OCR Text |
Show Pege A2 — THE DAILY HERALD,Provo, Utah, Friday, May 24, 1996 Pole says wage hike will pass Companies Say they are innocentof smuggling WASHINGTON -- By CHARLES HUTZLER Associaied Press Writer BEING — Two leading staterun weapons companies oom involvement today in a smuggling schemethat brought 2,000assault rifles intothe United States, where federal agents seized ‘them in a sting operation Sevenpeople werearrestedinthe San Francisco area on Wednesday in connection with the alleged smuggling ring, and U.S. arrest warrants were issued for sevenothers. In addition to the AK-47 automatic rifles, the smugglers proposed selling rocket launchers, anti-aircraft missiles, machine guns and tanks to the undercover U.S. agents, the United States says. One of the agents posed as a memberof the mob, « federal law enforcementofficial said today in San Francisco. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the agent gave the impression the guns were going to several different customers, including U.S. street gangs. At the center of the scheme, investigators said. were China's premier arms merchants: Poly Technologies and China Northern Industrial Corp.. or Nonnco — Beijing-based companies whose ranksarefilled with former generals and the relatives of senior Communist Party leaders Among those charged in the federal complaint unsealed Thursday was Lu Yi Lun, described as Norinco's No. 2 offic sent by his boss to neg arms deal, the complaint said. Both companies said they were not involved in arms sm and calledthe allegationsfalse. ~Wehave looked into this matter. It has nothing to do with us,” said an executive at Poly Technologies who only gave his surja. “It's mere fabrication.” e Xiaodong. an executive in : Norinco’s general manager's office, s also deniedany wrongdoing “Our company’s business in the U.S.AL is | andoperates according to U.S. laws,” He said es, he said, Norinco deals only in toys. lamps and other harmless items. He added that no one named Lu Yi Lunworks for Norinco. : According to the complaint, the smugglers removed the Chinese markings from the rifles and stamped on North Korean ones. The weapons were shipped through Japan and Hong Kong and labeled as “hand tools . Smu 2 members also erasedserial muibeers and convert ed the weapons to fully automatic assault rifles The sale of the weapons was ed as part in a 16-month tiled Dragon Fire that was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol. Tobacco and Firearms andthe Customs Service GRADUATES: (Continued from Page Al) The student had locked her make- ‘up in her locker the day before Upset because she couldn't go to i school the next day without it Hudnall offered to meet her early in the moming. That solution didn’t rk tor Richan, so Hudnall drove wn to the school and unlpcked the doors so Richan coul Hudnall even knows. personal data: one student lost a parent to death, another had a baby, and one ns of becoming apro: rand dancer. But * thelate-night phone calls confirming when homework is dueandthe future aspirations of his graduates seemto be routine knowledge for Hudnall. andjust part of his job. The graduating class and their , fellow students werethe state cham‘pions in boys volleyball and co- * champs inboys andgirls basketball They fed the homeless and panicipatedin other service projects which totaled more than 16.000 community service hours. a record for Inde: pendence and a record for high s schools in the United States, The s students raised $12,000, enough » maney for the graduating class t ¢ ona trip to Washington D.C + Hudnall recounted those mem } ories and more. Forthis pnncipal, ; it didn’t matter what color hair his } student cameto class with or what }body part had beenpierced, Hud: nall considered it his job to help } the students graduate + Hudnall did not take credit for £ their graduation. Instead. he humbly i gave credit to everyone but himselt + parents, grandparents and frends 4 But when he concluded spe:aking i and presented the graduating Class :2 of 196, the standing ovation in the pcoowd was not only for the graduales, it was for hiy efforts as well minimum wage has been held y By JIM ABRAMS Associated Press Writer Senate leaders today predicted approval soon of the first minimum wage increase in seven years after weeks of pressure by Democrats and moderate Republicans culminated in House passage of the measure. “There will be a minimum wage increase,” Senate Majority AP Photo Hondo,nthe, S16 pound ae oe sea lion, barks out his displeasure with the media attention SG eewoneee Wash., Thursday. Zoo and Aquarium in Hugefish-eating sea lion captured SEATTLE(AP) — Hondo,a hefty sea lion branded by biologists as the biggest steelhead salmonrustler at the Ballard Locks, has finally been captured and is bound for Florida with two of his henchmen Hondo, a 916-pound whiskered behemoth, was captured in a trap below the locks Wednesday night. He was taken Thursday to the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, where two smaller sea lions, dubbed Bob and Big Frank. were also bei held, said Joe Scordino, a spokesmanfor the } ational MarineFisheries Service. Officials have beentrying to capture the animals to protect dwindli 2 stocks of steelhead, which must pass through the locks on their way from Puget Sound to the freshwater streams where they spawn. BASEBALL: (Continued from Page Al) could be paredto 3.500 seats. Wardsaid if those kindof decisions continue to be made without consulting the Foxley group. it could radically alter whether a minor le. team in Provo remains a viable option Another setback occurred last week whencouncil memberstraded accusations over possible conflicts of interest. Council Chair Jane Carlile said Councilwoman Shari Holweg should have disclosed her financial interest in o anizi petition drive for creating a new county — an effort aimed at circumventing the onecounty buffer required by the league Foxley paid Holweg about $28,000 to collect enoughsignatures to place the initiative on the ballot. Carlile said Holweg should have been moreforthcoming about the financial aspects of her involvement so that residents would not mistakenly assume the entire council was involved But Holweg said she didn’t benefit from the deal. She said every penny shereceived was paid out to the more than 75 people hired to collect signatures for the petition. Sheis inviting the council and city auditors to examine the financial records and confirmthat fact for themselves. Holweg, in turn, has raised the question of whether the mayor and several City Council members are guilty of a conflict of interestafter free plane trips from Foxley and an architect to look at baseball parks in the Phoenix area Ward said the level of discord onthe council is distressing. “re wondering whetherthey are willing to let small-town poli tics get in the way of accomplish t + { } ‘The state won permission tokill the five most voracioussea lions at the locks, but the creatures won a reprieve last month when Sea World in Orlando, Fla., volunteered to adopt them if they could be captured. Twoof the five remain in the wild. The three that have been captured will be shipped to Sea World as soon as aquarium offi- cials make the necessary arrangements, possibly next week, At the zoo, Hondo and one ofhis new ceil- mates sparred for dominance Thursday, and the outcome was never in doubt, said deputy zoo director John Houck. “They did what sea lions do, whichis try to get on top ofeach other,” Houcksaid. “They're sort- but I'm certain Hondo is going to be the top dog.” Ing it out... ing the goal, which is baseball for the community,” he said. Aside from their growing uneasiness with the city, Ward said sincerity in wantingtofield a team in Provo. He noted that Buzas showed nointerestin the idea ini- tially because of the city adminis- tration’s prohibition on beer sales and Sunday play Ward said there is little chance that Pioneer League owners would welcome Buzas as an owner because of his role in ousting the “It’s not beyond the realm of imagination that his ploy is to pretend to go along just long enough to get the Foxley group out of the way.” -John Ward, spokesman Salt Lake Trappers when he moved his Triple-A. Buzz to Salt LakeCity “It's not beyond the realm of imaginationthat his ploy is to pretend to goalong just long enough to get the Foxley group out of the way.” Wardsaid. “I thitik Buzas is pursuing what has beenhis goal all along, whichis no baseball in ProFoxley and Buzas have met several times, trying to resolve their differences. Meanwhile, plans for a new county have been shelved for a year until ali other avenues have been explored. Ward said the group plans to meet with league officials in Florida once they have a clearer indication of what direction thecity is headed. Air Quality The following informationis tak. en fromthe Wasatch Frontair pollu: lion report compiled by the Utah Division of Air Quality. The Com: plete report is available by telephone at 1-800-228-5434 Theaif quality this moring was as follows: Overall air quality The ait quality today was ood for all areas along the Wasatch Front Outlook The forecast calls for little change in pollution levels with a clearing index of 700 and there is little changein the trend. ATLANTA(AP) — The number of teen-agers smoking cigarettes is steadily increasing,especially among black males,a federal survey found. Nearly 35 percentof students in grades nine through 12 said they smokedlast year, accordingtothe survey released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That percentage is up from just over 30 percent in 1993 and 27.5 percent in 1991. Almost 28 percentof black male tions, promised to veto a bill with the exemption. The final bill, which in another bit oflegislative maneuvering will go to the Senate joined with tax relief measures for small businesses, Was Spprover 281-144. « The House did approve .a “training wage” for youths under 20 that would allow employers to pay newly hired workers $4.25 the first 90 days of service. House Democratic Whip David employers would have to pay Bonior of Michigan. employees who receive tips only With the help of moderate $2.13 an hour rather than the cur- Republicans, House Democrats finally prevailed in their months: long drive to boost the minimum wage, currently at $4.25 an hour. by 50 cents on July | and 40 cents more on July 1, 1997 In the Senate, action on the rent law requiring SO percent of minimumwage. Democrats said they would work to remove those provisions in the Senate but did not see them as a major obstacle to final pas- sage: high school studeats — nearly twice as manyas in 1991 — reponed smoking in the month before the survey, conducted last spring Among adults, meanwhile, the percentage of smokers was 25 percent, a figure that has been dropping since the 1970s. study is under way tofind the reason for the sharp increase in smoking among black male teen-agers. Amongblack girls, the percentage of smokers last year was 12 percent. White girls are most likely to smoke, at 40 percent; followed by white boys, at 37 percent; Hispanic boys, 35 percent; and Hispanic girls, 33 percent, the study found. The CDCstudy, which surveyed nearly 11,000 teen-agers under age 18, also raised questions about retailers’ commitmentto observing bans on cigarette sales to minors. Mostofthe teen-agers said they were not asked to show proof of age when buying cigarettes. jeBailyHerath |yENTAL BRACES FOR$1,996 Announcing our Grand Opening in Provo PoSanti,Prove Ua40080717 ieaiaad Atvetaig a4) Advertising... SMR 2045 We've eclvent the oetcaee thala the smile of rgermyporyall dreams. Se 375-5103 7erner ties or arses B fea ‘siti@isontcom Established August 1 ty Mondaythrough Frey dey and Sunday moming by Senpps League Newspapers paid at Provo, Utah. USPS 143060. Postmaster Send to’ The Daily Herald, PO. Box 717, Provo. Utah 64603-0717 NEWSSTAND PRICE Daily Weekdays and Saturday $50 Sunday $1.25 SUBSCRIPTION RATES City zone Rural or motor foute* Mail, in USA $9.00 $9.25 $13.00 City zone $108.00 Mal, IN USA | $156.00 Rural or motor route* $111.00 very: Y should arrive by 5:30 pm. on weekdays and 7:30 a.m. on weekends. it you do not please call 375-6103 by 7 pm. weekdays and 11 a.m. on ends. Delivery is revere your Senter information, cancetatons or biting information, call 375-5103 weekdays trom 8:50 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Member Audit Bureau of Circulation For reteit oF commercial classihed eyeet call 344-2846 or Se The ax rorber or adverisngmates (374-5489. NEWS: We wolcome news tips. To report a tip or sree cane a comenael cr seein gare 0-50 good air; 51-100 moderate; 101-199 unhealthful; 200-299 very unhealthful; 300 and above hazardous. Abbreviations carbon monoxide azone sulfur dioxide particulates The Utah Cowvty amendment was ADVERTISING The Scale monitoring station, minimum wage 266-162, with 77 Republicans joining Democrats in supportingit An even more crucial vote came several hours later when the House rejected, by 229-196, another amendment that would have — exempted many small businesses from minimum wage sta Democrats branded that provision a “poison pill” meantto bring the whole bill down, and President Clinton, sayingmillions of peopie would lose minimum wage protec- To place a want ad, call DowntownProvo. .co....13...g00d reading is taken obligations to pay W' ers for time spent commuting in employerSeoed vehicles. he vote on the Detween 2:30 a.m: Deaipm. manne: Thursday's Highs North Provo 02....41...g00d Lindon pa....17...go0d co = 02 = so = pa = y The House considered the wage increase as an amendment to a minor bill clarifyin; employer CDC: Teen-age smokingrate rising ‘One Year vo.” Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., his party’s certain presidential candidate, said on the Senate floor. “It will ss Congress.” PA Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said, “Americans deserve a raise, and it appears they're going to get one sometime this summer.” Both men said there were still problems to work out, such as what unrelated tax items might be attached toit But the issue has become a political liability for Republicans, manyof whom opposed it on the grounds that it would cost jobs Daschle acknowledged that many Democrats “hope this will drag out right through the November elections” because it lets them paint Republicans as “anti-paycheck-security. Dole has opposed the raise but hassaid he is willing to consider it as part ofa larger package. Jubilant Democrats said the House passage Thursday would provide impetus for Senate approval “We're halfway home. We've got another half to play,” said by Democratic resistance to GOP aitempis to attach it oo to strongly opposed by labor unions. Daschie said he wanted to look at the House bill but said, “It looks like we mayfinally have a minimum wage bill the Senate can consider.” Daschle said he hoped the Senate could act on the bill afterit residential area the Lindon (ny8pewsarticle, cal 344-2849, © PAIN © WEAKNESS © ACHING © COLDNESS SWELLING © THROBBING © NUMBNESS © TINGLING © BURNING © STIFFNESS |