European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 09, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday november 9. 1994 . The stars and stripes r Page 5 Black firm to buy Denny s franchises of.  Spartanburg. A t. Yap rom a 1- a. Maj i. F Spartanburg . A Denny s restau rants under pressure to increase minority ownership and management says a Black owned Atlanta company will operate As Many As 47 Denny s during the next six years in new York and new Jersey. Nodi inc. Will buy 17 company operated Denny s restaurants this year with rights to Purchase five addition Al restaurants during 1995.the Price was not disclosed in tuesday s announcement by Flagstad cos. Inc. Denny s Parent company. It also will have a five year agreement to build 25new Denny s restaurants in the same territory. This is a major step for Denny s in meeting and in towering debt forcing Sears to fact exceeding Bur commitment to increasing african american franchisees Denny s president c . _ ,. Denny s has 1,500 company and franchise restau rants in the United states and eight foreign countries. In july 1993, Flagstad agreed with the National association for the advancement of coloured people to in crease the number of its restaurants owned by Blac  company facing 4,200 complaints by customers who said they were targets of discrimination at its restaurants agreed in May to a $46 million settlement with the . Justice department. Nodi president and chief executive James Holden said his company wants to become Denny s largest franchise operator. We believe that we have assembled a team with sufficient Talent diversity and the necessary network of relationships to accomplish this objective Holden said -.  / the Nodi agreement is Denny s third minority fran Chise relationship entered this year. David Booker for Merly a Denny s Region Leader has been operating the Denny s in his Hometown of Beaumont Texas since june 1994. Earl Norsworthy of los Angeles began operating the Denny s in Carson Calif earlier this month. Chicago a Sears Tower will change hand but hoi names. Sears Roebuck and co. Said its name will remain apart of the world s tallest office building even after ownership of the 110-Story landmark is transferred to Boston based investment group. Sears which announced monday the Deal to restructure the building s financing will keep its corporate Headquarters in the Tower under a lease that expires intheyear2000 the Black steel and Glass Monolith in downtown Chi Cago was designed by american architect Fazlur Khan and completed in 1974. It is 1,454 feet tall Topping the world Trade Center in new York City by 86 feet. The agreement to Transfer ownership to a pension fund partnership managed by Boston based Aldrich Eastman and Waltch will reduce Sears debt by $850 million Sears said. The retail company will record a $195 million gain in the fourth Quarter after taxes As result of the transaction. The Deal resolves a financial problem caused by drop in commercial property values since Sears remortgage the Tower nearly five years ago. The building is a drag on Sears balance Sheet be cause its current Worth of about $400 million is Les than half the value of the Loans it secures according to Jim Dorsey Midwest regional president of Koll inc., a commercial real estate company. In 1992, Sears vacated 2 million Square feet in the Tower when it moved its retailing division to suburban Hoffman estates. About 1.8 million Square feet have since been leased. The Tower s vacancy rate of 25 percent is worse than Chicago s Overall downtown office vacancy rate of 17"percent to 21 percent Dorsey said. A glut of office space has forced building owners to charge renters no More than the Cost of utilities in some cases he said. The Tower s enormous floors some bigger than a foot Ball Field Are simply top Large for Many tenants. A taller building of 1,485 feet is planned in Kuala Bumpur Malaysia in 1996 by the state owned Oil company Petronaa. Postal service plans to deliver rate increase Washington a you can plan on paying More to mail a letter in Early january. Sam Winters chairman of the postal service s governing Board said tuesday that the Agency Hopes to raise rates As Early As possible in january. The Post office has proposed a 103 percent increase in stamp prices including a three cent boost in the first class rate to 32 cents. The Independent postal rat commission is considering the proposal and is expected to Rule within a few weeks. Because the proposed increase will provide just enough income to operate the postal service Winters said it is important to raise the rates As soon As possible. The Long and Short of it Beth the Little one on the left has a Little growing to do. Footer whose Mother Belle won t have to look Down onto. ,.  u a  _., he anymore for he meantime though Beth will just have to put up with the idea of being on the Short endow the Deal with mom. Out to runaway the Giraffe who makes her Home at Busch gardens in Tampa fla., now stands at Only 6 feet or so Barefoot. But once she has topped out Shell be a towering 16 Boston a suffering through More chemotherapy was too much for Billy Best so the 16-year-old packed a bag wrote a goodbye note to his parents and took off. Now other Young cancer patients want to lure him Home. I just wish i could talk to him and Tell him it s All right to feel the pain said Aaron Fastman a 20-year-old" from Woodstock . Fastman was diagnosed last summer with Hodgkin s disease the same condition Billy has. But he s just got to heal himself. He has a Long life ahead of him. He can Doris treatments right next to me if he wants.". Billy fled his Home in Norwell a bos ton suburb on oct. 26. He called Home around 9 . Monday from somewhere in Texas said his Mother Susan Best. We did have a Calm conversation Buthe said he s still not ready to come Home she said. She added that she told him about the hundreds of people who have called offering support. Billy also called once last week and told his father that he still feels like the Medicine is killing him and he does t want to do it William Best said. Billy s thinking surprised some doctors who say up to 80 percent of people who undergo full chemical Ana radiation treatments emerge cancer free. But fast Man understands. I can relate to what he s thinking absolutely said Fastman who has just completed his fourth treatment of chemotherapy. Hodgkin s disease is a cancer of the body s Lymphatic system which is used tonight infection. It is fatal if untreated. Billy s first five treatments had eradicated the cancer from everywhere but the area around his Windpipe. But Doc tors said the treatments which had been causing hair loss nausea and lethargy were needed for four More months to eliminate All traces of the disease. Other Young patients recall going Bald while their Peers fretted Over hairstyles and dropping weight uncontrollably while friends pumped Iron at the gym. For teen agers already under the typical pressures of growing up the physical pain of chemotherapy and the emotional trauma of facing a deadly Dis ease can seem insurmountable expert said. when you impose a disease like can cer it totally changes the Agenda said or. Philip Pizzo chief of paediatrics at the National cancer Institute in Bethesda my. It clearly makes you different and that has serious  but Billy s reaction to learning that he would need More chemotherapy still seemed extreme to some cancer experts. To combat the unique difficulties adolescent cancer patients have Many Hospi tals have set up programs to encourage youths to counsel each other in support groups overnight Camps and Road trips. I can Well remember kids who. Were on the verge of dropping out of treatment who were brought Back by other kids Pizzo said. Now Billy needs to come Home he said