The Anniston Star from Anniston, Alabama • Page 1

ife PS Gi'GM FATHER-SON DISPUTE REGION: Disagreement leads to fist fight, 2 stabbings in Jacksonville. 6A TRAVEL From Civil War relics to bird dog contests, Union Springs a unique Alabama hamlet. I Saturday, January 21, 2006 A home-owned newspaper 50 cents J. I I Star INSIDE TODAY fatly: Poverty major factor in state's futur UF" 1 tV 51 percent of Alabama schoolchildren live in poverty, new report shows BY BRIAN LYMAN Star Capitol Correspondent MONTGOMERY Advocates for the poor hope a new report on poverty not politicswill drive any legislative debate about tax reform in Alabama. Despite an overall decline of poverty in the state, Calhoun County's rate increased during the 1 990s, according to a report issued Friday by the Alabama Poverty Project.

The report, released as the Legislature considers proposals to make the state's taxation system more equitable, found that the percentage of people living in poverty in Calhoun County grew from 15.7 percent in 1 990 to 16.1 percent in 2000. While poverty among whites and blacks changed slightly, the percentage for "other races" chiefly Hispanic and Asian immigrants grew from 6.8 percent in 1990 to 19.8 percent in 2000. The population there, however, also grew sharply, from 89 in 1 990 to 560 in 2000. Wayne Flynt, a professor of history at. Auburn University and project chairman, said at a press conference Friday that he hopes the data collected will guide politicians' choices as they address poverty in Alabama, "We tried to make this nonpartisan," Flynt said.

"Liberals, conservatives. Democrats or Republicans, we don't care who uses it. But the data will drive the argument." While most of the data stops at the 2000 census, Flynt said the goal of the report was to show Please see POVERTY I Page 3A BACK TO EARTH One day after emotional win, White Plains boys fall to Anniston. SPORTS 1C NTSB: If ere sne is Switch Locals party, tune in tonight to watch Miss America 4 BY SHAWN RYAN Star Features Editor The judges' reviews will be flying fast and furious tonight, some nice, some scathing enough to peel paint. "Oh, that dress, oh, my word, that's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." si -v 0 HOSTAGE CRISIS Negotiators work to free U.S.

journalist held captive in Iraq. WORLD 2A WHALE OF A TALE Mammal swims up London river for first time since 1913. COFFEE BREAK 8A '7 -V. i "Look at her teeth." "What was she thinking when she put that on her body?" "Listen to her; that was the worst thing I've ever heard." Thank goodness none of the folks being talked about can hear the comments. They're all in Las Vegas, parading across the stage in their evening gowns and swim-suits, singing and dancing (no baton twirlers, please) maybe cause of crash Switch that diverted first train was not thrown to divert rail traffic 'ba ck to the main track BY BEN CUNNINGHAM Star Staff Writer RIVERSIDE A switch that diverts trains to a side track was in the wrong position at the moment of Wednesday's train wreck near Lincoln.

A National Transportation Safety Board investigator, briefing reporters near the accident scene Friday, said a train, traveling at 53 mph. struck a stationary train that had moved onto the side track. The switch that had diverted the first train was not thrown to divert rail traffic back to the main track, he said. Did the switch position cause the wreck? "That is under investigation," said Richard Hipskind, the NTSB's investigator in charge at the wreck site. "We're trying to find out why it remained." A sensor should ha ve detected when the last cars of the first train Please see CRASH I Page 3A STRICKLIN MISS AMERICA ON TV 7 tonight on Country Music Television ft i it it .) Tr i' V- ii FAITH DEFENDER 'Catholic apologist7 explains the tenets of his faith on Friday.

YOUR FAITH ID in hopes of winning the title of MissAmerica. But back in Jacksonville, Teresa Stricklin and her friends will be dishin'. "It's a free-for-all and we have an absolute blast," says Stricklin, instructor of voice at Jacksonville State University and a former contestant in the Miss America pageant. "This is just a party, a get-together like the Ya-Ya Sisterhood deal with women sitting around in chairs and on the floor, eating popcorn, drinking Coke, saying Please see MISS AMERICA I Page 3A Spscial to The Star Teresa Stricklin, an instructor of voice at Jacksonville State University, is a former Miss Alabama who was first runner-up in the 1978 Miss America pageant. Tonight is the first time the pageant ever has been held outside Atlantic City, N.J.

Russell Corp. to cut 2,300 jobs by late '07 CO 00 550 will be cut in textile manufacturer's former corporate hometown of Alexander City my- erg Order the 2006 Anniston Star 5 calendar BYTHE NUMBERS Restructuring will affect about 2,300 jobs globally 15 percent of its 15,000 employees worldwide including 1,700 in the United States. Of the U.S. jobs to be cut, about 1,250 are in Alabama. About 1,200 of the U.S.

jobs eventually will be replaced in Honduras and Mexico. Russell plans to begin cutting the first of 550 jobs that will be eliminated in its former headquar-ters of Alexander City over the next two months. Another 700 jobs total from operations in Fort Payne, Brundidge and Alexander City will be gone by late 2007. I A RUSSELL phase out the positions as part of a restructuring meant in part to help it reduce costs and continue selling men's fleece products to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. The company said it previously lost acontracttosell fleece products for boys to Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer.

The loss meant Russell had too much manufacturing capacity, making cut-Please see RUSSELL I Page 3A BY JAY REEVES Associated Press BIRMINGHAM Textile manufacturer Russell Corp. will eliminate some 2,300 jobs by the end of next year, beginning with about 550 positions that will be cut soon from its former corporate hometown of Alexander City. Russell spokeswoman Nancy Young said Friday the company would on Bill Wilson Th Anniston Star Cleanup crews use backhoes Friday to pick through the remains of the burned rail cars and locomotives near Lincoln. i i online 1 OBITUARIES WEATHER, page 2B Vol. 126.

No. 21 (USPS 026-440) Wilma Oliver, Ashland Willie Smith, Anniston INDEX 4D Comics 7C Dear Abby 6A Horoscopes 4B Movies 4B Television 4B Weather 6A CONTACT US Ads: 235-9222 Delivery: 235-9253 Classified: 235-9211 Features: 235-3560 News: 235-3594 Sports: 235-3570 SHOWERS LIKELY HIGH: 63 LOW: 47 9 7 'drS Donna Maria Alexander, Piedmont Charles Dawson, Wedowee Frederick C. Forbus; Anniston Clarence Lowery, Sterrett 0bituaries5A "'66000 "11111 Justin Bass, 2nd grids, Linevills Primary.