The Allen American (Allen, Tex.), Vol. 25, No. 40, Ed. 1 Saturday, December 17, 1994 Page: 2 of 130
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Saturday
December 17,1994
The Allen American
at a
Class action suit filed against Chrysler’s minivans
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Chrysler Corp, the minivans between 1984 and 1994. named in the California suit, said that in 1993 her
has been hit with a class-action lawsuit charging The rear door is “prone to pop open in colli- 4-year-old son was sitting in the back seat when
that the rear doors on its popular minivans are sions, causing occupants of the minivans to fly the rear door popped open, hurling the boy and
prone to flying open in collisions. The lawsuit out of the vehicles and suffer injury, and some- the seat into traffic. The boy was not seriously
filed in San Mateo County Superior Court is the times even death,” the suit said, injured. Chrysler later bought back her minivan,
first to seek damages for the estimated 4 million The government has no regulatory standard Ralph Hoar & Associates, a Virginia consie
Chrysler minivan owners in the United States, for the strength of rear latches in minivans. And ing firm that researches auto safety, contenos
said lawyer Michael F. Ram. The rear liftgates in secondary safety latches, like those on side rear liftgate latches in crashes because they are
1984-94 Chrysler minivans — the Voyager, doors, are not required on rear doors. not strong enough. The firm in November pro-
Caravan and Town and Country models — have As a matter of company policy, Chrysler does vided The Associated Press with an internal
opened in 51 accidents, with 74 passengers not comment on pending litigation, Chrysler Chrysler memo that said the rear liftgate latch
thrown out and 25 deaths reported, according to spokesman Rick Deneau said today. strength on the vans was a minimum of 750
reports submitted to the National Highway “Chrysler minivans are the safest in the pounds of pressure against the door.
Traffic Safety Administration. world,” he said. The consequences of some of That’s about half General Motors Corp.’s min-
The suit, filed Monday, seeks unspecified the worst accidents that blamed the rear door imum requirement of 1,350 pounds and far
damages for alleged fraud and deceit, violations latch could have been avoided had riders been below Ford’s minimum standard of 2,500
of consumer protection laws, breach of warranty properly seated and wearing seat belts, he said. pounds, the consulting firm said. 4
and negligence. The suit does not seek to recov- The 1995 minivans have been fitted with a Deneau emphasized that the 750 pounds
er money for personal injuries. stronger latch, Deneau said. referred to in the memo was a minimum.
Three class action suits in Texas, Louisiana Teresa Ruiz of Laguna Niguel said in the suit Chrysler minivans on average withstood twice
and Alabama, may later be combined with the that the rear door on her minivan rattled for six that amount of pressure in tests and in other
California suit, Ram said. Potential plaintiffs months and Chrysler refused to pay to replace it tests, the minivans withstood as much as 2,400
include U.S. residents who purchased or leased Suzanne Clarke of North Carolina, who is not pounds of pressure, he said.
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World
•MILDENHALL AIR BASE, England — The United States is send-
ing about 3,000 Marines to waters off Somalia in the event President
Clinton decides to aid in the upcoming withdrawal of United Nations
forces from the battered nation, Defense Secretary William Perry said
today. Perry said the troops “are steaming toward Somalia,” but that
Clinton had not yet decided whether the Marines would participate in
an evacuation. Perry said such a force was often in that area, but “we
are getting ourselves in a state of readiness” should the mission be
ordered.
•SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS, Mexico — The Indian rebels
threatening renewed violence in their war against Mexico’s govern-
ment have trapped themselves in a corner — militarily and politically.
Most of the hundreds of Zapatista National Liberation Army soldiers
are believed to be corralled inside rebel-held territory bordering
Guatemala, surrounded by tens of thousands of heavily armed Mexican
troops. They also have trapped themselves politically with their contin-
uous, unfulfilled threats of renewed fighting — and there’s no easy way
out. “It’s hard to say where this thing is going,” said Roderic A Camp,
a Tulane University political scientist and expert on the Mexican mili-
tary. "The Zapatistas have really gotten themselves into a trap.”
Lottery hits first major snag
AUSTIN — The 2-year-old sell a lottery ticket for more than
Texas Lottery has hit its first face value.
major snag. But Dale Ossip Johnson,
After joyously crowning new Wenner’s recently obtained Austin
millionaires in the state’s Lotto attorney, said Friday that the com-
Texas game, the Texas Lottery mission’s beef is with Pic-A-$tate,
Commission is reluctant to do the not his client
same for Scott Wenner, a 37-year- “Mr. Wenner simply acquired a
old police officer from Riverside, ticket like anybody else. He won.
N.J. He paid his money and expects to
No one disputes that Wenner get paid,” Johnson said. “The con-
holds the winning ticket for the troversy that the state has got is
$10.4 million jackpot drawn on not with Mr. Wenner. It’s with the
Nov. 23. retail outfit.”
It’s how Wenner bought the Michael Finio, an attorney for
ticket that has Lottery Pic-A-$tate, says the Lottery
Commission officials looking for Commission has no case against
legal answers. the outlet, which has been in oper-
Wenner made the purchase ation the past five years. He said a
through Pic-A-$tate Lottery similar incident occurred in 1993,
Service, based in Lakewood, N.J. when a Pic-A-$tate customer won
The service operates in $23.4 million in a Florida lottery
Pennsylvania, selling the $1 Texas drawing.
tickets for $2. “Florida paid the winner
Texas law says it is illegal for because they knew it was the right
unlicensed retailers to sell a Texas thing to do,” Finio said
Lottery ticket. It also is illegal to
White House, Republicans
argue about tax cut plans •
WASHINGTON — The White Clinton as a Johnny-come-lately to
House and Republicans traded the tax cut debate and said their
barbs Friday over whose tax plan “Contract With America” cam-
was fairest to the middle class paign proposal was better because
while the administration signaled it offered more benefits to more
it was not rejecting out-of-hand a people.
GOP idea to cut capital gains “Contract-light” was how incoin-
taxes. ing House Majority leader Richard
One day after President Clinton Armey, R-Texas, described the
unveiled his “Middle-Class Bill of Clinton program. “Ours is a much
Rights,” the administration con- broader proposal and I think
ceded its package of child tax cred- frankly a better proposal,” he said,
its, education deductions and With Republicans in control of
expanded Individual Retirement both houses of Congress, GOP
Accounts was still a work in leaders let it be known that
progress. Clinton’s package, which will be
Officials said there would be a part of his 1996 budget request to
series of meetings starting next Congress, would be drastically
week to address such decisions as altered in the legislative process,
how quickly to phase in the Republicans repeatedly said
promised benefits and how to they believed Clinton’s program
make the final budget cuts to pay was not generous enough and tie
for the entire package. final proposal would be closer to
Republicans weren’t waiting to theirs.
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Dealing with Business
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Nation
•CHICAGO — Twelve black customers who claim a white wait-
ress at Denny’s threw menus at them and served white customers
while the group waited to order is suing the restaurant chain. South
Carolina-based Denny’s Inc. paid $46 million to settle a class action
discrimination suit just six months ago. Flagstar Companies Inc.,
Denny’s primary corporate parent, referred the latest complaint to
an independent civil rights monitoring commission set up as a part
of the earlier settlement
•WASHINGTON — Monday will be the busiest day of the year
for the post office. The U.S. Postal Service expects to receive 250
million cards and letters on Monday. Americans traditionally wrap
presents and address cards over the weekend and drop them in the
mail the Monday before Christmas, said postal consumer advocate
Ann McK. Robinson. Many post offices have extended hours during
the holiday season and Robinson urged people to phone local offices
for details.
Two companies pay $76 million
to settle Treasury note case
WASHINGTON — Two leading investment fund management
companies agreed Friday to pay $76 million to settle antitrust and
securities charges that they cornered the market in a Treasury
note in 1991.
The government will receive $41 million to settle civil charges of
price fixing and securities fraud. The other $35 million will go into
a fund to repay investors who paid inflated prices for the Treasury
notes.
“They harmed individual investors, and they hurt confidence in
the market” used to finance the U.S. government’s debt, said
Assistant Attorney General Anne K Bingaman, head of the
antitrust division. “If the market is not completely honest, people
will be reluctant to enter the market That harms the government’s
ability (to finance the debt) and ultimately harms every taxpayer.”
Steinhardt Management Co. Inc. and Caxton Corp. agreed to the
settlement with the Justice Department’s antitrust division and the
Securities and Exchange Commission without admitting guilt
Steinhardt will pay $40 million, and Caxton $36 million.
The security involved was the U.S. Treasury’s two-year note
issued in April 1991. The two companies bought $20 billion worth
of the note, or 160 percent of the $12 billion issue, the government
said.
Canned aluminum drinks to cost more
State and Local
• DALLAS — The body robbed earlier this week from a graveplot
at a Dallas cemetery was found today lying by the side of a road in
the Oak Cliff neighborhood. Dallas law enforcement officials said
the body of Melinda Ann Lee was taken to the Medical Examiner’s
Office for further testing. They refused to give further details about
the body’s condition or the site where it was located.
• AUSTIN — Texas Land Commissioner Garry Mauro says he is
lobbying the White House to name an Austin doctor as the next U.S.
surgeon general. Mauro, who headed Bill Clinton’s 1992 presiden-
tial campaign in Texas, said he is recommending Dr. Michelle
Berger, an Austin ophthalmologist “I think she’d be very qualified,
and it makes sense for us to support somebody from Texas,” Mauro
told the Austin American-Statesman in an interview published
Friday. Dr. Berger, 39, a divorced mother of three girls, said she has
an appointment with Gov. Ann Richards on Tuesday to discuss the
nomination.
•HOUSTON — In the wake of an election sweep that knocked
off nearly all of the minority judges in Harris County, local
Republicans have issued a message to minorities: Welcome, fellow
conservatives. Top GOP leaders announced “Project Republican
Opportunity” on Thursday, a program designed to recruit, train and
support minority candidates. Heading the initiative is outgoing
Harris County Judge Jon Lindsay, who has pledged up to $25,000 in
donations for the project.
ODESSA, Texas — The price of a Coke and a smile just went up.
So did the cost of Pepsi, 7-Up, Dr Pepper, RC Cola, A&W Root Beer
and Orange Crush.
The smile is still free, but climbing aluminum costs are driving
up prices for anything that comes in an aluminum can — including
juices and beer, The Odessa American reported Friday.
Soft drink bottlers and distributors in West Texas say costs will
increase an estimated 50 to 65 cents per case Jan. 1 because of what
the industry is calling “unprecedented” increases in aluminum
prices.
That translates into more than 2 cents a can, said Mike Hall, the
general manager for West Texas soft drink distributor Challenge
Beverages of Midland.
Vendors now charging 50 cents for soft drinks in vending
machines say they can either go up to 55 cents or absorb the 2-cent
increase. ’ 1
Abtex Beverage Corp, in Abilene, Challenge Beverage’s parent
company, is raising its prices 65 cents a case to Golden Brew, the
vending-machine arm of Paper Plus, Golden Brew manager Robert
Searcy said.
Golden Brew probably will raise prices on a location-by-location
basis only, Searcy said.
“There’s a lot of pros and cons. A lot of times folks just have 50
cents, not 55 cents, so we lose a sale,” Searcy said.
Going to 55 cents also means vendors will have to stock their
machines with more dimes and nickels, and machines could run
out of change, he said.
Canned beer is likely to cost about 50 cents a case more, said
Randy Howell, vice president of operations for Permian
Distributing Co., which handles Coors, Stroh’s and Lone Star
brands.
Montana back on his feet again
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Joe Montana confirmed Friday that he
will start in the Kansas City Chiefs’ final home game of the sea- £
son.
“Not at this moment, no,” Montana said when asked if there
was any doubt he would start against the Houston Oilers
Sunday. “Everything feels fine.”
Montana’s 16th season nearly ended prematurely Nov. 27
when he injured his left foot during a game at Seattle. Trainers
feared the injury was more serious than it turned out to be.
But Montana sat out the next two games while the Chiefs,
considered a possible Super Bowl team, fell to 7-7. Harnessed
with their first three-game losing streak since Marty
Schottenheimer became coach in 1989, the Chiefs were 10-point •
favorites over the Oilers (1-13), who have lost 10 straight.
The Oilers, who were on an 11-game winning streak when the
Chiefs beat them in last year’s AFC playoffs, play the daring,
gambling defense Montana enjoys.
“When you play a team like this, the one thing you have to be
is patient,” Montana said. “They blitz a lot. Most of the time they
bring a lot of guys, too many for you to pick up and block and
still try to throw the ball.
“It becomes a guessing game. You get chances for big plays,
and we have to take advantage of those. These are fun to be in
because they’re challenging.” a
NCAA volleyball showdown tonight
AUSTIN — UCLA and Stanford, two of the most dominant
teams and most heated rivals in women’s college volleyball,
meet Saturday night for the NCAA championship.
“They have been good a lot longer than we have,” said
Stanford coach Don Shaw, whose team has yet to lose a game in
this season’s NCAA tournament. “But in women’s volleyball,
UCLA-Stanford is the rivalry. It will be very intense Saturday.”
Stanford (31-1) is seeking its second NCAA title in three a
years. UCLA (32-3) is aiming for its third crown in five years. “
Saturday’s showdown is the, firth straight year the teams have
met in the NCAA tournament.
In 1990 and 1991, UCLA beat Stanford en route to national
championships. In 1992, the Cardinal beat the Bruins in the title
game. . :
The teams split two matches this season. Stanford’s loss to
the Bruins at Los Angeles is its only blemish.
What’s in the Forecast
Sunday through Tuesday
Today
Sunny, with highs
near 60
Partly cloudy with highs
near 60 and lows in the
30s.
P\ 1 1 T , T T 7 • T A A0 0
Decisions...Dont Wait For A CriSl
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25
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Watterson, Tim. The Allen American (Allen, Tex.), Vol. 25, No. 40, Ed. 1 Saturday, December 17, 1994, newspaper, December 17, 1994; Allen, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1695370/m1/2/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Allen Public Library.