Board recommends lesbian remain in Navy Reserves NATIONAL SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In a surprising d»i ision. a Now tribunal decided Thursday that I.t Zoe Dun ning's t areer in the Reserves should not end with the statement "I am a lesbian.” A board of inquiry unanimously ruled that Dun ning had proved she would not engage in homo sexual ni ts, in line w ith the military’s "don't ask, don't tell” policy "The board of inquiry recommends retention in the Naval serve said Capt Thomas Herns, senior member of the board. Dunning stood while the findings were being read, her hands clenched Afterward, she siniloti briefly as she clasped lawyer Greg Bonfiglio's hands Dunning's attorneys had maintained that w hen she made the statement "I am a lesbian'' at a Jan uary 1993 rally, she was not broadcasting her inten tions to practice homosexuality hut merely indi cating her sexual orientation. "Site felt that to continue to hide who she was would lx? a lie," Honftglio said. Ho had warned the board that dist barging Dun ning would mean "needlessly destroying the < areer of a dedicated, distinguished officer." Dunning. 31. has been working one weekend a month as n supply officer at the Naval Aviation Depot in Alameda Co-workers and supersisors testified Wednesday Ih hut to order Dunning separated from the st vice, regardless of her achievements We re not saving that I t Dunning is a t>ad per soil or an e\ il person lux ause she made a person al decision but what has happened now. Us ause she has said that, the fact is it's not at t eptable with in the Armed fonw." said t.t Ingrid Turner Pros** utors said that under "don't ask. don t tell,” servo e memfiers who (its iarc thev are hotnosexu ai face discharge unless thev can prove they won't engage in homosexual acts while in the service Dunning did not do that, prosecutors said The < tsc plavai out at the Treasure Island Naval Station was being watc hed as art indication of how the policy will work Nav v sonar operator Keith Meinhold w is dis charged after he announced fie is gav hut won a court battle for reinstatement The Clinton admin istration said it will not appeal the reinstatement That left intact an ap[Klllate < ourt ruiirig that sim pi’, saving oile Is I; f a 111 jse X l l.l i does rot express .1 desire to engage in prohibited sexual conduct Dun enn; s attorisev . u< ob- t:.vjueu! r.-feo-le e to ! be Meinhold dec ision hut Navv prosec utors insisted it didn't apply liecause Meinhold's c ase predated the "don't ask. don't tell'' polu v Crawford and Gere seperated LOS ANCLLKS (AP) Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford, whose marriage three years ago created |ier haps the most beautiful gene pool in Hollywood, have separated, The couple announced their breakup in a state ment issued Thursday by their public relations firm. "This personal and painful decision was made between us in July," they said. "Since that time we have been trying to work things out, but due to the recent conjecture in tin press, we have decided to make a statement at this time." Last month, a British tabloid published a photo of a woman hopping over Gere's garcien wall. But model Laura Bailey said she was visiting a friend next door. Gere, 45, and Crawford, 2H, married three years ago Them have l>een re« urring minors that each of thorn is gay and their marriage trou bled In May, the couple pub lished a full-page ad in the Times of London, pro claiming their heterosex uality and their commit ment to one another. Slil ilium Downhill or Cross-Country OPEN SUNDAYS 12 5PM Berg'/ /hi /hop Open Mon - Tftur 10-7 • fn - Sit 10 9 13th & Lawrence 683-1300 Evangelist Jim Bakker free man after jail release HKNDERSONVlU.i: N C (AP).His penance nil but paid — at least in the eyes of the law former TV evangelist Jim Bakker could In? back in the pul pit soon alongside his daughter Bakker, who did *l years in prison, a month at a halfway house and four months under house arrest for bilking follow ers of his PTC. television min istry out of millions. became a free man at the stroke of mid night Wednesday But the fallen preacher, who rose to fame in front of a TV camera, spent his first day of freedom since 1989 in seclusion at his mountain home in west ern North Carolina, where hod been living under house arrest "He's been sitting in jail for five years, so a few more days by himself doesn’t matter." said Ins lawyer Chris Nichols Bakker still must complete five years' probation The 54-year-old preacher has been quiet about his plans, but his daughter. Tammy Sue Chapman, recently hinted to supporters of her singing min istry that her father may join her in tlie pulpit "1 just can't wait to minister alongside my Dari in some of our future cruwides." sh*> wrote in ii Nov 1) mailing Whilr in prison, Bakker was divorced hy hts wifo of 30 years. Timmy Faye She taler married Roe Messner, the chief builder at Heritage USA, the Bakkers' Christian theme park and retreat near Charlotte Bakker was convicted in 1‘iW‘i of defrauding thousands of fol lowers who sent him at least $1,000 each in return (or a promise that they could stay at Heritage USA for three day* and four nights every year for the rest of their lives. Prosecutors charged that the hotels at Heritage USA could never accommodate that many people and that Bakker spent $17 million of the $15H million he ruined through the s» heme on homes, jewelry, cars and vacations Bakker's initial sentence of 45 years in prison was thrown out when a federal appeals court ruled that the judge had improperly injected his reli gious beliefs at sentencing Another judge reduced Bakker s sentence to IH years and lowered it a sm ond time to eight years He ended up serv ing about five years 'DUCKS IN THE ROSE BOWU i:XC L ^LSIVELY A ftWTU n*A Shi'fixer Ul “ I get my gtfu from h u tuui