European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 9, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pole 6 a the stars and stripes thursday april 9,1992 aftermath of pipeline blast the ruins of a Home look like kindling after a pipeline explosion rocked a Rural area near Brenham Texas on tuesday. The blast As powerful As an earthquake registering close to 4.0 on the Richter scale killed a 6-Ycar old boy and was Felt More than 100 Miles away. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. The 6-Inch pipeline owned by coastline Gas pipeline co., carried liquefied Petroleum Gas often called up Gas. Education crisis pinpointed to inner City Rural schools by the new York times forget All the bad news about american schools. There is no crisis in american education say a number of renegade researchers. By falsely claiming that almost All american schools Are failing these antics charge the Bush administration and others divert attention and Money from the real crisis poor inner City and Rural schools. The defenders of american education wave a Batch of surprising statistics test scores and dropout rates have held steady for at least 15 years. They say that the percentage of top scoring pupils is roughly the same As it was 15 years ago and comparisons that show american schoolchildren trailing those in nearly every other country Are distorted by faulty methodology. A most schools in America Are better than they were in 1981,�?� said Harold Hodgkinson director of the Center for demographic policy a research organization in Washington. A in a interested in a focus on the worst kids in the worst schools. Given the fact that everyone agrees that the Bottom third of our kids Are awful they get very Little spent on  but the purveyors of bad news arc regrouping. Even if schools Over All arc not much worse than 15 years ago they say they Are nowhere near Good enough and they still Trail americans competitors. A the critics Are wrong in saying the schools Are just As Good As they Ever were a said Diane Ravitch an assistant Secretary of education. The defenders of american schools said they believe that whatever declines do exist have occurred because schools now unlike those of a generation or two ago Are trying to educate everybody a More immigrants More minorities More students who once would have dropped out. For example the number of 17-year-Olds who Complete High school Rose from 10 percent in 1910 Quot most schools in America Are better than they were in 1981,�?� a researcher Harold Hodgkinson to about 75 percent in 1965 and has stayed at about that level since according to Gerald w. Bracy an educational consultant. With More students going to College it follows that scores on the Scholastic aptitude test would dip somewhat according to Bracy and a report by the Sandia National laboratories of Albuquerque . The department of Energy financed the report. Since the 1960s, the report contends that More White students with lower Grade Point averages and lower ranks in class As Well As More minority students who historically have not scored Well on Thuc tests have taken sats. This accounts for the 5 percent decline in average sat scores in the last 20 years according to the report. Even so Hodgkinson noted sat scores of 31 states actually Rose Between 1980 and 1990 Bush hails sex dropout named top teacher Washington apr a formerly illiterate High school dropout from Detroit who is americans teacher of the year was lauded by president Bush on tuesday. Thomas a. Fleming 59, who teaches history government and geography at a juvenile detention Center in Ann Arbor mich., received a Crystal Apple from Bush. Fleming teaches a kids who had the Hope drained out of them by a vicious Cycle of abuse neglect failure drugs crime. He gives life training a the president said. A its miraculous to come As far As in be come a said Fleming who in 1950 still could not read and write As a 17-year-old running with a Tough crowd in inner City Detroit. It Fleming earned a High school equivalency diploma in night school after a stint in the army. He went on to earn a masters degree in special education and Hasyn is at 5? of the one Row a schoolhouse at the Washtenaw county juvenile detention Center. His students who Are from 12 to 16 years of age spend anywhere from a week to several months at the facility while then cases wind their Way through juvenile court. In one year he and two co workers see Over 200 students. Fleming was chosen from among the nations More than 2.5 million elementary and secondary Public school teachers. The award is sponsored by the Council of chief state school officers in partnership with encyclopedia Britannica  for new trial for Helmsley dashed from wire reports new York a a Federal judge tuesday denied Leona Helmsley a request for a new trial and ordered her to begin serving her four year prison sentence april 15. The ruling by judge Thomas p. Griesa of . District court in Manhattan appeared to destroy the 71-year-old defendants last Chance to escape a prison sentence which coincides with the income tax filing deadline for her 1989 tax fraud conviction. Asked during a recess How she would Cope with the Prospect of going to prison Helmsley remarked sarcastically maybe i can drop  her lawyers said they would Appeal Griesau a ruling As Well As the one he made March 15, when he refused to reduce her sentence. Helmsley must report to the Federal prison at Lexington ky., on wednesday to begin Ner four year sentence. She was convicted in 1989 of evading $1.7 million in taxes by Billing personal expenses to her businesses.2 jailed for tattooing Berryville a. A a father and Uncle were Given jail terms tuesday for tattooing a 7-year-old boys name on the boys Arm against his will. Francis Dennison 23, convicted of malicious wounding was sentenced to nine months in jail for tattooing his Nephew Billy Dennison. William Dennison 29, who pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding was sentenced to one year for helping his brother. Circuit judge James Berry also ordered the Brothers to pay $2,500 each m fines and restitution. The Tattoo is being removed by a new York doctor who offered his services for  gets life for murder Decatur a. A a 14-year-old boy with a mild learning disability was sentenced to life in prison tuesday for the murder and sexual assault of a 7-year-o d girl. Demale Henry was 13 at the time of the crime but he was tried As an adult. A jury convicted him of felony murder aggravated child molestation sexual Battery and assault. He was acquitted on a rape charge. Superior court judge Clarence Seeliger sentenced Henry to life plus 20 years in  charged in beating Beaverton Ore. A a teen age girl plotted with her Boyfriend and a transient to kill her Mother to get Money to rent an apartment authorities say. Shavonda Barrow and her Boyfriend Shane i. Sopher were charged with conspiracy to commit murder. George Turner was charged with attempted murder and assault. Donna m. Barrow 43, was found severely beaten sunday at her Home in the Portland suburb of Beaverton Shavonda Barrow 16, told authorities Turner beat her Mother with a baseball Bat. A they planned to make the murder look like a robbery and sell property taken from the House to rent an apartment a said Washington county sheriffs spokeswoman Sherre Calouri. She said Sopher 16, and Turner 20, were  sentenced to prison Cincinnati a a Clergyman who broke into an abortion clinic and smashed furniture and equipment was sentenced tuesday to three to 15 years in prison. Rov Streicher 43, associate pastor at a Baptist Church had acknowledged breaking into the women for women clinic in november. He was convicted last month of burglary vandalism and Possession of criminal tools. Judge William Mathews of Hamilton county common pleas court told Streicher that legislative action not vandalism is the Way to change abortion Laws