The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida • Page 27

The Orlando Sentinel SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1998 Inside, B-3 Residents are honored for helping to improve their Orlando neighborhoods. Obituaries, B-6 Eeai State -1 Released activist savors taste of freedom By E. Garrett Youngblood OF THE SENTINEL STAFF Now here's a public we want access to What would you do with an hour of air time every week on cable TV? It's not such an idle question. Orange County is considering whether to have a public-access channel where average or even below-average citizens can put on their own shows. fee tence at the Federal Corrections Facility at Coleman in Sumter County.

"It was so quiet I couldn't sleep." Lucey was arrested aftef she crossed a picket line ontcr Pizza and a can of beer were top cravings the day after Rita Lucey came home from jail. But fighting for better prison conditions is also on the menu for the Belle Isle woman. cas, a training school for Latin American military personnel. Undaunted by her conviction of a misdemeanor, Lucey spent her first day out of jail at a luncheon of the United Nations Association where turkey was the entree. Lu-: cey didn't touch the bird.

"We had turkey twice a week in jail. I probably won't eat that or chicken for a long time," she confessed. "I had the yogurt and fruit. You don't get fresh fruit in prison." And you surely don't get a hot pizza and a can of Budweiser. But Lucey did on Saturday when a hankering hit her about 3 p.m.

It was simple snack food that night when about 60 people stopped by her Belle Isle home for an open house to welcome her back. Today, she says, she'll rest, but it's back to work on Monday That's when she'll travel to a symposium on alternative prison sentencing at the University of Southern Illinois. Please see FREEDOM, B5 In the six months she' sat inside a cramped prison Rita Lucey thought of the day she'd sleep in her own bed again. She got her wish on Friday night, but she barely slept a wink. was no light in the room or any noises," laughed the 64-year-old Belle Isle woman, whose protest at a Georgia military base got her a six-month sen- The idea is opposed by Time Warner Communications, the main cable company in Orange.

The company, which worries that such channels can get out of hand, sent commissioners Lucey government property rh Fort Benning, trf protest the bchool of the Amen tapes of other cities' public-access show? that included nudity and profanity. Personally, I wouldn't go that route. No one wants to see me nude (take my word for it), and pro- fanity is boring. Hrsn me sends rains our wa i1 SENTINEL COLUMNIST y. Equipment failure leaves some people in the dark By Susan Jacobson jM OF THE SENTINEL STAFF I 1 X' jt A- i 'fh in r1 -r I' i v' PHELAN M.

EBENHACKTHE ORLANDO SENTINEL A power outage Saturday cut off electricity to nearly 11,000 Orlando Utilities Commission customers, including stores in Orlando Fashion Square mall. Traffic was snarled along Colonial Drive from Fern Creek Avenue to. Semoran Boulevard for more than an hour as weekend shoppers and other drivers tried to navigate without traffic signals. i The outage lasted from 12:11 until 1:30 p.m., said Sheridan Becht, an QUC spokesman. Some customers along Semoran Boulevard near Colonial Drive were affected along with those on busy Colonial Drive.

A total of 10,760 customers were in the dark. An equipment failure caused the problem, Becht said. It was compounded because workers were do-" ing maintenance on another transmission line so electricity couldn't be rerouted. "Backup was not there," Becht said. OUC officials Saturday hadn't determined the reason for the failure.

Most stores closed their doors until the power was restored, retail workers said. Some customers left, the mall, but others waited it out, said Jamie Slining, 19, a saleswoman at Gymboree children's clothing store. Managers said they hoped evening sales would make up for the! loss of midday traffic. "It hurt us, because lunchtime is one of our busiest times," said Tina Gailor, an assistant manager at Kay-" Bee Toys. "We basically closed up while the power was out because it was totally dark.

We had two people stand guard." Tumbling down. Orange County firefighters look at a house on Sherrington Road after a tree fell through the roof. Also Saturday, an Osceola County motorist was killed on rain-slicked U.S. Highway 441 His identity was not released. Storm knocks tree down, causes traffic accidents Saturday rainfall, In inches: i Orlando 0.40 0.52 Daytona Beach I think I would do a show called Orlando's Funniest Local TV News Bloopers.

It would be a huge hit. But what would the public do with public-access TV? To find out, I asked 10 members of the public five men and five women, ranging in age from 19 to 85 at Orlando Fashion Square. I found no one lusting to do their own sequel to Married With Children or a local version of The Jerry Springer Show. In fact, the shows they imagined doing are refreshingly high-minded and public-spirited. It's possible they were telling me what they thought I wanted to hear.

As a TV critic, I learned there is a huge gap between the sort of television people say they want to watch documentaries, news, wholesome family dramas and what the ratings say they actually watch (junk). But I looked these 10 folks straight in the eye, and I'm willing to believe this is what they would do if given an hour a week on cable TV: Bart's Sports Hour. A sports-, talk show, focusing on local sports teams and figures, hosted by Bart Cappabianca, 35. "Like there's not enough sports on TV now," he said sheepishly. Not to worry.

For some of us, there can never be too much sports on the tube. Sarah's After-School Dance Workshop. Starring Sarah Streit, 19, this show would introduce young girls to ballet and other forms of dance, and provide an after-school alternative to mindless cartoons and trash talk. Women's Sports Center. A showcase for all the female athletes ignored by ESPN SportsCenter, says its would-be host, Christy Davis, 21.

Homer's Crime Line. All aspects of crime would be covered in this weekly series hosted by Homer Mann, 85, who is worried that "crime is getting away from us." In one reg- ular feature, Homer would take a close look at high-crime areas. JVo Bull. No cable channel today would be complete without a political talk show. Joe Kosters, 37, said he also would discuss economics and religion and interview "celebrities in all walks of life." Eyes On Tomorrow.

How can we make Orlando a better, nicer city? This is the question that host Eleanor Favretto, 72, would explore with her guests in a nice way. Eleanor is so nice she makes Rosie look mean. Perspectives. Look out, Ken Burns. This documentary-style series, hosted by Wayland Gore, 30, would offer in-depth reports on people and places around the globe.

Wayland said the first show would explore the question of why Jews so often are the butt of jokes. The Carrie Show. A new concept in variety shows. Carrie Davis, 48, is a paralegal who thinks people need help with mundane matters such as parking tickets. When not explaining the law, she would introduce children to opera music and "realistic Bible stories." Orlando By Night.

A where-to-go-what-to-do show for the young and the restless, hosted by college student Aimee Kahn, 21. In addition to talking about the best places to hang out, Aimee would interview happening guests such as local radio DJs. New Generation. Tie-shop entrepreneur Jay Awad, 37, wants to speak to struggling youths about the importance of education and character as keys to success. Not everyone can be a millionaire sports hero, he says.

The first guest on Jay's show? Bob Dole. Melbourne 1.85 By E. Garrett Youngblood OF THE SENTINEL STAFF Tropical storm-induced rain drenched Central Florida on Saturday, causing a tree to crash into one Orlando-area home and leading to a number of traffic acci- dents throughout the area. In Melbourne, a record 1.85 inches of rain had fallen since 12:01 a.m. Saturday, breaking the previous record set in 1977.

Orlando had 0.40 of rain, with more accumulation in isolated areas, the National Weather Service reported. Rain is being blamed for felling a large tree onto a house on Sherrington Road in the Orlando area. And the Florida Highway Patrol said rain also is responsible for at least one death. An unidentified driver eastbound on U.S. Highway 441 west of St.

Cloud died after he lost control of his car on the wet pavement about 2:20 a.m. Saturday. The i Please see RAIN, B-5 The culprit: Circulation around Tropical Storm Hermine in the Gulf of Mexico and high pressure to the east is producing moisture across the region. Today's forecast: More of the same with 50 percent chance of afternoon and evening rains. Wind south 10 to 15 mph.

Record Source: National Weather Service Jews cherish roots on new year's eve Hi ijpr a Ian At Hillcrest. Teacher Mary McKenna watches as Alexandria Murru, 6, goes over a lesson. After a visit, President Clinton described the school as having 'the genuine commitment that everybody that was within their embrace mattered, that every child could 4 I- A student rabbi is among those celebrating heritage as Rosh Hashana approaches. By Mark I. Pinsky OF THE SENTINEL STAFF RED HUBERTHE ORLANDO SENTINEL What's up at Hillcrest school? Simply 'miracles all the time' When Ruth Gais of New Jersey takes the pulpit tonight to lead Casselberry's Congregation Bet Chaim, the former archaeology professor will move closer to her midlife dream of becoming a rabbi.

A student rabbi, Gais, 52, has been assigned to lead for the first time serVices for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year that begins tonight at sundown. The small, 6-year-old Reform congregation has no permanent rabbi. In addition to leading the High Holiday services, Gais will return from New Jersey on a monthly basis throughout the By Catherine Hinman OF THE SENTINEL STAFF On September 9, 1998, President Clinton came to our school. The school did different things to get ready for the visit. He walked down the sidewalk with Mrs.

Schorr. He shook our hands. It has been a week and a half since Clinton, along with a couple of hundred school and business leaders and the national media, descended on this little school in the heart of Orlando. 1 Mary McKenna's first-grade students at Hillcrest Elementary are writing a book about a memorable day in their lives. Last Thursday, as McKenna pointed to each Now that's entertainment.

Greg Dawson welcomes your comments. Telephone: (407) 420-5499. E-mail: Please include your name aid phone number ih messages. PHELAN M. EBENHACKTHE ORLANDO SENTINEL Student rabbi.

Ruth Gais blows the shofar on Friday at Congregation Bet Chaim. ird, the teacher's small authors readjn a singsong their first draft: Pleaseee SCHOOL, B-4 Peas see HOLIDAY, B-6 1hwi.Jt ift illfci pfc ii i ifr mi wi iw ifc a.