The Missoulian from Missoula, Montana • 13

INSIDE CITY DESK 523-5242 FRIDAY nn Legislative Digest Montana Roundup Missoulian February 12, 1993 ANA coalStooin Keep at ot9 By SHERRY DEVUN of the Missoulian pounds of nitrogen and 196 pounds of phosphorus into the river each day. In 1991-92, it dumped 553 pounds of nitrogen and 117 pounds of phosphorus daily. The proposed discharge permit would limit Stone to the 1991-92 daily totals. Ruth Watkins, a Sandpoint, Idaho, resident and staff member of the Clark Fork-Pend Oreille Coalition, said "down-streamers" are grateful for the progress made in recent years and are working hard to reduce their pollution of the river and Lake Pend Oreille. Ninety percent of the lake's water comes from the Clark Fork.

Pend Oreille is Idaho's largest lake. Watkins asked for more testing of di-oxin levels in the river and its fish. Dioxon is a byproduct of the chlorine bleaching process used to whiten paper and is deadly in extremely small amounts. Felice Stadler, an environmental studies student at the University of Montana, added her request for a "multi-media approach to pollution control," where state regulators consider air and water pollution in one permit. "When the Water Quality Bureau tightens a discharge permit, the waste is shifted to another part of the environment," Stadler said.

"When Stone cannot dump its discharge into the river, they channel it into ponds and let it evaporate into our air or soak into the groundwater." "We must eliminate pollution by preventing it from being created in the first place," she said. ent pollution in the Clark Fork are actually the Missoula and Butte sewage treatment plants, ranches, logged timberlands, shoreline development and septic systems. Still, Farling asked the state Water Quality Bureau to keep the pressure on Stone not to degrade the quality of the river and, in fact, to further decrease its contamination of the water by investing in new technology. Several dozen people attended a nighttime hearing on a proposed new pollution discharge permit for the mill, which produces kraft paper and linerboard. Stone environmental supervisor Ed Scott said the company has "worked really hard to lower its nutrient loading in the Clark Fork River." In 1986-87, Stone dumped 702 Conservationists from Idaho and Montana applauded Stone Container Corp.

Thursday night for greatly reducing the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus it dumps into the Clark Fork River at its Frenchtown pulp mill. Then they asked the company to do more. "When we don't like what we see in the Clark Fork -or in Lake Pend Oreille, we shouldn't always point to the pulp mill. We should also point to ourselves," said Bruce Farling, a spokesman for the Clark Fork-Pend Oreille Coalition. Farling said the largest sources of nutri Pay now, say later After-the-fact vote on sales tax sinks if ilk 5n Si i0i By BOB ANEZ Associated Press HELENA A Billings lawmaker's desire to have the Legislature put a sales tax into effect, and only then let Montanans vote on whether to keep it, found lukewarm support at best Thursday.

0 Racicot plan could be boon for business Page B-2 JL; 1 -x ft ft MICHAEL GALLACHERMIItoullan MISSOULA ATTORNEY Ron MacDonald, representing local businessman Dennis Washington, was the center of attention at the Missoula County Courthouse Thursday morning. MacDonald bid $2.2 million for the Vorhauer mansion at Salmon Lake on Washington's behalf. Probe continues Missoula police are releasing little information about the death of a newborn child whose body was found by police at a university-area house Wednesday afternoon. City Detective Kevin Clader declined to identify who lived at the house, its exact location, when the birth occurred or whether the child was a boy or girl. Police are continuing their investigation into the death, Clader said.

When asked whether police were suspicious of the child's death or if the circumstances surrounding the death were unusual, Clader said, "it's just circumstances." He said results of an autopsy performed at the state Crime Lab in Missoula could be available on Friday. Police discovered the body of the child at the house at about 3 p.m. Wednesday after they received a medical call. The medical call did not originate at the house, but police have declined to say where the call came from or why officers went to the house. Cadavers needed Montanans who want to donate their bodies to medical science can make arrangements to do so with Montana State University.

Fifteen cadavers are needed annually to teach anatomy to first-year medical students and nursing, physical therapy and other health-related science students at Montana universities and colleges. Persons interested in donating their bodies to medical education can complete a consent form or uniform donor card. Dwight Phillips, MSU anatomy professor, said although the program is not consistently receiving enough bodies to meet teaching needs. For more information, contact the WAMI Medical Education Program at Montana State University. Residents only Kalispell-based health insurance company that will insure just Montana residents says it can offer lower medical insurance premiums.

Montana Medical Benefit Plan has been licensed by the state to become Montana's second in-state non-profit health insurance company. Blue Cross-Blue Shield is the only other such entity. President and chief operating officer Ed Grogan said Montana Medical Benefit Plan offers another option to individuals and companies seeking more affordable coverage. "Montana has the lowest hospital costs in the nation, and we have structured our pricing to reflect that advantage," Grogan said. Births Angela and Duane Handford, Missoula, boy, Feb.

10 Lynn and Jon Riley, Missoula, boy, Feb. 10 Use and Gregory Penn, Stevensville, boy, Feb. 1 1 Renee and Samuel Yates, Stevensville, girl, Feb. 11 Shauna and Bruce Wight, Hall, girl, Feb. 11 Kimberley and Shawn Storment, Missoula, girl, Feb.

10 Joni and Edward Dahy, Lolo, boy, Feb. 11 Obituaries B-3 Hazel M. Campbell-DeJarnette Deborah Jo Dennison Margaret Enze Lynn Prendergast Herreid Peter J. "Butch" Kovarik Jennie P. Lang Henry W.

Lowell Joseph Alvin Murray Chester E. Partin Crescent Tschache Lena Williams Bessie A. Woodward Newsline is compiled from Missoulian staff and wire reports. DDfl Even those backing the philosophy acknowledged the public is certain to demand a vote before such a tax takes effect. And an administration spokesman said Gov.

Marc Racicot is sticking to his campaign promise to let voters decide the fate of any sales tax. The Senate Taxation Committee took no action on the bill by Senate Minority Leader Bruce Crippen, R-Billings. His Senate Bill 299 would require the public to vote in November 1994 on whether to keep a sales tax that would be enacted by the Legislature. (See TAX, Page B-4) Labor split on sales-tax argument? By CHARLES S. JOHNSON Missoulian Slate Bureau HELENA While the Montana AFL-CIO continues to lead the battle against enactment of a general sales tax here, the national AFL-CIO is considering backing a broad-based "consumption tax" on goods and services.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the national AFL-CIO may back the national consumption tax to help pay for a universal health-care plan. It said AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland is expected to ask the federation's executive council to support the tax this weekend "as a way to fend off efforts to tax health benefits." The Journal said the consumption tax can be made less regress- (See LABOR, Page B-4) Washington buys Vorhauer mansion, but he's hoping for cash By JIM LUDWICK of the Missoulian Thursday's foreclosure sale. But Washington used his leverage with the insurer Albany Insurance Co. to strike a deal calling for Albany to halt a legal battle with Charlotte Vorhauer and the estate, MacDonald said. Albany "agreed to waive any further claims against her and the estate," he said.

"We have agreed to insure the property, and to allow her to retain possession during the redemption period, which will give her a much greater ability to show and sell the property for its true market value," MacDonald said. "We're going to be very disappointed if she isn't able to sell the house. Mr. Washington does not want to own that house," he said. Vorhauer, a scientist and businessman, developed the Today contraceptive sponge.

He moved to Montana in the mid-1980s, building the Salmon Lake mansion and becoming involved in numerous projects. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 1990. against Vorhauer for debts that were backed by mortgages. That auction was canceled when Vorhauer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

In early October, Vorhauer committed suicide. The bankruptcy case eventually was dismissed and the auction was rescheduled. It was held Thursday at the front door of the Missoula County Courthouse and drew about 40 spectators. Much of the $2.2 million that was bid by Washington cancels a debt that he was owed by Vorhauer. Washington's actual outlay on Thursday was about $880,000 enough to cover a debt owed by Vorhauer to the Union Bank of Orange, the creditor that was first in line to collect the proceeds of the foreclosure sale.

The debt that Vorhauer owed to Washington stemmed from Vorhauer's purchase of a yacht. The yacht was destroyed by fire in 1991, and much of Washington's interest would have been protected by an insurance policy on the yacht, regardless of the outcome of Bruce Vorhauer's island mansion was sold Thursday to Missoula businessman Dennis Washington for $2.2 million at a foreclosure auction. Washington, one of Vorhauer's principal creditors, received a certificate of sale Thursday but may not actually take possession of the mansion until next year if ever. Charlotte Vorhauer, the widow of the late scientist, has a year to sell the property and pay off debts before Washington takes possession. "Dennis Washington has no interest in possessing the house," said attorney Ron MacDonald, who placed the bid on Washington's behalf.

"What's hopefully next is that Mrs. Vorhauer will be able to sell the property, at a time convenient to her," he said. The mansion, which dominates an island at Salmon Lake, was scheduled for auction last fall after creditors won judgments Arthritis doctors brighten up new ideas hold promise Community colleges lag Dennison scolds schools By MEA ANDREWS of the Missoulian Missoulian 25 to 50 percent of rheumatoid patients actually go into remission. New "DMARDs" medications that actually modify the course of the disease now are prescribed quickly to stop or slow the disease. "I would rather be too aggressive today and talk about withdrawing medication in six months," said Smith, guest speaker at a lecture sponsored by Community Medical Center's Minerva Society.

Doctors who once said rheumatoid arthritis did not threaten life now know it shortens life. Side effects from potent medications take a toll, and sometimes secondary health problems, such as heart disease from lack of exercise, are indirectly related to the (See ARTHRITIS, Page B-4) University of Montana President George Dennison criticized the state's community-college effort Thursday during a speech about employment opportunities. "We have an inadequate system at the community-college level," said Dennison, who was the first speaker in a lecture scries about economic success in Montana. For years, doctors had little new to tell patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. But new treatments and new philosophies about treatment now mean that patients get more effective help, faster than ever for the most severe type of inflammatory joint disease.

"(Rheumatology) meetings have become exciting," says Dr. John Smith, a Missoula specialist who deals with diseases of the joint. "The feeling has changed a great deal toward optimism." In years gone by, "we would have adopted the attitude of going very slowly and hoping that the disease would go away on its own," Smith said Thursday in a lecture on new treatments. In fact, He said community-college training should be available in more parts of the state. Furthermore, he said, Montana's community-college and vocational programs should better reflect the opportunities that are available in the job market.

In Montana, Dennison said, "if we don't maintain an adequate and responsive educational system, then I think any effort to restructure this economy is destined to fail." A college education will continue to have significant economic value during the next 15 to 20 years, he said. "The trends that we saw in the last decade will continue. The rate of increase of jobs requiring a college degree will be twice the rate of increase for jobs generally speaking," he said. 1,1 Dennison Dennison said the state's educational system is not doing enough "to provide the full array of opportunities that people need.".