European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 29, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a the stars and stripes sunday december 29, 1991flood water crests below expected level Wharton Texas a wary residents watched the Muddy Colorado River Inch closer to Homes in Low lying areas Friday but got some Relief when the rain swollen River crested lower than expected. Firefighters had airboat ready to Rescue people who might have waited too Long before fleeing the flood but Only a calf stranded on a Hill needed to be rescued. The River crested at 46 feet Friday afternoon about 2 a feet below earlier predictions said Wharton City manager Robert Miller. A it looks like we re Over the worst of it a he said. Miller said 90 to 100 residents were unable to return to their flooded Homes. Quot it May be a couple of Days before they can go Back. Its going to take awhile for the River to go Down a he said. But others in the Southern half of the state expected the worst to come to this week. Federal officials said 20 More counties May ultimately be declared disaster areas. The flooding caused by Days of heavy rain during the past week has killed at least is people across Texas swamped Farmland drowned scores of livestock and caused millions of dollars in damage. No injuries have been reported in Wharton. But More than a dozen streets were blocked and authorities estimated that 30 residences were uninhabitable because of water inside. A i Hope it does no to get any worse a Robert Phillips 51, said after inspecting ins House. A a it Snow just Over the  City officials imposed a dusk to Dawn curfew barring non residents from the flood area. Miller said no looting had been reported. Miller said a preliminary damage estimate was $4 million for Wharton and $4 million for the surrounding county. Flooding also was reported along the Guadalupe Brazos and Trinity Rivers. President Bush who began his annual South Texas Quail Hunting trip Friday flew Over some of the flooded areas. Bush approved Federal disaster Aid thursday for five Texas counties hit hardest by the flooding. Travelling with Bush was Grant Peterson associate director of the Federal emergency management Agency. He said eight More counties would soon be declared disaster areas Parker Waller Brazoria Austin fort Bend Wharton Victoria and liberty.132 willingly return to Haiti Miami apr a coast guard Cutter on Friday returned 132 haitians who gave up Hope of being granted Asylum in the United states and asked to be taken Back to their Homeland. The haitians had been living in tents at the . Navy base at Guantanamo Bay Cuba. A nobody in the military or none of the immigration folks asked them about it. They just came up and told officials that they wanted to go Back a said air Force staff sgt. Rick Fligor. Meanwhile the coast guard said it had intercepted 366 More haitians off the coast of Haiti. The haitians who were returned to port a Prince were met by red Cross officials. The organization provided them with $ 15, bus fare Home and a food card. They were the fourth group of refugees to return voluntarily this month bringing the total to 362. More than 6,000 other haitian refugees still Are living in tent cities enclosed by concertina wire at the american base in Southeastern Cuba. Thousands of haitians have fled the Caribbean nation since president Jean Bertrand Aristide was ousted in a military coup in september. A court Battle is being waged Over whether they should be resumed to Haiti As the . Government wants or allowed to seek Asylum in the United states. The . Government argues they want to come to the United states for economic not political reasons the haitians and their supporters say they arc fleeing political repression. Reptilian Rescue in California firefighters George Bradley left and Jay Shoup Are All wrapped up in their latest and most unusual a Rescue. The duo saved a 10-foot burmese Python and other animals when a fire broke out at the exotic pets and supplies store in Napa calif., on wednesday. Firefighters were Able to Rescue All of the shop s animals. Investigators believe the fire began with a heat lamp used to keep the animals  s son Dies of overdose Oklahoma City a gov. David Walters son has died 11 Days after taking an overdose of a prescription anti depressant. Officials ruled the death a suicide. Shaun David wallers 20, died late thursday said Randy Sachs a spokesman for Baptist medical Center. He slipped into a coma soon Shaun Walters after taking the drug. The governor and his wife Rhonda were at their son s bedside when he died. Police found Shaun Walters slumped Over in his car near the High school from which he graduated in 1990. An empty bottle of the prescription anti depressant Pam Clor was in his pocket. Sachs said the drug had been prescribed for the youth. A week before the overdose Shaun Walters had pleaded no contest to a Misdemeanour charge of possessing drug paraphernalia. Man sentenced in steroid wrestling Case Harrisburg a. A a doctor convicted of Selling steroids to professional wrestlers was sentenced Friday to three years in prison. George t. Zahorian 43, a urologist stood silently As . District judge William w. Caldwell sentenced him. Zahorian also was fined $12,700 and ordered to serve two years probation after his jail term which starts feb. 3. Zahorian said he plans to Appeal. A Federal jury in june convicted Zahorian of distributing steroids. At the trial he said he sold the body building drugs to Hulk Hogan and Rowdy Roddy Piper among other wrestlers. Piper and four other wrestlers testified they bought steroids from Zahorian after 1988, the year their Sale for non medical use became illegal. Hogan was subpoenaed to testify but the judge excused him from appearing on grounds that hogans privacy outweighed the prosecutors interest in convicting Zahorian. The wrestler has denied any wrongdoing. After Zahorian a conviction world wrestling federation owner Vince Mcmahon admitted briefly using steroids he obtained from Zahorian several years ago. In an emotional statement Friday Zahorian said the ordeal had been difficult and he pleaded for leniency. Prosecutors said Zahorian sold the drugs for profits estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. But the doctor said financial gain Wasny this motive. He said he wanted to help the wrestlers and tried to wean them off the drugs. Zahorian claimed the wrestlers were his friends and that a government informant had intimidated him into Selling Large amounts of the drugs. No wrestlers were convicted because buying steroids was Legal until february of this year. Train sped 42 Mph Over limit group says from wire reports Palatka Fla. A an Amtrak train that derailed this month and injured 55 people was going 72 Mph in a 30 Mph zone a consumer advocacy group says. Ross Capon executive director of the National association of Railroad passengers said Amtrak president w. Graham Claytor or. Told him at a Washington cocktail party last week that the train was travelling 72 Mph. A i m comfortable with the accuracy a Capon said Quot there Are Only two possible explanations for speeding. One is Brake failure. The other is operator  the Silver meteor bound from new York to Tampa Fla., with 186 people on Board jumped the tracks around a curve three blocks from the depot dec. 17. The train hit two houses Ana caused an estimated $1.2 million in damage. Claytor did not return a Telephone Call Friday. Amtrak spokesman Clifford Black said evidence Points to speeding but he would not confirm the 72 Mph figure. Train Engineer Conrad Peterson and assistant Engineer Robert Moore who was at the controls were suspended after the crash in Palatka South of Jacksonville. In separate development officials in Philadelphia said someone had set mondays fire that damaged the City a main train station and shut Down Holiday travel on Amtrak a Busy new York to washing ton route. Fire marshal it. Joseph Lynch  say Why arson was suspected in the fire at the 30th Street station. He said authorities have no suspects. The fire broke out in a Remote part of the station that once housed a Bowling Alley and burned for More than four hours. Ten people were injured. Amtrak service on the corridor was halted for 12 hours affecting about 12,000 passengers