European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 24, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday Juty 24, 1933 . The stars and stripes Page 7 bidding sends stinger prices sky High los Angeles a a Black mar Ket bidding War is forcing the Clinton administration to try to quintuple the Money set aside to buy Back missiles the United states shipped to afghan rebel sin the 1980s. The Cia amid growing fears of terrorist attacks on Western airliners has re Quested an extra $55 million to buy hundreds of stinger anti aircraft missiles on the Black Market the los Angeles time reported Friday. The shoulder fired missiles use infrared tracking to destroy aircraft. They helped afghan rebels drive soviet forces from their country in the 1980s. The missiles originally Cost $25,000 to$30,000 each but Black Market Competition has inflated the Price to As much As$100,000 per weapon. At those prices the . Government risks being outbid said Bruce Hoffman a terrorism expert at the Rand corp., think tank based in Santa Monica Calif., that studies Security matters. Whoever has the most Money is going to get them Hoffman said. They re highly desirable the state of the Art lightweight surface to air  Hoffman said the government should open its pocketbook to recover the weapons. Whatever we pay to get them is a Small Price Given the almost insoluble threat to civil aviation that stingers in the hands of terrorists pose he said. The Cia has been trying to get the missiles Back since rebels drove the afghan communists from Kabul the Capi Tal i 1992. The Cia launched a secret Effort with Pakistan to recover the mis Siles then tried to Trade them for humanitarian supplies. But those efforts were unsuccessful. During the Bush administration thecia received $10 million for operation mias standing for missing in action stingers but even then prices Rose beyond the Cia s Means the newspaper re ported. The $55 million would put the Cianto a better position but officials Aren t even sure if that will be enough. Regardless of How Many missiles the United states can recover similar models from other countries Are poised to flood the Market. Britain Russia and France already produce similar missiles. China Sweden South Africa Brazil and Egypt Are developing or already marketing stinger look alikes. Fire Crew ear downtown St Paul Mian Battle a fire thursday caused by a natural Gas explosion. 2 killed in natural Gas explosion St. Paul Minn. A a natural Gas explosion blasted a car across a Street reduced two build Ings to charred rubble and sent smoke billowing into the air thursday. The car s Driver and another per son died. Seven people were hospitalized after the blast shattered windows of nearby Homes in a working class neighbourhood on the Eastern Edge of Down town. Two of those were in critical condition thurs Day night Lames h. Willson a Northern states Power co. Official said a City sewer maintenance Crew May have struck the Gas line with a Backhoe. But the dry s Public works director Tom Eggum said he could not confirm that. A two Story building housing a grocery store Bookstore and upstairs apartments was destroyed bythe blast and fire. Throughout the Day firefighters battled a Blaze in a neighbouring building that housed a bar and More apartments. Aaron Johnson a City Parks and recreation worker was sitting in his truck when the whole place blew up. It s like All the people were there an they re gone. The building was  Johnson said the Motorist s car was in the inter Section when the explosion hit. The Driver was identified As Gordon James Raths,78, of St Paul. His 77-year-old wife Gertrude was hospitalized in fair condition. The other fatality was Donna Guthrie 36, of Stpaul she died at a Hospital after being burned on 95 percent of her body. Trial starts for mom who killed alleged molester Sonora Calif. A a woman accused of kill ing her son s alleged molester in a courtroom made a decision to play god a prosecutor said thursday. To Graves statement came on the opening Day of the trial of Ellie Nesler. The Mother is charged with killing shackled Daniel Mark Driver during a hearing to deter mine whether he should stand trial for molesting her son. Defense attorney Tony Serra depicted Driver 35, Asa sick Snake and said Nesler snapped after hearing predictions that Driver an admitted child molester could go free on charges that he molested four boys be tween 1986 and 1989. In front of witnesses. Nesler fired five bullets into the Back of Driver s head during an april 2 bearing in Jamestown. The shooting sparked a nationwide debate Over vigilante Justice and child molestation. Television and movie producers clamoured to Tel Nesler s Story and she received More than 5,000 letters from supporters worldwide. But Nesler s backing has dwindled since prosecuting attorneys revealed that she used methamphetamine the Day she shot Driver and hinted that other damaging revelations were to come. Nesler s attorney dismissed the prosecution s claim that his client had repeatedly said she wanted to kill Driver. Serra said Nesler 40, of Sonora had been hand cuffed and sodomized by her alcoholic father s friends As a child and understood the torment her son said he first experienced at age 7. Serra said Mother and son had bonded in  he described How Nesler watched helplessly As her son now 11, became angry then depressed then suicidal. The jury must decide whether Nesler is guilty of murder and then if she is convicted whether she was temporarily insane. If convicted of first degree murder which require evidence of malice and forethought she will face be tween 25 years to life. She faces up to 11 Yean if found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. House democrats refuse to release mail inquiry data Washington a the democratic House at the request of a Federal prosecutor is keeping records of its internal Post office investigation under lock and key despite Republican cries of cover up. In two partisan votes thursday democrats turned Back Republican attempts to have the documents re leased immediately. The democrats followed the wishes of interim .attorney j. Ramsey Johnson in Washington who said release of the records would jeopardize his criminal investigation of the Post office. The House first voted 244-183 for a democratic Reso Lution to keep the records secret. A 242-186 vote Fol Lowed a procedural motion that killed a gop proposal to release the documents right away. On the key first vote 242 democrats one Republican and one Independent voted to keep the material locked up. Eleven democrats and 172 republicans opposed the Resolution. The House won t fess up to its dirty Little secrets said rep. Scott Klug a wis. Rep William Thomas r-Calif., said the democrats theory was cover it up push it under the  the votes were part of the political fallout from Acourt proceeding monday in which former House Post master Robert v. Rota pleaded guilty to embezzlement and conspiracy. Rota said he had helped congressmen obtain embezzled Post office funds for their personal use. Meanwhile the White House denied allegations by former . Attorney Jay b. Stephens that the Clinton administration delayed the criminal investigation be cause rep. Dan Rostenkowski d-i11., was needed i deficit reduction negotiations. Court records when matched with Public documents indicated that Rostenkowski chairman of the ways and Means committee and former rep. Joseph Koft or d-pa.,. May have been among those receiving the Money. Eyes of a child help family collect $10,000 lottery prize Winchendon mass. A finders keepers is the motto at the Home of Ricci and Linda Ruschioni who collected a $10,000 Jackpot after their 8-year-Olddaughter spotted an a scratched lottery ticket. Traci the couple s daughter found the ticket in the parking lot of a focal video store monday evening. She and her Mother then went Home where Traci scratched the boxes. The game involves scratching off All the boxes to see whether any numbers underneath match the winning number. Linda Ruschioni thought the ticket might be a win Ner so she took it to a liquor store and confirmed the Lucky news. The next morning the Ruschioni collected their winnings at the Massachusetts lottery office in  Traci the prize Money meant she could get some toys and a new Cage for her pet Birds. The family also plans to make a return trip this Winter to Disney  Ruschioni a firefighter said hell also use the Money to get ourselves out of a Hole and pay our  of course the Ruschioni Fortune equals someone else s misfortune. But the father said my daughter did nothing wrong. I Haven t lost any