European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 11, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday october 11, 1991 the stars and stripes c Page 7 6 House members to launch probe of Check cashing abuse Washington a six House ethics committee members will form a subcommittee to investigate the chamber a Bank and their colleagues who abused the facility. Committee leaders said wednesday that there were no plans to hire outside Legal or banking experts or to make Public the names of members who wrote bad checks without penalty. But they defended the committees past willingness to be harsh on members who broke the rules and vowed there would be no cover up. A i reject the idea there would be a cover up a the committees ranking Republican James v. Hansen of Utah said when reporters asked whether the panel could investigate a Large percentage of the 435 House members impartially. Acting committee chairman Matthew f. Mchugh d-n.y., said the subcommittee would consist of a members who had not had any overdrafts in the House  Mchugh and Hansen held a news conference after the committee met in closed session to map out its investigation. Mchugh said the committee would publicly identify bad Check writers Only if it began formal proceedings against them to determine whether House rules or Federal Laws were broken. Following disclosures that the Bank routinely covered members rubber checks the House voted 390-8 last thursday to shut the Bank by dec. 31 and authorize an investigation by the committee on standards of official conduct the ethics panels formal name. The revelations about the Bank came from a congressional Agency the general accounting office which reported last month that House members wrote 8,331 checks with insufficient funds in the 12 months ended june 1990. Mchugh assumed command of the probe because the committees chairman Louis Stokes a Ohio had admitted writing bad checks and removed himself from the inquiry. Rep. Weisi Mfume d-md., was named to replace Stokes on the full committee. The Bank did not pay interest on member accounts and offered no overdraft Protection. But it granted members a special privilege by not imposing a fee when they wrote checks on funds that were not in their accounts. In those cases the Bank would pay the checks with Money deposited by other members and notify the offending Check writers that they must add Money to their accounts. The investigation will focus initially on the Way the Bank was operated by sergeant at  Jack Russ. Mchugh said this phase could include the Bank a apparent unwillingness to Stop covering members rubber checks when ordered to do so months ago by House speaker Thomas s. Foley a Wash. The House Resolution asked the ethics committee to consider a whether members officers employees or others a abused the banking privileges by routinely and repeatedly writing checks on accounts with insufficient funds. A the Bank a practices regarding individuals who done to hold accounts there or checks not written on House Bank accounts. A the general operation and management of the Bank by the sergeant at  and his staff. Real life lesson in rescues Sherrie Russell a teacher at of Bannon elementary school in Greenville miss., carries Seidah Williams to medical personnel following a bus Accident about a mile from the school. Hospitals treated More than 100 children after three school buses crashed in a Chain reaction wednesday. Four pupils remained hospitalized. U.s.3 killed in Calif crash of air Force copter from wire reports Edwards air Force base Calif. An air Force helicopter crashed and exploded into flames during a Parachute exercise thursday killing three Crew members a spokeswoman said. Two airborne troops parachuted to safety and escaped with minor injuries spokeswoman Christine Santos said. The crash of the uh-1 Huey helicopter occurred about 9 . In the Southwest Corner of the 301,000-Acrc base located in the High desert about 100 Miles Northeast of los Angeles. The crash started a Small Brus firc that was extinguished by base firefighters. Santos said the Crew of experienced survival school jumpers was on a routine drop Drill. The names of the victims were withheld until their families could be notified. The injured were treated at the base Hospital. A Board of officers will investigate the cause of the Accident Santos  on hair denied Austin Texas a a state appeals court wednesday refused to intervene on behalf of a 9-year-old Schoolboy who was taught in an isolation room because his hair was too Long. The 3rd court of appeals declined to order the boys return but said it had made no decision on the underlying merits of the Case. Zachariah Toungate a lawsuit against the Bastrop Independent school District is pending. Last year the boy was isolated from his third Grade classmates and taught in a Small room at school because his Wispy Ponytail violated the schools policy on hair length. His family sued the District alleging the hair policy was sex discrimination because it applies Only to boys. The family asked state District judge Harold Towslee to Grant a temporary court order that would have prohibited the school from placing the youngster in isolation. Towslee denied the order and the family appealed to the 3rd court of  hospitalized Baltimore a retired supreme court Justice Lewis Powell or. Was hospitalized wednesday after fainting officials said. Powell 84, was in Good condition at Johns Hopkins Hospital Hospital spokeswoman Elaine Freeman said. Supreme court spokeswoman Toni House said Powell suffered a fainting spell while at a meeting in the Hospital. Powell was admitted to the hospitals cardiac unit and was feeling Fine House said. She said \ Powell a wife Josephine expected him to be re a leased thursday. Powell had a pacemaker implanted in his heart in january House said. He was appointed to the nations highest court by president Nixon in 1971 and retired in june 1986.fired postal worker kills 4 in new Jersey Ridgewood . A a fired postal worker armed with a machine gun grenades and a Samurai sword went on a rampage thursday killing four people including a former supervisor who had accused him of harassment police said. Joseph m. Harris killed the woman and her Boyfriend at their Home in Wayne then went to the Ridgewood Post office where he killed two mail handlers As they arrived for work authorities said. He surrendered there after a 4v�-hour standoff during which he set off two Small explosives police said. He had weapons including a machine gun hand grenades and the Samurai sword which May have been used to kill the supervisor authorities said. An explosive Booby trap was found at his rented room in Paterson in Northern new Jersey West of new York City. Harris 35, was arraigned on four counts of murder two of attempted murder two of attempted kidnapping and charges of possessing automatic weapons and explosives. Bail was set at $1 million. Harris former supervisor Carol Ott 30, was found dead in her Home about 10 Miles from Ridgewood along with Cornelius Kasten jr., who lived with her. Police checked the House when Ott failed to report to work. Ott had been stabbed three times in the Back apparently after a struggle said Passaic county prosecutor Ronald fava. Kasten was found in a chair in front of a television set shot once in the head. Joseph m. Vanderpaauw 59, of Prospect Park and Donald Mcnaught 63, of Compton lakes were found dead in the basement of the Post office after Harris arrest Bergen county prosecutor John Fahy said. Harris apparently let himself into the Post office with an old key and when the mail handlers arrived for work around 2 ., forced them into a Small room and shot them authorities said. Harris was fired As a mail sorter in april 1990 after he refused to cooperate with an investigation of a complaint by Ott that he had threatened her on the Job said inspector . Johnson of the . Postal inspection service. Harris who joined the postal service in 1981, had received a reprimand in 1984 for harassing other employees officials said