The News Journal from Wilmington, Delaware • Page 1

The News Journal, Wilmington, Del. i it' Saturday, June 26, 1999 Section .1 FOCUS: Newark serves kids summer run at tennis camp D3 Police report Obituaries B3 B4 Have a news tip for Local? Call 324-2774 or e-mail njnewsnewsjoumal.cora For questions about coverage in this section, call CityState Editor Merritt J. Wallick at 324-2882 or Public Editor John Sweeney at 324-2906 MBBPMIII tiHUi Wilmington police are targeting nuisance crimes this summer Drop in shootings, state grant allows shift and September. There have been 20 shootings in the city this year five of them in June. The city saw 23 shootings last summer, down 45 percent from the 42 recorded in 1997.

"Two years ago, it was drug dealers and shootings," Wilmington police Chief Michael A. Boykin said. "Now, we're working on quality of life complaints, like loud music, kids on the street, traffic complaints. If we address the loud music, it doesn't get a chance to escalate to a bigger problem later in the evening." Boykin credited the drop in ber of gun and drug complaints. Those include Third and North Franklin streets, Third and Broom streets, the 1300 block of W.

Third St. and 23rd and Jefferson streets. Police earlier this spring announced they had equipped more squad cars with radar to crack down on speeders. "I have seen some improvement in our community, especially traffic control," said Union Park Gardens Civic Association president Fritz Jones, whose neighborhood police station in the Westside Square Shopping Center is about to open. shootings in part to an emphasis on community policing: Putting officers on the street and responding to neighborhood crime concerns.

Opening neighborhood substations also has helped, Boykin said. Westside Neighborhood Coalition president Hollis A. Gaines Jr. said police have their work cut out for them. "New people new drug dealers are out on these corners now," Gaines said.

"It's getting to the point where they don't hang on the corner anymore, they're sitting on people's front steps like they own them." Gaines said Hilltop residents call police to report drug dealing every chance they get, and are getting better responses now that their neighborhood police station at Fourth and North Van Buren streets is open. "I've called Lt. Christine Dunning on several occasions, and she's jumped right on the complaints," Gaines said. "That's something we've never had before." In addition to the extra patrols, six criminal investigation officers have been assigned to the Weapon Reduction Interdiction and Seizure Team to concentrate on areas where there are a high num drug sales and patrolling in cars. The officers will work voluntary overtime shifts from 2 p.m.

to 2 a.m Tuesdays through Saturdays, police spokesman Cpl. Steve Martelli said. Police think the patrols paid for with $148,024 from a state grant for overtime also will help curb drugs sales, and in turn keep shootings down. During summer 1996, street violence in the city peaked with 45 shootings reported between June By TERRI SANGINITI Staff reporter With shootings down for the second year in a row, Wilmington police plan this summer to concen- WILMINGTON nsaVc mmmmm crimes, offenses such as speeding, loitering, public drinking and loud parties. Up to 15 extra officers will work at the busiest times of the week, walking beats, targeting street it! r- mi-; nn i "V- Killer gets 27 years in prison Addict, now 24, shot his cocaine dealer ft JtllLlUtilJ lilltt Ju Uillitllillulill ii3 ieBidIi Lit I.

Construction projects targeted I i I By NANCY CHARRON Dover Bureau chief Schools got the lion's share of the state's public works' dollars for next fiscal year as the legislative committee that writes the state's construction budget picked its way through a thicket of requests late Friday. So far, the Joint Bond Bill Committee has voted to spend $315 million 'if- i 3 Special to The News JoumalCARLAVARI Brothers Logan, 1, (left) and Wyatt Parvls, 2, of Laurel, ride motorized cars Friday at the Sussex County Fair in Georgeta in cash and revenue from bond sales. Whether the legislative leadership will agree to give the committee more money from the state's revenue surplus won't be If OEfJEHAL ASSEHH3LY By TERRY SPENCER Staff reporter A Newark cocaine addict received a 27-year prison sentence Friday for the October 1997 murder of his drug dealer. Superior Court Judge William C. Carpenter told Heath L.

Dotson, 24, that he xtrnm ni allowed his ad-NEWARK diction to trol his life, and that led him to kill 30-year-bld Michael Hunter. Dotson, who pleaded guilty in April to second-degree murder and a weapons charge, faced 13 to 40 years in prison. He apologized to Hunter's family and pleaded for leniency Friday, and appeared stunned when his sentence was announced. Dotson went to Hunter's Newark Oaks home on Oct. 30, 1997, brushed past people standing in the yard and entered the house.

A moment later, a shot rang out and Dot-son hurried away, mumbling: "I did not mean to kill him." Hunter's body was found on the floor. Dotson was arrested several days later in Pennsylvania. Prosecutors contended that Dotson and a second man had robbed Hunter at gunpoint 11 days earlier and Dotson was trying to rob him a second time when the shooting occurred. The defense contended the shooting was an accident, saying there was no proof Dotson had robbed Hunter, who had not called police. Hunter's wife and mother told Carpenter his death had destroyed their lives and those of his two young children.

Robyn Hunter said she has told their son, Michael, 6, that his father has "gone to live with the angels," but there are no telephones that he can call him with. Joanne Singleton, Hunter's mother, said she doesn't want to believe "the negative things said about my son." "Heath's family can visit him in prison, but we can only visit a cold gravestone," she said. "The only place I can see my son's laugh is in my heart." "We made considerable progress towards meeting the governor's objectives," said John Carney, secretary of the Department of Finance. In an effort to keep a popular program going, the committee threw $41 million into the 21st Century Fund, which ends this fiscal year. The fund has paid for the purchase of open space, drainage and community redevelopment projects financed largely by money Delaware received from a court settlement.

The bulk of that money has been spent and Carper didn't recommend the fund be continued. The new package allocates $8 million to preserve open spaces, $10 million for water and wastewater treatment, $7 million for drainage projects, $11 million for community redevelopment projects and $5 million to buy a large timber tract in Sussex County. "There's a lot of public interest in those kinds of projects," House Majority Whip Rep. Charles Welch, R-Hunters Pointe, said. "There's a lot that needs to be done.

As long as we have good times, there's going to be these kinds of projects that get financed. But in lean times, they are projects likely to be first deleted." "Overall, there are some very good projects," Carney said. In other action, the committee approved $250,000 for the Department of Correction to devise another master plan for prison expansion. And $250,000 was allocated for an expansion of the women's prison. Although the correction department is completing the largest prison expansion in state history, officials have said they already know the prisons will be full when the last cell opens within the next year.

See SPENDING B2 RIGHT: Bryce Warren, 10, of Milford, pulls himself up a rock climbing wall. The fair continues today at the Sussex County Airpark off U.S. 9. BELOW: Leo Fredericks of Newark, a member of Banjo Dusters, plays the trombone. Today's events include a "kiss the pig" contest at 3 p.m., a talent show at 6 p.m.

and fireworks at 9 p.m. decided until at least Tuesday. The fiscal year begins Thursday. The committee was expected to work late Friday night on the $157 million Transportation Trust Fund, which finances the state's transportation projects. The committee was also writing detailed instructions on how the money was to be spent on projects already approved.

"The progress that has happened today has been accomplished with good will," said Sen. Nancy Cook, D-Ken-ton, a committee member. The $91.7 million earmarked for schools includes completing projects already under way, such as Delmar's Middle School-High School. Start-up money for construction was approved in four school district referendums since January. Appoquinimink School District, which made an emergency request for aid because of a surge in enrollment, received $4 million to deal with crowdi ng.

Gov. Tom Carper got most of what he requested. 1 1 I Dirt pile becomes part of scenery Slowly, ever so slowly, mound diminishes By IEVA AUGSTUMS Staff reporter How big is 140,000 cubic yards of dirt? According to the state Department of Transportation, it's too overnight." The dirt is being used to widen U.S. 202 to three lanes in each direction between Augustine Cut-off and Del. 141.

The project calls for creating double left-turn lanes on the northbound side to Del. 141 south and a protected southbound left-turn lane onto Foulk Road. Plans for bicyclists and pedestrians, as well as a more efficient drainage management system, are also priorities, Williams said. "The use of dirt for im i -r. I w' sw A 1 5 if i tw.

A.aigBg: .1: 1 BRANDY WIN HUNDRED high for officials to meas- spokesman Mike Williams said. Until four weeks ago, the soil sat there; unused and drawing attention. "It's not exactly an eyesore. We've just become numb to it," said Rick Browne, an eight-year resident of Weldin Park, a neighborhood less than a mile away from the dirt pile. Storing the dirt along U.S.

202 is necessary to complete road improvements in the Brandywine Hundred area, Williams said. "It is being used, slowly," he said. "It is not like we can move and use it all too ure, heavy to weigh but more than enough for the current widening project on U.S. 202. The huge mound of soil has been sitting on the northwest corner of U.S.

202 and Rockland Road for more than four years, i provements IS not uncom- The News JournalBOB HERBERT mon, Williams said. The Construction vehicles crawl up, down and all around the huge mound of dirt DelDOT maintains on the northwest corner of U.S. 202 See DlNT B2 and Rockland Road. For four yUars, the dirt has been part of the landscape and rCew is being used in the widening of li.S. 202..