ITuesdoy, July 19, 1911f THE WCHGAN DAILY Wage Th reg iuesdayiisly 19, 19ff THE MICHIGAN DAILY "oge Thre City cable TV faces trouble By GREGG KRUPA Ann Arbor Cablevision Inc. is facing several financial and legal difficulties that threaten to obstruct the city's awarding of a franchise to the company, Presently Ann Arbor Cablevision is a subsidiary of the cablevision holding company, the Irvine Cable Company of Irvine, California. The parent company is being reorganized in federal bank- ruptcy court. As a part of the reorgan- ization Ann Arbor Cablevision will be- come anindependent company. BUT TIlE BANKRUPTCY proceedings have delayed Ann Arbor Cablevision's 15 year enfranchisement with the city of Ann Arbor. The company must be en- franchised by the city because the com- pany has a monopoly on the cable ser- vice to more than 7.000 local subscribers. In addition, local attorney Elmer White has filed a law suit that may force the city to revise the terms of the pend- ing 15 year franchise. In the suite White charged that be- cause the company is a public utility, the city's franchise must either be re- voked at the will of the city, or the city must seek approval of three fifths of the city's voters before the city can grant the company a franchise. DISTRICT COURT Judge William Ager. ruled the company was a public utility. Although the city is appealing the decision, City Attorney Bruce Laidlaw saws that if the decision holds, the fran- chise will be revised. "Council merely has to pass a resolu- tion adding a provision to the franchise saying it is revokable at the wiHl of the city," Laidlaw said. Tom Ridley of Ann Arbor Cablevision Inc. is confident that the franchise will soon be awarded. "I don't think there's any danger that we won't eventually be awarded the 15 year contract. The bank- ruptcy thing will be finalized by the end of the year and the plant exists and someone is going to have to operate it." CHARLIE LADD of the Ann Arbor Cable Commission, a division of city government that overlooks the opera-, tion of the company, also said she was in favor of granting the franchise to the company. "We are standing behind the com- pany and would like very much to award the contract because we think they would do a good job," ILadd said, But attorney White has a different perception of the entire entanglement "WE SIOULD control this thing through city hall." he said. "We should-t hand this thing to a bunch of bankrupts on a silver platter." White says he is concerned about the changes improving television technology is having on society and that the city should be hesitant to release any of the power that it holds over the company. "J.ooking at where society is going with television we have to look at the changes that will be happening. Tele- vision has the ability to homogenize hu- man culture. Cable has the ability to communicate two ways. I don't think the city should surrender control over that much potential power." Hundreds'support VA nurses at hospital rally By LORI CARRUTHERS Nearly a thousand chanting, singing demonstrators gathered on the lower lawn of the Veter- ans Administration (VA) hos- pital Sunday afternoon to pro- test last Wednesday's convic- tion of nurses Filipina Narciso and Leonora Perez, Narciso and Perez, both for- mer VA nurses, were found guilty of one count of conspir- acy and three counts of poison- ing each in a series of breath- ing failures at the VA hospital daring the summer of 1975. VA NURSES on their lunch break, young children carrying crayon covered placards, and University students participat- ed in the rally. People in the crowd often broke into song or rhythmic clapping as they marched in the picket line and listened to us-er a dozen speak- ers. Both Narciso and Perez, along with their parents and relatives attended the rally held in their behalf. Perez' young son, Christopher, walked in the picket line with a poster that read, "Mommie and Auntie P.1. are Innocent." "I don't know what happen- ed . . . I still have high hopes we will win the case, very high hopes," an emotional Perez told the crowd. "Troth will prevail in this country," "ON THE 13TIi day of\JuTy, Belcher suit names city clerk, ce-unty canvassers 1977 justice died. I hate to see the day when it could happen to one of you," Narciso sagd. Kathy Robinson, an alternate juror, also expressed dismay at the outcome of the trial. "I sat in that jury box during three months of testimony, three days of final arguments and 46 pages of legal instruc- tion - I will never understand how 12 people could have come to that verdict. "I talked to one of the jurors afterwards and they said, 'No one who had not been present in the deliberation room would be able to understand the ver- dict'---I agree with that," Rob- inson said. S P E A K I N G TO Narciso and Perez she said, "I'm sorry the system didn't work for Many VA ptients were also convinced if the two nurses' innocence. .I don't tfeel the nurse did it," VA patient Roy Beau said. "At first I maybe thought yes hut I kept asking myself why. I've cone some research on this shec dmnd I have talked to gMy wh hehavelived through it. 'they don' think the trses are guilty." "THE IHOSPITAL should have stood behind them fand the administration should have made a heltva effort to stand behind them. They hired them, (Narciso and Perez), and plac- ed them in those positions s Bean continued. Bean said the impact of the verdict:; could have a wide- spread effect. "This will affect nurses and patients in VA hos- pitals all over the country," he said. "There will be a rebellion, maybe not as violent as the six- See VA, Page 6 By RON DeKETT A Monroe County Circuit Judge yesterday named the Ann Arbor City Clerk and the Washtenaw County Board of Canvassers parties in a civil suit, filed against Democratic Mayor Albert Wheeler disput- ing the outcome of last April's mayoral election. In action favorable to a mo- tion filed by Wheeler's lawyer, Robert Grace, Judge James Kelly said the positions of city clerk and board of canvassers, not the individuals holding the offices, will be named parties in the suit. Kelly denied a por- tion of Grace's motion asking that the City of Ann Arbor be included as an additional party. LO UIS FEtF. C H E R (R - Fifth Ward) is suing Wheeler to gain the mapor's position. Belcher lost the April election by one vote. His suit alleges the board of canvassers erred in certifying the elec- tion. It also contends non-city residents voted in the election and affected the outcome of the race. Because of these alleged errors the suit claims Wheeler assumed the office of mayor illegally. Bruce Benz, acting for Grace,, argued that the City of Ann Ar- bor, the Ann Arbor City Clerk and the Washtenaw County Board of Canvassers should be named parties in the suit. Benz said Wheeler should not See BELCHER, Page 5 A CROWD of 500 to 800 rallied at the Ann Arbor Veteran's Administration Hospital Sunday to demonstrate support for nurses Leonora Perez (left) and Filipina Narciso (right) who were convicted last week of poisoning five patients at the hos- pital in 1975. Billboard bride Michael Block; of New York City, believes in marriage, and he is willing to go to almost any lengths to make sure he finds a spouse. The 35- year-old advertisting executive has spent $2,600 to put his picture and a brief message in eight loca- tions on the Lexinton Ave subway line. The ads urge women interested in marriage to send him a picture and a short at his New York City post office box. "I believe in marriage," Block said. "I believe in children. I'm romantic. I decided to do TODAY something different, and this is it." So far, Block says the response has been good, and he recom- mends his method to lonely persons everywhere. But, if you can't afford $2,500, there's always Daily personals. Happenings . . our advise is to fin4 a nice, air-conditioned bedroom, and sleep all day today, because nothing is happening until 7:30, when there will be a free showing of the film Hurry Tomorrow, in Aud. 3, MLB. On the outside ... Go find your smart-alek, no-it-all friend who said yesterday's rain would cool things off, and punch him or her in the nose, because today's go- ing to be worse than yesterday. You'll be about as comfortable as a potato in a crock pot, as the temperature and the humidity will race to see who can reach 100 the fastest. Jimmy the Greek gives the nod to temperature by 3 to 2 odds, but if it rains in the morning (there is a chance) the odds will change. Skies will be partly sunny, and tonight's low will be in the upper 70s.