European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 7, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4the stars and stripes Friday june 7, 1991kennedy defends his part in rape a by Cox news service Washington sen. Edward m. Kennedy under scrutiny for his actions during the easier weekend in Palm Beach when his Nephew was accused of rape defended his behaviour wednesday and denied he has a drinking problem. Kennedy said on no cd so today show that he has cooperated with police in a their investigation and that he was confused by the intent of the police inquiry and Florida Slegal term for rape. A the Only time during that whole weekend that i was asked to talk to the police was about a stolen urn a Kennedy said. A a a. A. A a Quot a i understand that. On sunday afternoon that there were More serious charges. But i was never told until monday that it actually was the problem of a rape. The Issue of a sexual Battery in the state where i went to Law school in Virginia is a Misdemeanour. And i never even remember hearing the words of ,Battery.�?T. I heard some other kind of the Massachusetts Democrat repeat idly has asserted that he did not intentionally avoid police when they attempted to Contact him at the estate in the Days immediately following the alleged rape by his Nephew William Kennedy Smith. A live responded to those questions and cooperated completely and to do so a Kennedy said. According to police reports Kennedy awoke his son Patrick and Smith around Midnight March 29 to go for drinks at a. Palm Beach bar. The rape allegedly occurred Early March 30 at the family a Palm Beach estate a when asked whether lie had a possible problem with alcohol Kennedy replied a absolutely not a asked whether he saw any need to modify his behaviour he said �?o1 think alb of us. Would like to improve a a a. Smith. 30, pleaded not guilty on May 31 in Palm Beach county. Circuit court to one felony count of sexual Battery and one Misdemeanour count of Battery if convicted he could face up to 15 years in prison. A said he was confident his Nephew would be cleared. �?o1 think All of us can find ways that we would handle ourselves differently under different perspectives but in a very confident that when All the facts Are out that a and my great Confidence and love for Willie a that hell be vindicated a Kennedy said. A i m absolutely convinced of that. And hell have a very constructive and productive life As a baby Sitter made a in Bloomsburg a. Up a woman who a a jail term said her baby Sitter ran up nearly $24,000 in phone Calls to a 900 sex line a a a a a a. A. Craig Lagasse 28, of Columbia. County was charged monday with theft of services for making 489 Calls to various sex lines while baby sit Ling for Christine and , 29, of blooms Burg. \ a. A. Quot a Christine Bason said wednesday that Lagasse took care of her. Four children for a week while she was finishing a four month sentence on a bad Check charge at the same time her husband a Volunteer firefighter who is Lagassey a Cousin was recovering from a heart attack suffered March 28 while fighting a lire. Recently the couple received a 5.1-Page phone Bill for $23,934 13 that covers the time that they were away front Home. A i thought my husband was going to have another heart attack Quot Christine Bason said. The Bill showed the Calls were made Between March 28 and april 4. About $3,000 Worth were made on a single Day and one number was called More than 100 times. The basins said their share of the Bill was Only about $150. Lagasse waived a preliminary hearing and was being held in Columbia county jail on $ 15,000 bail. A. Christine Bason said that when she got Home from jail she asked Lagasse whether head made any Long distance phone Calls and he assured her he Hadnot. A i done to know who else could have made them a Bason said. Guy Bason who was Laid off from his Auto me a Hanics a Job in december is scheduled to under go double bypass surgery today. A a Guy a been pretty casual about All this a his wife said. Quot the doctor told him to avoid stress but with All that a happened it s been the basins did a econ piece of Good news. Bell of Pennsylvania has agreed to drop it he $20, 100-in Calls the company is owed. Transcend age report shows Boston apr a new study of elderly smokers provides the Strong est evidence yet that its never too late to quit its authors say. A i think we have the first data to show there is clearly no immunity from the hazards of cigarette smoking at any said or. Charlesh Hennekens of Brigham and women a Hospital in Boston and a co author of the study the researchers said their findings Are especially important because of the dramatic increase in recent years in the number of women older than 65 who smoke. The new report found that Over a five year period outwardly healthy people who smoke Are twice As Likely to die As Are those who never smoked. The risk for those who gave up cigarettes Falls Between the two extremes. A v. A. A. The extra deaths among the elderly smokers result from cancer and heart attacks the major health hazards of cigarettes older people who smoke can still do their health a lot of Good by quitting a said or. Andrea z. Lacroix. Who directed the study. A a lot of older people believe that once you be smoked 40 or 50 years you have nothing to gain from quitting. That a clearly not while the health advantages of giving up cigarettes a Jirec Well accepted for Young and a Middle age people the notion that those in their 60s, 70s and beyond Benefit has been less Clear. In part this is because few studies have concentrated on the effects of smoking on the elderly especially women. The new study challenges the widely held belief that by the time smokers reach old age their habit has Al ready taken its toll and those who survive this Long Are somehow immune to the dangers of cigarettes. Three years ago University of Washington researchers reported that old people with signs of heart disease live longer if they Stop smoking. The latest work shows that for healthy people too smoking is a killer at any age. Until Row some of the strongest evidence of that has come from the Honolulu 1 lean study which is limited to hawaiian men of Jap smoking among the elderly. Quot a deaths per 1,000. People per year Lor older age groups never smoked formerly smoked currently smoke. Over 75 65-69 70-74 women Over 75 source. The new England journal of Medicine aps amps nose heritage. The new report is based on a Cross Section of men and women in three communities Urban and Rural. A it shows that no matter How old you Are or How Long you be smoked there Are real benefits that occur when you give up cigarettes and some of those to appear almost immediately a said or. John Holbrook of the University of Utah. Lacroix noted that Over the past decade the number of women smokers older than 65 has increased. By about 900,000, while the number of elderly men who smoke decreased a 140,000. A i feel strongly that older women in this country stand a lot to gain by understanding what we have found in this study a she said. Lacroix a researcher at the group health cooperative of puget sound in Seattle reported the results in thursdays new England journal of Medicine. By tie now York times. United airlines inc. And first Chicago corp., operators of one of the nations largest a frequent flier programs said wednesday that they planned to curb the largest awards. A a few customers they said have been earning free rights without paying inter a est charges on first Chicago credit cards linked to the program. Starting Jan. 1, participants will be Able to earn a maximum of 10,01 0 frequent flier a Miles per 25-Day Billing period and 50,00 1 mites a year. Cardholders Are being Noti to rein in tied in tetters being mailed this week. Other airlines including american do not plan to follow with similar curbs contending that they see no problem in the practice of earning unlimited mileage. With United and first Chicago s mileage plus first card Quot a Holder of a visa credit card had been Able to earn one fre quell flier mile for every Dollar charged on the card. The United programs a 450,000. Cardholders charge $4.5 billion annually. Quot under these pro Grants the Bank typically pays the airline 1 cent or More per Frequez tier mile so the program is a Revenue producer for the airlines As Well As the Bank a assuming the cardholders pay interest on their accounts. Some United cardholders were charging thousands of dollars for College tuition medical supplies and other Large ticket items on their mileage plus cards thus earning frequent flier Miles redeemable for free trips. They would then pay off their balance at the end of the Billing period thus incurring no interest charges. The practice was in keeping with the credit eard agreement but was not producing interest Revenue for first Chicago United and first Chicago discovered that 1.5 percent of their customers a fewer than 7,000 people a were charging in excess of 550,000 a year or nearly1 five times the $11,000 annual average for card holders and 25 times the average for All visa cardholders in the country. The cards annual fee has been reduced from $75 to $60, but the boating rate of interest will remain the prime rate plus 9.9 percentage Points or currently is.7 percent. A
