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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 1988)
News Digest By the Associated Press Edited by Bob Nelson Reagan signs landmark housing bias legislation WASHINGTON — President Reagan signed legislation Tuesday putting new enforcement teeth in the open-housing law Congress passed in the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1968 assassination. Standing with members of Con gress in the White House Rose Gar den, Reagan hailed the newly enacted bill as “the most important civil rights legislation in 20 years.” Singling out Rep. John Lewis, D Ga., who had accompanied King to Washington for the civil rights leader’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, the president said the legisla tion “has brought us one step closer to realizing Martin Luther King’s dream.” The measure, which was passed overwhelmingly by the House and Senate, extends anti-discrimination protections to the handicapped and to families with children. It also em powers the federal government— for the first time — to seek fines of up to $100,000 against individuals or or ganizations found to have engaged in a pattern of housing discrimination. Under the open-housing provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, the government was given only a mediat ing role in housing discrimination disputes. Reagan said that while the 1968 law was well-intentioned, “it lacked teeth. Its conciliation provisions were ineffective when used." Reagan said that he and Housing Secretary Samuel Pierce had “de voted eight years” to seeking im provements in the 1968 law, “to re dress the absence of penalties and the inability of the government to initiate actions except when ‘a pattern of discrimination could be proven." Under the bill he signed Tuesday, the Department of Housing and Ur ban Development will have authority to initiate enforcement actions and to seek penalties against individuals, businesses or organizations that dis criminate on the basis of race, color, sex or national origin in the sale, rental or financing of housing. It authorizes civil penalties, which could be recommended following an agency administrative enforcement process, of up to $10,000 or a first offense, $25,000 for a second and up to $50,000 for a third. In instances where a pattern of discrimination has been alleged, the government could seek up to 550,000 for a first offense and as much as $100,000 for subsequent offenses. Besides strcnguienmg existing provisions in law dealing with racial discrimination, the measure protects the handicapped against housing bias. For instance, a landlord could be considered to be in violation if he refused to make reasonable modifica tions in premises to accommodate the handicapped. Under the section protecting fami lies with children from discrimina tion in the sale, rental or financing of housing, buildings that arc now “adult only” could exclude children only if the managers or owners of these struc tures adopted a policy to rent or sell to the elderly only. .—■-—---1 Chambers probably to run for legislature LINCOLN — Slate Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha said Tuesday he’ll run for the Legislature and not the U.S. Senate - probably. Chambers had sought to be on the ballot both as the New Alliance Party candidate for the U.S. Senate and for the seat he’s held in the Legislature for 18 years. But Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice William Hastings is sued an opinion last week that Cham bers couldn ’ t do both. He gave Cham - bers until 5 p.m. Wednesday to decide which office he will seek. At a news conference Tuesday, Chambers copied an Academy A wards presentation as he announced that he would more likely try to keep his legislative seat rather than run for the Senate seat. “It’s like an Oscar ceremony when you have two nominations made, and the man says, ‘the envelope please,’” he said as an aide handed him an envelope. “And the winner is,” he said as he drew a sheet of paper from a large envelope and held it up for the audi ence. The word Legislature was written on the paper. In small print, in paren theses below, was the word “proba bly.” “And what docs the word probably mean? It means that I’m leaning more one way than another. It means one attracts more than another,” Cham bers said. Chambers had asked Chief Justice Hastings to extend the deadline he set for Chambers to decide on which office he would seek. Hastings also turned down Chambers’ request for partial reconsideration of his ruling. He said Hastings was “wrong and unfair in view of how long he sat on the opinion.” The hearing on Cham bers’ arguments in the state Supreme Court was August 23. The opinion was issued Sept. 8. “He wrote law,” Chambers said, adding that Hastings knew that he (Chambers) wouldn’t have enough time to appeal to the full state Su preme Court or a federal court. “It’s a white judge in the case of a black man,” Chambers said, stopping short of say i ng the op in ion was rac ist. “If I was a white man this thing wouldn’t have gotten this far,” he said. The Associated Press called for Hastings late Tuesday afternoon but did not receive a return phone call. Last week, Chambers said his ulti mate aim was to be on the ballot for both the U.S. Senate scat and the Legislature. He acknowledged again Tuesday that he could accept the U.S. Senate bid and easily mount a successful write-in campaign for his legislative seat. There is no other candidate for the scat and, even in years when he was opposed, Chambers over whelmed other candidates. Under the deadline set by the chief justice, Chambers must officially withdraw his name from the U.S. Senate race by contacting Secretary of State Allen Bcermann. Chambers was nominated for the U.S. Senate seat at the New Alliance Party convention in July. The conven tion followed weeks of confusion in the wake of the primary. The State Board of Canvassers first said Cham bers had won the New Alliance nomi nation in the May balloting. The board reversed that decision and said a recount showed former Gov. Bob Kerrey won the nomination. Kerrey declined the New Alliance nomina tion and stayed on as the Democratic Party nominee. Bcermann, acting on an opinion from Attorney General Robert Spire, ordered Chambers off the U.S. Senate ballot, saying he wasn’t eligible for the post. That led to Chambers appeal to the state Supreme Court. US. calls for investigation of Iraqi chemical warfare UNITED NATIONS — Amer ica, Japan, Britain and West Ger many called on the United Nations to investigate claims that Iraq used poison gas to crush the Kurdish rebellion, a U.S. official said Tues day. Herbert S. Okun, the second ranking diplomat at the U.S. Mis sion to the United Nations, made the request Monday to Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar. Okun acted on behalf of America, Britain, Japan and West Germany, said a spokeswoman for the U.S. mission, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Iraq has denied charges that it used gas against Kurdish guerrillas who nave long waged a guerrilla war seeking a separate homeland in northern Iraq. Iraq acknowledged on July 1 that it used chemical weapons during its 8-year-old war with Iran, but claimed the Iranians had used them first A U.N. investigation over the summer found that “chemical weapons continue to be used on an intensive scale against Iranian forces,” according to a report on the probe issued Aug. 1. In March, Iran claimed the Iraqi air force dropped cyanide and mustard gas bombs on three Kur dish towns in Iraq, killing 5,000 Kurds and injuring 5,000. The towns targeted by the attack had been captured by Iran. Baghdad would have to invite a U.N. team to enter Iraq to investi gate the latest charges, but a refusal would appear extremely suspi cious. Iraq previously has said it might cooperate with an impartial inquiry. In Geneva, about 150 Kurds demonstrated outside the U.N. office Tuesday, calling for the world body to investigate alleged poison gas attacks and shouting “Saddam, assassin,” a reference to Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein. In Beijing on Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations j Vernon A. Walters said America ‘‘is extremely concerned about chemical warfare,” and he noted that a recent U.N. Security Council resolution condemned its use. Killer storm roars toward Mexican coast Hurricane Gilbert, one of the strongest storms in history, roared toward Mexico’s Yucatan Penin sula on Tuesday with 160 mph winds and torrential rains after lashing the tiny, low-lying Cay man Islands. The hurricane, traveling west ward across the Caribbean Sea, was upgraded Tuesday to Category 5, the strongest and most deadly type of hurricane. Such storms have winds greater than 155 mph and cause catastrophic damage. Gilbert, which devastated Ja maica and the Dominican Repub lic with flash floods and mudslides, has killed at least five people. Bob Sheets, director of the National Hurrican Center in Coral Gables, Fla., described Gilbert as “a great hurricane” that is “in the top 10 percent (historically) as far as intensity, size and destructive potential.” Hccompared its intensity to that of Hurricane Allen, which killed 2,000 people in the Dominican Republic in 1979. Only two Category 5 hurricanes have hit the United States—a 1935 storm that killed 600 people in Florida, and Hurricane Camille, which devastated the Mississippi coast in 1969 and killed 256 people. ‘The people who need to be concerned now are those people over on the Yucatan Peninsula - Cancun, Cozumel, that whole area," Sheets said. The storm later knocked out all «- . ■ - telephone service to the Cayman Islands, a British dependency of 23,000 people that was expecting 12-foot tides. At 3 p.m. EDT, the U.S. Na tional Weather Service said Gilbert was centered near latitude 19.3 north, longitude 82.8 west, just southwest of Grand Cayman and 280 miles from the Mexican resort island of Cozumel. It was moving west to west-northwest at about IS mph with maximum sus tained winds of 160 mph. The Cuban news agency Prensa Latina said40,000 people, many of them foreign vacationers and stu dents, were evacuated Tuesday from the Isle of Youth off the southwestern coast as the hurri cane passed 200 miles to the south. There were no immediate re ports of damage there. The death toll from the Hurri cane Gilbert was expected to rise. There were unconfirmed re ports that at least 30 people died Monday when Gilbert struck Ja maica. Civil defense officials said the storm killed five people Sun day in the Dominican Republic. In New York City, a ham radio operator who was monitoring amateur radio communications in Jamaica said Tuesday, “Kingston is devastated, Montego Bay is hit hard and Ocho Rios is flooded.” Reagan releases U.b. dues WASHINGTON — President Reagan has authorized the release of $188 million in U.S. dues payments to the United Nations and has directed the Stale Department to work on a plan for settling all past debts, the White House announced Tuesday. Presidential spokesman Marlin Fitzwatcr told reporters in a late after noon briefing that Reagan told the State Department to work out “a multi-year plan” for paying a grand total of $520 million in current and late U.S. dues payments to the world body. The U.S. also has $111.8 mil lion in past due payments separately to the U.N. peacekeeping fund. Fitzwatcr said the United Nations “has reformed its operations to the point” where Reagan fell he could act. “The president will release $44 million, which was withheld in fiscal 1988, and $144 million which was withheld in fiscal 1989. He will rc — quest full funding of the United Na tions’ in Fiscal 1990, which amounts to approximately $476 million,” he said. The $44 million will be released immediately, Filzwatcr said, while the $144 million that had been ear marked in Fiscal 1989, beginning Oct. 1, will be set free as funds be come available. Filzwatcr noted that Congress required the president to determine that the United Nations had made reforms, ‘‘including cutbacks in the (U.N.) secretariat, the hiring of tem porary employees” and improved budgeting procedures. Filzwatcr said Reagan was con vinced that the United Nations had made progress in instituting reforms and that the president noted the in creasing peacekeeping role of the world body in such hot spots as Af ghanistan, Namibia and the Persian Gulf. -1 Nebraskan Editor Curt Wagner Photo Chief Eric Gregory 472-1766 Asst Photo Chief David t-ahleson ^Managing Editor Diana Johnson Night News Editor Amy Edwards Assoc News Editors Jane Hlrt Asst Night News Lee Rood Editor/librarian Anne Mohrl Editorial Art Directors John Bruce Page Editor Mike Rellley Andy Manhart Wire Editor Bob Nelson General Manager Dan Shattil Copy Desk Editor Chuck Green Production Manager Katherine Pollcky Sports Editor Steve Sipple Advertising Manager Robert Bates Arts & Entertain Sales Manager David Thiemann ment Editor Mlckl Haller Circulation Manager Eric Shanks Diversions Editor Joeth Zucco Publications Board Graphics Editor Darryl Mattox Chairman Tom Macy The Daily Nebraskan (USPS 144 080) is published by the UNL Publications Board, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St.. Lincoln, NE, Monday through Fnday in the fall and spring semesters and weekly in the summer sessions, except during vacations Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by phoning 472 1763 between 9a m and5p m Monday throughFriday The public also has access to the Publications Board For information contact Tom Macy, 4759868 Subscription price is $45 for one year Postmaster Send address changes to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St.,Lincoln, NE 68588 0448 Second class postage paid at Lincoln, NE ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1988 DAILY NEBRASKAN