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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1983)
Oregon daily _ _ emerald Thursday, January 6, 1982 Eugene. Oregon Volume 84, Number 73 Anacin-3 capsules were found in the home of a 31-year-old Hillsboro woman killed by cyanide Tuesday Toxic capsules kill Hillsboro woman From Em#rnkt and Assockatad Ptsss Raporis HILLSBORO, Ore. — Cyanide-laced capsules killed a 31-year-old Hillsboro woman, state Medical Examiner William Brady said Wednesday, and auth orities say an over-the-counter pain reliever may be implicated Further testing was being conducted to determine what type of capsules contained the poison, Brady said, adding that results might not be available until today In Lane County, health officials said Wednesday they had not been notified of the poisoning by state authorities So far, no orders have been issued to remove pain killers from local stores A representative of the United States Food and Drug Administration — the agency that has the auth ority to make such an order — said his office would not be involved unless a positive connection to an over the-counter drug is established Washington County Sheriff's Capt Harold Kleve said family members reported Patricia F Bennett took Anacin-3 a couple of hours before she became ill and was rushed to the hospital She died early Tuesday "We re working as fast and furious as we can to isolate the source" of the contamination, said Scott Upham, Washington County district attorney Kleve said both capsule fragments and cyanide were found in Bennett's stomach Both he and Brady said Bennett showed no sign of mouth or throat burns, further implicating capsules as the form of inges tion Various pain-relief medications, including Anacin-3, were taken from her home and were being examined, Brady said The maker of the pain killer, American Whitehall, was sending Dr Barry Nash of its staff to assist in the investigation, he said Oh, yes We re certain the capsules contained cyanide,' Brady said. "This lady ingested cyanide filled capsules " He said he believed she ingested one or two capsules Upham said the public should check all over-the counter medications carefully for tampering, ‘ the same precautions they have been advised to utilize since the Tylenol matter." Bennett died about 5'/2 hours after her husband rushed her to Tuality Community Hospital in Hillsboro We re investigating it as a homicide because we want a thorough investigation," said Washington County Deputy John Armstrong. "It could be it was taken by her in a suicidal-type situation We don't know." Bennett died in the intensive care unit at about 4 a m Tuesday, the nursing supervisor said “She was healthy a couple days before," Wa shington County Sheriff Warren ' Bud” Barnes said Tuesday. "Then she ends up in the hospital. "It is an unusual death, let me put it that way," he said Faculty Senate still pondering honors motion By Frank Shaw O* the Emerald The Faculty Senate appointed an investigatory committee to continue work on a motion proposing graduation with honors at the University The proposition, if adopted, will establish the awards based on percentages, with the top 10 percent awarded Cum Laude, top five percent awarded Magna Cum Laude and top two percent awarded Summa Cum Laude honors Discussion of the motion centered on the ques tionable fairness of an honors system which would not take into account differing degrees of difficulty in departments The committee, comprised of both faculty members and members of the Student University Affairs Board, which introduced the motion, will study prob lems raised during the meeting and prepare a report for the next meeting A straw vote called during the debate showed a majority in favor of the idea of some type of graduation with honors, but a later straw vote showed many people thought the current motion has some type of flaw It was suggested that had the motion been ad vanced to the University Assembly it would have provoked the same debate and problems that were raised at the Senate meeting In other business, the Senate heard a short report by Provost Richard Hill on the enrollment results for winter term, which showed the University “holding our own,” in total numbers. Hill pointed out that the data used to generate the numbers was suspect because of the storm which interfered with registration last winter term, making a comparison between years difficult Aaron Novick presented a report by the Faculty Advisory Council on University Governance, giving some of the problems with the current system, including the committee structure and the lack of the authority in the Senate. Gerald Bogen, Senate president, announced some of the items on the next meeting's agenda, including a motion and discussion sponsored by Bogen on man datory faculty retirement and a report on the strategic plan compiled by the chancellor's office. The Senate also reviewed and approved with only a few changes the Report of the Committee on the Curriculum on the course changes which will take effect during the 1983-84 school year. Reagan vows to stay out of Social Security reform WASHINGTON (AP) - President Reagan said Wednesday night he will not intervene or otter guidance to his stalled Social Security reform commission "no matter how much they ask for it" because to do so would turn the whole issue back into a political football He said if the commission can’t come up with a consensus on changes to put Social Security on a sound financial footing, it should send him proposed alternatives, "and then I think that is the time that we should join together and seek to work out a compromise ” At his first news conference of the new year, Reagan said he intends to act to curb unacceptably high federal deficits in the years ahead, although he did not say how He denied the administration has gone overboard on defense spend ing, and declared anew that "we re on the road to the kind of recovery we have been talking about." The dominant topic of his question and-answer session was familiar: the economic slump and the deficit-plagued federal budget. Reagan, despite complaints a day ear lier that his spending program was headed for what Sen. Paul Laxalt, R-Nev., called "terrifying” levels, said he would not discuss budget details because "there are no decisions that have been made.” But he did say that "clearly, we re facing very big deficits unless we take action.” Reagan’s own team of econ omic advisers has warned that red ink could hit $300 billion by 1988 without defense cuts and tax increases. Reagan acknowledged congressional and public concern over his insistence on increases in defense spending. He said that stems from a drumbeat of claims that "we are overboard” on the military budget. But he said his program is not out of line with past spending as a percentage of the gross national product. Reagan opened his nationally broad cast and televised news conference by announcing the nomination of Elizabeth Hanford Dole to become secretary of transportation. He chose Dole to suc ceed Drew Lewis, who resigned to become head of a cable television firm. Dole, wife of Sen. Robert Dole, R-Kan., has been White House assistant for pub lic liaison. Reagan said she will be suc ceeded in that post by Faith Ryan Whittlesey, now ambassador to Switzer land On other topics, Reagan: Said that he favors in principle a sum mit conference with Yuri Andropov, new leader of the Soviet Union, but first "you have to plan, you have to know you can accomplish something." Said a proposal by the Warsaw Pact countries of the Soviet sphere for a non aggression pact with the West "is certainly something that has to be con sidered.” Declined to comment on allegations that Bulgaria and the Soviet Union may have been involved in the assassination attempt last year against Pope John Paul II. He said he knows the Italian President Reagan government is investigating. But Reagan did say that if the Bulgarians or Soviets were found to be involved "it certainly would have an effect and it would be an effect worldwide."
