Week of January 1, 1987

San Juan - Fire rages through the Dupont Plaza luxury hotel packed with New

Year’s vacationers. Officials believe 50 or more people have perished.

President Reagan predicts the New Year will be “better than 86” and then flew off

to Washington to face prostate surgery and a hostile Congress.

The 100 th Congress gets in session, with the Democrats back in charge of the

senate, and a new speaker on the rostrum (Jim Wright). High on the challenge

list - the Iran-contra affair, President Reagan and the budget and clean water

legislation.

Casting additional doubts on the credibility of Marine Lt Col.

Oliver North , the House, following the Senate, votes to

organize a special committee to investigate the Iran-contra

affair.

President Reagan emerges from prostate surgery in “excellent

condition” telling “urological” jokes to his doctors Army Col John

Hutton, President’ Reagan’s doctor said, ”things could not be better” today as the

chief executive continues to bounce back from prostate surgery and tests that

physicians say show him free of cancer.

President Reagan proposes a $1,024 trillion budget for fiscal 1988 and invites a

skeptical Congress to join him with the federal deficit.

Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze says the

Kremlin strongly desires a cease-fire in the war in

Afghanistan so Soviet troops can return home to

their families.

An Amtrak passenger train en route to Boston

from Washington, derails outside Baltimore and

sideswiping three Conrail engines, killing at least

12 and injuring at least 100 others.

Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu of South

Africa calls apartheid a “Frankenstein’ that must

be destroyed. “We don’t want apartheid reformed

- who wants a Frankenstein reformed? - we want

apartheid destroyed.’

Week of January 1, 1987

Business -

Sara Lee Corp is

selling its

unprofitable

Popsicle

Industries to

Gold Bond Ice

Cream Inc,

makers of

Eskimo Pies and

frozen health

bars.

Served divorce

papers - Peggy

Johnson (36),

who married Chrysler Corp Chairman Lee Iacocca last April 17, says she is

shocked, but remains deeply in love with him and wants to save their 8-month-

old marriage.

Orders to U.S. factories for manufactured goods soared 4.1% in November, the

largest increase in two years.

Passing - Former Los Angeles anchorman Jack Latham (72).

Sports - Bowl games:

Fiesta - Penn State - 14 Miami - 10

Rose - Arizona St. - 22 Michigan - 15

Cotton - Ohio State - 28 Texas A&M

Orange - Oklahoma - 42 Arkansas - 8

Sugar - Nebraska - 30 LSU - 15

Music news -

Elton John , who had throat problems on his recent

singing tour in Australia, will undergo throat surgery

and has canceled all 1987 performances including a

U.S. tour.

Motown Records ends negotiations to

sell its recorded music business to

MCA Corp. The decision was made by

Berry Gordy Jr., the company’s

Week of January 1, 1987

founder, chairman and controlling shareholder. MCA will continue to be

distributed by MCA - for another 18 months under a previous deal.

Trademark infringement - Columbia Pictures contends Arista Records no longer

has the rights to market Monkee music. Columbia says it’s upset that Arista has

released a new album that apes the Monkees previous performances but

contains only two of the original Monkees. Under a 1979 agreement with

Columbia, Arista was licensed to manufacture and sell Monkees records for

seven years, ending on Nov. 1. But if Columbia’s royalties from the old Monkees

music exceeded $100,000 over the last two years of the agreement, it would

automatically be extended for another seven years. The Monkees revival began

last year, and Columbia says the 4103,575 in royalties paid by Arista was

artificially inflated “solely to trigger the automatic extension of the agreement.”

Television news -

Phil Donahue , who has been involved in two

“spacebridge”, broadcasts linking U.S. and U.S.S.R.

audiences in the last year, will tape his show in the Soviet

Union Jan. 21-31 for airing in February.

Friday night television

CBS - Scarecrow & Mrs. King, Dallas, Falcon Crest

NBC - Fiesta Bowl, Tonight Show

ABC - Webster, Mr. Belvedere, Dads, Gung Ho, Starman

PBS - Washington Week, Wall St. Week, dance in America

MTV - Friday Night Party Zone, Video music

Dads - Kelly refuses to write an essay.

Dallas - J.R. plans to eliminate P.D.

Late Night W/Joan Rivers (Fox) - Peter Allen, John Karlin, Daryl Savid, Mickey

Rooney