I ' '
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By The
Associated Press
Edited by Joel Strauch
Mercury over 100 from Texas to N.D.
By MARYANN MROWCA
Associated Press Writer “
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - People sought air
conditioned relief in the library, did their laun
dry at night and sweated through the fifth day of
a heat wave Wednesday that pushed tempera
tures over 100 across the Plains.
‘"It’s hotter than hell. ”
■
Victor Bassett
Omaha
At least two heat-related deaths were re
ported: a roofer pouring tar in Texas, and a man
in Omaha whose cancer death was hastened by
heat stroke.
Several states reported cases of heat-induced
illness, including 100 people who sought first
aid during Tuesday’s All-Star baseball game in
Arlington, Texas. More than 1,000 cattle have
died in the heat in Iowa.
The heat wave is expected to linger in the
region until the weekend, when temperatures
are expected to drop into the upper 80s or lower
90s, and then move into New York and southern
New England.
“I ain’t looking forward to it, not when I got
to work in it,” said Junior White of Pittsburgh,
who works on a delivery truck with no air
conditioning.
Forecasters blamed the sweltering weather
on an enormous high-pressure system over Kan
sas and Nebraska that shunted the jetstream
north, making a big chunk of the central United
States feel like the desert Southwest.
Temperatures climbed past 100 at almost
every weather reporting station in Texas, Okla
homa, Kansas and Nebraska on Tuesday, with
Hays and Salina, Kan., hitting 112 degrees.
In Omaha - where Wednesday’s high was
forecast to be 105, the same as Phoenix - people
sought relief in the 72-degree comfort of the
downtown library.
“These last four days have been scorchers,”
said Robert Hunt, who read a magazine before
going to work at Omaha Steaks. “I figure the
best way to beat the heat is to get out of it.”
Librarian Lynn Sullivan said she did her
laundry and her dishes at night so she would not
have to use the dryer or the dishwasher during
the sweltering afternoon.
The heat wave also is forcing more of the
homeless into shelters.
“We’ve been full almost every night,” said
Dan Hovanec, director of family services at
Open Door Mission. “We’re bunking them on
the floor and on the couch.”
“It’s hotter than hell,” said Victor Bassett, an
Omaha man who was in a downtown park be
cause the shelter where he had been living was
too crowded.
The Omaha Housing Authority gave away
more than 40 fans in the past two weeks, and the
state Social Services Department helped the
poor buy fans and air conditioners.
| The Accu-Weather® forecast for noon, Thursday, July 13.
Via Associated Press
HeidiFleiss prostitute
names Charlie Sheen
By JOHN HORN
Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A pros
titute working for Heidi Fleiss
named names Wednesday, saying
she had sex with Charlie Sheen in
the most direct link yet between the
Hollywood madam and the enter
tainment industry.
Judy Geller, testifying with im
munity from prosecution, said her
clients also included former Den
ver Nuggets owner Sidney Shlenker,
who admitted it when he testified
earlier in Fleiss’ federal money laun
dering, bank fraud and tax evasion
trial.
Geller, under questioning from
a prosecutor, said she couldn’t re
member if she had sex with “The
Last Action Hero” producer Steve
Roth. Prosecutors mentioned Roth’s
name in a list of people they believe
were Fleiss’ clients.
“I wouldn’t even know who these
people are,” Roth told a reporter
later.
Fleiss’ client list was suspected
! of including actors and studio ex
ecutives, but names never went be
yond the rumor stage.
Sheen, co-star of “Wall Street,”
had admitted to being a client but
denied it in recent days. He is sched
uled to give sworn testimony to
lawyers on Saturday.
Fleiss faces Five years if con
victed on all 14 counts. She already
has been sentenced to three years
for pandering.
Geller said she had sex about 50
times with about 20 Fleiss clients
between 1991 and 1992. She said
she almost always gave 40 percent
of her sex income to Fleiss.
She said Fleiss told her she was
making $60,000 a month in 1992
from her 20 high-priced call girls.
In 1992, Fleiss listed income of
$33,000 on her federal income tax
return, which prosecutors say was
fraudulent.
The government believes Fleiss
used a series of transactions - in
cluding the accounts of her pedia
trician father, Paul,and sister Shana
-to launder her prostitution receipts.
Fleiss’ lawyers said that Geller,
who was convicted for possessing
cocaine for sale last year, had a
grudge against the 29-year-old
Fleiss and had boasted she was go
ing to send her to jail.
Geller insisted she did not want
to testify against Fleiss.
Clinton closes bases slowly
By JOHN DIAMOND
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - President
Clinton has decided “reluctantly” to
accept a military base closure list de
spite the heavy blow it would deal to
politically important California, offi
cials said Wednesday. But the White
House said Clinton was still ponder
ing how to save jobs in that state and
Texas and would make his decision
Thursday.
Clinton spent the afternoon with
aides in the Oval Office examining a
plan to shift jobs at two major Air
Force bases in those states to the pri
vate sector. Both states, particularly
California, are major prizes in next
year’s presidential election.
Gen. Josue Robles Jr., a member of
the Defense Base Closure and Re
alignment Commission, said senior
defense officials had informed the
commission staff that Clinton would
approve the recommended closures.
“The basic thrust was he reluc
tantly will forward the list to the Con
gress,” Robles said in a telephone
interview. “That although he didn’t
agree with all the decisions, as a pack
age, as a whole, he had no choice
because of the impact on the Depart
ment of Defense.” His account was
confirmed by another defense official
who declined to be identified.
But at the White House, spokes
man Mike McCurry suggested Clinton
wanted to look at the figures a little
longer before announcing a decision.
“He’s got to work through it,”
McCurry said. “We’ll wrap it up to
morrow.”
Of concern was whether the mili
tary could convert some of the aircraft
maintenance j obs at the Cal i fomia and
Texas bases to the private sectors in
those states.
“The main issue is privatization,”
McCurry said. “You’ve got to be able
to prove it.... He wants real employ
ment numbers.”
Of Robles’ statement that Clinton
would “reluctantly” accept the base
closure list, McCurry said: “Reluc
tance is an accurate characterization”
if Clinton accepts the list.
A decision to accept the base clo
sure list and ship it to Congress could
reverberate to Clinton’s re-election
campaign, which hinges on his fate in
California.
The commission estimates that
California stands to lose 19,372 mili
tary and civilian jobs as a result of the
closures. An additional 22,898 “indi
rect” jobs would be lost; those include
the dry cleaners, fast food restaurant
workers and other service providers
that depend on base business. Texas
would lose 13,381 civilian and mili
tary jobs as a result of closures and
realignments and 19,476 indirect jobs.
Nationwide, this fourth round of
base closures would result in a net loss
of43,742 military and civilian jobs at
bases and 49,823 indirect jobs for a
total loss of 93,565 jobs.
The privatization plan is designed
to soften the economic impact on Sac
ramento, Calif., home of McClellan
Air Force Base, and San Antonio,
Texas, home of Kelly Air Force Base.
These were the two Air Force mainte
nance centers recommended for clo
sure by the commission; Clinton had
wanted to keep them open.
Aides said Clinton privately ac
cused the commission of being too
political, but feared rejecting the list
would open him to charges of playing
politics.
California lawmakers made last
minute pleas to Clinton to reject the
list, arguing that under government
competitive bidding rules, there is no
way to ensure that the aircraft mainte
nance jobs would go to a private facil
ity in California.
The independent base closure com
mission recommended that 79 bases
be closed and 26 others realigned,
saving $19.3 billion over 20 years.
The commission says its plan saves
$323 million more than Clinton’s ini
tial base-closing plan.
Clinton has until Saturday to de
cide whether to accept or reject the
commission’s latest recommenda
tions. He is not allowed to amend the
package. Congress must vote to reject
the list or it automatically takeseffect.