= a2 Castlegar News September 10, 1989 Coming Soon United Way KICK -OFF DAY! Sat., Sept. 16 WATCH FOR DETAILS IN WEDNESDAY'S CASTLEGAR NEWS GIVE GENEROUSLY TO THE UNITED WAY! PALM SPRINGS HOSPITALITY AT ITS FINEST You loved our sun, our fun, our service. Now you'll ech us for less! 25% 25% DISCOUNT TO CANADIANS, ON ROOM RATES Sun, Fun and Service. We've got the necessary ingredients for your perfect vacation Sun. Soak it up. Go for a swim in one of our three sparkling pools, then relax in the spa. Later, sit by the pool and sip a cocktail while the sun tums the evening sky multi shades of orange. Fun. Enjoy tennis on one of six championship courts. Jog on miles of nearby running paths. Enjoy golf on the valley’s world-famous golf] courses. Sensational shopping is minutes away. Hike in the canyons, take a hay ride or go horseback riding. It’s all here. Service. Our competent, friendly staff of professionals is available to pamper you like you've never been pampered before. ly one thing could make this beer, And we just did it. Sun, Fun and Service at 25% less. Popeore 4200 East Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, California 92264 U.S. wees 1-800-413-6328 Castlegar school enrolment up By CasNews Staff About 100 more students. than Castlegar school district officials were expecting enrolled in the first week of school and additional teachers are needed to keep class sizes down, ARROW LAKE ELEVATION 1441.1 ft. on Sept. 8/'89 Forecast of Elevation 1440.28 ft. on Sept. 16/'89 SEPTEMBER SUPER SPECIAL FREE DELUXE BURGER With Comince & Celgar Meal Tickets (Minimum $10 Order) BLUE TOP ::. BURGER 5:35 Custom Built ALUMINUM RAILINGS Won't Rust — Baked on Enamel — FOR FREE ESTIMATE CALL PETE 365-7086 . ATTN: WOMEN IN BLUE COLLAR & TECHNICAL OCCUPATIONS Annual General Meeting Kootenay Women in Trades and Technology Association Vallican Whole Community entre Sepiember 17 4-8 p.m. ALL INTERESTED WOMEN WELCOME! Bring a dish for Potluck Supper superintendent of- schools Terry Wayling said Friday. Wayling said he will be recommen- ding to the school board this week that the equivalent of 2.5 full-time teachers be hired. This is the first time in seven years that the district has seen such an increase in enrolment, he added As of Friday, 2,130 full-time studen- ts are enrolled in Castlegar schools, Wayling said, and that numbty jumps to 2,205 when the kindergarten studen. ts, who attend classes only half the day, are included District staff had estimated 2,037 students would enrol, Wayling said The new teachers are needed at Kin. naird and Valley Vista elementary schools and Stanley Humphries secondary school he said, SHSS for instance, has 20. students more than expected, Wayling said Kinnaird Junior secondary school also needs a part-time learning assistance teacher, he added The increase in student} will also mean an increase in funding to the Wayling said, since the province provides funding based on district, the number of students enrolled Tower continued from front page Calderbank told the RDCK direc tors the tower is needed because of the mountainous terrain surrounding Castlegar airport which makes lan dings and takeoffs difficult. As well, he said closure of the tower would likely mean an end to Selkirk College's aviation technology program and hamper the operation of water bom bers stationed at the airport during the forest fire season. ““I find this is completely ridiculous that they should pick that of all the towers to close,’ Calderbank said Dean MacDonald, Pacific region director of the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association, met with Castlegar city council last week and told council this is the first time to his knowledge that Transport Canada has made an actual recommendation to close the tower But he said strong local opposition to the closure could be successful in blocking the proposal “Our feedback from officials in Transport Canada during a similar situation in Brandon, Manitoba, in dicates the most effective lobby in these matters is from the community,” MacDonald told council in his address, a copy of which was distributed to the media at Saturday’s RDCK meeting. “‘If the minister of transport hears in no uncertain terms that a community accept the degradation in safety and efficiency associated with a control tower closure, we believe such will not a lobby would be successful. CATCH THE DREAM. . ee September 10, 1989 Castlégai News Briefly . Jennifer Postnikoff (right) holds the Terry Fox Run flag that went up outside city hall Friday. Jennifer is joined by Ald. Albert Calderbank, Community Complex recreation co-ordinator Verona Walker and Walker's son Lindsay. a A Grant to Call TODAY for more information 365-2173 West Kootenay Coordinating Group You may be eligible for Cover Most of the Costs EARN MORE! Improve your business management skills and increase your earnings! Personnel: Hiring, Training and keeping GOOD staff * Improved profits through quality Customer Service Cost effective promotion and marketing Understanding your financial statements, ARE YOU REALLY MAKING MONEY? AND MORE! PROFIT TRAINING FOR SMALL BUSINESS!! Courses begin in October, on weekends (one monthly) Gravel pit continued from front page have been made for the action taken (by the contractor) without an approved permit.”” Skogstad said Friday if three permits are required to operate a pit (the Ministry of Mines said a mines permit was also necessary) then gravel pits are more regulated than uranium mines, “If you want to operate a gravel pit in B.C. you better have a lawyer to sort out the bureaucracy” to apply for permission to open the pit months before the gravel will be needed, he advised Skogstad added that his clients apparently must now apply for a permit to reclaim the land Markin has been allowed to remove his equipment as well as the gravel already crushed, Skogstad said, and the native people have not opposed the move The gravel that will be trucked in for the road is of in ferior quality, Skogstad said, and will increase the cost of the road Barry Eastman, Kootenay regional manager with the Vander Zalm against clearcuts VANCOUVER (CP) — There will be no clear-cut logging of forests along the coastline of the Inside Passage, says Premier Bill Vander Zalm “I don’t want clear-cuts where they're visible from the coast,"* Van der Zalm said of the area of coastline between the northern end of Van couver Island and the southern end of the Queen Charlotte Islands “We've got to protect the coastline and we've got to protect those areas that are visible for the cruise ships.” But Vander Zalm said the gover nment will have to look at “‘selective logging” of trees along the 400-km marine corridor that are suffering from bug infestations and disease, or posing a potential forest fire threat Vander Zalm was responding to criticism of a draft “‘strategic plan” for the Inside Passage catling for a chain of marine parks and ‘‘prudent’’ timber harvesting The plan, released Wednesday, en compasses a stretch of land and water from a point on the mainland almost level with Vancouver Island's northern tip — to Prince Rupert The government says the key issue of the plan is to balance the need for recreation, tourism, transportation and logging The plan parks covering 6,100 hectares, of which 3,430 hectares are land. proposes nine marine Lottery numbers The following are the winning num bers in Thursday's lotteries: B.C. KENO — 4, 6, 40, 16, 23, 35, 42 and 54 Following are the winning numbers from Wednesday's lotteries LOTTO 6/49 — 13, 15, 18, 37, 42 and 49. The bonus number was 33 The jackpot of $1,857,007.90 went toa single ticket holder EXTRA — 6, 53, 83 and 92 B.C, KENO— 11, 12, 24, 30, 38, 46, SO and $5. These numbers, provided by The Canadian Press, must be considered unofficial and be prepared Ministry of Transportation and Highways, said Friday the ministry will return to court this week to seek a broadening of its limited injunction against the native people. The injunction, granted in August, forced the Indians to allow general contractor Bill Berg and his crews access to the north side of Little Slocan River where a bridge is to be built to replace the Vallican bridge which is considered dangerous by residents and the Ministry of Highways. The ministry wants full access to the planned construc- tion site, including arrarea for a proposed road to join with the bridge that will run alongside ancient burial grounds designated an archeological heritage site and protected by B.C. Heritage Trust The native people say the road will go right through an ancient village of which the heritage site is only a part, destroying artifacts and remains Norman Evans, the band’s lawyer, said earlier in the week that the natives’ claim to land from the Washington border to Revelstoke, including the V allican site, has been filed in B.C. Supreme Court In memory Harry Taylor Harry Taylor, a long-time resident of Castlegar and more recently of High River, Alta., passed away at his home in High River on Wednesday, Sept. 6 at age 75. He is survived by his loving wife Josephine Taylor of High River; sons Brian and Harry Taylor, both of Toronto; daughter and son-in-law Molly and Bernie Houghton of Okotoks, Alta.; seven grandchildren; and brother Bill Taylor in England. He was predeceased by his.brother Jack Taylor in 1988. Born at Middlesborough, England, on Oct. 25, 1913, Mr. Taylor came to Canada in 1930 and farmed near Edmonton for seven years. In 1937, he came {o Trail and resided at Castlegar for many years. Harry was employed with Cominco for 40 years, retiring in 1977. He and his wife Josephine moved to High River this past spring Funeral services were held at Snodgrass Funeral Chapel in High River on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 11 a.m. Pastor Ed Dyck of the High River Baptist Church officiated. Cremation followed. Snodgrass Funeral Home was in charge of funeral arrangements. Fred Stefoniuk Fedir (Fred) Stefoniuk of Vernon, formerly of Castlegar, passed away Sept. 3 at age 77 Mr. Stefoniuk was born Feb. 2, 1912, at Prud'homme, Sask. and moved to Kindersley with his-parents at an early age. He grew up there and moved to Trail in 1935 to work at Cominco where he worked until 1959. In 1959, he bought Rigby’s Cafe and operated it as the Pallette Restaurant until 1963 when he retired. On June 26, 1974, he married Edith Grieve at Nelson. They lived at 6 Mile until 1988 and for the past year lived in Vernon. He was a member of the Eagles Lodge of Nelson and enjoyed fishing, bowling and gardening Mr. Stefoniuk is survived by his wife, Edith of Vernon; two sons, William of Castlegar and Greg of Mission; six grandchildren; one great granddaughter; one brother, Mike of Victoria; four sisters, Doris Bowden and Mary Morgan of Kindersley, Sask., Anne Spatari of Toronto, and Sophia Toffolo of Burnaby Funeral service was held at the Castlegar Funeral Chapel on Saturday at | p.m. with Rev. Jim Ferrier officiating Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Castlegar Funeral Chapel Helen Evdokimoff Helen Evdokimoff of Crescent Valley passed away Sept. 8 at age 94 Mrs. Evdokimoff was born Dec. 12, 1894, in Russia and came to Canada in 1899 and settled in Saskatchewan with her parents. They moved to B.C. in 1910. After a short time in B.C. the family returned to Saskatchewan. It was there that she married Nick Evdokimoff In 1929, she returned to B.C. and settled in Winlaw where she lived until moving to Crescent Valley in 1969. She enjoyed gardening, knit ting and taking care of her grandchildren She is survived by two sons, Nick of Shoreacres and Paul of Winlaw; one daughter, Margaret Konkin of Crescent Valley; 12 great-grandchildren; and 17 great-great-grandchildren Funeral services will be held at the Krestova Russian Hall beginning grandchildren; 24 today at 7 p.m. and will continue Monday at 10.a.m. with burial at noon at the Krestova Cemetery Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Castlegar Funeral Chapel $9-million cocaine load seized VANCOUVER (CP) Ten Greater Vancouver residents have been arrested and 13 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of more than $9 million have been seized after a three-month RCMP drug-squad in vestigation. Police also seized luxury vehicles, a submachine-gun and about $150,000 cash, RCMP Staff Sgt. Mike Krevesky said. Meeting on PCB storage set PENTICTON (CP) — While the controversy surrounding the storage of possibly toxic polychlorinated biphenyls at the Osoyoos border crossing continues to grow, a public information meeting is scheduled later this month Federal officials wili attempt to explain the storage to area residents In a program run in co-operation with Environment Canada, the border crossing has been selected by Public Works Canada as a storage site for wastes containing PCBs from federal government facilities throughout the Okanaga area The bulk of the PCBs will be in old ballasts which are to be stored in large drums, which in turn will be put intoa large cargo containe: A public meeting is scheduled for Sept. 28 at the Osoyoos Com: munity Hall at which time federal officials will outline their plans. School crowding to be eased VANCOUVER (CP) Overcrowding in British Columbia public schools should be eased within five years, says an Education Ministry spokesman “It’s going to be uncomfortable for a while, but we should catch up within five years,” Wayne Desharnais, the ministry’s assistant deputy minister for finance, said The ministry plans to spend $250 million a year in the next six years on school buildings. A 250-student elementary school costs $3 million to $4 million The building program will keep pace with the expected increase of 80,000 students in the next 10 years, said Desharnais. Diabetics given reason to hope EDMONTON (CP) — A new procedure in which insulin-producing cells are implanted in the body gives new hope to diabetics, doctors say Three doctors at the University of Alberta said Friday they had suc cessfully transplanted cells from a donor's pancreas to the livers of two patients. The cells — known as islets of Langerhans — produce insulin, which diabetics are short of. Insulin regulates sugar levels in the blood The doctors said the two patients had suffered kidney failure and had been taking massive amounts of insulin. Since receiving about 250,000 islets six months ago, they have been able to reduce their doses of insulin by half Trustees told they can appeal NANAIMO (€P} “Two school trustees found to be in a conflict of interest because they are married to school district employees can appeal the decision, the B.C. Court of Appeal has ruled County court Judge Kenneth Murphy ruled in March that Don Brown and Randi Kocher, elected Nov. 19, 1988, could not serve as trustees because they have an indirect interest in school district contracts that cover their spouses Brdwn’s wife isa teacher andKocher’s husband is a vice-principal Kocher and Brown subsequently won a stay of the disqualification order pending a hearing by the B.C. Court of Appeal. The court case was initiated by trustee Janet Cowling, who filed an affidavit in late August seeking to block the appeal court hearing for Kocher and Brown But the appeal court rejected that argument Friday Program draft nearly ready VERNON (CP) — The first outline of the new Year One to Grade 12 program should be printed for distribution by the erid of this month, says Education Minister Tony Brummet “I'm very excited about the new program, are a lot of people in the education business. It stresses a focus an 4 sity the difference in kids’ learning styles.” When the preliminary outline is circulated, educators will have the opportunity to look at it and submit their ideas, said Brummet For Grades 4 to 12, the organizational structure will become more formal than the primary program Brummet said educators have known for years that students don’t go through school at the same pace " the minister said. ‘‘So Avoid middle, NDP MP says VANCOUVER (CP) — The NDP needs to become more radical and avoid the ‘‘marshmallow middle,’’ federal party leadership candidate Steven Langdon said In a measured but intense speech at an all-candidates meeting, Langdon said that by radical he meant a departure from entrenched ways of thinking “I believe myself that we have to be a distinct party with strong ideals, not a party of the marshmallow middle,” said the Windsor, Ont., member of Parliament Canada Post sale under study OTTAWA (CP) — Consultants have been hired to study the possibility of selling Canada Post, says Harvie Andre, the minister responsible for the Crown corporation Andre, in an interview taped for CBC Newsworld, Said-selting the corporation to the private sector is the logical next step now that it’s making a profit “Given the post office is making a profit, it's only logical to look at what would be the ramifications (of selling it),”" he said in the interview to be broadcast today by the CBC TV all-news service. Mother Teresa ill in hospital CALCUTTA, India (AP) Nobel laureate Mother Teresa developed a high fever and an irregular heartbeat Saturday a day after suf fering a heart attack, hospital officials said Doctors decided to implant a temporary pacemaker to help the ailing heart-of the frail-79-year-old_nun,who- has dedicated her-life to the destitute and dying Polish cabinet nominees grilled WARSAW (AP) Polish legislators have grilled cabinet nominees who would form a Solidarity-led government that would end four decades of Communist con- trol of foreign affairs, the news media and economy Eight committees of the Sejm, or ment, held their positive recommendation to all. but two of the nominees they questioned Further sessions were planned through the weekend to be ready for a vote Tuesday on the government proposed by Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Committee votes do not oblige Mazowiecki to withdraw can didates. The foreign minister nominee told legislators Poles forced to remain in the Soviet Union after the Second World War should be allowed to return, the government news agency PAP said. PAP said Krzysztof Skubiszewski, a little-known independent, also said Poland's foreign policy must not be formulated by one political party He made the remarks to the legislative committee responsible for contacts with Poles living abroad, which along with the Foreign Affairs Committee voted in favor of his nomination, PAP said Thousands of Poles in Soviet Ukraine and the Baltics, particularly Lithuania, live generally in what was Polish territory until the Soviets an nexed it after the war. Some have demanded to be allowed to travel more freely back to Poland. There was no immediate comment by Soviet of- ficials. PAP said Mazowiecki, elected prime minister on Aug. 24, nominated 19 people for posts Thursday and four on Friday. He plans to present a final list of nominees on Tuesday, when he also is expected to outline his gover- nment’s program in a speech It appeared Solidarity would control 13 posts, including prime minister, in the 24-member Council of Ministers, or cabinet The Communist party and the United Peasant party would have four each and the Democratic party three The Communists, who until this year had controlled the government since 1948, would have the ministries of interior, transportation and foreign trade Government and legislative sources said more posts could be added Last Friday, the parliamentary commission for food and agriculture voted against the nominations of Czeslaw Janicki of the Peasant party and Artur Balazs of Solidarity, television news said. Janicki, was nominated for the combined post of deputy prime minister and agriculture, and Balazs as minister without portfolio for rural and civic issues. defence, an agriculture professor, Ministry calls off wolf kill VANCOUVER (CP) — More than half the wolves in a sensitive area straddling southeastern British Columbia and the state of Montana have disappeared and a hunting season set to open today has been cancelled, B.C. Environment Ministry officials say There is no explanation why one pack has disappeared and the pups of another pack died in the Flathead and Wigwam areas in the East Kootenay, wildlife branch spokesman Ralph Ar chibald said Lynn Russell of the Seattle-based environment group Wolf Shepeherd said poaching by local ranchers and hunters is the likely explanation “It looks like some foul play but it’s only speculation at this point,’” Russell said from Great Falls, Mont Poaching or man’s general en: croachment into the area may have been contributing factors, Archibald said The decomposed carcasses of two pups less than two months old were discovered near an abandoned den site in Montana’s Glacier Park in June The wolves probably died from a virus or a predator, Archibald said. Russell said the wolves apprently died of starvation. Usually, when a pup’s parents die other pack members raise them, so the incident indicates the entire pack is dead There have been unconfirmed reports some members of that pack have recently been sighted in the area, said Archibald The wildlife branch had planned to allow at least eight wolves to be killed and others to be trapped out of a total population of about two dozen, he said WHERE DO YOU WANT THIS LOAD? . in Dirks clowns around Friday after presenting Aquatic Centre Building Committ with $244,444, The money is the second installment of the $733,333 in GO B.C. funds has of the C the to the iter of State for the Kootenays Hewutd officials set to open in December. facility, Guster of Ukrainian leader called for KIEV, Soviet Union (CP) — A new Ukrainian mass movement heard repeated calls Saturday for the ousting and trial of the republic's veteran Communist party leader One speaker at the founding congress of Ruk (Movement) openly urged Ukraine to secede from the Soviet Union Speakers won resounding applause from the 1,500-strong audience with demands to dismiss Ukrainian leader Vladimir Shcherbitsky and to bring him to trial for his handling of the 1986 Chernobyl! nuclear disaster “There can be no talk of perestroika in the Ukraine when the grey cardinals responsible for Chernobyl are still in power,” said Sergei Konyev, a mem ber of the Soviet parliament He spoke under a giant blue-and yellow Ukrainian national flag In another speech, a former political prisoner once sentenced to death called for the complete independence of Ukraine “International law and the Soviet constitution give us the right to in- dependence for the Ukraine,” said Levko Lukyanenko, who spent 26 years in prisons and labor camps after his death sentence was commuted “Our whole history is a history of occupation, but we have suffered most under the Russians," he said. ‘‘For this reason the principal goal of our movement must be to leave the Soviet Union.” REFORM URGED Others demanded broad economic and political reforms, attacked a proposed electoral law as un democratic and called for unity ahead of the poll due in the republic in the next few months. Konyev said this was the only way to end the “reign of the political dinosaurs.”” Leaders of the Ukrainian Uniate church, forcibly merged by Soviet dic- tator Josef Stalin into the Russian Or- thodox Church, won a_ standing ovation when they complained of con tinued repression by Ukrainian authorities The tone of the congress, which is to end today, seems likely to. alarm the Ukrainian leadership Shcherbitsky is a veteran member of the ruling Soviet Politburo and one of the last appointees of former Kremlin chief Leonid Brezhnev. Under Sh cherbitsky, authorities have fought all attempts at political opposition. Rak leaders said they were given permission for the congress. But they said it came only after they threatened to hold it in Lithuania if Ukraine refused permission. Lithuanian leaders had said the rally could have been held there. Similar mass movements were foun: ded in all three Baltic republics within the past 8 months But Baltic activists were recently denounced as extremists by the Kremlin, and Politburo conservatives are demanding a halt to the spread of nationalist. unrest on the Soviet periphery Ina television address on Saturday, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev suggested that unspecified forces were behind the current unrest “Voices are being raised to speak of chaos, a coup d’etat, even civil war, and are trying to spread alarm. It is dif- ficult. not to believe that it is in someone's interest.” He did not elaborate In an interview late Friday, a senior official from the party’s ideology department who attended the con- ference said he had been alarmed by the extreme tone of some statements he had heard. MOSCOW (AP) As if the Soviet Union didn’t have enough trouble with republics demanding autonomy or outright sovereignty, now 40,000 ethnic Poles want their own piece of Lithuania The demand by the Salcininkai district has put Lithuanian of ficials, who complain of Moscow's authority over their Baltic in the uneasy position of 2 the same arguments about their authority over Salcininkai Tass quoted V. Belskaya, a kin dergarten teacher, as saying at the council session that made the demand: ‘*We see autonomy as the only way today to protect our Ethnic Poles want autonomous region people's interests." The council voted 50-14 to declare the region autonomous and residents carrying Polish flags rallied outside the council building, the news agency repor- ted. It did not say when the vote was taken, Salcininkai, about 50 kilometres south of the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius and near the border with Byelorussia, is a traditionally Polish district, Tass reported. It said the population now is 81 per cent ethnic Polish and only seven per cent Lithuanian, while the republic as a whole is 80 per cent Lithuanian Army says drug lord's gang leaders caught BOGOTA (AP) — The Colombian army said Saturday it has captured four leaders of a terrorist gang that drup kingpin Pablo- Escobar hired to protect his wife and kill his enemies The death squad called itself Love for Medellin. It also acted as a vigilante morals squad, killing prostitutes and homeosexuals in the drug-infested city of Medellin, a military source said Also Saturday, military officials were quoted as saying they have made new raids on properties linked to Colombia's No, 2 drug lord, Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha. They said a com puter disk showed he owned 374 vehicles, all with telephones. The daily terrorism linked to drug traffickers continued in Medellin, home of the powerful cocaine cartel of which Escobar is the overlord Bombs knocked out telephone lines and damaged two factories and a restaurant, police said. No serious in. juries were reported Also, police in Medellin said they arrested five suspects in connection with a mid-week bombing of a gover nment-run savings bank The 4th Army Brigade in Medellin said it had arrested four leaders of Escobar's Love for Medellin assassin squad — sarcastically named after a local charity group The group acted as bodyguards for Maria Victoria Henao Vallejo, Escobar’s wife, the communique said An army lieutenant, speaking on con: dition of anonymity, described them as hit men The gang also killed local drug ad. dicts, prostitutes and homosexuals to ‘clean up the streets” in the city of two million, the army said Escobar leads the list of Golombian drug lords wanted in the United States and who are believed to supply the vast majority of cocaine-consuming Americans AIDE RELEASED On Friday, authorities said they released a key aide of Escobar’s who was also a. suspected trafficker. They said there was no legal Colombia warrant for holding Luis Fernando Galeano and also no extradition request from the United States. The Drug Enforcement Ad ministration in Washington said Galeano was not wanted there. Colombian newspapers said Satur day that Galeano was a financial ad- ministrator for the Medellin cartel They said he was linked to a political assassination earlier this year in Mon- teria and a failed death plot against a man with ties to the rival cocaine cartel in the city of Cali The government of President Virgilio Barco began a crackdown on Aug. 18, after death squads linked to drug traffickers assassinated leading presidential candidate Senator Luis Carlos Galan Drug traffickers responded with bombings and shootings and threats to kill judges, journalists and gover nment officials. Barco assumed special emergency powers. They include confiscating bank accounts and property linked to suspected traffickers and the ‘‘ad- ministrative extradition’’ of traf fickers to the United States. Bogota’s El Tiempo newspaper reported Saturday that the army raided 30 sites in Bogota and the rural town of Pacho suspected to belong to Rodriguez Gacha, No. 2 on the coun- try’s most-wanted list of drug bosses. Colombia is offering a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of either Escobar or Rodriguez Gacha. Gacha’s wealth has been estimated at $3 billion El Tiempo, citing unnamed military sources, said the army raid netted 49 vehicles, including two bullet-proof Mercedes-Benz sedans Authorities also seized the computer disk showing Rodriguez Gacha owns a total of 374 vehicles, all with telephones worth about $10 million, the paper said