Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 21

THE CLARION-LEDGER JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 1995 Blues promotion seeks to gather European green PSSp STREET 'CfTALK ley's mansion and historic Beale Street. The partnership, announced Wednes Misissippi and Memphis hope to capitalize on new flights to Amsterdam. By Hue Ha Clarion-Ledger Business Writer trip or as high as $3,192 one-way for first class, said Jim Faulkner, a spokesman for the Eagan, Northwest. A traveler from Jackson could fly to Amsterdam round trip for as low as $968 plus taxes this summer. That price requires three weeks advance purchase, traveling Monday through Thursday, staying a minimum of one-week and maximum of one-month.

Tourism officials expect the promotion to increase the mounting tourism dollars in the region, with $1.5 billion in Mississippi and $1.6 billion in Memphis last year. "It would be hard to overstate the importance of this flight to the Memphis business community," Dave Cooley, president of the Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce, said in December when the flight was announced. "Non-stop air service from our hub to the huge Amstersdam hub will make Memphis more convenient to business travelers, and more cost-effective for air cargo shippers." day, was formed to promote the region to the European market, officials said. "The typical European traveler stays 14 to 17 days in the U.S.," said George Smith, division of tourism director in the state Department of Economic and Community Development. David Nicholson, director of Lofthouse Enterprises, said "Europeans like to explore an entire region when visiting America, sometimes combining as many as two or three states." Lofthouse will market "Blues Alley" in Europe.

"Mississippi is such a compatible partner to Memphis similar in heritage, culture and music," said Regena Bearden, tourism director for the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau. And Europeans love the blues and Southern culture, she said. Memphis has Graceland Elvis Pres Mississippi offers Elvis' birthplace in Tupelo, the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale and the memorial to Jimmy Rodgers, "the father to country music," in Meridian to name just a few stops. The promotion is a move to make the new flights successful, Bearden said. The flights to the Netherlands are the first non-stop flights to Europe out of Memphis.

Amsterdam serves as KLM's primary hub with more than 250 daily departures to more than 60 cities worldwide. Northwest, through KLM, will offer the service four times a week, using the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft. The maiden flight will depart Memphis at 8:30 p.m. on June 27 and arrive in Amsterdam at noon the next day. The return flight will leave Amsterdam at 3:30 p.m.

and arrive in Memphis at 6 p.m. Fares will vary depending on the time of the year. Prices can be as low as $728 round Facing resident's concerns over sites old hat to grocery Jackson is not the only new market where Albertson's Inc. has encountered opposition. Residents of Castlewoods in Rankin County and the Ridgewood Road area in Jackson two of three announced locations have voiced concern about the store's affect on their property values and traffic counts.

But that is not unique to Jackson, said an official of the nation's fourth largest grocery chain. "In a new market, that's not real unusual to run into that response," said Michael Read, a King Edward has played his blues throughout the South. And in the Midwest Now the Jackson-based musician hopes to play to a European audience. And he plans to do it in Jackson. Focusing on the blues and musicians like Edward, Mississippi and Memphis tourism officials developed "America's Blues Alley," a promotion to capitalize on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines' and Northwest Airlines' new direct flight between Memphis and Amsterdam starting June 27.

"Maybe it will get me over there and make me some money," said Edward, who has performed at The Subway and Red Hot and Blue in Jackson. vfere ti t. i ft ti I i fj Jr VNj? Auto industry union gets first new president in 12 years. you're hearing from him, but you're getting it straight," said Harley Shai- ken, a labor expert at the University of California-Berkeley who has watched Yokich operate for 20 years. Th Associated Press I i The 1,600 voting delegates at Anaheim also endorsed two UAW vice presidents, and chose two new ones and a new secretary-treasurer.

The candidates were ANAHEIM, Calif. Stephen P. Yokich, a fiery and charismatic labor leader who has faced General Motors Corp. bargainers for the past six years, was elected Wednesday as president of the United Auto Workers union. Delegates at the UAWs triennial convention in Anaheim chose Yokich by acclamation to succeed Owen Bieber, who is retiring after 12 years as president.

Yokich, 59, has been a UAW vice president since 1980 and head of the GM department, the union's largest, since 1989. He takes over at a time when the labor movement in the United States is battling to rebuild after more than a decade on the defensive and in a time when increasing numbers of workers are reluctant to align themselves with unions. In nearly 40 years as a UAW activist, Yokich has built a reputation as a worker advocate who is demanding but fair. "You may not like what Yokish unopposed. In addition to Bieber, secretary-treasurer Bill Casstevens and vice president Stan Marshall are retiring.

Roy Wyse, 62, director of the UAW region that covers 17 south-, central and western states stretching from Arkansas to Hawaii and Alaska, was elected secretary-treasurer to replace Casstevens. The new vice presidents are Richard Shoemaker, who has been top assistant to Bieber since 1984, and Jack Laskowski, director of UAW Region 1-D in Grand Rapids, Mich. Yokich is likely to announce the leadership assignments today. The Associated Press John Camilleri, manager of the Yankees Club Mantle. Items associated with Mantle have House retail store, holds a photo of Mickey gained interest since his illness became known.

Mantle merchandise sales increase with health crisis spokesman for the Boise, Idaho-based food and drug retailer. "But we have a real good history of meeting requirements to have the development work for us." In a Monday night meeting, Castlewoods owners expressed concern about traffic and the routing of large 18-wheel trucks coming in and out of the planned store. Rankin County Supervisor Larry Swales on Wednesday said that developers of the Albertson's proposed Castlewoods location already have reported they will reroute all truck traffic to both enter and exit the site from Highway 25, which will have a new turn lane, paid for by the developer. The land in Rankin County is under contract, but Albertson's has not asked for a building permit. With the Jackson site pending final approval of the City Council on July 5, one council member already says he will vote no.

Ward 3 council member Kenneth Stokes said he was letting folks know his position early so that they could call him and let him know theirs. "We are for Albertson's coming to the city of Jackson," Stokes said "We are just opposed to them going to that location." He suggested that Albertson's consider lo-. eating at Jackson Mall or near the Metro Center at an old County Market building. Jitney Jungle dropped plans to move its Sack and Save at 1-55 to the Ridgewood location two years ago after residents opposed it. While Jitney obviously isn't inviting competition, the Jackson-based grocer said it will not prevent Albertson's from coming to Jackson.

Phone directory half-inch thicker South Central Bell's new Jackson telephone directory is a lot heftier that last year's nearly 2 inches thick, compared with 1.5 inches in 1994. But that's not because metro Jackson has grown so much. It's mostly due to a larger type size in the new book. There also are other new features this year, but still no international access codes for callers who need this service. "We have a 32-page limit for the Customer Guide section of our directories.

In the Jackson directory, as well as other directories, we have reached this page limit because of the size of the directory area and the optional services and area calling plan information," said Patsy Tol-leson, a South Central Bell spokesperson. Jackson customers can contact their international or long distance carrier for dialing instructions and access codes, she said. The new directory also includes zip codes and redesigned yellow pages. Ridgeland cracks sales tax top 10 It always pays to be in the right place at the right time, and that applies for cities as well as people. Ridgeland, on the immediate northern border of Jackson, is a case in point.

The City of Ridgeland is a smaller city that for several years has been has been reaping big-town benefits for its location in the shadow of Jackson. First it was the location of Northpark, and in recent years car dealerships, Wal-Mart and other major retailers. Ridgeland, with about 12,000 population in the 1990 census, is now collecting more sales tax revenues than cities with much larger populations including Greenville, Pascagoula, Vicksburg, Natchez and Clarksdale. As of April, the top cities for tax colletions are: Jackson, $26.2 million; Tupelo, $9.3 million; Gulfport, $8.8 million; Hattiesburg, $8.3 million; Meridian, $7.7 million; Biloxi, $6.5 million; Ridgeland, $5.2 million and Columbus, $5.1 million. Street Talk appears Thursday.

To comment or contribute, call the Clarion-Ledger Business Desk at 961-7213 or fax 961-721 1. Efforts to fight smut join telecommunications bill Locally, buyers appear most interested in autographed baseballs. From Staff and Wire Reports Measure overhauling the industry moves toward passage. The Associated Press for $1,100 to $1,300." In 1991, Mantle's baseball card from his 1951 rookie season fetched $49,500 at a Sotheby's auction, said Matthew Weigman, a spokesman for the auction house. The Batters Box, a sports collectables store at Northpark in Ridgeland, has seen a slight increase for Mantle items, but no real run.

"People are asking for autographed items," said Seth Brown. "People seem interested in signed baseballs mostly." Brown said a baseball autographed by Mantle would cost "about $100" at the Batters Box. Mantle began his career with the Yankees in 1951 and fans have not stopped admiring him since. Through the years, hundreds, if not thousands, of sporting goods have been made with his name, from batting helmets to posters to copies of his famous uniform. At the New York Yankees Club House in Manhattan, the hub of Yankee nostalgia, Mantle merchandise and memorabilia have long been the top seller.

But recently those sales have moved even higher, said John Camillieri, manager of the store. "Mickey is as popular today as he was in the 60s," he said. "Everyone wants something to hold on to." Mooney of Sportscards International agrees. "People associated with him and they always will. I would say if you can pick up an autographed item at a reasonable price, buy it," he said.

In addition, some companies may use this as an opportunity to create new Mantle products or increase promotions on already existing lines. "This could easily ignite more Mickey Mantle products," May said. "People see where the market is and will want to jump right in." ble television rates. The bill would lift longstanding limits on how many TV and radio stations one company may own nationally and would remove an 83-year-old restriction on foreign ownership of telecommunications companies as long other countries remove theirs. The anti-smut provisions that have been added to the bill represent the most aggressive effort by the Senate to combat smut on television and computer services in years.

In addition, the lawmakers were considering a number of other proposals, including amendments that would: Require on-line computer services to restrict children's access to so-called indecent materials like chat lines or photos by requiring users to verify their age with a personal identification number. Require cable operators to keep indecent programs off the "basic" tier the lowest level of service all subscribers must buy in order to get any other level of cable service. Under a measure added to the bill Tuesday, parents would have the power to zap violent and other objectionable programs, such as dirty movies, right off their TV screens. NEW YORK Doug Stein went rummaging through his basement after he heard that Mickey Mantle was sick. "I had a Mantle jersey and I needed to know after like 25 years, whether I still had it buried in a box," said the 47-year-old Philadelphia resident on vacation in New York.

"I was also thinking it could be worth something." His search for the replica proved fruitless, but the former Brooklynite bought another reproduction of Mantle's No. 7 jersey Friday at the New York Yankees store in Manhattan. Mantle was given a liver transplant June 8 after being diagnosed with progressive liver failure. Since news of Mantle's illness, sales of merchandise clad with the former Yankee slugger's name and number have regained popularity in some areas. "When athletes make big news, it serves as kind of a catalyst," said Michael May, a spokesman for the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, a trade organization in North Palm Beach, Fla.

"Demand for the product just takes off." However, one Jackson-area dealer said he's seen no big increase in demand for Mantle col-lectables trading cards and autographed items because they're always in demand. "He's already a big-end item," said John Mooney of Sportscards International on Old Square Road in Jackson. "He's already up there. For example, his Topps 1956 card sells WASHINGTON Americans may find it harder to see raunchy movies on television, view nudie pictures on their computers and talk dirty over the Internet under plans either adopted or being considered by the Senate. As a bill overhauling the nation's telecommunications laws moved toward final passage Wednesday, senators were looking to add provisions aimed at restricting children's access to indecent or pornographic material on television and computers.

In addition to the anti-smut measures, senators were to consider an amendment tempering the cable deregulation provisions in the bill, the most sweeping rewrite of telecommunications law since the 1930s. The bill would let local telephone, long-distance and cable companies get into each other's businesses and free the biggest electric utilities to provide an array of telecommunications services. As currently written, the bill also would substantially deregulate ca Readers of The Clarion-Ledger MOUSY MARKETS REGIONAL QUOTATIONS 38 26 26)4 45 TimeWa UPlntr WalMart Weyerh AMEX now have immediate access to a wide range of financial information available by fax machine 24 hours a day. -EH- Closing price and change from previous day. (Supplied by The Associated Press).

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