Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 1

MAKING HISTORY: THE FORDICE INAUGURATION VT tV! Madison Rankin edition Jackson, Mississippi Wednesday January 15, 1992 111 ul i ij.j jj.n...t ,.41) llj.jl ,4... w. 4ft.rtt Vfcu 'itoiw CAW)! A C. q.miwm.. 1 rtMi ti-mn-iiniiriniiiu-i'ii-riiiiiiiii irf mum vy lie OlOlillM QTfud 4 School prayer, jobs on new governor's agenda for change i -A By Jay Eubank Clarlon-Ldgr Staff Wrltar n1 'r Gov.

Kirk Fordice, minutes after taking office Tuesday, exhorted a conservative revolution to refashion state government. And in his no-nonsense style, Fordice demanded that Mississippi forge a color-blind society that allows prayer in schools and makes economic development a priority. Fordice took over precisely at noon, after state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Noble Lee administered the 69- word oath of office to the state's 61st governor and first Republican since Adelbert Ames took office in 1874. 1 4 5EHH0V gPECIAL it X', i "My vision is for a Mississippi free of the pain, guilt and discord that is driven by those who seek to profit from the racial polarization of our people," Fordice said in a hurried, seven-minute inaugural address. Fordice's speech to some 6,000 dignitaries, legislators and other chilled spectators outside the Capitol was the centerpiece of Tuesday's ceremony.

The day began with an early morning prayer service at First Baptist Church, followed by a parade through downtown. The festivities ended with Republicans and other Fordice well-wishers kicking up their heels at two inaugural balls. Cold doesn't slow parade, 1D. Text of Fordice speech, 2D. Reaction to speech, 20.

Day concludes with gala balls, 3D. Mississippi's past governors, 4-5D. The day in pictures, 6D. imi iiWiMaitiii -Ht--'-! -r--- "tii niwo ii iriawMwaninnnMaMaBMii Scott BoydThe Clarion-Ledger Kirk Fordice is administered the oath of office at noon Tuesday by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Noble Lee at the Capitol as Fordice's wife, Pat, looks on. With ice broken, GOP supporters bask in winner's glory By Sarah C.

Campbell Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer in office," he said. "You know the Republican's old cliche: We'll meet in a phone booth. That's all changed." A few paces from the Millsaps contingent, Libby Mulloy tugged the stem of an azalea bush to keep her balance on the knoll's crest. Beaming as Pat Fordice read from the 21st Psalm, Mulloy predicted the new first lady would impress most Mississip-pians. "I met her at a tea over in Vicks-burg.

I think she'll be the most important first lady in a while. People will love her," said Mulloy, a homemaker. Teaching assistant Shirley Davis of Lexington brought 70 students from McClain High School to witness the making of history. "It's very important for the students to be able to come. For a small rural area like Holmes County, some children don't get exposed to things like this," Davis said.

One of the McClain students, Quentessa Rule, 12, of Lexington, a seventh-grader, wished she could have Fordice's ear. "I want to ask him if he could help us out. We school children need support." Fordice, 57, delivered a brief, to-the-point address that echoed his campaign themes. "When our vision was clear, we knew that beginning the school day with a prayer for God's blessings and the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance were neither unconstitutional nor insensitive to the rights of others," said Fordice, who will receive a salary of $75,600. "The God-given drive to enterprise that lies within each of us has for too long been held captive by wrong-headed budget and tax policy, by inattention to a workers' compensation system spun out of control, by well-.

meaning but counter-productive social programs," he said. During a news conference following the ceremony, Fordice said race should not be a factor in state government. "Frankly I'm sick to death of coloring everything with race in Mississippi," Fordice said. But there was some unease at Fordice's assessment of the direction of race relations. "He's very naive if he thinks the things he cited this -morning are the problems of the state and if he thinks they can be wiped away by saying we're all equal and we can go forward," said Rep.

Leslie King of Greenville, one of 24 black legislators. As the sun peeked out of clouds, the blue-suited Fordice, with wife Pat beside him, was received enthusiastically after his 1 1:55 a.m. introduction. See FORDICE, 13A Editorial, 14A Leslie Fletcher sighed in relief at noon Tuesday when Kirk Fordice broke the Democratic Party's 116-year hold on the governor's office. "Once you break the ice, things are simpler from here on out," said Fletcher, 62, of Indianola, who cut his GOP teeth working on Barry Goldwater's 1964 presidential campaign.

"Now that we're in, there's not going to be a phobia. You realize that if you vote Republican, your grandfather's not going to turn over in his grave." Losing a battle to contain her wide-open smile, Fletcher's wife, Adelaide, 51, offered few words to sum up her opinion of Fordice: "Thumbs up. Many of the 6,000 people gathered at the Capitol to witness Fordice's inauguration were Republicans basking in the glory that comes with winning the state's top post. "It's going to be a new day in Mississippi. The good ole boy politics are no more," said Luther Millsaps, 65, of Tupelo, a retired telephone company executive.

"I sense that (Fordice) has the cooper- Rick Guy The Clarion-Ledger Gov. Kirk Fordice receives a congratulatory kiss from his wife, Pat, on Tuesday after taking the oath of office. ation of the people of the state." Watching from a strategically chosen spot on an embankment, Millsaps, 65, his wife, Lucile, 61, and daughter, Rita Moffett, 39, applauded wildly during Fordice's speech. Beforehand, Millsaps, a professed "hard-core" Methodist, admitted to be lieving in the Presbyterian principle of providence where Fordice is concerned. "Providence brought him to us," Millsaps said.

It won't take Providence another century to bring the next Republican governor, Millsaps said. "If Kirk Fordice does his job, we'll see a lot more Republicans 15 die, 50 hurt in Detroit snowstorm $125,000 in incentives pledged for Canada Nearly all of those who died were men in their 60s clearing snow, officials say. Mississippi forecast From Wire Service Reporte The storm system that hit the Detroit area Tuesday will swing into Mississippi today and bring snow flurries over most of the state. There's a 30 percent chance of snow in the Jackson area. Amounts will be light, and little or no accumulation is expected.

However, this weather system will usher in an even colder blast of Arctic air tonight and Thursday. Wind chill factors around zero degrees are possible. Source: National Weather Service centive program," said Canada, who has not had a raise since July 1, 1990, when he took the reins of the district. The contributions come from the Central Mis Canada INDEX Along the RFD 5E Ann Landers 3F Bridge 3F Business 5B Calendar 2F Classified 6C Comics 4F Crosswords 3F Cryptoquip 3F Danny McKenzie 1B Daytime Dialings 3F Deaths 2B Food 1E Horoscope 3F Jack Sunn 4B Jumble 3F Movies 2F Opinion 14.15A People 2A Southern Style 1F Sports 1C State Metro 1B Stocks TV schedules TV Tonight 6F WEATHER Increasing clouds, 43-50. Details, 16A.

Volume 154 No. 332 6 sections 54 pages Copyright 1992 DETROIT One of the worst snowstorms of the century paralyzed Detroit Tuesday and was blamed for 15 deaths and more than 50 injuries. Nearly all of those who died were men in their 60s clearing snow, authorities said. All of the deaths resulted from pushing stranded vehicles and shoveling or blowing snow, hospital officials and medical examiners said. Among injuries hospitals reported were minor heart attacks, breathing problems and back strains, at least two snowmobile accidents and several snow-blower injuries.

"In the cold, your heart is struggling to pump harder against greater resistance, and it will induce heart attack," said A. Roberto Frisancho, research scientist at the University of Michigan's Center for Human Growth and Development. "We're urging people young or old to get some help," Melvindale Police Chief John Brophy said. "Don't do it by yourself." The snowstorm left Detroit commuters scrambling, whipped up whiteouts in Indiana and gave schoolchildren in at least eight states an unexpected break. More snowfall was expected today, accompanied by bitter cold throughout the week.

The storm smothered southeast Michigan with 9 to 13 inches of snow. The official level of 11.1 inches made The aim is to keep school Superintendent Ben Canada in Jackson. By Reagan Walker Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer Jackson school Superintendent Ben Canada Tuesday accepted a $125,000 incentive package from business leaders hopingto keep him here for at least five more years. Under the arrangement, Canada's $100,000 annual salary, which comes from district funds, will be supplemented by $5,000 a year in private funds for each of the next five years. In addition, another $20,000 annually will be put into an escrow account.

In five years, Canada can collect the funds in escrow along with interest. If he leaves before then, he doesn't get any of the savings. "I was flattered that the business community felt my performance was worthy of comingup with an in- it the ninth-worst storm of the century and the heaviest since 1982. Up to 10 inches of snow also fell in Ohio, and parts of Indiana got 6 inches, the National Weather Service said. The severe, snowy blast was caused by a large, intense low pressure system that moved up the Ohio Valley, said Dick Wagenmaker, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Detroit.

Elsewhere, a ferocious cold front produced severe thunderstorms in the mid-Atlantic region, producing gusts up to 87 mph in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. A tornado touched down and damaged trees and a bam near Harrisburg, Pa. Five inches of snow fell on Springfield, and 4 inches fell in St. Louis. Northwestern Arkansas received at least 2 inches and Kentucky an inch.

sissippi Growth Foundation, which is "separate but affiliated" with the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, said Chamber President Paul Latture. "The business community thinks he is doing a good job and this arrangement was made to ensure that Dr. Canada stays here," Latture said. "You might call it a golden handcuff." Latture said the 18-member foundation has been in existence for at least 20 years and has concentrated mainly on the redevelopment of downtown Jackson. See CANADA, 13A.