The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 16, 1989- Page 3 School finance *proposal rejected LANSING (AP) - Legislation to revamp school financing in Michigan was rejected for the third time yesterday by the state Senate, and majority Republicans immediately set to work on yet mnother plan. The latest idea would slash property tax assessments almost in half, boost the sales tax by 50 percent, raise taxes by about $239 million a year, and provide about $413 million in additional money for schools, according to Senate experts. With time running out to get a measure on a May 16 statewide ballot - and allow the Senate to go pn spring vacation as planned this week - Senate leaders slated immediate debate on the measure for today. "It does represent a compromise," laid Senate Majority Leader John Fngler (R-Mount Pleasant). "This does 'not contain revolutionary proposals." Preliminary work on the new measure began just before dinnertime, after a day of lobbying, negotiations and bargaining on the doomed House-passed proposal that appeared close to attracting the two- thirds vote needed. That proposal would have boosted the sales tax to six percent from four percent, slash property taxes by $1.1 billion, and provide about $505 million more for public schools. It failed on a 24-14 vote yesterday, two votes short of the 26 needed. Both Republicans and Democrats offered 12 votes for the proposal. Engler said he had been told by Minority Leader Arthur Miller (D- Warren) that the Democrats would provide 14 votes. There was little debate on the measure, which had been thoroughly discussed before. But Sen. Jack Faxon (D-Farmington Hills) said it hadn't improved in the week since the last defeat. : You know what happens to a fish after a week - it starts to smell," he said. Sen. Joseph Conroy (D-Flint) 4rgued vainly for the proposal, "It's about time this Senate show some leadership on both sides of the aisle and step up to the line and help education," he said. Discovery's 4 power source is repaired HOUSTON (AP) - The lights Calif., as planned. came back on the Discovery space The five astro shuttle yesterday after Mission Con- the business of r trol apparently fixed a troublesome ments and trying hydrogen tank and told the astronauts vironmentally dan not to worry about conserving en- Earth, including& ergy. fire in the Florida Discovery's five astronauts had erupting volcanoi switched off unnecessary lights and They also cond computers because of concern about on each other. W erratic pressure readings from one of flight deck, Dr..I three hydrogen tanks aboard the Coats' blood pre shuttle. The tank, which helps sup- pulse and pressed ply electricity, was taken out of ser- his temple to m vice Tuesday while engineers studies flow in his head. the problem. The tests were The crew turned the tank back on what effect zero g yesterday morning but used only one flow. of its two heaters. Mission Control Mission Conti told the crew that early pressure with a full brass readings showed the tank was work- the Marine Corps ing properly. "We got two N "That's good news to hear," attention up her replied Discovery commander Navy captain." Michael Coats. now?" The hydrogen is combined with oxygen in the fuel cells tp produce Astronauts Ja electricity for shuttle systems, with Robert Springer a water as a byproduct. Bagian is a physi Ground controllers were concerned Blana is an Air Fo that without the use of the third hy- Discovery's p drogen tank, there may not be deployment of a enough electricity to support a five- munications sate] day flight, plus two days for contin- pleted Monday sev gencies. shuttle rocketed in . But flight director Granvil Pen- The Tracking nington said the problem seemed Satellite comple fixed, meaning Discovery is headed will allow groun for a 6:34 a.m. PST landing time unbroken radio c Saturday at Edwards Air Force Base, and other satellite onauts went about monitoring experi- to photograph en- rmaged areas of the scars from a recent everglades and an in Guatamala. ducted medical tests hile floating on the James Bagian took ssure, checked his a small device into neasure the blood e to help determine gravity has on blood rol awoke the crew band rendition of Hymn. Marines standing at e," joked Coats, a "What do we do ames Buchli and re Marine colonels. cian, and pilot John rce colonel. rimary mission - $100 million corn- llite - was comn- .veral hours after the ito orbit. g and Data Relay tes a network that d controllers almost ontact with shuttles s. LIZ STEKETF.E/Day Choral group The Moorehouse College Glee Club of Atlanta, Georgia sings during the Third Annual Black College Choir Concert held at the First Congregational Church last night. Chemical Alar may be banned WASHINGTON (AP) - The Michigan Department of Agriculture is considering a ban on using the chemical Alar on food products in light of recent concerns that it may be dangerous to health. David Wade, a toxicologist with the department's pesticide and plant agent division, said yesterday that the agency hoped to make a final de- cision "in the next week or two." "We're considering various op- tions - everything from no need to do anything at this point, to an out- right ban, to requiring it to be a re- stricted-use pesticide," Wade said in an interview from Lansing. One processing company, Indian Summer Inc., said it would stop re- ceiving apples at its Belding, Mich., plant next week until it evaluates the impact of the Alar scare. Alar is used to extend the storage life of apples and to give them a more appealing appearance and tex- ture. Concerns about its health ef- fects were first raised by the Envi- ronmental Protection Agency in 1985, but the issue didn't become a matter of intense public worry until last Sunday, when the CBS televi- sion program "60 Minutes" aired a report on the subject. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the cancer risk from Alar is about one in 100,000 and has not banned Alar's use, al- though the substance remains under study. Representatives of the Michigan Farm Bureau, in Washington for their annual week of lobbying before Congress and federal agencies, said they were deeply concerned that Michigan agriculture authorities would add to public panic should they seek additional regulation of Alar. "If we have an agency working totally on emotion without any re- search support... then let me tell you there is nothing you can eat without emotion," said Jack Laurie, president of the Michigan Farm Bureau. "Everything we consume in some way is touched by some substance that one could question its food safety." Laurie said that action on Alar in the present emotional climate "would send the wrong signal." Wade said that nationally, the chemical is used on about five per- cent of the apple crop. Part of the agency's consideration of what to do about Alar involves estimating the extent of its use on the Michigan apple crop, which totals about 19 million bushels a year. Burton Cardwell, chief deputy di- rector of the agriculture department, said department Director Paul Kindinger and other officials will meet with Gov. James Blanchard's staff today to discuss the Alar con- troversy. Laurie said use of the chemical on Michigan apples is negligible, and a ban on the product would have little direct impact on the state's growers. However, public fears about the safety of apples will make it difficult for farmers to sell what's left of last year's crop, which could have a dev- astating economic impact, Laurie said. "Every year we're going to have a crop, and if you don't get the lasi one moved before the next one is ready then your problem begins tc multiply," Laurie said. At Fremont-based Gerber Prod- ucts Co., officials said that since the "60 Minutes" report, they have re- ceived about 7,000 calls on the company's toll-free line from parents concerned about whether it's safe to feed their babies Gerber apple juice and sauce. "Some of them are a little pan- icky," speaker Steve Poole said, adding that Gerber has not accepted Alar-treated apples since 1986. Indian Summer will stop receiv- ing Michigan apples at its Belding plant Tuesday for an indefinite period and will lay off nine of its 90 em- ployees there, saidFred Galyean, vice president of operations. Indian Summer uses apples that are not treated with Alar in the apple juice it manufactures at Belding. Galyean said that of 140 samples of incoming apples over the last three years, only one tested positive for Alar, "at a very low level." x t t t S r C E r AIDS virus mutants resistant to drug AZT NEW YORK (AP) - The wide- spread use of the anti-AIDS drug AZT has led to the appearance of mutant AIDS virus strains that can no longer be completely controlled by AZT, says a study by the drug's manufacturer. Doctors are not recommending any changes in the use of AZT, which is the only drug approved in the United States to treat the AIDS virus infection. "So far, the resistance has not been proven to have clinical signifi- cance," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, di- rector of the AIDS program at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD. Doctors do not know whether these AZT-resistant strains can eas- ily cause AIDS or whether the mutation that made them resistant to AZT might have also impaired their 6 Barber-stylists For Men & Women -Collegiate Styles a specialty- Dascola Stylists opposite Jacobson's, 668-9329 ability to cause disease. "People who are on AZT and are currently benefitting from AZT, should not panic and consider this a* major setback," said Fauci. "Just because one can isolate a resistant strain from a patient doesn't mean AZT is not effective in combatting most of the viral replication in the. patient," he said. BEST PICTURE BEST DIRECTOR NINNER N. Y FILM CRITICSAWAROS 'A Clockwork Orange' Is* one o e fow perfect movies I have seen in my ieme. -A. N Y Sunday No" Thur. & Fri., March 16 & 17 7pm & 9:30pm MLB Aud. 4 Admission $3.00 Refreshments will be available THE LIST What's happening in Ann Arbor today Speakers "Custom Tailoring Your European Trip" - Itineries, packing, money matters, fellow travellers, etc., In- ternational Center, 3-4 pm. "The Sights and Sounds of Chaos" -Prof. Leon Chua, UC Berkeley, 1200 EECS, 4-5:30 pm. "Anxious for Armageddon: Prob- ing Israel's Support Among American Christian Zionists" - Rev. Donald Wagner, Rackham Amphitheatre, 7 pm. "Ethics, Morality, Social Concerns, and the Social Sciences" - Asst. Psych. Prof. James Hilton, ~Canterbury house, 7:30 pm. "Sexual Selection for Cognitive Abilities: NewData on Spatial SA bility" - Steve Gaulin, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, E. Lec- ture Rm., Rackham, 4 pm. Selections From the Poetry of William Butler Yeats - Read by Bert G. Hornback, Rare Books Rm., Hatcher Graduate Library, Rm. 711, 5:30 pm. "An Introduction to Animal Rights" - Eileen Liska, Michigan Humane Society, Angell Hall, Rm. 35, 7 pm. Meetings American Pictures: Student Coalition for Social Awareness - Rackham Aud., 7 pm. Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry - Hillel, Rm. 3, 6:30 pm. Palestine Solidarity Committee - 2212 MLB, 7 pm. Rainforest Action Movement - 1040 Dana, 7 pm. Indian American Student Association - Michigan Rm., Michigan Union, 5:30 pm. Students Concerned About Ani- Practice - Coliseum, 8-10 pm. Rookies welcome. PIRGIM - Fourth Floor Alcove, Michigan Union, 7 pm. Be there or be toxic. American-Arab Anti Discrimina- tion Committee - Michigan Union, MUG, 6 pm. Furthermore The Summer Job Fair - Michigan Union, 10 am-4 pm. International Coffee Hour: "Racism vs. Islam" - Michigan League, Rm. D, 12 noon. Free re- freshments served. Peer WritingTutors - 611 Church St. Computing Center, 7- 11 pm. ECB trained. Northwalk - Sun-Thur, 9 pm-1 am. Call 763-WALK or stop by 3224 Bursley. Safewalk - Sun-Thur, 8 pm-1:30 am; Fri-Sat, 8-11:30 pm. Call 936- 1000 or stop by 102 UGLi. Performances "The Hazards of Work" Exhibit Opening - Earl Dotter, Labor Photographer for American Labor Education Center, School of Art, Outside the Slusser Gallery, 5-7 pm. Continuing through March 22, 1989. Ann Arbor Repertory Theatre Presents A Shayna Maidel - Irwin Green Aud, Hillel, 8 pm. Tickets $15 & $10 (Students & Seniors). Michigras Battle of the Bands Continues - U-Club, 9 pm. Comedy Company - The Return of the Big Show, Mendelssohn Theatre, 8 pm. $3.50 in advance $4 at the door. Junk Monkeys/Holy Cows - At