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The Michigan Daily-Saturday, May 19, 1979-Page 3
JURY AWARDS MILLIONS TO SILK WOOD ESTATE
Nuclear plant found negligent
LAHOMA CITY (AP)-A federal Crescent, Okla., when she died in a Silkwood's parents, Bill and Merle especially the radiation exposure limits
awarded the three children of the Nov. 13, 1974, single-car crash, the week Silkwood, fought back tears. set by federal regulatory agencies.
Karen Silkwood $10.5 million after she and her apartment were found "I just think it's wonderful and I'm "TIHOSE STANDARDS go in the
rday, finding that the Kerr-McGee to have been contaminated with finally glad they've got Karen's name trash can now," said Danny Sheehan,
was negligent in its operatioan of radioactive plutonium. cleared," said Silkwood's mother. "She chief counsel for the Silkwood estate.
lear fuel plant where she worked The three-man, three-woman jury was only trying to help those people get "They are just inoperative. They have
she became contaminated with that returned the verdict of $10 million a clean plant. She was just trying to now been negated."
nium. in punitive damages and $505,000 in ac- help." U.S. District Judge. Frank Theis
is the first time a U.S. nuclear tual damages rejected the company's EXCEPT FOR attorneys fees, the granted Kerr-McGee's request for a
ucts firm has been held liable for claim that Silkwood stole plutonium money from the judgment is expected delay in making his formal judgment to
active contamination that oc- and took it to her Edmond, Oklahoma to go to the Silkwood estate. The sole allow lawyers to file a number of
d outside its plant. apartment to spike her urine samples. heirs are Silkwood's three children: routine post-trial motions, including a
eral organizations hailed the ver- The company claimed she did this to Beverly Meadows, 12; Dawn Meadows, motion for a new trial.
s a victory for workers' rights and back her claims of unsafe working con- 8; and Michael Meadows, 10. The judge indicated in chambers
en's rights and said it will set a ditions at the plant. Silkwood was an active member of several times he is not likelyl to set
dent for other radiation con- the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers aside the jury's verdict.
nation cases. AMID LOUD applause from one side union and, with two co-workers, had In his instructions, Theis told jurors
E WILL definitely, absolutely ap- of the courtroom when the verdict was filed 39 health and safety allegations they may consider the federal
"said Bill Paul, Kerr-McGee chief announced at 10:40 a.m., Silkwood against Kerr-McGee. regulations in attempting to decide
el. lawyer Gerry Spence blew kisses to the Kerr-McGee had attempted to show it whether Kerr-McGee was negligent,
wood, 28, was a lab technician at jurors, who had spent 50 days hearing operated a safe plant and had complied but that they were not bound by the
-McGee's fuel processing plant at testimony with all government standards, standards.
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Millionaires
abound in
Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S.
Senate is awash in millionaires, from
John Heinz's pickle-and-ketchup for-
tune to Rudy Boschwitz's millions in
plywood, financial disclosure reports
showed yesterday.
But the Senate is a rich man's club no
longer - now that millionaire Nancy
Kassebaum has taken her seat.
The reports reveal at least 19
senators have personal or family
wealth of at least a million dollars.
That's nearly one of every five mem-
bers of the Senate.
AN ADDITIONAL 18 have assets that
could place them in the million dollar
circle.
The total number of millionaires
could be even higher. Sens. Lowell
Weicker, (R-Conn.), and Herman
Talmadge (D-Ga.), reported previously
to be millionaires, received an exten-
sion to file their disclosure forms, so no
information on their finances was
available.
Senators were required to divulge the
information about their holdings and
outside income under a law requiring
disclosures about members of the
House of Representatives, Cabinet of-
ficials, U.S. Supreme Court justices,
and other high-ranking officials.
IT IS NOT possible to determine the
exact amount of a senator's wealth,
See MILLIONAIRES, Page 16
Daily rhoto by MAUREN t7"'A"L'
Tired out
Twins Ann and Brenda Stenke pop out of stacks of tires yesterday afternoon. Their playground is their father Larry Stenke's
Standard Station on Stadium Blvd.
w-today
5
Where there's smoke
The University Board of Regents yesterday
expressed dissatisfaction with a proposed alumni
building to be constructed near the Michigan
League. Several Regents said they disliked a 12-foot
cement wall which was part of the preliminary
design. But Regent Gerald Dunn (D-Lansing) ob-
jected to the design's four chimneys. Dunn said he
would be "happy to amend my motion" to approve
the preliminary plans by adding four more chim-
neys, to ensure "one for each Regent." No one men-
tioned what each Regent would burn in his or her
chimney.
Happenings.. .
The Washtenaw County Council on Aging;
the Michigan Heart Association, and the National
Council of Negro Women are sponsoring a free
blood pressure testing clinic from 9 a.m. until noon
at 3800 Packard.. . starting at 1 p.m., Dawntreader
a local mental health self-help group, will wash your
car in the Huron Valley National Bank parking lot
at Washtenaw Ave. and Huron River Parkway.
Proceeds to support Dawntreader. ..on SUNDAY,
there's just one item to mark on your schedule.
"Pink Flamingos and Mental Hospital," a color
photography exhibit at Artworlds- Center for
Creative Arts, 2131 S. Main Street, will open at
noon.. . on MONDAY, the pace picks up again with
the Fourth International Conference of the Society
of Manufacturing Engineers, "Programming
Research and Operations Logistics in Advanced
Manufacturing Technology," at 8 a.m. at the
Rackham Building ... at 3:15 p.m, a reception for
Sir Charles Stuart-Harris, Fogarty Scholar-in-
Residence at the National Institues of Health who
.will deliver the 1979 Don Gudakunst Lecture at the
School of Public Health, will begin in the third floor
lounge of the Vaughn Public Health Building. The
lectue begins at 4 p.m. in the Francis School of
Public Health Building . . . the recently formed
Committee Against Registration and the Draft
(CARD) will meet at 7:30 p.m. at the First
Unitarian Church, 1917 Washtenaw Ave. For more
information call the Guild House, 662-5189. .. finish
the day with Ramblin' Jack Elliott at 9 p.m. at the
Ark.
On the outside
Scattered thundershowers are expected again
today, with the high temperature in the 70s. The
lows will be in the mid-50s. Ditto for the rest of the
weekend,