I'm Charles Osby. And I'm Kathleen Sullivan. Tomorrow, reaction from Washington and the rest of the country to the Iran contraindictment. And the colorizing of movies on CBS This Morning. This is CBS. Subject of rocket fuel is coming to a head tonight. We'll talk to some of the residents who could be the most affected. And we'll tell you about a controversial helmet law that would affect all motorcyclists. Financial planner Judy Martindale will be helping us wade through the new tax laws. And the UCSB Gauchos are on their way to Cincinnati for the NCAA playoffs. Sports director Tim O'Leary will be live with that story. Plus, the Santa Maria Sports Banquet. And Jim Barrack will give us a peek at the weekend weather. All coming up next right here on News Watch 12. Our heart is our most important part, Mid-State Bank. We know your dreams. Like you, we at Mid-State Bank feel the delight of love, sense the fun in planning, and see the delight of achievement. We also understand your money needs, and we're ready to help. Thank you for making the SLO County Sleep Shops your largest bedding dealer in the Central Coast. And now with the grand opening of the Santa Maria Sleep Shop, we're even bigger. And we're celebrating in all four locations with the biggest bedding sale in Central Coast history. We have every Simmons, every Sealy, and every Stearns and Foster mattress on sale at our lowest prices ever, starting at only $79. And we still guarantee the lowest prices. We still deliver for free and will even take away your old bedding. Only at the SLO County and Santa Maria Sleep Shops. Now in four locations. You're watching KCOY-TV News Watch 12, the Central Coast's most comprehensive report of today's local and regional news with Dave Hefferle, Susan Cluthley, Jim Barrack with the weather, and Tim O'Leary with sports. Good evening. San Luis Obispo City officials were in federal court today to defend the city's ban on toxic rocket fuel shipments. The city is asking that an emergency restraining order passed last night be upheld. That ordinance forbids the shipment of highly volatile fuel through the city on the grounds that local emergency workers are unprepared for an emergency involving the fuel. The Air Force, however, is asking that the law be struck down because it interferes with Department of Defense activities. There's still no word on the outcome of today's hearings, but we will pass along the information to you as it comes in. Authorities are talking about trucking that very same rocket fuel through the LA area again. But as John Pilios reports tonight, this time they're talking about Los Alamos, not Los Angeles. The route is just one of many being studied by the highway patrol to move the fuel through Santa Barbara County. The fuel trucks would leave Highway 101 at Bell Street, just outside the heart of Los Alamos. The route heads towards Vandenberg on Highway 135 through the rich ranch land between Los Alamos and the base. From 135, it turns onto the lightly traveled San Antonio Road. About 100 yards onto that road is where this route gets a bit sticky. Wiped out in the winter storms of 1983, the bridge over San Antonio Creek was repaired, but it's somewhat less than ideal. Although the route seems to be a sensible one because it takes the rocket fuel away from the more populated areas, the county says nothing as heavy as a rocket fuel truck will be able to pass over this bridge until at least January. That's when they hope to have it rebuilt. Bull shipments have been opposed at almost every turn in the road, but the ranchers here don't seem to mind. If they make this highway safe and this bridge safe and they put the proper lanes, the 12 foot lanes and 1 to 4 foot improved shoulders like they're supposed to, I'm all for it. And I think most of the other people that live out here, you know, we're all ranchers out here and I think it's great to be that many more highway patrolmen out here. But County Supervisor Toru Miyoshi says the truck should remain on Highway 246 through Builton, a proven safe route. Miyoshi says running the trucks near Los Alamos is unfair to that community. It's timing the future potential of the growth in Los Alamos, so I think there's a lot of long term impact that we have to consider before we jump into seeking an alternate route within Santa Barbara County. The issue will be discussed at the next Board of Supervisors meeting and the highway patrol will hold a public hearing in Santa Maria on rocket fuel routes next Wednesday. In Los Alamos, John Piliose, News Watch 12. Some water experts say the state of California is in a drought with river runoffs averaging below 60 percent normal. But others say that the state can still avoid any further drought or major problems if March is a good month for rain. Forestry officials, however, are preparing for the worst and are planning for more fire crews to be on standby. Lightning fires last year blackened nearly one million acres of land in California. Santa Barbara County has another player on its side in its fight to close the Casamaya Toxic Waste Dump. The Santa Maria City Council last night voted to publicly support the county's efforts to shut down the landfill. The county is currently trying to get the dump's existing operating license ruled invalid. Supervisor Toru Miyoshi contends when the state issued the current license officials believed there was no groundwater below the dump. Now they're saying after they issued the license that there is groundwater and contaminated water and so therefore my feeling as far as the state agency is concerned is that I can't trust their efforts to protect the interest and the health interest of the people of Santa Barbara County. If the courts agree with the county the dump owners would have to return to the county to get a new operating license. That would give the county supervisors the upper hand in restricting the dump's operation or forcing its closure. Now he's not wearing any green yet but Jim Barrack is gearing up for St. Patrick's Day. He's here with his first weather check. Well we're all set for the wearing of the green. You might want to wear some green tonight like maybe a green blanket because we're in for a chilly one. Clear skies for the most part will drop lows into the 30s for most places but we're looking for sunshine and middle 60s for tomorrow and of course some afternoon wind. See you soon with my complete forecast. Thanks JB. Well a solution has been reached for the controversial Back to Basic School in Shell Beach. The LaSia Mar School Board last night voted to add more classrooms at the small campus enough to accommodate all the students who are presently on the school's waiting list and that is good news for parents who live near the campus but can't send their children there because it's too crowded. It's wonderful we can be a community again and we'll share our community school with other people in the district that's fine but to be able to go to school with your neighbors and to come home with your neighbors children and to play together it's what a community is. The school board also voted last night to steady the current enrollment policies at Shell Beach Basic and then come back with a report in just about a month or so. The UCSB Gaucho basketball team's dream came true today as they headed for the first time to the NCAA playoffs. The team boarded the plane at the Santa Barbara airport headed for Cincinnati. As you might have already guessed they're looking forward to their playoff debut. People don't know us that well we're probably going to be an underdog and we like it that way. We feel you know that on a neutral court we can play with anybody so we're going to go out there and try and surprise a few people. I think everybody's confident that we can go in and play a good game and come back with a victory or two. You know all the pressure from just trying to make the tournament is behind us now so it's just toss the ball up in the air and have some fun now. Final exams have been pretty hectic but thanks to Santa Barbara who's a nice send off we hope we can get them for you. The Gauchos will have a practice day tomorrow before the big game with Maryland on Friday. And of course Tim O'Leary is going to be boarding a plane for Cincinnati tomorrow and he'll be at the game too with coverage for all of us. We'll see it when we come back. We're going to have more help on the new tax laws from our financial planner Judy Martindale. And we'll tell you about a new helmet law that could affect every motorcycle rider in the state. That is next on News Watch 12. Statistics tell us most of you will be living into your 80s but living on what? That's what's so scary and that's why Blakeslee and Blakeslee believes IRAs are so important. So important we're keeping our offices open every Saturday morning to help you set up your 87 or 88 IRAs into CDs, mutual funds or self-directed accounts. We'll explain rollovers and transfers. Blakeslee and Blakeslee wants to help you plan your financial future. Now open Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon. It's the end of the rainbow here at Joe Redford's Toyota and it's the end of your search for the greatest deal on a new car, truck or van. Toyota not only has the best vehicles but Joe Redford's Toyota has the best deals and during the month of March it is when you make your deal we'll give you as many silver dollars from our pot of gold as your hand can hold. And with all of those offers if I can't sell you a new Toyota I'll eat me shamrock and that's no Blarney. Stewart, party of two, your table is now available. Hi, I'm Sharon, one of the managers here at Federico's and we're celebrating our third anniversary special. We're discounting all food items on our extensive menu by 50%. Offer is good Monday through Thursday for lunch or dinner until April 30th. It's our way of saying thank you. Please come and join our celebration. Federico's, a thoroughbred in dining excellence. Newton Solvang. A new law that would force motorcycle riders and their passengers to wear helmets is gaining momentum in the state capital. Motorcyclists say that proposed legislation will save lives but opponents claim their rights are being trampled. Van Gogh has a story. A good argument for helmet laws happened in San Luis Obispo today. A teenage motorcyclist apparently lost control of his bike. His helmet may well have been a factor in saving his life but many motorcycle enthusiasts say such incidents don't justify making helmets mandatory. Well I don't really like it. I think it's infringing on our rights. I always wear a helmet but I feel that that's my prerogative. I don't like for anybody to tell me I have to. The riders we spoke with say the issue goes beyond just personal freedom. Many say they've tried wearing helmets but find they do more harm than good. Well one it's it impairs your peripheral vision. It's hard to see out the side. They fog up because you get breath and that causes a hazard. The chin straps sometimes they slide up and you're constantly adjusting them which takes away from you know riding a motorcycle you have to have total concentration on all the elements around you. The helmet law is being strongly supported by many cities, counties and health organizations around the state as well as the CHP. In our experience there have been people who have been seriously injured or even killed that probably would have survived or sustained much less injury had they had a helmet on. Motorcycle groups have successfully fought against helmet laws for the past 20 years but this latest bill has cleared the Senate Transportation Committee which makes it more likely than ever that the law will eventually be enacted. In San Luis Obispo, Dan Gottwin, News Watch 12. New figures tonight reveal that construction of new homes rose last month at the fastest rate since December of 1986. The Commerce Department says housing starts shot up 8.9 percent. The number of single family and multi-family units both contributed to the strength and starts last month. Okay you filled out your 1040 tax form and it looks like it's ready to mail but what about all those other forms for home mortgage interest and income tax for your children? Financial Planner Judy Martindale is standing by live to answer those questions for us. Judy? Dave, the IRS will certainly be glad to get your 1040 form but they'll be less than delighted if you were supposed to have attached other forms but didn't. There are several new forms this year. One for the so-called kitty taxes that you mentioned, for home interest mortgage deduction, for tax shelters, and for IRAs if you're making non-deductible contributions. Beginning this year, children under 14 who have more than $1,000 of investment income now have to fill out the tax form 8615. You might also need the new form for mortgage interest. It may apply if you took out a new mortgage debt on your home after August 16, 1986 or if you increased the amount of existing debt after that date. If the total is more than the cost of the house plus improvements, you'll need this form. Congress has virtually eliminated the benefits associated with tax shelters. If tax shelters have been a shelter for your money, get hold of form 8582 for passive activity loss limitation. You'll need it to determine how much, if any, of your losses are deductible. And finally, if you've made a non-deductible IRA contribution or received a non-taxable IRA distribution, get this form, the form 8606. Be sure you have all the forms well in advance. It might take a while to locate them. Dave? Okay, Judy, thank you very much. Judy Martindale, certified financial planner live from San Luis Obispo. Well, Dave, you might want to take some of your hard-earned cash to Pismo Beach tonight and buy yourself a slave. Now, before you get the wrong idea, we're talking about the city's annual VIP slave auction, which was being set up this afternoon. More than 50 prominent citizens will be auctioned off to the highest bidder in return for an evening or afternoon of entertainment. Some VIPs are getting all dressed up for this event on this St. Patty's Day eve. I had this made especially for this occasion. By virtue of tomorrow being St. Patrick's Day, I thought it was only apropos that we dressed in a little bit of green and Connor being partially Irish myself, I thought it was appropriate. The VIP slave auction is getting underway right now in Pismo Beach. It's at the Pismo Beach Vets Hall and admission is free, but you have to bring your cash. Proceeds are going to benefit the business improvement group. Students at Reggetti High School were told today not to fall to peer pressure. Don't be afraid to ask questions and learn to control your own mind. John Alston, a motivational speaker, talked to the students, telling them the importance of taking control of their lives. Or he says, somebody else. Be aware of the fact that it's very easy for someone to come along and take control. That's what commercials do. Alston encouraged the students to create goals for themselves, maintain self-discipline and values. Good advice for all of us. If you're going to get ready to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, you may want to stay tuned. Alston Barrett is going to tell us what the weather will be like for St. Patty's Day. This is the family room. Every house needs one. It has plenty of comfortable places to hang out, listen to music. It's the Ford AeroStar. It's built for trips to the Grand Canyon or to the supermarket. This part's easy. And it runs and runs because it's a Ford. If you need more room for your family, don't build onto your house. Add an AeroStar. Is your mouth big enough for the new Super Taco from Taco Bell? Is it big enough for a bigger taco with more lettuce, more cheese, ground beef and beans? Is your mouth big enough? Well right now you can find out for only 99 cents. So what are you waiting for? Take a big step over to Taco Bell today and fill up with the new Super Taco. And hurry. It's a big deal, but only for a little time. Thank you for making the Esso County Sleep Shop your largest bedding dealer in the Central Coast. And now with the grand opening of the Santa Maria Sleep Shop, we're even bigger. And we're celebrating in all four locations with the biggest bedding sale in Central Coast history. We have every Simmons, every Sealy and every Stearns and Foster mattress on sale at our lowest prices ever starting at only $79. And we still guarantee the lowest prices. We still deliver for free and will even take away your old bedding. Only at the Esso County and Santa Maria Sleep Shops. Now in four locations. I have this lime green sweater that I'm going to wear tomorrow. Am I going to be too hot or too cold for St. Patty's Day? Well I don't know about that. It might be a matter of taste though that we're talking about here, lime green. But it should be... Once a year now, come on. No, good day for it. The sun will be out tomorrow. It might just be a bit breezy. Okay. I'm sure you look good in lime green anyway. Let's start out with the KCOY Weather Center where right now under clear skies the temperature is down to 52 degrees. Humidity 84%. The barometer still moving upwards and the wind has died off as it usually does after sunset. 28 mile an hour peak gust though in Santa Maria. The high today, 61 in Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, 64 in San Luis Obispo, 65 Pastor Obel's cracked the 70 mark and Lompoc with a 65. The high in Santa Maria, 3 degrees below the average and well so is low I guess. Okay. Well the luck of the Irish though is smiling down on the Central Coast. That is if you do like this kind of weather, clear skies, not a storm in sight. However, that does mean cool temperatures tonight for the Central Coast and it will be a bit warmer for tomorrow. And the ideal conditions for viewing an eclipse of the sun which happens tomorrow although unfortunately we can't see it here. But if you do catch a quick flight to Hawaii or Alaska you can watch it. Anyway, I just want to tell you things are going to be around the freezing mark for inland valleys tonight. Most areas will be in the 30s. Let's take a look at national weather for tomorrow. Be clear along the East Coast. A little bit of rain and thunder showers around Texas and the Gulf Coast. Snow for the plains. A white St. Patty's Day here and I hope Mr. O'Leary is listening because for Cincinnati on Friday it looks like this storm is going to move right on over. Tim better pack the snowshoes when you head out to the east there. Out west though, boy look at this, not a cloud in sight. Clear conditions all over the entire western part of the country. Now I got to talk about on Friday, look what's shaping up, a monster ridge of high pressure. And we're talking Santa Ana with this. We're talking possibly having temperatures get up to the 80s for the weekend. It's going to be a few very nice warm days, but nights may still be on the cool side. Let's take a look at our forecast tonight. It's shaping up to be mostly clear, although inland valleys will see some fog forming late. Lows will be a little on the cool side for this time of year. Santa Maria in the mid 30s. Santa Barbara call it a 38. San Luis Obispo 40 and Paso Robles a 33 tomorrow. Sunny and a bit breezy, not quite like today. Should see gusts 10 to 20 miles an hour high. Santa Maria 66, Lompoc 66, Smoore Bay 63, Pismo Beach 65. Pretty consistent. Napomah 68, Los Alamos should be in the 70s. Paso Robles 66, and New Quiyama 63. On the marine forecast, no advisories. Quite nice conditions. Not too breezy and not too choppy. And then looking ahead now through the weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, mostly fair with warm days and cool nights. And speaking of St. Paddy's Day, we sure could use a little more green locally around the hills, but we need some rain to do that and I don't see any in the forecast, so I've got to make with the ... As long as you're giving fashion advice. Are wide green ties okay? I have a real old one. Dave, you'd look great in a wide green tie. I want an old one. I'm sure I'll wear it in the spirit of St. Paddy's Day. For technical reasons, though, I can't wear green tomorrow because if I wear it, you'll be able to see a... Right through you. Yeah, so unfortunately I can't. Yeah, I might do that. It's time now for sports. And our sports director, Tim O'Leary, is standing by live at Adams School for an important sports banquet tonight. Tim? Sue and Dave, the Santa Maria Saints basketball teams are being honored this evening. There are going to be some special awards handed out. I'll fill you in on all the goings on when we come back. It's the Lincoln Mercury California Cavalcade. The Sauerdow City is sweet on sable. We just flew out to California and our daughter said that she would meet us here in her new sable. I'm thinking a sable coat. Surprise, a sable car. An American car. Very nice car. Yeah, a sable coat would have been nice, too. Yes, in California, Mercury sable takes its place in the sun. I'm getting a good one. You're getting pneumonia. See your Lincoln Mercury dealer for the cars that are making news in California. If you're thinking of buying a washer or dryer, don't miss Circuit City's big three-day sale. Save through Saturday on this Frigidaire heavy-duty washer. Just $269. This Frigidaire multi-cycle dryer completes your laundry pair for a low $199. Plus, all washers and dryers are on sale now. Gigantic savings through Saturday at the big three-day sale. Circuit City, the intelligent choice. Isn't advertising wonderful? You can make all the noise you want, beat your drum, scratch your stuff, but if you don't advertise in the right place, it may all be a meaningless gesture. Which is why you should advertise in the one place your customers turn to first, just when they're in the mood to buy your product. The official GTE Yellow Pages. It was a very successful year for Santa Maria basketball. The varsity team went 17-6, finished second in the Northern League and went to the CIF playoffs. The JVs finished 11-7. Pretty good year. And the freshmen lost just one game. They went 18-1. Tonight is the night. They are rewarded with varsity letters and some special awards. And I've got head coach John Jimenez here with me, along with his daughter, Mackenzie, who's probably running the show. John, tell me about these special awards tonight. What we're doing tonight, we're going to be honoring two outstanding basketball players that have come out of Santa Maria High School and also the Valley. One is Steve Patterson, graduated in 1966, is one of the top scorers still in CIF from Santa Maria. He went on to UCLA, helped win three NC2A championships, and from there was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. And that will be the perpetual Steve Patterson most valuable player award that will be given to him. The other one is to honor John Rudemuchen. John graduated by 1957 from Santa Maria High School. He went on to USC where he, until just a few years ago, held a scoring record at that school. He was later drafted by the New York Knicks. Did a super job until he was struck by cancer. And we will be honoring him by giving the John Rudemuchen most inspirational award. John, we won't steal your thunder right now, but we will reveal the winners of these awards tonight on our 11 o'clock show. Have a good dinner. Alright. Looks real good. I got a little potluck going here. Okay, basketball is the hot topic on the Central Coast right now. The Gauchos, Santa Barbara Gauchos, opened the NCAA playoffs on Friday against the Maryland Terrapins. That game can be seen live right here on KCLY at 4 o'clock. One of the Maryland players is an old friend of the Gauchos. He is freshman center Brian Williams. He went to Santa Monica High School, now the same high school as a guard Kerry DeHart and Carlton Davenport. You know, yeah, we tried to get him to come here and he decided to go to Maryland. And I think that we'll have our hands full of Brian. I've played against Brian Williams before in summer leagues a couple times. And I've held my own, I think, against him. And I'm looking forward to playing against him. What does he do? He's a, you know, big guy. Big guy. He can run the court well. He's a great stop blocker, pulls rebounds. He's an all-around good player. And it's going to be a challenge. It sure is going to be a challenge. We talked to Gray because he's going to have to guard Williams one on one. Now, the NCAA start officially tomorrow with the Gauchos playing on Friday. The NIT championships begin tonight. First game on the schedule fits the Ohio State Buckeyes against Old Dominion. Let's switch gears here. The girls' softball season, high school season, is about to start on the Central Coast. Once again, the Reggett Warriors are one of the favorites in the Northern League. The Lady Warriors are ranked second in one state poll. Reggett lost only two players from a team that went 26-3 last season and reached the CIF quarterfinals. However, one was a pitcher. And Coach Rich Cornejo says for now, all CIF hurler Heather Compton will pitch every game. Now, he says softball pitchers can do that because the fast pitch underhand motion doesn't wear down an arm the way overhand pitching does. Go to a summer league tournament where one pitcher can normally pitch three to five games a day. And here we're pitching one game a day every other day. It's going to be a lot harder. Last year Cynthia did a lot. I mean, she was like a great back up. Not really a back up. We were like even last year. So it's going to be a lot of hard work this year. Okay, Reggett opens its season this Friday at the Tournament of Champions in Anaheim. As I mentioned earlier, we will have the results of tonight's award winners from the Santa Maria Basketball Awards banquet. Right now I'm going to throw it back to you, Dave and Sue. Okay, if anything else, tell us what they're having to eat. I appreciate that. Well, Newswatch 12 will continue in a minute. Dave and I'll be right back. If you're ready for a little excitement, use automobile company is ready for you. Come take a look at the new 1988 Pontiac Grand Am, perfectly designed for the driving enthusiast and priced as much as $5,000 less than Ford Mustang or Chevrolet Beretta. At use automobile company, you get the styling and performance of the hot new Grand Am and all these features at an affordable price. Come see our terrific selection and get your best deal possible at use automobile company in Santa Barbara. A lot of top dog investors from around the country come to County Savings Bank or call because they trust us to take good care of them and their money. They know that with over a billion dollars in assets, we're one of the most successful banks around and that we use their money right here in our own backyard where we can keep a close eye on it. You've never seen your money any safer, but then you've never seen a bank like this before. County Savings Bank. It's Gotchocks one-day fine jewelry sale, Saturday only. You'll find 40 to 50 percent off diamonds. This waterfall ring, now $599. 40 percent off colored stone jewelry. This blue topaz ring is now $249. 60 percent off 14-karat gold chains and bracelets. This bracelet, now $279. 50 percent off 14-karat gold earrings. These shrimp hoops, now $99. At Gotchocks one-day fine jewelry sale, Saturday only. Oh, okay, winners get the check. All right, I know the perfect place. They've got to have lots of good food and great service. And big comfortable seats. That's why we're going to Carow's. Oh, good idea. At Carow's, there's something for everyone, including specials like boiled halibut, sauteed shrimp and juicy scallop combo for $6.95. Chicken pot pie dinner for $4.95. Plus a super breakfast for $2.39. Come see how much Carow's cares. Finally, tonight the story of a 10-year-old Oakland fifth grader, frustrated in her efforts to get information for a class report on Mississippi. It seems the Mississippi Secretary of State's office had run out of reference books on the state, so Melissa Montgomery flew there to get the information she needed in person. All of her expenses, except for her plane fare, were picked up by an anonymous person. Maybe Melissa should have done a report on the state of Hawaii instead. Good idea. Yeah. Well, that is going to do it for this edition of Newswatch 12. Be sure to join us tonight at 11 o'clock when we'll have the latest on the escalating conflict in Nicaragua and U.S. involvement there. And the death toll continues to rise in Ireland as violence escalates there as well. And we'll have all of the latest news, sports, and the weather forecast, of course, with Jim Barrack. From all of us here at KCY, have a good evening. Good evening.