Salina Journal (Newspaper) - February 6, 1993, Salina, Kansas the Salina Journal Serving Kansas since 1871 Kansas February 1993 50 cents FEBRUARY FUN Tristan plays on equipment in Oakdale Park Friday Usually we go to the Tom Journal said but we came to the park because the weathers so Harmon accepts plea agreement Suspect in Bigler murder to testify against other suspects By DAVID CLOUSTON The Salina Journal murder suspect Jennifer Harmon has accepted a plea agreement in return for her testimony against three other suspects in the August murder of a Salina motel Harmon will plead guilty to a single count of aiding and abet ting aggravated said her Mike In prosecutors will dismiss Harmon charges of aiding and abetting mur Her which was to have begun has been postponed until March when she will enter her Sheahon Sentencing is expected to take place in The crime she will be convicted of is punishable by a term of five years to life in a fine of up to or County Attorney Julie McKenna said Friday she would not confirm nor deny the agreement be cause the cases against the three male suspects are The Andrew Juan Artis Swaf ford and Joel are to stand trial beginning They are charged with premeditated first degree murder and aggravated robbery in connection with the murder of Oliver Bigler was beaten to death 10 during a breakin at the Best Western 1846 where he worked as a night body was found in a small office inthe lobby of the motel after employees reported to police that Bigler was not answering telephone Motel officials say in credit card checks and travelers checks were On Sheahon said Harmons plea ar rangements were concluded several weeks He said he had not intended to publicly reveal the agreement this so when it became apparent Harmon might be asked to disclose it in Although she was not called as a Harmon was available to testify Friday at a hearing on a pretrial motion in the case of the Page 7 Baby sitter again fells AG candidate By The Associated Press WASHINGTON Federal Judge Kimba President Clintons expected choice for attorney gen withdrew from consider ation say ing her baby sitter had been an illegal alien for seven The announce Wood ment came two weeks after a similar problem torpedoed Clintons first Zoe had been cited by senior administration officials as Clintons choice as recently as early when the officials said she likely would be named unless problems developed during an FBI background Administration officials said that Wood was asked three times once by the president if she had prob lems related to hiring illegal aliens and that she had insisted she did But when a background check in and Wood supplied her household employment Woods hiring of the alien baby sitter was After additional con with White House legal she was urged to withdraw her according to a senior ad ministration I understand and respect Judge Woods decision not to proceed fur ther with the possibility of being nominated as attorney Clinton said in a I was greatly impressed with her as a a judge and a I wish her In her issued Friday Wood said Clinton asked her in a White House interview whether I had a Zoe Baird I said I did and I do But she acknowledged hiring a baby sitter in March 1986 even though the woman had an expired entry Wood said she complied with all immigration laws during that period and paid all required White House spokesman George Stephanopoulos said Wood was asked three times if she had a problem related to hiring illegal aliens that would disqualify her twice by staff and once by Clinton during her White House interview last Each time she said she did not have a Stephanopoulos I suppose she must have taken the question in narrow legalistic This information would have been Clinton salutes family leave as end By The Associated Press WASHINGTON President Clin ton signed the first major legislation of his presidency hailing ap proval of the as an end to 12 years of gridlock in Wash More action is on the he but Republicans said future battles wont be so signing a law that grants workers up to 12 weeks unpaid leave for family took pains in an elaborate Rose Garden ceremony to single out helpful GOP lawmakers for Yet he and congressional Demo crats also boasted that the bills quick enactment was a signal that a decade of stalemate was over now that Republicans no longer control the White Former President Bush had twice vetoed measures passed by the Democratic It was Americas families who have beaten the gridlock in Wash ington to pass family Clinton The decade of deadlock has ended the decade of progress now said Senate Majority Leader George But Republicans were quick to try and rain on the Democrats sunlit saying the which first passed Congress a year before Clinton even declared for the pres much of a they control the Con It wasnt very difficult to The Associated Press President Clinton signs the fam as Vicki Yandle Yandle lost her job to care for her sick hurry the said Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole said Clinton would have a brutal time breaking gridlock within his own party on the really tough noting that some congress ional Democrats are reportedly balk ing at Clintons plans for campaign finance I understand they had a very contentious They couldnt agree on Dole It will be months before health care proposals are he Salina firms offer time off already By KAREN PARK The Salina Journal John president of School is not pleased with the signed by President Clinton on Hes not upset because the law provides for employees to get three months unpaid leave to cope with a family sickness or other because School Spe grants its employees the time they Im not going to say its but I dont think weve ever refused anyone time he But he is angry about the fact that Clinton is mandating the time There has to be an employer employee and it doesnt start in he some employers feel the same as Joe vice president for planning and development at Johns Regional Health who said the new law is a sign of the Its something thats forward thinking from the standpoint that its an admission of whats going on in the family he No longer is the household where the mother stays home and takes care of the children a there are many single mothers and Warner said he did not think the law would affect Johns neg in the short I know from our perspective that weve had more of a tradition of being sensitive to our employees he Warner said he thought smaller businesses with 50 people would feel more of an effect from the new Its one of those things that will cause a ripple at but then it will go away when people get use to Warner Brigid director of personnel at Regional Medical We were already complying with it so it wont affect us that she Lawyers want to clean up but some doubtful By The Associated Press BOSTON Americas lawyers feel unloved and so the American Bar Association is spending big bucks to tell the public something positive about the profes But some even Michael the ABAs new media expert say good public relations alone wont give lawyers a better Too many Americans are saying what little we know about lawyers were not crazy Scanlon But he said the profession is tired of taking its lumps and ready to counter critics such as former Vice President Dan who accused the complicated legal system of harming the competitive There are plenty of A legal reform group called Help Abolish Legal Tyranny says efforts wont work so long as many people cannot get the legal help they Its the system thats said HALT executive director Wil liam His group wants to let help people with simple matters such as filing uncontested divorces and living The system just denies access to most yet lawyers protect their monopoly with a Fry As long as they do theres no polishing of their image that will help who was hired by the ABA in previously headed an education group for the oil industry and worked in the White House during President Ger ald Fords He was hired even though the group is cutting costs About 40 of the ABAs 750 employees have been laid and the organization was planning other budget ABA President Michael liams said the group wants a long term strategy to dispel negative views that he says reflect a lack of understanding of the justice sys Commissioner infiltrates welfare system New York official goes undercover By The Associated Press NEW YORK Masquerading with scarves and a fake iden the citys welfare commis slogged through her unwieldy bureaucracy in pursuit of Shedding her natty business suits for nondescript jeans and sweat Barbara Sabol set forth on her infiltrating the system that serves 1 million poor New The Department of Investigation created a false birth Social Security card and mail drop for the city Mayor David Dinkins gave his off and on for nine the woman in charge of a billion ayear agency blended with hordes of clients clogging shabby welfare and observed the harried workers struggling to serve The Associated Press Barbara Sabol used a false birth Social Security card and mail drop to investigate New Yorks welfare Sabol said Friday shed wanted to view the system like our clients experienced it with one tion I always recognized at any point in I could she tried to empathize as she impersonated the citys who often graciously volunteered to teach this newcomer the ropes At one she was fied by Zip I I have a It didnt Other offices lacked privacy Names were blared over a She was sent to the wrong line for 90 and once to the wrong address She was scolded and mocked by a welfare worker who denied the office had made a She was thwarted in her re attempts to get fulltime She saw cockroaches scurry past in crowded offices marred by broken Sabol praised the majority of the welfare workers and said she wouldnt discipline those who misdirected Sabol worked the system from February through October She returned all the benefits to the Mostly sunny highs 5O to Mostly clear lows around 30
