European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 22, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes wednesday january 22,1992 Lucky Landing a song la in inc plane rests with its Tail in the air As a Warren mich., police officer left discusses the aircraft with or. Dennis Giannini. The plane made an emergency Landing sunday morning clipping a Power line and skidding to a halt in Giannini a Yard. The Pilot and his two passengers were unharmed. The plane had taken off from Oakland Pontiac Airport in Michigan and was bound for Bradford a. Ged recipients lag behind High school grads study says Chicago apr stay in school say researchers who found that those who earn a High school equivalency diploma fare no better in the Job Market than dropouts. A there is no cheap substitute for classroom instruction a the researchers wrote. Dropouts and recipients of the general educational development certificate a have comparably poor wages earnings hours of work unemployment experiences and Job tenure a said the study led by University of Chicago economist James Heckman. The study excluded women but Heckman said another study suggests the same phenomenon affects them. A growing number of people take the ged exam instead of completing High school and government agencies increasingly pitch the exam a was a Means of getting Low income Levels out of poverty Quot Heckman said monday. A a there a no evidence that it helps Quot he said. The study is to be published this summer in the University a journal of labor economics. According to the study the number of High school certificates awarded through equivalency exams nearly tripled from 1968 through 1987. Most ged exam takers Are minorities. Of the 763,618 people who took the exam in 1990, 431,225 passed according to the american codicil on education the private non profit organization that produces the 7 hour test. David Merkowitz spokesman for Council said the organization strongly disputes the findings. A in education circles these things cause a stir because these Guys Are clearly going after one of the major programs. For High school dropouts a he said. The study examined data on 5,000 men in their mid to late 20s who took the exam nationwide in the mid-1980s. Their employment status was compared with that of High school dropouts and graduates. At age 25, ged recipients earned an average of $3,800 a year compared with $3,300 for dropouts and $4,930 for High school graduates Heckman said. Of ged recipients who had jobs before they passed 58 percent had not advanced two years after receiving the ged certificate. And by age 28, ged recipients spent More than twice As much time unemployed As graduates. A the idea that we can test on an exam for the skills that employers value is crazy. It does no to really test Market skills a Heckman said. Merkowitz said his office has been contacted by ged administrators who Are a outraged by the study and its a seeming ideological or political Bias a he said the Council has talked with Many employers who a not Only accept the ged As an equivalent of a High school diploma a but also believe those who pass the test show a seriousness and initiative that employers can  and the study looked Only at men while women make up about half of All ged recipients he said. But Heckman said a study of women in Washington state supports his thesis. Preliminary results indicate that welfare women a Are people who need things like the ged and the ged does t really seem to work a said Ernst Stromsdorfer an economist at Washington state University in Pullman. Suspect named in Church fires Gainesville Fla. A a jailed Tennessee drifter is the prime suspect in a string of fires set in churches Here last year officials said monday. Patrick Lee Frank 41, jailed on unrelated charges is the main suspect in six fires last fall and two blazes a year ago said fire department spokesman Stuart Schwartz. A Church arson task Force composed of local state and Federal officials has concentrated its probe on 30 Church fires primarily in North Central Florida during 1991. Evidence placed Frank at or near All eight of the Gainesville Church Sites before and after each fire fire chief Donald Harkins or. Said in a statement. Frank is also a suspect in a rash of Church fires in his Hometown of East Ridge Tenn. Frank was arrested in Ocala after members of the task Force followed him to an abandoned House where he was arrested and charged with trespassing loitering and prowling. He a being held on $6,500 Bond. His Public defenders last month said Frank was incompetent to stand  sick out prompts town to Call emergency from wire reports West Sacramento Calif. A All but one of West Sacramento a 45 police officers failed to show up for work or called in sick in a dispute Over stalled contract talks and the City Council declared an emergency. The declaration approved unanimously sunday Means the town of 27,000 can legally ask for help from neighbouring Law enforcement agencies. Calling the sick out illegal mayor Ray Jones said the nine management and non Union personnel were enough to staff patrols in the City but insufficient to handle a major problem. The West Sacramento police officers association said the officers were a very sick a sick at heart sick and  the no shows have risen steadily since 29 employees reported sick last wednesday. Mrs. America investigated Coronado Calif. A the san Diego county department of social services is investigating the reigning mrs. America for welfare fraud a newspaper reported monday. The san Diego Tribune reported the inv Siga Tion citing unidentified sources. Jill Scott a lawyer on monday acknowledged she violated department rules but said she did not deliberately cheat the system. Scott 32, formerly of Arizona was crowned mrs. America in december 1990. Her term expires in april. She applied for welfare shortly after filing for divorce from George e. Scott in july said her attorney Matthew Kremer. George Scott failed to deliver the $1,340 a month a court ordered him to pay to support his sex wife and two children Ages 6 and 8, Kremer said. He since has paid them less than $1,000, Kremer said. George Scott could not be reached for comment monday. Jill Scott violated department rules by failing to Send the Money she received from her sex husband to the county department of Revenue and recovery Kremer said. A she regrets the mistake a he  vaccine Washington a a licensing agreement was announced monday for a contraceptive vaccine for women that was developed by researchers at the University of Virginia. The agreement was announced jointly by the Center for innovative technology a private nonprofit corporation created by Virginia lawmakers to increase the states technological competitiveness and Ortho pharmaceutical corp., a Leader in contraceptive technology. The Center and the company have financed development of the vaccine which has so far been tested Only on animals. It works by preventing sperm from fertilizing an egg. Under the licensing agreement University of Virginia scientists will continue testing the vaccine on Baboons. It could be ready for human testing within two years said a news release announcing the licensing agreement. The vaccine would be administered by Pill or injection and could last from two to five  empties Macy s store new York a Small fire broke out monday in a storeroom of Macy a flagship store in Manhattan forcing the evacuation of thousands of shoppers and employees. The fire was contained by a sprinkler system shortly after it was reported at 6 15 p.m., said fire Captain Robert love. No injuries were reported. A Macy a manager David Brown said the fire was in a stockroom on the fourth floor of the nine floor store. A a couple of thousand people were evacuated a Deputy chief Joseph Sepio said