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Show TheSalt A4 NATION/WORLD Lake Tribune Monday. April 1, 1996 A Mystery: Russian Men Dying Earlier Report Tattles: Defense Budget Getting Cut, But Wasteful Spending Isn’t DER NEWS SERVICE MOSCOW — Russians are dyng younger. and scientists don't “Russia s capitalism liam Perry with aggressively WASHINGTON — Defense historic embrace of and democracy has budgets may not be rising sharply anymore, but that hasn't eliminated Pentagon waste. according toa been accompanied by a dramatic rop in life expectancy unmatched this century. The figures how that Russian mentoday can pect to die before they cele- rate their 58th birthday This fact has become apolitical sue in the June presidential elections as President Boris Yelt- ins communist and nationalist pponents blamehis reforms for having more than six years off the average malelifespan Thesinking life expectancy — ind a sharp lowering of the birth rate — has led opposition politi cians to charge that Russia's fu- ture strength will be sapped by a new study able to pinpoint the causefor the drop, which greatly widened thelife expectancy gap between Russia and developed Western countries. Men in the United States, for example, can expectto live 72 years and women 79 years. No Precedent: “Thereis no man Ecology in Moscow. "Some- but thereis no major military ac- tion or food shortage to explain it, Many reasons are blamed, in- killed just as federal agents were preparing to ea A friend of Miki’s lames (. “Chris” Penning- cancel a $2,000 drug debt — goes on trial for murder and kidnapping Tuesdayin Mingo County rich and poor, and people resent pensive private health care, he said “There has been a rise of people living below the poverty line, and these people have been stripped of hopesfora better future," Zakharov said. “This explanation holds that society is in shock, under tremendous stress, andthat this has led to arise in mortality and a drop in births.” Zakharovsaid he leans toward a less political, more pragmatic explanation that blames the longevity decline on high alcoholism, pervasive cigarette smoking, poor water quality and low quality food, including sausages stuffed beenher first day at Marshall University. She had FBI documents, citing statements from Pen nington and Agent Arthur Turner, provided this account of the crime Miki Koontz, who hadspent part of her summer in a Huntington drug rehabilitation program, was back home with her parents in Williamson upon clearing $35,000 a monthin this county of 000 residents, had ensnared both Miki and her mother planned to attend a football game in nearby Matewan. Butfirst, she told her mother, she had It wasthelast time her mothersawher. and her20-year-oldsister, Kelli Tim Koontz said he had urgedhissisters to talk with the FBI.They That afternoon, she met with Pennington. At his request, Miki droveto an isolated area 5 miles outside town, near a sewage treatment plant for the small town of Chattaro: At the plant, the alleged leader ofthe drug ring. Robert J. WarrenSr., was waiting. Fearing he was about to be arrested, he had begun collecting on drug debts. Warren, whohas since pleaded guilty to crack cocaine distribution, allegedly ordered the girl were emotionallyfragile girls going through adolescence and they were caught up in something,” he said. Koontz said Kelli is now drug-free. Warren, 44, of Williamson is to be sentenced May14: hefaces life in prison for conspiracy to distribute. A judge could issueastiffer sentence if he decidesthat Miki's death occurredas a result of Warren's drug activities. Thelast personherfriends thought would get in harm's wi as Miki, who was outgoing and killed because she hadthreatened to take infor- liked everyone, her teacherssaid, “She never met mation about thering to police Armedwith a handgun, he instructed Pennington to walk Miki into the woods. “Pennington instructed her to get on her knees, placed the .22-caliber rifle against the back a stranger,” McCoysaid Bycontrast Pennington frail and slovenly and described by his mother, Kathy, as borderline of her head andfiredhisfirst shot into the back of Koontz's head,” FBI documents say. At Warren's instruction, “helaid the muzzleoftherifle against Koontz's head and pulledthe trigger a second time.” Warren then gave Pennington a rock of crack cocaine, and the two men left mentally retarded,” had few friends According to Mrs. Pennington, Miki’s Aug visit to the family’s trailer up narrow Goodman Hollow, just outside of Williamson, was nothing unusual Miki often came by and picked up her son; in hindsight, she realizes, thevisits were probably to go off anduse drugs, But she is firm: Herson did not kidnap Miki Koontz. The body of the petite brunette with hazel eyes was found three days later, on what was to have “He thought the world of Miki,’ shesaid. “He lovedboth of thosegirls as friends. styles that cut rates of heart dis- ease. Russian women have beenaffected byfalling life expectancy as well, losing about four years of longevity, but the average Rus- sian womanstill lives more than THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SUNNYVALE, Calif. — For the thou- sandsof people whocollect PEZ, the color- the head of a cartoon character or other and nostalgia “A lot of peoplein their late 30s, 40s and 50s remember having purchased PEZ as piece of candyslides out than candy: the delicious mixture of fun tion department, said the current drop started in 1988 and 1989, organizer of the West Coast PEZ convention. Hundreds of people from all over the country were expected to attend the convention, which ran Friday through Sunday during the last years of the Soviet era. He said the Communist Party's charge that Yeltsin's program is responsible is inaccurate. Tkachenko acknowledged that the quality of food sold in Russia has worsened since the Soviet Union collapsed and that at least half the country’s drinking water does not meet safety standards. Dangerouslypolluted air is also a factor, he said Scientists believe air pollution PEZ, for the handful of people who THE ASSOCIATED PRESS popular figure. Flip the head up and a Pentagon officials and often are corrected quickly. In other cases. waste’ alleged in the report may Military personnel are en- recreational activities madeavailable to them,” Hansonsaid, referring to sections of the report criti- cal of golf and fitness centers. Weneedto look at each oneof those incidents.” Hanson said “Such things are certainly reviewed fully in the department.” John Isaacs, director of the Council for a Livable World credited Defense Secretary Wil- fense and Congress need to examine more closely our multibillion and audits. Among them @The Naval Academy in An- napolis, Md., maintains a herd of 319 cows dating back to a badmilk incident earlyin the century Annual cost: $1.2 million. The academy says it is working out a plan tosell the cows. @ Using funds from its Morale, Welfare and Recreation program, the military leases part of a 287room hotel at Disney World in Florida. Because of what the report described as bad management, the hotel requires an annu- al federal subsidy of $27.2 million to break even @ A C-17 door hinge that had to be manufactured hastily by MeDonnell Douglas Corp. for $2,187 after a subcontractor failed to provide the part. It should have cost $31 Taking a Down-to-Earth Approach, Shuttle Shuns Flori da for the Desert a shuttle landing was diverted to ORLANDO SENTINEL CAPE CANAVERAL,Fla. Despite its water-inspired name. ace shuttle Atlantis can’t land with lots of moisture in the air or on the ground. That ruled out returning to a soggy Kennedy SpaceCenter on Sunday morning. So the shutile landed someplace a lot drier: Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert in California “It feels good to be home. Commander Kevin Chilton, a Los Angeles native, said after landing But for space shuttles, Kennedy Space Center is home, and NASA prefersto land themin Florida. It costs about $750,000 and a week's worth oftimeto ferry theshuttle back to Kennedyon a 747 jumbo been made, not counting variations in color that would boost the figure to more than 0. PEZ’s roots go back to the 1920s, when Austrian businessman Eduard Haas III ‘Some of them are real worksofart,” saidSilveira, 45, of San Jose, who has accumulated about 300 different PEZ in his 26 comes from “Pfefferminz,” the German years of collecting. Some collectors, how- But the product becamea child’s toy with ever, have 600 or more different dispens- ers. Thereare Mickey Mouse PEZ, Bulwinkle PEZ and Popeye PEZ. Santa Claus. knights, pirates, sailors and even a bride and groom made it to pop art immortality U.S. Attorney Lynne A. Battaglia. BALTIMORE — Marijuana smuggler Robert Michael Pate has lost his house, his money and his liberty. Nowfederal prosecutorsareaf- ter his frequent flier miles. mayhelp explain a rise in serious Prosecutors say the 117,705 miles Pate logged between Philadelphia, Newark, N.J., and To- During the Soviet era, drops in life expectancywereclassified as secret and kept from the public, ronto on USAir were earned as part of his drug business — and therefore government property “T think it’s ingenious,” said J D HUTTON LTD. who filed the forfeiture claim Battaglia sa: he wants to give the mileage to local law enforce- mentagenciesso they can pursue other drug traffickers produced a breath mint. The PEZ name word for peppermint s y's California landing necessary because foreca called for the weather to get even moreiffy at Edwards and Kennedy on Monday. andthe shuttle was running out of time after nine ys in orbit, said landing flight director Jeff Bantle. Just after launch NASAfounda hydraulic fluid leak that for a few hours threatenedto cut short the flight. And late last week, two maneuvering thrusters wouldn't work, and athird leaked Flight controllers worried when it appeared that latches usedto open payload bay doors — crucial to cooling the shuttle — weren't working. It turned out to bea false reading, but NASA had to consider an emergencyland- ing fruit candies after it was introduced to the United States in 1952 The Austrian and ES eelsaelig pe CCBsos) Guarantee Story” ai Mickey Mouse, who has appeared in five terman.” Custom Made Draperies-All Blinds Professional Consultation & Installation See oar Adin today’s “need an eet” clase advertisment “So be it,” Pate, 49, told his lawyer, David B “They can have them. He's in prison,” Irwin said He's not going anywhere biOt et2 acai966-3769/ SQ 455 E So Temple! 811 This Week Only Custom Table Pads starting at’ $39.95 Protect your fable with our custom fable pads. Call now for ‘Qn immediate appointment. We'll alee (00,000. eek 3/31/96 of Chase Financial who gets the miles. nidsauch V. progamak “Sein: feld” and “The Late Show with David Let- Air Time Service Starting At Only $1929 om r. 9° Battery eetcar"3 ACCELLULAR® Gor come out & measure for free. Salt Lake Ease Lee 15 yr. Fixed Cal740OR 1-800-673-3800 PEZ have never gone away; there currently ar e about 50 different kinds available ranging irom 89 cents to $1.29 each. But recent years have seen a huge boostin their popularity. They've been mentioned U.S. branches eventually becameseparate Pate reportedly doesn’t care Irwin. different versions overthe years. The first ones, whi ere the face was painted rather thanscul| pted, can be worth $100 to $150. Then t here are the PEZ that don’t look like PEZ. In the 1950s, the company made dispensersthat lookedlike space guns. Today, they command $150 to $600 companies. The most common PEZ character is ( Draperies By Jo \ PE Rya Mortgage Lenders FREE PRE-APPROVALS GUARANTEED LOWEST RATES CREDIT PROBLEMS/BANKRUPTCIES-OK *FREE APPRAISAL lela ples are closely investigated by Collectors estimate 340 different PEZ have Inmate’s Free Miles: Long Arm of the Law Reachesfor the Skies and other environmental hazards birth defects in the last three years aren't baby boomersor never watch television or movies, looks something like a skinny cigarette lighter. It’s usually topped by ful plastic toys dispense a sweeter treat 70 years. Alexander Tkachenko, who directs the Labor Ministry's popula- praised the report. “It clearly shows that the Department of De- Pez, the Mes-merizing Candy, Rekindles Sweet Memories for Collectors kids. I think it helps them rekindle their youth,” said LarrySilveira, a collector and geeeS Pentagon spokeswoman Susan Hansonsaid that while she has not examined the report. such exam- This wasthefirst timein a year Bad Habits: He said the mortality gap between Russia and the West has widened in part because Western countries have made greatstridesin eliminating smoking and promoting healthy life- ® @ ® © the report says. jet with fat and paper products. Tkachenkosaid berg,” titled to and do need to have some ber of ourfamily,” said Rose McCoy, Miki’s jour- cies. they're looking with blindIsaacs said. Rep Peter DeFazio, D-Ore The group culled examples of wasteful spending from press accounts and government reports represent justifiable spending nalism teacher and yearbook adviser at 255-student Williamson High School Pennington was arrested two days after the bodywasfound. He insistedhekilledthe girl only because War Ten had held a gun to his head bution ring, which was report- budget and say there aren't the problemshereas with other agen- dollar defense budgets,” he said herteachers said The murder stunned the 4,100 people of Wil- “We're such a small community here Those who would simply dump money in the Pentagon do, Fla.. that loses $27 million per year, and a door hinge for the C17 airlifter that costs $2,187 Unfortunately, these exam- d about becoming a lawyer. like her older half-brother, Tim Koontz, or maybea journalist liamson. defense a Pentagon-leased hotel in Orlan- ples are onlythe tip of theice The ts James C. “Chris” Pennington told the FBI that he carried out “Miki” Koontz’s execution to cancel a drug debt. He facestrial Tuesday. that everybody's family, and we just lost a mem Cireuit Court to run someerrandsand wouldreturn shortly the small elite that can afford ex- Maryland, a moi losing dairy herdat the U.S. Naval Academy But her many friends seemed unawarethe 17- ity rate has given rise to a procommunist political interpretation that blames the phenomenon has madetentative steps toward a capitalist,market economy. Society has been divided into at Andrews Air Force Base in year-old was also a drug user. The teen was her release Aug. 22, 1995 On the evening of Aug. 25, she onthe spreadofpovertyas Russia Titled “The PentagonFollies the report details such things as construction of a third golf course caught up in a drug ring whose leader believed cluding the sharp decrease in liv- ing standards and a breakdownof the public health-care system. Zakharovsaid the high mortal- grams in a report released today packedfor college ton, 21, who said hecarriedout her execution to thing like this could be expected plesof $29 billion in wasteful pro- er, an above-average student whose bags were haul in the traffickers. during a waror a massive famine, ers for Common Sense, cite exai HE ASSOCIATED PRESS precedent in anycountry for such Sergei Zakharov, director of the in defense spending, and Taxpay- WILLIAMSON, WVa. — Michael Ann Miki Koontz was the darling of this small Appalachian coalfield town — homecoming queen, cheerlead- a huge drop in longevity.” said Center of Demography and Hu- group that has sought reductions — Plus Drugs, Guns she knew too much and allegedly ordered her Livable World, an arms-control advocacy Murder Trial Is Tale Of Small-Town Kids population shortage as men are truck downin their prime Puzzled scientists have been un- The Council for a The Associates Michael Ann “Miki” Koontz was a homecoming queen caughtup in a drug ring. The ringleader allegedly ordered her execution. seeking efficiency and cost savings throughout the military. The point of the report. he said, was to counter those who attack government waste in domestic programs while advocating more money for TABLE PAD CO. 561-2226 Tosize 48" by 66,” extender leat not included. Leaves from $29. No telephone or mail measurements. All quailty pads onsale. Some restrictions apply. All prices FOB. COMMUNICATIONS 2226 W. 5400 S. Southtowne Mall ZCMI Canter 963-5522 553-9417 532-7757 oanRecaee Are You Being Exposed to Herpes? ® Does your partner have genital herpes? @ Are you at risk of getting genital herpes? ® Would you like to participate in a scientific study of a new herpes vaccine? ® University approved research © Compensation provi ded @ For more information call; 581-6406 THE \ ) UNIVERSITY OF UTAH |