European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 11, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday november 11, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page Northern lights thrill Many across . By the associated press one of the most spectacular displays of Northern lights in years awed sky gazers from Ohio to Utah and As far South As Texas where solar particles fuelled Ripples curtains and Clouds of night brightness. A it was Christmas colors a said Julia Penn of the Chicago suburb of Aurora after Friday nights show which lasted about 30 minutes. A my kids were Yelling a Santa Claus is coming Santa Claus is coming a a she told the Aurora Beacon news. A ooh it was just  in Oklahoma City authorities dispatched a firetruck after alarmed citizens telephoned 911 to report a red glow in the sky. A they said they were seeing a pinkish red Haze and described it As something like nuclear lights a said an emergency services dispatcher. Many of the 911 Calls in Oklahoma City came from an area where an office building had burned shortly before. A we sent out an engine company to Check a the dispatcher said. A then the weather service called us and let us know what was going  also called the Aurora boreal is or Quot Northern Dawn a the tights result when Clouds of electrically charged particles from solar flares collide with Earth s atmosphere. The Sun is now at one of its Peak periods of activity which occur every 11 years said David Schramm professor of astronomy and physics at the univer sity of Chicago. A now because we re at a Sunspot maximum the Sun is having All sorts of explosions a he said saturday. Each explosion has the Power of 1,000 Hydrogen bombs and throws out Clouds of particles that travel to Earth in about 24 hours said John a. Simpson a University of Chicago physics professor. A the particles Are very energetic a Schramm said. A was they hit the air molecules they cause the air molecules to  he likened the effect to a television screen which lights up when struck with electrically charged particles from the Back of the picture tube. Simpson said a giant solar flare a Day or two before must have produced a Cloud of charged particles dense enough to temporarily weaken Earth a magnetic Field. The particles entered the atmosphere farther South instead of being pulled North by the Earth a Normal magnetic forces. While the result was a delightfully unusual display of natures wonders it also probably disrupted radio transmissions and May even have caused electrical Power outages Simpson said. Such an outage occurred in Quebec in 1989 during a period of High solar activity he said. That was also the last time texans saw the Aurora boreal is which appeared again Friday As a smooth red glow said Marc Wetzel spokesman for the University of Texas Mcdonald Observatory near fort Davis. Quot it was magnificent a he  Highway patrol plagued by scandals Jefferson City to. Apr the state a Highway patrol has been rocked by revelations of illegal internal eavesdropping a major s suicide and a Black Corporal s lawsuit alleging a racially motivated conspiracy to Block his career. After a staff shake up the patrol is dealing with the worst string of scandals in its 60-year history by recommending discipline for five Veteran officers. A a it a a Black Eye to a very Fine organization a said lawyer Jim Gallaher. He represents Chi. Oliver Dixon who is suing the patrol and five current Fisher or former officials for More than $7 million. Some members of the patrol began Telephone wire taps As an a will conceived management tools to get personal information about employees said special investigator c. John pleban. Last week an internal disciplinary panel recommended the firing of two top officers and the demotion of a third because of alleged knowledge of two illegal wiretaps at patrol Headquarters in 1985 and 1987, and one at another site in a St. Louis suburb in 1981. Two other officers were recommended for less severe punishment last month in connection with the eavesdropping. Col. . A a Mel Fisher the patrols superintendent also asked the Fri to investigate the wiretaps. Federal prosecutors declined to file any charges. In a move he said was unrelated to the wiretaps Fisher Shook up the Agency Stop management demoting a major who was implicated in the wiretapping. Allegations of conspiratorial wiretapping Are Central to Dixon a Federal lawsuit which alleges that his White supervisors demoted him and derailed his career Progress. Based on information from the wiretaps a unfounded and inaccurate reprimands were put into Dixon a employ ment files and were a later used to bolster any Adverse Job related actions against him the lawsuit said. No trial Date has been set. Among the five defendants in the lawsuit was the late maj. Bobby g. Gibson chief of the patrol s criminal investigation Bureau. Gibson had spent three weeks on administrative leave for undisclosed reasons before killing himself with a single gunshot oct. 9 a a week after Dixon a lawsuit was filed. Gibson left at least five Handwritten letters to friends and relatives. Fisher who put Gibson on leave would not say whether they mentioned the lawsuit by Dixon who now drives a patrol route in Rural Missouri. Fisher said the wiretaps a illegal without a court order a were a a a stupid Way to get personal information. But he said they were neither racially motivated nor aimed at Dixon. There Are 61 Blacks among the 861 uniformed officer at the patrol which commissioned its first Black trooper in 1965. Seventeen Black officers have been promoted in the last three years. In t he stars and stripts10 year Sago nov. 11,1981 a president Reagan said that although the nation faced economic a hard times Quot his programs would bring recovery by Spring or summer. 20yearsago nov. 11,1971 . Officials expressed Surprise after learning that Kao Liang head of the Advance party for China s delegation to the United nations had been identified As a leading communist intelligence agent. 30years ago nov. 11,1961 a a tiny Monkey named Goliath died in the flaming explosion of a . Atlas missile High Over Cape canaveral Fla. The missile was headed on a 5,000-mile flight to the South Atlantic when it became erratic and was destroyed by a Range safety officer.40 year Sago nov. 11,1951 a the United states Britain France and Turkey announced their intention to proceed with Middle East defense plans a despite Arab league objections a and promised military Aid to states willing to join. The Arab league flatly rejected the four Power declaration of a Middle East command. Wet weekend forecast prompts Wilder to rescind land use ban by Marylou Tousignant the Washington Post Virginia gov. L. Douglas Wilder has a new title to add to his re sum rainmaker. Less than 12 hours after announcing an extraordinary measure closing two thirds of the land in the state to Hunters hikers and others because of drought induced fire conditions Wilder rescinded the ban late Friday just 30 minutes before the restriction was to begin. His office reported that a significant precipitation in critically dry areas Friday night and the Prospect of More during the weekend prompted the reversal. The decision left some state officials and Park employees confused saturday especially because Little or no rain or Snow had fallen overnight. However acc weather a private forecasting service came to the governors Rescue with word that a major storm front across the Carolinas was arriving and would to deliver a steady soaking to most of Virginia and the Washington area sunday. As much As 6 inches of Snow was forecast for higher elevations. Coastal flood warnings and advisories for heavy surf were in effect from Delaware South to Virginia Beach according to the National weather service. The promised precipitation was Welcome news across Virginia where drought conditions have prevailed since april and More than 2,300 acres have burned since mid october. Wilder a unusual land use ban which he said he might revive if conditions do not improve would have closed off millions of acres of Public and private forests Fields and Parks to recreational use. National Parks had planned to close hiking and Riding trails voluntarily. The ban also jeopardized Deer Hunting season for the first time in Virginia history. Black powder Hunting was to begin monday and the regular 14-Day Deer season starts nov. 18, with 350,000 Hunters expected. Rescinding the ban was a a difficult judgment Call a said Glenn Davidson Wilder s press spokesman. He said the discussion of whether to Call it off began almost As soon As the ban was announced. Asked whether the turnaround made the governor took silly Davidson said Quot we served a Good Public service in informing the recreational enthusiast of the potential dangers and risks of Forest fires. Bud Bristow head of the states department of game and Inland fisheries said his office received More the 1,000 phone Calls but Davidson said the reaction of Hunters did not cause the governors change of mind. Teen gets 18 years to life for fatal shooting Santa Ana Calif. A a teenager who accidentally shot and killed a Friend five years ago was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison for shooting a schoolmate last year. Richard h. Bourassa jr., 18, of Anaheim Hills pleaded guilty in May to second degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Christian Wie Depuhl. Bourassa was 17 when he shot Wie Depuhl with a .38-caliber revolver on May 24, 1990, in a Den in the Bourassa Home. In september 1986, in the same Den Bourassa fatally shot 13-year-old Jeffrey Bush with a 12-gauge Shotgun. That shooting was ruled accidental at a sentencing hearing Friday Superior court judge Robert r. Fitzgerald called Bourassa a an enormously dangerous individual who. Would probably kill  the sentence was the maximum allowable for a second degree Mur Der conviction. Prosecutors contend that Wie Depuhl was killed As Bourassa played a form of russian Roulette. Bourassa said he intended Only to scare Wie Depuhl but miscalculated the chamber a rotation and fired a live round by Accident. The judge remanded Bourassa to the youth authority until his 25th birthday when he is to be transferred to a stale prison