The Anniston Star from Anniston, Alabama • Page 11

Llt August 16, 1996 Page 11 A Metropolitan Editor Phil Jenkins, 235-9277 1 Fishermen want bigger catch Sheriff's, deputies target Lake Wedowee truck thieves 4 V7 Ask Us Sue Vondracek By Richard Coe Star StaH Writer What's a name? A bit of history and direction QUESTION: I've iusl inher Qfi I--' ft fell are being stolen by a ring of car thieves that could involve a dozen or more people. It is most likely a professional ring, said a retired Anniston police officer who now lives in Randolph County and asked not to be identified. He speculated that the thieves get "orders" for cars and parts from disreputable salvage yards, and they drive around until they find the make and model they are looking for. He said they could take possession of a vehicle in one to two minutes once they've spotted the one they want. A pickup can be cut up into parts in less than an hour by a skilled group of thieves, he said.

"Anything you can do to slow them down will help," Fuller said. "They don't want to spend a lot of time." Fuller, Durham, officers from the state's Marine Police and state game wardens made the following suggestions: Put in a kill switch that is hard to find. Don't tell anyone about it. Install an alarm system. See Thetts14A One of Fuller's deputies staked out landings for more than 20 hours in his spare time, hoping to catch the thieves.

Fuller and Cleburne County Sheriff Darrell Durham spent all day Thursday tracking down leads. Durham asked the fisherman how many of them had installed kill switches or alarm systems in their vehicles. Out of the more than 40 people who attended the meeting, only four hands went up. "Y'all are not helping us either," Durham said. "You have got to help Sheriff Fuller and me.

Put in a kill switch on your truck. It will only cost you maybe $12. You can get an alarm system for $89." Danny Camp, a fisherman from Cleburne County, said his alarm is so sensitive it goes off when the wind blows hard or a truck drives by. "A lot of the time I can't even sit in my trunk now without setting it off," Camp said. "You still got it?" Fuller asked.

Camp smiled and nodded. Fuller and Durham believe the trucks WEDOWEE Smile next time you drive through one of the boat landings on Lake You may be on camera. To catch the thieves who have been stealing pickups from the landings, the Randolph County Sheriff's Department has hidden a camera to videotape people coming to the landings. It is just one of the measures Sheriff Jeff Fuller discussed Thursday night at a meeting in the Randolph County Courthouse with more than 40 concerned fisherman. Since January, Fuller said, around 15 vehicles have been stolen from the landings while fisherman were out in their boats.

Most have been late-model pickups with extended cabs. Clay County Circuit Clerk Jeff Colburn called the meeting of anglers to try and come up with some solutions. Some fishermen say they will no longer fish the lake because they fear their trucks might be stolen just as they're landing a 13-pound bass. Bill WilsonThe Anniston Star Sheriff Durham says public must help. ited what I've been calling a buffet A friend tells me she thinks it's a hunt board.

What's the difference? We dgt)'t know. Anyway, who cares what it's called? N.S., Anniston. ANSWER: It's a matter of history, and use, said an Anniston antiques expert. In the days of the Old South, when hunters came in from the hunt for a quick bite, they stood at the hunt'board, 36-40 inches tall, to eat. That way they didn't havelo worry too much about manners and soiling the host's fine dining room chairs.

For formal occasions, when inore people were being entertained than there were seats in the dining room, food was served from the hunt board to allow guests to eat their fill of pick-up food, even though they had to stand or find a seat in another room. Buffets are less than 35 inches tall and usually, except under rare circumstances, used for serving food. On buffets were found flower arrangements or, if necessary, beverages, pick-up desserts and pastries, though people with buffets today use them for serving buffet style anything they like. Write to herb expert QUESTION: Can you tell me if Tommy Bass, the expert on herbs, is still living. I'd like to talk with him about a group of us coming to hear about how he uses herbs.

I think he lives some '7 $43 million budget for county schools adopted by board By Helen Parr Star Staff Writer if mmm hmxmm I' where near Mentone. A.G., Anniston. Within the next 120 days, White said, that system will permit the board to track individual school finances month to month, in the same way that the board receives daily attendance records and report cards. The schools will report finances to the state each quarter. White mentioned several obstacles facing the implementation of the new system.

"All schools don't maintain the same records," White said. "There are a number of hurdles. We have to get (the financial reporting) so they are all doing it the same way, using the exact same accounts." According to White, the new system incorporates 6,900 separate accounting lines. A number of questions remain, however, regarding exactly what the financial reporting requirements will be for external organizations such as the booster clubs. "For schools using public and nonpublic funds, there needs to be a See Budget1 4A The Calhoun County Board of Education adopted a preliminary $43 million budget in a special work session following the board meeting Thursday night.

Despite a 4 percent statewide increase in school-system salaries, the preliminary budget does not represent a significant increase over last year's budget. Additional accountability, requirements recently mandated at the state level have made creating this year's budget especially challenging. Not only do funds have to be tracked in greater detail within the schools, but money donated by outside organizations, such as booster clubs, must be reported as well. According to business manager Robert White, the board and all sixteen schools under its jurisdiction are switching to a new computer system that will track their finances in accordance with the new ANSWER: Tommv Bass is liSt-J 1 114 fj y- Bill WilsonThe Anniston Star well, but now lives at the Cherokee Nursing Home in Centre. He enjoys receiving guests, but for a group it is best to make arrangements in advance through Margaret Eubanks, activity coordinator at the nursing home, said the director of nursing.

Bass continues to enjoy teaching about herbs. You may write to Bass at his home address, Rt. 2, Box 232, Leesburg, Ala. 35983, or at the nursing home, 877 Cedar Bluff Road, Centre, Ala. 35960.

Don 't let gardenia perish Summer shower Dustin Wilson scrubs the accumulated summer spruced-up buses will move out next Thursday as grime from the fleet of school buses at Anniston Anniston city school kids head back to the class-Transit Co. on Wilmer Avenue Thursday. The rooms. County schools open on Wednesday." TV officials assure area news won't suffer QUESTION: My new garde James vows fight to keep Goals 2000 funds out By Frederick Burger Star Business Editor nia bush is not doing too well. It gets about seven hours of filtered sunlight daily, but the leaves are turning yellow and dropping off.

I was told not to over water it, so I give it just a little water once a week. I feel it at that time too. Am I doing something wrong? Cif U'-iJ ft general manager of TV Alabama the parent company of Alabama's ABC, insisted that the Hoover-based operation will not ignore WJSU's existing audience. In fact, he said the station will have four microwave trucks, one assigned to Anniston, which will be able to provide live news coverage of the area. And he outlined what he described as "the most sophisticated network of microwave" transmission systems ever built to serve the local needs of its viewers.

The total investment including a new state-of-the-art Hoover newsroom and offices will range from $60 million to $80 million, Heilman said. And he indicated it will enable the station, in effect, to zone its newscasts to specific audiences. By being able to "split our signal," Heilman also indicated that the station will be able to serve targeted advertising markets. Kyle Krebs, general sales man- See Changes1 4A When the Northeast Alabama Ad Club met for lunch Thursday, there was great anticipation that members would learn why Gadsden's WNAL-TV 44 had sud-. denly decided to shelve plans to launch a full-scale local news operation in September.3 What the eager audience heard instead was the station's general sales manager.

Bill Parks, simply restate the decision, which had' been announced earlier this week, without further explanation. It took him about 30 seconds to speak and sit down. The explanation was more thorough, though questions still remained, when it came time for officials of the new broadcaster, Alabama's ABC which is merging Anniston's WJSU-TV 40 and Tuscaloosa's WCFT-TV 33 to lay out exactly how the new stations will function when the merger takes effect Sept. 1. Jerry Heilman, president and D.L., Weaver.

ANSWER: Your gardenia is probably very thirsty, said an Anniston nurseryman. The soil around it should always be damp, though not soaking wet. Never let it dry out, he said. Gardenias don't need much food, perhaps a small monthly feeding of an acidic fertilizer. Mulch your gardenia with pine straw to help keep the soil acidic.

Gardenias love bright, filtered light, but a little full sunshine won't hurt, he said. Copyright facts found QUESTION: I need a form for filing for a copyright and instructions on how to do the filing. Someone told me you'd know where to write to get this kind of material. Is that true? W.L., Jacksonville. ANSWER: Write to the Register of Copyrights at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

20559. Ask for an information packet about copyrights which will include a form. Eddie MotesThe Anniston Star Station Manager Phil Cox, Jerry Heilman at luncheon. By David Pace Associated Press SAN DIEGO Alabama Gov. Fob James vowed Thursday to fight the state school board's bid to reconsider its earlier rejection of federal education funds that James contends would lead to unwanted federal intrusion in state schools.

James, who as governor is chairman of the Board of Education, was clearly miffed that the board took the reconsideration vote last week while he was in San Diego for committee work in advance of the Republican National Convention. "I thought it was gone," James told an Alabama delegate caucus, in his first public comment on the controversy since the Aug. 8 vote. "We will certainly do our best to put the 98th nail in that coffin." Alabama and Virginia are the only states that have rejected federal money available under the Goals 2000 program. Before the school board's vote in June to reject the money, Alabama was slated to receive $8 million over the next two years under the program.

The board's 6-2 vote to reconsider that action came last week after Education Secretary Richard Riley wrote state officials assuring them there were no federal strings attached to the money. Riley said the Goals 2000 law "appropriately prohibits the federal government from mandating, directing or controlling Alabama's curriculum or program of instruction, or allocation of state or local resources." See Goals 20001 4A University presidents might back lottery Associated Press at public Georgia colleges for any Georgia high school student with a average or above and continues to pay as long as the student keeps the average. It also pays tuition at technical colleges and supports the GED program. Since Sept. 1, 1993, the lottery has paid $237.8 million for 196,025 students.

Last year alone it spent $132 million for 125,576 students. HOPE also pays private college funding and Miller said the lottery has paid for computers and satellite dishes at all 1,845 public schools. "We're financing three major educational programs that we couldn't have afforded without the lottery," Georgia Gov. Zell Miller said. Alabama Gov.

Fob James opposes a lottery, as well as any state tax increase. the state's lottery began producing. "As time passed and generating revenues became more difficult, more Democrats and Republicans adopted no new-tax policies and the Legislature dipped into the lottery trust fund for purposes other than education," Sorensen said. Muse said he would prefer higher property taxes to support education, but he recognizes that higher taxes are probably impossible. "I'm pessimistic about the state ever addressing the problem and you have to look at alternatives and a lottery is something that other states have.

addressed," Muse said. The Georgia lottery-supported tuition program called HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) is now in its third year. The lottery pays tuition and a book allowance MONTGOMERY A state lottery that guarantees to give it proceeds to supplement current education funding is a prospect that University of Alabama President Andrew Sorensen and Auburn University President William Muse would consider supporting. But both have concerns that a state-run lottery, even one like in neighboring Georgia, would not be able to hold to that promise. "If there could be some absolute ironclad guarantee that it would be safe in perpetuity it could be discussed," Sorensen said.

Before moving to Alabama, Sorensen was provost at the University of Florida and saw Florida legislators reduce education funding once -r. Write "Ask us!" to help solve problems and find information after you 've tried yourself. WRITE, don 't phone, and include your name, address and daytime phone number. Send ONLY COPIES of related papers and canceled checks. Initials used on request.

Mail to "Ask us!" The Anniston Star, P.O. Box 189, Anniston.