Page 1 of Aug 2 1979 Issue of Barstow Desert Dispatch in Barstow, California

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Barstow Desert Dispatch (Newspaper) - August 2, 1979, Barstow, California VOLUME 65-NUMBER 83 DESERT BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA DISPATCH Fair And Warm (Weather Details, Page 2)' 2ÜÍ-0NE SECTION THURSDAY, AUGUST 2,1979.Yermo 'Preferred' Site For Roil Yard Plans Outlined Here By Union Pacific By JAMES DIPESO YEHMO—Yermo is the “preferred” site of a train classification yard the Union Pacific Railroad says is needed to handle growing freight shipments in the Southwest, UP officials said at a public meeting held Wednesday night to discuss the possibility with community residents. Union Pacific officials who answered questions at the meeting said they did not know when the yard would be constructed, explaining the project must be submitted to the company’s board of directors for approval and pennits from the Public Utilities Commission and the county must be secured. Merrill J. “Andy” Anderson, UP’s manager of terminal planning and design, said he would like to see construction begin July 1, 1980, with the job taking 12 to 18 months to complete. Estimated cost of the facility in 1979 dollars is $12 million, Anderson said. He cautioned, however, that the figure is a very rough estimate, with the final cost depending on the national inflation rate and the date UP actually begins construction work on the project. 'Opportunity' Class Move Okayed By DOROTHY GLOVER BARSTOW —A self-contained seventh, eighth and ninth grade opportunity” program to be held at Ingels School in Grandview this fall was approved by the Barstow Unified School District trustees at a special meeting Wednesday night. The trustees voted unanimously to accept Superintendent Raymond L. Smith’s recommendation that Central High ninth grade and Barstow Junior High seventh and eighth grade continuation students be moved to Ingels School. “The program will alleviate a number of problems, including the overcrowding at Central High,” said Smith.Loge Appointed Acting Hospital Administrator BARSTOW—David D. Loge, Barstow Community Hospital’s director of general and professional services, was appointed acting administrator of BCH by the City Council Wednesday at a special meeting. The current administrator, Thomas Pittman, will leave his post Aug. 7 to become director of an Ohio hospital. IjOge, 41, has been with BCH since October 1978. The city will take applications for the $33,(KX)-a-year administrator’s job until Aug. 27. Until a new BCH head is appointed, Ijoge will run the day-to-day affairs of the hospital. Before moving to Barstow, Ix)ge was director of management systems for St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix from 1975 to 1978. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Andrews University in Michigan, and an M.B.A. degree in institutional management from Michigan State. In other action, the council approved a “team management” agreement with Hospital Management Services, Inc., of I.a Habra, Calif., to provide BCH with broad assistance in running its financial affairs. Under the contract, the company would provide a “program manager” to help the hospital prepare its annual operating and capital improvement budgets, write required annual reports, such as a financial disclosure report to the California Health Facilities Commission and provide general advice to BCH officials on keeping its books in order. The company will be paid $3,000 a month for its services. The “opportunity” program, which is designed largely to meet the needs of students with discipline and atten-dence problems, will be offered in one 240 minute block, eliminating a morning and afternoon schudule, said Smith. The question of who will administer the program remains, although Smith said he is in favor of assigning Central High School Principal Robert Myers to take over similar duties in Grandview in addition to his current post. “I have talked with Mr. Myers, and he has indicated a willingness to take the additional load,” said Smith. Trustee Richard Kolby suggested it might be better to have a teacher in the program to act as principal also, since the person would be at the Grandview site already. (Central High is approximately 12 miles from Grandview.) Smith said he would consider other alternatives for the post, but that there were several advantages to having Myers do the job, including the ability to coordinate existing counseling and health services at Central High to accomodate the Ingels School students. The superintendent said he would bring back a recommendation on the administration structure for the new program at the next board meeting. Trustee Margaret Hawkins asked why the continuation program was set up with a shorter day than regular classes, and Smith said it was typical statewide. “Most of the kids in these programs are not successful in coping with the regular school program. The hope statewide is that they will show up more often if the school day is a little shorter,” said Smith. Students will be assigned to Ingels School for a minimum of six weeks as a general rule, said Smith, as opposed to assignments of a week or two of continuation classes in previous years. “The program would be more effective if pupils were assigned for several weeks, so I’m recommending six weeks as a rule of thumb,” he said. According to administrative figures, the program would basically be self supportive with estimated state income for 50 students set at $81,807, and expenses, including three teachers, estimated at $81,421. In other matters, the board approved a Barstow High School course entitled “Learning Resource Center” which gives students with learning problems a chance to be tutored by their more skilled classmates. Under the course of study, any BCH student would be able to request assistance in a subject, then be matched with a tutor proficient in the necessary area. During regular school hours, both the tutors and their charges would be supervised by a faculty member, although the pairs could work together on their own time, too. The trustees also voted to give student tutors who enroll in the regular school day course five units of credit for the semester-long assignment. The board okayed summer school programs for educatable mentally retarded, educationally handicaped, aurally handicapped and physically handicapped (pregnant minor) students. The courses, which began this week, are required under the recently-passed Assembly Bill 8. Due to confusion over the document’s wording. Smith said he didn’t realize they had to be offered this summer until last Friday. “I received final word from the California Department of Education FYiday afternoon, and the only way to do it was to have them run from August 2 through August 29.” The programs, offered for students in grades kindergarten through 12th, are being held at Henderson School, 400 Avenue “E,” from 8 a.m. to noon. Transportation is provided. Although residents at the meeting expressed some ^ncem about possible noise and the railroad’s plans for acquiring land needed for the yard, the audience applauded when a Yermo man, Manuel Alvarez, said “Yermo is dying” and needs the rail yard. Anderson pointed out, however, that the yard would probably create no new jobs, except during construction, because it be a fully automated facility, like the Santa Fe Railroad’s classification yard in Barstow, opened two years ago at a cost of $50 million. Currently, UP employs about 50 persons at its facilities in Yermo. Anderson said the proposal will be submitted to the board of directors later this year as a 1980 budget item. The recession most economists believe the U.S. is entering will almost certainly be a factor the board will take into account when it studies the plan, he said. Although UP has said in the past that a classification yard will eventually be needed because of overcrowded switching facilities in I>os Angeles, Anderson said the recession may reduce rail traffic in the near future, thus postponing the need for a new yard. Although several sites have been studied, including Las Vegas, Yermo is the first choice, Anderson said. “After all, we’re holding this meeting in Yermo, not Las Vegas. According to a sketch handed out to people at the meeting, UP’s yard would be two miles long and would be located approximately 4(X) feet south of old Highway 91. Purpose of the yard, like Barstow’s Santa Fe facility, would be to classify cars going to the same general destination into one train. Both westbound and eastbound traffic would be served. “A small automated yard of 20 classification tracks with thfee receiving and three departure tracks would be adequate for the next few years,” according to a UP fact sheet. “Such a yard would be about one-half the size of Santa Fe’s new yard at ; Barstow.” The “hump” — where rail cars would be rolled down an incline to hook up with other cars on classification tracks — would be located approximately one mile west of thefintersection of Gálico Road and,; Highway 91. Anderson said the facility would classify between 900 and 1,000 rail cars daily, double the number handled in UP’s present “flat switching” facilities in Yermo. About 260 acres would be needed for the facility. I.arry I.amb, an official in the company’s real estate department, said UP already owns about 130 of the required acreage. In the next few weeks, he told the audience, “independent” appraisers ~ will be examining property in which-the railroad is interested. Individual property owners will also be contacted. In addition, Union Pacific is talking with the Marine Ctorps about acquiring a parcel on the eastern boundary of the Marine Corps Logistics Base’s Yermo annex. Attempting to allay concerns property owners had about being “railroaded” pff their land, Lamb said, “We will pay fair market value.” He also said federal and state law would require UP to offer relocation assistance for owners desiring it. “We will be nice about the matter,” he told the crowd. Unlike almost any other private* corporations, railroads have a federal right of eminent domain, meaning they can attempt to acquire property through court action. Ckmiinued on Page 2 Cranston Undecided On lr\A/in By MattC^uinn Desert Dispatch Washington Bureau WASHINGTON-Sen. Alan CYanston. D-Calif., said Wednesday he was “reserving judgment” on the proposed Army national training center at Fort Irwin, claiming the state of California had raised legitimate questions about the project. Redlands Shooting Report Ready For D.A. Review Speedy Approval Of Rationing Not Likely REDLANDS-A “lengthy” police report on Monday’s shooting of an 18-year-old Barstow woman, paralyzed from the waist down by a reserve sheriff’s officer’s bullet, will go the the San Bernardino District Attorney’s office for review this afternoon, according to Captain Ed Olmos, of the Redlands Police Deparment. “The report is quite long — I don't know how many pages — and should be at the D.A.’s office this afternoon,” said Olmos. Olmos said he won’t answer questions about the shooting of Linda Maire Johnson, of 1521 Nancy St., until the District Attorney’s office reviews the ca.se and decides whether to file any charges against the off-duty San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department reserve deputy who woundiHl the woman. Rick Polidore shot Johnson on Monday morning as she tried to flee in her car from a Redlands residence where she and three companions were attempting to siphon gasoline from a parked car, according to authorities. Capt. Olmos said he had no idea how long it would take the D.A.’s Office to review the report, and Rex Victor, deputy district attorney in charge of the department in the absence of District Attorney James Cramer, was unavailable for comment. The police report is expected to reveal the circumstances of the shooting, including why Johnson tried to flee the scene, whether she was attemting to run over the reserve officer and what provoked Polidore to shoot. Cranston said he had made no decision on whether to push for the*. Senate to restore $29.6 million the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee has knocked out of President Carter’s 1980 budget for the project. The subcommittee took the money out July 17 and is ready to change its mind if the state gives the project the green light. State officials have objected to the project on environmental grounds, but this week said they do not intend to have the project axed altogether. “The Brown administration should raise these reservations,” Cranston told reporters. Óut he said he would “not necessarily be guided by the state’s view” in deciding whether to push funding for the project this year. ^ Cranston also noted, “I’ve long been a supporter of protection of the desert,” but added he was “not nogrowth” and had an open mind on the project. (Jne possible way of dealing with the problem, said Cranston, would be to put the money back in the budget with a proviso that the funds could be spent only if the state’s objections were met. Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-i3alif., and Pentagon officials plan to meet with state officials in Sacramento next week r •Dispatch News Capsules WASHINGTON (UPI) — Sen. Henry Jackson, D-Wash., said today the House-approved gasoline rationing bill is “loaded down with regionalism” that makes final congressional approval before the summer recess virtually impossible. And a high administration official, indicating a new “get-tough” attitude by the White House, said the legislation “is loaded with amendments that are unacceptable in the president’s view.” Planning Chairman Asks Greater Role For Board By JAMES DIPESO BARSTOW—The Barstow Planning Commission is not being put to as much use as it could be setting out the course of the city’s future, according to its chairman, Robert Oldfield. In his view, the commission, an appointed five-person board that is supposed to advise the City Council on land use and planning matters, spends too much of its time processing routine requests for permits and not enough time studying more vital matters such as population growth or traffic congestion. “We’re an advisory body, but I don’t think we’re fulfilling that part of our responsibility totally,” he said in an interview. The 12 months that the commission spent closely studying land uses in the community and recommending revisions to Barstow’s general plan is what Oldfield has in mind as the type of activity in which the planners should be involved on a permanent basis. “This is the type of thing that should be done continuously. Tlie Planning Commission should come up with more projects like that,” he said. As an example, he suggested that the commission could, perhaps, study whether building designs should be made more uniform throughout the city. Another example he gave was studying what he believes are the expanding recreational needs of the city’s growing population. “We’re going to be needing more recreation in the future: tennis, golf, racquetball,” he remarked. A positive result of more vigorous planning, he pointed out, would be enhancing Barstow’s “image” outside its borders. “One of my major concerns as a resident of this community is that when you tell someone you live in Barstow, they think ‘yecch, Barstow,’ that living here is like taking a laxative,” Oldfield commented. “If we expect people to come live here, that will have to change.” Another way of promoting better planning, he said, would be to communicate more with other local governmental bodies, such as the Barstow Park and Recreation District, in order to “coordinate” planning for future community needs. “I’d like to see a city of Barstow that’s a thriving community that takes care of its senior citizens and its young people and provides amenities. I know that sounds like utopia, but why shoot for less.” Oldfield observed. In the more immediate future, though, Oldfield said he would like to see the more mundane business of the Planning Conunission reviewing home occupation permits, for example, handled by a city official. “We’ve discuss>?d having a zoning officer to process these requests. Why waste the time of five people on this type of business?” he complained. It appears that now that the gas lines have disappeared Congre.ss is returning to business as usual,” the official said. Jackson and a key senator on his Energy Committee, J. Bennett Johnston, D-I^., are working with energy staff workers to see what they would suggest the Senate do with the bill approved by the Hou.se late Wednesday. It was conceivable, but unlikely, the two houses could work out their differences on rationing and mandatory conservation before Congress leaves for summer recess this week. The bill combines authority for the president to order gasoline rationing with a fuel conservation section that sets up a partnership between federal and state officials to combat fuel shortages. The House added a list of amendments, chiefly to the conservation section, with possible exemptions for those who would suffer a hardship by forced conservation. “I question whether the rationing proposal is adequate,” Jackson told reporters. “It is the same old thing of everybody coming in for his area. It is just loaded down with regionalism.” Carter wants the standby rationing authority to use as a last resort in a fuel crisis.Local Murder Hearing Delayed BARSTOW—A preliminary hearing for a local woman accused of murder in the Lenwood shooting of Barbara Sue Bennett on July 18, was delayed this morning because attorneys involved in the case were not prepared to begin. The hearing for Shirley Ann Wardle, 42, of 26412 W. Highway 58, was scheduled to begin today in Municipal Court here. The hearing has been postponed until sometime next week, with no exact date set as of this morning. Wardle is charged with shooting Bennett, 37, at a I^nwood residence on July 18. She was arrested later the same day.Local Rail Routes BARSTOW—The Senate Wednesday approved legislation that would save the I.OS Angeles-Chicago “Southwest Limited” Amtrak train and begin an L.A.-Ogden, Utah, run, both of which have Barstow on their routes. The legislation slashes the nation’s passenger rail system by 20 percent, although the Carter administration had proposed a 43 percent reduction. The Senate agreed 89-11 to almost the same ridership criteria set earlier in a bill approved by the House of Representatives. Several major differences between the two bills must be resolved in a two-house conference committee before an Amtrak bill can be sent to President Carter for approval. *Court Stepping In SAN FRANCISCO (UPI) — The California Supreme Court will rule on ' the constitutional dispute between Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. and his lieutenant governor, Mike Curb, over who has what powers when the governor is out of the state. Earlier this year, Curb appointed a judge and issued executive orders while Brown was eksewhere — actions in which Brown contends Curb exceeded his authority. Since Brown is considered a sure bet to run for president, he is expected to be out of the state frequently in the months ahead.Eight Dead In Riot SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (UPI) — Violent protests against a 48 percent gasoline price Today’’s Index Astro-Graph...................................4 Classified............... 10,11 Comics........................................6 Community Calendar......................7 Crossword....................................-4 Dear Abby................... 4 Dr. I,amb....................................4 High I>esert life.................. ...7 Sports......................................^.0 Tclcvi.sion...................... 6 Weal lie»- .................................. ¿ increase have left eight people dead and prompted President Antonio Guzman to vow to restore order “no matter what it costs.” A leader of Guzman’s moderately leftist party charged a right-wing plot was behind Wednesday’s demonstration by taxi drivers, who put up barricades, set old tires afire and hurled stones at cars and buses and clashed with troops and civilian supporters of the government in several sections of Santo Domingo. More than 500 have been arrested. The troops, who moved in to stop a protest march by the taxi drivers, opened fire on the protesters several times.Heart Test Rapped BOSTON (UPI) - A report published today says a common way of evaluating heart problems — widely available from doctors, health clubs and YMCAs — is a poor indicator of coronary-artery disease. The “exercise stress test” is a way of measuring the body’s ability to supply more blood to the heart under increased exertion. Until now, many physicians believed the test would identify candidates for heart disease. But the latest research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, indicates the test yields a high percentage of false results, which are often influenced by who takes it.Floods Claim Five United Press International Rampaging floodwaters have claimed the lives of at least five young people in Indiana and Ohio. Workers in Griffin, Ind., piled sandbags today on a levee in a “desperate” attempt to keep the rising waters out of 10,000 acres of corn. Three youths were swept into a storm sewer in Mitchell, Ind., Wednesday while they were swinuning in a water-filled ditch, but one managed to escape, police said. The bodies of Paul Houchin and Greg Massey, both 16, were found not far from where they were sucked into a 500-foot drainage pipe by the current. Two young juUs drowned while playing in a floo<l swollen creekbed in sourhern Indiana I'he body of another yoiuig girl was found in a drainage dui.li 111 Dayton, Ohio.Workers Laid Off AKRON, Ohio (UPI) - The F'irestone Tire & Rubber Co. confirmed today the temporary layoff 1,300 workers at five of its plants’ throughout the United States because of a softening in the market for passenger and light truck tires. “The temporary layoffs will affect operations in Los Angeles and Salinas, Calif., Pottstown, Pa., Des Moines, Iowa, and Memphis, Tenn.,” a company spokesman said, attributing the declining tire market to the energy crisis. The layoffs will be announced in the. various locations as they take effect, some this month and some in September, the firm said.Carter Fights Draft WASHINGTON (UPI) - President Carter is fighting congressional efforts to restore mandatory draft registration because it is “not needed at this time” despite a shaky future for the volunteer Army. Press secretary Jody Powell said Wednesday Carter will “continue to monitor” the situation but feels it is not necessary to reinstate the requirement that 18-year-olds register for potential military service. Several proposals have been introduced in the House and Senate for immediate resumption of registration. It would not mark a return to conscription, but merely activate the means for inductions in the event of an emergency. Pool Sold In A Day Mrs. Silva recently placed this ad in the Desert Dispatch (Classified section under Miscellaneous for sale (126). - DOUGH BOY swimming pool for sale, 15X48, hardly used, good condition, filter apd small deck included. $150. xxx-xxxx._____ Right after the paper was published, Mrs. Silva received a call and the pool was sold. If you want fast results like, this, just call Dee or Julie at 256-2257' and they’ll help you write up ;a classified ad. It’s that simple. ''

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