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Miss Botswana
Crowned Miss Universe
Kroger Approved to
Buy Fred Meyer
b
Must Sell 8 Stores
Kroger Co., the nation’s largest
supermarket chain, won U.S. Federal
Trade Com m ission approval to buy
rival Fred M eyer Inc. for $ 13.5 billion
after agreeing to sell a total o f eight
stores in Wyoming, Arizona and Utah.
The com panies expect to close
the acquisition today. The com bina­
tion, announced in O ctober, will give
K roger 2,200 stores spanning 31
states from G eorgia to A laska, with
com bined 1998 sales o f $43 billion.
Kroger, whose roots date back to
1883, now adds the Sm ith’s Food &
Drug Stores banner to its Kroger and
Ralphs chains. The grocer expects to
cut costs by as m uch as $225 million
a year to help stay ahead o f fast­
grow ing rivals Safew ay Inc. and
A lbertson’s Inc. and discount retail­
ers such as W al-M art Stores Inc.,
which are stocking more groceries.
“The synergy num bers are better
than we thought,” said M ark Husson,
a M errill Lynch analyst w ho rates
K roger a “one- buy." T he store sales
are about h alf w hat he expected.
K roger and Fred M eyer m ust sell
stores in Prescott, Sierra V ista and
Yuma, A rizona; Cheyenne, Green
River and Rock Springs, W yoming;
and Price, Utah. The FTC said the
sales preserve com petition for food
retailing in those markets.
Shares ofC incinnati-based Kroger
rose 3/8 to 54 9/16 in m idaftem oon
trading. Fred M eyer, based in Port­
land, Oregon, rose 91 cents to 54 1/2.
Kroger plans to exchange one o f its
shares for each Fred M eyer share.
Cost Savings
K roger said it expects to save $75
m illion in the first 12 m onths o f the
com bined co m p an y ’s operations,
$ 150 m illion in the second year and
$225 m illion in the third year.
“K roger is confident that w e will
achieve our projected synergies," said
K roger C hairm an and C h ief Execu­
tive Joseph P ichler in a statement.
The sale is being com pleted two
months later than analysts expected,
Husson said.
The com pany said it expects the
com bination to have no im pact on
earnings per share in the first year,
though it anticipates a boost thereaf­
ter. B eginning w ith 2000, K roger is
B\ JAMES PILCHER
A T L A N T A (A P ) — A u re lia
D avis and her daughter LaShonda
m ade it by the U.S. Suprem e Court.
N ow com es the harder part: winning
their lawsuit.
T he D avises w on a landm ark d e­
cision against the M onroe County
school system when the high court
decided M onday that schools receiv­
ing federal funds can be sued in some
cases in w hich a student sexually
harasses another.
D issenters on the court noted
that the case has poten tially huge
fin ancial ram ifications for schools
acro ss the country.
W ith the D avises’ lawsuit revived
and heading back to a low er court,
school officials remain confident they
did nothing wrong in dealing w ith a
m ale classm ate’s alleged harassment
o f LaShonda.
“The first I heard about it from
Mrs. Davis was with a week left to go
in school, and she said it had been
going on since Christm as," Superin­
tendent Charles Dumas said. “So while
w e’re disappointed in the ruling, we
w elcom e the chance to tell our case.”
Mrs. Davis suedthecounty school
board and two officials over a five-
m onth “barrage o f sexual harassment
and abuse” her daughter LaShonda
al legedly endured from a fellow fi fth-
graderat Hubbard Elementary School
in Forsyth, Ga., in 1992-93.
The boy, identified in court p a­
pers as G .F., allegedly touched the
girl’s breasts, rubbed against her sug­
gestively and repeatedly told her he
w anted to have sex with her.
The law suit states that LaShonda,
now a high school junior, and her
m other reported each incident to
school officials but G.F. w as never
disciplined. The boy pleaded guilty
to sexual battery after Mrs. D avis
com plained to the county sheriff.
T he su it said the harassm en t
caused L aShonda’s grades to fall and
had a debilitating effect on her m en­
tally and em otionally. H er case was
dism issed by the 11th U.S. C ircuit
Court o f A ppeals, and appealed to
the Suprem e Court.
In its 5-4 ruling, the high court said
that school officials can be held ac­
countable only when they know about
and are deliberately indifferent to sexual
harassment “so severe, pervasive and
objectively offensive that it can be said
to deprive the victims o f access to the
educational opportunities or benefits
provided by the school."
Schools— from elementary to col­
lege — that accept federal m oney can
Parents of
Shaken Baby
Seek Custody
Rv JENNIFER BROWN
C T h i A sso c ia tid Put»
M ED IA , Pa. (A P) — A toddler w hose father is
accused o f putting him in a com a will remain on a
ventilator w hile a judge considers a governm ent
request to gain custody o f the boy so he will be
allow ed to die.
Shirron Lewis, 20 m onths old, has been in a com a
for m ore than a year. A uthorities say his father,
Ronald Lewis, shook his child so violently that it left
Shirron blind, d ea f and unable to sw allow on his own.
Lewis is charged w ith attem pted m urder and pros­
ecutors say he w ill likely be charged with first-degree
m urder if the child dies. H ow ever, D elaw are County
officials w ant to have the child taken o ff o f life
support, contending that he suffers from such severe
injuries that doctors do not expect him to recover.
Judge Joseph F. Battle has already denied a peti­
tion from county-appointed child advocate Barbara
Scarlata that w ould have taken the boy o ff life sup­
port. T he ju d g e said the county m ust be granted
custody first before Scarlata refiles her request.
On W ednesday, Battle agreed to consider trans­
ferring custody from the parents, w ho oppose taking
the child o ff o f the ventilator, to the county. Social
w orkers and m edical experts testified about Shirron’s
extensive injuries during a closed hearing.
Shirron, w ho was bom prem ature, was rushed to a
hospital in M arch 1998. Prosecutors said the baby
was in the care o f a babysitter but contend Lewis
caused the injuries.
Lewis, 43, said he d id n 't cause the injuries and
d o esn ’t know how they happened, according to his
defense law yer, W ayne Punshon. Lewis, who at­
tended W ednesday’s hearing along with the child’s
m other, is in jail.
Lewis and Jackie Allen, 32, have said they believe
only G od can end a person’s life and they do not w ant
a court to decide w hat is best for their child. The
couple, w ho are engaged and lived together at the
tim e o f the incident, also have an infant.
A nother custody hearing is scheduled for June 18.
> T im
M c D o n a l d
© T he A ssociated P ress
targeting per-share eam ings growth
o f 16 percent to 18 percent annually.
K roger said it will hold the No. 1
or No. 2 m arket share position in 33
o f the n atio n ’s largest m arkets, and
w ill be a “m ajor presence" in 10 o f
the 15 fastest-grow ing ones.
Regulators
“Consumers in Arizona, Wyoming
and Utah can now be assured that they
will continue to receive the benefits o f
com petition— low er prices and good
quality and selection — from super­
markets in their com munities,” said
W illiam J. Baer, directorofthe FT C ’s
Bureau o f Competition.
The K roger-Fred M eyer acquisi­
tion is one o f tw o m ajor grocery
com binations under FTC review. The
antitrust agency is also scrutinizing a
planned purchase o f A merican Stores
Co. by A lbertson’s.
A n a ly s ts a n d in v e s to r s sa y
A lbertson’s m ight have to sell more
than 100 stores.
K roger and Fred M eyer “seem to
have g o tten an ea sie r rid e th an
A lbertson’s and A m erican Stores,”
H usson said.
Schools May Be Liable in Harassment
C T he A ssociated P ress
June 2, 1999
be forced to pay victims o f such harass­
ment, the court said, adding that the
legal standard is high enough to keep
children and parents from making a
case out o f every playground taunt.
The co u rt’s dissenters w ere not
convinced. “A fter today, Johnny will
find that the routine problem s o f ado­
lescence are to be resolved by invok­
ing a federal right to dem and assign­
m ent to a desk tw o rows aw ay,” Jus­
tice A nthony M. K ennedy wrote.
M rs. D avis’ lawyer, V erna W ill­
iams o f the W ashington-based N a­
tional W om en’s Law Center, said
the ruling put schools on notice to
“ listen to your students and assist
them before their learning environ­
m ent becom es intolerable. Set up
guidelines, m ake them well-know n
and respond to calls for help.”
D um as said his district has al­
ready put stricter guidelines in place
for docum enting harassm ent claim s
and for handling such incidents.
Mrs. D avis, w ho said her daugh­
ter was ecstatic at news o f the court
victory, said the next step is “ to get
with our law yers to figure out where
to go from here.”
Even if she and LaShonda even­
tually lose the case, getting this far
has been w orth it, Mrs. D avis said.
“T h at’s w hat makes me proud, is
that w e w ere able to m ake a differ­
ence,” she said.
Tnnidad (AP) — The three beauti­
ful women left on stage were from
different continents, but they agreed
completely on the final question: What
lfMiss Universe became pregnant dur­
ing her reign — in violation o f the rules?
Bend them, said Miss Spain, Diana
N oguena. Ditto, said Miss Philip­
pines, M iriam Q uiam bao.
Miss Botsw ana also agreed. But
whereas her predecessors hem m ed
and h aw e d , 1 9 -y ea r-o ld M p u le
Kwelagobe (m m -PO O ’-leh tkweh-
lah-HOH-beh) was proudly resolute.
“Personally, I think it should not
in any w ay interrupt her duties,” she
declared to w ild applause from the
Trinidadian audience. “ She should
celebrate her fem ininity.”
And thus did the lithe aspiring elec­
trical engmeer manifest the character­
istic that world boxing champ and Miss
Universejudge E vander Holyfield said
he was seeking: confidence.
First runner-up w as Q uiam bao, a
23-year-old physical therapist who
turned a fall in prelim inaries last
week into a plus w ith a much-dis-
cussed graceful recovery. Nogueria,
a 24-year-old w ho w orks in the fash­
ion world, cam e in third.
Miss Photogenic went to Miss Puerto
Rico, Brenda Liz Lopez, 23, and Miss
Congeniality to Marisa Ferreira, a 21-
year-old student from Portugal.
It had been a rollercoaster ride for
the 83 contestants as w ell as for their
Trinidadian hosts.
The latter, delighted w ith the tre­
m endous exposure on live TV to 80
countries, turned the event into a
c e le b ra tio n o f th e ir tw in -islan d
n a tio n ’s c o s m o p o lita n so c ie ty ,
w hich borrow s from A frican, East
Indian and British culture.
Trinidad’s distinctive steel drum
music throbbed in the auditorium, which
was dec orated with the vibrant colors o f
Trimdadian art. A troupe sporting feath­
ered costumes showed why Trinidad’s
carnival is one o f the best in the world.
Earlier W ednesday, pageant offi­
cials scram bled to prepare a new site
for the post-pageant coronation ball
as hundreds dem onstrated near the
old site, where a w orker had been
electrocuted to death M onday.
After Kwelagobe was crowned by
the outgoing M iss Universe, Trinidad’ s
Wendy F itzwilliam, she said she wanted
to follow her example in fighting AIDS.
“ I com e from the area w ith the
highest incidence o f A ID S in the
w orld,” K w elagobe said o f sub-Sa­
haran Africa.
She told reporters at a new s con­
ference that her first name means
“bring the rain "— and that she hoped
to do just that for her drought-plagued
southern African homeland.
“ W inning w on’t ju st change m y
life, it w ill ch an g e B o tsw a n a ,”
Kwelagobe said, hopeful that her vic­
tory w ould “open Botsw ana to the
w orld" and bring in developm ent
and investment.
Kwelagobe described herself as “very
focused, determined and ambitious."
She has studied subjects alien to
m ost African w om en — pure elec­
tronics, physics, chemistry and m ath­
ematics. Y et pregnancy, she said,
explaining her winning answer, is
“w hat it’s all about: celebrating
women, celebrating our fem ininity.”
It’s not so clear that pageant offi­
cials w ouldagree with her views. Ear­
lier in the week Miss Guam, Trisha
H eflin, was disqualified and sent
home, with pageant officials saying
she was pregnant. Her promoters later
insisted she was merely ill.
‘Thrill-Kill’ Defendant Found Guilty
A second de fendant has been found
guilty in an early morning double­
m urder on a beach. The judge re­
jected 24-year-old Bradley Price’s
argument that he did as much as he
could do to stop a friend from shoot­
ing two people in a random murder
two years ago. Price’s friend, Jesse
McAllister, has confessed to pulling
the trigger. But Judge Philip Nelson
says Price was an active participant in
the deaths o f Brook Goza and Kacy
Nimz. Price could get life without
parole for two counts o f aggravated
murder. The victims’ relatives say
there’s some consolation in the fact
that Price and Jesse M cA llistercanno
longer threaten the community.
Diabetes & High Blood Pressure: What
Every Person with Diabetes Needs to Know
Saturday, June 5,1999
9:30-11:30 a.m.
Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center
2801 N.Gantenbein, Portland
Lorenzen Conference Center Auditorium
FREE—Preregistration is required.
Call (503) 335-3500 to register.
Many people with diabetes have high blood pressure.
Even mild elevations in blood pressure can increase the
risk of heart disease, stroke, and eye and kidney disease.
Please join David Wakeling, DO, Julie Goodwin, PA-C, MHS, CDE,
Chris Blem, PharmD, and Melissa Jacobson, RD, as they discuss:
V what is it? what do the numbers mean?
V how to lower blood pressure
V diabetes & high blood pressure:
* role of the diet
special risks & considerations
V medications
FREE blood pressure screening will follow the program.
Refreshments will be served.
This program is co-sponsored by Legacy Diabetes Services and Legacy Heart Institute.
Legacy H ealth System in cludes Emanuel H ospital & H ealth Center, Good Samaritan H ospital 4 M edical Center, M e rid ia n Park H ospital, M o u n t H ood M edical
Center, V isitin g Nurse Association, and C are M a rk/M a na g ed H ealth ca re N o rth w est PPG ©1999
PEOPLE EXPOSED TO SECONDHAND SMOKE AT WORK
ARE 34% MORE LIKELY TO GET LONG CANCER.
AHDYOO
NT
THE LONG
HONRS
WERE KILLIHG Y00.
Everyone deserves sm okefree air!
Our efforts are not about blaming smokers, but are designed to protect the public and employees from secondhand smoke
which causes cancer, heart disease, asthma and other preventable health problems If you are ready
to quit smoking contact the Oregon Tobacco Quit Line at 1-877-270-STOP
I
Multnomah County Tobacco Prevention Coalition