Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.news From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: news Fri, Apr 24 1992 Date: Fri, 24 Apr 92 05:26:46 EDT Message-ID: DECISIONLINE: News USA TODAY Update April 24-26, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network PLANT PRODUCES PLASTIC: Scientists have bio-genetically engineered a plant that makes biodegradable plastic. It decays without harming the environment. Future plastic plants could be a new cash crop for farmers. Researchers hope to produce plants whose "fruit" would be lumps of plastic. The breakthrough, made by scientists at Michigan State and James Madison, is reported Friday in Science magazine. BUSH BETTER ON ECONOMY: A USA TODAY:CNN:Gallup poll shows that voters think President Bush would handle the economy better than Bill Clinton. A month ago, 49% said Clinton could better handle the economy. Now that's only 36%. Still, 73% disapprove of Bush's economic management. The poll of 1,004 registered voters was taken April 20-22. The margin of error is 3%. BIG-BANG THEORY GETS SUPPORT: Scientists say they've found relics of the "big bang" in which the universe is generally accepted to have been created about 15 billion years ago. The research team led by California astrophysicist George Smoot used data from NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer satellite, launched in 1989, to make a microwave map of the sky. Findings appear to confirm the big-bang theory. BUTTERFLIES BOMBARD THE WEST: The biggest butterfly migration in years - billions of 'em - is brightening Western skies but making a mess for motorists. "It's like somebody threw some mustard at you," says truck driver Robert Maya of Fresno, Calif. The painted lady butterflies thrive on moist weeds, abundant this year from unusually heavy rains. They are the first fliers gaining from greener pastures. Next, yellow jackets. ABUSER GETS 12 LIFE TERMS: Small-town day-care operator Robert Kelly was sentenced to 12 consecutive life prison terms Thursday as children who testified they were molested by him watched from the front row. "I am innocent. I have not done these things," Kelly, 44, said before Judge D. Marsh McLelland ordered one life sentence for each victim, ages 4 to 7. He was taken to Central Prison in Raleigh, N.C. STRANDED PLANE SHUTS LA GUARDIA: A blowout and small fire in the nose wheel of a landing Delta Airlines jet stranded the plane in the middle of New York's La Guardia Airport Thursday, forcing a six-hour shutdown of the airport and tying up 500 flights. There were no injuries to the passengers aboard Flight 702 from West Palm Beach, Fla. A witness credited the pilot with keeping the plane on the runway. MAJOR FOLLOW-UP QUAKE UNLIKELY: The U.S. Geological Survey said Thursday that the chance of a much-feared major earthquake following Wednesday night's - which measured 6.1 on the Richter scale - had diminished dramatically. Wednesday's quake sent tremors throughout southern California and to Nevada and Arizona but injuries were few and damages minor in most areas. ABORTION BILL SIGNED IN KANSAS: Kansas Gov. Joan Finney, a Democrat opposed to abortion, Thursday signed a bill requiring minors to tell a parent and women to wait eight hours after being told about fetal development. Many abortion foes are denouncing the measure, saying it will keep abortion legal regardless of the fate of Roe vs. Wade . Many abortion-rights supporters are pleased it was not more restrictive. BARRY EYEING D.C. POLITICS: Marion Barry, ending six months in a federal prison Thursday, indicated he is eyeing a return to Washington, D.C., city politics. But the former mayor evaded questions about a possible City Council race after his release from prison in Loretto, Pa. "I'm going to have to do a number of things in order to make some money to pay my mortgage, and a number of seats are up," he said. IRAQI TROOPS WERE OVERESTIMATED: The USA and allies faced just 183,000 Iraqi troops when the ground war to liberate Kuwait began, according to a House Armed Services Committee report. That's less than half the force estimated by the Pentagon. The panel, in its bipartisan review released Thursday, estimated that U.S. and allied troops held a 5-to-1 edge at the start of the ground war. HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN USA SIXTH: The USA ranks sixth worldwide in human development, says a U.N. survey released Thursday, based on statistics ranging from life expectancy to education. Canada led the list. U.S. citizens had led in the level of education, 12.3 years, and yearly purchasing power, $20,998. But the U.N. report noted that a black man in Harlem has a life expectancy of "46 years, lower than that of Bangladesh." NORTHERN CORNERS COOL: A cool, wet weekend is on tap for the Northeast and the Northwest. Rain and possibly snow will dampen spirits across the Great Lakes region. Fair and mild conditions will greet the southern and central Plains. Scattered afternoon thunderstorms may douse the western Plains and adjacent areas of the Rockies. Hot and sunny weather is slated for the Southwest through Sunday. DOW JONES OPENS ON UPSWING: The Dow Jones average of 30 industrials opens Friday at 3348.61, after closing up 9.84 Thursday. The New York Stock Exchange composite opens at 226.16, up 0.74. The American Stock Exchange market value opens at 386.26, down 0.09. The NASDAQ OTC composite opens at 576.05, down 2.18. News Editor: Beth Mann. (919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM