Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 11

itate- Metoo DEATHS 2 NUCLEAR PLANT PROBE 3 BUSINESS 4 February 3, 1986 MONDAY Ex-senator to testify on Nixon oil deal true date the deal was consummated, while prosecutors contend that the backdating was a subterfuge to divorce the sale from the Fairchild case. Drew Fairchild, 52, testified he was part of a conspiracy to import 2,200 pounds of marijuana into the Hattiesburg Municipal Airport, where he was then working as airport manager, on Aug. 4, 1980. He was never arrested, but entered into a plea-bargain agreement with federal authorities in November 1980. The case was later transferred See Nixon, 2B crimes committed while on the bench in the 197-year history of the federal judiciary.

In testimony last week, it became clear that Ingram will be crucial to the cases of both the prosecution and defense. Testimony has shown that Nixon approached Ingram about the possibility of investing with Fair-child, and that Ingram negotiated the deal and the terms of three promissory notes by which Nixon financed the transaction. Deeds transferring the oil and gas interests were prepared Feb. 25, 1981, but were backdated by exactly a year. Nixon contends that the dates were changed to reflect the legal gift, in the form of three oil and gas royalty interests, from Fairchild, and giving false testimony to a special federal grand jury in July 1984 about his involvement with a drug-smuggling case pending against Fair-child's son, Drew.

Nixon has pleaded innocent and denies any wrongdoing. He maintains that the oil deal was a straightforward investment and that he never had any contact with the Fairchild drug case. Nixon, chief judge of the Southern District of Mississippi, is only the third sitting federal judge to be indicted and tried for alleged By TOM BRENN AN Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer HATTIESBURG The jury in the judicial corruption trial of U.S. District Judge Walter L. Nixon Jr.

is expected to hear key testimony today from the middleman in an oil deal between Nixon and Hattiesburg businessman Wiley Fairchild. When the trial resumes this morning, former state Sen. Carroll Ingram of Hattiesburg is expected to be one of the first witnesses called as prosecutors approach the conclusion of their case against Nixon. Nixon, 57, is charged with accepting an il- January in Jackson was driest since 1896 The Clarion-Ledger January 1986 will go down in the record books as the driest in Jackson since recording began in 1896, a National Weather Service spokesman said Sunday. Only 0.75 of an inch of rain fell at the Weather Service office at Jackson Municipal Airport during the month, breaking a 1969 precipitation record of 0.86 of an inch, said specialist Terry Getz.

Normal rainfall for the month is 5 inches, he said. The wettest January on record was in 1979, when 14.10 inches were reported. Tupelo had a drier January than Jackson, falling 5.35 inches below normal with only 0.30 of an inch for the month, Getz said. But since the Weather Service's station there was only established a few years ago, there is not enough data to know if a record was set. Although January began and ended with dry weather, February is expected to get off to a rainy start.

Weather Service predictions for the state call for scattered showers today. The chance of rain will increase tonight and Tuesday, and there's a chance of rain predicted every day through Friday. The January days may have felt unusually warm, but temperatures in the two cities averaged out to about the normals for the month, Getz said. Jackson's temperatures fell 0.4 of a degree below normal, and Tupelo temperatures also averaged about a half-degree below normal for the month. Garden relieves ex-city politician's election-loss pains By ERIC STRINGFELLOW Clarioa-Ledger Staff Writer Blueberries, turnip greens, onions, cabbages, tulips even pine trees have been key ingredients in the potion former City Commissioner George Porter has used to calm the bitterness over his ouster from city politics.

Eight months after being upset in a bid for re-election, the 51-year-old Porter remains unemployed, but has eased back into private life nearly as quietly as he landed a seat on the City Council. "This has been good for my health and my attitude, both of urhifh haua imnrAusil A.M. LEDGER said Porter as he inspect From Staff and Wire Reports Go-cart, four-wheeler collide, killing youth Sr I'M Ms-V ss It i IP 11 a I i rJv it i i- l.V I Tlf Hi ii in i.i i i Ml "if fl I I I I I A Newton County youth was killed and three others were injured Sunday in a freak accident when a go-cart and a four- ed his plants one sunny afternoon last week. "It's been a lot of fun to get into my garden and enjoy my plants and animals after that year and a half." That year and a half began Feb. 14, 1984, when Porter, then president of Daylight School of Gymnastics, won a special election to fill the unexpired term of Nielsen Cochran under the commission form of government.

Cochran resigned as city commissioner after being elected to the state Public Service Commission. The year and a half ended May 21, 1985, when Robert Miller wheeler collided on a county road, said a Newton County Sheriff's Department spokesman. Chief Deputy Ron Davis said the two vehicles were on opposite sides of a small hill on a dirt road and the drivers could not see each other. When the two topped the hill at the same time, they collided, and the four-wheeler went over the go-cart, he said. Twelve-year-old Terry Richard Williams of Little Rock, driver of the go-cart, was killed at the scene of the 1 p.m.

accident, Davis said. I aroiyn Chariton, 12, also ot Little kock, was a passenger Ytn nn I I -Vll WAV I Q1IU TTCW WO H-VJ III CliUUll WUUJliVU LJUHUay GEORGE PORTER MARY DIXONThe Clarion-LedRer The Miracles. Chisom, who is married and has two children, lives in Senatobia. lugiib in uic ujLciiatvc ttuc urn ui rvuaii ruuiiuduuii nuopiuu in Meridian, said a hospital spokeswoman. Kent Estes, 13, of Decatur, driver of the four-wheeler, was in stable condition in the intensive care unit at Rush Foundation Hospital.

Andy Deen, 14, of Little Rock, a passenger on the four-wheeler, was in stable condition at Matty Hersee Hospital in Meridian, said a hospital spokeswoman. Jackson resident Robin E. Lewis, 19, of 3603 Terry Road was killed in a one-vehicle accident about 2:45 a.m. Sunday on Mississippi 35, about three miles north of Forest, said a Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman. Lewis' car left the highway and turned over in a creek, he said.

Hugh A. Bell, 22, of Faulkner was killed shortly after noon Sunday when his car left a county road four miles northeast of Ripley-in Tippah County, a spokesman said. In another single-car accident, Aubrey Cook, 47, of Potts Camp was killed at 2 a.m. Sunday when his truck left U.S. 78 three miles east of Lake Center in Marshall County, the Highway Patrol said.

Pedestrian Eugene Holloway, 9, of Hazlehurst was killed about 12:15 p.m. Saturday after being struck by a vehicle, said a patrol spokesman. Hazlehurst police said no charges have been filed in connection with the incident, but the death is still under investigation. Public meetings this week Madison County Board of Supervisors 9 a.m. today; County Courthouse, on the Square, Canton.

Rankin County Board of Supervisors 10 a.m. today; County Courthouse, Brandon. Welfare Board tO a.m. today; 515 E. Amite regular monthly meeting.

Hinds County Board of Supervisors 10 a.m. today; Chancery Court Building, Jackson. Mississippi 2001 1:30 p.m. today; Old Capitol; the private group will discuss setting goals tor the future ol Mississippi. Lower Pearl River hearing 7 p.m.

today; 300 S. Main Picayune; Corps of Engineers will conduct a public meeting concerning the lower Pearl River. Jackson City Council 10 a.m. Tuesday; City Hall. Canton Board of Aldermen 2 p.m.

Tuesday; City Hall, 226 E. Peace St. Brandon Board of Aldermen 7 p.m. Tuesday; City Hall, 205 W. Government St.

Madison Board of Aldermen 7 p.m. Tuesday; City Hall, 105 Old Canton Road. Pearl Board of Aldermen 7 p.m. Tuesday; Pearl City Hall, 4 17 N. Bierde-man Road.

Clinton Board of Aldermen 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; Clinton Library, 1 1 1 Clinton Blvd. FIQrance Board of Aldermen 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; City Hall on North Church St. Rldgeland Board of Aldermen 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday; City Hall, 303 U.S. 5 1 handed Porter a surprise defeat in the Republican primary. The two were vying to represent northeast Jackson's Ward 1 under the mayor-council form of government, which Porter vehemently opposed. Miller, a local banker, was defeated by Derwood Boyles in the June 4 general election. Porter, 51, said his defeat was difficult to swallow.

"Right after the election, I was pretty upset," Porter said. "Anybody that has any feeling for people, you can't just walk away from that. When you're not re-elected, that's a pretty tough rejection when you know you've tried to do what was best. But I wasn't put there to make decisions to get me reelected. I was put there to make principled decisions.

"If I had to do it all over again, I probably would run for mayor. I think my support was broad-based and citywide and not just in northeast Jackson," Porter said. "I regret that I didn't run, but that's just politics. That's not the only place where I can be of service to my fellow man, which was my greatest joy in office." "I've had 1 0 or 12 offers to be employed in construction and insurance, but I just didn't feel like that's where I needed to be," he said, explaining he hopes to land a job with an organization like Fellowship of Christian Athletes or Campus Crusade for Christ. Porter said the decision that hurt his political career most was when he attempted to reach an out-of-court settlement with state Sen.

Henry Kirksey of Jackson in the dispute over changing the city's form of government. Porter and then-fellow Commissioner Luther Roan, who now represents Ward 6, proposed replacing the commission form of government a full-time mayor and two commissioners elected at large with an expanded form of the commission setup a full-time mayor elected at large and four ull-time district council members. Kirksey wanted a form of government in which four commissioners would be elected from wards and each would rotate as mayor. Porter and Roan were negotiating a settlement with Kirksey, but their efforts were blocked when Hinds County Judge Charles T. Barber ruled on a request by Danks and banned the commissioners from voting on the issue.

In September 1984, Jackson voters decided to replace the commission government with the mayor-council form. Porter is still convinced the form he advocated was best. "I just regret that we weren't stronger and more unified in telling the people that our government was best for the city." Thornton Chisom, 34, a day client at Baddour, is a soloist in Baddour's nationally known choir, Baddour allows mildly retarded to live own lives By MARY DIXON Clarion-Ledger Delta Bureas SENATOBIA There's the job at the factory, choir practice and the homecoming dance. Life at the Baddour Memorial Center is routinely special. Baddour is a community facility that serves mildly and moderately retarded adults, those who have missed out on what most take for granted.

"We propose to ask a person to grow mentally, spiritually, physically, socially and vocationally," said Joe Earp, the facility's executive director. Baddour, spread over 103 acres of well-manicured countryside on the south side of Senatobia, teaches its 105 residents independence by having them first practice living in a structured world. The residents have jobs at three Baddour "factories," silk-screening T-shirts and tote bags, bagging potting soil or working on an assembly line making pallets. They also raise and sell plants grown in a greenhouse. They live in group homes which they maintain, but which are managed by a staff member.

Community events like a mayor's election, movies and homecoming dances and parades are designed to give Roy Godfrey, 21, of Clinton works in Baddour's silk-screening operation, called "The People Factory." The vocational programs allow residents to earn money while learning how to maintain a job. Baddour residents a chance to feel normal, capable and needed. A retail shop in downtown Senatobia, where residents work as clerks, offers them a chance to mix with the outside world. Earp said the center can provide training and a chance to live a normal life, adding that most of the residents never have experienced a homecoming dance, dates or "an opportunity to work." There is a lot of "ra-ra," Earp said. Earp said he knows his 117-member staff has See Baddour, 3B Beer not only tastes great, study suggests it's less killing Joe Rogers Columnist The Clarion-Ledger I i- bad jokes and howling with laughter helps keep your mind on an even keel.

Healthy mind, healthy body. But neither of those is the theory I find most critical. That theory is this: Beer drinkers lie. OK, researchers didn't exactly come out and say that What they said was that beer drinkers may "understate their illnesses." What they meant was beer drinkers lie. And of course this is true.

Anyone who has ever been around beer drinkers knows it to be true. It may be a little lie, like, "I swear I only had two," or it may be a big lie, like, Tve never seen this woman before in my life." In vino Veritas, it is said. In wine there is truth. Perhaps. But in beer there is bull.

Still, I don't like to think that is the real reason beer drinkers showed up so healthy. Nor do I think it likely that beer does a very good job promoting health, or that healthy people are attracted to beer. I suspect the real truth is a little more simple, and a good deal less scientific. Beer drinkers probably get every bit as sick, and sick just as often, as anybody and everybody ae They just don't remember. Or care.

If it's true, going out to hoist a few would take on a whole new perspective. No longer would you simply be getting sloshed. You'd be consuming your minimum daily requirement of Vitamin B(eer). It would be like making sure you get enough fiber in your diet, or eating green vegetables. You would be doing your body a favor.

Of course, you'd still get sloshed. But every medicine has its side effects. Beer drinkers may have healthier lifestyles. This explanation takes credit away from beer itself and places it on the folks who drink it Perhaps beer advertising, with its emphasis on living the good life with gusto, simply attracts healthy, active people. Beer ads certainly portray them.

Ever see a gut on a beer ad? No. You see people running around playing football, or volleyball, or downhill skiing. They do not carry guts. OK, some of the guys on the Lite beer commercials do carry guts. But the implication is clear Imagine how colossal those guts would be if they didn't drink Lite.

Another possibility is that slugging down brews with your buddies confers "psychosocial benefits." I think that means that getting looped with the gang, telling IF YOU HAVE a soft spot in your belly for the suds, here's news that may make you want to pop another top: Beer drinkers appear to be "substantially healthier" than non-drinkers or those who drink wine or liquor. That's the results of a study sponsored by the Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation at Johns Hopkins University. Researchers gathered information from about 17,000 Canadians for the study. They asked about frequency of visits to physicians, days spent in bed due to illness, and time lost from school or work due to illness. Then researchers compared the answers with what they would expect of a similar, average group.

Those who favored beer reported 13 percent less illness than expected. Still more persuasive, those who favored beer once a day reported 25 percent less illness than expected. That may give rise to a new advertising slogan: A brewsky a day keeps the doctor away. Not. all groups should take the news too literally, researchers say.

Pregnant women and people with a history of family alcoholism face special risks. But for others, "There1 is no evidence that nfjderate drink- ing would interfere with a person's health," said one researcher. "In fact, our study suggests that drinking beer regularly and in only moderate amounts may actually be advantageous." What the study did not explain is why beer drinkers show up in the pink. But researchers have several theories: Beer contains health-promoting properties. Somehow I suspect this is the one favored by most beer drinkers themselves.

It suggests that beer resides on a par with milk, or prune juice, as a magic elixir..