News stories from Thursday October 4, 1979
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- The Pope visited the heartland of the nation, emphatically reaffirming in his cross-country tour that the Catholic priesthood required a life-long commitment from men and was not a proper calling for women. In a hectic day of prayer, teaching and touring, Pope John Paul II raced from Philadelphia to Iowa and then to Chicago.
The land was celebrated in a mass by Pope John Paul II in a farm field near Urbandale, Iowa. A huge throng of cold pilgrims marched into the field to hear the Pontiff deliver a message that was evangelical rather than social or political.
[New York Times] - Plans for a major oil refinery on the East Coast were tentatively approved by Secretary of the Army Clifford Alexander over the objections of environmentalists. The $650 million dollar plant, which would be the first major oil refinery on the East Coast in 22 years, is to be built at Portsmouth, Va. where the polluted Elizabeth River flows into the Chesapeake Bay. [New York Times]
- Probation was illegally granted three former Houston police officers convicted last year of violating the civil rights of a Mexican-American, according to a federal appeals court. Today that court struck down the probated sentences imposed by a lower federal court, in a decision acclaimed by Hispanic rights groups. [New York Times]
- A torrent of oil is still pouring Into the maritime environment four months after an oil well in the Gulf of Mexico blew out its fittings. Attempts by Mexican authorities and American contractors to cap the well appear to be floundering. The oil spill, perhaps the worst in history, baffles experts. [New York Times]
- President Carter will announce his candidacy for a second term on Dec. 4 and set off the next morning on a four-day, nationwide fundraising tour that is expected to yield some $2 million, campaign officials said. His tour will take him to New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles. [New York Times]
- Anti-nuclear forces are divided over plans to occupy the nuclear power plant construction site at Seabrook, N.H., this weekend, using tactics that include cutting fences, slashing the tires on police vehicles and actively resisting arrest. The protest is planned by the Coalition for Direct Action at Seabrook, which said that despite the proposed tactics, it was still committed to nonviolence. [New York Times]
- A change of plans for Richard Nixon is reportedly in the works. The former President has given up his intention to buy a $925,000 Fifth Avenue condominium apartment, and instead has reportedly purchased a four-story, $750,000 town house at 142 East 65th Street on one of Manhattan's most exclusive residential blocks. [New York Times]
- Parts of Connecticut were devastated by a tornado. State officials counted two dead, 143 hospitalized, 115 families homeless and 1,800 workers unemployed by the tornado, which obliterated homes, factories and businesses along a five-mile stretch of Route 75. A 5 P.M. curfew was in effect and a force of 200 National Guardsmen and 60 state police moved into the area. [New York Times]
- Recommendation for approval of an American missile plan has been given by a group of high-level Western allies, Carter administration officials said. The group's approval of a U.S. plan to deploy 572 nuclear-armed missiles in Western Europe has cleared the way for public endorsement of the missile proposal by member governments of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance, the officials said. [New York Times]
- Leonid Brezhnev arrived to East Germany for four days of ceremonies marking that country's 30th anniversary as a Communist republic. During his visit, the Soviet leader will also hold meetings with Eastern bloc leaders and deliver a foreign policy speech in which he is expected to discuss the Soviet presence in Cuba. [New York Times]
- The U.S. will not sell weapons to China, according to Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. Responding to questions about a secret Defense Department study that recommended arms sales to China, Mr. Vance stated emphatically that the United States would not alter its policy of refusing to sell military equipment to Peking. [New York Times]
- A dissident was expelled from South Korea's National Assembly by a vote in which only pro-government legislators participated. The ousted legislator, Kim Young Sam, leads the country's opposition party. The governing party said he was expelled after he violated an emergency decree by denouncing the regime of President Park Chung Hee [New York Times]
- The U.S. can monitor many facets of Soviet military development, according to a report to be issued by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. But while the report states the United States has impressive monitoring capabilities, it draws no firm conclusion as to whether the strategic arms treaty is adequately "verifiable," informed sources said. [New York Times]
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Stock Market Report
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 890.10 (+4.95, +0.56%)
Arms Index is the ratio of volume per declining issue to volume per advancing issue; a figure below 1.0 is bullish. | |||||||||||||||
| Market Index Trends | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | DJIA | S&P | Volume* |
| October 3, 1979 | 885.15 | 109.59 | 36.47 |
| October 2, 1979 | 885.32 | 109.59 | 38.32 |
| October 1, 1979 | 872.95 | 108.56 | 24.98 |
| September 28, 1979 | 878.58 | 109.32 | 35.96 |
| September 27, 1979 | 887.46 | 110.21 | 33.12 |
| September 26, 1979 | 886.35 | 109.96 | 37.70 |
| September 25, 1979 | 886.18 | 109.68 | 32.41 |
| September 24, 1979 | 885.84 | 109.61 | 33.79 |
| September 21, 1979 | 893.94 | 110.47 | 52.38 |
| September 20, 1979 | 893.69 | 110.51 | 45.10 |