The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 3

JANUARY 10, 1995 EDITOR: JOHN LONG PHONE: 948-1315 FAX: 949-4041 BRIEFLY Hepatitis scare hurts area's Arby's restaurants tkWl Jim By KATHERINE L. SEARS Staff Writer Arby's restaurants have lost customers since an employee who worked at three of its Southern Indiana locations was diagnosed with hepatitis last month. Business has been down 50 percent at those restaurants and down 10 percent to 15 percent overall at the 39 Arby's in the Louisville market area, a corporate spokesman said yesterday. The market area includes Clark and Floyd counties. Those figures were based on a comparison of a one-week period beginning Dec.

29 with the same period a year ago, said the spokesman, Neil Cohen. The drop in business has in turn brought some cutbacks in employees' hours, said Terry Lancaster, owner of two of the three directly affected restaurants franchises in Sellersburg and at River Falls Mall. But sales have been gradually rising in the past week, Cohen said. Among the returning customers were Melony Sommers and her mother, Marilyn Sommers, both of Jeffersonville. most contagious.

The Health Department gave another 350 injections. Arby's paid for all those shots, at $14 to $15 per injection, and also agreed to pay for shots by private physicians. That would put the cost at more than $150,000. Cohen said yesterday that he couldn't put a dollar amount on the lost business. But he said Arby's has been an unfortunate victim in the matter, because the public has mistakenly associated this hepatitis case with restaurant cleanliness.

"We didn't create the situation," he said. "Hepatitis A is brought into your restaurant." The employee, whom he wouldn't name and who has not worked at any Arby's since Dec. 22, should not be blamed either, Cohen said. Neither Arby's nor the Clark County Health Department knows how the employee contracted the disease. It infects the liver and usually is spread through food and water contaminated by fecal particles.

Still, Lancaster is sorry for what occurred. "I do apologize to all my customers for all of the inconvenience they had to go through." STAFF PHOTO BY KATHERINE L. SEARS Marilyn Sommers, left, and her daughter Melony Sommers met for lunch at Arby's on Ind. 131 in Clarksville yesterday. ville Dec.

30, and another 2,200 got them at the Medical Center of Southern Indiana in Charlestown. The injections were offered to anyone who had eaten at any of the three Arby's between Dec. 15 and Dec. 22, when the employee was CLARK COUNTY High school expects good news on next accreditation report Study at of at in-state rate If you live in Clark, Floyd, Harrison or Scott County, you can start work across the Ohio River on one of many graduate degrees this semester and pay lower, in-state tuition. Indiana students from these four counties can pursue several graduate degrees or post-baccalaureate certificates at the University of Louisville.

Under the same arrangement, students from Jefferson, Bullitt and Oldham counties in Kentucky can work on master of business administration, master of liberal studies or master of science in education degrees at Indiana University Southeast. Information is available from the participating departments or the office of community relations at IUS, 941-2416, or the provost's office at of 852-6153. Abused children need your help The Court Appointed Special Advocate programs of Floyd and Washington counties need volunteers to represent the interests of abused and neglected children. Besides acting as the child's voice in court, volunteers must be able to work with children, family members and professionals using tact, concern and basic human-relations skills. All applicants must be at least 21 years old, be willing to have references checked and complete an interview before undergoing the required training.

A training session will begin next week. For more information, call 948-0400. Medicare -by the rules A free program on Medicare will begin at 4 p.m. next Tuesday in the skilled-nursing unit at Floyd Memorial Hospital and Health Services, 1850 State St. in New Albany.

Barbara Crecelius, a Social Security representative, will discuss Medicare rules. Registration is required. For more information or registration, call 949-5641. Government: more, not less? INDIANAPOLIS When many people are demanding less government, one state representative says Indiana might need more government. Rep.

Lonnie M. Randolph, D-East Chicago, has introduced a bill that would let the General Assembly legislate year-round if necessary. It would no longer rotate long sessions of 61 days and short sessions of 30 days; instead, both sessions would continue "until both houses adjourn." Because Indiana has a "citizens legislature," most lawmakers have other jobs to supplement their base legislative pay of $11,700 a year. Making legislators full time would attract better and more dedicated lawmakers, Randolph said. But he's not optimistic.

"I don't think it's going to go anywhere because every body's saying 'throw the rascals out' without analyzing the situation." 0-0-0 Pick 3 betting cut short The Kentucky Lottery cut off betting on the Pick 3 combination Of 0-0-0 Saturday night because so many people were playing that combination it would have cost the lottery $2.4 million if the numbers had been drawn. By 6:30 p.m. Saturday, about 4,000 people had bet on 0-0-0. The combination was a hot item Saturday after 0-0-7 was drawn last Thursday, and 0-0-4 was drawn Friday. The law that set up the lottery authorizes it to control the financial integrity of games.

The winning numbers Saturday were 2-5-7. PEG YOUR PARDON Because of a clerk's error, an item in yesterday's Indiana digest gave the wrong time for an information session for a weight-management program at Clark Memorial Hospital. The session will be at 7:30 a.m. Thursday. INDEX Deaths B3 Weather B2 Yesterday was their first day back at the Arby's on Ind.

131 in Clarks-ville since the announcement just before New Year's that one of its employees had been diagnosed as having hepatitis A. That restaurant is one of 13 in the market area owned directly by Arby's. Its parking lot usually is full between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. the Sommerses' regular meeting time for lunch there. Yesterday only eight cars were in the lot.

The Sommerses said that having to wait about three hours on Dec. 30 for shots that help ward off the disease and the thought of associating Arby's with the disease influenced them to stay away for more than a week. But now, because of public scrutiny, they feel Arby's is probably one of the safest restaurants. Melony Sommers said she felt sad about the restaurant's loss of business. "I hope they get back on their feet." Jeffersonville resident Dave FIo-tron, a regular patron of the Ind.

131 Arby's, said he was "ticked off" about the hepatitis report. But he said he has continued to eat at Arby's because he believes any res- Cooper said the council is more fun to work for now than it was six months ago. That was just weeks after Councilman Harold Satterly proposed that the council oust Cooper from the presidency because of alleged "dirty politics." Ironically, it was Satterly who made a motion last night to close nominations for the presidency after Councilman Paul Kraft moved that Cooper should remain president, and Dennis Simon seconded the motion. "No comment," Satterly said when asked why he had voted for Cooper for president just months after he said Cooper should be removed from the post. Satterly did say that he withdrew his motion to vote on Cooper's re A hole lot of work i' taurant could have a worker with hepatitis A.

"Any one of them (other restaurants) could have gone through this." About 8,500 people received free gamma globulin injections at River Valley Middle School in Jefferson- moval last spring because i i i ne umni nave Cooper enough votes for a The standoff in May and June led to shouting matches, primarily between Cooper and Satterly. But Cooper and Satterly both of whom give intense attention to the county's financial operations have developed a more congenial relationship since. Ultimately, Cooper said, he gave $1,200 of his raise to the United Way, as he had promised in July. He now makes $8,420 as president. The council also unanimously elected Vicky Kent Haire vice By GRACE SCHNEIDER Staff Writer A thunderbolt hit Clarksville schools two years ago when state accreditors reported that two of the system's four schools weren't up to snuff.

Clarksville Middle School was placed on probation, but it made a quick turnaround and received full accreditation last winter. Clarksville High School, meanwhile, received less severe marks initially, but it still is trying to get back in the state's good graces. Instead of being placed on probation, the school received two-year accreditation. Indiana schools routinely receive a five-year accreditation after a state review. The two-year accreditation meant that the high school had to improve or be placed on probation by this winter.

With less than three weeks before the state Board of Education rules again on Clarksville High's accreditation, school officials are confident Feb. 2 will bring good news. That's when the state board meets in Indianapolis. Two accreditation officials visited the school last month and told officials they were pleased, said Paul Love, Clarksville High principal. State reviewers had cited low standardized-test scores, lack of variety in the curriculum and other problems.

Under the Department of Education's performance-based accreditation program, a school must continually show improvement in test scores, attendance and graduation rates. It also must display an enthusiastic attitude toward changing for the better. Two evaluators who visited last year told Love that the school had made some strides, but not enough to be restored to five-year accreditation. Love and other officials think a big change switching to "Block 8" scheduling had a dramatic impact on the school this year. Students now attend four 85-minute class periods.

They attend another set of four classes on alternating days. An additional hour each day is 9th District to lead state By MARY DIETER Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS Mike Jones, the 9th Congressional District Democratic chairman, says he wants to be the parry's state chairman, a post being vacated in early March by Ann DeLaney. But DeLaney, who decided to step down after two years as chairwoman and two years as the party's executive director, said his chances of winning election by the state Democratic Central Committee aren't good. "I haven't taken a head count but the state committee has generally been very supportive of the governor and lieutenant governor" both of whom have expressed a preference for Joseph Andrew, an Indianapolis lawyer who has worked on a number of campaigns, DeLaney said. "I'd be inclined to think that School officials say switching to 85-minute class periods had a positive impact.

split between lunch and a "choice" period, when students can go to the library, consult with a teacher or study. In the past, as in many other area high schools, Clarksville students moved from one 50-minute class to the next. The new arrangement automatically changed the way classes are taught. Now teachers can offer more one-on-one instruction and divide students into groups for other lessons, Love said. Teachers think the 85-minute periods could be shortened to 70 minutes, but they like the new pace.

Asked if they'd consider returning to the old schedule, Love said, teachers gave a resounding "no." The district has sent teachers to conferences to learn more about making the most of longer class periods. A second group will attend another conference next month, he said. The renovated high school with an up-to-date media center and technology in each classroom should enhance the efforts Love and other staff already have begun, said Superintendent Del Jarman. Mary Mikelson, director of the state's Performance-Based Accreditation Program, declined yesterday to discuss her visit to Clarksville High last month or to verify Love's remarks about evaluators' positive comments. She cited legal requirements that prohibit her from commenting on specific schools until after the state board vote.

However, Mikelson offered to provide detailed information on Clarksville's evaluation after the Feb. 2 meeting. State evaluators told Love they like the new attitude they saw at the school, the principal said. That's why he is confident now. "They made us feel awfully good." chief wants Democrats that's the way they would go." Jones, a high school teacher and member of the Switzerland County Council, said that "as with any leadership change, the Indiana Democrat Party is at a crossroads.

In order to ensure that Indiana Democrats continue to flourish and thrive, the next leader must bring a new vision and foresight to the party." Jones said he is a proven leader who is committed to bringing together the diverse groups labor, education, agriculture, minorities and commerce that have traditionally made up the party. "It is time that the party return to its roots and rejuvenate and restore those coalitions," he said. Jones also said the party must unite. "In order to be successful, Democrats must forge a bond reaching from Lake Michigan to the Ohio River and all counties in between." STAFF PHOTO BY LARRY SPITZER Glen Speece of Marengo operated an excavator to help dig a 12-foot-deep trench in the parking lot of Clark Memorial Hospital yesterday. A sewer is being rerouted for construction of a parking garage.

Speece had to dig around electrical and oxygen lines that crossed the ditch. CLARK COUNTY Council president who vowed he wouldn't serve again will By SCOTT WADE Staff Writer Clark County Council President Edward Culpepper Cooper was in the middle of a political storm last July when he proposed that the council president get a $1,500 raise in 1995. When a reporter asked him about the proposal, he responded, "You can't say I'm giving myself a raise because I'm telling you publicly and on the record I wouldn't take the presidency (again) if you gave it to me." Last night the raise was offered by a unanimous vote of the council. And Cooper took it. "I changed my mind," he said in an interview after the meeting..