Show Best Available Copy A2 — The Herald Journal Logan Utah Q Wednesday February 18 2004 Nation FAA orders airlines to install new fuel tank system Action aims to reduce chance of explosions WASHINGTON (AP) — The gov- eminent will order airlines to install a system to reduce the chance of fuel tank explosions like the one that downed a TWA Boeing 747 in 1996 Federal Aviation Administration chief Marion Blakey said Tuesday The decision affects about 3800 Boeing and Airbus aircraft operated by domestic airlines In the last 14 years there have been three fuel tank explosions including the TWA accident resulting in 346 deaths Blakey said the new device could eliminate up to four accidents over the next 25 years “We have a plan that will virtually eliminate fuel tank explosions aboard aircraft” Blakey said at a' news conference A analysis still must be done and airlines need time to plan for the change so the requirement is not expected to take effect for at least two years Once foe rule is issued the program will be phased in over seven 'years During that time existing planes will have to be retrofitted with the device and new planes will have them as standard equipment TWA Flight 800 crashed off foe coast of Long Island NY on July 17 1996 killing all 230 people aboard TheNational Transportation cost-bene- fit Safety Board blamed the accident on an explosion saying vapors in a partly empty fuel tank probably were ignited by a spark in the wiring The accident prompted FAA scientists to step up research aimed at eliminating potential ignition sources for such explosions and reducing the flammability of vapors in fuel tanks The device they came up with d pumps nonflammable air into feel tanks reducing the oxygen in fuel vapors and lessening the chance of an explosion In 2001 a government-industr- y ? taskforce concluded it would be too expensive — up to $20 billion — to retrofit airliners with the equipment necessary to pump nonflammable nitrogen into feel tanks The FAA estimates the cost between $600 mil-lion and $700 million Blakey said ') or between $140000 and $220000 9 per aircraft nitrogen-enriche- On the Net: Federal Aviation Administration: http:wwwfaagov Speculation abounds 2004 GOP ticket on WASHINGTON (AP) Dick Cheney is only six years older than President Bush but his long government resume and graying presence helped offset the Texas governor’s lack of seasoning and foreign policy experience in 2000 Those same avuncular qualities seem less politically rein- ' forcing now with Bush facing battle a difficult and Cheney 63 burdened by political baggage of his own Allegations of profiteering in Iraq by oil services giant ' Halliburtpn which Cheney once headed and his frequent claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction have become standard Democratic targets Bush strongly backs the former Wyoming congressman who served as his father’s r defense secretary and President Gerald Ford’s chief of staff But some Republicans' are quietly asking whether Cheney will help or hinder the ticket among voters this November That has raised speculation about possible Cheney replacements Among those mentioned: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee Rep Rob Portman of Ohio Colorado Gov Bill Owens -- case sues thing” Few expect a midcourse ticket correction Cheney remains popular with the GOP rank and file and with social and economic conservatives who are increasingly uneasy about Bush’s deficit spending - Catholic bishop convicted plans But if the president’s approval ratings continue to slide and criticism of Cheney intensifies it could lead ta some GOP in fatal soul-searchi- ng Bush visits troopjs amid military record questions h- I - Gotctia: US ArmySpc Nathan Moss' nose is pinched by his daughter' Abbie Moss as they wait for President Bush's visit to Fort Polk La emphasize his national security responsibilities and leadership - WASHINGTON (AP) —The federal government won’t accept any more applications for a popular visa program that provides skilled for-- i eign labor lto US companies the office of Citi-zenship and Immigration Services said Tuesday Less than five months into the fiscal year there already are enough applications to fill all 65000 slots for Hl-- B visas said Chris Bentley a spokesman for foe agency a division of foe Department of Homeland Security Y No new applications will be accepted until April and no additional Visas will be issued until Oct 1 when foe next fiscal year begins The H visa program is controversial Critics ray it allows businesses to fill jobs with cheap foreign labor rather than hiring Amen- ' cans at higher wages The high-tec- h industry and other businesses that use foe program to fill jobs say they can’t find enough qualified Americans to do foe kind of work they need L- -B restaurants? HONOLULU (AP) CpL Rife Levergood r r and her husband disagree whether members of their fariuly should be able to join them out to dinner the state however is clear four-legg-ed -- "' v co-vic- ar per-cepti- - on : : It’s against the law A state senator’s proposal going before a 1 : ’s - : ly ' of foewar against tetrora role the White House wants to emphasize wifovoters as he Y battle heads into a In brief Skilled worker visa applications cut off Pet-friend- - : - TV-read- u n crash : FORT POLK La (AP) — Snapping a sharp salute before cheering soldiers President ' Bush put his credentials as v wartime commander in chief on display Tuesday against suggestions he ducked his military duty sis a child of privilege during the Vietnam War Cheers of “USA USA” and ' enthusiastic applause greeted Bush as he took an outdoorstage at this military base that has trained and deployed more than 10000 troops to lraq and Afghanistan since America was struck by terrorist attacks ' onSept 11 2001 is the resolve same' as it “My was on foe day when I walked in foe rubble of foe twin tow-ers” Bush said “Lwill not relent until this threat to Amer- ica is removed And neither ' ' ' will you” Bush's appearance provided y a opportunity to WASHINGTON (AP) —A federal prosecutor in a major terrorism case in Detroit has taken the rare step of suing Attorney General John Ashcroft alleging the Justice' Department interfered with the case compromised a confidential informant and exaggerated results in foe war on terrorism Assistant US Attorney Richard Convertino of Detroit accused the Justice Department of “gross mismanagement” of foe war on terrorism in a lawsuit filed late Friday in federal court in Washington Justice officials said Tuesday they had not seen the suit and had no comment The suit is foe latest twist in AP photo foe Bush administration’s first 11 terrorism Bishop Thomas O’Brien left and one of his attorneys Tom Henze huddle before the verdict is read in major post-SeO’Brien’s trial Tuesday in a courtroom in Phoenix Bishop O’Brien waa convicted of a is now in which prosecution Tuesday for leaving the scene after killing a Jaywalking pedestrian with his car of danger unraveling over allegations of ' prosecutorial mis-conduct Convertino came under internal Justice Department investigation last fall after prohit-ahd- -r viding information to a Senate committee about his concerns t of June about the war on terror His t him on T1mjju5 testimony came just months rioflirtH (celebrating after he helped convict some Mavfegfoeicieifokrafl spiderterroran members of alleged that we wantfo a jaywalking pedestrian with web in the windshield and ism cell in Detroit his Buick a crash that ended Reed lying in foe street gay is that foe The government now admits his career as head of the O’Brien then drove the two fernilysup-hebisto turn over evidence it failed Phoenix Roman Catholic Dio- miles back to his house with- ports the trial that might ' during cese out stopping and parked the op have assisted the defense Some memO’Brien is believed to be the Buick in his garage an allegation from first US Catholic bishop tried bers of the vie- -: The bishop who testified for including an imprisoned drug gang and convicted of a felony tim's family cried most of two days in the trial who claimed the govleader ' The O’Brien led the diocese’s raid he initially thought he hit bishop ernment’s key witness made could be sentenced to anything a dog or was struck by a rock nearly 480000Catholics for up his story 21 years hut stepped down in from probation to years in He said he heard a loud crash Convertino is seeking dam- June after he was charged in but never raw anyone in the prison A sentencing date was--: under the Privacy Act n’t set foe crash O’Brien’s successor road and foe defense cordend-- ages has been subjected O’Brien who appeared in had scheduled an afternoon ed that dim lighting headlight alleging he internal to an ' investigation as court each day wearing a black newsconference to discuss foe glare and the victim’s dark retaliation for his cooperation shirt Roman collar and a cross verdict clothes made him hard to see with the Senate and that inforaround his neck showed no The accident occurred two Had be seen the pedestrian from foe internal probe mation emotion after the verdict was O’Brien testified “I would tumultuous weeks after an leaked to news was wrongly readi-- : announcement by prosecutors have stopped because that’s ' media “It’s a sad day” said Moncouldthat they had readied an ' foe human thing to do I The lawsuit states Converti- n’t imagine not stopping” signor Dale Fushek thedio-ceseimmunity deal with O’Brien no first complained to his that would spare him indictBut prosecutors argued that general and a more than a year ago superiors friend of O’Brien: “It’s the ment on obstruction charges O’Brien knew or should have Justice’s interference in about kind of situation where for protecting priests accused known he hit a person They the Detroit terrorism trial say' We child wins foe of molestation respect nobody pointed to foe fact that ing Washington supervisors work foe jury did and now we The chief facts surrounding O’Brien did not call police “had continuously placed accident foe that killed even after a diocese official pedCsjust pray everyone heals” oyer reality to foe sen- 'Members of foe bishop’s trian Jim Reed 43 were not in told him the car niay have detriment of the war on ous been involved in a family declined to comment dispute terror after the verdict An unidenti- Reed was drunk andjay- accident pt n immigration-liberalizatio- Ashcroft a president” said Jerry Roe a Michigan historian and former state Republican party executive director “I think Cheney's health couldbe a factor And then add up all the negatives on foe Halliburton and Prosecutor in terrorism £it ? former Pennsylvania Gov Tom Ridge now Bush’s homeland security secretary and two New Yorkers: former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Gov George Pataki A recent Time MagazineCNN poll showed nearly as many Americans think Cheney should be replaced as kept Other polls show his popularity trailing Bush’s by about 10 percentage points “Let’s put it this way I’d love to see Giuliani as vice ' VA ’ Department of Health committee this week would make it easier for animal lovers ike Levergood to dine out with the pets they ray' Y are like family ''Y "ySen Fred Hemmings a Republican wants to see state health rules eased to give restaurants the option of allowing dogs into outdoor seating areas His request faces a vote Thursday by the ' stale’s Advisory Council bn Food Protection ' Practices If it is adopted Hawaii would join 21 other states with similar dining rules according to TferaKamtfDogFriendlycoiiu : HILLCREST AREA NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING pet-frien- Stewart cash gets break NEW YORK (AP)— A federal judge on Tuesday further limited foe government’s effort to prove Martha Stewart and her stockbroker conspired to lie about Stewart’s sale of ImClone Systems stock' : The judge blocked prosecutors from putting into evidence a voice mail that broker Peter Bacanovic left for Stewart on Fd 4 2002 foe day she was first interviewed by foe govern-ment in the ImClone investigation “The fact foat he tried to coatact her really isn’t evidence ofanything qfoer than that they rallceri to each ofoer sometimes”US District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum said " THURSDAY FEBRUARY 19 2004 jo rm :'r n :t- - HILLCREST ELEMENTARY ' - ' w‘i I - 960 N 1400 E LOGAN : 4 V 'V vjYr- Mayor Thompson & Staff vriU discuss: - V Air Quality i :'fi General Plan Update V :y ' Everyone IS I Welcome! 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