OCR Text |
Show 5 Thursday, July 12, 1979 3J)TT?3 INTERNATIONAL Managua, Nicaragua Sandinista guerrillas Tuesday began tightening a stranglehold on Managua in preparation for an announced final offensive against the capital city. President Anas tasio Somoza, who remained in his bunker command post' Tuesday, could deploy an estimated 5,000 national guardsmen for a final defense. Meanwhile, the guerrillas used air power for the first time in the six-week-old war Monday night. Three twin-engine aircraft dropped 15 incendiary in-cendiary bombs on a guard fortress outside the city of Masaya. Tehran, Iran Thousands of political prisoners may be freed as a result of a sweeping amnesty program announced Monday by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The amnesty announcement, read over state radio, applies to old regime prisoners who face charges other than murder, torture or "plundering "plun-dering public wealth." Revolutionary firing squads have killed 300 persons since the shah was ousted last February. Political and military leaders have been urging amnesty to end the massive "retribution" and restore the morale of the army. London The United States, Britain and Australia have called for an international moratorium on commercial whaling. At a meeting of the International Whaling Commission, the three countries led a group of conservationist nations opposing the harvesting of the largest creature on Earth. While these countries claim the whale may be an endangered species, Japan and the Soviet Union disagree and have said they will not abide by a moratorium. Peking China became the second communist nation to permit large-scale foreign investment when it enacted a long-awaited law Sunday. Western officials said the foreign code, which will allow foreigners to invest and take out profits, is "extremely liberal" and will result in a rush of American and other investors anxious to take advantage of China's low labor costs. The only other socialist country allowing free foreign investment is Yugoslavia. The new law was announced one day after the United States and China signed a trade agreement that would provide the most favored nation tariff treatment long sought by Peking. The pact must be aDproved by Congress. Nicosia, Cyprus The oil journal Middle East Economic Survey reported Monday that Saudi Arabia will increase its crude oil production by one million barrels a day for the next three months. mon-ths. Oil experts have estimated the world market is one to two million barrels short of daily needs. They said Saudi Arabia's increased production will help alleviate the current oil shortage and act to hold down prices. Bangkok, Thailand Vietnam strongly denied on Saturday any responsibility for the thousands thou-sands of refugees pouring from its own country, Laos and Cambodia. Placing the blame on the United States and China, Hanoi said: "It is United States imperialism im-perialism and the Peking authorities that have triggered the outflow of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese, Lao and Kampucheans (Cambodians) (Cam-bodians) and they must be held fully responsible for their heartless acts." Despite statements to the contrary, Vietnam is known to be continuing the forced departures of tens of thousands of its citizens of Chinese origin on unsafe and overcrowded boats to no fixed destination. Llerena, Spain More than 2,000 mummies have been unearthed by builders doing restoration work on a monastery near the Portuguese Por-tuguese border. Anthropologists said the bodies were found last Thursday. Carbon tests revealed that the mummies date from the late 14th and early 15th centuries and they are believed to be victims of the great purges of the Spanish Inquisition. The experts said the bodies were twisted and deformed, defor-med, indicating the victims probably were squashed in some medieval form of torture. NATIONAL Washington President Carter will not lift federal price controls on gasoline and he feels it is too early to implement tax cuts to counter the predicted recession, spokesman Jody Powell said Tuesday. The decisions came after the president met at Camp David with three Cabinet members, businessmen, union leaders, economists and investment in-vestment bankers to discuss rising inflation and the looming recession. Both of these economic ailments, along with the energy crisis, have been the central theme of the domestic summit conference con-ference at Camp David and the results of the conference are expected to weigh heavily in the coming election year. New York Arthur Fiedler, one of the world's best known musical figures, died Tuesday morning mor-ning at his home in Brookline, Mass. at the age of 84. Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra for 50 years, Fiedler was recovering from a mild heart attack suffered in May when he succumbed to cardiac arrest at his desk. Attica, New York David Berkowitz, convicted convic-ted "Son of Sam" killer, was slashed on the throat Tuesday in an Attica State Prison cellblock. Berkowitz told prison officials the wound was not self-inflicted but he refused to accuse any inmate of the attack. He was reported in good condition after receiving 50 to 60 stitches. Washington A 13-year battle for direct popular elections of presidents came to an end Tuesday when the Senate killed a constitutional amendment which would have replaced the electoral elec-toral college. San Diego Five-year-old Penny Vantine is dying of old age. Penny suffers from a rare disease called Cockayne's Syndrome that causes its victims to age the equivalent of 15 to 20 years every year. Only 28 cases have been recorded in medical literature and the effects are irreversible. Suffering from arthritis, deafness, high blood pressure, cataracts in both eyes and other ailments common to an 80-year-old woman, Penny has grown to a height of only 29 inches and gradual weight loss has reduced her to a mere nine pounds. Washington A newly released government survey shows that women have reached numerical equality with men on college campuses cam-puses and may soon outnumber their male counterparts. A decade ago, the ratio of men to women enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities was 3-2. But over half the students under the age of 22 are now women and older women represent the fastest growing group of college attendance. "More and more women realize they are going to work for most of their adult lives, even if they get married and even if they take time off to raise a family," a government researcher said. Mount Pleasant, Iowa Goody ear's famous Mayflower blimp was declared a "total loss" last week after winds of "phenomenal force" tore the $1.5 million lighter-than-aircraft from its moorings and rolled it 300 yards. The Mayflower was awaiting a Fourth of July celebration when winds up to 75 miles per hour sent it tumbling into a field where it destroyed four acres of corn. Park City Racquet Club Sign up for July Lessons Open to the Public Adults Juniors Tots Private & Group Instruction Professionals Dan Bigg Dave Ervin, San Belcher 649-8080 r:1 ..,.'.. .' liiiiiir Utah Foundation Tax Relief Less In '80 It is becoming increasingly in-creasingly unlikely that the 1980 Budget Session, which meets next January, will be able to equal the tax cutting performance of the 1979 Utah Legislature. This was the conclusion of Utah Foundation, the private tax research organization, in a study of fiscal conditions in Utah at the end of the 1979 fiscal year. The 1979 Legislature provided Utah taxpayers with $74.5 million in tax relief this year, most of which will come from a 4-mill 4-mill reduction in the basic school levy and from a general tax rebate to all homeowners and renters. The study points out that it will be much more difficult to develop substantial surpluses sur-pluses in the future than it has been in the past. Consequently, Con-sequently, it probably will be necessary to trim back on some current services and programs before any added tax reductions can be made. Foundation analysts arrive at these conclusions from the following facts: 1) Current revenue collections collec-tions have fallen behind earlier expectations. During the fiscal year ended June 20, 1979, actual sales tax collections were $5 million below legislative estimates while individual income tax collections were $8 million under the estimates used by the 1979 Legislature. While this shortfall does not pose an immediate fiscal problem for the state, it is nevertheless never-theless worrisome because it may represent a trend that will be carried over into the 1979-80 fiscal year. 2) Next year, state salaries in Utah will be automatically adjusted upward up-ward in accordance with changes in the cost-of-living index, unless the 1980 Budget Session takes some action to modify this legal provision. According to the Foundation, Foun-dation, this automatic salary adjustment probably will be somewhere between 11 percent per-cent and 12 percent. 3) Other costs, which are beyond the ability of the Legislature to control, also will rise because of inflation. Retirement and social security contributions, which are tied to salary levels, will climb next year. In addition, social security taxes will increase even faster because of rate and wage base increases legislated by Congress in 1977. 4) Rising school enrollments will make it increasingly in-creasingly difficult to control con-trol school expenditures in the years immediately ahead. In addition to added operating costs, the influx of new students probably will necessitate added expenditures expen-ditures for capital outlay. Moreover, in determining public school appropirations for 1979-80. the Legislature used enrollment estimates that were somewhat below the estimates prepared by the State Board of Education. If the State Board estimates prove to be correct, it may be necessary to reduce the school allocations during the year or provide for a supplmental appropriation. 5) The present Federal revenue sharing program is authorized only through September Sep-tember 30, 1980, and there is some question regarding its renewal. Even if the program is extended beyond 1980, there is a strong possibility that funds going to state governments may be drastically reduced or eliminated altogether. At the present time, the state receives approximately $14 million per year in Federal revenue sharing funds, with an added $28 million going to local units. 6) Decreased highway travel, brought about by fuel shortages and high fuel prices, could reduce highway high-way revenues at the same time that inflation is escalating highway costs. When this same highway finance problem occurred in the early 1970s, substantial transfers were made from general revenues to assist the highway fund with its problems. Located on Highway 224 Between Park West & Kimball Junction Greenfields nSnydeefeJOj ig Open 7 JL Week If 9:00 a.m 649-8858 I nmmk I days a .- 5:00 p.m Full Line of Outdoor Stock including Quaking Aspen trees from $10.00 Special Bedding Rant Sale 2 for 1 Sale buy one pack-get pack-get one free Quaking Aspens Austrian Pines Colorado Spruce Potted Plants W.C. Greenfields 649-8858 ilds Subscri Special Purchase NEW 1979 SAAB 99 GL'S Example $6,798 TAXES, DESTINATION CHARGES, OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT & services, n r w- title & license fees are P.O.E. additional. Ask About Lease-Purchase Plan!! GairH Motor Center State at 600 South S.L.C., Ut. 84111 801 355-6057 Where you drive a good bargain! r R ESTA URANT Open for Breakfast 7:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Best Salad Bar in Town! Serving Prime Rib Nightly Finest Steak House Cuisine OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK FOR DINNER Located in Prospector Square |