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- NATION, Page 21American NotesCALIFORNIAWar of the Whirlybirds
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- When word came last week that six enemy helicopters were
- approaching the city, Pasadena police scrambled one of their
- own choppers to warn the intruders away. Though no shots were
- fired and the opposing whirlybirds never came closer than a
- half-mile from each other, the aerial confrontation underscored
- a tense standoff between state and local officials in Southern
- California over efforts to control an infestation of
- Mediterranean fruit flies.
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- Despite assurances that the insecticide poses no threat to
- humans, many people object to the state's program of spraying
- malathion from helicopters over a 400-sq.-mi. area that
- includes Los Angeles and Orange counties. Last week Pasadena
- passed an ordinance that effectively outlaws spraying within
- city limits by prohibiting aircraft from flying at altitudes
- of less than 700 ft. Despite the objections, Governor George
- Deukmejian plans to continue the spraying. Pasadena is
- considering filing misdemeanor charges against the pilots
- involved in the anti-medfly mission.
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