European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 10, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday december 10, 1991 the stars and stripes b Page 7 reservist to get interest on damages justices re Lela 11 1 f a i / % Washington a the supreme court on monday refused to free Massachusetts from paying interest on a damage award won by a state trooper who sued after he was suspended from his Job for joining the army reserves. The court without comment rejected arguments by state officials that the trooper is not entitled to about $2,000 in interest. Earl Reopell was suspended without pay for 30 Days for enlisting in the reserves in 1984 after his superiors refused to give him permission to join. Reopell sued the state. A Federal judge ruled the state violated the Federal veterans re employment rights act aimed at protecting Job benefits for reservists. The state then agreed to pay Reopell $3,260 in lost wages and restore his lost seniority. But Massachusetts officials refused to pay interest that had accrued on the lost wages. They said the Federal Law did not require interest payments in such cases. The 1st . Circuit court of appeals ruled against the state last june. While the dispute May seem minor the appeals court said if involves important issues of states rights and the interpretation of Federal Law. The appeals court said recent supreme court rulings suggest a there is no longer any strict requirement that interest necessarily be expressly sanctioned by Congress in order to be recoverable in an action against a state accused of violating Federal Law. What is Clear under the re employment act the appeals court said is that states Are not constitutionally protected from damage awards. Given that understanding of the Federal Law the appeals court added it is logical to award interest a to carry out Congress purpose to make a Veteran  the Bush administration urged the justices to leave the appeals court ruling undisturbed. The High court already is studying another dispute involving the veterans act. In that Case a military reservist in Alabama was denied a three year leave of absence from his civilian Job. The Issue to be decided by summer is whether an employer May deny a worker s request for an a a unreasonable military leave. The Case acted on monday is Massachusetts is. Reo Pell 91-479.gop logo a the Republican National committee has selected this design As the official logo for the Republican National convention to be held in Houston next August the logo designed by Rodney Vannerson and Allan Rode Wald of sugar land Texas will be printed on thousands of souvenirs and on material that will be distributed to More than 40,000 convention participants class of Richard Nixon still hanging around . By Mike Causey the Washington Post Washington hundreds of former political appointees a who came into government to help president Nixon with his pledges to clean up Washington and reduce the size and Impact of the bureaucracy a Are nearing eligibility for 20-year pins As career civil servants. Some Learned from president Johnson administration appointees How to Burrow into the civil service. A handful made it through All or part of president Carters administration. Most however returned to government when president Reagan took office. Those who served in the Nixon Ford Reagan and Bush administrations Are fully vested in the Federal pension program that Many of them once considered too generous. A i came to town to help save the world at the old hew department of health education and welfare never thinking i would be Here very Long a said a Nixon Era appointee. He said the democrats gave him the Boot a but instead of going Home i found a Job on Capitol Hill then moved downtown to the executive Branch of government with Reagan i m Here to stay and my political Days Are  a Newspaperman who took a press Job with the Nixon administration said he had a some rough times under the Carter people. They kept me Down but they kept me on. With my military service in a now a 30-year government worker and proud of  a career civil servant who took a policy Post in the Carter administration said that a the Nixon people were obsessed with the idea that Lyndon Johnson had buried democrats at hew labor and other places to sabotage programs. At hew i know they checked the voter registration of High ranking career employees and checked their pedigrees to see if they were political. The Carter people were less paranoid and not As efficient in routing out  Quot. I still spot some of the a class of Richard Nixon vets on the Street a he said. A remember the old line a we have met the enemy and he is us a Well some of these old bureaucrat washers have become what they set out to . Gang deaths double in 5 years report says los Angeles up a gang homicides have increased steadily in los Angeles county making 1991 a record year with twice the number of gang related deaths As five years ago the los Angeles times reported. As of last week the los Angeles county sheriffs department had recorded 194 gang related homicides compared with 170 in All of last year the times reported sunday. The police department has recorded 330 gang killings passing its record of 329 for 1990. In All More than 700 people have died in gang violence in police jurisdictions throughout the county a from Long Beach to Pomona the newspaper noted. The largest increases have occurred in predominantly hispanic communities Many of which had managed to control the problem in the mid-1980s. In the police departments Rampart division which covers Large hispanic communities 43 gang related killings had been recorded by the end of october. There were 32 in 1990 and eight five years ago. Police attribute the Rise in violence to disputes Between longtime Chicano gangs and newly formed immigrant gangs a Many of them composed of Central american refugees who have fled War torn countries. The sheriffs East los Angeles station reported 37 killings this far in 1991. In 1988, there was none. In the jurisdiction of the sheriffs department which serves More than 2 million people in an area covering three fourths of the county about 75 percent of the gang homicides this year were the product of Black on Black or latino on latino crime. Of the 194 homicide victims recorded this year by sheriffs officials 125 were hispanic 53 were Black 10 were White and six were asian or Pacific islander. About 76 percent of the victims were themselves suspected gang members. Garth Lucifer could be match from Hippo heaven Homosassa Springs Fla. Apr it looks like a perfect match a at least Hippo thetic ally. Lucifer a 25-year-old male Hippopotamus needs to find a new Home because the Florida department of natural resources wants to kick him out of a state Park at Homosassa Springs. And 200 Miles to the South a 9-year-old Hippo named Garth needs a new Friend because his male pal Percy died in August. So Lucifer is about to move to Garth a Home Octagon wildlife Park in Punta Gorda Fla. A although no one knows for sure whether the pair will get along once they share the same Pond. Both hippos have something in common though a hard Luck. Lucifer is about to lose his Home because state officials who acquired Homosassa Springs three years ago said the Hippo does t fit into their vision of the Parks future. A a we be changed our focus to animals native to Florida Quot Park manager Tom Linley said in an interview with the Miami Herald. Garth on the other hand has been lonely since Percy died. Since Percy a passing Garth has been morose according to Park staffers and has even refused his favorite food a dog biscuits. Communists ban Media from Ohio convention Cleveland a times Are Tough for communists everywhere and that a Why reporters were banned from a weekend convention of the communist party .a. Delegates must a feel free to speak out a a spokesman said. The party s 25th National convention is normally open to reporters and visitors but this year the party allowed Only a few guests into the downtown meetings saturday and sunday. More than 500 delegates attended. Party guards carrying Walkie talkies patrolled outside the meeting rooms and few of those wearing Delegate ribbons would disclose their identities when approached. A it is a difficult time a said Mike Bayer a party spokesman who came out of a meeting to explain that there would be no Access for reporters. A i  Call it turbulent but there a a lot of disagreements a some arguments about what we Are going to do. A we have a lot of issues to address and want the delegates to be Able to feel free to speak out. We Don t want the press Here to inhibit  party officials asked the Sheraton City Centre hotel not to Post meeting times of the convention hotel employees said. A i can see Why they done to want any of you in there a one Delegate said. A a it a chaos in there. They Don t have any idea what they Are going to do and everyone seems to have a different Agenda. Some people even want us to change the