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Post by NerdiestKen on Oct 13, 2023 11:20:53 GMT -6
Sentence Commuted in Rape Case - May 1985 Gov. James Thompson of Illinois commuted the sentence of Gary Dotson, who had been serving a prison sentence for the rape of a teenage girl in 1977. In April 1985, the supposed victim, Cathleen Crowell Webb, had recanted her testimony at the trial and said she had not been raped at all. Thompson presided at a hearing of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, May 9-11, that considered Dotson's petition for clemency. A former prosecutor, Thompson questioned many of the 24 witnesses, including Dotson and Webb. In commuting Dotson's sentence, May 12, Thompson said he had not granted a pardon because Dotson had been "proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt. ..." He noted that Dotson had already served longer than average for a convicted rapist in Illinois. Dotson and Webb embarked on a whirlwind tour of media interviews and received offers for the publication of their story.
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Post by NerdiestKen on Oct 27, 2023 13:35:22 GMT -6
Pentagon Loses Ground in Budget Battles - May 1985 The federal budget for the 1986 fiscal year began to take clear shape in Congress in May, and defense spending appeared headed for unanticipated retraints. The compromise worked out in April between Pres. Ronald Reagan and Republican Senate leadership became a casualty on May 2, when the Senate voted, 51-48, to limit Pentagon outlays to 1985 levels, adjusted only for inflation. Reagan had agreed to a 3 precent "real" increase, coming down from his original request for a 6 percent increase. Twelve Republicans voted against him. Recent publicity about waste in the procurement of weapons and dishonesty among defense contractors had apparently taken its toll. The Senate, May 8, rejected 2 Democratic budget plans that would have included tax increases. It completed action on a budget resolution, May 10, but only after Pete Wilson (R-CA), recovering from an illness, was rushed to the Senate chamber. Vice Pres. George Bush cast a vote to break a 49-all tie. In the final package, Social Security, federal pensions, and veterans' benefits were frozen at current levels for one year, with no cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). The budget resolution backed Reagan on some domestic cuts; 12 programs, including general revenue sharing, were eliminated, and others survived only with reduced funding. The Senate budget would reduce the 1986 deficit by more than $50B. However, the House Budget Committee, May 16, approved a 1986 budget resolution that differed sharply from the Senate version. The projected reduction in the deficit was about the same---$56B---but the committee rejected cuts in Social Security COLAs and the other benefits. Worse, from the administration's point of view, the committee froze military spending at 1985 levels, without even an adjustment for inflation. Among domestic programs, only revenue sharing would be killed outright. Two GOP-sponsored budget plans were rejected on the House floor, May 22, and the House, May 23, approved, 258-170, the budget resolution essentially as it had emerged from committee. Twenty-four Republicans joined the majority. A conference committee would have to resolve the considerable differences between the 2 resolutions.
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Post by NerdiestKen on Oct 27, 2023 13:43:14 GMT -6
U.S. Aims "Radio Marti" at Cuba - May 1985 The United States, May 20, began a new radio broadcasting service for Cuba. Radio Marti, scheduled to operate 14½ hours a day, was to bring Cuban and world news to the Caribbean island nation. Cuba denounced the broadcasts as a "barefaced provocation" and called the use of the name Jose Martí, an independent leader, a "gross insult." In retaliation, the government of President Fidel Castro suspended an immigration agreement between the 2 countries that had been announced in December, 1984, under which former political prisoners would be allowed to emigrate to the United States. The agreement had also provided that Cuba would take back 2,746 Cuban criminals and mental patients who had traveled to the United States in 1980 from the port of Mariel.
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Post by NerdiestKen on Nov 8, 2023 11:59:28 GMT -6
All-Time Football Records for NFL, AFL, and All-American Football Conference Leading Lifetime Rushers (At start of 1985 season) | Leading Lifetime Passers (1,500+ attempts) | Leading Lifetime Receivers | Walter Payton 3,047att/13,309yds Jim Brown 2,359att/12,312yds Franco Harris 2,949att/12,120yds O.J. Simpson 2,404att/11,236yds John Riggins 2,740att/10,675yds Joe Perry 1,929att/9,723yds Tony Dorsett 2,136att/9,525yds Earl Campbell 2,029att/8,764yds Jim Taylor 1,941att/8,597yds Larry Csonka 1,891att/8,081yds O.J. Anderson 1,690att/7,364yds Leroy Kelly 1,727att/7,274yds John Henry Johnson 1,571att/6,803yds Chuck Muncie 1,561att/6,702yds Mark van Eeghen 1,652att/6,651yds Lawrence McCutchen 1,521att/6,578yds Mike Pruitt 1,593att/6,540yds Wilbert Montgomery 1,465att/6,538yds Lydell Mitchell 1,675att/6,534yds Floyd Little 1,641att/6,323yds | Joe Montana 2,077att/1,342comp/15,609yds Otto Graham 2,626att/1,464comp/23,584yds Roger Staubach 2,958att/1,685comp/22,700yds Danny White 1,943att/1,155comp/14,754yds Sonny Jurgensen 4,262att/2,433comp/32,224yds Len Dawson 3,741att/2,136comp/28,711yds Ken Anderson 4,420att/2,627comp/32,497yds Dan Fouts 4,380att/2,585comp/33,854yds Bart Starr 3,149att/1,808comp/24,718 yds Fran Tarkenton 6,467att/3,686comp/47,003yds Joe Thiesmann 3,301att/1,677comp/23,432yds Johnny Unitas 5,186att/2,830comp/40,239yds Bert Jones 2,551att/1,430comp/18,190yds Frank Ryan 2,133att/1,090comp/16,042yds Bob Griese 3,429att/1,926comp/25,092yds Steve Bartowski 3,219att/1,802comp/22,732yds Ken Stabler 3,793att/2,270comp/27,938yds Norm Van Brocklin 2,895att/1,553comp/23,611yds Sid Luckman 1,744att/904comp/14,686yds Brian Sipe 3,439att/1,944comp/23,713yds | Charlie Joiner 10,774yds Charley Taylor 9,110yds Don Maynard 11,834yds Ray Berry 9,275yds Harold Carmichael 8,985yds Fred Biletnikoff 8,974yds Harold Jackson 10,372yds Lionel Taylor 7,195yds Steve Largent 8,772yds Lance Alworth 10,266yds Bobby Mitchell 7,954yds Billy Howton 8,459yds Cliff Branch 8,685yds Tommy McDonald 8,410yds Ahmad Rashad 6,831yds Drew Pearson 7,822yds Don Hutson 7,991yds Jackie Smith 7,918yds Art Powell 8,046yds Boyd Dowler 7,270yds |
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Post by NerdiestKen on Nov 26, 2023 10:07:36 GMT -6
Brock Replaces Donovan in Cabinet - March 1985 Raymond Donovan, the first sitting member of a president's Cabinet ever to be indicted, resigned as secretary of Labor, March 15. He had taken a leave of absence in the fall of 1984 after having been indicted in New York on charges of being involved with an attempt to defraud the New York City Transit Authority. Donovan denied the accusations, which related to events that occured before he entered the Cabinet. He resigned after a New York state judge rejected his motion to dismiss the charges and ordered him to stand trial. Pres. Reagan, March 20, nominated William Brock, the U.S. Trade Representative and a former U.S. senator from Tennessee, to succeed Donovan. The choice of Brock, a well-regarded political moderate, was seen as an effort to improve the administration's relations with organized labor.
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Post by NerdiestKen on Nov 26, 2023 10:26:23 GMT -6
Strong 1984 Economy Painted by Numbers - January 1985 Statistics released during January established that 1984 had been a very good year for the American economy. Data released on January 4, showed that sales of automobiles in the United States had risen 13.1 percent in 1984. The total of 10,358,166 cars was the highest since 1979. Some 76 percent of these were produced in the United States. The Labor Department said, January 9, that unemployment had edged upward in December to 7.1 percent from 7.0 percent in November. The Labor Department reported, January 11, that the prices paid by producers for finished goods rose only 1.8 percent in 1984. Continuing a trend, major banks again cut their prime rate, January 14, this time to 10.75 percent; the rate stood at its lowest point since August 1983. The Commerce Department reported, January 17, that construction in 1984 on 1.74M housing units, a 2.4 percent increase over 1983. The Department said, January 22, that the nation's real gross national product had increased 6.8 percent in 1984, the highest rate of gain since 1951. The Labor Department said, January 23, that the consumer price index had risen by only 4 percent in 1984, the third consecutive year of relatively low inflation. Worker productivity, a key factor in controlling inflation, rose 3.1 percent in 1983, the Labor Department reported, January 29. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at an all-time high of 1292.62 on January 29. On the dark side, the Commerce Department said, January 30, that the U.S. trade deficit stood at $123.3B in 1984, far above the previous record of $69.4B reported in 1983. The Department said, January 31, that the index of leading economic indicators had edged downward by 0.2 percent in December.
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Post by NerdiestKen on Nov 26, 2023 10:34:38 GMT -6
Western Nations Step Up Famine Relief - November 1984 The United States joined other western nations in November in rushing assistance to millions of people in Africa who faced starvation as a result of a prolonged drought. The United Nations estimated, November 28, that 325,000 tons of food had been pledged by foreign governments to Ethiopia during the previous 2 months. U.S. aid was valued at about $103M. The famine was at its worst in Ethiopia, where estimates of potential deaths ran as high as 6 to 7M. The civil conflict in Ethiopia added to the difficulties in providing aid. A U.N. report, released October 29, said that 35M Africans were threatened by food shortages in 36 countries.
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Post by NerdiestKen on Nov 26, 2023 11:05:19 GMT -6
NFL Final 1984 AFC & NFC Standings Eastern Division Washington Redskins 11W/5L/0T New York Giants 9W/7L/0T St. Louis Cardinals [e] 9W/7L/0T Dallas Cowboys [e] 9W/7L/0T Philadelphia Eagles [e] 6W/9L/1T | Eastern Division Miami Dolphins 14W/2L/0T New England Patriots [e] 9W/7L/0T New York Jets [e] 7W/9L/0T Indianapolis Colts [e] 4W/12L/0T Buffalo Bills [e] 2W/14L/0T | Central Division Chicago Bears 10W/6L/0T Green Bay Packers [e] 8W/8L/0T Tampa Bay Buccaneers [e] 6W/10L/0T Detroit Lions [e] 4W/11L/1T Minnesota Vikings [e] 3W/13L/0T | Central Division Pittsburgh Steelers 9W/7L/0T Cincinnati Bengals [e] 8W/8L/0T Cleveland Browns [e] 5W/11L/0T Houston Oilers [e] 3W/13L/0T | Western Division San Francisco 49ers 15W/1L/0T Los Angeles Rams 10W/6L/0T New Orleans Saints [e] 7W/9L/0T Atlanta Falcons [e] 4W/12L/0T | Western Division Denver Broncos 13W/3L/0T Seattle Seahawks 12W/4L/0T Los Angeles Raiders 11W/5L/0T Kansas City Chiefs [e] 8W/8L/0T San Diego Chargers [e] 7W/9L/0T |
[e] Denotes eliminated from playoff contention
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