Banner Graphic, Volume 12, Number 74, Greencastle, Putnam County, 3 December 1981 — Page 2

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The Putnam County Banner-Graphic, December 3,1981

Senate nixes MX silo plans

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate, splitting along party lines in favor of President Reagan’s B-l bomber program, is almost unanimously against his plan to put new MX missiles at least temporarily in hardened silos A series of Democratsponsored amendments shifting funds from the B-l to other military needs was defeated Wednesday with majority Republicans solidly in opposition in almost all cases. But the Senate adopted, 90-4, an amendment to bar the administration from using any of the $334 million in MX research and development funds to put the missiles into reinforced Titan and Minuteman missile

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silos while a permament basing plan is being researched. The amendments were offered during consideration of a $208.5 billion military' spending bill. Sen. David Pryor, D-Ark., said he would offer an amendment today to delete the entire $354 million earmarked for planning and design of an interim basing mode for the MX. Reagan wants to build 100 MX missiles and put up to 40 of them in existing missile silos until a permanent basing mode is decided upon by Jan. 1,1984. The Senate-approved amendment says research and development money could be spent only to put the missiles temporarily into silos that had

not been reinforced. It also moves up the deadline for a permanent basing plan to July 1, 1983. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, chairman of the defense appropriations subcommittee, said there is at least S2O million in the bill that the Pentagon could spend anyway on plans for interim basing in strengthened silos. But the vote clearly signaled a mood in Congress that it wants the administration to concentrate on a long-term basing plan, instead of spending money to reinforce silos, which critics say would still be vulnerable to Soviet attack.

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An artist's simulation (right) shows how an Argentinian airliner came within 120 seconds of striking New York City's World Trade Center last February. Air traffic controllers, shown at left scanning computer console screens.

Computer problems cited

Major air disaster due 'any day now'?

(c) Hearst Corporation On Feb. 20, 1981, an Argentinian airliner came within two minutes of crashing directly into New York’s towering, crowded World Trade Center. Due to confusion in a radio transmission, the pilot thought he had authorization to descend from 2,700 to 1,500 feet. At the altitude the plan was flying, a crash was imminent. As the plane entered the boundary of no return, a buzzer was triggered by an area air-traffic-control computer. This audible signal alerted the controller: He acted with dispatch and the collision was avoided. BUT WHAT IF the computer had failed? According to both controllers and Federal Aviation Administration officials interviewed in the December issue of Popular Mechanics magazine, the U.S. air-traffic-control system breaks down almost every day at its weakest link: the massive computer systems that monitor our skies. “When the computer goes,” said one controller, “you don’t know if it’s going to be out for three seconds, three hours or three days,. Ypu just-scramble like hell and hope it comes back on soon ’4 , ■»;

No conflict, Orr says after ISTA meeting

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A fence-mending meeting between Gov. Robert D. Orr and leaders of the Indiana State Teachers Association may signal an end to their public spat over school needs. Orr met with ISTA President Cordell Affeldt, ISTA Executive Director Dale Harris and ISTA lobbyist Robert Margraf Wednesday in hopes of resolving differences. “Generally, it was an opportunity to discuss our relationship with the ISTA and

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to suggest we might want to communicate more often and in a more constructive fashion,” said Orr executive assistant John Hammond. At the end of the meeting, which lasted more than an hour, each side indicated the talk was productive. Another one is planned before the end of the year, Hammond said. “We discussed the nature of the relationship between his office and the ISTA,” Ms. Affeldt said. “We’ll hold our opinion in reserve and look forward to the

warn that almost daily breakdowns of the complex computer network threaten a major air tragedy. (Hearst Corp. photo)

The computer is responsible for informing controllers of a plane’s altitude, its rate of descent or ascent, whether it is a prop or jet, and its flight number. When the computer fails, this group of numbers -- called a “tag” - suddenly flickers. The numbers change rapidly, like so many out-of-control odometers, then disappear completely, leaving controllers with anonymous radar blips. A 20-years-out-of-date manual back-up system then goes into effect. “I DON’T WANT to sound like a merchant of doom,” said George Kerr, vice president of the Eastern Region of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers’ Organization, just a few weeks before their recent strike, “but I have a feeling we’re in for a ‘biggie’ - a major air disaster in the New York area any day now.” Predictably, the FAA disagrees: “The system is quite safe,” says Norbert Owens, FAA Chief of Air Traffic Control for the Eastern Region. Yet the FAA’s most recent request to Congress asks for $2.8 billion - to replace present air-traffic-control computers.

possibility of improvement in the future.” “We had a good discussion,” Orr said. “The point I wanted to make was that I believe education is very definitely a priority item. But for the moment, survival of the state and its being able to carry forward has to be the No. 1 priority.” Relations between Orr and the teachers’ group have been on rocky ground since shortly after his administration began in January.

Clarksville seeks to acquire neighboring school district

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Clarksville City School Corp.’s plan to acquire 1,900 students from neighboring Greater Clarksville School Corp. will be studied by the state attorney general for legal clarification. The city district, like others throughout the state, is struggling financially and wishes to expand its area in an effort to solve money problems. However, the larger Clarksville School Corp. is battling the move and says a complete merger between the two districts is its choice rather than a loss of some of its tax base and students. Legal questions raised by attorneys were sent to the attorney general after a Wednesday hearing by the Com-

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The teachers union accused Orr of lack of leadership and blamed him for the need for a three-day special legislative session on school finance. Orr said Hoosier taxpayers are unwilling to spend more money on schools until they see more improvement in student performance. Teachers took his statement as an indictment of their ability. Hammond said the governor has been upset in recent weeks because ISTA statements had the tone of a personal attack on

mission on General Education. William Engebretson, attorney for the city schools, presented a petition for the reorganization and said the issue is unique because it involves consideration of reorganizing a school corporation that already has been reorganized in accordance with state law. “We’re not here to try and bring one good school corporation together with a bad one,” Engebretson said. “We’re trying to work something out between two good corporations which will result in each being better.” Louis Bose, representing the other school corporation, said it opposes the proposal for several reasons, including legality.

Farm bill by year's end: Block INDIANAPOLIS (AP) US. Agriculture Secretary John R. Block says he is confident a farm bill will be adopted by the end of the year in spite of what occurred Wednesday in Congress. Block spoke to about 4,000 delegates at the National Farmers Organization convention Wednesday night in Indianapolis about congressional activity that day on a farm bill which made him an hour late to the convention. “Things sort of fell to pieces in Washington today,” he explained. Congressional negotiators met Wednesday after a 12-day recess, but failed even to reach a compromise. Block told farmers he would' recommend a presidential veto if Congress adopts a bill thatdoes not contain further cuts inthe grain and dairy portions of the proposed farm bill. The administration is sup l porting the Senate-passed farm bill which would cost $10.6 million, $6Bl million less than the compromise reached as of Wednesday. The administration wants authority to withold a pricesupport increase for milk in any year when costs of buying dairy products to support the price appear to be unacceptably high. Block told farmers that dairy price-support programs must not be increased. Pointing out that government now owns a large surplus of dairy products it purchased to support prices, Block said continued high supports encourage over-' production by farmers. Critical of Block’s views on the dairy-support program, NFO President DeVon Woodland of Blackfoot, Idaho, said most of the cost is recoverable from sales by the government of surplus dairy products.

him. * - “The meeting was an attempt to clear the air on both sides” ’ Hammond said. After the session, Orr said ; “There’s no conflict and never l has been any between me and ’ the ISTA. If there has been conflict, confrontation, whatever it may be, it’s come from them, and I attempted to get that"* message across, very can-'* didly.” “This was the beginning.” ’ Ms. Affeldt said. “We have’* another meeting .”

He questioned whether the petition was legal, claiming state law requires petitions from local school trustees and, that means officials from both ] school corporations would have to favor the move. “Greater Clark is an aggressively educational community,” said Bose, and students have a very advanced program. “It has 11,900 students, three high schools, four middle schools and 15 elementary schools.” Bose told the commission the proposal would result in loss of two elementary schools. He said his board believes if there is going to be a change in the county’s schools, there should be a merger, although he said he was not proposing a merger. “The practical reason we’re opposing this is because it would cause a disaster both financially and educationally,” he said. “We figure we would lose $2.7 million a year, and we can’t cut costs that much.’’

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