News stories from Saturday August 4, 1979

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

The huge Mexican oil slick is moving relentlessly toward the south Texas coast, where it poses a threat to an environmental treasure and a booming resort area. The slick, 300 miles long, was caused by the blowout of a Mexican oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. Government scientists predicted that it would reach Texas any day now. [New York Times] Supporters of school vouchers in California are organizing a campaign to have the proposal put on a referendum in the election next June. Under their plan, public schools would compete with private schools for tax dollars and the state would issue parents voucher certificates for financing the education of their children at either public or private or parochial schools. [New York Times] Heating oil supplies are below normal at the level of the retail dealer and the homeowner in the Northeast, including the New York metropolitan area, but the Carter administration remains optimistic about the outlook for the supply this winter. Wholesale suppliers are building their winter reserves, and some experts say that has contributed to difficulties in providing reserves at other levels. [New York Times] A federal judge has freed 3 Americans who were convicted on drug charges in Mexico but were allowed to serve out their sentences in the United States under a prisoner exchange treaty. The ruling by Judge T.F. Gilroy Daly in Bridgeport, Conn., has led Justice Department officials to express fears that it might endanger the exchange program. The department plans to appeal the decision. [New York Times] Violations of Florida's pollution laws by the Hooker Chemical Company were far more extensive than authorities suspected, according to previously unpublished documents. Hooker was convicted early in 1978 of polluting the air around its phosphorus plant in White Springs with fluoride. The documents indicate that, in addition, the company's top officials knew and approved of violations of the Florida plant's emissions permits. [New York Times] Italy has a new government. Francesco Cossiga, a party leader who had been Interior Minister under former Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, announced formation of the new cabinet, mace up mainly of members of his Christian Democratic Party, in addition to four Social Democrats, two right-of-center Liberals and two independent technocrats. The cabinet will be sworn in tomorrow. [New York Times] India's Parliament was suspended until Aug. 20 by President Sanjiva Reddy, who complied with a request from Prime Minister Charan Singh. The new Prime Minister's leadership still faces a challenge in Parliament, where his claim of majority support has not been tested. Parliament has been in recess since the middle of July. The President's suspension order stipulates that both houses reconvene in 16 days, and it is expected that Mr. Singh will then submit his leadership to a vote of confidence. [New York Times] Nicaragua's revolution has more land than it at first imagined. With the huge expropriated land holdings of Anastasio Somoza and his followers, the revolutionary leaders have enough land to give each of the country's 300,000 farm families five acres. The Somoza family had at least 1.6 million acres of cattle land alone, and members of the military had holdings ranging from 15,000 to 30,000 acres. [New York Times] Unprecedented tax relief has been granted to farmers, manufacturers and other business interests by state governments, which are also cutting personal income taxes by billions of dollars this year. It appears that the trend toward reducing or repealing taxes and placing spending limits on state and local governments has been nationwide. Another round of referendums on tax and spending initiatives similar to those of the 1978 elections is being prepared for next year's balloting. California will vote on a spending limit proposal next June, or earlier if a special election is called. [New York Times]