WA COURT SAYS NO VOTE NEEDED, RELEASES FUNDS FOR M'S STADIUM

          The WA State Supreme Court ruled that the Mariners' new
     ballpark "is legal and not subject to a public vote,"
     according to Dudley & Callaghan in the Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE. 
     The 7-2 decision "ends two years of fighting" over the
     $414M, 45,500-seat stadium under construction near the
     Kingdome and releases $336M in public money to build it. 
     Justice Phil Talmadge said opponents' claims that the
     ballpark is an "unconstitutional gift of public funds" don't
     "hold up, given the team's $45 million contribution to the
     project, its obligation to pay insurance on the building,
     and other conditions in the 20-year lease" (Tacoma NEWS
     TRIBUNE, 6/14).  In a statement, Mariners CEO John Ellis:
     "All this gives us confidence that we can get the ballpark
     built within budget and on schedule by mid-1999" (Mariners).