About 1,000 here were still without telephone service at home and in their businesses for a third day after major cable cutting in construction at 19th and Massachusetts. Originally, 5,500 phones had been knocked out and it was hoped all the phones would be back by nightfall.

Despite President Reagan’s election-day projections of vigorous growth in the nation’s economy, a Kansas panel of financial experts forecast only “moderate improvement” in the state economy, revising downward by $18 million the earlier predictions of how much revenue the state would take in during the fiscal year.

Meanwhile, the nation’s trade deficit hit a record $33.3 billion in the third quarter of 1984, exceeding the previous three-month high of $26.3 billion set in the year’s second quarter. The source was the U.S. Commerce Department.

Lawrence Memorial Hospital was one step closer to constructing an addition on the west side of the existing facilities. The executive board of the Health Systems Agency of Northeast Kansas approved the certificate of need for the $860,000 project at LMH.