Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 17

JACKSON-AREA DEATHS 2 BUSINESS 6 STOCKS 8-9 THE CLARION-LEDGER JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1994 DODdlmDdlyalli to Gil IWfliEafDTO o) sip Official denies organization's actions "anything racial." By Andy Kanengiser Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer "It's a problem that never will be solved on this campus," said Zack Wallace, 18, of Jackson, a black Millsaps freshman. "There should be some punishment. He should suspend the fraternities for two months or more." If fraternity members dressed up like black people, "they should get in trouble for it," said freshman Janie Hays, 18, of Lake Charles. La. Millsaps fraternities have faced intense and unfair media scrutiny for weeks, and will survive, fraternity members say.

"I think the Greek system at Millsaps is very strong," Redman said. the fraternity and others, but talked to none of the black students leveling the charges, including Kiese Laymon, 20, of Jackson, a Millsaps junior. Laymon, a columnist for the Millsaps student newspaper, has been a sharp critic of college fraternities. "If Mr. Laymon is offended by the Confederate flag, I'm sorry," Nesbit said.

"He has the right to be offended. There was no public display of the flag by the chapter." Laymon said the Rebel flag represents a symbol of racial oppression and slavery. He could not be reached Friday. Next week Harmon may consider punishing the students. cident on campus Oct.

8. That day, black students and white members of Kappa Alpha and Kappa Sigma fraternities got into a shouting match after some Kappa Alpha fraternity members donned Afro wigs and tied large Confederate flags around their necks. If there are racial problems on campus, "it is not a Greek situation," said Doug Redman, 21, of Baton Rouge, a Millsaps senior and president of the 100-member Kappa Alpha student chapter. "I don't know the definition of Afro wigs," Nesbit said. Nesbit said he interviewed members of ington, and to Millsaps President George Harmon next week.

The blame rests with "a handful of individuals," and is not the action of the Millsaps chapter, Nesbit said. "The fraternities are getting a bad rap." The activities were not "anything racial," but rather "part of a tradition at Millsaps," Nesbit said. The new report to Kappa Alpha's national headquarters comes after a Millsaps faculty and staff committee last week concluded a number of fraternity members went on an all-night drinking spree, with some going without sleep for 24 hours, before a racial in Kappa Alpha members at Millsaps College broke no laws or school policies during a confrontation with black students on campus, says the fraternity's state leader. "As an organization, they did nothing wrong," said Larry Nesbit, a Jackson businessman who oversees Kappa Alpha chapters around the state. Results of his investigation will go to the fraternity's national headquarters in Lex I I Cartoon starts debate among i MC students Some want to censor newspaper! 3 TV ji '-v By Andy Kanengiser Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer 3 CLINTON Mississippi College's student newspa- per showed poor taste in an editorial cartoon knocking; former President Lewis Nobles and could lose some students said Friday.

"I'm offended by anything that insults him," said junior Lori Colvin, 20, of Baton Rouge. "There are lots of people here who still care about him. The only thing wei 35 j. i can do is pray for him." 1 (mv A lit-' 11 At the 168-year-old Baptist college, some student senators have discussed yanking the paper's financial support, senators say. Student government supplies $2,000 to $3,000 annually to The Mississippi Collegian, says editor Daniel Ware and other staff members.

1 Former I MISSISSIPPI 4 a College President fJ Lewis No- 4 1 blesfacesa ii Feb. 7 trial I in federal court on charges he embezzled $3 million from the private Baptist school. I I 'II. 'V i'. 1 fe' mwvl I i.i l.ia.rV Rick Guy The Clarion-Ledger Ready to let go Clinton Park Elementary School pupils prepare to release hundreds of balloons which was held as part of Red Ribbon Week.

The Clinton Junior High School band from the playground Friday afternoon during the school's drug awareness program, and cheerleaders entertained the students after the activity. Brandon aldermen get last word on mayor's ghostwriter Any recommendation to pull student funding from the paper would need the approval of MC President Howell Todd, who was out of town Friday, said Charles Martin, vice president for academic affairs. No action has been taken against the paper, he said. Colvin, a member of the student Judicial Council, said she favors putting limits "in a big way" on what the student paper publishes in the future. "The people who do the newspaper are way too liberal." President for 25 years until he resigned in August 1993, Nobles is accused of embezzling $3 million in school donations.

Facing trial Feb. 7 in federal court, his indictment claims he spent about $272,000 of the donations on "women and known prostitutes in various states." Suzanne Booth's editorial cartoon depicts four scantily clad women appearing on stage at a beauty pageant. "What kind of pageant gives away $3 one observer asks in the cartoon. "The Lewis Nobles scholarship fund for needy students. What else?" is the reply.

The cartoon in the Oct. 14 issue appears on the opinion page. "I thought it was very distasteful," said junior Ashley Vickers, 20, of Jackson, a student senator. "We are trying to get past what happened with Dr. Nobles.

I don't know if we can do anything. We have no authority to say what they can or can't print." Added Jason Douglas, 20, a junior from Brookhaven: "At a Baptist school, it was in poor taste. That's putting down our school. Some students are defending the cartoon and say it would be wrong to withhold the paper's funds or impose other punishments. "It would be a very big mistake it would infringe on freedom of the press," said senior See NOBLES, 2B The city attorney is writing W.L.

Whittington's column. By Arnold Lindsay Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer plaining about the minor fee involved. "I don't understand why Mr. Grubbs and Mrs. Bianchi are upset.

I got Mr. Baker to put it together. I added some points. And I'll do it again too," Whittington said. "Mark is a good Of two columns written by Baker, only one has been charged to the city at a cost of $18.75 for 15 minutes billing, Grubbs said.

He said Baker, who acted only on orders from Whittington, has agreed not to bill the city for the second column. Alderman Lu Coker said he would not approve payment again for Whittington's personal column to be written by professionals. "I'm not upset that Mark wrote it for him. But as I told Mark it had better not show up as an expense for the city," Coker said. Whittington claims Grubbs' dislike of him prompted the complaint.

Grubbs said he was concerned that Whittington was spending taxpayers' money needlessly without alerting aldermen. Other Rankin County mayors write their own columns, he said. "We shouldn't be asking people who are going to be charging us by the hour to do things the mayor should be doing," Grubbs said. "I don't know what (Grubbs) wants. I've never seen anybody like him in my life, and I'm 54 years old," Whittington said.

Bianchi said her concern as well, comes from needlessly squandering taxpayers' money, which she is charged with protecting. BRANDON Mayor W.L. Whittington's use of city funds to pay the city's attorney for writing his column that appeared in the Clarion Ledger's Rankin Focus, will stop, aldermen said. But Whittington said he would not stop using attorney Mark Baker's talents to craft his ideas, regardless of aldermen's complaints. Whittington chided Aldermen Roe Grubbs and Yvonne Bianchi for com Whittington writer.

And I'm going to use him again. I cannot believe it. It just shows what I'm working with up here. I've had enough of this crap." Charges have been dropped against other murder suspects detective arrested Fortner said he understands mistakes saved his client the ordeal, he said. By Jay Hughes Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer rests of Mitchell and Moore "premature" and based on an incomplete investigation.

He said the arrests were based on a statement from an informant, and no physical evidence tied either suspect to the shooting. The day after Kevin Williams' arrest, coaches and classmates said he was at basketball tryouts in Rolling Fork Oct. 4. Tom Royals of Jackson, Williams' lawyer, said the arrest was based on witness accounts, and no physical evidence tied Williams to the crime. Further investigation might have In February 1993, Jones and Detective Clidell Conston arrested two men in the Jan.

31, 1993, killing of rookie officer Nathan Williams. Charges against James Mitchell and Calvin Moore were dropped three weeks later. In April, police charged Fredrick Demond Burkett, 21, and Thomas Earl James, 17, in Nathan Williams' death. James has confessed to the crime. Burkett is awaiting trial.

Public defender Tom Fortner, who represented Mitchell, says he considered the ar "It's disturbing, but what do you do about the system?" Royals said after charges were dropped. "We've got the best system there is." Jones couldn't be reached for comment Deputy Chief Jimmy Houston, chief of detectives, said the investigation leading to Williams' arrest will be re-examined. "I shall not allow piecemeal investigations, and if I find this investigation has an error made by faulty investigation, I will deal with it accordingly," Houston said. can be made in police work. "They are under a tremendous amount of pressure from the public, especially in very nasty crimes like this last one, to solve it very quickly," Fortner said.

"Public pressure can make a huge amount of difference, and that can lead to mistakes in arrests." Said Houston: "We make mistakes, and the bad part about it is when we make a mis- take it's spread all over the media." "I didn't kill Victoria," 1A Gerald Jones, the Jackson detective who arrested Kevin Williams in a triple homicide, has had to drop charges against murder suspects before. Williams, 18, was arrested by Jones and Detective Ned Garner Oct. 13. He was charged in the Oct. 4 slayings of Victoria Minor, 18, Minor's 2-week-old son, Howard, and Clarence Harper 22.

Charges were dropped Thursday for lack of evidence. MISSISSIPPI VOICES THIS CORNER YESTERDAY'S HEADLINES Corinth Tupelo I Three of the state's nine presidential electoral candidates said, if elected, they will vote for "the true, loyal and genuine Democrat, Harry Byrd of Virginia" instead of the Democratic ticket of Roosevelt and Truman. mm President Clinton is wrapping up a six-nation tour concerning peace talks. What can be done to bring peace to the war-torn Middle Eastern countries? Newton "If they can come together with a mutual agreement, peace can be attained. President Clinton is for peace.

And he's working hard to try and keep peace." Dessieree Thornton, 79, retired homemaker. Corinth "What ought to be done wouldn't be a pretty thing. They should have gotten the core out of that sore. The sore is Saddam Hussein. That would be the starting point.

I don't know what else." James Nelms, 75, retired truck driver. Tupelo "If they will do what Israel and Jordan have done, the peace process can start. They need to hurry up and do something because lives are being lost daily." Sherrod Miller, 25, graduate student. To participate Mississippi Voices, caH 352-2810 and follow instructions. 'Times' piece features McMillan Anti-abortion activist Roy McMillan wil be featured Sun-.

day in a cover story in The New York Times Magazine. McMillan, who lives in Jackson, talks extensively in the 10-page article about his opposition to abortion and the violence at abortion clinics around the country, including two fatal shootings at a Pensacola facility. In the article, written by former Times reporter Lisa Belkin, McMillan talks about his support for Paul Hill, charged in a September shooting in which an abortion doctor and an aide were slain in Pensacola. The article also discusses McMillan's wife, Beverly, a physician who stopped performing abortions. Copies of The New York Times can be purchased at various hotels and bookstores in Jackson.

Thirteen Port Gibson businesses have closed in the recent months, all forced out by the boycott started by the black community. Newton I Jackson Chamber of Commerce officials plan to start a $2 million foundation for innovative academic programs in Jackson Public Schools. Compiled by staff librarian Susan Garcia.