The Tennessean du lieu suivant : Nashville, Tennessee • Page 15

ANN TRACY TARBELL Library donated to Radnor Lake Page 3B LOCAL NEWS News roundup 2B Deaths 9B Weather 10B THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1998 slhiDramig gw way pDsuro inn Chavez "i s-. COMMENTARY We've seen not-ln-my-back-yard attitudes before, on 2C. same location; this just happens to be on this side of the county line," Gregory said. Brooke said a decision will have to be made in early November on whether to shift the project entirely to Wilson County. As planned, the development would require about 1,200 acres in Rutherford County.

Brooke said that while he plans to continue meeting with the holdouts, there are plans to present both counties' proposals on how to deal with the $20 million to $30 million needed for infrastructure improvements, including roads. and a drag strip. The speedway would provide seating for as many as 150,000. Rezoning requests for about 1,600 acres in Wilson County were filed with that county's Building Inspector's office Tuesday, along with an alternate plan to build the complex entirely in that county. The plans will be considered by the Wilson County Planning Commission and the Wilson County Board of Zoning Appeals on Oct 23.

Wilson County Planner Rick Gregory said he is not overly concerned with the prospect of the entire development being in his county. "It is the same proposal and the cels of land totaling about 230 acres in Rutherford County have been adamant in not wanting to sell, Nashville Superspeedway spokesman Barry Brooke confirmed. The parcels, along Mona Road and south of Gladeville Road, are crucial for building the automotive racing complex in both Rutherford and Wilson counties, Brooke said. "We have been real straightforward with them that we would like to purchase their property," Brooke said. "It happens to be in the location that, ideally, we want to be." The land is at or near the proposed State Route 840 interchange that would have to be built to serve Rutherford landowners not selling By WARREN DUZAK Staff Writer Plans for a $124 million automotive racing complex have run into a major road block in Rutherford County that could detour the entire project to Wilson County, a spokesman for the developers said yesterday.

The owners of three or four par the development Although Brooke declined to identify the owners, he said they have, so far, been unwilling to suggest a price for their land or consider a land swap. Dover Downs Entertainment Inc. of Dover, has proposed building the complex, which would include a 1.5-mile speedway, a track for older cars, a short 58-mile track, a road course, a dirt track Commentary He's got Music City in his pocket OKLAHOMA CITY Like it or not, the fortunes of Nashville and its sales tax coffers lie largely on the 12th floor of an office building sitting in a cow pasture here. And with a man who's less social than the statue dedicated to him last month at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. Edward Lewis Gaylord didn't make the trip to the big blowout for his Opry Mills' mega retail center Tuesday in Nashville.

He didnt have to. Gaylord has Metro Nashville where he wants it begging him and cursing him to bail out its tour-: ism industry in the aftermath of his closing Opryland theme park. And that's troubling. Despite the apologetic speech in Nashville by Gaylord Entertainment CEO Terry London about the impact, beware of another surprise. You don't amass holdings of more than a billion dollars by playing nice.

And in Oklahoma where I grew up, Gaylord was not known for being a gentle breeze blowing across the fertile plains. Billionaires use leverage. Now, As more students taught at home graduate to Tennessee colleges, admission requirements are getting another look ft 1 i Rer (uans-ar)nl me tya mows, leaps. fetches and turns who- vi. Habitat house goes up in flames Family's dream on hold until rebuilding begins By SHERRI HARPER Stale Correspondent BOYNTON VALLEY COMMUNITY, Tenn.

Mary Jordan's dream home was taking shape, promising relief for her family, who have been living in a school bus for the past several years. But the Habitat for Humanity home, half built, was destroyed by fire Tuesday night. Arson is a possibility and investigators here in Coffee County are trying to figure out exactly what happened. Local Habitat organizers promise they'll find a way to rebuild Jordan's house. Jordan and her granddaughter, Ashley Perez, a third-grader at North Coffee Elementary, were not at home when the blaze started.

They are not strangers to hardship. Jordan, her husband, Leroy, and Ashley moved to Coffee County from Arlington, Texas, several years ago after the plant where Leroy worked closed. They bought two wooded acres in Boyntoiy Valley and planned to build a home there. In the meantime, they parked a bus on the property to live' in until the house was built, and began working the land. But Leroy died of a heart attack last year while clearing trees by hand.

After his death, Jordan, who suffers from emphysema and has had open-heart surgery, and Ashley continued to live in the bus, even through another harsh winter. They were overjoyed when they were selected by Habitat this past summer to purchase a house. Habitat broke ground for the home on Aug. 30 and construction was 50-60 complete at the time of the blaze, according to Jim Major, supervisor of construction for Habitat The cause of the fire is still under investigation. However, several witnesses said they saw two teen-agers on the property just before the fire ft Turn to PAGE 2B, Column 6 FREEMAN RAMSEY STAFF Jason Hudlin, 17, concentrates on his form while attending ballet one of three in the first class of home-school students who have and modern dance class at Tennessee State University.

Hudlin is entered TSU. Gaylord has a headlock on Nashville. Get ready for some noogies. For 10 years, I worked for Mr. at his newspaper, The Daily OWaho-man.

The newspaper, held by the Oklahoma Publishing is the cash cow that finances many of Gaylord's other business interests. So staffing and compensation are kept at minimal levels. The company is headquartered in a new office building Gaylord built in 1991 in north Oklahoma City. I also met London in 1982 after the failure of Penn Square Bank. I had acquired auditing statements of the bank's holding company from the federal regulators.

As part of the accounting operations for the Oklahoma Publishing London helped us ignorant reporters know what questions to ask of holding company auditors. So it's a small world. Sometimes, it's frighteningly small. Pushing 80 years of age, the billionaire Oklahoman remains a private man who uses specific vehicles to promote a public image. He has headed the board of directors for the State Fair of Oklahoma, which explains the statue dedicated to him on its central square last month.

He's the force behind the National Cowboy Hall of Fame helping the museum and tourist attraction collect Western art and memorabilia, and attract stars to its ceremonies. Gaylord has quite a collection of western art adorning the walls of his 12th-floor offices. He's a big benefactor of Oklahoma Christian University and developed an attraction called Enterprise Square. It provides a hands-on display to visitors on how free enterprise works. "Ride the Corporate Welfare Train" is not an anticipated addition.

Universities changing views on home-schooling Requirements to enter TSU Colleges differ, but the requirements for admission to Tennessee State University are: A 2.5 grade-point average or a 19 on the ACT These classes: English, four credits; algebra, two credits; foreign language, two credits; natural science, two credits; social studies, one credit; U.S. history, one credit; performing arts, one credit; geometry or advanced math, one credit and is enrolled in honors English and biology classes. "A lot of college is studying on your own," said the 17-year-old theater major from Clarksville. "In home school you have to do that a lot. In college you may not get anything done if you don't know how to study." Students who received their secondary education at home are trickling into state colleges and ft Turn to PAGE 2B, Column 1 By MONIQUE FIELDS Staff Writer By Tennessee State University's admission standards, Jason Hudlin showed up for college unprepared.

Though he lacked two foreign language requirements and a performing arts credit required for admission, Hudlin had a promising grade-point average and ACT score. Both helped him gain admission to the college, where he is on scholarship. Hudlin is one of three home- school students at TSU this semester. But until this year, most of Tennessee's public colleges and universities treated home-school applicants as if they had not completed high school and needed to get a General Educational Development certificate fqr admission. Despite his lack of high school credits, Hudlin says, home-schooling prepared him for the rigors of college.

He attends TSU on a presidential scholarship, which covers all of his expenses except books, Husband charged in wife's brutal killing 'imp 4 ft. He supports various causes such as the YMCA, including donating his former company headquarters to the organization to replace J. the structure destroyed by the Okla- 1 homa City bombing. A job training site for Goodwill Industries which trains disabled people bears his name. He's an arch-conservative, who three times has called for Bill Clinton's resignation twice before Ken Starr ever released his report His front-page editorials verbally castrate Democrats and liberals.

For voting to turn over the Panama Canal to Panama, a U.S. senator from Oklahoma was dubbed by Gaylord as the "Senator from Moscow." He encouraged Oklahomans to get out to vote for Reagan tof cancel out the votes of minorities and women for Mondale. Gaylord has Nashville where he wants it. From my experience, that's not a good place to be. tective said.

While Burks told police that the slaying occurred on Hart Lane, investigators said, they think it happened somewhere else. The boots and van were kept and will be tested for what police think is Lyons' blood. So, in stocking feet, Burks was led in handcuffs to night court yesterday, was charged with criminal homicide and was denied bond. Talking through the cigarette wedged between his teeth, a relatively calm Burks told a reporter "I'm gonna take the fifth" when asked about the charges. Police said Burks, who works for an asphalt company, also has been known as Nathaniel Burks and had at one point changed his name to Nathaniel Washington.

day night killing made three anonymous calls to police from a pay phone Tuesday to alert officials to his wife's body, investigators said. "I dont think he wanted to get caught and go back to prison, but I think he wanted us to find her," Mason said. "He didnt want his wife's body to remain on the porch." Burks drove the van, with blood stains inside, to police headquarters yesterday under the guise of asking if by chance the body found was that of his wife, Mason said. He was dressed in a ball cap, white T-shirt and shorts and wore blood-stained boots, police said. "Subsequently, he gave a statement implicating himself," the de By BETH WARREN Staff Writer The middle-aged couple had found love again becoming newlyweds just a few weeks ago and preparing to buy a modest house they recently had rented.

But their plans and lives were shattered, police say, when Ricky Anthony Burks, 52, savagely beat his bride to death in a drunken rage. Investigators think Burks who had served a prison term for a murder in Memphis then loaded his bloodied wife, Mary Maxine Lyons, 60, into his van and headed to the white, wood-frame house they were planning to make their home. Her body nude from the waist up was covered with a white bedsheet and left on a floral-print couch on the porch. It was visible from heavily traveled Hart Lane, just outside Inglewood. Lyons, who had worked for several months as a school crossing guard for Buena Vista Jones Pai-deia Magnet School, was beaten in the head, neck and upper body with fists and possibly a weapon or tool, police said.

"It was a pretty brutal beating," Metro Police Murder Squad detective Tim Mason said. The killer then draped the body with a sheet hiding her from view in a twisted act "of love and respect" Mason said. Then, Burks whom police say later acknowledged the Mon JARED LAZARUS STAFF Detective Tim Mason escorts suspect Ricky Burks into court Urn Hum City Editor Gail Kerr, 259-8085 Regional Editors: Frank Gibson, 726-5907 Laird MacGregor, 259-8095 Ellen Margulies, 726-5977 Robert Sherborne, 259-8080 Mike Sherman, 259-8899 Margaret Sizemore, 726-5941 NightWeekend Editors: Dwight Lewis, 726-5928 Wendi C. Thomas, 664-2194 George Zepp, 259-8091 To reach our newsroom: Phone: 2594095 Fax: 259-8093 E-mail: newstipstennessean.com Pancake breakfast to benefit parks The Thompson's Station Community Association plans a pancake breakfast from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., Saturday at the rescue squad building, at the of Columbia Highway and Thompson's Station Road.

Cost is $5. Proceeds go to local park improvements. Come out to support community center The Murfreesboro City Council is expected to take action tonight on the Patterson Community Center expansion. Rev. Dwight Ogleton encourages residents to attend the 7:30 p.m.

meeting at City Hall. For a ride, call Ogleton at 895-8555. Ceremony to mark domestic violence month The Madison Domestic Violence Program is holding a candlelight ceremony at 6:30 p.m. today at 301 Madison St. in Madison to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The program operates one of two shelters in Davidson County. Head-on crash kills Ohio woman Anna Helen Metheney, 66, ol Seville, Ohio, was killed yesterday when the car in which she rode was struck head-on by another that crossed the median on Murfreesboro's NW Broad Street near State Route 840, police said. The crash remained under investigation. 1.