Globe-Gazette from Mason City, Iowa • 1

fo) AO jEJJ MIDWttT CtVM C2lR7lrl HAY LEWIS MONDAY, MBRUAIY DANCIHO I TO P. Home to Holly bc iter rtobe AfM 11 II. TMi AH-Sltr Cm QPQJQ MMikhMX. A Spin Imit. Mm.

1 ChMhinf Ik UNISYS Hawkeyes Germans sign $47M deal NORTH I0WAA4 search the bench SP0RTSB13 mm North Livestock suffering under cold 4 fS Straightening things out: A worker for the Soo Line railroad Rudd on Thursday, sending 1 2 cars off. They contained grain takes out a tie from railroad track that cracked about a pile from and anhydrous ammonia. Cold cracks rail, throwing train from track In The News Man convicted of bus deaths CARROLLTON, Ky. (AP) Larry Mahoney was convicted Thursday of 27 counts of second-degree manslaughter in the nation's deadliest alcohol-related traffic crash, which claimed the lives of 27 people riding home from a church outing. The jury also convicted Mahoney on 12 counts of first-degree assault and all but one of the 42 wanton tndangerment counts he was charged with in the fiery crash on May 14, 1988.

Mahoney, a 36-year-old chemical plant worker, escaped a possible life sentence when the jury opted for the less serious charge of manslaughter, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five to 10 years per count. He had been charged with 27 murder counts. Violence in Romania VIENNA, Austria (AP) President Nicolae Ceausescu sent tanks into the streets of Bucharest Thursday and security forces with submachine guns fired on young demonstrators protesting his iron rule, killing at least 13 people. In Washington, the State Department said a "massacre of undetermined proportions" was believed to have taken place the last few days. See B21 Reagan notes sought WASHINGTON (AP) A federal judge Thursday delayed the start of John Poindexter's Iran-Contra trial and demanded to see excerpts from former President Reagan's diaries and notes, which Poindexter wants to use in court.

U.S. District Court Judge Harold Greene said, "President Reagan shall produce for the court's inspection" by Jan. 7 some of the materials sought by Poindexter. Greene will then determine whether the material is relevant to the criminal charges against Reagan's former national security adviser. Greene moved back the Jan.

22 starting date of Poindexter's trial until Feb. 20. Death row averted TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday ordered an innocent verdict for a former Army "Soldier of the Year" sentenced to die in the 1978 murder of a young Walt Disney World worker on grounds of insufficient evidence. Robert Craig Cox, 30, was convicted in 1988 of the killing 10 years earlier of Sharon Zellers, 19.

He became a suspect because he was staying in a motel adjacent to the crime scene and part of his tongue had been bitten off the night before, indicating a possible struggle. The case went unsolved for a decade. In the meantime, Cox was named the Army's "Soldier of the Year" in 1979. Mail bombs probed ATLANTA (AP) The FBI pressed the search for links between a series a parcel bombs in the South and civil rights litigation, reportedly questioning a Georgia lawyer about a 14-year-old racial discrimination case. The FBI emphasized its investigation of the mail bombs that killed a federal judge and a civil rights lawyer remained open-ended.

A Macon attorney said Wednesday the FBI questioned one of his associates about a case in which his firm's clients won $3.75 million for discrimination at Robins Air Force Base. He said 22 of the train's 26 cars were loaded with grain and another two were filled with anhydrous ammonia. Two cars were empty. The two cars loaded with the deadly chemical were tilted but remained upright and did not puncture, said Neil Griffin, Floyd County disaster service. "It could've been one hell of a bad situation," he said.

About eight other cars were By Kevin Baskins and Jeff Tecklenburg Staff Writers Cold weather is hard on animals and machinery, but when the two are combined, it makes for some trying times down on the farm. "When the weather gets like this, farmers have to put in a tremendous amount of work just to do the routine chores," said Karl Griffith, Extension livestock production specialist. "It seems like nothing wants to work right when it's this cold the tractors and pickups won't start, the augers don't work right, and the water's always freezing up," said Griffith. The Arctic-like weather hovering over North Iowa this week makes for not only uncomfortable chores. It produced wind chill factors of at least 60 below all day Thursday.

-A record low of -23 in Mason City early Thursday beat the previous record of -22 in 1963. The temperature was expected to drop as low as 30 below zero early today. That kind of cold is tough on humans and their vehicles. By early evening Thursday, Larry's Wrecker and Crane service had answered about 350 calls for starts and tows, said spokesman Russell Hardy. "And it's not over yet.

This is one of the worst days we've had, as far as numbers. We had three dispatchers handling calls and 10 people doing tows and starts. They were just stupendous." Meanwhile, classes have been cancelled for today at Belmond and Garner-Hayfield schools. Classes will begin one hour late at Buffalo Center-Rake, Charles City, Thompson and Greene, and See COLD, A2 Wind chill chartA2 Analysis Panama raid bares a few sticky thorns By R.W. Apple Jr.

Of The New York Times WASHINGTON More than 36 hours after the start of the United States thrust into Panama, at least three major problems remained unresolved Thursday, none of them easy to deal with. Each problem has the potential to diminish the success, if not turn it into failure. There was a good deal of satisfaction in the upper reaches of the U.S. government, because a technically difficult military mission had apparently been well conducted and had driven one of this country's nemeses, Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega, Panama's dictator, out of power and into hiding.

But there was also a good deal of apprehension less loudly voiced, of course because of what a senior official called "these severe challenges." An atmosphere of uncertainty prevailed, and members of the White House inner circle said they lacked information on important aspects of the situation. "Take them in order," the official said. "Finding Noriega, getting the new government up and running and rescuing the hostages. Fail conspicuously in any one of them, and this won't look like such a triumph in a week or so." Rep. Les Aspin, who heads the House Armed Services Committee, agreed that one measure of success would be the ultimate effectiveness of President Guillermo Endara, who was, See PANAMA.

A2 By Geneva Loynachan Staff Writer And The Associated Press RUDD Severe cold may have cracked a rail line, causing about 12 cars of a Soo Line train to derail early Thursday a half mile east of Rudd. There were no injuries, said John Bergene, director of corporate communications for the Minneapolis-based Soo Line. Christmas Cheer 1989 fjmim-Vmi Jajwwiaaajr North Iowa generosity makes this the best Cheer Fund ever By Kristin Buehner Staff Writer MASON CITY It would be an understatement to say the Globe-Gazette's Christmas Cheer Fund exceeded its goal this year. On Thursday, the last day of the 1989 campaign, more than $5,000 was given, bringing the Cheer Fund total for the year to a re StaHprMte by DAVE OELPERDANG track machinery for the railroad, said Rice. The train left Dubuque and was headed for Mason City when it derailed about a half-miles south of U.S.

Highway 18 at 4:30 a.m., said Bergene. Bergene said Soo Line crews would continue working in subzero weather as they tried to clear the tracks. He said the damaged portion of the track should be replaced sometime Friday. Mason City were close behind with $798.58. The previous Cheer Fund record of $31,702 was set in 1987.

Some other examples of North Iowans' demonstrating concern for their less fortunate neighbors: One North Iowa family, which gave $20 to the Cheer Fund, See CHEER FUND, A5 Drought that cut production and pushed up crop prices. Huge government subsidies and price supports for farmers. An extraordinary increase in off-farm employment by farmers and their spouses. Those factors combined "to make 1989 a little bit more prosperous than other years of the decade," Ostendorf said. But he noted recent forecasts from researchers at Iowa State University and the University of Missouri that net farm income could fall nearly 43 percent, after adjustment for inflation, by the middle of the new decade.

"The free-market mentality is taking credit for this" recovery, Ostendorf said. "The free-market i mentality cost the taxpayers and the Treasury this kind of money" I to pay for the recovery. i For example, government pay-! ments to Iowa farmers accounted for 57 percent of their net farm income in 1984, 41 percent in 1985, 50 percent in 1986, 74 percent in 1987 and 83 percent in 1988. stacked up "like cordwood," said Griffin. "It was a real mess." Griffin and Bergene said overnight temperatures of minus 26 degrees probably caused the rail to crack.

Emergency crews arrived about 11 a.m. to sift through the rubble to find the cause of the derailment, said Harvey Rice, Mason City, track inspector. Some of the cars contained cord $37,854.13, nearly $13,000 over the Fund's $25,000 goal. Leading the way Thursday were Roosevelt Middle School in Mason City, with $1,341.25, and John Adams Middle School, Mason City, with $1,265.98. Employees of Principal Financial Group Pension Center in the state's deep freeze on a Florida vacation on Thursday, earlier called 1989 "somewhat of a mixed bag" for the state.

In a year-end news conference in Washington, Yeutter said 1989 income reached near-record levels, agricultural exports have improved and the farm-credit situation has eased for both lenders and borrowers. "Net farm income will be either at or near a record for 1989," he said. "The numbers are not fully determined yet, but certainly it's been a very good year for American agriculture, one of the best ever." Ostendorf said in Des Moines that any turnaround in agriculture's fortunes resulted from: Iowa agriculture's year not so lustrous Ag Secretary Yeutter says agriculture has never been better than in 1989. Unfortunately, not all Iowa shared in that bounty, noted Sheffield farmer Merlin Plagge. By Steven P.

Rosenfeld Of The Associated Press DES MOINES While Agriculture Secretary Clayton Yeutter on Thursday called 1989 "one of the best ever" years for the American farmer, the assessment was not as glowing in Iowa, where parts of the state suffered their third year of drought losses. "We're far from out of the woods," said the Rev. David Os-tendorf, executive director of Prairiefire, a rural advocacy organization that recently called for Yeutter's ouster. To Merlin Plagge of Sheffield, president of the state's biggest farm group "Much of Iowa did have a good year in agriculture but for those areas that came up short on rainfall, it was not a good year." Plagge, president of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, recalled that Iowa began 1989 looking at a possible repeat of the 1988 drought "But some timely rains at critical times did allow us to produce a good crop in Iowa in most areas. Unfortunately, some areas had poor crops, in some instances for a second or third year," he said.

The southeast part of Iowa is in its third year of drought-diminished yields. While corn production averaged 130 bushels an acre statewide in 1987, 84 bushels in the Drought of 1988 and a projected 119 bushels this year, southeast Iowa averaged a more meager 108.3 bushels an acre in 1987, 50.6 in 1988 and a projected 95 bushels this year. Soil moisture levels remained inadequate through most of Iowa as winter began, leaving drought a worry for the 1990 planting season. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Dale Cochran, who was escaping Weather YOU guessed it: Continued bitterly cold today with mostly sunny skies. High around 10 to 15 below zero.

Northwest to west winds around 10 mph. Tonight, clear to partly cloudy. Low 15 to 20 below zero. Details, A12 Index Ann Landara B17 Markets Big Brktga B18 Nation B20 Claaaiftoda B21-23 North Iowa A3-S Comrca B18 Obituariaa All Crossword B18 Opinion AlO DMneOinda B19 Sport. Etc.

A2 Tatairision B17 Horoecopa B18 Mfaathar A12 km A8.