European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 23, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday april 23, 1992 the stars and stripes c Page 5fbi, Black agents reach agreement by the Washington Post Washington a the Federal Bureau of investigation has headed off a potential discrimination suit by Black agents agreeing to review or modify Bureau procedures governing promotion evaluation and discipline. In an agreement announced tuesday the Agency also said it would promote or change the assignments of 48 Black agents and train More Black agents for certain positions. Six Black agents who were denied promotions will receive Back pay and an undetermined number will receive payments because White agents typically received bigger bonuses. The agreement reached with a group representing More than 300 Black agents is the latest chapter in the bureaus struggle to Deal with discrimination complaints from racial minorities and women. It is expected to Cost the Fri hundreds of thousands of dollars. The agreement yet to be completed Calls on the Fri to a hire outside consultants to review and recommend changes in its procedures for promotion discipline evaluation and training of supervisors. A alter some procedures for assigning agents to Field and subfield offices. A adopt measures to prevent disparities in bonuses. A change How agents Are selected for special teams. A provide More openings for Black agents to be  personnel changes Here Are Aoma of the personnel changes the Fri agreed to make a promotion of six Black agents to supervisory positions. A selection of 13 Black agents for the position of principal Relief supervisor the entry level of the of big a supervisory program. I creation of 15 additional training positions for Black  training of an additional 20 Black agents in the technical Eer vices area. E revise a program for backup supervisors. It also says the Bureau will adopt measures to ensure that past disparities in evaluations and disciplinary actions do not unduly damage the promotion chances of Black agents. For Fri director William s. Sessions the agreement eases fears that a court could find the Bureau guilty of systemic discrimination As a Federal judge did in 1988 in a Case filed by hispanic agents. But it is unclear whether the concessions granted to Black agents will inflame White agents some of whom complain that ses Sions is stacking hiring and promotion systems against them. Black agents who make up less than 5 percent of the bureaus roughly 10,000 agents alleged that they were being passed Over for promotion Given lower bonuses evaluated More harshly subjected to More disciplinary inquiries and denied Choice assignments. Liz Cassell an agent who is acting As a spokeswoman for the group said tuesday that Black agents typically wait 10 to 14 years to be promoted while White agents Are promoted within six. Fri officials and attorneys for the Black agents declined to detail what statistical disparities were uncovered during an in depth review of the bureaus personnel records. Absent an agreement attorneys for the Black agents were planning to use the statistics As their basis for a class action discrimination suit a the Type of suit that became the focus of a bitter Battle Over the civil rights act signed by president Bush last year. In an interview Joseph r. Davis assistant Fri director for Legal affairs gave some examples of patterns uncovered by the bureaus review a supervisors referred a greater percentage of Black agents than White agents for discipline. A positions on swat and other special teams were sometimes filled by word of Mouth rather than open Competition. A a smaller percentage of Black agents received spots in subfield offices where agents often can operate More independently. In the stars and stripes10 years ago april 23 1982 a soviet president Leonid i. Brezhnev appeared at a gala Celebration marking the 112th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir i. Lenin ending a 27-Day absence from Public View. 20years ago april 23,1972 a Apollo 16�?Ts lunar explorers drove their electric car Halfway up a 1,600-foot Mountain dodging a Forest of boulders to reach the highest Point on the Moon Ever visited by humans.30 years ago april 23,1962 a the secret army organization in Algiers continued to step up its terrorism to show that it remained a Power to be reckoned with. Terrorists machine gunned a bakery killing four Muslim shoppers.40 year Sago april 23,1952 a an atomic bomb blast in Nevada singed the faces of observers 10 Miles away. Smoke blotted out troops who were in Foxholes about four Miles from the explosion. High court hears pros and cons on key Pennsylvania abortion Law Worl d War ii Washington a the supreme court heard arguments wednesday Over a restrictive Pennsylvania abortion Law with the future of legalized abortion nationwide potentially at stake. Kathryn Kolbert a lawyer for planned parenthood urged the justices to strike Down Pennsylvania a restrictions on abortion and a reaffirm that the right to choose abortion is  but solicitor general Kenneth Starr the Bush administrations top courtroom lawyer argued that the justices should Rule that abortion is not a fundamental constitutional right and make it easier for states to protect a those who will be  Pennsylvania attorney general Ernest Preate also urged the court to uphold his states Law calling it a an intelligent statute. Carefully drafted to reflect the teachings of this  Ity of helped make the abortion Case the most closely watched of the courts 1991-92 term. Both sides in the National abortion debate agree that the courts conservative majority fashioned by presidents Reagan and Bush May use the Pennsylvania Case to reverse explicitly or implicitly the landmark 1973 Roe is. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. Questioning from the justices was an the enormity of the stakes in this election year has help clo mated at some Points during the hour Long argument session but not As aggressive As it often has been in cases in which the court was closely divided. Several of the justices asked Only one question. One Justice Clarence Thomas id not speak but occasionally took notes. More than 200 people had waited outside in the rain a some for More than a Day a to witness the historic arguments. The Pennsylvania Law imposes notification requirements and waiting periods on women who want abortions. Kolbert resisted three requests to discuss the specifics of the Pennsylvania Law choosing instead to speak about what she said was the cases Central Issue a a the Power of the government to Force a woman to continue her pregnancy against her  a a Pennsylvania a onerous restrictions must fall a Kolbert argued. A women might again be forced to the Back alleys for their health care. With grave  Preate however argued that states have a a compelling interest in a protecting the life of the unborn that the court must recognize. And Starr urged that the justices give state Legislatures greater leeway to regulate and deter abortion than they were Given in the 1973 Roe is. Wade decision. Starr contended that the Standard for court review should be whether state abortion Laws Are  he said the Pennsylvania regulations pass that Standard. But Justice David h. Souter interjected a so would Complete prohibition of abortion  it a Starr suggested that a state would have a problem if it attempted to outlaw All abortions with no exceptions for when a woman a life was endangered. Justice John Paul Stevens appeared irritated. A a that a not really a fair answer a he told Starr adding that a total ban on abortion could pass judicial review based on the governments proposed a a rational Standard. The supreme court had set aside extra seats for the Public because of the intense interest in the Case. Still Carol Urich of Chevy Chase md., arrived at 9 . Tuesday a 25 hours before the arguments began. It was the first trip to the court for Urich 48, who is a lifelong resident of the Washington area. A a in a very much pro Choice a she said. A i think its very important for a woman to retain control of her own body without asking permission from a  no. 2 in line was James a. Hogan a 26-year-old lawyer who identified himself As anti abortion. A army 50 years ago today 23 april1 a 9 4 2 japanese troops Force the nationalist chinese 6th army to Retreat from Tau Ngoyi in Eastern Burma toward China s Yunnan province. Allied units in the Northern Irrawaddy and sitting valleys in Central Burma also withdraw As the japanese push toward Lashio the terminus of the Burma Road the important Supply route for supplies to chinese forces fighting the japanese in China. 150 anti abortion demonstrators arrested source 2194 Days of War w h. Smith a publishers inc. World almanac Book of world War ii Bison books corp1981 Amherst . A at least 150 anti abortion demonstrators were arrested wednesday morning after charging police barricades in front of a suburban clinic As operation rescues protests in Buffalo intensified. Protesters went Limp and were carried by police to buses. Police used plastic Handcuffs to bind the arms of the arrested protesters. Traffic was blocked near the clinic and police threatened to arrest anyone in the Street including reporters. A bus in which some operation Rescue demonstrators had arrived was towed away from the front of the clinic. As police hauled off the anti abortion demonstrators about 100 abortion rights advocates taunted them from in front of the Amherst office of or. Shalom press. The abortion rights forces yelled a keep the sheep out of the Street a we have some very courageous and conscientious people who Are braving humiliation to save human life a said the Rev. Robert Schenck an anti abortion Leader from suburban Tonawanda. Police capt. Frank Olesko estimated that at least 150 people two full busloads were arrested. He said they would be charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. The Rev. Joe Slovenec an operation Rescue Leader had said earlier that about 180 people were prepared to be arrested wednesday. One abortion rights demonstrator was among those arrested. The unidentified woman was handcuffed and taken away by police after she crossed the Street to approach two people leaving the doctors office who had been confronted by reporters and anti abortion demonstrators. The protests occurred on the second Day of full scale abortion demonstrations in the Buffalo area by operation Rescue a Radical anti abortion group based in Binghamton . Kit Bonson a spokeswoman for Buffalo United for Choice said press was continuing to see patients. She said two women underwent abortions in the clinic wednesday morning