The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 9

SATURDAY July 16, 1983 Section Alexander's Action Against Checkoff May Backlash: Cobb Feoy state-who received paychecks on June 30, 1983." McCullough came under heavy verbal fire during an appearance yesterday before the legislature's Joint Finance Committee, the scheduled purpose of which was the review of revenue figures. State Rep. Jim McKinney, D-Nash-ville, Rhinehart and others quickly challenged the validity of counting paychecks which they said go to part-time workers and even students on work-study programs noting the state budget shows only 59,000 employees in all branches of government. "Let's just be real, real blunt about this," said Cobb, D-Nashville. "One of the major administration initiatives right now is the Master Teacher Program.

I am a-prime sponsor of that he did not believe he legally could use the method suggested by McKinney but said he would look into it. "Without speaking for the attorney general," he said, "my deduction both from his written opinions and from conversations I've had with him, is that I'm doing exactly what he says I should be doing." But State Attorney General William Leech said later he has not "really addressed the issue" of how to count employees. He said the statute specifying the 25 membership level "is silent" about how to count employees. "Members of our staff have conferred with members of the governor's staff about it," Leech said. "While we haven't been called upon to issue a formal opinion, we have been made (Turn to Page 4, Column 3) "One of the things those opposed to it in the past have suggested is that it is an effort to break up the TEA.

I happen to believe that's not true, and I've tried to assure them repeatedly that it's not. "But this kind of nonsense doesn't make it any easier for those of us who are trying to support the administration's initiative." McKinney said the proper way to determine how many state employees there are is to check how many are participating in the state retirement's system. All state employees are required by law to participate in the system, he said. "That's a very logical way," said McCullough. "I hope my way is logical.

I asked how many paychecks we had sent out." After the meeting, McCullough said Finance Commissioner Hubert McCullough notified TSEA executive director Charles Dodson in writing yesterday that "I have no choice but to make an initial determination that your organization is no longer qualified to obtain the payment of membership dues through automatic payroll deduction." He based that finding, which the TSEA has 30 days to review and chal lenge, on a state law that says an or ganization is not eligible for dues deduction unless 25 of all employees in the executive branch belong to it. The TSEA falls far short of this, McCullough said, since "there were 74,516 employees in the executive branch of state government based upon a computer count of the number of persons employed by the By ED CROMER State Rep. Steve Cobb, a Democrat sponsoring Gov. Lamar Alexander's Master Teacher bill, said yesterday the administration's action against a state employees' association is "nonsense" and could jeopardize the merit pay proposal. The action a declaration that the Tennessee State Employees Association no longer is eligible for automatic dues checkoff will make it harder to counter arguments that Alexander is Using Master Teacher to "break up" the Tennessee Education Association.

And state Rep. Shelby Rhinehart, D-Spencer, said the Republican administration was risking "a bloody fight from day one" with Democratic legislators "when we've got a lot of important things that have to get done next year or it will be too late." 2 Papers Sold; Takeover of 3rd Falls Throuah JTm -T ma IX 2phr irsAsfi mm mat By JANET DAVEY And DEBORAH DIGGONS Tcnnessean State Correspondents The Columbia Publishing which owns the Columbia, Daily Herald and Mount Pleasant, week, using Journal staff writers in addition to three remaining Press reporters. Phil West, editor of the Journal, Issued a two-sentence statement yesterday confirming that negotiations between Mid-South Publishing Co. the Journal's parent company, and owners of the Press had broken off. West refused to comment further about the possibility of future negotiations or the nature of the disagreements.

Kennedy and his wife, Betty, have retained their interest in the Parsons News Leader. Kennedy said that paper was not part of Columbia Publishing Co. KENNEDY SAID he also plans to help his son, Delk Kennedy, establish a local law practice. The Donrey chain publishes 46 daily newspapers and more than 40 weekly newspapers in 19 states and holds radio, television and outdoor advertising interests. The bulk of the chain's holdings are in Arkansas, Oklahoma, California.

Texas and Nevada. "They are a big operation and should have resources to improve the papers," Kennedy said. The Herald and The Record are tiecora newspapers, has been sold to Donrey Media Group of Las Vegas, local officials announced yesterday. Meanwhile, Murfreesboro's The Morning Press was not published yesterday after negotiations collapsed in the proposed sale of publishing rights for the year-old newspaper to the Daily News Journal, Rutherford County's afternoon newspaper. THE SALE of the Herald was effective immediately, and no staff changes are expected, said Sam Kennedy, the Columbia paper's publisher and part owner.

Donrey is expected to bring in a new general manager for the company, but Kennedy said he will remain with the Herald as assistant publisher. "Our family decided the best interest lay in selling the paper to sojve some present and future problems," Kennedy said. He did not elaborate. In Murfreesboro, the five remaining employees of The Press were laid off Thursday, less than a week after Journal officials announced "a handshake agreement" with no money changing hands to take over publication of The Press. The morning paper, with a circulation of about 3,200, is owned by Don Keith, a former publisher of the Journal, and Dr.

Payne Hardison, a Murfreesboro dentist. FOUR ISSUES of The Press were published by the Journal Monday through Thursday this It 1 1. It I Staff photo by J.T. Phillips Donrey first Tennessee papers. THE HERALD began publication in 1848 as a weekly newspaper.

In 1899, Frank Landers converted it to a weekly. In 1917, the paper was purchased by the late Walter D. Hastings and James I. Finney. In 1972, it was purchased by the Kennedys and their partner, John M.

Jones, from the Hastings and Finney heirs. Betty Kennedy is the granddaughter of the late James. I. Signing Up for Tips To Aid Crime Fight Visitors to the city's first annual Crime Prevention Fair sign up yesterday for activities at a table beside an invitation to citizens from Metro Sheriff Fate Thomas to help reduce crime. The fair continues today in front of the Metro Courthouse 5 on TSU Faculty Made Plaintiffs in Desegregation Suit complaint is another matter, but i'm going to let them in." BY CATHERINE HANCOCK Tennessee State University faculty members, who allege the institution is resegregating, were made plaintiffs in the case to get on with the business of resolving it.

"I can understand that this case has been put on the back burner several times," he said. "But the court can't make this case go away. "IT APPEARS TO ME there hasn't THE LAWSUIT ALREADY has produced the court-ordered merger of TSU and what was once the University of Tennessee at Nashville. The faculty members originally asked, to become parties in the case in May of 1981, "complaining that there is a pro-black bias at TSU, an anti-white bias at TSU, and an intentional and conscious effort at TSU to retain its black ethnicity and resist desegregation," Wiseman said during a status conference in his chambers yesterday. "Whether there's any merit to their ing before Wiseman motions for further relief in the case.

The motions allege that the higher education desegregation efforts have not been successful. State attorneys have opposed attempts to reopen the case. ALTHOUGH WISEMAN has not yet ruled on any of those motions, he came a step closer toward a decision yesterday by scheduling a discovery conference for August 15 at 1 p.m. Wiseman also prodded attorneys in THE NEW PLAINTIFFS faculty members Paul Dubois, H. Coleman McGinnis, John Arthur, Harry Fuchs and Martin Deschenes are represented by attorney George Barrett, who also represents the original plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

Both sets of plaintiffs, as well as local civil rights attorneys Avon Williams and Richard Dinkins and attorneys for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, have pend I the state higher-education desegregation case yesterday. "I'm going to let those folks in as interveners," said U.S. District Judge Wiseman, who also set a prelim-inary timetable for dealing with a variety of motions that could lead to a complete reopening and a new trial of the 15-year-old lawsuit. been a whole lot of diligent attention paid by anyone to this lawsuit. "We're all here to do the same thing and that's to seek truth and achieve justice.

Now let's get at it." Usideir Foire Former Assistant Police Chief Accused Of Bribery Try, Unbecoming Conduct Chief Ed Holton's current wife and his ex-wife. According to city officials, those i letters contained "vulgar" remarks. i The accusations also refer to an incl- dent in 1979 in which Troope was sus-iwiHpH fnr five davs. also on allegations letters to patrolman Leroy Hill in 1981. "He Hill had been writing letters to the editor and talking about Larry Whitwell's death," Troope said.

"The men thought he would be affected by this and I did too, but in past dealings with him I felt he would lose his temper If I spoke directly to him." WHTrWELL WAS A policeman killed in the line of duty in 1981. Troope said he also Investigated a 1982 letter, sent to Jones, which told the city manager of Patsy Cross Hanvy's then-husband, Columbia Police Sgt. George Hanvy, and his alleged relationship with a female police officer. Troope admitted calling Patsy Hanvy on July 6 to ask about the letter, but said he did not try to bribe her to make false statements to the Civil Service Board. TROOPE SAID HE had no knowlege of the two other letters to Police By JANET DAVEY Tcnnessean State Correspondent COLUMBIA, Tenn.

Accusations of attempted bribery and conduct unbecoming an officer were lodged offi- cially yesterday against Columbia's for-; mcr assistant police chief by City Mana-; ger Barrett Jones. Pat Troope was suspended from the force June 30 after failing a polygraph questioning him about four anony mous letters he was suspected of writing. He later was fired. TROOPE ALSO IS accused of calling Patsy Cross Hanvy, of Columbia, on July 6 and attempting to bribe her to give false statements to the Civil Service Board concerning one of the letters. The board has not yet met on the matter of Troope's appeal of his firing.

Troope admitted writing one of the I fr of conduct unbecoming an officef. Troope said he was suspended for a re-marv Via made to officer Janice Rogers. ine Civil service coaru wiu ineei. Tuesday to set a date for Troope's ap- peaL A i tr 1 1.