later three foreign Banks bought Bonds Worth $75 million. The witness said $15 million came from Banquo Aribas a Swiss institution where prosecutors claim the Marc oses held secret accounts for funds allegedly stolen from their homelands treasu7. Laya who testified with immunity for the prosecution served in the Marcos Cabinet As minister of education culture and sports from 1984 until february 1986, when Ferdinand Marcos was ousted from Power. Laya supervised the regulation of the country a Money Supply. Teachers from Choctaw okla., celebrate on the Capitol Steps after the Senate passed an education Reform  strike ends in Oklahoma Oklahoma City apr state lawmakers broke a deadlock thursday on school financing that would raise teachers salaries ending a strike that idled classes for More than 300,000 students this week. As striking teachers crowded the Halls of the Capitol and thousands More rallied outside senators approved an emergency clause on a $230 million education Reform and tax Bill shortly before 6 . The Bill was sent to gov. Henry Elfmon who said he would sign the Bill at an undetermined Date. The emergency clause which allows the Bill to become Taw As soon As it is signed had been a stumbling Block to the package. The Senate failed last week to pass it prompting the Oklahoma education association to Call for a five Day teacher walkout. The Bill Calls for spending $68.1 million to raise minimum teacher salaries by $1,500 a year for four years. The Bill would not increase the salaries of teachers above the minimums but $212 million budgeted for schools could be used for teacher salaries and other items. Mum beginning teachers salary with a Bachelor degree is $15,060. A a new Day is dawning for education in Oklahoma a Bellmon said after the vote. A Oklahoma will no longer take a Back Seal among the slates where education is concerned. From now on others can look to Oklahoma for leadership in  Union officials said the passage would end the walkout which was in its fourth Day thursday. Many students began returning to classes Friday. Teachers in districts already closed for the week planned to hold a Quot thank you rally at the Capitol on Friday said Nancy Jewell spokeswoman for the Oklahoma education association. Thousands of teachers As Well As some administrators parents and students protested earlier thursday Over the legislative stalemate on a Bill that Calls for raising the state sales lax and increasing personal and corporate income taxes to pay for the education reforms. A half cell increase in the 4k ent state sales lax increase would raise $104 million As would a 10 percent increase in personal income taxes. An increase in the corporate tax from 5 percent to 6 percent would produce $22 million