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I* 1 The Hometown Newspaper of Clinton, Essex, Franklin Counties Vol.103 - No. 33 © copyright 1995, Prep-Republican Plottsburgh, NY 12901, Saturday /September 23, 1995 I*; si <& Q\ V41 w Senate GOP; raise deductible, eligibility age Republican Medicare plan HiDhinhte oi the Hou«» Republican plan to save $270 billion from Medicare through 20O2 By DAVID ESPO Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Con- gress' fierce Medicare debate spilled across the Capitol on Fri- day as Democrats staged a pro- test hearing in the rain and Senate Republicans proposed gradually raising the eligibility age from 65 to 67. Under the Senate GOP plan, seniors would be required to pay the first $150 in doctor bills next year — up from the current $100 deductible — with annual in- creases of $10 through 2002. That would bring the deductible to $210 that year. \We know that if the Republicans would only drop their trickle-down tax breaks, they simply wouldn't need to ravage Medicare,\ said House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, presiding over the soggy outdoor session. But Speaker Newt Gingrich said the Democrats had nothing constructive to offer. \Instead of meeting in a room and doing the hard work of trying to save our parents and our grandparents and make sure their Medicare is OK, all they've got are press con- ferences and a great deal of nasty attacks,\ he said on NBC's \To- day\ program. Undeterred by the criticism, Republicans pressed ahead with other elements of their plan to balance the budget over seven years. The House Commerce Com- mittee passed legislation that would force $182 billion in sav- ings from Mediciiid and end the federal guarantee of health care for the poor and disabled. Only one Democrat voted in favor of the GOP plan to convert the pro- gram to a \block grant\ to be run by the states. \We are on the verge of transforming the fastest-growing entitlement program in America,\ said Rep. Thomas J. Bliley, Jr., chairman of the panel. But Rep. Henry Waxman, D- Calif., protested that without the federal guarantees in place, the number of Americans without health insurance could skyrocket to 80 million. Republicans on the Senate Fi- nance Committee detailed their UPREMIUMS T»,Gcur'«rt 1 $46.10 monthly premium for Medicare Part B would rise to between $90 and $93 by 2002. Under current law, that premium would climb to $60 by 2002, and under a White House plan it would increase to nearly $83. ^MEDISAVE: Private insurance companies allowed to charge deductibles as high as $10,000 to seniors who switch to a catastrophic-only Medicare plan. X CHOICE OF PLANS [If ; ddrly alloAed iu SAituh between [HMOs, medical savings accounts : and fee-for-service every 30 days I for the next two years. But after \ that, they would have to stick with | the plan they chose for a full 12 ! months. ^MALPRACTICE: Malpractice : lawsuit awards limited to a I maximum of $250,000 for punitive \ damages and $250,000 for pain | and suffering. blueprint for saving $270 billion from Medicare over seven years. It is similar to the proposal back- ed by Gingrich in the House, but differs in certain key aspects. The Senate Finance Commit- tee plan would raise Medicare Part B premiums — for doctor and other non-hospital care — for all seniors faster than current law, and would require wealthier beneficiaries to pay up to three times as much. That's in keeping with the House proposal. The House would leave the current $100 deductible un- Continued Page 14 ROUTE 3 CRASH: Two were hurt in this accident near the intersection of Banker Road and Route 3 Friday. Margaret' Bruce, 74, of. Chazy was backing out of Banker Orchards when her car was struck by one driven by Mary- Dupell, 37, of Mor- ; rispnviile. Dupell's car spun sideways and collided with a vehicle driven by Ralph Farley, 46, of Dannemora. Dupell was treated- at CVPH Medical Center for head and arm injuries. Farley suffered a bloody nose but was not taken to the hospital. Bruce was ticketed for unsafe backing.. h^^S : •• -. - • - * • •V; . -S w^ ^p I Staff Photo/Mike Dowd AWACS plane all 24 aboard die By ROSANNE PAGANO Associated Press Writer ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AP) - A hug AWACS battlefield-radar plane carrying 24 military personnel crashed'and burned on takeoff Friday, killing everyone aboard. The bodies of 22 crew members were found, and sear- chers were looking for the re- mains of the other two Friday evening, said Maj. Jereon Brown, an Air Force spokesman at the base. It was the first crash of an Airborne Warning and Control System plane since the Air Force began using them in 1977. A source speaking on condition of anonymity said the crash may have been caused by- about^ a dozen Canada geese found dead at the,departure end of the f\xn- wa/ The Air Force would. not. \ said a • v . : : -.. - • / told radio-station KENI. . . \t said, •Where the hejU did he go?! arid all of a sudden down he went in a huge fireball.\ The plane, loaded to capacity vesti'gate. •-'^itfi^l^OBO pounds, .flf/fuel,. mowed down 200 birch tressasit The plane explo%d, on intpact hit the ground, clearing a black inuf twn'miWifi&Wv wb'-Antf-'rif scar 300 vards lone and 150 about two miles; from tWe end the runway, deep in the woods and inaccessible to fire engines. Rescuers had to bulldoze a path to the site, which was marked by a plume of smoke that could be seen 30 miles away. \Just as he got wheels up, the front left engine started popping and I could see fire shooting out the end,\ Clgy Wallace, an Air National Guard captain who was at Elmenddrf Air Force Base, scar 300 yards long and yards wide in the forest,. From a helicopter flying 300 feet overhead, the AWACS look- ed like metal confetti on the forest floor. The only recogniz- able pieces were a 6-foot section of fuselage with yellow insulation still attached and. the scorched shell of one engine. The smell of burning forest lingered in the air several hours after the crash. •'- ' ' ' • ' • AP File Photo An E-3 AWACS .similar to the one that crashed Friday. tjglp WEATHER Partly sunny. High in the mid 50s. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph. INDEX Bridge 22 Ann Landers 10 Business News 12,13 Family 6 Classified 20-28 Religion .-. 7 Comics 10 Public Record 8,9 Editorial ...4 Sports ., 16-19 Entertainment 11 Weather 5 N.Y. Lottery: 482. Pick 4': 2356. Take 5:6, 7, 14,25,34. Pick 10t 1,5,6,1 New England:' Pick 1 Ot \,S, 6,-16,(18,22,30,31,33,35,37, 39,42,46,47,51.52,56,73,80. ltTitk3 I :212.'Piek4':5i52. T Simpson speaks out, claims innocence By LINDA DEUTSCH AP Special Correspondent LOS ANGELES (AP) - With his trial nearing its climax, O.J. Simpson rose in court Friday and seized the chance to tell the world, but not his jury: \I did not, could not and would not have committed this crime*\ Then, 361 days after jury selection began, law- yers- rested their cases and jurors in one of the most sensational murder trials in U.S. history were read the law. Exhibiting the confidence and aplomb he learned as a TV sportscaster, Simpson delivered a speech that seemed targeted to the court of public opinion. Judge Lance Ito had asked Simpson to state for the record his decision nof to testify in his own defense. Simpson's lawyers, ever mindful of the TV audience, maneuvered their client into a position to speak out. Should the jury be unable to reach a decision, odds are that members of the next jury panel saw the statement. \Good morning, your honor,\ Simpson said \As much as I would like to address some of the mis- representations about myself, and my Nicole, and our life together, I am mindful of the mood and the stamina of this jury. \ I have confidence, a lot more it seems than Miss Clark has, of their integrity and that they will find as the record stands now, that I did not, could not and would not have committed this crime.\ Prosecutor Marcia Clark, suggesting a defense plan to manipulate public opinion and perhaps send a message. to jurors through their families, had implored the judge not to let Simpson speak. \This is an attempt to get testimony before the jury without cross-examination,\ Clark said. \Please don't do this, your honor. I beg you.\ Ito assented to defense attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr.'s plea that \he has a right to speak to the waiver. They can't stop him.\ But as Simpson began to talk about his children and how much he misses them, the judge cut him off. \I have four kids. Two kids I haven't seen in a Continued Pag* 14 Suggested Price: 50 c 28 Pages Feds deny storm aid By MARC VIOLETTE Ottaway News Service -ALBANY - The federal emergency relief agency has re- jected New York's plea for help in the aftermath of a violent July 15 windstorm that severely dam- aged sections of the Adirondacks. While the storm claimed lives, destroyed several hundred homes and caused an estimated $30 million in damage, the Federal Emergency Management Agency concluded Thursday \that the impact of this event is not of a severity and magnitude that warrant a major disaster declar- ation.\ Had the request been ap- proved, washing ton would have paid 75 percent of the cost of cleaning u p a n d repairing storm damage to roads, bridges and other public structures, while state and local governments would each chip in 12.5 percent toward those costs. The government would also help private property owners recover their damages with low-interest loans. Through a spokesman, Gov. George Pataki said he would review the decision and discuss it with local county officials before deciding whether to appeal to FEMA's regional director. The destruction was caused by a fast-moving line of thunderstorms that blew through the region on 80 mph winds in the early morning hours of July 15. Five campers were killed in their sleep when trees fell into their tents. And the hurricane force winds flattened homes and knocked down timber on tens of thousands of acres. Most of the damage was focus- ed within a 900,000-acre triangle formed by Blue Mountain Lake in Hamilton County, Gouvesrneur in St. Lawrence County and Lyons Falls in Lewis County. Damage surveys showed that 184 homes were either destroyed or severely damaged while 343 houses suffered minor damage. Some Adirondack communities were without power and tele- phone service for nearly a week, while others were cut off because heavy timber blow downs blocked highways. - One local official slammed FEMA's decision. \Through the various meetings I have attended on this subject (storm damage), I felt that FEMA was trying to find a loop- hole to avoid reimbursing Hamilton County,\ said Christine Snide, supervisor of the Town of Long Lake. FEMA spokesman Carl Suchocki said the agency turned down New York's application for relief because most of the dam- age was covered by insurance. He also said disaster relief was available though low-interest loans from other federal agencies such as the Small Business Ad- ministration and the agriculture department. \We informed your governor that there are other disaster- assistance programs that meet those (damage) needs,\ he said. \The disaster has to go beyond state and local resources to justify (FEMA) help.\ .--.'-•.;.
