The Jackson Sun from Jackson, Tennessee • 1

mm Partly sunny IIigh-62' BLow-' Complete weather forecast on 14A. 50 Jackson, Tennessee Madison County Edition a sons Inside Baptist group wants Blume book off shelf 1 rjyiy i sill What to know The Jackson-Madison County School Board will 1 meet at 6:30 p.m. today at the Central Office Building, 310 North Parkway. The board will hear a mother's appeal to ban 'Here's to You, Rachel Robinson' by Judy Blume. People opposed to the book are organizing a prayer meeting at 6 p.m.

at the Central Office. Weekend events Lots of old movie friends are back for the holidays from Harry Potter and Frodo Bag-gins to James Bond and Pinocchio. Check out a preview of what theaters have planned for the holidays. Story, Page 2. Check out what's going on in Nashville and Memphis, Page 8.

Emma Watson speaks about fame and her role in 'Harry Potter, Page 10. Check out what to do and where to hang out this weekendPages 6-7. Video listings, Page 3. Weekend Plus cK It By AMY McDANIEL amcdanieljacksonsun.com Baptist pastors and some parents hope the power of prayer will sway school board members tonight as they consider whether to ban a controversial book. The Jackson-Madison County School Board will hear a mother's appeal of a committee decision that kept Judy Blume's "Here's to You, Rachel Robinson" on school library shelves.

Mitzi Day, mother of a West Middle School student, challenged the book because it contains a few words of profanity. "Different churches are urging people to go to that meeting and make a stand as one voice," Day said. The Madison-Chester Association of Baptists unanimously approved a resolution last month supporting removal of the book and others with offensive language, said Glenn Ellis, pastor of Liberty Grove Baptist Church. Ellis raised the issue. His church and others are circulating petitions to take to the board and plan to gather for prayer before the meeting.

CARA EASTWOODThe Jackson Sun Laura Berkemeyer searches through her belongings in her Union University dorm room on Wednesday, hoping to find an art project. The freshman from Pennsylvania has been evacuated from her room in the Blythe Residence Complex because of extensive damages from tornadoes. Residents pick up pieces; FEMA surveys damage tfnvernment. If 'rfcrrV its HELEN COMERThe Jackson Sun Rickey Graves, center, the Gibson County Emergency Management director, points out some of the damage done to homes In the Westwind subdivision in Medina on Wednesday. From left to right are Victor Merced, with, FEMA, Mike Caudill, with TEMA, and Jim Kurek with SBA.

Tornado claims second By RACHAEL MYER rmyerjacksonsun.com.' FRUITVALE James Paul Brooks Jr. ducked as he walked onto his porch Wednesday. The Crockett County man was too tall to fit through the crevice left after an F2 tornado crumpled his front overhang Saturday night. The storm also smashed rows of trees around his house and overturned insiae his dog house How to get while three of help with tor- his hounds nado damage, were inside. -2A.

Brooks Counties hopes his declared disas- insurance will ter areas, 2A. help him recoup the loss of his personal belongings he rents the house, so he doesn't have to worry about structural damage. "I ain't heard nothing from them. I reported it Monday," he said. About a dozen people have gone to the American Red Cross disaster assistance site at the Gadsden Community Center during the past two days.

Officials have given out food, clothing and shelter, said worker-in-charge Ed McKinney. Tennesseans also might get help from the federal The association includes about 50 churches in the two counties. "Here's to You, Rachel Robinson" is a book for middle-grade readers about a gifted girl with a dysfunctional family. Complaints of offensive language and sexuality have made Blume's books some of the most chaU lenged in the nation, according to. the American Library Association.

She ranked fourth among most challenged authors on the ALA's list last year. And five of her other titles made the list of 100 most challenged books of 1990-2000. Please see BLUME, 2A return of inspectors Still, the harsh tone in Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri's letter to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and its warnings about how Baghdad expects inspectors to behave, raised questions about Iraq's plans to cooperate with the resolution. Annan, speaking to reporters in Washington after meeting with Bush, said he would wait to determine Iraq's intentions.

"I think the issue is not their acceptance, but performance on the ground," Annan said. "Let the inspectors go in, and I urge the Iraqis to cooperate with them and to perform." Annan said the advance team of inspectors is scheduled to arrive in Baghdad on Nov. 18. They have until Dec. 23 to begin their work and must report to the Security Council 60 days later.

If Iraq fails to cooperate, the resolution orders inspectors to immediately notify the council, which will discuss a response. West Bank area family Iraq OKs weapons By EDITH M.LEDERER The Associated Press UNITED NATIONS Claiming Iraq was seeking the "path of peace," Saddam Hussein's government agreed Wednesday to the return of international weapons inspectors, accepting a stringent U.N. resolution two days ahead of a deadline. Although Iraq accepted the tough terms, President Bush warned he had "zero tolerance" for any Iraqi attempts to hide weapons of mass destruction and said a coalition of nations is ready to force Saddam to disarm. Iraq's nine-page letter of acceptance was laced with anti-American and anti-Israeli statements as well as stern warnings for U.N.

weapons inspectors. In contrast, Iraq's U.N. ambassador, Mohammed Al-Douri, said his government had chosen "the path of peace" and its acceptance had "no conditions, no reservations." Israeli forces in President Bush on Wednesday 1 declared iZ I countii declared 16 pV a is as 1 1 I areas. In 1 1 I'W i 1 They Brooks Crockett, Carroll, Gibson, Henderson and Madison in West Tennessee. This opens the door for millions of dollars in federal aid for residents and businesses through grants and loans.

"We had a considerable amount of damage around Medina. Anything that can help folks get back on their feet, I'm pleased," said Gibson County Executive Ronnie Kiley. Teams of Federal Emer- gency Management Agency officials on Wednesday surveyed Crockett, Gibson and Madison counties and other parts of West Tennessee, i. Jerrel E. Reasons, Crockett County Emergency Management coordinator, estimated that locals will have the area cleaned in about two weeks.

"The general public is doing really good neighbors helping neighbors. The community has really pitched Please see RELIEF, 2A Ford Tanner its disdain for being pulled from the far right and far left. i "Harold Ford will provide a new generation of leadership and can help steer the Democratic Caucus in a new direction," Tanner said in a prepared statement. "Harold can and will articulate the Blue Dog message of fiscal responsibility from my generation to the young people of this country." Ford, 32, is entering his fourth term in the House, serving Tennessee's District 9 which is comprised of roughly half of Shelby 1979 JCM team Don Nelson, Rob Rainey and Patrick Willis were starters on Jackson Central-Merry's 1979 football team that was 13-1. Sports, IB Bemis newsletter Donna Finnell and Ann Wimberley are sisters Bemis who have started producing a community newsletter about their neighborhood.

A Local, 3A Coping with dyslexia Youngsters with learning disabilities listen with rapt attention to the stories of Russell Cosby, younger brother of comedian and actor Bill Cosby. Cosby says that dyslexia is a learning difference, not a disability. Living, 1C Index Business 6B Classifieds 6C Comics 4C Deaths 10A Living 1C Nation 5A Opinion 13A StateLocal 4A Weather 14A World 10A Tanner supports Ford in mmoritywhip bid victim from By CHUCK ROSS crossjacksonsun.com Saturday night's tornado has claimed a second victim from a Carroll County family whose home was destroyed. Neal Forsythe, 42, died about 6 p.m. Tuesday of injuries received in the storm.

His mother, Annette Forsythe, died Saturday. "It's hard to express how devastating it is losing two County. He is 30 years younger than Pelosi a fact that appears to irritate the young moderate. "One of the ways you measure success in the House is whether or not you're in the majority and you can pass things, whether you can develop and implement an agenda," Ford said in an interview Tuesday. "Since I've been in the Congress we've been in the minority.

And I refuse to sit back and watch us prepare to travel down the same path, the same leadership approach and style." Ford has been featured as the future of the Democratic Party, so much so that Al Gore, the 2000 Democratic presidential candidate and fellow Tennessean, asked him to deliver the keynote address at the party's national convention that members of your family in something like this," said Shane Springer, Annette's grandson. He had been raised by his grandmother since he was 4 years old. At about 11:30 p.m. Saturday, a tornado ripped through the Cedar Grove area, killing Annette, 65, as she sat in her doublewide mobile home. She lived Please see TORNADO, 2A year.

Now Ford is pulling few punches, dismissing party leaders as a narrow-minded and "kind of cliquish group." He also has declared that "The only real change in this race is me." Shirlene Mercer, a community activist and Tanner field representative in Jackson, said she thought Ford could bring some new energy to the Democratic Party. "I think it would be a great idea," Mercer said. "He's young, but that's something the Democratic Party needs new leadership. Even though it looks like Pelosi may have the job, at least Ford will have let people know who he is and what he stands for." On the Net: www.house.govford The Associated Press contributed to this story. Gary Gray, 425-9680 mm 1 7 By GARY GRAY ggrayjacksonsun.com The future is now for U.S.

Rep. Harold Ford the Memphis Democrat who is making a bid to become the House Minority Whip. And he has the support of the Democratic coalition led by U.S. Rep. John Tanner.

Ford is the sole challenger to California Rep. Nancy Pelosi, now the No. 2 Democrat, who says she has the votes to win when House Democrats choose new leaders today. Pelosi, a liberal, was just elected to her eighth term representing San Francisco. Tanner, who represents 15 West Tennessee counties, including the northern section of Shelby County, said Wednesday that he will vote for Ford.

Tanner co-founded the Blue Dog Democrats, a group so-named because of LEFTERIS PITARAKISThe Associated Press Palestinian children peek out from their house to see a convoy of Israeli army tanks and armored personnel carriers securing the area around the Old City of the northern West Bank town of Nablus on Wednesday. Israeli forces backed by dozens of tanks and armored personnel carriers swept into the largest West Bank town early Wednesday in an apparent hunt for Palestinian militants. Meanwhile, Arafat rejects call to expel him, 14A. Just a few of the benefits we have to offer: Free customvehicle pick-up delivery Assistance in the insurance claims process Lifetime warranty on all body refinishing repairs. 37 Northstar Drive Jackson, TN 731 661 0450 www.autobodyamerica.com 1.