Pensacola News Journal from Pensacola, Florida • 11

AIRLINE BOOSTS FARES 5 But most other U.S. carriers hesitated to match Continental's increase, Money, 3B MAKE TRASH PICKUP MANDATORY North Okaloosa is considering just that to stop problems such as illegal dumping, 6B BUDGET CRUNCH HITS SCHOOLS The Escambia County School District faces a $9.8 million deficit next year, officials learn at a budget workshop, 6B Newsjournal Pensacola, Florida TO REPORT A LOCAL STORYs 435-0604 Wednesday, July 10, 1991 TT BRIEFLY Teens indicted in bay mur der By Melanie Hiett Newsjournal Three teen-agers accused of beating to death a man they thought was homosexual were indicted this week on charges of first-degree murder and armed robbery. Jason Arthur Geuder, 18, of Pace; Christopher Keith Reynolds, 18, of Pensacola, and 17-year-old Kevin Kirkman of Pace are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Escambia Circuit Court. The indictment charges that on June 15, the three robbed and beat to death The three didn't know Braun had died until they read the News Journal on the day after the incident, the friend said. The trio told the friend they'd left Braun on the ground, badly beaten, bloody and robbed of a wallet containing $13.

Braun was still talking when they left, they told the friend. Geuder told the friend that he used a bar to beat Braun in the head, while Reynolds hit him in the back and shoulders with a bar or baseball bat The three are in custody without bond. John L. "Jack" Braun, 43, of Gladstone Road in Pensacola. The killing took place at The Chimney, an area by Escambia Bay near Scenic Highway and Langley Avenue in Pensacola.

The Chimney is known as a gathering place for some homosexuals. Braun's brother said after the incident that John Braun was not a homosexual. Braun, a Southern Bell employee, worked a second job at a bowling alley in Pace and probably stopped to unwind along the waterfront near The Chimney on his way home from work, his brother said. Braun had been married 19 years and had four children. Geuder, Reynolds and Kirkman told police they were drinking late June 14 and early June 15 and decided to attack a gay or black person, said Pensacola police Investigator Rodney Eagerton.

They assumed Braun was gay, he said. One of Geuder's friends said Geuder bragged about killing "a fag." 11 'yey -rvifv I i i 0L 71- Tj A wji 11 Mike Sakalarios of Mohawk Trail wades through ankle-deep water near Albertson's on Mobile Highway after heavy rain on Tuesday afternoon. Areas of West Pensacola were hit by heavy rain, high winds and 1 lightning. Jerry KovachNews Journal Violent thunderstorm rattles West Pensacola Slide operator wins $6,500 refund from bill The Santa Rosa Island Authority has been ordered to refund $6,591.16 to the former operator of the water slide at Pensacola Beach for overcharges in a sewer bill. M.C.

Kennedy, who operated the Seashore Water Slide, sued the authority for a refund of sewer charges claiming the billing was unfair. Most of the water used by the business was recycled rather than put into the sewer system, Kennedy said. But the authority charged sewer fees based on the amount of water used. Kennedy was charged $8,525.98 for sewer service for 22 months between March 1984 and December 1985. In the decision released Tuesday, Escambia County Circuit Judge Kim Skievaski criticized the SRIA for not telling Kennedy about the availability of a second meter to record sewage discharge and then later denying him permission to install a second meter.

Skievaski calculated that Kennedy was entitled to a refund on 85 percent of his sewer bill. Five command changes scheduled this month Change of command ceremonies will be plentiful this month. At Hurlburt Field, Col. Don Streater will be relieved by Col. Elmer Lavender II as commander of the 834th Air Base Wing at 9 a.m.

Thursday at the Commando Hangar. The 834th operates support units, ranging from civil engineers to security police and transportation personnel. At Eglin Air Force Base, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Staten will be relieved by Maj.

Gen. Michael Butchko as commander of the Air Force Development Test Center at 9 a.m. Friday at Hangar 102. The center plans, directs, tests and evaluates non-nuclear munitions, electronic combat and navigation systems. At Whiting Field Naval Air Station near Milton, Training Air Wing Five will get a new commander at 10 a.m.

July 23 at Hangar 1454 when Capt. Richard Catone is relieved by Capt. Howard Nesbitt. Two change of commands are scheduled for July 26 at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola Naval Air Station. At 10 a.m., Capt.

William Leddy will be replaced by Capt. Richard Catone as commander of the Naval Education and Training Security Assistance Field Activity. At 2 p.m., Lt. Col. Steven Summers will be relieved by Cmdr.

David Ploeger as the commander of Training Squadron 86. Pensacola-based VT-86 is one of the squadrons of Training Air Wing 6. Kiplinger editor speaking atNAS graduation Journalist and businessman Austin H. Kiplinger will speak Friday morning at an Aviation Officer Candidate School graduation at Pensacola Naval Air Station. The graduation ceremony will begin at 8 a.m.

A former naval aviator, Kiplinger is editor in chief of The Kiplinger Washington Letter and president of Kiplinger Washington Editors Inc. The event is part of a Special Recognition Guest program co-sponsored by the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation and the Navy Schools Command. Food program changes income eligibility rules Community Action Program Committee Inc. has made a change in the income eligibility scale for temporary emergency food assistance. Effective July 1 through June 30, 1992, the scale ranges from a gross annual income of $8,606 for one-person households to $29,172 for eight-member households.

People eligible to receive USDA commodities must meet guidelines and provide documentation. Call 438-4021 for more information about qualifying. Motorcycle club holding show at mall July 20 The Pensacola Sun Runners Motorcycle Club Inc. is sponsoring a motorcycle show inside University Mall Saturday, July 20. Visitors will be able to view cycles and trailers 10 a.m.

and 9 p.m. All local clubs are encouraged to participate. Contact Pat Wells at 453-1374. TODAY Florida Department of Insurance specialists will be at the Walton County Courthouse in DeFuniak Springs from 10 a.m. to noon and at the Okaloosa Courthouse in Crestview from p.m.

to talk with people having insurance problems and to review their policies. By Erica K. Berry News Journal Fallen signs, windblown benches and large pools of water were scattered near Mobile Highway Tuesday afternoon after heavy rains and dangerous lightning pounded the area for more than 30 minutes. About 1,500 Gulf Power customers who live near Mobile Highway had no electricity for a little more than an hour after lightning struck power lines at about 3:30 p.m., said Tommy Cushing, spokesman for Gulf Power. Power was restored soon after the heavy thunderstorm, Cushing said.

But while it lasted, the raging thunderstorm frightened many people in the area. "That lightning was terrible," said Ad-die Brown, a cashier at Eckerd Drugs at 4483 Mobile Highway. "I was scared." Brown said the gusty winds and lightning kept many customers in the drug store because they were afraid to go to their cars. One man tried to go to his car but came back into the store after realizing he couldn't make it, said Tammy Canaday, a cosmetician at the drug store. The strong winds bent a handicapped parking sign, Canaday said.

"It just bent all the way down," Canaday said. "We sat here and watched it." James Wright, 12, was on his way to his cousin's house, near Mobile Highway, when the rain began. He ran in a nearby mart to take cover, he said. Wright said the lights in mart went out, traffic lights quit functioning, and the lightning was terrifying. "I'd never seen it that bad before," Wright, who lives on street, said.

"Buggies were running into cars and people couldn't leave because the buggies kept getting in front of them." Although people who saw the storm said it was quite scary, Ed Landry, a meterologist at the National Weather Service, said the thunderstorm was "really a normal, typical summer shower." Information on the wind speed and the amount of rain that fell in the area was unavailable. At Pensacola Regional Airport where official weather measurements are taken no rain was reported. Pensacola has reported 53.51 inches of rain so far in 1991. Normal rainfall for the year to date is about 31 inches. People who are hoping for uninterrupted sunny skies shouldn't invest too much time in wishful thinking, either, Landry said.

"The forecast for the rest of the week is the same scattered thunderstorms," Landry said. "They will occur every day in the Panhandle until September." Panel puts stamp on fee increases Public hearing set for Aug. 6 'Tax barely mentioned6B By Craig Myers Newsjournal The cost of Escambia County services began rising fast Tuesday as county commissioners tentatively approved dozens of fee increases. The County Commission FinanceHospital Committee approved raising the fee Pensacola Beach residents pay for law enforcement and the charges for Emergency Medical Services. The board also tentatively approved higher costs for permits and Escambia County Public Health Unit services.

All of the committee's votes must be approved by the full commission. Pensacola Beach residents would pay $44 to $86 more a year for Escambia County Sheriffs protection and mosquito control under the proposal. Residents can speak for or against the increase at an Aug. 6 public hearing. The proposal would increase by 50 percent the See COMMITTEE, 6B Escambia County commissioners took the first step Tuesday toward raising the fees for the county Public Health Unit and building inspections.

Following are some samples: PUBLIC HEALTH UNIT Birth: A new $1 1 fee for copies of out-of-county birth certificates, $3 more for death certificates. Inspections: A $75 increase in most food and beverage service inspections. Septic tanks: New charges of up to $100 for reviews of septic tanks for subdivisions, trailer parks and restaurants. Shots: A $5 increase in vaccinations for international travel; a $3 increase for typhoid shots; $10 increase for yellow fever shots. Office visits: X-rays will cost $40 more; tuberculosis skin tests $5 more; nutrition counseling $10 more; plus new fees from $12 to $45 for clinic visits.

BUILDING INSPECTIONS Appeals of engineering decisions: to the Board of Adjustments and Appeals, new fee of $70; to County Commissioners, new fee of $100. Inspections: Increases in the minimum fee for residential building Inspections from $17.50 to commercial inspections from $17.50 to an increase in residential swimming pool inspections from $25.50 to $49.50 (vinyl) or $70.50 (concrete); an increase from $20 to $35.30 for fire safety and health inspections. Electrical: Increases in permits for residential electrical systems from a range of (depending on amps) to a range of An increase for commercial electrical permits from a range of to a range of Plumbing: An increase in the minimum fee for plumbing permits from $17.50 to $26.25. Signs: For plan reviews of signs of more than 250 square feet an increase from $30 to $50. Resident sued for keeping pet By Sara Lamb Newsjournal Despite pleas that she needs the company of her poodle for her well-being, the owner of a Pensacola condominium is being sued for violating by-laws that prohibit pets at the residence.

Bayshore Condominium Association filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Escambia Circuit Court against Martha S. Pillsbury. The lawsuit asks for a decision on association by-laws that prohibit pets and an injunction to stop Pillsbury from keeping her dog at the condominium. Pillsbury lives in Dearborn, during the summer and lives in Bayshore Condominiums during the winter. "I wouldn't have bought the unit if I wasn't going to be allowed to have my little dog," Pillsbury said Tuesday night from her Michigan home.

Pillsbury and her poodle, Muffy, had lived in the condominium for about three years before the condominium association amended its by-laws to prohibit pets. The amendment, effective in November 1983, allowed condominium owners who already had pets to keep them, but not to replace them, according to the lawsuit. In December 1989, Pillsbury's dog died and she bought another poodle which she kept on the property, the lawsuit stated. Pillsbury said Tuesday that at least two people who owned cats moved into Bayshore Condominiums after the by-laws were amended. She said she got 91 signatures on a petition urging the association's board of directors to allow her to have the dog.

Charles Fairchild, former president of the condominium association's board of directors, said the board "considered making an exception for Pillsbury especially after her physician wrote to the board urging them to allow the dog. Dr. William Nass wrote that Pillsbury's husband had recently died and that her dog's company was important to her health, Fairchild said. But he said board members denied the request based on legal advice from the state division of Florida Land Sales, Condominiums and Motor Homes. Any exception to the by-laws would have opened the association to claims from other residents who were denied pets, Fairchild said.

Neighbors: Fugitive was poor, helpful That run ended Monday when FBI agents arrested Nils Eugene Flannes at his modest efficiency apartment, 342 Bonita Ave. A November 1988 federal indictment charges Flannes with mail and wire fraud and states he bilked 116 people out their life savings. But neighbors said Flannes was lucky to have $3.80 let alone the $3.8 million he is accused of stealing in schemes dating back to 1976. "He lived the meagerest of lives," said Donna Ratikan manager of the nearby Commodore's Landing, where Flannes did landscaping work. He struck me as very poor.

I've seen him eat the fruit off palm trees and kumquats." See ARRESTED FUGITIVE, 6B By J. Todd Foster News Journal FORT WALTON BEACH Gene Flannes, accused of stealing nearly $4 million from senior citizens, had a heart of gold but nothing else, his Okaloosa Island neighbors said Tuesday. Although twice featured as a money-grubbing villain on the television show "Unsolved Mysteries," the 69-year-old Arkansas man was so poor he couldn't even afford cigarettes sometimes, acquaintances said. "Hell, we had to take up a collection to buy him new tennis shoes," said a woman who identified herself as the owner of The Anchorage Apartments, where Flannes lived for most of his three-year run from authorities..