Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 12

2B THE CLARION-LEDGER WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1 6, 2006 CLARIONLEDGER.COM MetroState -v (igott Columbus construction worker accused of rape, robbery and aggravated robbery. Miller said investigators were able to identify Bailey and found where he had been staying. He said Bailey had visited other homes in McMinn and Meigs counties and had spoken to real estate agents. Miller said law officers in Columbus told him Bailey has used the same pattern to commit other crimes. The Associated Press Authorities were still searching Tuesday for a Mississippi man accused of raping and robbing a pregnant woman in eastern Tennessee after posing as a prospective house buyer.

Charles Ray Bailey, 39, of Columbus was charged in the Friday night rape in southern McMinn County, Detective Gary Miller said. twice Friday before returning. During the second visit, Bailey apparently took a set of keys from a vehicle at the residence. Bailey is accused of returning to the home later Friday with a knife. He threatened the woman and said, "If you make any noise I'll kill you," the detective said.

Miller said the woman is five months pregnant and pleaded with him not to attack her. He allegedly told her, "That's all right, I have children, too." Bailey knew the victim's husband would not be home Friday night because the husband had said he was going fishing, Miller said. Bailey is also accused of taking the woman's purse, checkbook and credit cards and is charged with aggravated rape ATHENS, TENN Miller said Bailey, a construction worker, was seen Friday driving a light blue, late-model Buick with a Mississippi tag. Bailey's car was recovered in Hoover, over the weekend when officers tried to stop him. Bailey fled on foot and was still at large.

Miller said the woman's home is for sale and Bailey stopped by JACKSON "I prefer well water." Nate Salvo, resident who says he'll take the water as-is as long as it's safe to drink. Terry acts on brown water problem Panel trims Reform roster Board allows only one of party's candidates on ballot amid dispute The Associated Press '1 jar -S, '''V 'jf r- I I isdrl islrlli ii ill.lUi 'i i itimtotntmmmmmmmmmmimi STATEWIDE Tupelo principal takes state's top honor Glenda Lynn Scott, principal of Rankin Elementary School in the Tupelo school district, has been named by the state Department of Education as the administrator of the year. Martha Kolb Stringer, principal of Gary Road Elementary School in the Hinds County school district, was named the alternate for the award. Finalists include: Karen Norwood, principal of Forrest County Agricultural High School. Margaret C.

Pollard, principal of Stringer Attendance Center in the Clinton school district. YAZOOLAMAR COUNTIES 300 area customers urged to boil water Boil-water notices have been issued for Yazoo and Lamar counties. A construction crew cut a line that has disrupted service at the Renshaw Water Association in Yazoo County. Affected are about 300 customers south of the second well on Rebecca, Waller and Generett roads. In Lamar County, a line break has disrupted service for about 300 customers at West U.S.

42 to Rocky Branch and Rock Hill roads in Sumrall. The state Department of Health recommends boiling water for one minute before consuming. JACKSON No injuries after debris falls in McCoy's office A hefty chunk of ceiling in Mississippi House Speaker Billy McCoy's office in Jackson came crashing down on Tuesday. A crew was working to repair it. The cause was not immediately known.

McCoy was meeting privately in his Capitol office with state Superintendent of Education Hank Bounds when the debris fell. McCoy and Bounds were seated several feet from the debris, and neither was injured. "It's like Chicken Little except it really happened," McCoy, D-Rienzi, told The Associated Press later. "We heard a rumbling, and all of a sudden a hole came in the ceiling." Dixon Road to be closed at least 5 days A portion of Dixon Road in Jackson will be closed for at least five days, city officials announced Tuesday. The portion closed is at the railroad crossing south of Clinton Boulevard.

Contractors for Kansas City Southern Railroad are repairing the crossing. A detour will be posted along South Drive, Westhaven Boulevard and Clinton Boulevard. City continues Booker Street demolitions Work crews started demolition Tuesday of a second house on Booker Street in Jackson's Washington Addition neighborhood. Workers removed asbestos from the dilapidated vacant house at 1646 Booker St. The house is near the property that was demolished Monday afternoon.

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton announced last week that property cleanup and demolition efforts will be focused in Jackson's inner-city. He said clearing eyesores will complement redevelopment in those communities. LONG BEACH Coast child-care center restored, reopened Imagination Station, one of the largest child-care centers in Harrison Country, which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina, officially reopened its doors to children Tuesday, thanks to a Save the Children initiative to rebuild and rejuvenate the child-care system on the Coast. Save the Children has invested $575,000 in the child-care rebuild program, partnering with Chevron Corp. and Mississippi State University to assist in the rebuilding and to improve quality of care in 33 centers in Harrison and Hancock counties.

Imagination Station is the largest child care facility to be rebuilt through this initiative. Additional funding was provided by the Help and Hope Foundation and Kellogg Foundation. Imagination Station lost everything in the storm. With its grand reopening, the center will be one of two 24-hour child-care centers in the county. It can care for 1 1 4 children.

To share tips and ideas, contact Metro Editor Grace Simmons Fisher at (601) 961-7250, fax to 961-7211 or e-mail gsimmonsclarionledger.com. J.D. SchwalmThe Clarion-Ledger Bill Taylor (standing), Florence Public Works Director and a cer- water system Tuesday night. Public officials and residents of the tified water operator, offers advice on the state of the Terry town gathered to discuss problems and possible solutions. Tests to help with solution A list of Mississippi Reform Party candidates was trimmed Tuesday amid an inner-party dispute about who leads the party and who should be on the ballot.

The state Board of Election Commissioners voted to allow only one Reform candidate Lamoni-ca Magee on the ballot for the Nov. 7 general election. Three other Reform candidates who attempted to qualify will not be on the ballot. The candidates denied spaces on the ballot are Shawn O'Hara, who intended to challenge Republican Trent Lott in the U.S. Senate race; Thomas Randolph Huffmas-ter, who intended to run in the Delta's 2nd Congressional District; and Ken Woodford, who intended to run in south Mississippi's 4th Congressional District.

The candidates who won't be on the ballot were those pushed by O'Hara, a former national Reform Party leader. Ted Weill of Tylertown, who says he is the Reform Party's Mississippi chairman, said O'Hara called and conducted a "bogus" state convention several months ago. Weill presented the state Election Commission a letter from the national party showing that he not O'Hara is the state chairman. The state Election Commission members are Gov. Haley Barbour, Attorney General Jim Hood and Secretary of State Eric Clark.

Barbour is a Republican. Hood and Clark are Democrats. They accepted Weill's recommendation that only Magee appear on ballots for the Reform Party this fall. O'Hara has run unsuccessfully for several state offices, including campaigns for governor and U.S. representative.

O'Hara attended the Election Commission meeting Tuesday wearing dark sunglasses. He interrupted Barbour several times as the governor presided over the meeting. O'Hara said he will seek an injunction to try to stop the November election. By Sylvain Metz smet2clartonledger.com under the Safe Drinking Water Act, which regulates water quality. The Environmental Protection Agency allows 80 parts per billion of TTHM annually for ground water, although small fluctuations are common.

Those guidelines went into effect two or three years ago. Terry's water supply has been reported at 173 parts per billion. Long-term exposure to that level of TTHM could damage the kidneys, liver or central nervous system. Exposure also could result in an increased risk of cancer, particularly bladder cancer, according to health studies. Town officials had considered connection into Jackson's water system, but many residents were opposed to the plan.

Resident Gladys Peoples said she's been drinking the discolored water for 60 years and it's never bothered her. "It's always been brown." The tests will determine what direction the town will take to correct the water color problem, Nicholson said. Aside from ending chlorination to clear up the water, other options include digging a new well, which could cost up to $1 million, tying into the Jackson water system, which would cost customers $1.50 to $2 per 1,000 gallons of water, tying into the South Central Water Association in southern Hinds County, which would cost $3 per 1,000 gallons, or finding alternative ways to clear the water. The resolution to test the water came up after a disagreement broke out among consultants over what causes the water to be discolored. Jim Stewart with Southern Consultants, supported by many residents in attendance, said the coloration has always been there.

And aside from the coloration in the water, it's fine, he said. Health Department officials concurred. Richard Singleterry, with High Velocity, a chemical company that is assisting Edwards and Raymond to rid them of their discolored water, said it's caused by old, cast-iron pipes. He recommended adding phosphates to the water, which he said would clear it up. Water samples will be collected today.

TERRY The Terry town council voted Tuesday night to test the city's drinking water supply to determine why it is discolored. About 20 residents joined city officials, consultants and Health Department officials at the meeting. Testing will determine if the discoloration is natural or if it is caused by pipe corrosion. Samples will be sent to the Health Department and a private lab for testing. "I prefer well water," said resident Nate Salvo, who said he'd take the water as-is as long as it is safe to drink.

High levels of trihalomethanes (TTHM), a byproduct of chlorine, are present in the water supply because the town has been overchlorinating the water to make it clearer, a practice that has been ongoing for about 10 years, said Mayor Rod Nicholson. The town has been cited by the state Health Department the past two years Survivors expected to head to Coast as early as October Replacement trees fall victim to weather The Associated Press About 100 trees being raised to replace those destroyed on the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina have fallen victim to drought and heat. "Some of our trees were simply too stressed out by the heat and the lack of rain," said Bertie Pruitt, the urban forester for the city of Horn Lake, which had undertaken the reforestation project. Project officials feel good about the surviving trees, which will be ready for transplanting in their new homes as early as "Altogether, we've lost about 100 trees, but those that made it through the summer seem to be pretty hardy," Pruitt said. The city is growing the hardwood trees as replacements for trees lost as a result of the Aug.

29 storm. The seedlings were made available through a grant from the Mississippi Forestry Commission. Pruitt said a number of Mississippi communities, including Horn Lake and Hernando, are growing replacement trees for the municipalities in Jackson, Hancock and Harrison counties trees primarily, with a few yellow poplars and other varieties. "The river birches and the ash trees are fairly fast-growing varieties," she said. While the leaves of some trees had been eaten by insects, Pruitt said that was a natural part of tree growth.

"We could spray, but it's better if the tree can cope with a regular environment," she said. "That's part of the toughness the trees need to develop to survive." Joy Anderson, a horticulturist at the Mississippi State University extension service, said people should be careful about the way the trees are handled in transplanting. "Some education is needed. People should learn proper pruning methods, for example. That would give the trees a much better chance for weathering bad storms," she said.

Anderson said Mississippi's forests that were struck by hurricanes Katrina and Rita "are already coming back." "The parents may have been killed off, but they left seeds behind that are already coming up. "It's Mother Nature's way of dealing wjth big storms." 2Katiiita: TheRecovejy HORN LAKE the three coastal counties hardest hit by Katrina. "All of those communities need replacement trees," she said. "We will have some ready to be transplanted when the trees become dormant, but others may need to continue growing here until October of 2007." Pruitt said the city is growing ash, river birch, oaks and elm.