European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 1, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday december 1, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 7 in. Mass quack up still reverberates in Ark. Town Stuttgart Ark. Apr they say it rained ducks Here one Day. Honest Hail knocked More than 100 ducks from the sky nov. 23, 1973, and several others were addled according to the local newspaper the Stuttgart daily Leader. The Story is almost too Good to be True for a town at the Center of the nations Rice bowl the self professed Duck capital of the world and Home of the annual world championship Duck calling contest. A a it a True. It s True a said Steve Dabbs owner of the Mallard restaurant. A it looked like a Well a like it was raining cats and the 56th annual Duck calling contest was expected to draw dozens of competitors saturday from across the country and Canada. First prize is $5,000. Last year about 50,000 spectators came for the contest and related events. They spent about $2 million in the town of 11,000 about 50 Miles Southeast of Little Rock. A bigger crowd was expected this year. The a Ober aaa Aak. Ber aaa Aake of Duck Calls priced from $40 to $100, pierced the Crisp air last week along the Midway which covered six blocks of main Street. Duck Calls look like carefully crafted kazoos. They re made of Wood or plastic with one or two Reeds and Are considered musical instruments in Stuttgart. A it s Duck mania a said mayor he. Quot Peter Raines. A from almost the time these kids Are old enough to put one in their Mouth they re calling the. Ducks. Its an old tradition that s been passed on from generation to this year s contest will Cap a five Day wings Over the Prairie festival which opened the Duck season. Contestants Are judged primarily on How closely they sound like real ducks in various situations such As mating eating or calling fellow ducks from a distance. Johnny a a Boot Mahfouz is perhaps the Best Duck caller in the world. But he was sitting out the contest saturday. He competed against several former world champions last year and won the Champion of champions an event held every five years. The rules say winners of that event can t compete again. A it la kill me not to mix it up with those said Mahfouz 35, who called his first Duck at age. 7 and competed at age 14. Lie pressed a Duck Call to his lips for an Impromptu demonstration on main Street. His Cheeks got Putty his face went red and his Duck Call quacked a Ober aaa Aak. Ber aaa Aak. Ber aaa Aak. Brak. Brak. Brak. Ber a a woman leaps to death Friend jumps hours later banking on warm Welcome a Young Bull Moose wanders through the parking lot of a Bank in Anchorage Alaska on monday. During the Winter Loose Moose Are a common sight in the City a environs because the animals Are often driven out of the mountains by snowstorms. By new Day new York a depressed by the Prospect of spending the holidays in a nursing Home and by her Boyfriend s failing health an elderly Queens woman committed suicide Friday morning by leaping from a sixth Story window of the facility police said. Less than three hours later after hearing of the death the Boyfriend jumped from an eighth Story window in the same building where he was also a resident. Detectives from the 107th precinct in Jamaica said the deaths of Elizabeth Novog 65, and John Silver 75, have been classified As suicides. The victims left no notes in their rooms at the Hillside Manor nursing Center. Other residents were stunned by the deaths. A when they were together they were so Happy a said Martha Lefner no Vogus Roommate. A a it a so very very sad they both passed this police said Novog had seemed upset for several weeks. Lefner said Novog had had frequent arguments with Silver since his health began to deteriorate Over the past two months. Lefner said Novog seemed especially distraught after thanksgiving dinner. A last night she was very very nervous. She sit still. Even in bed you could hear her tossing and police said Novog apparently got out of bed about 4 55 ., put on her makeup and jewelry and a formal dress then made her bed in the ninth floor room before taking an elevator to the sixth floor. There she apparently removed several screws safeguards that prevent the window from opening a placed them on the ledge then jumped to her death. Her body was found at the foot of the building about 6 Silver Learned of her death shortly after breakfast detectives said. He then removed several screws from an eighth Story window and leaped out while detectives investigating Novog s death were still at the scene. Nursing Home officials declined to comment. A study released this year by the Federal centers for disease control in Atlanta showed that the rate of suicide by americans 65 and older increased 21 percent Between 1980 and 1986.City of Tulsa lands in costly dispute with county Tulsa okla. Apr a tax dispute Between Tulsa a City and county officials has allowed residents to buy huge tracts of municipal property for a fraction of the lands assessed value. Now the City is fighting to get it All Back. Tulsa county officials said they repeatedly warned their counterparts in City Hall that top properties would be auctioned because county property taxes were delinquent or because the City had failed to file deeds on the land. A a the City contends that Oklahoma statutes prohibit it from paying such taxes and is suing to reclaim the prop erties auctioned by the county. County treasurer John Cantrell said he sent notices to City Hall warning of the june 10 auction. Ron Payne the City a finance director said the county refused to take the land off the auction list until a solution could be worked out. Payne said he believes it will Cost millions to recover the land. Real estate investor Larry Williamson paid $400 for a one eighth mile stretch of the City a main North South thoroughfare Riverside drive. The City had paid $80,000 for that Section of the four Lane Road which parallels the Arkansas River. A i might build me a toll Plaza there a Williamson quipped. Williamson also bought a for $1 each a two tracts for which the City had paid $95,000 and $60,000. At least nine City properties were sold at the june auction. The City already has lost some of its court Battles. In one Case a judge sided with investor Miles Davidson who spent $750 for a tract for which the City had paid $65,Oik. The City is appealing that Case to the Oklahoma supreme court City attorney Neal Mcneill Call to White House Sparks probe Philadelphia a a professor who after a few late night Beers called the White House to complain to president Bush got a prompt response a a visit hours later from secret service agents. A a in Man Emily Dickinson scholar a Martin Orzeck said. A a in be never owned anything More dangerous than a Steak knife. Yet Here Are people accusing me of making threats against the highest Public official in the Orzeck 40, is a visiting professor of literature at the University of Pennsylvania. His contract ends in june and he says his future Job prospects Are Bleak. Alter a few Beers monday night he said he decided to Register a complaint with Bush. A White House operator told him to Call Back during business hours and disconnected him. Orzeck said he immediately called Back and began to get angry after the operator Cut him off again. A in my anger i referred to Bush As a a racist nazi or a a nazi but i threatened no violence against anyone a Orzeck said. He gave the operator his name address and phone number then sent a Telegram to the White House before going to bed. A have . Have Book. Have no Job. Where is my education president a the Telegram said. Secret service agents and local police arrived at 3 45 Tuesday. They questioned him about reported threats against Bush. Ernest Kun who Heads the secret service Field office in Eastern Pennsylvania said the operator believed Orzeck threatened Bush. He said the investigation was continuing. Orzeck was worried. A am i being watched now a Orzeck asked. A is there a file on me because i called up the White House to vent my spleen a
