European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 13, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes fire Crews in West Start getting grip on blazes , Calif. A an air attack on a wildfire that threatened 600 Homes in Northern Cali fornia s Sierra Nevada Foothills boosted Hopes that the flames could be contained by Friday evening. Nine helicopters and 13 Tanker planes dropped water and retardant on the 1,500-acre Creek fire which was burning within a mile of two subdivisions. Elsewhere across the West firefighters finally seemed to be gaining control Over most of the wildfire. In Idaho however two of the worst fires grew to a total of 51,000 acres. Firefighters there decided to protect lives and private property but let wild areas Burn. Officials were still investigating the cause of the Creek fire in California which began tuesday in the stanislaus National Forest near  about 150 Miles East of san Francisco. The fire was 70 percent contained by thursday night and 1,200 residents were allowed to go Back Home. The Blaze was expected to be fully contained by Friday eve Ning. The National inter Agency fire Center in Boise Idaho on thursday reported Only one new major fire in the previous 24 hours and declared eight others contained. More than 21,000 firefighters were on the lines of 26 . Swapping assault ships off Haiti Washington a the Navy has sent two assault ships to replace five vessels now patrolling off Haiti in Case an emergency evacuation of . Citizens from the Caribbean country is required the Pentagon announced thursday. The amphibious assault ship Wasp and the amphibious transport Dock Nashville left Norfolk va., on thursday to relieve an amphibious ready group off Haiti. The two ships will replace the mount Whitney a command and control ship the Inchon an amphibious assault ship and three other smaller ships that Are part of the ready group. Pentagon spokesman Dennis Boxx said the Navy s Mission off Haiti remains unchanged. It s a diminishment of ships obviously but not a diminishment of capability Boxx said. Their Mission he said is to extract . Citizens from Haiti in the event that that s necessary the capabilities Are there now with the Inchon amphibious ready group and they will be there when the Wasp  the Wasp and Nashville Are scheduled to relieve the five ships on sunday Boxx said. The departing Inchon and the arriving Wasp Are the key ships in the group. Both carry a Marine Force Landing Craft and helicopters. They resemble Small air Craft carriers. The number of marines in the standby Force will decline from 2,000 to 1,800 As a result of the change. Last week the . Security Council gave backing to a .-led invasion of Haiti to restore democracy and oust the Island nation s military leaders. Major fires covering 320,000 acres ii seven Western states., in Idaho lightning ignited 15 new fires thursday firefighters worried that the 32,000-acre Corral fire could merge with the 19,000-acre Blackwell Complex fire. In Washington officials said a Man who was smok ing cigarettes outdoors most Likely sparked the rat Creek fire that burned More than 17,000 acres and destroyed 18 buildings. Meanwhile firefighters contained 90 percent of a series of fires called the hatchery Complex which has burned about 34,000 acres in Central Washington. Full containment was predicted by monday but control was t expected until the end of october. There will be fire in these Hills until the Snow Falls said fire information officer Steve Jennison. In Utah Crews have tamed Southern Utah s Black Willow fire the last of several lightning sparked blazes that burned More than 40,000 acres of the state s grass lands and forests. In Nevada firefighters expected to have full control of the 6,500-acre arson caused Holbrook fire near the California Border. The fire threatened 300 Homes before veering off in another direction. Haitian protest Boston police officers remove demonstrator Carol Thomas from the front Gate of the . Coast guard station thursday Thomas joined about 40 other demonstrators to protest the . Policy against allow ing haitian refugees free entry to the United states. Jury cuts fishermen s request for spill damages Anchorage Alaska a a jury has decided that Alaska fisheries suffered Little lasting damage from the Exxon Valdez Oil spill and awarded 10,000 Fisher men $286.8 million in compensatory damages less than a third of what they  s verdict against Exxon corp. And Tanker Captain Joseph Hazelwood was to repay the Commer Cial fishermen for lost profits resulting from Environ mental damage in Prince William sound Cook Inlet and Kodiak Island. The fishermen said the nation s worst Oil spill Cost them $895 million. Exxon estimated losses at $113 Mil lion. /. V. The Federal jury deliberated for 23 Days. Next it must decide on punitive damages which Are meant to punish and deter wrongdoing to be awarded to the fishermen and about 4,000 Alaska natives Cannery workers and property owners. Brian o Neill a attorney for the plaintiffs said he would seek $15 billion. Exxon plans to argue that punitive damages Are unnecessary because it already has paid billions in penal ties and cleanup costs. Saturday August 13,1994 financial woes plague candidate for auditor from the associated press St. Paul Minn. Nick Tretinyak or. Has been evicted from his House and is deep in debt. When you re a candidate for state auditor Minnesota s financial watchdog that s what s known As a liability. The Independent Republican party which endorsed Tretinyak before it Learned of his financial problems has demanded that he drop out. I think voters would have Little Confidence Given the recent developments in or. Tretinyak s ability to serve As their next state auditor party chairman Chris Georgacas said thursday. But Tretinyak has refused. The bulldog fights on he said. Under party bylaws the endorsement can t be revoked so party leaders Are withholding what support they can. They voted to ban him from displays at county and state fairs and to exclude him from get out the vote efforts. Tretinyak was evicted tuesday for falling behind on the payments. He said he has worked his debts Down from hundreds of thousands of dollars to maybe $20,000 to $30,000. He said his problems stemmed from the loss of a High paying Job As an investment consultant a business failure and a divorce. And he. Said it s actually an advantage that he has experienced financial problems. The message May be that not everyone who runs for Public office needs to have a Silver spoon in their Mouth he said. I add perhaps an element of humanity to the offices in St. Paul that May be Long  $1 million in Cash missing Las vegas authorities Are searching for an armoured truck Driver and her Boyfriend who disappeared with $1 million in Cash. The suspects were identified As brinks inc. Employee misty Leann Smith 23, and 29-year-old Anthony Frisco. The armoured truck was found abandoned tuesday night in a warehouse Complex not far from where the vehicle disappeared hours earlier. A few thousand dollars mostly in change was left inside the truck police it. Mike Hawkins said. Carnival ride kills boy Middlebury Conn. A 6-year-old boy was struck and killed by an amusement Park ride thursday that someone had apparently turned on while passengers were being helped off. Michael Mills of Ansonia died at a Hospital of head injuries. The Accident occurred at the twister ride at Lake Quassy amusement Park. George Frantzis ii whose family owns the amusement Park said someone apparently pressed the Start Butto Between rides. Reprimands reported los Angeles three doctors who wrote Elizabeth Taylor 1,000 prescriptions for painkillers and other drugs reportedly received state reprimands for trying to hide the doses by falsifying patient records. The action Hythe medical Board of California settles accusations made in 1990 by the state attorney general s office that the doctors had Over prescribed controlled addictive medicines for Taylor the los Angeles times reported Friday. The attorney general alleged that from 1983 to 1988, the doctors wrote Taylor prescriptions for 28 controlled drugs including sleeping pills painkillers and Tranquili Zers. Sex allegations denied Chicago a first term congressman denied allegations that he had sex with an underage Campaign worker two years ago calling her a sick and disturbed woman and claiming that an investigation was racially motivated. . Rep. Mel Reynolds said thursday that the woman now 18, had withdrawn her allegations. Reynolds displayed an affidavit that the woman signed june 21. I withdraw any of my previous statements that Mel Reynolds and i had sexual Intercourse when i was 16 years old the affidavit j to said