This is action news for October 26, 1979 with Mike Ramirez, Karen Dalton, Jack Cheshire, and the entire action news team.
Good evening. Yakima Fire Inspector Tony Sloan is currently waiting to hear from the Civil Service Commission concerning an appeal he filed at last night's meeting.
The appeal concerns a reprimand letter that City Manager Dick Zay sent to Inspector Sloan. Action News spoke with Sloan about the action he's taken.
My attorney Tom Doan and I filed an appeal to the Police and Fire Civil Service Commission in hopes that they would hear the appeal to get the letter of reprimand removed from the personal file.
And what are you waiting for now?
The Commission is now reviewing my attorney's side, the legalities that we presented, and then he also listened to the city, who was represented by John Moore, listened to their side, and the Commission is now making the decision whether my appeal is valid or not.
The Commission has asked for two weeks to give an answer to the appeal. If the Commission does not observe the appeal and feels that City Manager Dick Zay was justified in sending it, Sloan would not be eligible for promotion for two years.
There's something happening on the international scene that could be affecting some Washington residents, and Karen, you have that story.
That's right, it's in Korea, and there are some people in Washington who are pretty concerned about it.
Governor Wray is worried tonight about more than 250 Washington residents who are in South Korea on a friendship tour. The Governor is worried because South Korea's President Park Chung-hee has been assassinated, and the State Department says the country is under martial law.
The Governor was in Washington, D.C. today for a meeting with the President when she learned of the events.
Wray has been assured by the State Department that everything possible will be done to get the Washington residents out of South Korea as soon as possible.
According to the Yakima Detective's Division, a man has been reported exposing himself to young school-aged children. Today, Action News spoke with Detective Bernie Klein concerning the incidents.
We received some recent complaints of someone flashing up in the northwest area. However, we're not overburdened with the complaints at this time.
We generally have this throughout the year, sometimes in one area, sometimes in another area. We've apprehended a number of these people already, and chances are we'll get this subject identified before it's long.
Klein says the flasher is reportedly driving a car with a maroon interior. So far, the man hasn't been reported hurting anyone. Klein says flashers are not unusual in our area, and no one should really panic over the situation.
A shot in the arm to the city of Ellensburg appears to be in the offing. The Ellensburg Chamber of Commerce has revealed that a major clothing manufacturer is looking at the area as a possible site for a new factory.
The name of the company has not been announced. The Chamber says that an economic impact study has been conducted by Central Washington University. The company apparently has not decided as yet whether it will indeed locate in Ellensburg.
It's estimated that about 200,000 people a month are starving in Cambodia. Many people are calling the mass misery a second holocaust. Karen has this report on efforts to provide emergency aid to that Asiatic country.
The International Committee of the Red Cross and UNICEF are calling on all nations to donate more than $110 million in emergency relief for Cambodia. The money will go for food and medical supplies.
So far, 30 nations have responded with pledged donations. Here in Yakima, Karen Dean of the Red Cross explains the present situation with the Cambodian relief effort.
Right now, we are waiting for some kind of policy to be set by the Cambodian government, the United Nations, so that we will have some way of getting in to see these people.
Currently, the only way we can get in is by air, and there are problems with that. So we're trying to get a caravan, permission to take a caravan across the Vietnamese territory to take the food and medical supplies to them.
But at this point, there has not been any policy set to say that yes, we can. We have, I'm saying we, the International Committee of the Red Cross and UNICEF have already airlifted about 500 tons of food so far, and more is being planned.
But until there is some policy from the United Nations and from the Cambodian government, really, they've kind of got it at a standstill at this time.
So we're waiting, and as soon as there is some move, then the American Red Cross will be able to go in more. But at this point, we are sort of not able to do too much.
We are working through our International Committee of the Red Cross, which is headquartered in Geneva.
Once a policy is set up for delivering emergency goods to the Cambodian people, relief operations in the United States will get into full swing.
Red Cross officials say they will accept donations from individuals and groups once all the government red tape is straightened out.
But for now, they are asking that you do not mail in any donations until the emergency relief channels are open.
Reporting for Action News, I'm Karen Dalton.
Well, it's not quite Halloween, and it's still a long way off until Thanksgiving.
But right now, Christmas is getting a lot of attention, mostly by the folks at the Post Office.
They're starting right now to let us know how important it is to get our holiday mail out early.
And if you're one of those who are a late starter like I am, you've got to be careful of this.
Keith Kernan asked Postmaster Robert Leaden just how important it is to get that mail out.
Of course, the advantage is that if they mail early, they'll get there and make sure that their Christmas card arrives for December 25th.
And it becomes more important that we do it this year that the customer is mailed early because of the fact that Christmas falls on Tuesday,
and there will be a terrific amount of mail for the Monday the 24th, and sometimes it gets quite difficult for us to deliver them.
And of course, another important thing is that we wish that they would be sure and use ZIP codes,
both on their return address and the address that they're mailing it to,
because most of our mail is being handled by machines now, and of course the computers, the operators of the machines,
read the ZIP codes and dispatch it. So it's very important that they do use ZIP codes.
And of course, another important item is that be sure that the mailing address is correct,
because somebody may have moved over a year ago, and if the letter comes into our office and the person has moved a year ago, we'll send it back to them.
How was the mail situation last year?
It was real heavy last year. I think the heaviest day last year was the 19th,
which was really too late to get the mail across country and get it processed and everything.
So we'd like to have the customers be sure and have the cards in before at least the 15th of December.
The Department of Energy says in the future the agency will dispose of all low-level nuclear waste
generated by the Department of Energy research programs at government burial sites in five states.
The move is an attempt to ease the crunch caused by recent closure of two low-level commercial nuclear dump sites at Beatty,
Nevada and Hanford here in Washington.
About 18 percent of the low-level nuclear waste buried at commercial sites in the past came from the Department of Energy.
We'll be right back with more of Action News right after these messages.
A lot of people think of mobile homes as exclusively for the older set, but those two are just starting their life together in a mobile home.
It's America's best investment in living.
They're solid, durable structures built to highest federal standards, built for the future,
and it's really surprising how much room and comfort you'll find inside, many with elegant features like fireplaces, sunken tubs, spacious kitchens, and plenty of storage space everywhere.
Today's mobile home, what a life.
Winter's on its way, and so is this supplement to your newspaper announcing Ernst Home Center's big three-week sale.
Lighten up inside with Magicolor Satin Plus Latex Wall Paint, now $7.99 a gallon, or Magicolor Lustre Plus Enamel with a semi-gloss finish for walls and woodwork, only $9.99 a gallon.
Both paints cover in one coat and are stain and fade resistant.
So check your calendar and look for this Ernst newspaper supplement.
Three weeks of hot bargains to get you through a cold winter.
It's hard to believe, but it's absolutely true. Ford's greatest clearance sale just got bigger.
That's right, much bigger. A $400 rebate might sound good to some, but how about discounts of up to $2,300 on these brand new Ford pickups?
The 1980 models are coming, and the 7-in-9s have to be moved. And there are discounts of up to $2,000 on these new Ford cars.
It's better than any rebate program you've heard about. Valley Ford has complete financing available. You can buy or lease.
The fellows that say yes are really ready to deal right now. So get down to Valley Ford on South First in Yakima before it's too late.
In other news, an increase in oil production and refining seems to be in the very near future for the West Coast.
The Shell Oil Company announced its plans to spend $500 million for remodeling its refinery at Anacortes and two other refineries along the coast.
The firm has already filed permit for the request for the construction. The refineries will handle high sulfur oil from Alaska.
Puget Sound Power and Light Company is denying that it tried to cover up a report about possible earthquake faults near the San Juan Islands
in a 1971 geological study. The faults are near the company's proposed Skagit nuclear power plant project.
Representatives from the utility met with federal officials in Washington, D.C. today to discuss that report.
The King County Prosecutor's Office is going to investigate the shooting death of a Tacoma man who was killed by a Kent police officer.
24-year-old Curtis Gilman was shot Tuesday when Officer John Fletcher accidentally fired his gun toward the victim's car.
Gilman was stopped by Kent police when it was believed he was driving a stolen vehicle.
Governor Dixie Lee Ray is keeping her opinions to herself, but according to sources in Olympia,
Ray has strong reservations about Initiative 61, the proposed bottle bill.
Ray recently taped an interview with TV host Phil Donahue, at which time she expressed that the litter problem in Washington is due to packages, not bottles and cans.
She has not publicly given her opinion about the bottle issue, and the program with Donahue will be aired on November 9th,
which is three days after the November 6th vote on that bottle bill.
That bill would require a five-cent deposit to be placed on all beverages and bottles and cans in an effort to initiate recycling.
There's been an undercurrent of fear that salmon runs in Washington will soon be depleted because of this year's drought
and a take by commercial fishermen along the coast.
Hager State Fisheries Director Gordon Samuelson has been sparked with a bit of optimism.
He says that for the first time in five years, the natural color of salmon reaches the surface of the ocean.
And again, Samuelson says it appears to be significant to meet salmon escapement objectives.
He feels the return of coho salmon will be enough to perpetuate the fish runs at the near maximum levels.
Rivers along the coast are affected by the Pacific commercial troll industry and sports fishing.
A lot of people probably don't know it, but this year's general election is just a week from Tuesday.
Down in Louisiana, one man is running a different type of campaign. Harry Wadsworth reports.
Charles D. Knox, or none of the above if you prefer, has been on the road four days now in this jail cell.
None of the above is running for governor and is publicizing his campaign in a different kind of way.
How are you finding Louisianians? Are they receptive to your jail cell or what?
Very receptive. It's astronomical the way they have accepted us and encouraged us on the roads.
Do they talk to you as you're riding along?
Oh yes, they pull along the side and ask me am I cold and so forth.
And of course I am or was this morning and they encouraged me, well I'm going to vote for you just for this, if nothing else.
You really think you picked up some votes by doing this?
Oh yes, very much so. The people see that I'm willing to get out and work for mine
and not try to sell them out through big contributions from the people who control this nation now.
None of the above is on his way now to Natchitoches and then Alexandria, Lake Charles and New Orleans.
L.D. Knox, or none of the above, probably doesn't have much chance to win the governor's race, but you know he sure is a friendly chap.
Harry Wadsworth in Shreveport reporting for ABC News.
The miracle of microsurgery was performed once again. Two teams of surgeons in Seattle reattached the arm of 20-year-old Steve Wilson
who lost the limb when a rock fell out of the loading machine that he was working at.
Surgeons at Swedish Hospital worked 10 hours realigning the arm bones and stitching the arteries, veins and nerves back together.
His surgeon, Dr. John Sacks, says if everything goes well, Wilson may again regain 80 percent use of the injured arm.
Earlier this year, the leg of a man involved in a car accident was reattached after it had been severed.
The Washington State Bar Association says there may be an overabundance of lawyers in this state.
The president of the association says there will soon be 10,000 attorneys in the state, and that's probably more than the public needs.
Michael Hemovich adds that the increased number of lawyers might spawn problems of ethics and unnecessary litigation.
Fewer lawsuits are settled out of court, according to Hemovich, because communication between the growing number of attorneys has diminished.
He also says that more lawyers in the community make it tougher to police the problems.
On the positive side, Hemovich says new lawyers continue to be absorbed into the system, many of them going back to work for the government and in the private sector.
Today, the New York banks announced a quarter percent increase in the prime lending rate, which puts the rate up to 15 and a quarter percent.
But an increase of a quarter percent doesn't seem dramatic when you consider that in the last two months the rate has gone from 12 percent to 15 percent.
That means that the prime rate has shot up by 25 percent.
As far as the situation in Yakima today, Action News spoke with Seattle First Bank manager Paul Bergevin concerning the issue.
Bergevin says the Northwest banks are generally holding their prime rates to 15 percent,
but he added banks are more cautious on granting loans to consumers and banks are generally edgy about new borrowers since there is a squeeze on the loan funds.
Now we'll be taking a look at the world of sports. Jack, what's going on?
Well, soccer is winding its way down for the season. I think the adult soccer league is going to play their last match Sunday.
I went out and filmed a little bit of their game last night. It was pretty warm. It was about 50 to 45, 50 degrees, which this time of year we're getting really lucky.
I didn't think it was going to be that warm. I dressed in my skiing gear and my scarf and my stocking cap.
Oh, 50 to 45, 50 degrees, which this time of year we're getting really lucky.
I didn't think it was going to be that warm. I dressed in my skiing gear and my scarf and my stocking cap and gloves and went out there and took half of it off.
And that's sports after this.
Take a break from the usual this weekend at Yakima Meadows, the fun track of the Northwest.
First time visitors are especially welcome. Your entire family will thrill to thoroughbred racing.
Paramutual wagering, the excitement of the payoff. And Yakima Meadows offers clean, comfortable facilities, a full service restaurant and your favorite beverages.
Watch them mount up in the indoor paddock. Enjoy the friendliest racing crowd you can imagine.
It's fun. It's different without leaving town at Yakima Meadows this Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
They could see me here, success in my career. And best of all, I did it all in one short year.
In less than a year, you too can be on your way to an exciting career in business.
Medical secretary, legal secretary, executive secretary, accounting, administrative assistant. One could be for you.
Call Yakima Business College to 4-8-4-8-0-6 and let them show you how. Call today.
Hello, good evening. As I just told you, soccer and Yakima will end Sunday when the two divisional champs will meet head on at Elks Field at 3 o'clock p.m.
Simcoe Equipment won the recreational division and the Yakima Strikers took first place in the tough competitive division.
Last night in Sela, Simcoe won against the Olympia team 5-1 and in the second game the Strikers pulled out a victory over Browning's 4-2.
The quality of play in this league is better than a lot of people realize. These men and women work very hard during the season to get to this level of play.
This was action we taped during the game last night. The Strikers were in red and Browning's in green.
Ball control is usually what wins game in soccer, but even more important is team play.
You have one last chance to see the two best adult soccer league teams play. Head down to Elks Park Sunday afternoon. You might get a little surprise.
There's some good competition there.
Racquetball is fast, becoming one of the most popular sports being played around the country, and that includes Yakima.
Yakima has several state ranked players and some of the best facilities in the state.
One of those includes the Racquet Club, which is having their grand opening tomorrow.
Manager Scott McDonald told us what to expect.
Grand opening for us, and they'll be charging $5 per person to come into the building, which the proceeds will go to their guild for future programs, which they will select at a later date.
We will be having tours throughout the building in our weight room, and we'll have exhibition matches on our glass viewing court at 3, 4, 5, and 6 o'clock.
Our times will be from 2 to 7. The tours will be available.
We'll have somebody in our weight room at all times, and we will ask people if they would like to play, and of course they're more than welcome to.
That money will go to a good cause, and Scott says they have all the equipment that you need to go out there and try racquetball or handball, so don't let the weather stop you.
It's going to be an indoor facility, and I know as we're just starting to play racquetball this year, it's a good sport, so try it out.
Tricycle racing sounds like fun for the kids, but that isn't the way it's done in Wolf Creek, Oregon, as Eric Mason of Station KOBI reports.
John Orr of Wolf Creek, Oregon, used to race dragsters for a living.
Now, Orr prefers racing tricycles.
He and other townspeople from Wolf Creek gather each weekend at the top of an abandoned logging road for a sport called freewheeling, a two-mile downhill all-out test of man and tricycle racing.