10-Wednesday, September 20, 1978-The Michigan Daily Troops close in on rebels MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) - Rebels barricaded the streets of Esteli yesterday as government troops circled the city in an attempt to smash the last guerrilla stronghold in the violent uprising against President Anastasio Somoza. The rebels, reinforced by companions from the government-captured towns of Leon and Chinandenga, were reported in control of the city, but their force was not known. RESIDENTS AND reporters leaving town said sandbag and cobblestone barricades chest high and four feet thick stretched across many streets. The Sandinista guerrillas appeared to be better armed and organized than those in any of the other cities, and observers said the battle could be bloodier than any since the rebels launched their attack on national guard posts Sept. 9. The national guard, Nicaragua's 7,500-man army, straddled the Pan American highway leading into the city, strafed rebel positions from the air and appeared ready to send in ground forces. Troops were airlifted to the north of the city, trying to tighten the noose around the city. ESTELI, ABOUT 90 miles north of Managua, normally has a population of about 30,000. It was the northern point of a triangle of northwestern cities held start tl 0t ithout by the rebels for a week before the national guard recaptured them in bloody confrontations. The guerrillas, estimated to number anywhere from 400 to 2,000, were joined by hundreds of sympathizers and got control of the major cities of Matagalpa, Masaya, Leon and Chinandenga, but the rebels were outgunned and forced to flee. The Red Cross has estimated that 300 were killed and 3,000 wounded in Leon and 200 killed in Masaya. There has been no reliable report or estimate of guard casualties. THE GUARD assault on Esteli - meant to keep the rebels from escaping again into the hills - could meet fierce resistance. The approach from the south winds through canyons and the rebels control the cliffs just outside town. A dirt road leads into the city from the west, but travel was difficult because the road was muddied by rains from Hurricane Greta. Southern Nicaragua is in government hands and Managua remains under heavy guard while Somoza's troops search all vehicles entering or leaving the city. A strict curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. is in effect with the guard ordered to shoot on sight. EVEN THOUGH Esteli appears to be the last rebel stronghold, sources in Managua warned against considering the rebellion over. They said many guerrillas have fled into Honduras and Costa Rica to regroup and could attack again. A Managua resident reported heavy gunfire during the night in a neighborhood of the capital where troops reportedly attacked a guerrilla hideout. Unconfirmed reports said 16 guerrillas were killed. Managua's airport was jammed with people trying to leave the country. COPA, a Panamanian airline, increased its daily flights from Managua to six to handle the increased volume. Lanica, the Nicaraguan airline, maintained a regular schedule, but other international carriers reduced flights into the capital to one per day. Relations remained strained between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, its neighbor to the south. Costa Rica has given shelter to guerrillas crossing the border and claims Nicaraguan forces have attacked civilians inside Costa Rica. In Washington, State Department spokesman Hodding Carter expressed deep concern and again called for a cease-fire and prompt mediation to end the fighting. He also called on the government and rebels to avoid action that might harm civilians. House cuts off abortion funds' Can't he it? d y LANSING (UPI) - The state House yesterday voted again to cut off public funding for abortions in Michigan. A $520 million Medicaid budget containing abortion restrictions vetoed earlier this year by Gov. William Milliken was sent to the Senate on a 67- 34 vote following roughly an hour of debate. A VERSION of the measure which would have allowed continued funding for welfare abortions was rejected 57- 42. WE PRINT T-SHIRTS$ QUICK SERVICE LARGE STOCK OF SHIRTS DESIGN ASSIST- ANCE AVAILABLE MINIMUM QUAN.50 ASCQTT. CORPORATION 663-2023 The action makes more likely a confrontation which could jeopardize all Medicaid funding. Milliken has vowed to veto the Medicaid budget for a second time if it reaches his desk with the anti-abortion language. Funding for all Medicaid services is due to expire Sept. 30 if agreement is not reached on a new budget measure. THE HOUSE-PASSED bill effectively cuts off Medicaid funding by allocating a total of $1 for "non- therapeutic abortions." Debate on the abortion bill was lengthy but there were only occasional emotional outbursts. Some Republicans accused backers of the funding cutoff of deliberately attempting to embarrass Milliken on the issue by placing it on his desk just prior to the November election. State Sen. William Fitzgerald, the Democratic candidate for governor, is a staunch opponent of welfare abortions. Rep. Louis Cramtom, (R- Midland), said reviving the anti- abortion language was "merely a waste bf this body's time" although there "may be some political benefit to somebody by going through this drill." Among the British Crown jewels are the two largest cut diamonds in the world, both of which came from a single one-and-a-half pound diamond, says National Geographic. I I . ...ws:.r.c,,... 7/ rP , / ;) 7 :, : :. 0 r I, Ii SPECIAL thru Oct. 31, 1978 Buy a TI-58 Advanced Pro- grammabale. Calculator with plug in solid state software modules or a TI-59 Super Powerful Card Programmable with solid state software modules and receive a $12.95 Programming Guidebook FREE from TI. Texas Instrument CALCU LATORS and accessories IN STOCK- fI.' Texas Instruments SPECIAL M $5.00 Rebate (offer good thru Oct. 31st) Buy a TI-57 Programmable slide-rule calculator and receive a $5.00 rebate from Tex&s instrument, after pur- chase. ULRICH'S GUARANTEE- TI-57 Programmable If you buy a calculator from Ulrich's and within two weeks flnd the nme unit advertised at a lower price, ULRICH'S will 'NO{.;