The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 1

ill ni ii ffii fa INDIANA EDITION 48 PAGES COPYRIGHT 1993, THE COURIER-JOURNAL, LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY A GANNETT NEWSPAPER FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 1993. 35 CENTS US. forces blast two camps to quell Somali sniper fire 3 I 1 I I By MARK FRITZ, Associated Press Somalia U.S. forces sent a message to this lawless city yesterday, a barrage of tank, helicopter fire on two clan camps where snipers taking potshots at troops. the biggest and deadliest of Operation Hope, was meant to instill fear Somalia's feuding clans and murderous have been growing bolder by the have skirmished in the capital, and troops have increasingly been targets rock-throwing youths and snipers.

also has intensified safety worries agencies trying to provide food The Kentucky Air National Guard will send two planes and 126 personnel to assist in the Somalian famine relief effort. Page 4. and medicine to Somalia's starving. The American-led international force came to the famine-stricken Horn of Africa nation to protect such shipments. Mogadishu shook with thunderous cannon booms, screaming missiles and ripples of machine-gun fire during the 20-minute onslaught yesterday.

The Somalis responded with a barrage of See SOMALIA Page 5, col. 1, this section Cox AkV. Charlestown takes on tough issues as books at school are protested i If By GRACE SCHNEIDER Staff Writer Kim Brown became suspicious the day her daughter Heidi casually mentioned that she'd come across something in a school book that she thought her mother might not approve. Brown, of Charlestown, immediately read three books from a series offered to Heidi's sixth-grade English class at Charlestown Middle School. And hit the roof.

The books, she said, were sprinkled with sexual comments and innuendo she thinks are too advanced for 11-, 12-and 13-year-olds. Brown's protests have fueled cries of censorship among some parents and a sensitive community debate in Charlestown. Brown charges that school officials are privately attempting to cast her and her supporters as book-burners and religious zealots. IRAQI REBUFF? In an apparent rebuff of the allied demand that Iraq remove its surface-to-air missiles in southern Iraq, Baghdad said it was entitled to station the weapons anywhere on its territory. However, there were indications missiles were being moved yesterday.

Story, Page A 4 A STAMP OF APPROVAL ASSOCIATED PRESS The new Elvis Presley stamp will go on sale this morning. Special postmarks will also be availible. Details, Page A 5. Fans stick by their man at Graceland By C. RAY HALL, Staff Writer MEMPHIS The 6-foot rock wall that separates Graceland mansion from the rest of the world is full of almost-fresh graffiti, including these scrawled cries and whispers: "Elvis, You Are The Sexiest Man I Have Ever Seen.

Love, Amy." "Brought You A Chicken Leg, Hon. Laura Lynn." It's not all wishes and wishbones. On this date every year, a Graceland employee leaves a slice of birthday cake on Elvis' tomb in the mansion's "meditation garden." Sybil Vessells, a 51-year-old Elvis fan from Texas, has meditated on this practice, and she doesn't like it. "It makes us look bad," she said yesterday. "A lot of people think Elvis fans are crazy." Crazy about Elvis, anyway, if we can judge from other handwriting on the rock wall: "Elvis, Your Burning Love Left A Hole In My Heart.

Adios. Love, Steve." "Kentucky Loves Elvis." See ELVIS Page 5, col. 3, this section 5f I it I MOGADISHU, devastating unleashing and rocket were The attack, Restore among thugs, who day. Clans U.S.-led of looters, The violence by relief Report said to justify workplace smoking rules iV ,3 Hm Mm 'iiv miLM. "I'm not big on removing books from shelves anywhere.

And I don't burn books," Brown said. "That's not what this is about." What she does want is to keep certain books from falling into the hands of younger students. She's not happy with a decision by a school-appointed committee on the three books. The books "Show Me the Evidence" by Alane Ferguson, "The Goats" by Brock Cole and "Don't Look Behind You" by Lois Duncan are part of the Young Hoosier Book Award program. Students choose from among 20 novels recommended annually by a statewide committee of school librarians.

Some schools vote on the best books for the year. During the uproar, which became public in November, students have act-See BOOKS Page 7, col. 1, this section Area business leaders, officials say report may speed restrictions on smoking in public places. Page 2. restrict smoking.

The report, whose major findings were leaked earlier in the week, classifies secondhand tobacco smoke (breathed by someone other than the smoker) as a cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. It estimates that 3,000 non-smokers die each year as the result of lung cancer contracted from exposure to the smoke of others. In addition, the report says exposure to tobacco smoke increases the risk of non-cancer illnesses among children. Specifically, it estimates that tobacco smoke causes 150,000 to 300,000 cases See REPORT Page 7, col. 1, this section CRIME PROFITS Spurred by the Shanda Sharer case, three Southern Indiana legislators hope to refine state law to ensure that violent criminals in Indiana never profit financially from their crimes.

The legislators have received calls from constituents who are furious that the two teen-age girls who have pleaded guilty to the torture-murder of 12-year-old Shanda may profit from lucrative contracts with TV and film producers. Story, Page 1 .5 The mother of the newborn found dead on Christmas Eve "can take comfort in knowing she's our little girl, and we'll take care of her." More than 40 people attended Mary Eve's funeral. Theresa Adams and her husband, James, who arranged for the burial, wept yesterday at the cemetery. A daughter of James Adams, Rhonda Railey, is at right. STAFF PHOTOS BY PAUL SCHUHMANN fe1 i I iir Dr.

Richard Greathouse, Jefferson County coroner, said yesterday that the child had been born healthy and died, probably from cold or suffocation, before being struck by one or more cars. Yesterday police questioned a woman after getting her name from a tipster, but she is not the baby's mother, Louisville police Lt. Gene Sherrard said. They'll continue to pursue every lead, he said. But mourners at the funeral, though curious about the parents, were more concerned with giving Mary Eve a decent burial.

Theresa Adams, of Fairdale, said everyone at the service felt a connection to Mary Eve. "Her mother can take comfort in knowing she's our little girl, and well take care of her," she said. See BABY Page 5, col. 1, this section By MIKE BROWN Staff Writer WASHINGTON Government officials and smoking opponents said yesterday that a new federal report on the health hazards of "secondhand" tobacco smoke would be a strong impetus for tough indoor smoking restrictions across the nation. John Banzhaf III, a Washington attorney long active in fighting the tobacco industry, said he will use the findings in court to try to force the Labor Department to regulate smoking in all workplaces.

He also vowed that the 1 -inch-thick document, which was officially released yesterday by the Environmental Protection Agency, will be the basis for lawsuits to require fast-food restaurants and international air carriers to Family of strangers puts abandoned baby to rest Stride Rite center will add up to 250 jobs at Riverport By MARVIN GREENE and CYNTHIA WILSON Staff Writers Some people brought flowers, and a dark-haired woman placed a teddy bear near the tiny, closed bubble casket. The infant who had been found dead Christmas Eve in an Oxmoor Center parking lot, naked but for a plastic trash bag, prompted a police search for the person who put her there. It seemed that no one would claim her. But the 7-pound newborn, named Mary Eve after her death, was surrounded by mourners yesterday at Bethany Memorial Cemetery in Jefferson County, Ky. More than 40 strangers gathered to say goodbye.

They'd never seen her, but for this day at least, they were her family. "She became our little girl today," said Theresa Adams, who with her husband, James, arranged for the burial. also secretary of economic development. In September Working Mother magazine named Stride Rite as one of the 100 best companies for working mothers. Stride Rite is the third company to announce its move to the Louisville area in three months, following Natural Wonders and AdvanceWare Inc.

And its 40-acre purchase at Riverport will be the second-largest single-tract sale at the industrial park on the Ohio River in southwestern Jefferson County. Construction of the center will begin at the end of this month and is expected to take a year to 18 months. Some of the 500 See STRIDE Page 7, col. 1, this section By KYUNG M. SONG, Business Writer Stride Rite considered one of the nation's most progressive companies, said yesterday that it will move its national distribution center to Jefferson County and hire up to 250 people within two years.

The news that the Cambridge, footwear manufacturer will build a $10 million distribution center at the Louisville and Jefferson County Riverport fueled officials' hopes that Kentucky is garnering a reputation as a progressive state for businesses. "Stride Rite is a major national company, and this could bring more publicity and credence to the fact that Kentucky has a good business atmosphere," said Lt. Gov. Paul E. Patton, who is SLIPPITY DOO DAH INDIANA: Rain south today, with rain or freezing rain likely tonight and tomorrow.

Highs, 30s. Overnight lows near 30. Details, 2 AUTOS F1 BUSINESS CI CLASSIFIED C5, F1 COMICS D8 DEATHS B3 LOTTERY A2 TV, RADIO D2 NO. 500 FOR CRUM Denny Crum won his 500th game last night as Louisville beat South Florida 98-75 in the Cardinals' Metro Conference opener. Sports, 1 BAD, BAD BOBBY BROWN It's time to put on your dancing shoes for a slice of funk heaven when Brown and Co.

take over Freedom Hall tomorrow night. 1 J..