European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 7, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 a a the stars and stripes sunday october 7,1990 of criticized for awarding work to suspended firm Washington apr an air Force decision to award two new contracts to a division of the Northrop corp. That is under suspension is being criticized by the chairman of a House panel. A Combine this with the Navy a disclosure at our last hearing that it had granted a waiver to Purchase 104 gyroscopes for the harrier Jet and it appears that the suspension is not even a slap on the wrist a rep. John Conyers said. The Michigan Democrat chairs the House government operations committee and its legislation and National Security subcommittee. Northrop  precision products division was suspended from doing business with the Pentagon about 15 months ago. The company earlier had been indicted for allegedly falsifying test results on the harrier fight or bomber and air launched cruise missile. On sept. 19, the air Force waived the suspension to Purchase replacement parts for gyroscopes on the minuteman missile and those used in the paved Penny laser target identification system on the a-10 and a-7 aircraft. Short due to utilization rates and manufacturing Lead  a such a shortage would a adversely affect the High Alert status required for this important part of our Security deterrence a said maj. Phyllis Phipps Bames an air Force spokeswoman. Conyers previously held a hearing on the av-8b harrier Jet four of which the Marine corps grounded because of faulty sensors that Are designed to stabilize the aircraft. At the session col. James Hart the Marine corps officer heading the program said it had waived the suspension against Northrop to buy a package of spare rate sensor assemblies for $300,000 for the harrier. In the statement criticizing the air Force Conyers levelled a new attack against the harrier which costs $20 million per aircraft. Over the past six years six serv ice members have been killed in accidents involving the plane. The most recent Accident occurred tuesday when a Marine Jet Pilot was killed during a training Mission in North Carolina. A waiver Quot umm sure a a a.  Navy finds accept the waiver a to ensure paved Penny equipped a los deployed for desert shield have sufficient spares to support nighttime operations with precision guided  operation desert shield is the defense departments code name for the deployment of . Forces in the persian Gulf. The air Force said it waived the suspension for the minuteman parts because they had become a critically during it out Louisiana state rep. David Duke who is trying to unseat sen. J. Bennett Johnston signs an autograph for Milton Thibodeaux at new Orleans International Airport on Friday night. Duke a former Kun Siux klan grand wizard running As a Republican was to face Johnston a Democrat in the state primary saturday. Able these losses and continues to operate a system with such a High fatality rate and proven record of severe reliability problems a Conyers said. The Marine corps has nearly 200 harriers made by Mcdonnell Douglas corp. Under License from a British manufacturer. The harriers needing no runway to take off can be based in Forest clearings and other unorthodox places to provide close support and air cover for Marine  run wild on child support Oklahoma City apr a list of the worst excuses offered by Oklahoma parents who Are delinquent in making child support payments includes a a in be got to pay my Cable to  state department of human services officials announced Friday that they will make Public some of the dubious excuses they hear by releasing the a worst excuse of the  the worst of the worst seems to be one from a Parent seemingly More interested in his Channel selection than his kids. He wrote that he a a can to afford to pay child support. In be got to Pav my Cable to Bill this  the state Agency already puts out a monthly 10 most wanted list of delinquent parents. The excuses parents give for late payments Range from a sad to silly a said Bruce Walker head of the Dos department that oversees child sup port payments. More than $35 million in delinquent payments were collected last year he said. In other excuses one Parent said a we Only had sex one time. I  be the  one Man admitted he had been ordered to pay Only $25 a week but said a a in la not allow my a wife to get Rich on my  another Man said a a she a receiving welfare so she does no to need child  one Parent said he had recently bought groceries for his children and added a i always get them Christmas and birthday presents. What a the problem a buckwheat called impostor Dallas a. A a �?o20-20�?� claiming he played Bucko a your Fino Quot unc on a Man who appeared on abcs neat in the classic our gang comedies was an impostor said the actor who played Spanky. The child actor who portrayed buckwheat died nearly a decade ago at age 49, George a Span Kyd Mcfarland said. A �?o20-20�?� news Magazine segment narrated by Hugh Downs reported Friday that an elderly Man who portrayed buckwheat in the Hal Roach film comedies was found working As a grocery Bagger in Tempe Ariz. The Man who identified himself As Bill English said he had changed his name from Bill Thomas. The real buckwheat whose name was William a a Billy Thomas died nearly Loyear ago Mcfarland said. A i done to have the slightest idea who he was but he Wasny to buckwheat a said Mcfarland 62, who watched the �?o20-20�?� program in his Home in fort Worth Texas. Mcfarland said he last saw the real buckwheat at an our gang reunion in los Angeles in 1980, shortly before Thomas died of a heart attack. Richard w. Bann who co authored a 1976 Book on the our gang stars also said the real buckwheat is dead. A buckwheat ainu to giving no More interviews a said Bann who watched the show in los Angeles. �?o20-20�?� spokeswoman Maurie Perl said the show thought it had the right buckwheat. A we did our research and to the Best of our knowledge we re not aware that he passed away a she said. Stateside Robby the robot passes first Earth bound test Pasadena Calif. A Robby a $1 million robot Rover vehicle designed to explore Mars successfully picked its Way along a Rocky dry riverbed without human help Nasa said. A this is the first time that an autonomous vehicle has Ever navigated rugged terrain using video cameras a said Roger Bedard planetary Rover program manager at the space Agency a Jet propulsion Laboratory. A Robby himself  go to Mars. He a a test  Nasa called the test a a significant Milestone in developing a planet roving computer guided vehicle that would explore Mars to find suitable Landing Sites for a manned Mission to the red planet. It will be about 1995 before engineers fully develop Rover technology and about 2000 before one can be built to go to Mars Bedard  accuses airline of age discrimination Dallas apr a class action lawsuit accusing Southwest airlines of discriminating against older pilots was filed by the . Equal Opportunity commission on Friday. The lawsuit filed in the . District court alleges that Southwest has not hired a Pilot older than 45 since 1987. Southwest airlines which serves 13 states employs 800 pilots. A spokesman for Southwest denied the allegations. A we think their statistics Are simply incorrect a said Jim Parker vice president and general counsel for Southwest airlines. Since 1987, Southwest airlines has hired 39 pilots older than 45, Parker  to step Down As National review editor new York a William f. Buckley or. Says he plans to resign within two weeks As ranking editor of the National review the biweekly news Magazine he founded 35 years ago As a bastion of conservative thought. Buckley who said he will take a position As editor at Large announced his plans Friday night at the close of the magazines 35th anniversary banquet at the Waldorf Astoria hotel. He said National reviews anniversary Issue to be published in two weeks would be his last As ranking  rules Church can evict theater group new York up a the Catholic Church has the right to evict a theater group using a Church owned facility to stage a play about a Clergyman who kills a pregnant woman in an automobile Accident while drunk a judge has ruled. The Rapp arts Center will Appeal the Rul my theater spokesman Brian Drutman said. He also said the group was considering moving the production of a the Cardinal detox est to another location. The roman Catholic archdiocese of new York which owns the former parochial school being used As a playhouse went to court to enforce the termination of its lease with the Center. The off off Broadway production is a 35-minute monologue about a Clergyman living in a Church detoxification Center because he killed a pregnant woman in an automobile Accident while driving drunk