Shirley Mcvay Wiseman

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Samuel R. Pierce Jr., who refused to answer questions at a congressional hearing last month, said Thursday that he will invoke his constitutional rights and maintain his silence at sessions scheduled for today and next week. Pierce urged the panel to cancel plans for today's scheduled hearing, but he was rebuffed by the subcommittee investigating scandals at his department during the Ronald Reagan Administration. "Mr.

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Samuel R. Pierce Jr., who refused to answer questions at a congressional hearing last month, said Thursday that he will invoke his constitutional rights and maintain his silence at sessions scheduled for today and next week. Pierce urged the panel to cancel plans for today's scheduled hearing, but he was rebuffed by the subcommittee investigating scandals at his department during the Ronald Reagan Administration. "Mr.

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Samuel R. Pierce Jr. ordered subordinates to override staff objections and approve a North Carolina apartment project being promoted by a former law firm colleague, two former federal officials said Monday. Pierce had testified to Congress on May 25 that he took no such actions.

The House subcommittee investigating the widening HUD scandal will examine whether the Newport Beach development company headed by William Lyon received preferential treatment when it bought the 827-acre Robinson Ranch in southern Orange County from the agency in 1985, a panel official said Tuesday. The Department of Housing and Urban Development accepted the Lyon Co.'

A former official at the scandal-ridden Department of Housing and Urban Development on Friday challenged sworn testimony of former HUD Secretary Samuel R. Pierce Jr., saying Pierce once ordered her to approve a $16-million grant for an apartment project of dubious merit. Shirley M. Wiseman, who was acting assistant secretary of housing at the time, said she refused to obey Pierce's direct order to fund the controversial Durham, N.C., project because it had "too many problems."

A federal housing official involved in the government's controversial sale of the Robinson Ranch in Orange County to a Newport Beach developer who is a major Republican contributor said Tuesday that the transaction was based on sound economics and was not influenced by politics. In an interview, Edwin W. Baker, one of five officials who recommended in 1985 that the federal government sell the 827-acre ranch to the William Lyon Co.

During the first 100 years or so of Robinson Ranch, from the time Orange County pioneer Louis A. Robinson first settled his family in the land of rugged, scrub-brush canyons and ridge tops with spectacular vistas that stretch to the ocean, little changed until 1981. But in the last decade, the 827 acres tucked in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains have been part of a drama that zeroes in on the perils of development, California style.

A key Washington official in the developing HUD scandal gave preferential treatment to a company headed by Newport Beach developer William Lyon, a major Republican contributor, by selling him 827 acres in south Orange County even though his bid was the lowest of four reviewed, according to a HUD internal report. The report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, obtained by the Long Island newspaper Newsday and published Sunday, says Shirley M.

A key Washington official in the developing HUD scandal gave preferential treatment to a company headed by Newport Beach developer William Lyon, a major Republican contributor, by selling him 827 acres in south Orange County--even though his bid was considered the lowest of four reviewed, according to a HUD internal report. The report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, obtained by the Long Island newspaper Newsday and published Sunday, says that Shirley M.

Two Southern California developers who tried to buy Orange County's Robinson Ranch from HUD in 1985 told federal investigators that they believe that the property was sold to the William Lyon Co. because of Lyon's political influence and friendship with a key HUD official, according to an internal HUD report. The Department of Housing and Urban Development report, triggered by an investigation of the developers' complaints, noted: "Our analysis . . .

During the first 100 years or so of Robinson Ranch, from the time Orange County pioneer Louis A. Robinson first settled his family in the land of rugged, scrub-brush canyons and ridge tops with spectacular vistas that stretch to the ocean, little changed until 1981. But in the last decade, the 827 acres tucked in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains have been part of a drama that zeroes in on the perils of development, California style.

Shirley M. Wiseman, a former top HUD official who was accused by federal investigators of showing "favoritism" to the William Lyon Co. of Newport Beach in a 1985 Orange County land deal, denied in a written statement Monday that she has a personal friendship with Lyon. The complaint about Wiseman surfaced last week in news reports of an 1985 investigation by the U.S.

A federal housing official involved in the government's controversial sale of the Robinson Ranch in Orange County to a Newport Beach developer who is a major Republican contributor said Tuesday that the transaction was based on sound economics and was not influenced by politics. In an interview, Edwin W. Baker, one of five officials who recommended in 1985 that the federal government sell the 827-acre ranch to the William Lyon Co.

Two Southern California developers who tried to buy Orange County's Robinson Ranch from HUD in 1985 told federal investigators that they believe that the property was sold to the William Lyon Co. because of Lyon's political influence and friendship with a key HUD official, according to an internal HUD report. The Department of Housing and Urban Development report, triggered by an investigation of the developers' complaints, noted: "Our analysis . . .

A key Washington official in the developing HUD scandal gave preferential treatment to a company headed by Newport Beach developer William Lyon, a major Republican contributor, by selling him 827 acres in south Orange County even though his bid was the lowest of four reviewed, according to a HUD internal report. The report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, obtained by the Long Island newspaper Newsday and published Sunday, says Shirley M.

A key Washington official in the developing HUD scandal gave preferential treatment to a company headed by Newport Beach developer William Lyon, a major Republican contributor, by selling him 827 acres in south Orange County--even though his bid was considered the lowest of four reviewed, according to a HUD internal report. The report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, obtained by the Long Island newspaper Newsday and published Sunday, says that Shirley M.

Shirley M. Wiseman, a former top HUD official who was accused by federal investigators of showing "favoritism" to the William Lyon Co. of Newport Beach in a 1985 Orange County land deal, denied in a written statement Monday that she has a personal friendship with Lyon. The complaint about Wiseman surfaced last week in news reports of an 1985 investigation by the U.S.

The House subcommittee investigating the widening HUD scandal will examine whether the Newport Beach development company headed by William Lyon received preferential treatment when it bought the 827-acre Robinson Ranch in southern Orange County from the agency in 1985, a panel official said Tuesday. The Department of Housing and Urban Development accepted the Lyon Co.'

A former official at the scandal-ridden Department of Housing and Urban Development on Friday challenged sworn testimony of former HUD Secretary Samuel R. Pierce Jr., saying Pierce once ordered her to approve a $16-million grant for an apartment project of dubious merit. Shirley M. Wiseman, who was acting assistant secretary of housing at the time, said she refused to obey Pierce's direct order to fund the controversial Durham, N.C., project because it had "too many problems."

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Samuel R. Pierce Jr. ordered subordinates to override staff objections and approve a North Carolina apartment project being promoted by a former law firm colleague, two former federal officials said Monday. Pierce had testified to Congress on May 25 that he took no such actions.