Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • 18

alloveen Future of ETA revamping rides on a few Senate votes i spirit makes a comeback By Barbara Sullivan RICHARD NIXON was there, di-' recting the traffic between the mounds of while the gorilla roamed about scaring the kids and the Red Witch was, of course, handing out apples. Richard Nixon? "Well, we thought he'd do a good 'Job getting the cars parked. Irs a good mask, and he makes the for victory sign when the car is parked," said Ramona Feltes, owner of Sonny Acres Farm in West Chicago, a yearly mecca for the Halloween-minded. A year after cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules all but obliterated observance of the traditional "trick or' treat" day, much of the old spirit is but with a dose of caution. Chicago, a Halloween hot line operate from 8:30 a.m.

to 4:30 Monday. Parents with suspi- By Daniel Egler Chicago Tribune SPRINGFIELD The fate of a package of bills to revamp the Regional Transportation Authority and give it a $75 million state subsidy hinges this week on who holds the trump card in the Senate. Gov. James Thompson, Mayor Harold Washington and legislative leaders are teamed against the RTA board and its chairman, Lewis Hill, who would lose their jobs under the proposal; transit unions that fear future contract guarantees could be changed; and Aid. Edward Vrdolyak 10th, who reportedly is asking his Senate allies to hold off support.

There are no firm projections on who holds the ace. "We can count to 32, and the rest, we can't get a feeling for," said a legislative aide to state Transportation Secretary John Kramer. Because the reform package failed on an initial vote in early July, it will now take 36 votes to approve it in the Senate. Most observers believe it will take a coalition of Senate Republicans and regular Chicago Democrats to approve the accord, reached 11 days ago by the governor, mayor and legislative leaders. The House already has approved the funding and provisions added to the restructuring portion of the bill to satisfy Washington and his troops in the legislature.

WASHINGTON WON two major concessions in the final agreement to restructure the RTA: appointment of two members of the nine-member interim board and a guarantee of the full $75 million subsidy. Under the bill, the current transit authority would be restructured and governed by a new 13-member board to be seated no later than next October. "We're still a mile away from vote in the Senate," said one Democratic staff member last week as lobbying continued on both sides. A vote in the upper chamber is expected Wednesday after closed party caucuses Tuesday afternoon. Also to be considered by the legislature this week are such issues as prison overcrowding, nursing home regulations, no-fault divorce, the proposed 1992 Chicago World's Fair and expansion of McCormick Place.

In addition, the legislature still has 209 gubernatorial vetoes or recommended changes in legislation to deal with in the final three days of its fall veto session. Here is the status of those major bills: Prisons: Little action has been taken in either the House or Senate on proposals to ease overcrowding in the state penal system. Thompson still maintains that an emergency early-release plan triggered by prison population is necessary, although legislators and law enforcement officials are opposed to that concept. Thompson's proposals, pending in the House, are to be discussed by the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday afternoon, paving the way for quicker action in the upper chamber once the House deals with them. Thompson said the prisons are about 500 inmates over capacity despite the addition of 650 beds since July.

Nursing homes: Discussions of proposals to deal with patient abuse in nursing homes continued last week after sponsors were unable to reach an agreement with industry representatives. Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie Chicago, one of the bill's sponsors, said she hoped an agreement could be reached this week and the bill amended in the Senate. The legislation, introduced last spring, would streamline enforcement procedures of the state Department of Public Health and provide specific criminal penalties tor patient abuse or gross neglect. World's Fair and McCormick Place: Legislators are awaiting an official statement by Washington about the fair before proceeding with any financing powers for a lakefront exposition.

bills that could give the state Fair Authority taxing and bonding are pending in the Senate, but some legislators believe there will be no action this week. A bill for the expansion of McCormick Place's facilities is in a similar posture. No-fault divorce: After House approval of a limited no-fault divorce bill was won more than a week ago, few problems are seen in the Senate, which now must approve a House amendment before the bill is sent to Thompson. The Senate in May approved the bill 42-15. Vetoes: Little trouble is forecast in the Senate, which must follow the House's lead in approving the governor's changes in the Freedom of Information Act affecting access to public records and two bills granting public employees the right to collective bargaining along with the right to strike.

The House must consider two controversial bills dealing with abortion, including one requiring notification of the parents of a minor who seeks an abortion. The Senate overrode Thompson's veto of the bills' earlier this month. rinns ai nnmn amtn crttuiri nait haa Vft VVIIIWIHUIM DIIVUIU VUM I "IT" 4092. THE CHICAGO Park District is distributing treat bags that for the first time contain safety instructions. Last year, Bensenville banned all trick-or-treating after several bottles of a drug normally used to kill sick animals were stolen from a village animal hospital shortly after the Tylenol deaths.

Officials in several other suburbs and in Chicago urged parents to keep their children home. really felt resentful last year." said Katherine Toomey of Bensenville. "I've always loved Halloween, it lust doesn't seem right that we live in a time now when we've got to worry about these things." Tribune pntXo by Carl Hugare There were a lot of dogs at Sunday's Halloween animal costume party on Clark Street, so Wayne Bradley's pet ferret Sarah, dolled up in a cheerleader costume, drew plenty of notice. Although Toomey is, like many parents, still worried about the Tylenol scare, her children, Jessica and Jason, will be making the rounds dressed as a princess and an American Indian. Meanwhile, back at Sonny Acres Farm, about 5,000 people sipped hot cider, chatted with a talking skull, gawked at the bunnies, goats, pigs, chickens and ducks and picked out pumpkins.

County Loan vote Continued from page 1, this section attorneys for comment were unsuccessful. ir v- meutuic Aiarxeung ana two other "firms mnmvtwl with Ito vr top market value for the silver contained in the exposed X-ray film. Although state 'law requires that such property be bought through competitive bidding, the county board can waive the requirement, officials said. Based on a staff recommendation, the board waived the bid rule when it approved the contract. Donovan said the county spent two months researching the silver-recovery business to develop a formula to ensure the county would receive market rates for silver contained in the 140,000 pounds of scrap X-ray film and other products it sells each year.

The actual sales are handled by the county salvage technician, Jimmie Carter, at the county's ter was formed in 1980. Metallic Marketing acquired film for Film Recovery, which extracted silver from the photographic products. DONOVAN ALSO acknowledged that about 20,000 pounds of used film have been reported stolen in 1981 and 1983 from the county warehouse that stores exposed X-ray film from Cook County and Oak Forest Hospitals. The current market value of that film is more than $40,000. Donovan said the thefts are still under investigation and that employees had been administered polygraph tests.

"It wasn't an outside job, believe me," Donovan said. He defended the county's no-bid contract with Metallic Marketing, saying he believed the contract ensured the county would receive the jority proposal, he said. NEAR NORTH Side Aid. Martin Oberman 43d, a Washington supporter, said the majority proposal ''is absolutely outrageous. "This seems to be just another of the Burke and majority leader Aid.

Edward Vrdolyak tricks to try to make the mayor look bad," Oberman said. "And now we could face another potential crisis when the city-gets low on cash." Kubasiak denied that the provision giving Burke oversight on borrowings was intended to thwart the mayor. "The council is nervous about the administration being able to pay it the borrowings off," Kubasiak said. Aid. Roman Pucinski 41st, a majority leader, said such borrowings may be a "back door to deficit spending." Washington submitted the ordinance seeking authority to borrow earlier this month to the Finance Committee.

While in committee, majority members amended the ordinance to give Burke oversight on the loans. The amendment says that the administration is authorized to borrow at any time on or before Dec. 1, 1984, "with the concurrence of the chairman of the Committee on Finance." THE ORDINANCE, with the amendment, was approved by the Finance Committee and sent to the council floor for a vote Oct 20. Continued from page 1, this section tion. If he accepts the plan, Washington would be giving Burke the ability to reject any borrowings that his financial officials propose.

On the other hand, a Washington veto could result in dire consequences if the city runs short on money in the next two months. Mitchell said the mayor has not decided whether he would veto the ordinance if it is passed. Top administration officials met last week to discuss the ramifications of the ma I Village operation were indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter, and five corporate officials were indicted on murder charges in connection with the Feb. 10 death of a worker at the plant. The employee died from inhaling cyanide fumes.

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