The Springfield News-Leader from Springfield, Missouri • Page 1

Baseball: St Louis Cardinals fall to Montreal Expos 2-1 in season opener 1C Springfield GOOD MORNING Wednesday April 2, 1997 Springfield, Missouri 50C ill-1 t.u! laJi Jin il TT M4JRABE1R A J. mm ra 0 ATM surcharges draw criticism From Our Wire Services Missouri consumers should not have to pay an additional cost to use an ATM machine outside their own network, a public interest group said Tuesday. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group says that almost 45 percent of automatic teller machine owners charge customers on top of their normal bank fees. The group wants the Missouri General Assembly to pass legislation banning the practice.

InSie: Details. 16A l. -nA i Bob Lmaer News-Leader Springfield Mayor Lee Gannaway is congratulated on his re-election by Councilwoman Teri Hacker on Tuesday at the Springfield Elks Lodge. Gannaway won a second two-year term. For second time, voters defeat OTC bond issue Five pages of coverage inside 4A: Springfield and Greene County elections 5A: Christian and Taney counties 6A: Vote totals for Greene and Christian counties.

Springfield precinct totals for council and OTC 7A-8A: Totals across the Ozarks 18A: Our view: City Council results resolve little OTC bond Issue Yes 15,705 rNo 15,655 (four-sevenths majority to pass) Springfield City Council Mayor James A. Crooke 8,139 Lee Gannaway .9,321 General Seat A 0 Tom Carlson ....11,347 5,720 General Seat 0 Gary Gibson 9,728 Wayne Scheer 7,001 Zonal S'BobVanaman 1,581 Virgil Hill .1,450 Zone 4 0" Russell Rhodes ...3,462 Mark Ringenberg ....3,448 Story, Page 4A Republic sever Yes 659 0No ..831 Story, Page 4A Nixa park tax Yes 647 tfNo 739 Story, Page 5A Christian County road tax EfYes 3,527 No 2,687 Story, Page 5A Christian County library tax Yes 2,728 3,456 Story, Page 5A Branson school bond Yes 997 tfNo 860 Story, Page 5A Branson mayor ILouSchaefer 623 Mike Taylor .286 Story, Page 5A Spring snowstorm in eight counties Gannaway wins a new term as mayor, but two other PAC candidates lose. By Deborah Barnes News-Leader No clear mandate for Springfield's future emerged in Tuesday's City Council elections. Voters returned Mayor Lee Gannaway, but rebuffed two philosophically similar candidates whose election would have created a City Council with a majority of members backed by an anti-City Utilities political action committee. Despite re-electing Gannaway, a staunch CU critic, voters overwhelmingly supported former Mayor Tom Carlson, an architect of the controversial publicprivate industrial park backed by City Utilities.

They chose incumbent Russell Rhodes, a former CU board chairman, over Mark Ringenberg, a PAC-backed political newcomer. They returned to office former Councilman Gary Gibson over another PAC-supported businessman, Wayne Scheer. And in a strong showing for incumbency, voters also re-elected Bob Vanaman over Virgil Hill in northwest Springfield's Zone 1 rematch. So what does it mean? To Rhodes, who won a second four-year term in southeast Springfield's Zone 4, it meant people are tired of hearing candidates bash the utility and its operation. To Gannaway, who beat two-term Councilman Jim Crooke to win two more years in the mayor's seat, it meant voters focused on individuals, not the Citizens for Open and Honest Government PAC and its candidates.

Ringenberg disagreed. He thinks the PAC candidate label hurt him. Ringenberg beat Rhodes in the February primary and raised more than $18,000 in his campaign, almost four times as much as the incumbent And while he had donors both inside and outside the PAC and promised nothing in return for their financial support, Ringenberg said he doesn't think voters saw it that way: "I think there was a perception that because of the amount of money I raised that I couldn't be open-minded," he said. Like Ringenberg. Scheer thought his close association with the PAC hurt him.

"The PAC issue was overblown," Scheer said. "The newspaper was the only one who brought it up. I thought See SPRINGFIELD, Page 4A TCI, the network ran a message across the screen warning viewers not to call their cable operators, so they could keep the lines open for communication with Screwy. By 6 p.m., network officials apparently got through. Regular programming resumed, and Cartoon Network spokesman Joe Swaney acknowledged that the whole thing was a big.

if annoying, joke. "We're glad people are passionate," he said. "We're just hoping people will appreciate the fun that was intended by it" Summers said he likes a good joke as much as the next guy. He's just tired of explaining the situation to angry parents. "It's fun what the heck." he said, sounding a tad exasperated.

"We've got to smile sometimes, don't we?" Vol. 107. No. 95 1 99T, News-Leader Lawrence County Yes 3 No 8 Polk County Yes 0 No 0 Stone County Yes 52 No 57 Webster County Yes 784 No 1,020 better campaign." Officials say the issue went down in part because people just don't want to pay more in taxes. "The support is out there for the programs and, basically, the institution; that's why I would say you're up against the tax issue," OTC President Norman Myers said.

"But they (dislike) taxes more than they like OTC." See OTC Page 4A By Jennifer Portman News-Leader For a second time Tuesday, voters dashed Ozarks Technical Community College's hopes for a expanded permanent campus. Voters in the college's 14 school districts defeated the $23 million bond issue. OTC needed a super-majority of four-sevenths of the total vote, or 57.14 percent, for the measure to pass. It only received 50 percent The proposal would have raised the college's property tax levy from 9 cents to 16 cents per $100 assessed valuation to purchase property, build three new buildings and renovate another in central Springfield. The defeat was a blow for college officials who thought the issue would pass this time.

In 1993, a 9-cent tax-levy increase for a permanent campus was put down by voters by a 3-to-l margin. "We've been through this before and that's what really hurts. We really thought we had it this time," said Don Wessel, a trustee on OTC's board. "I can't believe there are so many people out there that would vote against education." paralyzes Northeast How the issue fared Christian County Yes. No Dade County Yes No Dallas County Yes No ..1,847 .121 .199 Greene County Yes 12,901 No 11,526 Backed by a volunteer committee of more than 100 community and business leaders who helped to raise $42,000 in contributions, officials were pleased by the campaign.

"I think we gave it absolutely everything we could have given," said Nikki Sells, co-chairwoman of the volunteer committee, Workforce 2000. "We felt this was a very reasonable bond issue." Added Wessel: "If I were running for governor, I couldn't have had a April Fool! Report may help map out future for Habitat By Tamlya Kallaos News-Leader While Habitat for Humanity of Springfield does a good job building houses, a task force looking at the group's internal operations said one key thing is lacking: clear communications. In a report issued Tuesday, task force members urged the Habitat board to tell families the same story. Use standard documents. Keep consistent track of money, and make sure the board of directors knows about it That's how to get back on the public path to success, the task force said.

Carolyn Talboys, who headed the group, said virtually all its recommendations revolved around consistent communication with the community, within the board and with the tamilies Habitat serves. In a 12-page document forged after three months of work, the task force offered dozens of suggestions. The report says "immediate attention should be devoted to the standardization of all forms and contracts with attorney review and approval." The independent group suggests an attorney be made available to homeowners to ensure understanding. And all paperwork loan closing, deed transfer, homeowner insurance verification, utility switchover should be final before families move in. Roger Ray, senior pastor of National Avenue Christian Church, said that kind of attention to detail could have spared the chapter several headaches in recent months.

Patti Ashley, a single mother, had lived in her home more than two years when she felt pressed to retain an attorney to help get ownership. Ashley's struggles prompted some local churches and others to question the way families are charged for homes and how the money they'd donated to the effort was being used. Though it has been common practice for the chapter to move families in before final costs are tallied, Ray insisted the chapter could change its ways: "It can be done and will be done." And there were other suggestions: Add more board members and rotate them more frequently. Create an advisory council of community leaders and volunteers. Add two attorneys and two financial experts to the board.

Hire an administrative assistant for record keeping. Set a cap on prices. Board President Michael Palmer said the group is already making changes. A new accounting system was installed two weeks ago. The chapter is working to standardize documents.

He says the board will spend 30 to 60 days digesting the information. Then, members will set up a time line to implement the recommendations. "We've made a commitment to the task force that we will not simply set this aside." INSIDE Life Times: Looking for something new? Try wrapping your favorite healthy filling in a neat package like a tortilla, pita or lettuce leaf. 5B viewers go nutty Calls pour in as Screwy Squirrel hijacks Cartoon Network control room for 12 hours. L- iAv.Vl But Summers says his hands were tied, because TCI cannot control the Atlanta-based network.

And network officials say they, too, were helpless to stop the madness. They claim Screwy Squirrel, whose first short reel appeared April 1, 1944, locked himself in Cartoon Network's control booth at 6 a.m. Tuesday. Upset that April Fools' Day hasn't been declared a national holiday and that scientists have not produced nuts with softer shells, Screwy treated the nation to repeated showings of "Happy Go Nutty" Perhaps sensing the friction the prank had caused providers such as INDEX By Sara J. Bennett News-Leader An April Fools' Day siege by a screwball squirrel held Cartoon Network viewers hostage for 12 hours, prompting a flood of calls to TCI of Springfield.

By midafternoon Tuesday, TCI operators had received nearly 100 complaints from parents upset that Cartoon Network was playing the same show over and over. Apparently, they didn't find Screwy Squirrel's "Happy Go Nutty" so amusing the 20th time around. "I kind of enjoy things like this," said TCI General Manager Ross Summers. "After a while, though, it kind of rubs the wrong way." LOTTERY PICKS 87 SHOW-ME5 4-10-16-25-28 DAILY MILLIONS Red: 4-13 Wh: 18-19 Blue: 6-14 30 A Brockton, resident gets a push out of a snow bank on Tuesday. Massachusetts and other New England states were hit Tuesday with nearly 3 feet of the white stuff.

See story, 12A, The Associated Press WEATHER Clouds are likely to cover most of the Ozarks today; rain isn't too far behind 2A 50 Across Ozarks 2B Deaths 43 Ozarks 1B Classified 5C Markets 16A Sports 1C Comics 9B Neighbors 38 Weather 2A Crossword 88 Opinion 18A What Up 6B Ozarks: Students from Fair Grove, Springfield and across the Ozarks are brushing up on their geography skills in preparation for the state geography bee. IB Please RECYCLE. The News-Leader partially on recycled paper and is 100 A Gannett Newspaper is printed recyclable. Precipitation: i nun i 3 TT.