Around the Nation

Lenny wreaks havoc in Virgin Islands

CHRISTIANSTED, U.S. Virgin Islands - Hurricane Lenny's winds climbed to 150 mph yesterday as it battered St. Croix, damaging homes and hurling boats on to the shore. The monster storm then roared toward a string of Dutch and British islands.

Just 5 mph shy of a Category 5, the highest hurricane rating, the storm's powerful winds killed at least four people from South America to the northeastern Caribbean.

St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands bore the brunt of its fury as the eye passed just 20 miles south yesterday afternoon.

''My yard is completely flooded out, the telephone lines are whistling and the rain is beating against the house,'' said Anthony Lewis of Frederiksted, St. Croix's second-largest town. He said he spent the morning bailing water out of his house.

Feeding off the warm Caribbean waters, Lenny's winds strengthened to 150 mph yesterday, making it a Category 4 hurricane capable of extreme damage.

The storm loomed about 70 miles southeast of St. Maarten last night, drifting east-northeast the several hours but was expected to head to the northeast, and the open Atlantic, later in the night. Hurricane winds extended 70 miles from its center and tropical storm-force winds another 205 miles.

Lenny's lateness in the season and easterly path left even experienced observers agape. ''It's unheard of,'' said veteran meteorologist John Toohey on San Juan's WOSO-AM radio. ''This is a once-in-a-lifetime event.''

Republicans nearing spending agreement

GOP leaders announced plans to seek a vote on the measure today in the House - whether or not they had White House acquiescence.

But before proceeding, they contacted administration officials in hopes of resolving the sticky issue surrounding implementation of the proposed 0.38 percent cut for dozens of federal programs.

Several Republicans said Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.), chair of the Senate Budget Committee, had been discussing a compromise with President Clinton's budget director.

Clinton bowed to GOP demands to include an across-the-board reduction, pending discussions with congressional Democrats. By yesterday evening, Democrats were insisting they would support the cuts only if Clinton were given more leeway in imposing them.

Though minuscule by federal budget standards - the cut would save no more than $1.3 billion - it assures votes from some conservatives eager to paint the GOP as trimming government waste.

Bishops approve new theological controls

Despite public and private alarms from academic circles, a bishops' meeting took the historic step by a vote of 223 to 31. The action is highly significant because many theologians have criticized official policies since colleges became more independent of the church beginning in the 1960s.

11-18-99