The Leaf-Chronicle from Clarksville, Tennessee • 1

Withering city About every black institution in New Orleans is struggling or has disappeared. See Nation, Page C4 Think Real Estate nink Maurice 1 i Vaughn KELLER WiLUAMl. See Sports, Page B1 Fulmer says Vols need work Tennessee got solid play from its quarterbacks in Saturday's Orange and White game, but coach Phillip Fulmer is still far from satisfied with his team. SI "4 vs. Vol.

196-No. 99 9 2006 The Leaf-Chronicle Co. 50 cents daily $1 .50 Sunday i.i,i,li-li!iM'iiliii-ftt1i.iL good SUNDAY APRIL 9, 2006 Volunteer response overwhelming, officials Cheatham County recovers Minister lost almost say. quickly from tornado. everything -except God.

-3: a Feds taking look at baby's death Safety Commission could examine seat girl was bathing in A path of tornado destruction winds through Gallatin on Saturday. Severe storms ripped through Middle Tennessee Friday, killing at least 12 people. Now Tennesseans are fighting to recover from the devastation. Cheatham County suffered from a tornado touchdown, but the county is recovering quickly. 11 Associated Press 30 homes across the county were without power, but Hogan said nearly all power should have been restored by the evening.

A preliminary count showed about 70 homes were damaged in the storm, with 50 sustaining major damage. Ten businesses in the area were damaged, including two Cumberland Electric Membership Corp. structures in Ashland City. See Cheatham, A6 WftJ i III 5, I damage could have been worse. "Compared to other counties in Middle Tennessee, Cheatham County still looks pretty good as far as damage goes," he said.

"I'm still thankful that our local injuries were minor." Hogan said two people in the county were taken to an area hospital for treatment after the storm. They were later released. As of Saturday afternooa about "4090 1 "1 1 CLARKSVILLE, TEHIIM. A 62 T38 Rain chance: 0 5-Day Forecast, Page A2 ONLINE TODAY Weigh in on The Leaf-Chronicle's daily editorial at our Opinions blog online. Just go to the editorial and click the "Comments" tag to make your case or see what others have to say.

www.theleafchronicle.com LIVING "Prayer for change An APSU Islam expert has returned from Saudi Arabia with a challenge: be patient. D3 THINGS TG CO Musical journey atClarksvilleHigh Take a musical trip through the decades at 2 p.ra with Clarksville High School's "Don't Touch That DiaL" Tickets are $5 at the school. Call 378-0301 for details. COMING TOMORROW Learn about flowering trees in this week's edition of The Mini Page. In Monday's Leaf-Chronicle.

TO SUBSCRIBE To start a new subscription, discuss your bill or delivery, call our Customer Service Department, (931) 552-READ. QliOTAELE 'It is difficult to give children a sense of security unless you have it yourself. If you have it, they catch it from you." William Menninger, American scientist, physician, engineer (1899-1966) INSIDE D10 Local Abby CI Automotive B10 Movies D4 Business B9 Obituaries C2 Classifieds E1 Opinions A10 Crossword 07 Sports 61 Living 01 Weather A2 v. tKfy 1 1 1 lae I St I Xl- John PartipiloThe Tennessean Fire Chief Kenny Crowson of the Highland Volunteer Fire Department rescues a stray cat near South Water Street in Gallatin. The Nashville suburb was the heaviest hit area during Friday's storms.

Cheatham County recovers quickly By HEATHER D0NAH0E The Leaf-Chronicle A Clarksville baby's death during a bath at her family's apartment March 31 could prompt the VS. Consumer Product Safety Commission to test the baby bath chair she was sitting in before she died. Eleven-month-old Sydney Cheyanne Tyler died at her family's White Oak Road apartment after her mother, Tammy Jo Beckn-er, ran to answer the telephone and left the baby sitting in the bath chair inside a tub of water. Beckner told Clarksville police and Montgomery County Emergency Medical Service medics she was gone for "only a minute" and Visit the U.S.' Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site at www.cpx.gov. returned to find her baby floating faceup in the water.

No charges will be filed against Beckner, said CPD Lt. Phil Ashby. He said the baby's death appears to be an "unfortunate accident" When CPSC product safety investigator Charles Rick Meyer read about Sydney's death in The Leaf-Chronicle, he contacted CPD about collecting the seat for possible testing. As a product safety investigator, Meyer is required to scan all major newspapers in the state on a regular basis for products of interest Ashby said Meyer picked up the Safety 1st Baby Bath Seat on Wednesday. Meyer was quick to note the scat should not be considered defective by association with the baby's death, because no testing has been done and might not be depending on CPSCs review of the drowning.

"At this point there's not any reason to believe there is or isn't anything wrong with this product" Meyer said. "My job is to collect products and send them forward, and that's what Tm doing." See bbk. hk. TM AS-' Worst damage in sparse wildlife refuge Tornado victims start reclaiming what blew away By MICHAEL CASS and BONNA de la CRUZ Gannett News Service Storm-ravaged Middle Tennesseans from Dickson County to Cumberland County started the task of tornado recovery Saturday, with hundreds of buildings needing repairs and thousands lacking power. Gridlock complicated matters in the hardest-hit areas of Goodlettsville and INSIDE For a list of victims, see Page A6 Minister lost his home, church, but he has God, A3 Gallatin, as looky-loos and an overwhelming volunteer response crowded streets and city officials called for help to fight looting.

Friday's torna does claimed 12 lives, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said. In Sumner County north of Nashville, nine people died and as many as 900 homes, farms and businesses were damaged or destroyed, TEMA spokesman Randy Harris said, citing preliminary estimates. Three more died in Warren County. After touring the damage by air and by car, and taking personal photographs of the wreckage, Gov. Phil Bredesen said he hoped the affected areas could be declared federal disaster areas by this morning.

They would join two West Tennessee counties hammered by storms earlier in the week. See Recovery, A6 Alicia ArchuletaThe Leat-Chronicle now vou can --www j-ww -w City group By DAVID The Jeff by pass the The trestle. Trails" vote chairman, in By GARY BURTON The Ashland City Times ASHLAND CITY After a fierce storm plowed through Cheatham County and downtown Ashland City Friday afternoon, public workers and property owners turned to cleanup duties on Saturday. Edwin Hogan, director for Cheatham County Emergency Management Services, said the Group 'flabbergasted' by trestle screens thinks they're safer, thinks they're ugly R. ROSS Leat-Chronicle Robinson said he is "flabbergasted" the city's plans to enclose an over-, that spans Commerce Street near Clarksville Police Department.

City Council Thursday gave preliminary approval to spend $8,762 to enclose the open part of the old railroad The funding, which involves transferring money from the "Rails to budget, must pass on a second by the council in May. Robinson, River District Commission said the group will be more vocal its opposition to the plan at the next council meeting. He said he is worried the city will use wire mesh similar to what has been used on the Corman Street trestle at Valleybrook Park and the overview bridge on Riverside Drive. "I find it amazing that cities all across America can do scenic overpasses without enclosing them like a rabbit cage, and we're wasting money doing something like that" Robinson said. "It boggles my mind." City Finance Director Wilbur Berry said the railroad trestle needs to be enclosed so people can't jump or fall from it or drop things onto cars.

"It needs to be enclosed for safety reasons," Berry told the council Thursday. "Let's face it, somebody could decide it would be a fun idea to drop something See Trestle, A2 I I Alicia ArchuletaThe Leal-Chronicle Traffic passes under the Commerce Street trestle Friday afternoon. City officials want to enclose the trestle for the safety of pedestrians and motorists. www.ttieleaMpenlclt.com nvp a II III I I I I today! tv with cihnrtpr WK Mir ftwln feature, you'm In contfflt of nnusft rpwinn wa vww Comrnmcolrons Inc DW skviw not orailot i oil own nnn rernrn iva GET CHARTER 0w nslnctions moy apply subscription to Ctww DigM Is reaurad c5SSSSLSSSp Call 888 v. il O2006 Ctralw.