N.Y. Plans to ‘Bash’ Washington

New York City is planning to throw a big anniversary party for George Washington. In fact, Mayor Edward I. Koch promised that the ceremonies to mark the 200th anniversary of the inauguration of the nation’s first President will be “bigger, bigger, bigger” than other recent celebrations, including the centennial tribute to the Statue of Liberty in 1986. “This is the most appropriate place to celebrate this historic anniversary, because New York City was the first capital of the United States under the Constitution,” Koch said at a news conference in Federal Hall, where Washington was sworn in on April 30, 1789, and where Congress met for the first time. Organizers have invited President Reagan, President-elect Bush and former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald R. Ford and Richard M. Nixon to attend the observance on April 29 and 30. Events will include fireworks, a parade of 13 Navy and Coast Guard ships representing the original colonies, an ecumenical service in St. Paul’s Chapel on Lower Broadway, where Washington attended religious services after his inauguration, a parade up Broadway and an inaugural gala dinner.

--Young Stormie Jones, the world’s first recipient of a simultaneous heart and liver transplant, was reported to be in good condition after a checkup at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pa. Stormie, 11, of White Settlement, Tex., had undergone blood tests in Texas that found elevated levels of body toxins the liver should be removing, said hospital spokeswoman Lynn McMahon. Doctors performed Stormie’s transplant at Children’s Hospital in February, 1984, because she suffered from hyper-cholesterolemia, which causes fat to accumulate in the blood. She returned last October for bile duct reconstruction. McMahon said it was not yet clear if her new symptoms are related to the bile duct problem.

--Elena Ceausescu is more than the First Lady of Romania. Now the wife of President Nicolae Ceausescu is officially a national heroine, the Agerpres agency said. She was awarded the title “Heroine of the Socialist Republic of Romania” at a special luncheon marking her 70th birthday, attended by leading Communist Party officials. Elena Ceausescu, a prominent member of the Romanian Politburo, is regarded by many Western diplomats as second-in-command to her husband. Agerpres said party officials praised her activity in the country’s underground movement during World War II.