Banner Graphic, Volume 15, Number 386, Greencastle, Putnam County, 31 October 1985 — Page 3

Weather dangers Public too blase about conditions like lightning, meteorologist says

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Lightning kills more than 200 people per year and is more deadly than tornadoes, yet the public refuses to take steps that would save lives, says a meteorologist who wants to change the way people react to severe weather. “We take lightning for granted, yet lightning kills more people than any other event in a thunderstorm,” said Ronald P. Stagno, a preparedness meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Houston. If people, when confronted with an electrical storm, simply sought shelter instead of remaining a target in an open field, many lives would be saved, Stagno said. Yet, because a single lightning death lacks a lot of impact, that advice is ignored, he added. “Lightning is a singular killer: a farmer in the field or someone on the golf course. It’ll make the newspapers and the evening news but it’ll be buried away,” he said Wednesday. Stagno is in Indianapolis this week to present his paper on “New Directions in Warning and Preparedness Activities” to the American Meteorological Society’s

New parole hearing for Baniszewski may negate freedom

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) parole chief says he can’t predict whether a new hearing on torture-slayer Gertrude Baniszewski’s parole request would result in freedom for the 57-year-old woman. Parole Board chairman Lewis J. Gregory said new testimony from relatives of Mrs. Baniszewski’s victim and people who know the inmate could influence the board if another hearing is held. “I honestly don’t know. Obviously, if we have another hearing it is going to be an event,” he told reporters Wednesday. “How it will affect other members of the board, I don’t know.” On the other hand, Gregory said he has been impressed by how Mrs. Baniszewski has handled herself during the current controversy over her release. “She has absolutely no resentment, no bitterness and is taking things very well in stride,” he said. Gregory, who voted against Mrs. Baniszewski’s release, declined to say whether he might change his vote. The board voted 3-2 on Sept. 10 to release Mrs. Baniszewski, who had served 20 years on a life prison sentence for slowly torturing 16-year-old Sylvia Likens to death in 1965. More than 40,000 people have signed petitions seeking to overturn the parole board’s decision. Earlier this week, Marion Superior Court Judge Michael Dugan voided Mrs. Baniszewski’s release because the parole board hadn’t complied with the Open Door Law. Gregory said he had hoped to announce Wednesday whether the parole board planned to appeal Dugan’s decision or whether it would comply by holding a new, public hearing in Mrs. Baniszewski’s case. “We thought we understood things clearly. That is not the case. There have been some new questions raised,” he said. Gregory said the board hopes to make a decision soon, possibly as early as next week. The board will meet Friday in executive session to discuss strategy Schools back to normal now at Eastbrook UPLAND, Ind. (AP) Class schedules were back to normal today in the Eastbrook Community School Corp. after teachers and the school board agreed to a tentative three-year contract providing salary increases each year. Superintendent George Vrabel said the 1,860-student school system has no plans to make up the three days of school lost at Eastbrook High School or the one day lost at district middle schools. The elementary schools remained open throughout the strike. “I think we’re back in gear and we’re in good shape,” Vrabel said Wednesday after negotiators announced an agreement at 3:30 a.m. “All of the schools are open, we’re running and we’re back to normal.” The district’s 98 teachers reported to school at 8 a m. Wednesday and classes began an hour later, officials said. Sharon Beaver, president of the Eastbrook Classroom Teachers Association, said the teachers “are happy with it (the contract) and delighted to be back in the classroom ” Vrabel said teachers will receive a 6.5 percent pay increase this year, retroactive to the beginning of the school year; a 7 percent increase the second year, and a thirdyear increase based on the average pay increase in the first 100 settlements in Hoosier school districts that year.

state

14th Severe Storms Conference and 6th Conference on Hydrometeorology, being held jointly. Much of the death and injury and some of the property loss attributed to hurricanes could be avoided through simple preparation, said Stagno, who earlier this week was monitoring the progress of hurricane Juan from his station before it hit Louisiana. Because Juan was a minor hurricane which was quickly downgraded to a tropical storm, many people in its path

regarding pending litigation, according to a notice posted at the board’s offices. Among the questions are the impact of Dugan’s decision on past parole cases and concerns about the confidentiality of investigative reports used to make parole and clemency decisions. Gregory noted that the Open Door Law gives people 30 days from the date of the action to contest it. He said Dugan’s decision didn’t say how those 30 days should be calculated. Deputy Attorney General David Arthur contended at Monday’s hearing that the Oct. 25 suit by the victims advocacy groups, Protect the Innocent and the Indiana chapter of Society’s League Against Molestation, and Ms. Likens’ sister, Jenny, had been filed too late to contest the Sept. 10 action. Meanwhile, the parole board released a list of 105 inmates who will be considered for parole or clemency during meetings around the state in November. The meetings will be open to the public. However, Gregory said that for security reasons, some people may require clearance to gain admission to the facilities and therefore should check with the institutions before planning to attend a hearing. Gregory said the more open procedures for clemency and parole cases wasn’t prompted by the Baniszewski case. Changes had been proposed as early as July, he said. Inquiries about prisoners who may be up for parole or clemency should be directed to the parole board, Room 803, State Office Building, Indianapolis, In. 46204, or by calling 317-232-5737. Meetings are set for Nov. 5 at Westville Correctional Center; Nov. 6 at the Indiana State Prison; Nov. 7 at the Indiana State Farm; Nov. 8 at the Indiana Youth Center; Nov. 12 at the Indiana Women’s Prison; Nov. 13 at the Branchville Training Center; Nov. 14-15 at the Indiana Reformatory ; and Nov. 18 and 21 at the State Office Building, Room 914.

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regarded it only as a “nuisance” and did little to prepare, Stagno said. However, through Wednesday Juan had left six people missing and caused millions of dollars worth of property damage. “Sandbagging was delayed until the situation got critical,” Stagno said. “Certainly Juan will go into the history books as a great storm as far as property loss is concerned. “In the case of a hurricane along the Atlantic or Gulf coasts one of the biggest problems is that we have so many com-

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REP. DAN BURTON Unaware of Dock's role

Reformatory calm after altercation

PENDLETON, Ind (AP) - The altercations at the Indiana State Reformatory that left 20 inmates and two guards injured were apparently the result of inmate gang violence, according to Edward Cohn, reformatory superintendent. The reformatory was calm Wednesday following Tuesday night’s disturbance. “Everything is stable,” Assistant Superintendent Craig Hanks said. “We’re trying to talk to inmates and the guards to try and find out why it happened,” Hanks said. “There are a lot of rumors going around and there is a lot of speculation. “It will take some time to find out why.” Some of the inmates were from JCellhouse, the site of a 15-hour hostage incident Feb. 1 in which two correction officers and a counselor were held hostage by inmates. The prisoners said they were upset because guards had beaten an inmate who refused to leave his cell. Asked if the Tuesday night incident could trigger another such situation, Hanks said, “I don’t anticipate it. But in a maximum security prison, that kind of potential is always there. But it doesn’t appear that anything ominous is going to happen.” Problems started about 6:30 p.m. when 275 inmates were returning to their cells from the recreation area, said Hanks.

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munities with large populations. They must determine where they are going to go and how they are going to get there. You can’t wait. You must leave 12 hours of 18 hours before the water gets so high you’re trapped,” he said. In the introduction to his paper, which outlines how common public relations techniques have been effective in educating the public around Houston, Stagno said the weather service’s “preparedness program must be upgraded, revitalized and restructured.” Some of the techniques Stagno has used in Houston include classes for eighth graders, regular newsletters and periodic seminars, at which attendance has jumped from 100 to 400. Also, through the cooperation of local industry and television stations the weather station there has produced videotapes on certain weather situations. “The result has been a significant increase in education,” Stagno said. “The National Weather Service needs to develop program reaching out from its own local offices.”

Didn't know pawnbroker paid: Burton

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Rep. Dan L. Burton, R-Ind., says he was not aware his 1983 trip to Israel was paid for by an Indianapolis pawnbroker whose shop had been raided by the FBI. The pawnbroker, Morton L. “Morty” Dock is sought on a 33-count federal indictment, accused of smuggling counterfeit coins from Israel and defrauding diamond merchants in four states. “I only met him two times,” Burton told the Indianapolis Star. “I didn’t know he was going to pick up the tab.” Dock eventually paid about $5,000 for airline tickets for Burton and his wife for the trip, the Star said today. Dock, 48, and his wife, Helen, 38, have

Although officials were not sure how many inmates were actually involved, Hanks said several knives and “everything from a mop handle to a piece of broken 2-by-4 were confiscated. ” There were other officers in the area. Hanks said, but “they weren’t after the officers. It was strictly between the inmates. The officers just broke it up.” Cohn said the investigation of the latest incident was just beginning, “but we believe it goes back to an altercation a few weeks ago. Some inmates have been holding grudges. I think it is the result of internal gang problems among the inmates themselves.” The prison was considered secure at 8 p.m. after backup guards were called and tear gas was used, officials said. Only one inmate remained hospitalized Wednesday. Hanks said inmate Charles Johnson was in the intensive care unit of Indianapolis’ Wishard Hospital in stable condition recovering from stab wounds. Seventeen inmates were treated at the reformatory infirmary for cuts and bruises, said Barbara Slusher, an officer at the facility. Both correction officers were treated and released Tuesday night, one of them suffering only muscle spasms.

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Thursday, Oct. 31,1985, The Putnam County Banner Graphic

Ex-husband offers reward of SIOO,OOO

WHITESTOWN, Ind. (AP) - A SIOO,OOO reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer of a Boone County woman has been offered by her ex-husband. “It’s been more than two weeks since someone killed Pat,” John C. Mason said Wednesday. Patricia Ann Mason, 42, died Oct. 15. “I know police considered me a suspect for some time. Maybe they still do, but I want her killer found,” said Mason, 47, who owns Big Red Flea Market south of Whitestown. He said he offered the reward to assist the Boone County Sheriff’s Department and state police. “That is a big reward, a very big one,” said Detective Francis Shrock of the state police. “Certainly it will help. We’ll be getting calls almost immediately after this is known.” Shrock said he could not comment about Mason being a suspect. Mrs. Mason’s body was found in her

been fugitives since Dock was indicted in August. Burton said he was unaware of Dock’s financial role in the trip, during which the congressman met with Israeli officials. Burton said he had no substantial contact with Dock and the pawnbroker never attempted to obtain political favors from him. “In all my years in politics I’ve never been accused of being unethical,” Burton said. Burton, who took over the 6th District congressional seat in January 1983, said he origionally met Dock at a political fundraiser at the Meridian Hills Country Club

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six-bay garage near her home in Waugh. She had been shot four times in the head at close range by someone “who knew the layout” of her home, said Boone County Sheriff Em K. Hudson. In addition to the reward, Mason hired International Investigators Inc., a private detective agency, to investigate the slaying. The investigator assigned by the agency, Donald Campbell, a retired Indianapolis police detective, said he told Mason when they first met that he had heard Mason might be a suspect. “If you killed her, I’ll know and advise the sheriff,” Campbell said he told Mason. “We have to understand each other on that.” Campbell said he has been able to establish an alibi for Mason. “I am reasonably sure he had nothing to do with the slaying.”

in Indianapolis. Burton said that several days after the event Dock telephoned him offering to arrange a meeting with three Indianapolis Jewish leaders to discuss the possibility of a visit to Israel. Burton said Dock accompanied him in the spring of 1983 to a meeting at a Jewish communtiy center to meet three rabbis. “They said, ‘You really ought to go to Israel,”’ Burton recalled. “I said, ‘Yes, I’d like to go, but I don’t have the money.’ And they said, ‘Well, we’ll take care of that.’” Burton said he believed first term congressmen from other districts received similar proposals.

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