Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 1

IP II II wing Metro edition Jackson, Mississippi Mississippi's Tuesday February 15, 2000 1 53n Path of destruction SPORTS a High school playoffs begin 1 Todd StoneThe Associated Press Just 2.21 inches of rain had fallen this year at Jackson International Airport by Monday. Normal rainfall by that date is 7.52 inches. Water watchers in Mississippi say if significant rain doesn't fall before April, they will be even more concerned. "We're not in the predicting business," said Mickey Plun-kett, chief of the hydrologic records section of the U.S. Geological Survey's water resources office in Pearl.

"But this may be a prelude to a drought this summer worse than last summer." Charles Branch, chief of the Office of Land and Water Resources at the state Department of Environmental Quality, is equally concerned. "I'm afraid this may parlay into very low stream flows this summer and fall," Branch said. "We have the scenario in place for that to readily occur." Branch's office regulates water withdrawals for industries, farms and cities. If more rain doesn't come, Branch said, irrigation could be curtailed and wastewater discharges restricted. Farm ponds, sources of See RIVERS, 4A Industries, farmers could be affected if drought doesn't break By Bruce Reid Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer Billy Joe Johnson is wondering whether hell be able to get his trot lines out in the swamps of the Pascagoula River in April, when the big blue catfish start their upstream runs to spawn.

Poor fishing may not be the half of it. Water supplies for farmers and industries, for example, could become tight. The Pascagoula and many of Mississippi's rivers have never been measured lower in February. "I've never seen it this low," Johnson, a retired chemical plant worker, said from his house boat on the Pascagoula at Wade. For some streams, such as the Big Black River at Bovina or the Pascagoula at Merrill, the low flows are breaking records kept for more than 60 years.

Some streams, such as the Pascagoula, have been running at half their minimum recorded flows. A drought that began last spring has not loosened its stubborn grip. Rescue personnel and volunteers search the rubble for vie- tims of the tornado that swept through Camilla, Monday morning. Dozens of houses and by the storm. raiiCql 4eBB DUD jW5 No evidence of tornado activity in Neshoba damage From staff and wire reports CAMILLA, Ga.

Tor-nadoes descended on rural Georgia early Monday, ripping people from their beds-and piling up mobile homes. At least 22 people were killed and more than 100 were hurt. Dozens of houses and mobile homes in the south-west Georgia town of Decorated dog shot to death Class 5A schools open the playoffs today, while other schools in the state opened division play Monday night. Pre view and game results. 1D, 4D Plenty of room to find bass Fishermen will have several options, provided they have the time, when the $500,000 FLW Tournament gets under way this week on the Gulf Coast, 1 FAMILY Sisters create own tradition Nine sisters know the meaning of togetherness taking advantage of holidays to spend valuable time with each other.

1E STATEMETRO Bishops unveil youth initiative Church leaders call on lawmakers, other Mississippians to nurture the state's greatest resource its children. IB NATIONWORLD Columbine: Another loss Two students are found dead at a sandwich shop near the Colo, school, adding to the community's heartbreak. 4A Letterman set to return The Late ShowhosX goes back on the air Monday as a part-timer with Regis Philbin as his first guest. 2 A BUSINESS State catfish output falls Although Mississippi maintained its clear dominance of the U.S. catfish industry during 1999, the state's production fell from its 1998 levels.

1C FORECAST Springlike weather continues with highs in the mid-70s and lows tonight in the 50s. Weather details, 2A INDEX Ann Landers Business Calendar Classified Comics 4E 1C 3E 1F 44E Movies 3E Opinion 8-9A People 2A Southern Style 1E Sports 1D Spotlight 3A StateMetro 1B Stocks 2C.6-7C TVIistings 6E Crosswords 6E.3F Deaths 4B Jack Sunn 4E Jumble SE Volume 1631 No. 363 Copyright 2000 Southern belle really cooks We'll take a look at a Mississippi cook who grew up a Southern belle in a rodeo world Wednesday in Food. team to Neshoba County on Monday to survey damage caused by straight line winds. The team reported no evidence of tornadic activity.

Authorities in Camilla and surrounding Mitchell County said two separate twisters cut a 1.5-mile-wide, 10-mile-long path through the county. "It hit the impoverished and the said Liz McQueen, a Red Cross volunteer who was working at a temporary morgue near Hatch Reno Utah, read a wire version of The Clarion-Ledger story in The New York Times and wrote a Feb. 3 letter to Attor Senate committee wants '67 Camilla were flattened, their metal and siding mangled and strewn across yards and streets. "All you heard was a roar, woo-woo-woo," said Johnny Jones, whose mobile home south of Camilla was thrown on its side. The tornadoes struck shortly after midnight as a line of thunderstorms rumbled through the Southeast, scarring property from Arkansas to Georgia.

The National Weather Service in Jackson sent a sissippi authorities never bothered to use. On Jan. 18, The Clarion-Ledger reported a July 3, 1967, FBI report showed Ernest Avants confessed his involvement to authorities, but they failed to use that confession five months later when Avants went on trial for murder in White's death. A jury acquitted Avants. U.S.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R- $100,000 $5 million. The "community gift program" begins with an ad in Wednesday's Clarion-Ledger, posters in all 25 local Jitney stores and fliers students can take home, said John Bogdanovich, senior vice president of marketing for Jitney Jungle. Jitney officials said 1 percent of the proceeds for 12 weeks will be divided among the seven public school districts in Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties That's expected to be about $165,000 a month, with Jackson, the largest district in the state, to get the lion's share, or mobile homes were flattened Camilla. The twisters were the deadliest in Georgia since 1936, when 203 people were killed by tornadoes in Gainesville, northeast of Atlanta.

A preliminary assessment found 198 structures destroyed and more' than 160 damaged, said Ed Tynes, supervisor of a Red Cross shelter in the gymnasium of the Mitchell County Middle School. More than 5,000 people were without power. FBI report ney General Janet Reno, asking her to provide the Senate Judiciary Committee with a copy of the 1967 FBI report. "Avants reportedly killed White in the hope that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

would come to (Natchez), Mississippi, to protest the murder, at which time Avants planned to assassinate King," Hatch wrote. See WHITE, 5A He said Clarion-Ledger stories about the Jackson district's multiple tax shortfall problems spurred the company to craft the campaign. "We're more than happy to be involved," said Lynn Evans, Jackson School board president. "We've gotten a lot of bad financial news recently. We need some good financial news." Board members voted unanimously to support it.

Superintendent Jayne Sargent said she plans to do more grocery shopping and more cooking at home. "My family will probably be delighted," she said. "It is marvelous." Sheriffs Department officials came to tell me that he was dead, my younger son and his friend were Rollerblading down the street," recalled Bruce, who joined about 100 others Monday at the Jackson Medical Mall to dedicate a memorial wall to remember her son Daniel and others who have died. The wall consists of col 1-877-850-5343 Ho monthly from Jitney Hatch requests documents related to White case confession By Jerry Mitchell Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee wants a copy of the FBI report that shows a key suspect confessed to the 1966 killing of Ben Chester White a confession Mis JPS eyes By Cathy Hayden Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer Jackson schools should reap about $100,000 a month from a special Jitney Jungle sales promotion kicking off Wednesday.

At a Jack Chain closes 10 stores in four states, 1C son School Board meeting Monday, Jitney Jun gle officials outlined a simple advertising campaign designed to boost sales while bringing in extra money to the school district, which has had several tax collection disappointments in recent months totaling about WW-1 A as v. r- i John SeversonThe Clarion-Ledger Alex Jones of Jackson found his 1 1-month-old German shepherd mix, Spot, shot to death Sunday evening. to work this case, and they're trying to gather information from anyone in the area who might have seen or heard anything between the hours of 6 and 7:30 (Sunday) night," police spokesman Robert Graham said "Mr. Jones initially thought (Spot) was poisoned," Graham said. "Detectives don't want to speculate on a motive.

They're just trying to gather information." Jones said when he and his wife returned from Simpson See SPOT, 4A memorial could have known about it," Bruce said. "It's amazing." About 71 families purchased the tiles that make up the "Wall of Help and Hope." Our Brother's Keeper founder Fred Garrott created the wall to help raise money for his charitable organization, which feeds the needy. He also created it See WALL, 4A Jackson family pet that helped nab drug suspect killed in pen By Riva Brown Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer Spot, a Jackson neighborhood dog who helped police nab a fleeing drug suspect last month, was found shot to death Sunday in a back-yard pen at his owner's home. "It's just like losing a member of the fami 1 ,7 MA Spot ly to me. I've had him every since he was born in the world," owner Alex Jones said at his Willa-man Street home Monday.

Spot, who was part pit bull and German shepherd, was found dead in the pen he shared with two other dogs after Jones and his wife returned home from church. Spot had been shot in the left side of his head with an unknown caliber weapon. Spot received a certificate of commendation Feb. 4 from the Jackson Police Department for helping to take a bite out of crime by climbing a 6-foot fence and cornering Alex EppsonJan. 29.

Epps, charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana, posted a $300 bond the same day Spot helped catch him. "Police Chief Bracy Coleman has assigned a detective ored, ceramic tiles created from the drawings of children at the Mississippi School for the Deaf. Bruce marvels at the Daniel young artist's selection of a Rollerblading image to represent her son. "There was no way he Tiwni about $100,000, officials said. The Jackson-based grocery store chain can't pay all of its taxes right now because it's involved in legal bankruptcy restructuring.

"We cannot pay those taxes on time," said Ron Johnson, president and CEO. "We sincerely feel an obligation to give back to the community, even under the circumstances we presently have." Johnson said all or most of the taxes will eventually be paid. The dollars from the community gift program will be on top of tax revenues. The campaign could be extended, Johnson said. 1 1 ii i i vw 1 1 1 1 1 'I 'Wall of Help and Hope' a living By Pamela Berry Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer Trish Bruce' thought about her late son Daniel on Monday as she gazed at an eerily familiar scene a drawing of two children Rollerblading down a street.

More than two years ago, Daniel, 13, was accidentally killed while handling a gun at a nearby friend's home. "When the Hinds County Barbara Gauntt The Clarion-Ledger After the dedication of the "Wall of Help and Hope'rat Jackson Medical Mall, Julia Minor Harmon of Jackson reaches to touch the tile that represents her daughter Victoria Minor, her grandson Howard, and her daughter's friend Clarence Harper. FOR HOME DELIVERY, CALL 961-7200 OR.