The Yazoo Herald from Yazoo City, Mississippi • Page 1

The Yazoo-f iv 1 I i Our 121st Year, No. 55 Yazoo City, Mississippi, Wednesday, November 1 8, 1 992 Two Sections 16 Pagej 50 Cents Blackmoo takes issue with hearin By VERNON SIKES Herald News Editor Johnston examines Dist. 1 ballot boxes the polling site, the use of a Yazoo County employee to aid voters at the L.T. Miller precinct, voter intimidation and poll workers' dereliction of duty. In a letter mailed to all members of the election commission, the voting rights division of the United States Department of Justice, Yazoo County attorney Griffin Norquist and The Yazoo Herald, Blackmon's attorney said the senator was surprised at reading of the Nov.

6 hearing in the Herald, particularly since she had not been notified of the hearing. "It is my intention on behalf of Senator Blackmon to file a complaint with the United States Department of Justice, Voting Rights Section for this flagrant violation of established procedure and state law regarding the contesting andor hearing on matters growing out of a general election for the office of State Senator," wrote attorney Edward Blackmon the candidate's husband. Citing Section 23-15-955, which states that the state senate is the proper body to hear any contesting of a person elected to the state senate, Blackmon said, "Had Senator Blackmon received notice of an attempt by Mr. Cartwright to bring matters before the Election Commission for hearing, she would have sought judicial relief in preventing any such hearing occurring except under the conditions prescribed and set out in Section 23-15-955." He also questioned the legalities involving the videotape shown during the hearing, saying if the filming took place inside the voting precincts it was done in violation of the Voting Rights Act. All segments of the videotape shown during the hearing, however, were filmed outside the precincts.

Blackmon's letter also mentioned a Nov. 4 meeting between himself and other election commissioners which he Continued on page 12A Yazoo County Circuit Clerk Susie Bradshaw, and Johnston's opponent, Lee Branum. Friday's meeting was one of many held by the election commission at the request of the two candidates. Johnston was originally declared the winner in the Nov. 3 election, but a check of the Robinette precinct's voting machine at Branum's request Continued on page 12A At the request of Aubrey Johnston, the defeated candidate vying for the District 1 Yazoo County School Board seat, the Yazoo County Election Commission met again Friday to allow Johnston's examination of the six precinct boxes involved in that election.

Accompanying Johnston was Meridian attorney Charles Wright, who conducted the examination in the presence of three election commissioners; County faces deadline on fed mandate J) )Uj 111 imiiii wnnrfiil-i hit fcr" rVP State Sen. Barbara Blackmon has taken issue with charges lodged during the Nov. 6 election commission hearing initiated by her opponent Cecil Cartwright. At the request of Cartwright, the Yazoo County Election Commission met on Nov. 6 to consider voter irregularities occurring at five of the county's precincts.

Among the irregularities cited, some via a videotape recorded at the precincts, were the distribution of campaign literature within 150 feet of Rep. Mike Espy Espy set as of speaker U.S. Rep. Mike Espy will address the 73rd annual meeting of the Yazoo County Chamber of Commerce, scheduled for Thursday night at the Yazoo City High School cafeteria. Espy has not revealed the nature of his talk but it is thought that Yazoo County's proposed federal prison will comprise a major part of his speech.

Espy is pinch-hitting for Gov. Kirk Fordice, originally scheduled to speak. Fordice had to cancel because of a conflict. Chamber program coordinator Sandra Ragland has reported that, among other items on the program, the 1993 Chamber of Commerce president Larry Holly will make his "Outlook for 1993" speech. Holly will assume his duties as president following the formal passing of the gavel from the 1992 Chamber president, Griffin Norquist Jr.

There will also be an update from the Greater Yazoo Growth and Development Foundation about its recent fund-raising drive. Other segments of the program include the "Take Pride in America" conservation farmer awards to be presented by Tim Manor of the Yazoo County Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Spirit of Yazoo award presented by Jerry Acy of South Central Bell. Following Espy's speech, there will be a drawing for a Greg Harkins rocking chair. Dinner will be served at 6:15 p.m. and the meeting will begin at 7 p.m.

Ragland said tickets for the meeting are still available at the chamber office. The tickets are $15 each. The new slate of officers for 1993 include Larry Holley, president; Dick Rohman, first vice president; Bill Ray, second vice president; Bryan Jones HI, third vice president, and Griffin Norquist immediate past president. lYh Holiday season under way Yazoo City's merchants kicked off the holiday shopping season Sunday with a communitywide open house. The festive spirit of Christmas was in the air as Yazooans strolled among string quartets and received cooking tips from chef Joe Middleton.

In the above photo, Jay Yerger, left, and Alvin Anderson Jr. inch near performers to get a better idea of what was going on at Essco. At right, Middleton gives culinary tips to visiting shoppers at Gilbert's. 1 BnW i mmm if 1y "Time counties, other counties are experiencing difficulty in achieving full compliance. The 33-member advisory committee cites several problems hindering the counties' full compliance, including the lack of alternative programs in rural and other low density population areas, the lack of uniform detention screening criteria and the lack of legislation prohibiting the detention of juveniles in adult detention facilities.

Among their objectives are the reduction of the number of juveniles held in adult detention centers to zero within three years, the implementation of a uniform detention screening criteria by September 1993, the enactment of legislation prohibiting the detention of juveniles in adult detention centers by September 1993 and the reduction by 80 percent of facilities holding juveniles that are in violation of Section 223(a)(14) of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended. Earlier this year, Yazoo County officials were invited to join Madison County in a joint venture calling for the construction of a youth detention facility and they attended a planning meeting in Canton on March 5. Since that meeting, Yazoo County's supervisors have determined that it might be just as cheap and more convenient to build a facility in Yazoo County. The proposed MadisonYazoo juvenile detention center would have cost approximately Continued on page 12A Calendar 2A 10-11 A Crossword 2B Editorials 4A Lifestyle 1-4B Obituaries 2A Sports 6-7A Subscribe to The Herald For convenient home delivery, call 746-4911. In-state rates are $8.25 for three months, $12.50 for six months and $25 for one year.

Use The Yazoo Herald fax number 746-4915 Yazoo County's Board of Supervisors is unsure how it will handle juvenile detention when new federal mandates take effect Jan. 1. Supervisor Cobie Collina, a member of Gov. Kirk Fordice's advisory committee, will attend a meeting in Jackson on Thursday where committee members will assess the state's juvenile detention situa-- tiori. 'v' As of Jan.

1, Mississippi's 82 counties are required to provide juvenile detention facilities separate from those of adults. The state is now in its third and final year of extensions granted by the Office of Juve- nile Justice. Currently, Yazoo County juveniles are imprisoned in three cells at the Yazoo City Police Department while all adult prisoners are held at the Yazoo County Jail. Youth Court Judge Hudson Thomas has previously pointed to the growing juvenile problem, and the increasing need for more space for the detention of juveniles. Thomas cited the circumstances of March 13, 1992 When 11 juveniles were being Jield in the city jail's three cells as an example of the need for, more space.

To date, Yazoo County officials have enacted no plans that would bring them into compliance with the Jan. 1 federal deadline, placing funding from the Office of Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention in jeopardy. OJDP funds are currently used by the Yazoo County Youth Court. While substantial compliance has been noted in some Sheila Owens. The salary increases are retroactive to Oct.

1. The board voted unanimously to raise all the salaries except that of Kennebrew, to which trustee J.P. Sartain voiced a sole objection. Before the increase, Ken-nebrews annual salary was set at $56,000. Since September, sweeping salary increases have been approved by the board for all the district's principals, the director, clerical personnel, custodial workers, cafeteria workers, assistant principals, district administrators and supervisors.

Custodial personnel, cafeteria workers and district office secretaries' salaries were Continued on page 12A Teacher resigns after arrest Yazoo City School Board OKs additional raises day. Charles Scott and James Harber, both having extensive law enforcement experience, were hired to handle the high school's security needs. One of their chief functions will be the monitoring of the metal detectors throughout the day. Kennebrew reported that the metal detectors have been received by the district but did not set a definite date for their installation. In other school board business, the trustees: Approved a $2,040 salary increase for Kennebrew, a $50 monthly increase for Yazoo City Clerk Harrell Granberry, a $1,500 salary increase for Parent Center director Dorothy Boston and a five percent increase for Boston's assistant, ment status.

In an October interview, superintendent Dr. Johnny Kennebrew said Levison had not been allowed to return to the classroom after his arrest and would not be allowed until the situtation had been adequately investigated. This was Levison's first year of teaching experience. In other personnel changes, the school board released Yazoo City High School science teacher Everett Parker from his contract and hired William A. Spencer as a physics, chemistry and biology teacher at Yazoo City High School.

In preparation for the metal detectors which will soon be installed at Yazoo City High, the trustees also hired two security officers who will work from 7:15 a.m," until 3:30 p.m. each. In their regular meeting Thursday, the trustees of the Yazoo City Municipal School District accepted the resignation of a teacher who had earlier been arrested and charged with the possession of crack cocaine. Junior high school science teacher Clifford Levison, 29, of 1437 Elise Yazoo City, was officially released from his contract after submitting his resignation. Levison and two other individuals were arrested Sept.

9 by deputies from the Yazoo County Sheriffs Department in a house on Longwood Cove in Yazoo City. Following the arrest, many Yazooans expressed their dismay over the situation and inquired about Levi son's employ 3.