The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 1

-T 1 RETAIL BASEBALL Braves win 14th straight Atlanta sets franchise mark; Dodger fens go after Rocker SPORTS, 1C May 2 2000 Bass Pro a long time coming Largest Opry Mills store opens after six-year effort BUSINESS, IE tit jjA- A 80 T56 Complete weather forecast on 6B NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE A GANNETT NEWSPAPER VOLUME 96, NO. 123 5 SECTIONS COPYRIGHT 2000 PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID IN NASHVILLE, TN HEALTH Get a grip on allergies Changing yard schedule, medicine can lessen misery LIVING HEALTH, ID Vf Shops IMF 1st guidelines issued for diagnosing ADHD are believed to have ADHD. parents are treating typical childhood misbehavior as Pediatricians try to curb overmedication ly need help. Guidelines for treating ADHD are still be Rerouting Interstate 65 The Tennessee Department of Transportation will reroute Interstate 65 to the west and north legs of the downtown loop effective Oct. 1 in hopes of alleviating congestion along the southern portion of the loop.

The Interstate 265 designation will be eliminated. The east Nashville portion of the loop will remain Interstate 24. Current route of 1-65 Future route of 1-65 Symptoms include short attention span, impulsive behavior, and difficulty focusing and sitting still. Ritalin is often prescribed to increase a child's alertness. But many experts have pointed out that its long-term effects on children are unknown.

For a diagnosis of ADHD Please see ADHD, 2A an illness. The academy said it is unclear whether the disorder is being overdiagnosed, because there are such wide variations in how doctors define and treat it. The academy said it believes the new guidelines will standardize the diagnosis and make it easier to identify which children real ing developed. "We'd like to help us all (diagnose) more accurately," said Dr. James M.

Perrin, an author of the guidelines and an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Between 4 and 12 of schoolchildren or as many as 3.8 million youngsters, most of them boys CHICAGO (AP) The American Academy of Pediatrics yesterday issued its first guidelines for diagnosing attention deficithyper-activity disorder, hoping to prevent merely rambunctious youngsters from being overmedicated while ensuring other children get the help they need. Recent research shows dramatic increases in the use of drugs such as Ritalin to treat children with ADHD, suggesting the disorder is either becoming more common or is being over-diagnosed. Many experts worry some doctors and Cm 1m ml DMU DflRD SS DREW WHITE STAFF Source: Tenn. Dept.

of Transportation 1-65 changes may alleviate congestion 1 4 '-Pit i I' vd I 1 1 System favors the wealthy, marchers say By ANNE PAINE and DUREN CHEEK Staff Writers The chant 'Tax Reform Now" rang out strong, except when the peaceful demonstrators marched from Bicentennial Capitol Mall up the ribbon of steps to the Capitol. The homemade signs that many carried, however, spoke for them as the steep climb temporarily took away their unified voice. "Fair Tax. Not Food Taxes," read one. "Tennessee sounds good If you are wealthy," read another.

'Tennessee is missing out on all this supposed new wealth that has come in the economic boom," said Eric Lewis, a building contractor and a supporter of yesterday's May Day Save Our State (SOS) Coalition rally. "They're closing state parks in this economic boom." Meanwhile, the more than $342 million budget shortfall the state faces was a topic in the Capitol. House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh told legislators that they face a tough task trying "We are always trying to find low-cost ways to improve our urban interstate system without continued widening projects." Bruce Saltsman, TDOT chairman RANDY PILAND STAFF John Stewart of Knoxville, Chanda Freeman of Jackson and Marsha Hyne of Nashville place a life preserver symbolizing tax reform at the entrance to the Capitol yesterday. status and begin looking at new and increased taxes as well as budget cuts. Outside, speakers told cheering citizens, who numbered more than 250 and came from as far as Kingsport and Memphis, that a solid revenue source land Mountains.

"We're against a system that has made us 49th and sinking." The state ranks among the bottom five states in a variety of categories includ- Please see RALLY, 2A to balance the budget and quoted from the late US. Rep. WA "Fats" Everett: "If a person don't want to work, then he ought not to have hired out." The House Finance Committee will hear reports today on the state's financial not budget cuts or more sales taxes is needed to ensure a strong state. "We're against a system that taxes the poor more," said Katherine Osbum of Cookeville, a member of Tennesseans for Fair Taxation and Save Our Cumber By LEON M. TUCKER Staff Writer State highway planners are betting they can ease Nashville's interstate congestion by changing a few signs.

In hopes of giving north-south through traffic more room to maneuver, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is shuffling the route numbers along the downtown interstate loop. Interstate 65 will swing west of downtown in an attempt to divert vehicles away from the loop's congested southern leg. It will follow the current Interstate 265 and the portion of Interstate 40 west of downtown. The Interstate 265 designation will be eliminated. The routings of Interstates 40 and 24 will not change.

Changes to signs will cost about $350,000 and will take place in September. "We are always trying to find low-cost ways to improve our urban interstate system without continued widening projects," TDOT Chairman Bruce Saltsman said. "This plan allows us to divert nonlocal traffic away from local chokepoints." About 121,000 vehicles travel the downtown interstate loop's southern leg daily. TDOT projects the changes will divert about 24,000 vehicles a day from the Second and Fourth Avenue interchange. "We recognize this is not a cure-all for congestion," said Bill Moore, chief engineer for Mental health agency to conduct probe in death of autistic man TDOT.

TDOT received approval from the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials and the Federal Highway Administration to make the changes. TDOT officials say they will work closely with local officials and the tourism, travel and trucking industries to ensure the transition is smooth. That diverted traffic could mean more customers for businesses along what is now 1-265. "I would assume being on 1-65 would be better for us because it is a better-known interstate," said Patrick Fran-zone, general manager for the Regal Maxwell House HoteL "As for the cost to change our marketing and advertising, it's too early to telL Hopefully it will be offset by more revenue we would generate by being off a better-known highway." termine exactly what did happen," said Martha Robinson, the department's director of public information and educatioa Police said this is what happened: Champion, a resident of a group home run by Outlook Nashville, an agency that contracts with the state to provide services to See AUTISTIC, 2A By BETH WARREN Staff Writer The state Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation is launching its own investigation into why a man with autism died in Metro police custody Sunday. Calvin Champion, 32, had been pepper-sprayed, handcuffed and restrained at the ankles by officers after being combative at a Nolensville Road store, police said.

After he vomited, his pulse grew weak and he lost consciousness. He was pronounced dead at Southern Hills Medical Center. "At this point we have not determined any wrongdoing took place and we're not speculating but we still want to de Developer advertises plans for new Nashville mall A 111 iiiiMMV 'tii IT- L- malL "It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense," said Arthur Perlen, agent with Grubb EllisCentennial. The area couldn't support another mall, even one with a Nordstrom, Perlen said. "The market is not that deep for another mall in this segment," said Susan Gomey, a leasing consultant for The Mall at Green Hills.

Rouse also lists an Nashville development roughly the size of Bellevue Center in its latest annual report. And Rouse names Nashville on its Web site as one of six cities for a development. The advertisement surprised retail real estate officials in Nashville, leaving them wondering where the developer could put an Robert Minutoli, senior vice president and director of new business for The Rouse declined yesterday to comment on the project when reached at home. "Any public statements we make about properties come from corporate communications," Minutoli said. Spokesmen for Rouse and Nordstrom could not be reached yesterday.

By STACEY HARTMANN and RICHARD IAWS0N Staff Writers A Maryland-based retail developer is advertising a Nashville shopping center to be anchored by three department stores, including the upscale Nordstrom. The Rouse a publicly traded developer of shopping centers based in Columbia, promotes "Nash- ville Center" in a multipage advertisement in a recent issue of the trade publication Shopping Centers Today. Some real estate analysts question whether the region can support another mall The public information for Nashville Center names only Nordstrom and does not give any hint oflocatioa 11. ERIC WRSONS STAFF Ready TOT the IXg nnt Jo Dee Messina doesn't hold back during rehearsals yesterday in Universal City, for tomorrow's Academy of Country Music Awards. Story on 2A.

Win or lose, Messina has something to celebrate, in Brad About You on 3 A. no 100, 8-9E U.S. shocks Russia Want the latest news first? Sections Local News Crosswofd 20 DearAbby 20 Deaths 58 Editorials WA Sports Sign up for e-mail updates. When I Ml "4090f'05606' Therapy for your pets Magnet therapy may help some people, and now it's available for pets. A new company producing magnet products is targeting pet owners who are devoting more effort to keeping pets healthy.

Products include magnet-lined bedding for dogs and cats. On 1D. Protesters back day-care workers At an annual May Day rally yesterday at War Memorial Auditorium, about 150 people gathered to support better pay for day-care workers. The average day-care salary in Tennessee is $6.12 an hour. On 1B.

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