Hattiesburg American from Hattiesburg, Mississippi • 1

i-amuy for ill va Sea pzgo fi. Tulane SID robbed, shot, but is OK See page 1 ISA stars AMERICAN mm Mir tiftSji 6 children die 'Ls 'k in holiday fire V5 See page 5A 1 Retailers upbeat about Christmas sales consumer spending has not picked up this month after being slow all year while Nov. 27, 1987, Vol. 91, No. 331 yeather early.

New York analysts say spending this Christmas could be anything from lackluster to "lousy," hurting retailers who traditionally get half their profits from holiday spending. "I think it's going to be lousy," said Robert Buchanan of L.F. Rothschild Co. Inc. "I think the consumer is not in a buying mood because of very meager growth in real disposable income along with a dose of fright caused by the stock market crash." Analysts said their negative predictions also stem from the fact that shoppers were "waiting at the door" for the University Mall store's 7 a.m.

opening. "We've got them lined up and down the aisles now," May said shortly before 8 a.m. Jack Robinson of Fine Brothers-Matison said it will be hard to predict consumer spending this Christmas because "business up to today has been very good." "Last Saturday, we had as big a day as we did the day after Thanksgiving last year," he said. Robinson said shoppers are snapping up all types of merchandise Americans paid off heavy installment debt. "People have been extremely pessimistic," said Jeffrey B.

Edelman, an analyst with Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. "Consumer spending is drifting sideways." "I don't think there's reason for alarm, but I don't think there is reason to be ebullient," said Edelman, predicting sales would be mediocre. See SALES, page 14A Chance Of rain: Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and a few thundershowers. Lows tonight will be in the 50s and 60s. Qtate 8c Local I Letters: Santa's already reading letters he's received from some Hattie ciburg area children.

Others also can wriite to Santa by IN DIRE NEED 77 Nov. 30 at the Hat-ti Eisburg American and the newspaper will publish those letters Doc. 10. If you're ready to tell the flying gift-giver what you want to Jihristmas, send your totters to: Santa Hattiesburg American P.O. Box 1111 Hattiesburg, Ms.

39401 Reply given: The Laurel school board, in a written reply to the NAACP, says it has not discriminated against blacks: in its school district. See page 3A. fSjcrtion Cubans reach accord Louisiana inmates may free hostages ATLANTA (AP) Cuban inmates at Atlanta's riot-torn federal prison Thursday rejected a proposal to release more than half their 94 hostages, officials said, while prisoners in Louisiana appeared to have agreed to free their 27 captives. A U.S. Justice Department official early Friday refused, however, to confirm any deal at the Oakdale, prison.

A videotape screened for reporters showed a federal negotiator and a Cuban inmate representative shaking hands on arv apparent agreement to free the hostages. The agreement was to be signed Friday, the unidentified negotiator said. "We want to call all four of them in, all four of them sign the agreement," the negotiator said. "We need a television camera here, and then they will release the other 27 officers." A 28th hostage was freed late Thursday. Terms of the apparent agreement were not disclosed on the videotape.

"I will not confirm or deny that the negotiator's comments are valid," Helping hands: Celebrities dished up Thanksgiving dinner for the i homeless Thursday In New York as the nation celebra ted. See page 7A. World From Staff and Wire Reports NEW YORK (AP) Analysts here are predicting a slow start to the Christmas shopping season that begins today, but south Mississippi retailers are much more optimistic. "South Mississippi is a long way from New York," said Phil Mynatt of J.C. Penney in Hattiesburg.

"I don't see where we're going to have any problems at all." Mynatt said shoppers were "waiting out front" anticipating Penney's 8 a.m. opening today. Teresa May of Rose's here said Standardized test results 'misleading' NEW YORK (AP) If scores on commercially-produced standardized tests are to be believed, America's grade school children are like the tykes living in humorist Garrison Keillor's mythical Lake Wobegon, all "above average." A nationwide survey by Friends for Education a 700-member West Virginia watchdog group, found that "no state is below average at elementary level on any of the six major na-tionally-normed, commercially-available tests." A draft copy of the 26-page report contended that the seemingly excellent scores being tallied in every state on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Metropolitan Achievement Test and other commercial standardized tests "give children, parents, school systems, legislatures, and the press misleading reports on achievement levels." Scores included in the survey, conducted by mail and telephone in August, were sent back twice to state education departments for verification, according to Dr. John Jacob Cannell, a Daniels, W.Va., physician who founded Friends for Education, wrote the report and paid for the research with $11,000 of his own money. Among the findings: Eighty-two percent of 3,503 school districts surveyed reported above-average scores for elementary students.

In the 18 states where local districts choose and administer tests, cities such as New York, Boston, Hartford, Trenton, N.J., St. Louis, East St. Louis, 111., Kansas City, and Grand Rapids, reported above-average scores. Each of the remaining 32 states which test children statewide reported above-average scores, including Southern states which rank low by most measures of school performance. In South Carolina, which ranks 47th in graduation rates and 50th in college entrance exam results, 62.9 percent of fourth graders scored above average on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS), according to the survey.

More than 68 percent of Georgia's second-graders scored above average on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, another commercial standardized test. And, 79.6 percent of Kentucky's third-graders, and 86 percent of Tennessee's second-graders scored above average in the most recent testings. However, education officials often neglect to explain that 1987 students are not being ranked against their contemporaries, but against a norm based on a select group of students who took the test as many as eight years ago. Thus when compared with their contemporaries, West Virginia third-graders had the lowest CTBS math scores of any third-graders tested statewide, even though they scored at the seemingly "above average" 54th percentile. See TESTS, page 14A Suicide mission: in Arab guerrilla on a suicide mission hang-glided across the heavily-monitored Israel-Lebanon border and killed 6 Israeli soldiers before being shot to de ath.

See page 1 1 A. 7 At'' Sporb USM vs. USL: Southwestern Louisiana quarterback Brian Mitchell arid his USL teammates hope to wrap up a winning i season with a victory over USM Saturday. See page 1 B. Problem solvers: The Mississippi Library Commission has formed a tatik force to take care of problems.

See page 13A. Opinion Testing time: Insid ei Report says Democratic presidential candidate Paul Simon flunked his "Fifteen Minutes" of fame. J5ee page 6A. AMERICAN Photo by Robert Miller THE FAMILY of Laurie Legg, 6, diagnosed as having fibrosarcoma, a form Jndex of to make ends meet since an injury has kept her father outof work for two months and their medical bills continue to mount: V- Justice Department spokesman Mark Sheehan said early Friday. Asked if there was an agreement, he said, "Very simply, I'm not saying." Sheehan refused to identify the two men in the videotape except to say that one represented government negotiators.

Inmates had initially demanded they not be deported to Cuba. Some later raised their demands to outright freedom in the United States and amnesty for the uprising, which left dozens injured and large parts of the prison in ruins. i In Atlanta, FBI agent Wayne Davis said inmate leaders, who had promised to consider the release of 50 hostages, later told authorities that "the majority had decided not to release anyone tonight." "It appeared for a short while that they were ready to release some hostages," Davis said, adding that negotiations had ended for the night. "We are hopeful, but tomorrow is another day." Three inmate leaders in Atlanta carried the hostage-release request to the other prisoners after a meeting inside the penitentiary with an FBI negotiator and three prominent Cuban exiles, Davis said. Authorities did not disclose who proposed the figure of 50.

Oakdale prison officials and Justice Department officials did not elaborate on the videotape, which was shot by a WBRZ-TV cameraman and screened for See ACCORD, page 14A Horoscope nimble 14B Obituaries 2A ports Sect. State-local 3A-4A TV log 10B earner 14A American Living 13A Amusement 3B Classified 11B-14B Comics 9B Crossword 13B Editorial 6A Goren on Bridge 13B Illnesses sapping funds and strength of family Circulation Custoi finer Service 582-4321 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 582-4324 6 a.m. to 1 I a.m.

Saturday 582-4324 7 a.m. to 1 1 a.m. Sunday 582-4324 after 5 p.m. weekdays By TIM DOHERTY AMERICAN Staff JrVrltw The last two years have been tough enough for Lawrence Legg. Two months ago, things went from bad to worse.

"Everybody's doing, I guess," Legg said, sitting in his mother's Petal home the day. before Thanksgiving and fingering his lower left leg where thick gauze bandages cover a deep wound that has kept him from work for two months. "Everybody's nervous about the bills, and how they're going to get paid and such. Otherwise, we're doing all right." "Doing all right" could describe Legg's daughter, Laurie, as she sits oil the front porch. The bouncy, blonde girl, ignoring the correct symbolism of See FAMILY, page 14A Candidate: 'God told me to run' Women's team guide book brings cries of -'sexist' Sports information irector replies: 'Just get the school's name right' MONROE, La.

(AP) Call Northwestern State University sports inf ormatt director Tom Wancho a sexist if you like, just gelt the name of his school right. A couple of women sports authorities were quoted Wednesday in published rep torts as calling Wancho's women's basketball press aide an insult to women. The guide, titled "These Girls Can Play, Boy," features a centerfold of iilly-clothed team members, the measurements of the "average Lady Demon" and a reference to liie team's homecourt as "the Lady Demons' Pleasui Palace." The criticism didn't upset Wancho half as much as one reporter getting the na me of the school wrong. Northwestern State was ref erred to as Northeastern State. I The guide features a copier picture of the Lady Demons clad in bunny ean and fluffy tails and an account of Wancho who, if: not married, would be "lounging on a chaise by, a pool surrounded by bikini-clad babes eating grs ijes." By KELLY CARSON AMERICAN Staff Writer Joseph W.

Newman, Lucedale's inventor of an energy machine who last month said he is running for president, has announced he will "shock the world" at a gathering Saturday in Mobile. Saying that God has diirected him to seek the presidency, Newman said he will offer "clear scientific facts" Saturday that catastrophy will "hit the human race." His information, he said, will save the world if people listen to him. Newman made national headlines with his invention of an energy machine, and has been embattled with the U.S. Patent Office seeking to register the machine, a fight he continues today. Newman claims the machine eff icently produces energy.

If people in Mobile listen to him on Saturday, Newman said he will be a viable presidential candidate and "I'll win the presidency." If people "stick their heads in the sand," then "great destruction across the world" will begin in six months. And, he said, by 1999, "most life on earth will be gone." Newman, who said he is not particularly a religious man, refused to give details of his revelations, saying only that "God is angry with the world and God is going to get the world's attention." He also said he would not "piece-meal the information out," because people would not be able to understand the information out of context Newman will make his announcement at Mobile's Municipal Auditorium Expo Hall beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday. Newman said he will run for the presidency as an independent in his own Truth and Action Party. "I state the truth and take action on it," he said.

"I go straight to the heart of problems. I'm not a politican, I tell things straight up." Newman takes issue with evangelist Pat Robertson, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the presidency. Robertson stated Tuesday that running for the highest office in the country is something "God told me I have to do." "I challenge him (Robertson) to say publically that God directed him to run for the presidency. I doubt God directed me and him to run," Newman said. "It seems illogical that God directed both of us to run for the presidency." Joseph Newman.