Altoona Mirror (Newspaper) - March 14, 1981, Altoona, Pennsylvania VOL 231 PHONE Altoona Pa Saturday March 14 1981 Founded June a COPY Julia Laura to Become First in City's History By DON HOPEY Staff Writer There will be a woman on Altoona's City Council It's a first It wasn't easy Julia Laura 54 of 711 St was selected late Friday afternoon by a majority of the current cil to become the first councilwoman in the city's history If her appointment is ratified day morning at a special formal ing of council she will serve the final 10 months of William L Cochran's four-year term Mr Cochran resigned Feb 15 to become executive director of the toona City Water Authority Council had 30 days to pick a successor Three members of council picked Mrs Laura for the post over at least six other contenders five of them men Losing out in their bid for the year position were Everett C Davis Theodore A Beam Jr Edward J Bravin Bertrum F Gross Eugene J Duncan and Donna Gorlty All of the candidates are Democrats Mrs Laura's selection came at the end of over two hours of often loud and heated discussion in Mayor Allan G Hancock's office The meeting was not open to the press Councilman Thomas W Byrne who is opposed to Mrs Laura's ment stormed from the mayor's of- fice He was not present at a p.m news conference held to announce the selection Mayor Hancock a Republican and Democratic Councilmen Leonard L Bettwy and Richard L McEldowney said Mrs Laura has their full support This is unusual but 1 think that it is a good the mayor said We were looking for someone that would blend in and work well with council The mayor admitted as did McEldowney and Bettwy that the decision had been a difficult one I'm just pleased that this is Mr McEldowney said This has been my most difficult day since I became a part of city government All the candidates were he continued Mrs Laura has my total support We were looking at the five on our list and several Mr Bettwy said and all are fied The decision was a hard one and all things being equal I felt it was a good time to select a woman I'm pleased with the selection So was Mrs Laura Contacted at La Jo's Market the grocery she with her husband John at 1101 8th Ave after council an- its decision Mrs Laura said I'm proud very proud to accept this position and become the first woman to serve on council Mrs Laura said she was notified of her selection by Mayor Hancock earlier that afternoon but would make no other until after her of- appointment Monday morning After her appointment to council Mr Laura will take over direction of the parks and public property ment She is currently a Democratic com- member MRS JULIA LAURA I'm proud very proud Board Holds Private Meeting to Discuss School Budget Cuts By KAY STEPHENS Staff Writer The Altoona Area School Board Board met privately this morning to continue deliberations on how to trim the million deficit in the proposed budget School board President William P Kimmel told the Mirror the meeting had been advertised only for board members and reporters would not be admitted If you want to put it in the paper that I'm being hardheaded then do he said The board meeting had to be private according to dent because a lot of names were going to be mentioned and because the not ified on what it's going to do yet Under consideration is an proposal calling for closing Greenwood and Stevens elementary schools and converting Logan ior High School into an elementary school This allows the school dis- tc cut employees by staffing two junior high schools instead of three The board had been scheduled to vote on this proposal as well as a plan to eliminate positions at its monthly meeting last Monday night At that meeting however Vice President Richard Lockard said some board members needed more time to look at the proposal and consider alternatives Last week school officials held public meetings with parents from Stevens Greenwood and Logan school areas Residents did not seem to oppose closing the two elementary schools but challenged the plan to convert Logan Junior High into an elementary school President Kimmel in a notice of the meeting to board members which he showed to the reporter this morning mentioned that the board would discuss a posal made by a group called tie Concerned Parents to Save Logan Junior High That proposal calls for cutting staff throughout the secondary schools and closing the East End tax office moving it to Keith Junior High No representatives from this group were at this morning's ing Mr Kimmel also said in his notice it would appear that many See SCHOOLS Page 3 Chicago Hotel Fire Kills 17 Many Missing Mirror photo by Don Baker The crocuses have begun to herald spring braving the weather to announce the new season which begins at p.m next Friday Soon they'll be joined by the fragrant blooms of the forsythia and the lilac CHICAGO UPI A fire that started in a laundry room turned an aging uptown residential hotel into an inferno early today killing at least 17 persons injuring 10 others and ing at least a dozen more missing Firemen searched the charred re- mains of the four-story building for more bodies There could be more when we can inspect the a fire department spokesman said Firemen with ladders carried 15 persons to safety Ten were for injuries suffered in the blaze Investigators said the blaze started in a laundry room on a lower floor of the hotel and quickly spread upward The flames raced up the stairway to the upper floors and tongues of flame burst through windows and the roof The third and fourth floors are one fireman said The injured were taken to Edgewater Hospital and Weiss rial Hospital The building was once a hotel in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood but was recently turned into a residential home It became a haven for the transient poor in Uptown a poverty stricken North Side neighborhood composed mostly of whites who came to the city in a fruitless search for work and Indians It was mostly little apartments a lot of transients probably a lot of people we worked said an employee of Lutheran Welfare vices of Illinois which has its office next door to the hotel The neighborhood also is a haven for alcoholics and many lived in the hotel neighbors said Reagan Grants Million for Atlanta Investigation ATLANTA UPI President Reagan calling Atlanta's child murders of the most in American urban history granted the city's pleas for million to finance the investigation and sent Vice President George Bush to the city today in a further show of support Police added a missing boy Friday to the list of victims in the baffling case bringing to 22 the number of children found slain or reported missing in the past 19 months in the Atlanta area Bush planned to meet with Mayor Maynard Jackson and other city officials this afternoon and scheduled a meetings with several of the victims families Reagan in announcing the grant day called the killings one of the most tragic situations that has ever confronted an American city I want the people of Atlanta and the nation to know that this administration is doing what we can to bring this tragedy to an the president said in an personal appearance in the White House Press Room Jackson said the president's decision to allocate money for the investigation would free him and other top officials from the time-consuming task of raising funds Public Safety Commissioner Lee P Brown said he was delighted with the decision Reagan said the latest money sought by Jackson to cover police costs estimated at a month was in addition to he provided March 5 to cover crime prevention and mental health costs arising from the case Told that some critics had questioned whether the decision on federal aid would have been made more quickly if the victims were white Reagan said his administration was totally color blind Bush who also attended the news conference said Jackson's request for money was considered carefully because of its nature in giving aid to a local police department We debated this and decided we should go the extra the vice dent said On a personal Reagan said I am deeply touched by the depth of concern and compassion being expressed by in every area of our land In New York more than people most wearing green ribbons in memory of the children joined the mothers of two slain Atlanta youngsters in a candlelight procession through Harlem Friday night Of the 22 children in the case 20 have been found slain and two others Darron Glass 10 and Joseph Bell 15 are ly listed as missing Bell at first thought a runaway was officially added to the list Friday Richard Harp the owner of a fast-food restaurant near Bell's home said the youth had joked about the child killer but was well aware of he danger in Atlanta's streets He used to joke about it said no kid snatcher was going to get Harp said But he was on his P's and Q's as far as this is concerned That's why he would come by here for me to drive him home nights In another development Perry a private investigator who once was head of the city's homicide unit said he learned this week that one of the victims had called the police task force investigating the cases before his disappearance Perry said Patrick Baltazar 11 who disappeared Feb 6 and was found dead a week later and a friend called the task force some time before his disappearance to report an encounter with a man in K car He said friend told him he and Patrick were together when a man in a car chased them back and forth across the railroad tracks He said when they had escaped Baltazar called the task force to report it Perry was unsure exactly how long before the incident occurred He said there apparently was no re- sponse to the call until earlier this week when task force members talked with youngster's friend JOSEPH BELL 22nd on Atlanta's list Assault Victim Critical HARLEM RESIDENTS held a candlelight vigil Friday night for the slain children of Atlanta The Blair County NAACP will hold a march of remembrance in Altoona at 2 p.m Sunday There will be a procession from Cily Hall lo he Veterans Mall where a brief service is planned An Altoona woman was critically in- jured when she was beaten in the Garfield Park area at today Police identified Debbie Everett 28 of 830 24th St or 1006 19th Ave as the victim Arrested for the assault was David C Fleming 24 of 1810 14th Ave Mr Fleming was arraigned by District Justice William G Camberg on charges of aggravated and and threats The suspect was taken to Blair County Prison by Constable Larry Field where he was committed in lieu of bond A hearing was tentatively set for 9 March 23 Police said Ms Everett was in critical condition when admitted to the intensive care unit of Altoona Hospital A report of her condition and further details of the incident were not available late this ing In the Mirror Lucky 13th Is Friday the 13th Ask June Ashby a widow from sub- urban Pittsburgh who won the state's millionaire lottery 9 Top Musician Debby a traditional folk musician from Roaring Spring RD is participating in the Music Showcase at Drexel 16 Moth Bills County Commissioner William C Stouffer is hoping the Legislature will pass a to help the counties pay for gypsy moth 17 Yesterday's Mat Update Four wrestlers from Altoona and 3 from Hollidaysburg won quarterfinals in the regional Class AAA tournament five area wrestlers can now win AA regional 19 INDEX WEATHER Clear low in the 20s Mild sunny high near 50 2
