News stories from Saturday September 20, 1980

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

President Carter's election prospects have improved in Illinois, where most polls and politicians now give Ronald Reagan a slight edge. Mr. Carter's standing has gone up in the affluent suburbs around Chicago, which, strategists say, are the key to the Illinois vote. Suburban Democrats who had been disappointed in the President are now supporting him. [New York Times] A rise in the retail prices of milk, cheese and butter will follow an increase Oct. 1 in federal milk price supports, the Agriculture Department said. A gallon of milk is expected to cost 5 to 6 cents more; a pound of cheese, 6.5 cents; and a pound of butter, 7.75 cents. [New York Times] The Air Force was assessing damage caused by the explosion at the Titan 2 missile silo in Damascus, Ark., but would not comment on the whereabouts or condition of the missile's 10-megaton nuclear warhead. Military officials insisted that no radiation had been detected in the silo area and that people living in the area were safe. [New York Times] The nation's defense planners are deeply troubled about the ability of the United States to defend itself against a nuclear or conventional attack by the Soviet Union, according to an inquiry into the state of the nation's military readiness. [New York Times] The dispersal of industry to the South and West from the once solid industrial base in the Northeast and Middle West is much greater than previously reported, according to new studies, which describe the movement as unprecedented among industrial nations. Federal policies were largely responsible for the rapid dispersal, according to the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition, which is attempting to rejuvenate the old industrial base. [New York Times] Iranian military reservists were called up "to defend the integrity of the country" as fighting continued along the border with Iraq. President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr took direct command of the military operations and ordered several thousand reserve troops to report to induction centers by Oct. 2. Meanwhile, the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Arab League began an effort to stop the fighting. [New York Times] A retired admiral has been appointed as Turkey's interim Prime Minister and will have the responsibility of forming the civilian cabinet promised by the ruling military council. Adm. Bulent Ulusu was called home from Rome, where he had been ambassador, to take the post. [New York Times]