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Show VoL228.No. II nl Salt Lake City, Utah 168 Friday Morning March 30, 1984 Deaths Exceed 60 in Carolinas Jazz Clinch Payoff Spot CLINTON, N.C. (AP) - Rescue workers dredged ponds and searched flattened buildings Thursday for additional victims of tornadoes that killed more than 60 people in the Carolinas, left hundreds injured or homeless and caused millions and millions in damage. First Time Ever; See Story on D- -l Tax Worries Calmed as Session Ends Too many homes to count were damaged by at least a dozen twist- ers that struck late Wednesday af- ternoon and evening, blowing down trees and power lines that closed roads and highways. It was the deadliest series of tornadoes to strike the United States this decade. This is the worst natural disaster had in a hundred years in North Carolina, said Gov. James Hunt, who toured the area by helicopter. He said there had been millions and millions of damage in his weve state. Seal Off Towns Hundreds of National Guard officers and state police sealed off the towns of Maxson and Red Springs, N.C., to guard against looters in the two communities that were without electricity. In neighboring South Carolina, four people were arrested for loot ing in Bennettsville, where rescue crews searched Thursday through a flattened shopping center in a county where seven people died, looking for more missing shoppers. The death count in North Carolina reached SO, although it fluctuated throughout the day, and an unknown number of people were missing, said Russ Edmonston, spokesman for the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. Officials reported at least 426 injured people in 14 counties. In South Carolina, county coroners reported 14 known dead from tornadoes, and at least 222 people were reported injured in seven counties. Also, two people drowned in separate accidents blamed on waves. Spawned by Storm The tornadoes, spawned by a wild spring storm that swung out of Texas, cut a swath across northern wind-whipp- South Carolina before tearing through the North Carolina sandhills and coastal plain and heading out to sea. All through the eastern North Carolina countryside, men cleared wood with tractors and chain saws. 0.7, Economy Grew February Figures Say Los Angeles Times Service The govern- WASHINGTON - e, Earlier in the day, the Senate decisively rejected efforts by Kennedy to prohibit a combat role for Ameri- - of Commerce announced Thursday. Astoc loted Press Loserphoto hart in Wilmington, Del., when a combination of high winds and rain toppled this tree, nearly splitting a No one was house in two. One of two sisters who live in the house was trapped for a short time. Storms are expected to continue. Blizzard Brings Death, Chaos to Northeast By The Associated Press spring blizzard blowing hurricane-force winds buried the Northeast under soggy snow up to 2 feet deep Thursday and forced thousands of people to flee coastal communities where floodwaters were neck deep. The same storm a day earlier spun off a swarm of tornadoes that killed more than 55 people and injured more than 600 in the Carolinas. A cans in Central America without clear congressional approval. The votes against the Massachusetts Democrats amendments were the first test of support for President Reagans request to Congress for 393 million in emergency military aid for El Salvador. Kennedys first proposal, to bar a combat role for U.S. personnel in El Salvador, Honduras or Nicaragua, 1 was voted down on a vote. Kennedy then sought an vote on a similar amendment, leaving out Honduras, but that too was rejected after several hours of debate on a 3 vote. Senate Republican leader Howard Baker moved to kill Kennedys amendments after expressing irritation at what he considered delaying tactics by the liberal lawmaker. Baker said earlier he expects the Senate to approve a compromise plan providing 362 million for El Salvador despite the opposition by Kennedy and some other Demo- At least eight deaths were blamed on the snowstorm in the Northeast. Three people were killed in Pennsylvania, two in Washington, and one each in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. This storm is going to go into the books as having spawned more problems than maybe we have seen in a century on the East Coast, said David Lesher, a meteorologist in Marylands Frederick County. In New Jersey, part of Atlantic Citys famed Boardwalk fell into the churning sea, and the gambling town built on islands was cut off from the mainland by high water. A 473-fofreighter with 23 people aboard ran aground off Chatham, Mass., in the high winds. Almost a half million homes and ot businesses went dark from the Virginia to Massachusetts as snow that began falling late Wednesday mixed with sleet at times broke power lines and tree limbs. Coastal flooding aggravated winds gusting as high as 80 mph Massachusetts and over 70 mph New Jersey forced evacuations by See Page 2, Column in in in 1 70-2- 72-2- crats. Despite the two votes against him, Kennedy said he will seek to continue debate on the bill into next week, apparently frustrating Bakers hope to complete work on it soon. At a news conference, Kennedy described the bill as the most important foreign policy issue we will debate this year. He indicated he would withhold his remaining amendments until after other senators have had time to speak on the bill. Todays Forecast Salt Lake City and vicinity Variable clouds. Lows in the lower 30s with highs pear 50. Details B-1- 9. - ments official indicator of future economic activity pointed upward again in February, the Department Senate Tentatively OKs Compromise Aid Plan WASHINGTON (UPI) The Senate tentatively approved a compromise plan Thursday night to trim Presideqt Reagan's request for emergency military aid for El Salvador from 93 million to 362 million, but left open the opportunity for opponents to seek further cuts. Under an agreement worked out by both sides, final action on the bill is expected next week, after Sen. Edward Kennedy, offers an amendment to reduce the aid amount to 321 million. The 362 million figure was tentatively approved when the Senate, by voice vote, accepted the compromise plan offered by Sen. Daniel 50-fo- Index Rises, But Lull Seen for 85 Lawmakers Leave The Door Open By Dan Bates and Douglas L Parker Tribune Political Writers The Utah Legislature put a four-da- y special session to bed Thursday night, confident it had soothed taxpayers from losing sleep over exorbitantly higher property taxes and conhad at least temporarily soled corrections officials somewhat on a space shortage and parents on knowing if their children practice birth control. Lawmakers adjourned at 9:30 p.m. However, they left open the possibility of returning within the 30 days allowed for their special session, which will expire automatically April 24. A return to lawmaking was left to the discretion of the presiding officers, possibly to iron out any mistakes of the four days or take up other matters. The House and Senate had delivered emergency action Thursday on matters so diverse as a 1712.3 million public school finance bill and a measure to delay Aprils political mass meetings so that Jewish citizens can observe Passover. But unsnarling a deadlock of leasing speace in the Triad Center in downtown Salt Lake City held most legislators to their seats into the evening hours. The last business was approval of a conference committee report which OKd the leased space for some state agencies, but barring the Department of Social Services from making the move a compromise drawing complaints that it was a slap in the face to the department for which the space was earlier negotiated. Yet, it was the Utah Supreme Courts nullification earlier this month of a local assessment rollback to 1978 property values that captured much of the lawmakers attention this week and passed both chambers Thursday. The Legislature, which had enacted the rollback three years ago to give residential and business properties a tax break, agreed to slightly and temporarily hedge the courts See Page 9, Column 1 Pigs and goats ran loose, rummaging through grain and other debris from leveled barns and grain elevators. The sweet scent of pine spread trees through the air from sheared off at eye level by the twisters that cut a swath. South Carolina Gov. Dick Riley said after touring Bennettsville that the damage was much worse than I expected. In my recollection, there is no disaster that equals this in terms of human lives lost, he said. There See Page 2, Colimn 1 Inouye outlined his compromise amendment last week and won support from Republicans and some Democrats for the plan. Sen. Jim Sasser, told his in recolleagues the Pentagon has reported sponse to questions three incidents in recent months in which U.S. military trainers in El Salvador came under hostile fire. SiJS8KK ' '$ Assoc Icrted Press Loserphoto In the small coastal island of Brigantine, just north of Atlantic City, boats and cars i I could be seen floating down streets after g areas. bay flooded many of the low-lyin- The index of leading economic indicators, which generally shows the direction of economic activity over the next six to nine months, rose 0.7 percent in February. That is not as strong as Januarys 1 percent rise, but it has now been 18 months since the index has pointed down. Despite that news, however, private economic forecasters are still looking for a pronounced slowing of the economic recovery by the years end or the beginning of 1985. Year of Probable Trouble The expansion is good for another six months, said Allen Sinai, chief economist of the New York investment banking company of Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb. But were running out of slack in the economy, and that makes 1985 a year of probable trouble. Meanwhile, the government announced two other pieces of economic data that pointed in opposite directions: The nations merchandise trade deficit set another record in February, reaching 310.1 billion, up from the previous record of 39.5 billion, set the month before. Sales of new homes in February surged by 7.8 percent over the January figure, and they were 22 percent higher for the first two months of this year than for the same two months of 1983. Martin S. Feldstein, chairman of President Reagans Council of Economic Advisers, said that the indicators demonstrated that were moving ahead at a solid pace. Most private economic forecasters agree. For this year, their predictions of economic growth, after adjustment for inflation, range from slightly above 4 percent to somewhat more than 5 percent That is lower than the 6.2 percent recorded last year, but it represents a healthy growth rate for the second year of an economic recovery. The Reagan administrations forecast of 4.5 percent economic growth in 1984 is somewhat pessimistic, but its 1985 forecast of 4 percent growth is substantially rosier than virtually all private forecasts. Growth to Sag For example, Chase Econometrics of Bala Cynwyd, Pa., predicts that growth will sag from 4.9 percent this year to 1.5 percent in 1985. Wharton Econometrics of Philadelphia expects 5.2 percent in 1984 and 1.8 percent next year. In the view of these forecasting companies, federal budget deficits loom as the greatest threat to economic stability. Compared to the private forecasters, the administration is even more optimistic about interest rates than economic growth. Although rates on three-mont- h Treasury bills are now nearly 10 percent, the administration foresees rates falling to 8.5 percent in the years fourth quarter and 7.7 percent at the end of 1985. Lava Oozes to Within 5 Miles of Hilo Homes A lava flow HILO, Hawaii (AP) threatening Hawaiis second-largecity was shrouded by clouds Thursday, but scientists tracking the molten rock said it oozed to within five miles of homes. Scientists at the U.S. Geological Surveys Hawaiian Volcano Observatory determined that the lava flow, 300 yards wide at the front, moved 1.2 miles overnight, said Robert Decker, scientist in charge of the observatory. The forward edge of the flow was about five miles from the nearest homes in the upper Kaumana section of Hilo. st "But whether they are in the flow path, we dont know, Decker said , Thursday. By tomorrow night, were going to have a better idea of what its going to do, from a scientific point of view. Decker said be thought it was too early for residents to begin moving out. Planning, yes. Action, no, he said. Hawaii County Civil Defense at about the level of the 13,677-foo- t mountain. Mauna Loa is the worlds largest active volcano, and its broad flanks form much of the land mass of the island of Hawaii. ing fed from a fissure 9,000-foo- t The lava flow was located between two earlier flows laid down by Mauna Loa in 1942 and 1852. During those eruptions, lava advanced Di- rector Harry Kim said residents would be given 24 hours notice of any evacuation order. The lava flow, which burned trees and other plants in Its path, was be-9 Chuckle Todays Some people keep changing their minds because they get dirty so quickly in the early days but slowed progressively before stopping short of present-da- y Hilo. The newest flows progress appeared to follow the pattern, said Dr. Robert Decker, scientist in charge of the volcano observatory. "If history is any guide, good news, Decker said. thats the On Wednesday, the lava finally could be seen when skies cleared over Hilo, where about 40,000 of the islands 98,000 residents live, as it burned through a forested area above the city. 't |