European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 28, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes . Thursday july 20, 1994suit Over Plant s radiation settled Cincinnati apr the government says it will pay lifetime medical monitoring and provide $15 million in damages to Settle a lawsuit by former workers who claim they were unwittingly exposed to radiation at the Fernald uranium Plant. The Deal announced tuesday effectively ends a 1990 action that sought $500 million. It could become a Model for six similar lawsuits pending against the . Department of Energy. The lawsuit by former workers and subcontractors accused Fernald a previous operator no inc., and its Parent company National Lead industries inc., of intentionally subjecting them to radiation hazards and keeping the dangers secret. The Plant processed uranium for nuclear weapons from 1951 to 1989, when it closed for a radioactive waste cleanup. About 6,000 former workers and subcontractors will be covered in the class action settlement. About 4,500 Are still living said Stanley Chesley the workers lawyer. A a a a a the settlement includes a $15 million fund to pay emotional distress claims and Legal fees. At least another $5 million was dedicated to medical monitoring. The final Cost depends on How Many people seek free monitoring and How Long they participate Chesley said. A if it costs $20 million they have to pay it. If it costs $40 million they have to pay it a Chesipy said. The medical monitoring program guarantees an initial medical exam valued at $800 and subsequent yearly exams capped at $450 each. Former workers claimed they suffer emotional distress from the fear their radiation exposure will cause cancer. Trial began july 5. The presiding judge must accept the settlement. The government and taxpayers will cover All costs under terms of the Energy departments contract with no. The defendants said they did nothing wrong. They agreed to Settle to avoid More costly litigation no lawyer Kevin Van wart said. Teresa Wilhelm whose father Herbert Kelly worked at Fernald for 27 years until november i9s4t said the emotional distress damages were inadequate. Kelly contracted cancer and lung fibrosis and died june 12 at age 65, his family said. Kelly a daughter said the settlement comes to Only about $1,400 for each worker. A that Isnit enough to pay for the funeral costs a she said. Kelly fought for eight years in courts before he won workers compensation coverage in june 1992. He said radiation exposure caused his diseases. No lawyers challenged that link. The settlement also Calls for the court to name a three member panel to decide former workers claims of radiation illness. Previously the government or the Fernald contractor made that determination. No and gave up its contract to run the Plant in 1985, Westinghouse electric corp. Subsidiary took it Over. The subsidiary was not named in Quot the lawsuit. In the stars and stripes 10 year Sago july 28,1984 a defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger said there was a no Point in sending a . Delegation to negotiate the with the soviet Union if space weapons were the Only topic a Washington paper reported. 20 years ago july 28,1974 a the House judiciary committee dealt president Nixon a defenders their second defeat in 24 hours refusing to drop an impeachment charge that he withheld evidence from watergate probes. 30 year Sago july 28,1964 a gov. Nelson Rockefeller ordered 1,300 National guardsmen to riot torn Rochester n.y., after1 inmates hurled rocks bottles and Molotov cocktails while police countered with tear Gas fire hoses and warning shots. 40 years ago july 28,1954 a the United states i fed two Quot Strong protests with communist China Over the at tacks on Allied planes the state department announced. Years ago july 28,1944 . 9th air Force fighter bombers supporting american armoured columns in the Marigny sector near , France claimed 97 German tanks destroyed or damaged in one of the biggest tank busting operations of the War. 50 years ago today july 28 194.4 the . Army s 4th army div enters Cou Tances the initial objective of operation cobra in Normandy. Soviet troops capture Brest Litovsky and Przemysla and reach the san River. In the Pacific. . Marines occupy most of the Orote Peninsula on Guam while other marines and soldiers take mounts Chuchao and autom. Organized japanese resistance ends on siak off new Guinea. Source 2194 Days of War w. H. Smith. Publishers inc. The world almanac of world. War a Bison books corp. 1981 Anasa robot set to explore Volcano workers attend to Dante ii brought by copter to the mount Spurr exploration site. 2 in at Simi Valley Calif. A an explosion tuesday at a rocket engine test site killed two workers and seriously burned a third unleashing flames that scorched 15 acres of Brush. Caring chemicals in blast at Rock tet Dyne division the workers were pre for a test at the time of t Well International a Roc site a company spokesman said. The cause of the morning explosion Wasny to immediately known. More than 750 employees work at the 2,700-Acrc rocket Ync Plant Best known As a test site for Atlas rocket boosters. No rocket engines were involved in the test or explosion which occurred in a Remote Boulder strewn area away from buildings in the Santa Susana mountains. No buildings burned and there was no chemical contamination Rockwell said. The dead workers both engineers were identified As Larrv a. Pugh 51, and Otto k. Heiney 53. Quot. Anchorage Alaska a nasal a Dante ii robot arrived at the snowy Peak of the mount Spurr Volcano on tuesday As scientists prepared for the machines descent into the steamy volcanic Era Ter. Crews worked to finish hooking up the to bots Generator and a satellite dish for the walk that will take Dante 500 feet into the Volcano said Charles Redmond a Nasa spokesman. The descent could begin wednesday. If All goes right researchers from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh will guide the robots movements from a trailer in Anchorage. The space Agency worked with the University  a robot that could be Remote controlled for expo native use on Mars Nep Tunc and Jupiter s Moons. Spurr an Active Volcano 80 Miles West of Anchorage has erupted the ref times since 1992. Seismic monitors checked tuesday showed no signs of any imminent eruption. The Mission began saturday when the si.7 million robot was airlifted by a military helicopter to a Forest Clearing at the 5,000-foot level of the Peak. The spindly eight legged robot will descend just 1 foot per hour As it begins to pick its Way into the Crater Nasa said. Once the team is satisfied with the communications links and steering controls Dante will cover the next 200 feet at a faster Pace. Carnegie Mellon researcher John bares said Dante could spend from three to six Days exploring the volcanoes Interior. The Ltd foot tall robot outfitted with seven cameras will Send a Stream of images by satellite to compose a three dimensional Topographic map of Spurry a Interior. The robot also will collect data on volcanic gases. The virtual reality picture will change almost simultaneously with the robot s View. Operators will steer Dante from Anchorage and from the Nasa Ames research Center in Mountain View Calif. The 1,700-Pound robot is an upgraded version of the Dante i machine that Nasa attempted to Send into mount Erebus in Antarctica two years ago. That Mission failed when a fiber optics Cable kinked in the extreme cold. Test site Lee Weils 62, was airlifted to the Burn Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital and health Center where he was reported in stable condition with second and third degree Burns Over More than 20 percent of his body. The explosion about 30 Miles Northwest of los Angeles started a Brush fire that was brought under control in an hour after burning 15 acres said Sandy Wells spokeswoman for the Ventura county fire department