European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 1, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes . A sunday May 1,1994 Louii Tianci a new Orleans apr Louisiana s first new majority Black congressional District zigzagged across 600 Miles of the state like a the Mark of  so a off Leral court threw it out. Now the legislature has drawn up a replacement it slashes across the state diagonally for 220 Miles from Shreveport to Raton Rouge and the attorney who challenged the first District says the second one Isnit much better. Gov. Edwin Edwards signed the plan last monday. It awaits Justice department approval which could take two months. It also was submitted to the panel of three Federal judges who rejected the initial plan. \. A a i think the courts will sign off on the new plan a said state sen Dennis Banc Ris a Leader of the Black caucus who backed the plan. The dispute like those in North Carolina arid Georgia focuses on How far states can go to boost the chances of electing minority congressional representatives a As required by Federal Law a without violating voter rights through modern Day gerrymandering. Louisiana a legislature met in special session earlier in april to remap the states seven . House districts. Like the plan rejected in Federal court the latest includes two districts with Black majorities since about 28 percent of the states registered voters Are Black. Louisiana has Long had a Black majority District in the new Orleans area which Wasny to challenged. In december the Federal court ruled that the District approved in 1991 violated the rights of Black and White voters because District lines Cut Back and Forth without regard to traditional political boundaries. The three judge panel likened it to a  signature of Zorro the swashbuckling masked hero of movies and television and called the plan Quot unconstitutional. Attorney Paul Hurd whose lawsuit toppled the 1991 Boundary lines said the new District is Only slightly More compact than the old one. The original had a 62 percent Black population while the new one is about 55 percent Black. Creating the second Black majority District was needed to obtain Justice department approval of the state redistrict my plan As required by Federal Law backers said. But Hurd said the court clearly told the legislature that a widespread District drawn simply for racial makeup would not pass Muster a we re the pingpong Ball a he said. A the legislature had the Choice of going with what the court said and what the Justice department said they wanted. The legislature went with the Justice department.�?�. Killer hoped to Cash in on deaths letter shows by news Day. Mineola . A admitted serial killer Joe Rifkin wanted two things he told his lawyer in letters he wrote last year to avoid telling psychologists any thing that made him appear guilty and to make a few Bucks off his killing spree. A we need to act fast to sell before there is a Public record of the rights to my pre arrest Story or the studios will buy the Story from someone else a he wrote to attorney John Lawrence. A no matter what we do someone else will write the Book and sell the Story. Two More books Are coming out. When they do our marketability is  Rifkin is on trial for the murder of Tiffany Bresciani the last of the .17 women he has admitted killing. He told his lawyer he might profit from the experiences of principals in other Gaudy Long Island crimes such As wife shooter Amy Fisher. The other killings Are a Factor in Rifkini a trial because the defense is using them to build its insanity Case. The dec 19 letter was made available to Nassau county assistant District attorney Fred Klein through the discovery process because it had been turned Over to a psychologist evaluating Rifkin. A before anything is turned Over to a doctor who just entered the Case we both should look at it a Rifkin wrote �?o1 should decide what i want turned Over. Those which Are determined not to be important should not be turned Over to anyone. Some might be very damaging. One psychologist implied guilt. Guilt implies an understanding of wrongness and  Rifkini a understanding of right and wrong is the key to his defense. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The prosecution has to prove Rifkin knew that killing at least 17 women was wrong. A. \ _ excerpts of the dec 19 letter were read into the record by Klein at the end of an aggressive and stinging Cross examination of Long Island psychologist bar Bara r. Kirwin on Friday in Mineola. Kiwi i a key witness for the defense Tes miffed that Rifkin was a delusional schizophrenic who did no to know what he was doing when he killed the women he admitted slaying. Practising terrorism Fri agents take part in a training exercise in Elizabethtown pa., last week to combat possible terrorist threats during this car a world cup soccer games in the United states. More than 100 agents portrayed terrorists hostages and a men during the training program launched after the standoff with Branch Tavidian cult members near Waco Texas last year. Toad juice smoking pair makes Deal to avoid jail Sonora Calif. A a couple charged with possessing psychedelic Toad juice have agreed to attend a drug education program to avoid prison. Charges against Bob and Connie Shepard will be dropped if they successfully Complete the program and stay drug free for two years. They agreed to intervention thursday in Tuolumne county Justice court. The two were accused of squeezing venom from their Colorado River toads drying it then smoking it for an intense psychedelic High. Bob Shepard a lawyer James Webster said his client would have preferred logo to trial to prove that neither Possession of the toads nor a dime store Cactus that authorities said was a source of mescaline violated the Law. Drug agents seized the couples four toads in january. The Shepard were charged with five felony counts of drug Possession including Possession of the psychedelic amphibian venom by Foteine. After his arrest Bob Shepard was fired from his Job As naturalist for the regional learning Center an educational Camp in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. The Shepard have since moved to Northern Oregon Webster said. Bonaire i 1ucson, Ariz. Apr the groups battling for control of biosphere 2 reached a settlement Friday that would turn Over the environmental Experiment to financial Backer Edward Bass the agreement also settles a lawsuit Bass filed in March. The lawsuit questioned the management of the project which seeks to replicate Earth a environment inside a Glass and Metal dome. That action resulted in the suspension of the president and five senior officers of space biosphere ventures the joint venture that built and operates the $150 million project. Y the agreement announced Friday still requires court approval. Details of the settlement were not disclosed. A a what a important to remember is that the objectives of the biosphere have nor changed a said Terrell Lamb spokeswoman for Bass a Texas billionaire. A we intend to pursue those objectives with renewed commitment and  seven people currently Are living under biosphere s sealed dome. The 3-acre artificial environment touted As a potential space Colony prototype is located in Ora of biosphere 2 Cle about 35 Miles North of Tucson. Until fridays agreement gets court approval biosphere 2 will be run by a court appointed receiver who was named april 1 under the temporary restraining order that suspended space biosphere est top managers. All but one of those manager were covered in the settlement and will be permanently ousted. The Only one not named was Margaret Augustine the groups president and chief executive. Her status was not announced. A a the settlement will make space biosphere a wholly owned subsidiary of Basso decisions investment corp. The company had been a joint venture Between decisions investment and decisions team inc. A a Lawrence Hecker the attorney for decisions team inc., called the Resolution fair and amicable a. A a what made it possible to Settle these disputes was the undying belief and commitment of the parties that the work of biosphere 2 is necessary and should continue Hecker said. A the Best interests of science and our environment should override and outweigh personal and financial  \