European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 29, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 b the stars and stripes sunday december 29, 1991 Hunting safer than people realize organization says by Robert Dvorchak the associated press in new York state in one nightmarish stretch this fall a Man shot his Mother and two fathers kilted their sons a in each Case mistaking their Kin for Deer. One grief stricken father committed suicide. It All conjured visions of Woods flowing with blood of legions of trigger Happy Hunters shooting anything and everything that moves. But there is one problem with that scenario. National statistics indicate it is not necessarily True. Accidental shootings have been Cut by More than half in the past 20 years primarily because Hunters in 46 states must now take safety courses before getting a License according to a Hunting organization. A these accidents Are a True tragedy a said Clair Huff executive vice president of the North american Hunter education association. A a it a just poor judgment by the Hunter. By the same Token we have to look at the number of lives we have been instrumental in  last year 99 people were killed by Hunters and 47 Hunters accidentally killed themselves according to the Hea. The toll a the lowest Ever according to the Hea a rivals the 148 combat deaths the country suffered in the persian Gulf War. By another measure five times As Many people died in recreational boating accidents As the 157 Hunters killed in 1989, according to the National safety Council. Accidental shootings totalled 1,564 in 1990, a drop of 58 percent from 20 years ago Huff said. This he noted is apportioned among 17 million licensed Hunters. Most accidents happen in the Pursuit of big game there is no precise figure just for Deer Hunters. Only Alaska Massachusetts Minnesota and South Carolina do not have mandatory safety courses for Hunters. All offer voluntary education. A Hunting is really not that High risk. Its an illusion of Public perception a said Robert Byrne of the wildlife management Institute a Washington based conservation group. But anti Hunting forces readily accept this illusion. A in our society its Barbaric and outdated a said Elliot Katz president of in defense of animals. Turkey let these accidents happened a a distraught Gene Bulak 41, of Taberg n.y., committed suicide nov. 24 after he killed his son Michael 18, with a Shotgun blast to the head. A Ignatius Cuttita 61, of new City n.y., shot and killed his 33-year-old son Craig on nov. 30 with a Rifle slug to the Chest. A David Joseph Hose 19, of Tarrytown n.y., mistook his Mother for a Deer and shot her twice in the Chest with a .22-caliber Rifle on oct. 22. The woman 47-year-old Takeko Hose was pruning a fruit tree in her Back Yard. She survived. Some accidents seem to involve the mind playing tricks. Three years ago Karen Wood 37, the Mother of twin year old daughters died from a Rifle shot to the Chest while she stood about 130 feet behind her Home in Hermon Maine. She was wearing White mittens and the Hunter Donald Rogerson thought he saw the White Flash of a Deere a Tail when he fired the fatal shot. A a it a what a known in the Industry As a Buck fever a Quot said Bill Allegretti Hunter education coordinator in Delaware. A you go out in the Woods looking for a Deer and you re going to see what you re looking  Money starved counties jolted by California court s fax ruling by the new York times san Francisco a after a California supreme court decision limited the ability of local governments to raise new taxes officials Are scrambling to find other sources for the lost millions of dollars and to plan ways to slash costs. While the full implications of the decision will not be known for some time several local sales tax measures passed by the voters to finance school programs highways and Public transit Are Likely to be ruled invalid. Such a decision could require officials to return millions of tax dollars already collected. In a 5-to-2 decision announced dec. 19, the court held that local special taxes require approval by a two thirds majority of voters. The simple majority vote by which these local measures have been passed is insufficient under proposition 13, the court said. Proposition 13, the landmark measure from 1978 that led to property tax cuts provided that a special taxes sought by local taxing agencies must receive a two thirds vote so As not to circumvent the Laws tax limiting purposes. Since proposition 13 Cut off the ability of local governments to raise Revenue by raising property taxes local officials have increasingly relied on voters approving special taxes to finance services including Roaas schools jails and libraries. Many counties Are forced to Appeal to the state every year for additional Money. In san Francisco Buck e. Delventhal a Deputy City attorney called the courts ruling a part of the continuing destruction of local autonomy under proposition 13.�?� Delventhal noted that the ruling now Calls into question a Quarter cent sales tax increase approved by 55 percent of City voters dec. 10. The tax which is intended to help finance schools is to take effect feb. 1. A a it a a very bad situation. A a where a the end of it a on dec. 20, the san Francisco Board of education voted to go ahead with collection of the tax in the Hope that it would be exempt from the ruling because school districts in California Are mandated in the state Constitution. Local tax agencies Are created by the California legislature or the voters. The Case that was the subject of the ruling involved a special District created by the legislature to impose a half cent sales tax in san Diego county. Approved by 50.8 percent of the voters in 1988, the tax was to have raised $1.6 billion Over 10 years to help pay for the county a jails and criminal  can t meet state loan payment Oroville Calif. Apr a county that borrowed $2.3 million from the state to avoid bankruptcy expects to be late with the first loan payment of $400,000 due before years end. State officials said they weren to surprised and would try to help Butte county solve its financial problems. Deputy state finance director Steve Olsen said no penalties Are planned. The North Central California county is Home to about 143,000 people. Butte officials were drafting papers to seek Federal bankruptcy Protection when then gov. George Deukmejian signed an $11.1 million special Aid package including the loan in september 1990. Since then the county has bolstered police and other services and granted workers two raises. The budget for this fiscal year is around $160 million. County officials say they Are Hamstrung Between coffer draining welfare and other state mandated programs and limits on How such Money is raised. The ruling which immediately affects Only the Sai Diego tax returned several issues to the state court o appeals for Resolution. Those issues include Whethe san Diego county must return to its residents the approximately $330 million already collected and if so now that can be accomplished. Besides the san Francisco school tax measure the measures include a sales tax passed by voters in Orange county to raise $3.2 billion for traffic improvements sates tax to raise $350 million for libraries and a Hospi Tal in Monterey county and a sales tax in los Angele county to raise $400 million a year for transportation and Public transit. Also in question Are similar measures passed ii neighbouring counties that would have provided Mone to connect to a regional commuter rail network carry ing people to and from los Angeles. .3 charged with murder in Street Corner shootings from wire reports Baltimore a three men were charged with murder Friday in a Street Corner drug shooting that left two bystanders dead and four people wounded. One suspect Timothy Brown 19, was shot in the left thigh apparently when he Drew his gun police said. He was under guard at a Hospital. He and two other suspects were charged with two counts of first degree murder three counts of attempted murder and with firearms violations. Charles Blackwell 22, and Rick Kumar 19, were still at Large police said. Helen Davis 39, and Joanne Curbeam 30, were walking Home from a birthday party Early thursday when they were shot when a dispute Over drugs erupted into gunfire police  aide Dies Chester v. Gifton jr., a retired major general and senior military aide to both president Kennedy and president Johnson has died at Walter Reed army medical Center in Washington. He was 78. He died monday of pneumonia after an intestinal operation a family member said. Clifton joined the Kennedy staff in 1961 and was the officer responsible for the presidents daily morning intelligence briefings. He was in the motorcade Clifton a Dallas on nov. 22, 1963, when Kennedy was assassinated and made arrangements to Deal with military and National Security affairs immediately after the assassination. Clifton remained As military aide to Johnson until 1965, when he retired from the army after 33 years of service. Clifton who lived in Washington is survived by his wife Anne Bodine and a brother John a Clifton of Napa  trial delayed Miami a the drug and racketeering trial of former panamanian Leader Manuel Noriega will be delayed for nearly three weeks while the presiding judge recovers from open heart surgery. . District judge William m. Hoeveler was listed in stable condition Friday at mercy Hospital after tuesdays triple bypass surgery. The trial had been scheduled to resume Jan. 6 after a Holiday break but has been set Back to Jan. 27, said Don Baker one of the judges Law  announces layoffs port Worth Texas a american airlines will begin the new year by eliminating the jobs of about 1,250 baggage handlers ticket agents and cleaning personnel mostly through layoffs a spokesman said Friday. Spokesman Tim Smith said employees who Are Laid off will Stop working feb. 7. A this is part of our Effort to better control our costs a Smith said. A your costs Are exceeding our  the airlines Parent Amr corp., lost $115 million in the first nine months of the year but had a $70.3 million profit in the third  Taxman liveth Hartly Del. A Mike trial a a property tax Bill arrived Christmas eve but the amount he owed was scratched out. A i could not believe it. At the Bottom was a note saying we did not have to pay a he said. And so it went this year in this town of 100. The town usually collects less than $1,000 each year in property taxes to pay for lighting and Street cleaning but a nearly $8,000 surplus in the Treasury enabled the Council to give taxpayers a break. The extra Money was a stocking stuffer left behind by hundreds of motorists including summer Beac goers who were caught speeding