European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 26, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday april 26, 1990 the stars and stripes a Page 5execution cleared for Arkansas killer Washington apr condemned murderers who waive their right to Appeal and say they want to die May be executed even if no appeals court reviews their cases the supreme court ruled tuesday. The decision will let Arkansas authorities execute a Man who killed 16 relatives and acquaintances during a 1987 rampage. No state appeals court has reviewed the Validity of his convictions or sentence. By a 7-2 vote the justices ruled that Only convicted mass murderer r. Gene Simmons a and not fellow death Row inmate Jonas Whitmore a has the Legal standing to Challenge Simmons death sentence. Whitmore mounted his Challenge even though Simmons prefers death to end a the torture and suffering in  Whitmore had asked the justices to Rule that state appeals courts must review All death sentences a even when not asked to do so by the condemned murderer. In fact Many states provide automatic appellate review in capital cases regardless of the defendants wishes. But Whitmore trying to stand in for Simmons had argued that such review is constitutionally required. The court did not address the constitutional Issue ruling instead that Whitmore cannot make such an argument in Simmons behalf. Dod asked to reinstate Darpa head Washington apr eleven lawmakers have asked the Pentagon to reinstate Craig Fields As head of the defense departments High technology research and development Agency. A firing and silencing such a key player in the . Competitiveness debate is at Best Short sighted at worst a major breach of our future economic Security a the bipartisan group said in a letter to Deputy defense Secretary Donald Atwood on tuesday. Fields had been head of the defense advanced research projects Agency for a year until he was transferred Friday. The Agency Darpa provides Money to private Industry to develop High technology goods with military uses. Supporters of Fields contend he was removed because he advocated spending Money on so called a dual use technologies a technology that has civilian As Well As military applications. The Bush administration however is divided Over the role of government in helping private Industry. Conservatives argue that such funding interferes with the free Market. Darpa funded work includes research into supercomputers artificial intelligence software semiconductor manufacturing and biotechnology. A Whitmore having failed to establish that Simmons is mentally unable to proceed on his own behalf does not have the Legal standing to proceed a chief Justice William h. Rehnquist wrote for the court. In other decisions the court # ruled 6-3 in a Case that could affect millions of dollars in movie Industry profits that distributors of the Alfred Hitchcock thriller a rear windows must share with a literary agent earnings from the 1954 films re release. A ruled 6-2 that the . Territory of Guam and its supreme court Roundup officials May not be sued for allegedly violating a much used Federal civil rights Law. The decision in the death penalty Case lifted a stay the justices had imposed on the eve of Simmons scheduled execution last year. Arkansas officials will be free to schedule a new execution Date As soon As they officially receive word of the courts ruling 25 Days from tuesday. Justices Thurgood Marshall and William j. Brennan who oppose capital punishment in All circumstances dissented from tuesdays ruling. A the court needlessly abdicates its grave responsibility to ensure that no person is wrongly executed a Marshall wrote for the two. Simmons 49, killed his wife three sons four daughters a son in Law a daughter in Law and four grandchildren at his Home near Dover Ark. He killed two acquaintances in the nearby town of Russellville. The victims All slain in the Days surrounding Christmas 1987, were shot or strangled. He consistently has refused to Appeal his convictions and death sentence. A we Are free to execute or. Simmons As Long As he wishes to be executed a a James Lee a spokesman for state attorney general Steve Clark said alter learning of tuesdays ruling. The sister of Simmons slain wife Becky said she was relieved by the decision. A fall i can say is i know he wants to die and its now one chapter i know will be closed a said Viola of Shields of fort Payne Ala. A it s been a most Long very hard three  of Shields said she wont Tell her Mother 81-year-old May Novak of Briggsdale colo., about the ruling until a new execution Date is set. A she has not been Well since All this happened and maybe this will relieve some of the stress and pain she a gone through a of Shields said. % a a tilt High wire environmental protest set Fly to a demonstrators from the environmental group Earth first attempt to stretch a Banner Between the suspension cables of san Francisco a Golden Gate Bridge Dur ing the tuesday morning commute. Twelve protesters were arrested As the group snarled traffic. On monday about 170 demonstrators were arrested and six people were slightly injured along Wall Street in new York and another 49 were arrested during a demonstration at the Pacific Stock Exchange in san  the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. April 26, 1950 a the communications workers of America postponed indefinitely a nationwide strike hours before it was to begin. Locomotive firemen had earlier agreed to postpone for two weeks their planned strike against seven of the nations eight railroads.30 years ago today. April 26, 1960 a a devastating earthquake which struck the Southern iranian City of Lar left an estimated 1,000 persons dead the red Cross reported. Most of the victims were women and children gathered downtown for children a Day activities.20 years ago today. April 26, 1970 a communist China announced that it had launched a satellite into orbit around the Earth. Pentagon experts said the launch May be a first step toward developing reconnaissance satellites to guard against Surprise soviet attack.10 years ago today. April 26, 1980 a a daring Effort to Rescue 53 american hostages in Tehran Iran ended in tragedy even before it began when two . Military aircraft collided on a Remote iranian desert killing eight americans president Carter announced. Florida to begin spraying to Check me Fly outbreak Miami apr Florida facing an infestation of Mediterranean fruit flies said it would begin Aerial spraying thursday in an attempt to halt the spread of the crop destroying insect. A malathion compound will be sprayed Over a mostly residential 16-Squarc-mile area around Miami International Airport agriculture commissioner Doyle Conner said tuesday. The spraying to continue for four weeks will be followed by the release of millions of sterile flies Over a 75-Day period to break the Breeding Cycle he said. Fruit quarantine boundaries have not yet been established. Six of the crop destroying pests have been discovered near the Airport including two on tuesday. Conner said the spraying program has proven successful in the past and is the Best approach despite environmental concerns raised Over similar spraying in California. Consumer activists and local governments in Southern California have protested the repeated spraying of malathion laced syrup on suburban neighbourhoods. The me Fly has spread from suburban Back Yards to Orange and Grapefruit Groves in some of the regions richest Farmland. Medlics considered one of the worlds most serious agricultural pests arc about half the size of houseflies. They do not sting and pose no threat to humans but the larvae hatching inside More than 250 varieties of fruits and vegetables can turn it to inedible Mush. The last major me Fly outbreak to affect Florida a commercial Groves spread across 98 uni indies in 1956