Columbia Missourian Newspaper 1979-03-20

              STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY 19334
HITT LOWRY ST. SERV
COLUMBIA, 1IQ. 63201
71 st Year No. 1 60 Cood Morning! It's Tm'sthiy. March 20. 1 97V 7 iij 1 o ( : iits
Next winter
may be mild,
but may not
By Keith Rautman
Missourian staff writer
Here's a chilling fact: the last three winters
were among the area's five coldest in the past 90
years, according to Weather Service records.
But don't start looking to the northern horizon
for an approaching glacier. By the law of
averages, next year's winter could well be a mild
one, says Dr. Ernest Kung, a University
professor of atmospheric science.
On the other hand, Kung adds, our climate
could be heading back to a " cold cycle," in which
snowy, frigid winters are usual. That's how it
was through much of the 19th century, regarded
by climatologists as a " cold century."
Will next winter be unusually severe again? Or
pleasantly warm instead? It's anybody's
educated guess.
Complex mathematics and sophisticated
versions of the atmospheric charts seen on TV
weather broadcasts help meteorologists predict
the weather. But plotting the movement of air
masses in the upper atmosphere is limited to a
few weeks of forecasting accuracy, after which
chance takes over.
And climatologists, who use " geologic
records" such as tree rings and core samples
from glaciers to show how the weather has
changed, are accustomed to thinking in terms of
hundreds and thousands of years.
That's why long- ran- ge seasonal prediction
of next winter's severity, for example is such a
guessing game. Practically speaking, it has
never been done.
Most prognostications about the future are
based on the past A cycle of warmer- tnan- avera- ge
and colder- than- avera- ge winters a
few years up, a few years down has charac-terized
this region, Kung says.
" Usually, cold winters come three years in
succession," he says. " If the next winter is mild,
it is reasonable to expect several more years of
mild winters."
But don't bank on it The last three winters,
and unsettled weather patterns throughout the
world in the 70s, could portend the coming of
cooler times lasting dozens or hundreds of
years.
" If the next winter is cold again, then it means,
scientifically, that the basic pattern of climate
has really changed," Kung says.
Temperature records show a gradual warming
trend through the first half of the 20th century. It
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Columbians may be just worrying about
the weather, but a theater manager in Fort
Collins, Colo., Monday shovels part of the
13 inches ( 32.5 centimeters) of snow
LTICrlcphoto
dumped on northeast Colorado Sunday.
Large snowfalls may become more
common if the climate swings to a " cold
cycle."
Carter explores energy options
From oar wire services
WASHINGTON President Carter
conferred for more than eight hours
Monday with his top economic and
political advisers" on ways to curb in-flation
and the nation's energy con-sumption
while coping with the new
problem of reduced oil imports from
Iran.
Jody Powell, Carter's press
secretary, told reporters at the end of
an unusual, day- lon- g session at Camp
David, the presidential retreat, in
Maryland, that no decisions had been
made. He described the meeting as " a
thorough review of the problems and
the options available to the president."
" The session focused primarily on
energy," Powsll said at the White
House this ( Monday) evening, " but of
course that had to be discussed in the
context of the overall economic
situation, particularly our concern with
inflation."
Powell declined to discuss the energy
Related story on Page 11
options available to the president, but
they are known to range from the
decontrolling of oil and gasoline prices
to the administration's proposed
mandatory conservation measures
such as temperature controls in
buildings, weekend gasoline station
closings and restrictions on advertising
lighting.
9
These energy saving measures were
sharply criticized Monday in House and
Senate committees as being unfair and
unworkable, and energy specialists
have questioned the efficacy of several
of these measures. Although the plans
are proposed for a brief emergency,
Walt W. Rostow, former special
assistant for national security - to
President Kennedy who now teaches
economics at the University of Texas,
warned a Senate energy subcommittee
Monday that rationing and other
controls are here to stay if they are ever
implemented.
The president's economic advisers
also have warned of the control's
potential inflationary impact. Powell
acknowledged this when he spoke of the
difficulties of " trade- offs-" between the
inflation and energy areas.
" It is clear that there are no easy or
cheap answers." he said, " the trade-offs
all along the line are extremely
difficult. Everything you do in one area
costs you something in another area."
Powell added that Carter was aware
that " there will be political costs to
whatever steps he decides to take."
He specifically denied that there had
been any discussion at Camp David of
imposing mandatory wage and price
controls, which would require
congressional authorization.
One White House official said that
Carter would probably spend several
days weighing the arguments outlined
at Camp David Monday.
West Broadway
appraisals OK'd
By Andy Maykuth
and Richard Antweiler
Missourian staff writers
The City Council Monday night
authorized appraisals of property along
West Broadway, setting the stage for
the city to purchase land for the con-troversial
street widening project.
By a 4-- 3 vote, the council approved
spending $ 35,000 for three local ap-praisers
to determine property values
along West Broadway. The appraisals
are required by law before the city can
negotiate for the land.
The council also defeated 4-- 3 a
proposed ordinance to regulate
pawnbrokers, which would have
required pawnbrokers to register with
the city and record serial numbers of
pawned items.
Fifth Ward Councilman Ed Vaughan
opposed approving the West Broadway
appraisals until a city- commissio- ned
study on the possible impact on
historical sights was completed.
City Manager Stuart Campbell an-nounced
that consultants had com-pleted
the study, but had been unable to
get it to Columbia Monday. The
preliminary study by Fischer & Stein
Associates of Carbondale. IU., said the
street widening would have " no direct
adverse impact" on West Broadway's
historical sites. Campbell said there
was " no substantive change" in the
study's final version.
That bit of news wasn't enough to
deter Vaughan, who said " we must
follow due process" when considering
approving the appraisals. Sixth Ward
Councilman Clyde Wilson and Third
Ward Councilwoman Diane Farish also
voted against approving the appraisals.
Ms. Farish argued that the appraisal
vote be delayed until a new council
takes over April 16. The next council
could cancel the project by not ap-proving
land acquisition. If that hap-pened,
the council would have wasted
$ 35,000 on the appraisals, she said.
The pawnbrokers licensing ordinance
was suggested by the Columbia Police
Department to regulate pawnshops as
outlets for stolen goods.
Second Ward Councilman Don Mosby
sparked laughter when he questioned
the need for the ordinance, because
Columbia has no pawnshops. " We don't
have any laws on the docking of ships or
landing of foreign aircraft."
That quip apparently convinced
Vaughan to provide the swing vote to
kill the ordinance. " I was going to vote
for this" until Mosby said it was
needless. But Vaughan called pawn-shops
" ancient and honorable," and
said, " Frankly. I think this town needs
a good pawnshop."
In the end, the council agreed with
Mayor Les Proctor, who said the
council could " pass it when it's
needed." Wilson, Farish and First
Ward Councilman Pat Bames voted for
the ordinance.
In other business, the council:
Approved unanimously the special
( See HOUSING, Page 14)
Lone passenger saves
first Royal Air fliglit
By Ed Dorian
Missourian staff writer
Royal Air Ltd. was ready Monday
morning for its first commuter flight
connecting Columbia and Kansas City.
Mo., except for one thing there were
no passengers.
Well, none on time, anyway.
At 7: 32 a. m., two minutes after the
scheduled departure, a lone passenger
arrived on the runway at Columbia
Regional Airport, thus saving the initial
Columbia flight of the Kansas City- bas- ed
commuter airline from im-pending
cancellation.
Moments later, when Royal Air's
seven- passenge- r, twin- engi- ne Cessna
402 lifted off and disappeared into the
morning mist, a new air connection,
linking Columbia with Kansas City
International Airport, was born.
The new service represents the first
successful effort of city officials to lure
an outside airline to Columbia since last
October, when Ozark Air Lines, the lone
regional airline serving the airport,
announced the first of three Columbia
flight cancellations. The third can-cellation,
effective this month, would
have left Columbia without any service
to Kansas City if it were not for the new
service provided by Royal Air.
But Monday morning, only minutes
before takeoff and with no passenger
yet on the scene, the firm's maiden
Columbia flight was in doubt.
But all was saved when Michael J.
Kelly, 311 Westridge Road, arrived on
the landing strip with ticket in hand.
Kelly said he is pleased with the new
Kansas City- Columb- ia connection
offered by Royal Air five round- tri- p
flights daily, three on Sundays and
that he expects to save time on future
trips because of the convenience of the
service.
" I'm very happy about the additonal
flights." Kelly said as he boarded the
plane, " but right now I'm just in-terested
in getting to Kansas City."
Late Monday afternoon. Royal Air
President Richard Rohrman said the
passenger load for the day had been
" light, as expected."
" A couple of weeks of good ad-vertising
and marketing should im-prove
passenger loads." Rohrman said.
" I would imagine we will operate at a
loss for the first couple of weeks. But we
expect a good April and an even better
May."
At a " raw cost" of $ 81. the average
Royal Air flight will have to attract an
average of 3.5 passengers paying the
$ 34 one- wa- y fare for the firm to make a
profit on its new connection, Rohrman
said.
iUfSfMJl CTZSMS Low- inco- me trailer eourt will close
By Joanna Ramey
and Bob Lynch
Missourian staff writers .
Crossroads, a 150- un- it trailer court
leased by the Columbia Housing
Authority since 1969 to house low- inco- me
families, seems to be waiting
fora second chance.
That chance will not come from the
housing authority.
The authority's lease at Crossroads,
Route PP, will expire Dec. 31, ending a
10- ye- ar housing venture marked by
maintenance disputes with the
property's owners, vandalism and
tenant negligence.
Because of their experiences with
Crossroads, the housing authority will
not use a trailer court for low- inco- me
housing again, Bill McKee, director of
the Columbia Housing Authority says.
Crossroads has shown a decline in
occupancy since it was selected in 1989
by the authority to meet a need for
more public housing in Columbia. In
1974, the trailer court was ap-proximately
75 percent filled compared
to the almost capacity occupancy rate
in 1969. Only 24 of the 150 units are now
occupied.
Because the authority will net renew
its lease at Crossroads, it will attempt
leslglrt
to relocate the families remaining at
the trailer court At a March 6 meeting
with officials from the Department of
Housing and Urban Development in St.
Louis, McKee finalized the phasing out
and relocation process the authority
will follow.
The authority will stagger the
moving- o- ut of residents into four
phases. May 31, Aug. 31, Nov. 31 and
Dec. 31. The authority will find new
homes for the residents either in one of
Columbia's six other housing projects,
in the Section 8 HUD rental housing
program or in private housing. McKee
does not anticipate problems with the
relocation.
Plans for the future use of the trailer
court " haven't " been formulated yet,"
Robert Tull, co- own- er of Crossroads
says. Tull adds that he and his partner
Perry Ewing will not know if the trailer
court was a profitable venture until
they decide what to do with the
property.
Losses and not profits at Crossroads
are what concern the housing authority.
Since 1969, an estimated $ 18,000 in
rental receipts has been lost due to the
tenants " skipping out" at the trailer
court, Crossroads manager Yolanda
Woods says.
Another factor contributing to the
authority's financial woes has been the
disproportionate number of low- inco- me
families housed at the trailer court. In
order for the authority to " pay the
bills," McKee says, HUD requires that
there be a balance between the low- - and
moderate- incom- e families placed in
federally subsidized housing.
During 1977, more than 75 percent of
the tenants at Crossroads fell into the
low- inco- me bracket of those who were
unable to pay at least 25 percent of their
( See OCCUPIED, Page 14)
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; Killer bees
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Im towra today
9 p. m. Boone County Court
. meets, fifth floor, County- Cit- y
Building.
7: pan. " TV Dinner
'
Theatre,"
University Studio Theater, 50
cents.
8 p. m. " The Crucible,"
Maplewood Barn Theater.
Imdex
Classified :.'.... -- IM
Movies 13
Opinion 4
People .-- 6
Record 11
Sports 7-- 3
Sturgeon students end walkout
By Diana Dawson
Missborian staff writer
Students at Sturgeon R-- 5 School
ended their two- da- y walkout Monday
after school officials agreed to com-promise
on the " potty patrol," which
restricted use of restrooms.
' About 150 students and parents
protested the rule Saturday at a school
board meeting. The board agreed to
give students a chance to correct
problems in the restrooms through
voluntary student patrols and tem-porarily
suspended teacher supervision
of the restrooms.
School board officials said the policy
was implemented to prevent students
from smoking, gambling and setting
fires in the restrooms. Older students
also were reported to be liarassing
younger ones.
" The school kind of bent a little and
the kids bent a little," Joe Smith, a
parent, said. " I think everything will be
pretty normal."
" The walkout gave the school the
idea that we were serious about getting
rid of the ' potty patrol,' " ninth- grad- er
Ronald Dailing said. " It finally made
the school listen to us."
School Superintendent William
Spears said Monday, " If students can
take care of restrooms, well have
minimal supervision. Teachers will
periodically check the restrooms and if.
problems occur, take care of them." .
Spears said while a few students were
absent Monday, the strike had ended.
" We have accepted students back in
school on our terms," he said. " They
were absent and can't be considered
anything else."
The school's terms are that absences
will be recorded, and the striking
students will be placed on probation. If
they violate any school rules, they will
face undetermined disciplinary action.
The two days of absence last week
could create further problems for some
students.
' Under a policy implemented last fall,
students are allowed to miss seven days
of school before they face loss of
academic credit or suspension.
That absentee policy was another
reason students gave for last week's
walkout. At the meeting Saturday,
student council representatives
proposed an alternative policy which
would allow students to miss 12 days of
classes, excluding sick days, before
facing suspension.
School board President Fred
Tillinger said the board will conduct sP
special meeting " as soon as possible"
to consider the reconnsaendation.