European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 12, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday december 12, 1990 the stars and stripes it pages Dod suspects a-12 overpayment the Federal government is payments defense Washington a conducting a criminal inquiry into excessive payments on the Navy a secret a-12 attack bomber the i department told Congress on monday. The departments inspector general Susan Crawford made the disclosure during questioning at the first House armed services committee hearing on the secret stealth aircraft and the controversy surrounding the six year old program. Quot Quot a the . Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri presently is conducting and directing a criminal investigation into the overpayment of Progress pay Mentis a a Crawford told the panel. A a both the defense criminal investigative service which works for me and the naval investigative service Are working in a joint fashion under the direction of the . Attorney a she said. Both contractors on the project Mcdonnell Douglas corp. And general dynamics corp. Are based in St Louis. The Navy announced last week that had fired three top overseers of its a-12 program including two admirals for failing to make Clear to top Navy and Pentagon leadership that the planets development was faring much worse than the contractors claimed. The a-12 Quot avengers is scheduled to replace the serv ice s aging Fleet of a-6 intruder attack bombers aboard aircraft carriers starting in 199$, Lew details of the new plane have been released. Five weeks after defense Secretary  told Congress in april that the program was on track it was disclosed that the a-12 is is months behind schedule and More than is billion Over its planned $4,7 billion Cost. Navy Secretary ii. Lawrence Garrett told Cheney last week that he was forcing vice Agni. Richard c. Gentzy commander of the naval air systems command to retire by feb. I. B. Garrett also said he was reassigning rear adm. John f. Calvert the program s executive officer for tactical aircraft programs and capt. Lawrence s. ,.a-12 program manager and writing each a letter of censure. Garrett said however that he would not Stop Lilber fold s scheduled promotion to rear Admiral. Quot i have determined to allow his promotion to the Grade of rear Admiral in due course for which he was selected by Board action prior to the principal events giving Rise to this report a Garrett said in a nov. 29 letter to Cheney. A member of the House panel rep. Andy Ireland rrfla., was clearly angered by Garrett s action a i wonder what message you Send when you include censure and a promotion As w Ell Quot Ireland asked. Quot the message is already  Garrett responded. A that you can be promoted a Ireland interrupted. The Navy Secretary argued that the promotion of fiber Lehi Vas based on 20 years of serv ice and to deny his promotion would he a embarrassing and debilitating 1o it Berfeldt a future career. An internal Navy report and the Pentagon inspector general s investigation indicated last week that Overly optimistic Cost and schedule estimates of the contractors were not sufficiently challenged by the government. The Navy report , Mcdonnell Douglas and general dynamics contract officials failed to Tell the Navy of Cost and schedule problems. In his testimony Garrett said that briefings from the Navy a management team on the a-12 program a gave no indication of risk that the contract would not be completed within its ceiling Price nor any risk that first flight and the follow on test program would not be  Garrett blamed a human errors in judgment for problems with the aircraft that were never reported lie added that although the current procurement system works individuals Quot find it very hard la push bad news up to the top.�?�. Texas owner cleared in san Antonio apr prosecutors dropped criminal charges monday against a record store owner who sold the 2 live Crew album a was Nasty As they Wanna be a saying they  prove the sexually explicit lyrics were obscene. The trial of Dave Risher was about to begin when Bexar county court at Law judge Tony Jimenez Iii dismissed the charges at the prosecutors request. He also asked sternly Why it took them six months to come up empty handed. A i think that the District attorneys office owes or. Risher an apology Quot he said. Spectators clapped and cheered when the Case was dismissed. Risher was charged after Patrick Weaver son of the president of citizens against pornography bought the album at log wind records and. Tapes in june then complained to police that it was obscene. The album includes references to Ora and anal sex and sexual violence against women. The Case apparently fell apart when Weaver listened to the album last Friday in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Dec 12, 1950 a massive new . Aerial onslaught that killed some 3,000 chinese communists was unleashed in support of , troops withdrawn to the Hung Nam beachhead in Northeast Korea and to a new defense line in the West. 30 years ago today. Dec. 12, i960 w French troops opened fire and crushed an attempt by thousands of moslem armed with clubs and crowbars to invade the european Quarter of Algiers. With the prosecutors and decided it did no to violate state obscenity Laws. Expert witnesses also told prosecutors they weren to sure the rap albums contents met the states test for obscenity. A taken As a whole lie Weaver did not feel that this album was obscene Quot Hancock said afterwards. A that is a weakness in our Case. We obviously Felt that trying the Case would have been an  among other criteria material Cun Only be classified As obscene in Texas if it is found by a reasonable person to be without literary artistic or political value. Weaver 20, declined to be interviewed later. But his Mother Teresa Weaver said inia Call to their Homo that a was much us he wanted to address was already addressed.�?�. A. A i thought we were going to trial today. In a pleasantly surprised a said Risher who had been charged with promotion of pornography. The Misdemeanour carries a maximum penalty of a year in prison and a $1,000 Fine. A a i can to wait to get Back to work a said Risher who owns hog wild records and tapes. Risher was charged after san Antonio vice officers visited record stores and told owners that a Federal judge in Florida had found the album obscene. After that ruling a fort Lauderdale Fla., record owner was convicted of a Misdemeanour obscenity charge. Members of the Miami based rap group were acquitted however of similar charges that followed a live performance in Hollywood Fla. After the obscenity declaration in Florida officers Here asked store operators to sign statements saying they had been Given the warning Risher refused. Santa son his Way up Joe Druid sorts items destined for serv Jee members participating in operation desert shield. Drury is a division vice president fur Wendy a restaurants in Columbus Ohio which sponsored a collection drive for the troops according to officials Tiore than a half million pounds of presents will be airlifted to the Gulf Region us a result of the drive which took place at franchise outlets. Gifts include razors insect repellent i footballs cassette tapes books sunblock ant Frisbee. U.s.20 years ago dec 12, 1970 a president Nixon warned that if the communists mounted a military buildup endangering american forces in South Vietnam he would order renewed bombing of the north.10 years ago dec 12, 1980 a Christmas came Early for americans in West Germany when the Dollar finally hit the 2-to-l level against the Deutsche Mark. The rate was cheerfully accepted As a new High for those newly As sign a to Germany. The Dollar had hit an ail time Low of 1.69 in january but had stayed under the two Mark Barrier. Washington a the postal service should rescind a decision to reduce delivery standards for some mail a report prepared for Congress said monday. A a a the Post office Cut Back some overnight delivery areas in july saying the changes would save Money and improve efficiency. The Agency said the changes would slow delivery of about 5 percent of first class mail the change could slow delivery of As Many As 4.3 billion pieces of mail Over a year according to the report by the House government operations committee and titled a just say  in 1989, the Post office carried 85,8 billion pieces of first class mail. Five percent of that would be 4.3 billion. The report charged that the postal service implemented the change without demonstrating that it would Lead to any improvement for the Public. A your investigation indicates that Many customers a especially those in Rural America a will suffer because of the new standards a rep. Bob Wise do. Va., said in a statement. Wise is chairman of the government information subcommittee of the House government operations committee which released the report. The Independent postal rate commission has also criticized the change in de the changes primarily affect areas where mail standards had called for overnight or second Day delivery but the Post office had performed poorly in meeting in general for example a pair of cities with relatively Low volume might have been shifted from overnight to second Day delivery or fran second to third Day delivery in the Chat Ike. L. Postal officials Ltd a no immediate response to the Rej v cd