European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 23, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 3 c the stars and stripes Friday August 23, 199,1connecticut House ends crisis Hartford Conn. A Connecticut a 53-Day budget impasse was broken in dramatic fashion thursday when the House reversed itself and narrowly approved a spending plan that imposes a Long resisted state income tax. Lawmakers applauded a and some hugged and kissed a when the measure passed the House. It was signed into Law by gov. Lowell p. Weicker jr., who had lobbied strongly for the tax before the final House vote. It was a decisive Victory for Weicker a former Republican senator who won the governorship last year running As an Independent. He proposed the income tax in february to solve the states crushing fiscal crisis and vetoed three budgets that did no to contain the tax. A a there a a certain excitement not Over winning but Over what this portends for our state a Weicker said. A god bless the legislature of Connecticut god bless our state of  Connecticut had been the Only state that remained without a spending plan for the budget year that began in july and one of 10 without an income tax. The budget squeaked out of the Senate Early thursday when it. Gov. Eunice Groark broke an 18-18 tie with her first Ever vote in the Senate. The Bill had been expected to pass in the House because that chamber had approved a similar version earlier. But the Bill failed after More than four hours of debate when a bloc of conservative democrats changed their votes. The 81 -69 House vote set off five hours of frenzied lobbying by Weicker and his democratic allies including a two hour free for All in the House chamber with discussions in seemingly every Corner. Weicker met with several swing voters and with state Republican chairman Richard Foley. The governors most vocal critic Foley stopped lobbying against the income tax after meeting with Weicker. The measure passed 75-73 on a second vote thursday afternoon when six lawmakers a three democrats and three republicans a switched their votes and two republicans who voted earlier did no to participate. The $7 billion budget supported by a majority of democrats and a Small bloc of republicans would impose a 4.5 percent income tax and raise taxes and fees by $1,1 billion but would Cut the state sales tax from 8 percent to 6 percent. The income tax provides exemptions and tax credits to reduce its Impact on Low income families. Many lawmakers who voted for the budget said they and their constituents had Little enthusiasm for an income tax but had grudgingly conceded that Weicker  approve a budget without one. Brush fire hear san Bernardino Wrightwood Calif. A More than 1,000 firefighters battled a Blaze thursday that burned 700 acres of the san Bernardino National Forest 40 Miles East of downtown los Angeles. The Brush fire created a mushroom Cloud of White smoke visible 18 Miles to the Southeast in san Bernardino. In the Mountain Community of Phelan a six Miles Northeast of the Burn area smoke was very heavy thursday morning said Carol Haynes a dispatcher for the san Bernardino county sheriffs department. A if you be got asthma you re going to have a hard time breathing today a she said. Firefighters had no projections for when the Day old Blaze would be brought under control said Judy Behrens fire information officer for the . Forest service. No people or structures were in imminent danger and there were no plans for evacuations she said. Three firefighters suffered minor smoke inhalation during the night. Behrens said 55 fire engines 41 hand Crews six helicopters and nine air tankers were being used to fight the fire with reinforcements expected. The cause of the fire has not been determined. Citizens support having Choice on Public schools poll finds Washington api a americans favor the idea of children attending Public schools of their Choice but most oppose using Public Money for private education according to a Gallup poll released thursday. The annual Gallup Phi Delta Kappa poll of the Public attitudes toward the Public schools found growing support for most of the education Reform measures outlined by the Bush administration last Spring in its America 2000 program except for private school vouchers. The Public favored by 62 percent to 33 percent allowing students and parents to choose which Public schools in their Community the students would attend. However few parents whose children attend Public school said their children would change schools if Given the Choice. President Bush has broadened the concept of Public school Choice to include private and parochial schools. He wants Money now targeted to disadvantaged children to follow individual students to schools of their Choice in the form of vouchers. The poll asked respondents if they favored a voucher system in which the government would allot a certain amount of Money per student and then allow parents to Send the child to any Public parochial or private school. Fifty percent favored such a proposal while 39 percent were opposed. Support Rose by 6 percentage Points Over 1987. However 68 percent said they opposed Quot allowing students and parents to choose a private school to attend at Wake of destruction a woman weaves her Way through the ruins of a Bath winds from Hurricane Bob which ravaged coastal House in Newport. . The Structure was downed by areas of new England earlier this week. Public expense a while 26 percent favored the idea. The voucher plan found its strongest support among minorities and Urban residents 57 percent in each group. Fifty eight percent of the people with children under 18 supported the idea and 66 percent of nonpublic school parents supported the plan. Officials said the Gallup Phi Delta Kappa poll is the most comprehensive Survey of american attitudes on educational issues since the series began in 1969. This year Gallup interviewers asked a selected Sample of 1,500 american adults a total of 80 questions twice the usual number. The margin of error was 3 percentage Points. Americans approved by 81 percent to 12 percent that local Public schools be required to conform to National goals and standards of achievement. They also favored by 68 percent to 24 percent that Public schools in their communities be required to use a standardized National curriculum. And by 77 percent to 17 percent they supported the use of standardized National tests to measure academic achievement. For the first time a majority 51 percent said they favored lengthening the school year by 30 Days 42 percent were opposed. However the Public was divided on the question of lengthening the school Day by one hour 48 percent opposed the longer Day while 46 percent favored it. In previous Gallup Phi Delta Kappa polls respondents opposed a school year of 210 Days and longer school  loses suit claiming smoke violates rights Chicago up a a Federal appeals panel says exposing a prisoner to secondhand tobacco smoke does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment. The 7th . Circuit court of appeals issued its ruling earlier this week in an Appeal of a class action suit filed by David m. Steading 36, an inmate at the Illinois River correctional Center in Canton. Steading suffers from asthma and claimed that the exposure to smoke violated his constitutional rights. The suit was rejected at the District court level and steading appealed. Judge Frank Easterbrook wrote in a unanimous decision that exposure to secondhand smoke is not unique to prison life a secondary tobacco smoke is common in offices restaurants and other Public places throughout the United states and the rest of the world a Easterbrook wrote. No one supposes that restaurateurs who allow smoking Are subjecting their other patrons to a punishment or desire to harm them. The guards and administrators who breathe Smoky air in the prison Are not punishing themselves. A no one would suppose either that the gentleman tobacco banners who wrote and adopted the 8th amendment could have conceived of smoke As