Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 1

Williams sisters creating tennis stir Sports ROCHESTER ear 1181 Hill ifiiicie WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1999 50 CENTS NEWSSTAND Minos win soccer crown They beat fourth straight Major League team to claim the Open Cup championship. orado Rapids 2-0 in front of an estimated 2,000 fans at Columbus Crew Stadium and The hero was forward Doug Miller, the team's all-time leading scorer. A second-half substitute, he scored on an eight-yard shot with 24 minutes left to play. All-star midfielder Yari Allnutt added a late goal to seal the victory- "It's just a fantastic win for the organization and the city," Rhinos goalkeeper Pat Onstad said amid a celebration that saw some Rochester fans rush the field to join their team. General manager Chris Economides called it the biggest victory in the Rhinos' four-year history.

The Rhinos had upset three playoff-bound MLS teams from Chicago, Dallas and Columbus in the tournament. Colorado also has qualified for the playoffs. Last night's match had no bearing on the Rhinos' pursuit of a second straight A-League title. Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against Pittsburgh is 7:35 p.m. Saturday at Frontier Field.

No. 1 Yari Allnutt shows The Associated Press national audience who's best. TV pide BY STAFF WRITER JEFF DiVERONICA COLUMBUS, Ohio The Rochester Rhinos finished off the job they set out to do from the beginning of the season last night, beating a fourth straight Major League Soccer team to win the U.S. Open Cup title. Rochester stunned the Col Highways jam, cities scramble as a hurricane as large as Florida looms.

THE WASHINGTON POST MIAMI Fear spread up the southeast coast yesterday as Hurricane Floyd, one of the most dangerous storms of the century, pounded the Bahamas and roared toward the INSIDE: ANXIETY FOR NASA, 9A Florida shore and beyond. Floyd skirted the north- central Florida coast yesterday, menacing an area from Cape Canaveral to Jacksonville with its 140 mph winds. The monstrous, 600-mile storm is bigger than the whole state of Florida. Emergency officials in Florida, Georgia and the Car-olinas cranked into high gear as forecasters warned that the mammoth hurricane could make a direct and devastat ing hit tonight or early tomorrow. "If this thing parallels us, it could act like a Weed Eater going up the coast," said Craig Fugate of the Florida Emergency Operations Center.

The storm's approach spawned massive evacuations, as the 800,000 residents of the South Carolina coast and 500,000 residents of the Georgia shore, including the FLOYD, page 9A A 1 i SUBMtRGED inv, before an ESPN television audience. The Rhinos are the first non-MLS team to win the Cup INSIDE: MORE ON THE VICTORY, since clubs from the top U.S. league joined the tournament four years ago. Only a hint Rafael Verga, left, Fla. Hurricane Floyd was still Ruling that Christie didn't file the required paperwork, state Supreme Court Justice John A.

Lahtinen agreed to reconsider Christie's request and hear objections by Kali's mother, Judy Gifford-Tosh. Kali, who would have turned 10 Monday, received an early birthday present, Gifford-Tosh said. "This is wonderful," she Wealthy i -'-'IX Networks to debut 38 shows; here's a look at what's coming, 1C FAMILY Clothesline fest offers things for kids to do, ic U.S. details potential worldwide Y2K woes THE BALTIMORE SUN WASHINGTON The government advised citizens yesterday that dozens of countries may not fix year 2000 computer problems in time to prevent major disruptions around Jan. 1.

In its first country-by-country assessment of the Y2K glitch, the State Department said that many nations are likely to suffer disruptions in energy systems, communications, health care and shipping. No foreign country is free of Y2K risk, it added. The data available through travel.state.gov revealed that: Severe problems could occur in Russia. The U.S. government predicted likely trouble with electrical and heat failures and problems with phone and financial systems and transportation.

China was likely to suffer failures in its banking and phone systems. Western Europe fared better. Spain, France and Germany were declared "low risk," but the government said Italy should work harder on health care, telecommunications and transportation. Canada and Mexico also were graded low risk. The government said Mexico could have problems with its phone system but added that manual overrides were set for electrical or water failures.

Includes reporting by The Associated Press. PLEASANT 72 52 Weather 6B Brown loses in council primary Thompson wins. In the school board race, all 4 of mayor's choices are victorious. BY STAFF WRITER JAMES GOODMAN Backing by the Monroe County Democratic Party paid off for all city candi dates in yesterday's primaries leading to losses by a 16-year City Council veter INSIDE: RESULTS FROM THE REGION, 3B an and two school board incumbents. The Democratic Party came together this month to rally against Councilwoman Maxine Childress Brown and school board incumbents Marvin Jackson and Frank Willis.

It was time for them to go, party officials said. The strategy worked. Childress Brown, who was criticized as being "disengaged," finished third in a four-way race for City Council's South District seat. Party nominee Tony Thompson won with 37 percent of the vote. He's unopposed in the general election.

"I just think we need some new blood," said voter Richard Douglass, 42, after casting his ballot for Thompson. In the primary for school board, Shirley Thompson, Dwight Cook, board President Bolgen Vargas and Joanne Giuffrida all candidates backed by the Democratic Party and Mayor William A. Johnson Jr. won spots as the Democratic candidates for the November ballot. They face opposition from two Republicans.

Willis and Jackson, who were criticized by the party as not being cooperative with other board members or Superintendent Clifford Janey, were among the five Democrats who did not qualify for the November ballot. Resident Joe Yudelson, 74, said he voted for the mayor's candidates because they would allow Janey to run the district like a CEO. "That's the way it has to be run," he said. In the primary for City Court, Judge Thomas Rain bow Morse easily defeated County Legislator John Ferlic-ca, a Republican who ran on the Democratic line. This is a good demonstra tion of Democrats working together.

It's terrific This is a terrific night," Monroe County Democratic Chairman Bob Cook said about the party nominees winning. Turnout for the city pri maries was about 15 percent, according to the Monroe County Board of Elections. But it was expected to reach about 20 percent in the city's South District. -1 on as waves pummel a jetty yesterday in Miami Beach, Florida. It may land tonight on Mark John Christie to stay Mark John Christie for now If, (f 4fm A Judge says he will reconsider name change, hear objections from Kali's mom Oct.

25. and Joel Vasconcelos hold well offshore, only teasing said. "To be quite frank with you, the thing I wanted to do was to stop him. That's obviously what we did." State Sea Richard A. Dol-linger, Gifford-Tosh's lawyer, and Assemblyman David R.

Koon, who have introduced legislation that would restrict name changes by criminals, announced the decision in front of a pile of petitions opposing Christie's request. The petition drive was CHRISTIE, page 8A BURR LEWIS staff photographer Birthday present for Kali Judy Gifford-Tosh, center, speaks to supporters yesterday after a judge vacated an The Associated Press Georgia or the Carolinas. to change his name. 'How did you hear about they say, 'Back in the '70s, Joe Posner took us out to said Jennifer Leonard, president of the Rochester Area Community Foundation, founded by Posner in 1973. "He's very clear about the cause and its importance, whatever cause it is he's presenting.

He's equally clear about the Tightness of your participating. Somehow, the purity of Joe's passions is immensely powerful." Posner readily concedes that those passions help POSNER, PAGE 8A philanthropist is 'plain Joe' BY STAFF WRITER MICHAEL ZEIGLER Mark John Christie's name change is off for now. A judge vacated an order yesterday that had allowed Christie, who strangled 4-year-old Kali Ann Poulton five years ago, to change his name to Randy Alexander MacPher-son, effective today. MEG KURYLA staff photographer Discreet Local philanthropist Joe Posner, 76, never takes 'no' as an answer. An eccentric local man is a charitable fund-raiser in the George Eastman mold.

BUSINESS 12D 2B DEATHS CLASSIFIED IE 18A EDITORIALS COMICS 4C 2C MOVIES CROSSWORD 5C 5C TELEVISION order allowing Mark. Christie This lanky, sometimes eccentric man who carries his pet rabbit, Rembrandt, to the office each day, will never match the prodigious wealth of the Eastman Kodak Co. founder or of current philanthropists such as Robert Weg-man or B. Thomas Golisano. But in addition to the hundreds of thousands in personal wealth he has given away, Posner has quietly and steadily leveraged tens of millions of philanthropic dollars over the past 30 years.

"To this day, people walk into our office to make a gift or create a fund, and when I ask, For home delivery cad: (716) 232-5550 on them You won't be able to say no. Posner, 75, doesn't understand that term, anyway at least not when it comes to raising money or finding volunteers. It is one of the reasons why, in the community that philanthropy built, the successful life insurance underwriter might just be the most influential philanthropist since George Eastman. BY STAFF WRITER JAY TOKASZ Should Joe U. Posner invite you to breakfast and just about anyone could be on his list expect three inevitabilities: He will order something burned, usually toast or a waffle.

He will bring a bundle of ideas about how to make Rochester a better community, and ask you to help act 0 Copyright 1999 fc Gannett mammmmmmmmmm Rochester to Newspapers VMmmmmiiiSmiiSiS Sections.