European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 8, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes . Wednesday june a 1994 Lack of writing abilities found to plague pupils Washington apr whether describing the plot of the Little Mermaid recounting a trip in a magical balloon or arguing the merits of a longer school year american pupils have trouble making their Point in writing. In its latest comprehensive look at How Well schoolchildren write the education department said tuesday that most pupils grasp the basics of narrative or informative writing but Many arc unable to write effectively. The 1992 Quot writing report card by the departments National assessment of educational Progress unit found some encouraging news in that schools seem to be putting More emphasis on writing instruction. Compared with its last Nap writing assessment in 1988, the report said a students Are being asked to write somewhat More frequently at greater length and in assignments requiring More analysis and  but the report said its testing of 30,000 fourth eighth and 12th-graders still found writing deficiencies at All of ree Levels a and in particular in the ability to write persuasively. Quot whatever successes schools May claim in writing instruction Many students at each Grade level continue to have serious difficulty in producing effective informative persuasive or narrative writing a the study said. Quot even the Best students who could write relatively effective narrative and informative pieces had difficulty with persuasive  urging improvements in teaching the report said Quot to become Good writers students need expert instruct lion frequent practice and constructive  Blit it Laid much of the blame for bad writing on poor study habits. For example the report said eighth graders spend Only two hours a week on writing a including time in the classroom �?1 compared with More than five hours on math. And those same children spend 14 hours a week in front of the television set. Those who watched six or More hours of television a Day had the poorest writing skills the study said. Quot while 83, 88 and 72 percent of the fourth High la an killer pm Jany students at each Grade level continue to have serious difficulty in producing effective informative persuasive or narrative writing a education department study glaring at the camera in this file photo is Lucknow a 350-Pound White Bengal Tiger who mauled a zoo keeper to death Early monday. Senior keeper David Marshall 45, was found inside the tigers step walled Lair at Miami a suburban metro zoo. Police and zoo officials were trying to determine Why the Tiger was in the exhibit area at the same time As Marshall. Envoy s son arrested in Boston Boston apr the son of Raymond Flynn . Ambassador to the Vatican spent the weekend in jail charged with threatening his Mother with a shovel after a night out drinking. Raymond l. Flynn or. Was arrested saturday morning after his Mother called police saying he w As chasing her around their Home in South Boston said police spokesman James Browning. Flynn 27, was charged with assault. 12th-graders, respectively reported watching More than an hour of television daily just 16, 27 and 31 percent reported spending More than an hour a Day on their  the study found that pupils who did not do. I hair Homework had poorer writing skills than those who did at least some of it. It also found that those who read five or fewer pages daily did not write As Well As those who read ii or More pages a Day. Twenty three percent of the fourth graders and one third of the pupils in grades eight and 12 said they read five or fewer pages a Day including Reading done in class and for Homework. The Nap tested children on three types of writing persuasive in which the writer sought to exert an Impact on the Reader narrative telling a Story using personal experiences perceptions or imagination and informative explaining specific subject matter. Some of the reports other findings a White and asian pupils generally outperformed Black hispanic and american indians at All three Grade Levels. A girls wrote More effectively than boys at All three Grade Levels. A eighth and 12lh-graders in the Southeast had weaker writing skills than pupils in other regions at those Grade Levels. A private school pupils did better than those in Public schools. A schoolchildren in wealthier Urban areas pulp or formed those in poorer ones. A ,. School cafeterias will have to trim fat from lunches Washington apr school cafeterias would have four years to slim Down their fatty fare under rules to be announced by the agriculture department. A proposal to overhaul the school lunch program requiring that its meals follow the governments own guidelines for proper nutrition is to he announced today. But the deadline for compliance wont be until the 1998-1999 school year a department official said monday. That Means that a youngster entering the ninth Grade next fall will graduate from High school with the current Standard cafeteria fare found to p aide up to 38 percent of its calories from fat. If the deadline remains unchanged Quot then we think that that s unfortunate a said trivia Chester spokeswoman for the consumer group Public voice. It contends that it  take More than a year for schools to begin serving meals that get no More than 30 percent of their calories from fat. Public voice which has Long advocated an overhaul of the school lunch program was headed until last year by Ellen Haas the assistant Secretary of agriculture who is to announce the changes. Kevin Dando a spokesman for the american school food service association said the lengthy deadline a will help those schools that Arentt As far Alung As they should be to meet these  the governments nutritional guidelines say people should get no More than 30 percent of their total daily calories from fat and no More than 10 percent from saturated fat the kind that can dog arteries and cause heart attacks. The guidelines also recommend that people eat More fresh fruits and vegetables and Cut their Salt , 86/ascends to top mormon position from wire reports Salt Lake City a a week after mormon Church president Ezra Taft Benson died an intensely private former lawyer succeeded him monday As the Faith s 14lh Quot Prophet seer and  the successor 86-Ycar-old Howard w. Hunter appeared at a news conference with the two Counselor he chose to help him in the governing first presidency Gordon b. Hinckley 83, and Thomas s. Mon son 66. Hinckley  the lifetime presidency and Monson were Bensons two Counselor during his 8a-year tenure and effectively ran the Church for several years As Benson became enfeebled. Benson championed right Wing causes As a . Agr ice Itu re Sec re la by u n do r presid ent Eise Nho wer and a mormon apostle before becoming president of the Church. In contrast Hunter has been apolitical restricting his Public comments and private writ Ings to comme n to Abo u t Seri put  brewing in jail traverse City Mich. A sheriff s deputies who nabbed two alleged Moonshiner did no to bother taking them to jail. They were already there. Joseph Emery Duperron and Jeremy Jason Novak were charged monday with attempted disorderly conduct for allegedly trying to ferment Kool Aid juice and sugar into alcohol. They Are accused of mixing nearly a quart of the concoction in a plastic garbage bag and letting it ferment at the Bottom of a wastebasket in their six Man cell at the grand traverse county jail. Duperron 22, of traverse City is serving n inc months for violating probation on a concealed weapon conviction. Novak 18, of Interlochen is serving nine months for forgery. Garden yields mortar Shell Townville pay a Northwestern. P c u nay to an Iama a us in g a trac to r to tur n Over hard soil in his mothers Garden monday unearthed an apparently live world War i Era mortar Shell. An army ordnance disposal team was called to examine the foot Long Cigar shaped object and decide what to do with it. Neither Walter Sposkoski nor his Mother Vera 70, knew How the Shell  to be buried on the 70-acre farm in Townville about 110 Miles Northeast of Pittsburgh. The family has owned the farm for 40 years. Quot Here it is a Day and we re finding an army Shell in the Garden Walter Sposkoski  drops into resort Palm Springs Calif. A 300-Pound Brown Bear wandering inside the City limits spooked golfers and residents in this famed desert resort before it was subdued with tranquil Izer darts Quot you just done to have bears in Palm Springs a said Pam Sims a police services assistant. The Bear was spotted Early sunday near the Palm Springs country  Justice charged Harrisburg a a judicial Board charged a state supreme court Justice with misconduct monday for failing to remove himself from at tet 21 cases involving his Campaign treasurer from 19 to 1992. The state s judicial conduct Board also charged Justice Rolf Larsen with misconduct for his april  Tranquili Zers in the name of court employees. Larsen was suspended without pay last week. The state House impeached him May 24. Naked Man Dies in custody Cincinnati a a Man ran naked through a neighbourhood w having a Steak knife stabbed himself chased others and died after police restrained him. Lee Grant Griffin 39, stopped breathing while he was in police custody after his arrest sunday police said. He was pronounced dead at a Hospital. An autopsy was scheduled to be conducted Griffin forced one couple out of their car chased a 10-Ycar-old girl and kicked in the door of an apartment before police put him on the floor and handcuffed him. He stopped breathing As the officers prepared to move him