News stories from Saturday December 11, 1982

Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:

Record numbers of utility shutoffs around the country have accompanied sharply rising prices for gas and electricity, cuts in welfare benefits and rising long-term employment. There will be 300,000 involuntary gas disconnections this heating season, compared to 260,000 last year, according to a survey of state public utility commissions and utilities by the Citizen/Labor Energy Coalition, a nonprofit group. There are already 25,000 homes without heat or electricity in Ohio alone. [New York Times] 20,000 people left their homes in five Louisiana cities after a chemical storage tank exploded. The flames threatened more explosions and the release of poisonous fumes. [New York Times] A new one-year contract at Chrysler provding an immediate pay rise was approved nearly unanimously by leaders of union locals. Ratification by members of United Automobile Workers by a "comfortable margin" was expected by Douglas Fraser, the union's president. [New York Times] The country's major black churches have taken historic steps toward unification to enable them to relieve worsening social problems. Their aim is to build a movement based on the largest institution among blacks, a network of 65,000 churches and 20 million black Christians. [New York Times] Soviet missile negotiators have indicated they will propose a sharp cutback in in their missile forces if the United States agrees to forgo its planned missile deployment in Europe, Reagan administration officials said. They said the Soviet Union was expected to propose reducing its intermediate-range missile force by more than half, from more than 600 to about 250, with about 150 aimed at Western reduced force would still be "unacceptable," administration officials said, principally because the Russians would still have medium-range missiles and the United States would have none. [New York Times] A break in the impasse in Lebanon over the withdrawal of foreign troops will be attempted in a specific American plan that will be offered to Israel and Lebanon. The proposal will not require direct talks between the two sides, American officials said. A major problem has been Israel's insistence on withdrawing from Lebanon only through direct negotiations with the Lebanese in Jerusalem and Beirut. The Lebanese have refused to meet with the Israelis in Jerusalem because of the Arab world's refusal to recognize it as Israel's capital. [New York Times] Allegations of Bulgarian involvement in the shooting of Pope John Paul II have made West German officials increasingly concerned about possible Bulgarian participation in subversive activities, including drug smuggling and terrorism. However, the Interior Ministry stressed that without more substantial proof, they cannot accept accusations involving the purported role of Bulgarian officials in the attempt on the Pope's life. [New York Times] Restoration of free unions in Poland and amnesty for all internees was asked of Poland's martial law leader by Lech Walesa, who led the outlawed Solidarity union. Mr. Walesa said in a letter to Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski that the two actions could be the basis for a national reconciliation. [New York Times]