The Anniston Star from Anniston, Alabama • Page 1

V- tyt 425 acres scorched on Dugger Mountain. RegionIB Friday, March 2, 2007 A home-owned newspaper lie Star INSIDE TODAY Alt Desist? dli on Ala lb aura storms 50 cents Search for temporary 2-year chancellor nears end Announcement could come this afternoon BY BRIAN LYMAN Star Capitol Coouiipondont Ihe ucM tcm porarx chancellor lor Alabama's two-vear college system could be named at a special meeting of the Stale Hoard ol I this a Iternoon. Sjr -T yy BACK IN BUSINESS Auburn hits the field in pads for first time as spring practice gets into gear. SPORTS 1C REZONING CHALLENGED Changes at McClellan on hold pending approval from City Council. REGION 1B VI But the search lor a i permanent captain ot the i4wi stale's system of community and technical col leges ma be just beginning.

"I hope he will be in place by Monday morning, at least to authorize the payment of utility bills, and those types ol day -lo-day operat ions. corns UNION YARN MILLS, INC. Associated Press photos ABOVE: A helicopter from Fort Rucker waits to transport victims from Enterprise High School on Thursday. An apparent tornado struck the high school, trapping students under rubble and killing at least five people, emergency officials said. BELOW: Storm damage in Enterprise.

5 Enterprise High School students killed said Sandra Ray. the state school board's ice piesidcni. "We have to ha a chance I 'or to recommend a lot ol the things mi our board agenda. We don't meet until the 21'nd in official Ihe board ill meet at p.m. today to lormally accept the resignation ol lormei it ear college chancellor I horn as 'oris, yy ho quit Wednesday afternoon.

Members also yyill discuss potential replacements, yyhich Ray and oilier hoard members said could lead loan appointment "I 'io ul.i' v. Riiy said. "I'll share my thoughts when 1 get there." Please see SEARCH I Page 5A DECISION STILL LOOMS Fate of Jacksonville's Union Yarn Mills is up in the air. BUSINESS 10 Army fires Walter Reed commander Ji i i BY BOB JOHNSON Associated Press KNTKRI'RISK T. ripped through AkibiinKi iid killed at least seen people I liurs-da.

incliidiiiii tie ill a his-'h seliool here sludeiits heeaine pinned under clchris when a rool col- lapsed, stale officials said. As niidit tell.erewsdiis: through piles ol rubble beneath portable lights at High School, looking lor other ictinis. "The number could ver well increase as the search effort continues through the night." stale emergency management spokeswoman Vasamie Richardson said. The burst ol' tornadoes as part of a larger line of thunderstorms and snow storms that stretched from Minnesota to the (iulf Coast. Authorities blamed a tornado for the death of a 7-ear-old girl in Missouri, and twisters were reported in Kansas.

No storm damage was reported in Calhoun and other nearby counties. In the chaotic hours after the storm, reports about the death toll varied widely. At one point, stale officials said as man) as I people were dead. Richardson later said thai misconiniunication at the scene as to blame. "Any time you have a disaster of this magnitude, there is confusion at the scene." Richardson said.

(iov. Bob Riley 's spokesman, Jeff Hmerson, said that "information was provided to EMA from local officials. People may have been added twice because information as coming in from different officials." State Department of Public Safety officials also gave I louse Speaker Seth Hummed an incorrect number of the dead in Wilcox County, which Please see STORIES I Page 4A 7 11 4Ju BY STEVE VOGEL AND WILLIAM BRAMGIN Ti-e Wdsiwujti-r. ION I he comm.mdci ol W.illei Keed Army Medit.il Center was fired I huisday Army said il had losi trust and conl idence in his leadership in the yake of a scandal oy er on pal iet il 1 1 eat i tie nl of yyouiuled I roups al the hospu.il eomplev in NoithweM Washingion Army (ien. ieorge Weighiman.

yho assumed command ol Walter Reed in August, will be temporal replaced by 1.1 (ien. Key in Kiley Bnl Hie appointment of Kiley. yyho had been ihe lacilily com maniler belore Weighliiian. surprised some Defense Department officials because sol diet's, their families and yelciaiis' adyoc.ttes Please see FIRED I Page 5A SCHLESINGER DIES AT 89 Former JFK aide, award-winning RFK biographer had heart attack. OBITUARIES 4B NATION IS UNPREPARED Experts say the U.S.

is not ready for a nuclear attack by terrorists. NATION 3A Crossword solutions available at Equipment malfunction injures Depot technician days after the incident, but after an inspection Wednesday, tiring has resumed. Gustafson said she could not recall a similar incident at the Depot in the 2b years she has yyorked there. Ccnldct Ainlv Jlms ill (ijiilinsC' tmniMoiisidiA orciilt gation by the Depot's Safety and Security office, but Gustafson said all indications suggest the incident was accidental. Gustafson said investigators still did not know hat exactly happened to cause the weapon to tire.

Green originally yyas taken to a local hospital, then was transported to Birmingham. The ramie was closed for six BY ANDY JOHNS Star Staff Writer A small-arms technician at the Anniston Army Depot was seriously injured last week when an equipment malfunction caused an automatic weapon to shoot him several times in the arm. The Depot did not release information about the incident f-'eb. 22 when he was shot multiple times by a M249 belt-fed squad automatic weapon, according to the release. Depot spokeswoman Joan Gus-tafson said she did not know how many times Green was hit.

The injuries yvere confined to his right arm. The gun usually fires 10 shots in a sequence, she said. The shooting is under investi until Thursday. According to Thursday's press release from the Depot's Public Affairs Office, Roth Tyler Green, 22, was in stable condition, recovering at the University Hospitals at Birmingham after undergoing the first round of orthopedic surgery. Green was on the target end of a firing range around 3:30 p.m.

(The lltllltU' WEATHER, PAGE 6B Vol. 127, No. 61 (USPS 026-440) OBITUARIES William Howell Abernathy, Weaver Norris N. Brown, Lineville Wallace Cheatwood, Lincoln Emma Jean Lewallen, Talladega William Richmond Stephens, Ashville Willie P. "Anchie" Taylor, CONTACT US Ads: 235-9222 Delivery: 235-9253 Classified: 235-9211 Features: 235-3560 News: 235-3594 Sports: 235-3570 MOSTLY SUNNY HIGH: 66 LOW: 39 INDEX Business ID Calendar 2B Classifieds 3D Coffee Break 8A Comics i 7C Community 5B Movies.

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