European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 8, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a the stars and stripes wednesday january 8, 1992 massive blackout hits . During height of Rush hour by Martin Weil the Washington Post Washington a a massive electrical failure blacked out most of downtown Washington Georgetown and parts of Southeast Washington for about two hours during monday evenings Rush hour snarling Hom bound traffic trapping dozens of people in elevators and bringing an unexpected end to the workday for thousands. A Potomac electric Power co. Spokesman said the blackout possibly the largest Ever to hit the City was caused by an unexplained failure that shut Down the Alexandria va., generating Plant a main source of the District of columbian a electricity. It struck with Little warning about 5 15 . On what was for Many the first work Day after the holidays and caught thousands of people just leaving their jobs and thousands More still at their desks or counters. It shut Down computers Cash registers and Many telephones. It sowed fear and confusion in some places generated merriment in others and brought work to a standstill for Many. It also caused a run on candles prompted some people to seek hotel accommodations for the night and led others to head for bars and taverns a a we re doing a lot of bar business a said Jim Petrillo manager of the peasant restaurant amp bar at eighth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue new. The office buildings lining k Street and Pennsylvania Avenue new were plunged into sudden darkness while volunteers with flashlights joined police in struggling to keep Long lines of cars moving along streets that lacked traffic signals or Street lamps. At 19th and k streets graphic designer John Whit Coski became an instant traffic cop wielding two Battery powered lights to wave motorists through the intersection without signals winning some angry honks of car horns and an occasional thank you for his pains. While Many people groped their Way Down darkened stairways to the Street . Firefighters scrambled to respond to 80 Calls to Rescue people trapped in elevators. Metro subway trains continued to operate but lights and fare card machinery went out at three stations and elevators stalled at two. The exact cause of the blackout was not immediately available. A Pep co spokesman said it involved equipment in the Potomac River Plant which is on the River at the Northern Edge of old town Alexandria. Another spokesman Steve Arabia said he knew of no one at the Utility who could recall a failure of similar magnitude in the downtown area. Because it is served by underground Power lines the downtown area generally is exempt from the effects of Snow and windstorms that can tear Down the overhead lines serving outlying areas. Precise figures on the number of houses and businesses affected were not available monday night. Arabia said Only that they numbered in the thousands. In addition to the Alexandria generating Plant Pep co operates four others and Arabia said electricity produced in those four was to be fed monday night to the blacked out areas of the City. By 7 ., lights in Many parts of the affected area had flickered to life to applause in some instances. The Georgetown area was the last left without Power and the lights went on there by 8 ., Pep co said. The Washington Monument stands dark during a Power outage that hit much of the nations capital  jumped gun in naming Quayle paper says Washington apr Dan Quayle and George Bush never had a private talk about teaming up for the 1988 presidential Campaign until Bush had already presented Quayle to the Public As his running mate according to a newspaper biography. The Washington Post in the third instalment of a week Long profile says in tuesdays editions there was no Early private moment for talk Between the two after Bush a selection of the Junior Indiana senator stunned even his own advis ers. A we walked right up on stage a Quayle told the newspaper. Quot Boom that a it. And the private moment was in the car on the Way Back to the  Quayle a performance at that announcement on the second Day of the Republican National convention did not enhance his reputation. In his first moment in the National political spotlight Quayle grasped then vice president Bush by the Arm and shoulders several times and cried out to the crowd a a let a go get  the Post quoted Quayle a wife Marilyn As criticizing Bush aides particularly Campaign chairman James a. Baker Iii who advised Quayle during those first weeks. Quayle was beset with questions about his qualifications and his past including whether he relied on family connections to gain admission to the National guard and thus avoid possible military service in Vietnam. Mrs. Quayle said Baker now the Secretary of state called Quayle at their new Orleans hotel room shortly after Bush had invited him to join the ticket. She said Baker told the Quayle to make their Way to the Spanish Plaza where the rally was taking place but that Quayle said he could see on television that the area was jammed with thousands of people. She said Baker said Quot Trust me. Trust me. Well find you in the crowd. Well get you in there. But she said a they did no to Send a soul.  mrs. Quayle said relations were strained Between the Quayle and the Bush Campaign advisers on the Campaign plane. She said that Joe Canzeri told he staff that a we  have food on the charter flights because it Cost too  As a result she said she lost nearly 14 pounds in a week and a was so thin my skirt would move  Canzeri denied this the Post , prunes add a new wrinkle to Florida Retiree City St. Petersburg Fla. A to a City still trying to shake its Retiree image and the Moniker a a god a waiting room a an award for its consumption of prunes has added an unwanted Honor. A that is too funny a howled City Council member Leslie Curran. A fall i can say is St. Pete makes the goings  the California prune Board noting that the areas annual per capita prune consumption outpaces the National average has awarded St. Petersburg a $1,000 Grant to develop a walking exercise program. A one suggestion was that it  be a walking program but a running program a joked Marla Tritt a City recreation Leader. The City was one of 10 awarded Grants to develop the a healthy strides program. They were chosen for the Quality of their recreation programs As Well As their prune marketing potential said prune Board spokeswoman Marla Waltert. While the National average for prune consumption is 0.6 pounds per person the Tampa St. Petersburg area averages about 1.13 pounds per person. Lawyer gets 22 i years in jail for stealing millions from clients new York apr an attorney who May have stolen More from his clients than any other . Lawyer was sentenced monday to the maximum of 22yi years in prison and ordered to repay More than $7 million Steven j. Romer 55, was convicted . 9 after a three month jury trial on 14 counts of grand larceny criminal Possession of stolen property and criminal Possession of a forged instrument. State Justice John Bradley ordered that Romer serve 7vz years before being eligible for parole. The thefts totalled More than $7 million from four clients including an orphan who lost her entire $740,000 inheritance and a businessman who lost two multimillion Dollar trusts he set up for his children. The businessman William Marion was pleased by the sentence. A i think he deserves everything he gets a Marion said outside the courtroom. He said that despite the huge losses to Romer he was still solvent. Romer claimed that general motors framed him As part of a conspiracy with others to Stop him from developing an electric car Battery. He said they used computer transfers of clients funds and made him look like a thief. Romer asked Bradley to sentence him to one to three years the minimum. While maintaining his innocence he noted that the crimes of which he was convicted Are non violent and said a it would be beneficial if i could be outside working to pay the victims  assistant District attorney Roslynn Mauskopf argued for the maximum sentence saying Romer caused serious financial difficulty and inflicted emotional pain on his victims to satisfy his greed. A the Money was spent on himself his family and his business ventures a Mauskopf said. She said Romer had built a $1 million House with Money he stole. Mauskopf said she has evidence Romer stole an additional $7 million from five other clients. Almost none of the Money has been recovered she said. Frederick Miller director of the lawyers fund for client Protection said Romero a was the stiffest sentence Ever in the state for such a crime. He said before trial that the theft was the largest by a lawyer in . History. Romer disappeared . 31, 1990 claiming later he had been kidnapped by pm agents who were responsible for the theft of his clients Money. He resurfaced in March appearing in the Manhattan District attorney s office with a copy of a letter he had sent to clients whose Money he stole. In the 19-Page letter Romer claimed he had a brain tumor that would soon kill him. He also said he had a $23 million life insurance policy that would reimburse clients. He later admitted he had neither the tumor nor the insurance policy