Kennebec Journal from Augusta, Maine • 1

-v- Jfc -V 'MAINE'S OLDEST NEWSPAPER AUGUSTA MAINE 50 CENTS 'r PAGE 7 PAGE 9 MPT I '1 GINGRICH: forsPecial Weachmentpariel may backfire 'rffr "Sdf 'i 4- Kfcn i I 1 tf' 1-0 SEATTLE: AMHI patientis the focal point of new allegations Max Good puts -'I? WEDNESDAY March 18 '1998 321 plenty of players in the big time TESTING: II PAGE Officials are examining the Wiscasset landfill i nearer CROWELL Staff Writer A succession of state police investigators has spent thousands of hours on the case But it was the -new DNA laboratory opened last year that proved key Unsolved Fla man charged in 22-year-old Norridgewock death By JOE RANKIN Staff Writer -AUGUSTA A ncwcriminal justice academy took a-large step toward reality Tuesday ax Gotf Angus long's $11 million proposal received approval from the Appropriation Committee The proposed academy to be built on the 113-acre site of the former Oak Grove-Coburn School in Vassal-' boro is much bigger and more modem than the existing facility on Silver Street in Waterville -Police say the new academy would remove a bottle neck in police training which prevents state police from filling some vacancies for two to-four years and holds the time allotted for county and municipal law enforce- ment schools at 12 weeks the same length fbr more than 20 years -While county and municipal police currently train 12 weeks state police candidates train for about 24 weeks A new academy would allow joint 18-week classes of county municipal and state police Located on the former Thomas College campus on Silver Street in Waterville the current criminal justice academy is too small to allow joint classes of state county and municipal police The state in 1989 bought Oak Grove-Cobum School as a site for a new academy but money to convert the nrhflftl was aIusivp LD 1114 pateed in 1993 inthe wake of the shooting death of Katherine Hegarty by police outside Jackman called for joint training of state county and municipal police But the money did not materialize -After lobbying for years for a new academy Winthrop Police Chief Joseph Young president of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association said Tuesday the current legislative session represents a window of opportunity has got to be this year If it it happen" said Young Police fromevery level spoke in favor of the proposal in a press conference in the Hall of Flags jn the Capitol Tuesday afternoon The Legislature is expected to vote on the proposal in the next several weeks Public Safety Commissioner Michael Kelley who attended the academy in 1979 as a rookie said societal and technological changes such as analysis of DNA evidence recovered at crime scenes require better-trained police Florida police on Tuesday arrested Albert Cochran 60 of Stuart Fla for the 1976 shooting death of Janet Baxter DNA taken from biological samples more than 20 years old helped make the arrest possible Twenty years ago DNA evidence did not exist TWenty years ago domestic violence did not exist in swi photo anoymolujy Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Kelly gestures to police officers from throughout Meins during press conference held In the Hell of Flags at the State House in Augusta on Tuesday to publicize the need for a new police academy Chiefs from across Maine endorsed using the former (Nik Grove-Cobum School In Vassalboro as the site of the new facility Gov King's $11 million proposal for the project won approval on Tuesday from the Appropriations Committee Please see ACADEMY Page 2 NORRIDGEWOCK Almost 22 years after Janet body was found in a car on the banks of Ye Kennebec River in Norridge- wuck a convicted killer now Bvingin Florida has been charged with ner murder Albert Cochran was arrested on bis 60th birthday Tuesday at his home in Stuart Fla Police said DNA analysis of biological samples preserved for more than two decades Bilked him to the crime Baxter 30 went to a groceiy store at JFK Mall in Waterville for cold medicine on the night of Nov 23 1976 according to reports Her body was found a few hours later in the trunk of a car in Norridgewock She had been shot in the head and chest DNA from hair samples taken from head during the murder investigation matches that of semen recovered from vagina according to a police affi- davit filed at Skowhegan District Court The affidavit was filed to sup- port a requestfor an arrest warrant Stephen McCausland spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety said a succession of state police investigators has spent thousands of hours on the case over 22 years But it was the DNA laboratory opened last year that proved key he said were extremely pleased to call Janet daughter and her father to tell them-th McCausland said father Robert McLeary Jr an insurance' agent from Readfield even sat through an entire murder trial in Kennebec County looking for some connection fe his death None could -beproven- Cochran was living in Fairfield at 1 the time of murder and Cancer rate growing in Maine Smoking among youths young adults blamed for increase VA nurses finally get pay raise By DAVE CHEEVER Staff Writer By CLARKE CANFIELD Guy Gannett Service a battle we've known we had to fight but in: the mix of the great news we got nationally it's discouraging to see Maine is still on an Upward trend" Alan Anthony executive vice president American Cancer Society in Maine aging to see Maine is still on an upward Anthony said A report issued last week by the American Cancer Society the Na- tional Cancer Institute and the Cen ters for Disease Control and Prevention reported that cancer incidence and death rates for all can- cers had declined for the years 1990 to 1995 The incidence rates de- dined fay 07 percent and the death rates went dewn by 05 percent It marked the first time that idence rates have gone ally since cancer statistics began being compiled in the 1930s The first decUne in cancer death rates was first reported in November 1996-- In Maine however the rate of new cancer cases and the rate of cancer deaths continue to grow Tx r- Cancer incidence rates went up for 16 kinds of cancer mid down for only six cancers from 1989 to 1994 compared to 1983 to 1988 according PORTLAND Cancer rates in Maine are continuing to go up even as they are going down nationwide Health officials blame the growing frequen- S1 of cancer on high rate of smoking among teen-agers and -young adults-Smoking causes'-'or contributes to at least sbt of the 22 types of can- -cers tracked by the state Overall new cases of all types of cancer in Maine grew by 11 percent from 1989 to 1994 the latest year for which statistics are available Can- cer death rates grew by 2 percent for the same years The cancer rates in Maine crane in the wake of a report released last Vip se 1 i J'- Please see MURDER Page 2 week that showed cancer incidence and death rates dropped nationwide from 1990 to 1994 the first time since statistics have been kept that the rates have gone down Dr Dora Anne Mills director of the state Bureau of Health said the cancer data in Maine are ing especially following the report that cancer is going down nation- the bad news is still increasing while decreasing Alan Anthony executive rice president of the American Cancer Sod- ety in Maine said a new anti-smok-ing campaign that will begin in May could help the state reverse its up- ward numbers The best way to reduce cancer rates he said is to cut smoking rateq a battle known we had to fight but in the mix of the great news we got nationally discour- KENNEBEC JOURNAL AUGUSTA Fbr five years muses at the Togus Veterans Administration hospital have gone without a pay raise Nurses have called this unfair but VAadministrators have claimed it was appropriate and primarity the result of a contract to the nurses had agreed "-w That has changed- -Effective in January the nursing staff at Tbgus and several VA hospitals in the Veterans Integrated Services Network that covers New England were notified of a 2 percent pay raise' w-s a said Helen Hamlin president of the union at Tbgus and a longtime critic of fee position on pay a lot of money but it is an acknowledgement of a pay equity -The raise came after an of pay scales for nurses at area 1 pitals say Tbgus administrators Issue was one of recruitment and said Jim Schillingeq A'-': chief of human resources management were charged un- der the terms of the contract to re- view locality pay comparing our -pay rate with that of the private sector in attracting nurses to our staff and retaining In 1991 at the time the nationwide VA contract was decided a Ann Landats22 Maina9-1115 rates in Maine are increas-: ing at a slower rate than in the which is the good Mills said Busjness25 Please see CANCER Page 2 aassHied27-32 Comica22 Natlon35-7 Qbituaries10 Ooinion4-5 Sports17-21 Stocks25 r- Tonight's TV23 Comnxjnitv14 CroaswowF22 3 -Entsrtalnmenl23 HorosCope22 LocaW-1115 Weathef8 WofW35-7 LoMetW2 tion fo open meetings of the committee i Katie Flillam Harris spokeswoman for I events to be reported to Weather Partly cloudy 42" The bill before King requires the commissioner of mental health to inform the chairmen of the committee overseeing mental-health services within 48 hours of a death within a state mental-health facility Within 30 days of 1 the death the commissioner must provide written reports on the incident to committee mem- here with all names and other information that would identity the person who died and anyone By GARY REMAL I Scaff Writer Benoit was on a panel that reviewed several deaths following the murder of AMHI patient Wendy Hayne in 1996 Undo- his original propostal health would fl tim ktyfe wmnniMimpr of mental ForjSiihtricftoifayfr top stories please crib 621-1300 your selection number WmSmt 1001 lbdtyVJaks 1008 DMng Unas ') SS75 -Then AUGUSTA Cases involving have been required to provide the committee with all information about a patient who died of Angus King is expected to sign a raU 'V natural including confidential Mall FbUowing a spate of high-profile deaths of itate mental-health pa- notice to the Legislature all tion the ecraiomy and an increase in the number of available nurses served to squelch any pay raises for the Tb-i when i gus nurses XJtopakxiM 1014 Loaey 1008' Dpexxli 2000 1000 Flillam Harris said the department was con-' cerned that release of confidential patient infor-matkm would violate federal and state laws and compromise rights She said department officials worked with the kill 4f4 commutee onme oompnxmse oui mat atena iegw-lators when a death requiring the involvement of the state metical examiner occun at one of the five mental health facilities Die compromise does pkweesrec As months turned into years the lack of a pay raise became an Increasingly sore issue Taking their complaint outside file VA the nurses began Imploring Congress to help with tbe issue -n C1 going to recommend that (Gov King) sign Fbllam Harris said worked very -i dosety with the committee on that compromise We wanted to make sure the information provided to the committee did not violate other confidentiality She said committee members were also reluctant to receive information that if released could violate the law Wiliam Harris kaid the new law will oaty codity the informal practice She raid she Please see DEATHS Page! that requires suspicious deaths at aity state mental-health facility A'-- The bill originally introduced by state Sen" John Benoit R-Rangeley would not require state nitiriaia to (wovide legislators with any confiden- tial information on the patient who died os on sUite employees involved in that care That means the Health and Human Services Committee which would receive the reports un-der the terms of the new lnq can release file in- formation it receives to other legislators the pub-fiq and the press tt also mqr dscusstbeinfbnna- I of lawmakers who thecaseinpifoHc see A Pag 2 sp -m z- I I 1 S- 4 A II wfo Vli -I- few A a 4j I lAt mVj fcta 6 tti I VW-.