News stories from Sunday March 1, 1981
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- More cuts in science education funds, perhaps as much as $40 million more than the $47 million the Reagan administration had already announced, may be made in the National Science Foundation's budget. In another issue affecting the federal budget, Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina said that the tobacco subsidy program, another politically touchy issue, might be changed with a new fee to be charged to growers. [New York Times]
- Four new galaxies have been sighted by American observatories. After 40 hours of observation over a three-year period, astronomers at the Lick observatory at the University of California in Berkeley identified a galaxy estimated to be 10 billion light years away, the most distant galaxy discovered. Three other galaxies at comparable distances were also observed. The former most distant galaxy, observed six years ago by the same research program, was estimated to be eight billion light years away. [New York Times]
- Stricter controls on electric plants in the Ohio River Valley could by the year 2000 prevent 54,000 pollution-related deaths and billions of dollars in crop losses, according to a study sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency and ordered by Congress. The study confirmed that the coal-producing valley had the nation's worst sulfur dioxide and sulfates pollution. About 95 percent of the region's electricity is coal-generated. [New York Times]
- Illegal Salvadoran refugees are being sent home nearly as fast as their presence becomes known to American immigration officials. Lawyers for the Salvadorans, who are crossing the Mexican-United States border in increasing numbers, say that the Immigration and Naturalization Service sometimes does not tell the refugees that they have a right to a deportation hearing or political asylum, and prevents them from pressing for those rights. [New York Times]
- Moderates in the administration are directing the President's foreign and defense policies, though he was often identified with doctrinaire positions as a candidate. This has upset Republican conservatives, like Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina. With some notable exceptions, the newly appointed policy makers appear to represent the mainstream of the Republican Party. [New York Times]
- President Reagan's visit to Ottawa on March 10 is being regarded by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau as a test of American-Canadian friendship. Canadian officials are most concerned about the unwillingness of the United States Senate to confirm an East Coast fisheries agreement reached almost two years ago. [New York Times]
- Postponement of a scheduled arms talk with the Soviet Union that would deal with questions of compliance with previous strategic arms limitation agreements is being considered by the administration. Officials said that the regularly scheduled session of the Standing Consultative Commision on March 25 would probably be delayed for a month or two to allow the United States time to work out its future policies on strategic arms issues and to fill key staff positions. [New York Times]
- Teheran said it will not negotiate ending the war with Iraq until all Iraqi troops have been withdrawn from Iranian territory. The statement followed a meeting between Ayatollah Khomeini and a mediation mission made up of representatives of Islamic nations. The mission was told to persuade Iraq instead to remove its troops from Khuzistan Province. [New York Times]
- Caltex's plan to leave Manhattan for Texas by mid-1982, announced over the weekend, has concerned New York City officials, but they say that a general abandonment of the city by big corporations is not in view. Caltex, a multinational oil company that reported revenues of $14.6 billion in 1979, plans to move to Dallas. It employs 644 people in its Manhattan headquarters. [New York Times]