European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 5, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes saturday october 5, 1991foley orders House Bank closed in Effort to turn off alarm Over bouncing checks Washington up a House speaker Thomas Foley d-wash., seeking to quell a storm of criticism Over members of Congress bouncing checks at the House Bank announced thursday the Bank would be closed. Dealing with a More recent embarrassment Foley also gave assurances that members will have to pay delinquent Bills owed to the House restaurant system. Foley said the House ethics committee would be asked to look into the bounced checks matter to determine if some members had been guilty of a significant substantial repeated abuses Quot of their privileges at the House Bank. Most of the thousands of checks written on insufficient funds at the Bank were believed to involve accidental overdrafts of Small amounts but some involved several thousand dollars. Foley stressed that no taxpayer Money had been used to cover the checks and no Money had been lost. At a news conference to announce his decision on the Bank Foley acknowledged that one of his checks bounced last december. A Well known stereo Buff Foley said the $540 Check had been written to a i i store for the Purchase of a receiver and cd player. It was held a the Bank for 24 hours before funds were deposited to cover the shortage. Several other prominent House members including assistant House Republican Leader Newt Gingrich of Georgia had been caught up in the embarrassing Bank disclosures. Gingrich acknowledged that three of his personal checks had been a in question. Following Foley a news conference the full House voted 390-8 to approve the Bank closure decision. The $300,000 in overdue dining and catering Bills was disclosed wednesday by members of the House administration committee who suggested that if the Bills Are not paid within 30 Days the names of delinquent members should be made Public. Foley rejected that idea but said a a we re going to see that the Bills Are paid Quot and promised he would take a personal interest in seeing the matter cleared up. Rep. Mary Rose Oakar a Ohio and rep. Pat Roberts r-kan., said about $255,000 is owed by about 250 former and sitting members of Congress to service America corp., which operated restaurants in the House from 1987 until August when the administration committee resumed operation of the restaurants. In addition More than 50 members and several committees owe $47,000 for food service before 1986. Until last month members could pay for their meals by signing the Check and having their offices billed. Now they must pay Cash or use credit cards and Foley asserted a the problem is at an  the general accounting office said members had written a total of 4,325 checks on insufficient funds during the first half of 1990. Of that total 134 members wrote 581 bad checks in amounts of at least $1,000. Unlike commercial Banks the House Bank imposed no penalty or interest charges and no members had their accounts closed because of bad checks. House speaker Thomas Foley meets with  suspected of 2 Texas killings surrenders Dallas apr a Man suspected of killing the Mother and grandmother of his estranged wife and who allegedly threatened to Hunt Down other relatives surrendered to police thursday in Tennessee. A capital murder warrant and a Federal fugitive warrant were issued thursday for Thomas Wayne Mason 39, of Dallas. Last month he was released on Bond hours after he was jailed for holding his wife Melinda hostage at a Dallas health spa. Police later filed a warrant charging Mason with sexual assault with a deadly weapon but authorities had been unable to locale him. He surrendered without incident in Memphis authorities said. Police in the East Texas town of White House about 100 Miles East of Dallas said they found the bodies of the two women at a Home wednesday after track ing Telephone Calls for help. The victims were identified As Melinda masons Mother Marsha Yvonne Brock 54, and grandmother Sybil mares Dennis 80. Whitehouse police chief Mike Pratt said the women were killed with a Shotgun. Police were alerted in surrounding states California and other Texas cities where Melinda masons relatives live. A the has made threats in other lives As of this morning to family members Quot Pratt said thursday. A a we be got relatives All Over the country that Are in hiding and some that were in hiding before this happened.�?�. Mason and his wife have been separated since mid August and their three children Ages 13, 12 and 9, have been in the mothers custody. The woman now lives in Arlington and police reportedly have stepped up patrols of her neighbourhood. Dallas police arrested Mason on sept. 16 after he chased his wife into the Lake june athletic club in Southeast Dallas. She had been attending a business school next door. Mason was coaxed into surrendering after five hours and was charged with aggravated kidnapping and criminal trespass. He was released nine hours later on $2,500 Bond. A a there a some serious questions on that $2,500 Bond that was set a Pratt said. He said that in Whitehouse a town of 4,000, Bond would be set at least at $50,000. Dallas county magistrate Virgil Lang who records show set the $2,500 Bond refused to comment on the Bond amount when called at Home thursday by the associated press. Pratt said police believe Brock was chased into her Home and dialled 911. A the first Call was so instantaneous that we Only could pick up a phone number not an address Quot Pratt said. While officers tried to track the address through a City directory and the phone company the dispatcher called the number Back. A she heard a help me help me help me a three times and then a very loud noise possibly a gunshot a Pratt said. A male voice then came on the line and ordered the dispatcher to hang up the phone. A then the dispatcher heard some moans and silence Quot Pratt said adding that police found a phone jerked out of the Wall and lying next to the grandmother. $220 million approved for new Moscow embassy Washington a Congress voted thursday to build a new $220 million embassy in Moscow and said the heavily bugged building that was to have been the embassy can be used for other offices. In approving the plan As part of a $21.9 billion appropriations Bill for the state Justice and Commerce departments House members grumbled that they should have been part of the initial decision making. The action gives a Green Light to resolving a controversy brewing since 1985 when the eight Story building that was to have been the new embassy was found to be riddled with eavesdropping devices. The Senate had wanted the soviets to pay for a new embassy. At the urging of sen Ernest f. I lolling d-s.c., it also had voted earlier to tear Down the 108,000-sq u a re foot bugged building. Both provisions were dropped in the Compromise measure passed by voice votes thursday in the two houses and sent to president Bush. House republicans who had joined Hollings in his Effort complained about what rep Olympia Snowe Romaine called a a backroom Deal Quot negotiated by the administration with Hollings and rep. Neal Smith a Lowa. A i find it objectionable that four people made the decision Quot said Snowe referring to Hollings Smith Deputy Secretary of state Lawrence lag Lyburger and Robert Strauss the new . Ambassador to Moscow. Proponents however said tearing Down the bugged building would Cost More than the $22 million spent in the Early 1980s to build it. A it seems that people Are More concerned about turf and that their feathers were ruffled because they weren t called in when the decision was made a quipped rep. John Myers r-lnd.2 teachers strikes end in Illinois Pennsylvania by United press International Illinois and Pennsylvania chalked up one settlement each in teachers strikes thursday but Illinois also saw optimism fade in its longest and largest strike. It took less than three Days for 113 teachers in the Sherrard District of Western Illinois to come to terms and resume teaching 1,750 students. The one year contract Calls for a pay increase of about 3 percent but also addressed teachers concerns on class size professional leave and S.C. leave. However in Elgin District u-46, a 19th Day of classes was cancelled with the optimism of Early wednesday fading Early thursday As another lengthy round of bargaining concluded. No talks were scheduled in Dongola in Union county where a substitute teacher was used to Start third Grade classes thursday. Talks were scheduled for Friday in Yorkville where 115 teachers began striking wednesday. The District cancelled All classes for the rest of the week. A tentative agreement was reached late wednesday in Pennsylvania supper Dauphin District where 105 teachers have been on strike since sept. 16. Teachers and 1,469 students returned to class thursday but no vote will be held on the agreement until next week after letters go out to teachers explaining the terms. That left four strikes the lowest number since schools opened sept. 3, and involved 644 teachers and 11,120 students. George Badner said settlements were running about 24 percent behind last years rate because of a late agreement on the state budget and the poor state of the Economy. Of 173 districts without contracts in january he said 94 remain to be settled. 1 he state has had 26 strikes this school year. In Michigan no movement toward settlement was reported in Woodhaven or Memphis. Those strikes involve 310 teachers and about 5,700 students