European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 15, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a a the stars and stripes saturday september 15,1990 Solo sailors two women will be among the competitors in the Boc Challenge a a Solo around the world yacht race that was to Start saturday from Newport . Canadian Jane Weber left checks her boat the 42-foot Tilley endurable. Isabelle Autissier of France right casts off a line from the 60-foot dec Treuil Poitou Charente for a Shakedown cruise  says he a undecided but open minded on abortion Issue Washington apr supreme court nominee David Souter said Friday that he has not made up his mind on the abortion rights Issue and would consider both sides if he is confirmed. Faced with repeated probes for his predisposition in the Case of Roe is. Wade Souter broke from his pattern of not commenting and stated flatly that he did t have a position. A i have not got any Agenda on what should be done with Roe is. Wade a he told the Senate judiciary committee. Souter a comments came during his second Day of testimony during which he also said he was obligated As a state official to defend limits on the separation of Church and state a but he probably would have ruled for the opposite Side had he been the judge. When in the new Hampshire attorney general a office Souter defended former gov. Meldrim Thomson a order that flags be lowered to half staff on Good Friday. He also prosecuted two Jehovah a witnesses for covering the state motto a live free or die a on their License tags. Souter told the Senate judiciary committee Friday he was obligated to defend the state if arguments could be made and he maintained that he could in those cases. But he acknowledged a if i were sitting As a judge today i probably would have ruled the same Way As the one who decided the Flag lowering order was unconstitutional. As for the License plate motto he said the state did not have a a particularly compelling interest in keeping its slogan visible. But Souter said it was important for him to pursue the cases. He said part of the Job of upholding the Constitution was to bring Forth arguments on issues. Souter began his second Day of testimony Fielding questions about How far courts should go in delineating new rights and Souter said judges needed to stick to those implied by the Constitution. A judge a has got to guard constantly against substituting his values for the values he is sworn to uphold a he told sen. Charles Grassley a Iowa an anti abortion lawmaker who quizzed the nominee about How far some judges have expanded concepts of constitutional  Bill  to Force better fuel Economy Washington apr the Senate decided Friday to consider a Bill that would require automakers to improve fuel Economy dramatically. Critics said the measure would Only Force Consumers to buy smaller cars. The move opened the Way for a Likely vote on the measure probably Early next week. The Bill would require new cars to achieve an average of 40 Miles per gallon by the end of the decade. A similar measure has been introduced in the House but has yet to emerge from committee. By a vote of 68-28, the Senate agreed to proceed with the legislation and scuttled an Effort by sen. Donald Riegle d-mich., to prevent the Bill from being introduced. The Auto Industry has vigorously opposed the legislation. It claims the goal of a Fleet fuel Economy average of 40 mpg by the year 2001, a 40 percent increase is not achievable without forcing Consumers to buy much smaller cars. The vote was an indicator of the growing support in Congress for the legislation As the Middle East crisis and rising Oil prices put renewed focus on the need for Energy conservation. The Bill a supporters have argued that improving automobile fuel Economy to an average of 40 mpg from the current 27.5 mpg would save 2.8 million barrels of Oil a Day. But in floor debate Riegle said those fuel savings Are not Likely to begin phasing in until 1995 and a better response to the current Oil crisis would be to return to a National Speed limit of 55 Miles an hour. He reiterated Many of the Auto Industry a arguments that the legislation would require the manufacture of much smaller cars increase traffic fatalities and reduce consumer Choice. Sen. Richard Bryan d-nev., the Bill a chief sponsor retorted that the idea was to Send a message to the automakers a that they re going to have to look at fuel Economy and not just muscle  he said there is evidence that the higher fuel standards could be met without significantly reducing car sizes. The Auto Industry and its unions have waged a vigorous lobbying Campaign against the measure. Riegle last week displayed 40,000 telegrams from autoworkers opposed to the legislation. Meanwhile environmentalists have maintained that improved Auto fuel Economy is the single Best Way to reduce americans dependence on foreign Oil and to combat global warming through reduced emissions of Carbon dioxide. A it does not take a Crystal Ball to realize that if we done to Start conserving now some future president May have to consider sending our Young men and women Back to the deserts of the Middle East a Bryan said. The Bill would require automakers to boost the average mileage of new car fleets by 20 percent to about 35 mpg by 1995 and by 40 percent to about 40 mpg by the year 2001. A repaired Magellan ready to take pictures of Venus Pasadena Calif. Apr Nasa turned on Magellan a radar Friday preparing the spacecraft to make maps and pictures of Venus this weekend for the first time since it developed communications trouble one month ago. A a we re doing Well. We re All turned on and everything is Normal a said de Sherry technical assistant to the Magellan project manager at the National aeronautics and space administrations Jet propulsion Laboratory. Sherry said the radar was turned on at 8 a.m., and engineers received confirmation 14 minutes later a the time it takes for radio signals sent by Magellan to travel More than 155 million Miles to Earth the radar was to remain on standby until saturday when it will be ordered to Send radar Waves through Venus thick Clouds and Bounce them on the rugged surface. Magellan then will collect the reflected radar echoes and Send the data to Earth. If All goes Well Nasa Hopes to release new pictures of Venus Early next week Sherry said. Magellan made its first pictures of Venus on aug. 16, Only hours before engineers temporarily lost Contact with the spacecraft for 14 hours. They again lost Contact for 17 i hours starting aug. 21. Another communications blackout is possible since engineers have yet to figure out what caused the first two outages Sherry said. But they have equipped Magellan with new computer commands that should allow them to restore Contact within four to 24 hours if it is lost again then resume mapping within two weeks. Magellan a $744 million Mission is to map 70 percent to 90 percent of Venus landscape. Magellan is in a nearly Polar orbit around Venus allowing it to Fly Over most of the planet As Venus slowly rotates once every 243 Earth Days. Scared playmates hid friends death for months Chicago apr the body of a 10-year-old boy was discovered in an abandoned Grain silo after his frightened playmates who witnessed his accidental fall revealed the secret they had kept for months. Just last week a nationwide mailing Campaign sent a photograph of the missing boy Ricky Rodriguez to millions of Homes seeking clues to the boys disappearance april 26. But thursday the Mother of one of Ricky a playmates called police to say she had Learned what happened to Ricky. Ricky fell from atop a towering abandoned Grain silo at the deserted falstaff brewing corp. On the City a Southeast Side while bouncing with the other boys on conveyor belts atop the silos police said. Fearing they a be blamed for Ricky a death the boys friends kept the secret from Ricky a parents and their own families As police used helicopters and scuba divers to search for him. A they were scared. They re just Little boys and they thought they were going to get into trouble a said police detective Eileen guest. A Well everybody can Stop looking a Ricky a father Steve said thursday. A i thought he was dead the night he disappeared. It just did no to fit his pattern to vanish. But. I was  the mystery began to unravel when a sister of one of Ricky a playmates overheard a conversation in which the boy said Ricky had fallen. She told her Mother who called police. Police interviewed each of Ricky a four playmates separately and were convinced the boys death had been accidental