The Clarksdale Press Register from Clarksdale, Mississippi • 1

Calendar in of events mmmm SUNDAY 4 p.m. Veterans of Foreign Wars, Sylvester Badgett Post No. 8S90, will meet at the post home. MONDAY 9 a.m. January term of Coahoma County Court convenes at the courthouse.

9 a.m. Winter term of the Coahoma County Circuit Court convenes at the courthouse. 3:30 p.m. Board of Mayor and Commissioners meets at City Hall. 4 p.m.

City Court will meet in the courtroom on Sunflower Avenue. 7 p.m. Annual meeting of the Coahoma County Conservation League set at the Bill Whitmire Post, Veterans of Foreign Wars, building on U.S. 61 South. 7:30 p.m.

Elks Club meets at the Elks Lodge. 38 Pages In Four Sections Clarksdale, Mississippi, Saturday Morning, January 11, 1975 Sunday, January 12, 1975 (s(o(o the hallways, carrying out a tornado drill that saved most of them from injury. Other tornadoes struck in an elbow-shaped path extending north from McComb to Jackson, then across to Columbus in northeast Mississippi. Considerable property damage was reported in several areas. Much of the state remained under a tornado watch throughout the day.

"The tornado made a path all the way through the city. two miles," said William Hewitt, assistant administrator for the Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center in McComb. "It started at about the southwest portion and went out through the northeast. I heard the wind. A man came running and said a tornado is coming.

The lights went out and it passed about 100 yards to the east of Mi, i iff llll.iltlil 110th Year Number 9 McCOMB (AP) A tornado ripped a two-mile swath through McComb Friday, leveling businesses and homes, shredding trees and injuring more than 100 persons. Officials originally said 10 persons had died in the most fierce of a series of tornadoes which lashed the state between 8 and 10 a.m. Friday. But they later recanted, saying that as few as four may have perished in McComb 'I Devastation fr Waller promises aid Prayer service set for mayor Most of the churches in Clarksdale and in outlying areas are expected to join Sunday morning in a special prayer service for Mayor Joe Nosef, who is ill and is hospitalized in Birmingham, Ala. The special prayer service for the mayor was the idea of James Chiles of Cloverhill Plantation.

Chiles sought the assistance of the Clarksdale Ministerial Association in planning the service. The Rev. Paul Harwood of the Lyon Baptist Church, secretary of the ministerial association, today was relaying the request to area ministers, and virtually all of them said their churches would participate. The prayer services will be coordinated and held simultaneously at 11 a.m. in all churches, it is hoped.

Even those ministers who might fail to receive formal notification are urged to hold the prayers for the mayor at their churches. Members of the Nosef family said today the mayor seems to be gaining strength and responding favorable to treatment. When he was moved from Greenville to Birmingham earlier this week, it was thought that he would undergo surgery right away, but it was reported today his doctors still are considering his case and the surgery may be delayed for a time. Weather By The Associated Press The forecast for Saturday is fair and cooler. Variable cloudiness and colder Saturday night.

Mostly sunny and cool Sunday. Highs Saturday in the mid 40s. Lows Saturday night in the upper 20s. Highs Sunday in the low 40s. Winds Westerly at eight to 16 miles an hour.

10c The funnel missed the hospital, but hit across the street as its stores were preparing to open. One end of the center was demolished. The tornado flattened the city's National Guard armory, then rumbled through the fashionable residential section which rims McComb's north side. "I saw it coming down the street and it looked like a big funnel." said Kathy Dunagin. 16.

a McComb High School student. "You could see fire when it hit those electrical wires." Utility lines were downed, and the medical center had to use an emergency power generator. Telephone communications were stilled. Ambulances were sent from Marion, Franklin and Walthall counties to help carry out the injured. families of those killed seen a miracle that we may have more people werenn't killed." Waller said Waller flew over the North Pike Elementary School, where he said it was a miracle nobody was hurt "The school buses were tossed around like tin cans," he said Gen.

Emmett Walker, assistant adjutant general of the National Guard, said a big new pavillion uas destroyed at Percy Quin State Park southwest of McComb. "We think we will be able to recover in short order," Waller said. viaduct painted? for painting the truck clearance height of the viaducts because they cannot be sure over the years what the city will do to the road that could conceivably change the height of the road, thereby-changing the amount of truck clearance. Let Why? Why Not? answer your questions for you. Send questions about Clarksdale and Coahoma County to Why? Why The Clarksdale Press Register.

P.O. Box 1119. Clarksdale. Miss. or phone in questions during normal business hours to 627-2201.

All letters must be signed Anonymous questions will not be answered. Index Inside this weekender of (he Clarksdale Press Register ou will find the following features: Market reports I'age2 Editorials Sports I'agrs 6 7 A Entertainments Page IK In addition, these special articles ran he found: In depth look at I97. Legislate session PageSA One man art exhibit opens at Delta State Needle work on parade Page IK $400 Three firms that supply parts to the auto industry announced they would gi a $lou bonus to any employe buying a new car and Chrysler said it would match the bonus. -The Transportation Department urged a 10 per cent rollback in domestic air fares. The department, noting the airlines had one of their most profitable years in 1974, said the rollback would fight inflation and increase the number of passengers The Air Transport Association reported that despite losses suffered bv Pan American World Airways and Trans World Airlines, the domestic airline industry will have a 1974 net profit of about txo million, the fourth highest in history.

treatment here and seven sent to other hospitals. Two of those admitted here were listed in critical condition. Identities of the dead were not immediately available. The storm system which spawned the McComb tornado sent another twister thundering past the nearby Summit community. There, the North Pike Elementary School was severely damaged as 350 students huddled in UPI Telephoto deaths in the area and more than 100 persons injured.

The North Pike Elementary School in nearby Summit was severely damaged as 350 students huddled in hallways. story ton of sand had been blown against the house. Then the crash of glass, the rain came through broken windows. Suddenly all was quiet. Never have I dressed with such speed.

I could not get my car out of the carport for broken limbs blocked the passage. I looked out into our patio. The steel fence was crushed by massive oaks blown across it. I flagged a car and a lady gave me a lift to the newspaper office. It was necessary to circle the city, for streets were blocked.

In a crisis such as this, rumors are rampant, and it is the obligation of a newsman to get the truth as factually and quickly as possible. In brief retrospect, it has ascertained that a tornado slammed into McComb and Pike County, injuring more than 100 people and killing at least four. John R. Kavanay, an insurance claims adjustor, said from what he had seen immediately after the storm, the damage would run at least $10 million and $15 million. The twister came from the southwest and touched down near Park Lane Academy at 8:30 a.m.

year in plant and equipment outlays than they did last year. Since the costs of building materials and labor are expected to rise about 7 per cent, the expenditures will mark a drop in "real capital spending." It's the first such decline since 1971. In a related development, the Labor Department released figures on Friday showing that the November and December decline in nonfarm payroll jobs was the largest two-month drop since 1945. Officials said 1.1 million Jobs were lost in the two-month period. The December drop was most severe in manufacturing industries.

Industry and government leaders talked about a variety of solutions to ease unemployment, halt inflation and Emmerich tells and three in a rural area near here. Three persons were reported dead on arrival at a local medical center, and another at a McComb funeral home. Officials said an elderly man and a mother and her daughter were killed near the small Ruth community north of McComb. Hospital officials said 101 McComb residents were treated for injuries, with 10 admitted for continuing This shopping center in McComb was completely destroyed Friday by a tornado which also leveled homes and damaged schools in the city. There are seven reported of the southwest.

Within seconds the strength of my home seemed to be pitted against what I now knew was a tornado and it was here and now. I was just ready to take a shower and my nude situation gave me a feeling of complete helplessness. I heard my wife say, "Get your britches on." Then there were eerie noises, as if a backed fifths vote, with the public watching. "When somebody makes this kind of motion, he'll have to give reasons that the public will accept. The mechanics will keep things open." Ingram said that the Senate would receive the favorable committee report Monday, readying the bill for action Tuesday.

"I think we will pass it next week," he said. The committee approved an open meetings bill during the 1974 session, but it died on the Senate calendar without coming up for action. in November was $32,130 8.1 per cent above the price for the same month of 1973. But there was one encouraging sign: the increase was the smallest year-to-year price advance for all of 1974, an indication that the sharp climb in the cost of housing may be easing. The Federal Reserve Board said there was a decline in consumer credit in November for the first time since lute in 1970.

Statistics showed that Americans owed $402 million less in November than they did in October, with the biggest cutbacks coming in borrowing for new cars and personal loans. -The Commerce Department reported that businesses are expected to spend only 4 6 per cent more this fc 1 2 McCOMB (AP)-Gov. Bill Waller promised Friday to seek emergency aid for the people of McComb, hit by a killer tornado earlier in the day. Waller toured the area and said he would ask President Ford to have McComb declared a disaster area, making it eligible for emergency relief programs such as low-cost loans. McComb Mayor John Thompson said about 300 housing units were destroyed, leaving an estimated 750 persons homeless.

"While we want to extend the sympathy of state government to the Why can't heights be QUESTION: Why doesn't the Coahoma County Welfare Department accept used clothing anymore? (G. ANSWER: Kenneth Dixon, director of the Coahoma County Public Welfare Deaprtment, said the department is "very definitely interested in used clothing." but at the present time, there is no place to put any more used clothing at the Public Welfare Office. According to Dixon, all possible storage space, including a janitor's room, a vacant office and a couple of closets, are not in use to store the used clothing on hand. Around the holiday season and income tax time, Dixon commented, people tend to clean out their closets and get rid of used clothing. For this reason, he said, right now the welfare department has enough used clothing for their needs.

He also said the clothing moves out pretty fast and they will continue to accept used clothing when storage space allows. Right now, he said the department could possibly accept a small amount, but are in no position to accept any large loads. QUESTION: Could the truck clearance heights be repainted on the viaducts in town so truck drivers will have some advance warning whether or not their trucks will fit underneath the viaducts. When the trucks have to get right up to the viaduct before realizing they can't make it under, all of the traffic behind them has to move out of the ay so the truck can bark out and take an alternate route? i(i I ANSWER: L. Davis.

Illinois Central Gulf Railroad agent, said the railroad company will not take responsibility generally get the economy moving again. The Labor Department allocated an additional $787 million in federal money to states and cities in order to provide funds for 100,000 public service jobs. The money comes on top of $955 million allocated in 1974 to provide 200,000 jobs. More than 6.5 million Americans were unemployed last month and the Labor Department said that localities were not spending the federal money fast enough to help. Chrysler with a huge stockpile of unsold 1975 model cars, disclosed plans for a five week rebate program starting Monday.

The company will offer buyers of certain new cars and trucks between $200 and Open meetings JACKSON (AP)-The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Friday to endorse a bill requiring all governmental bodies to meet in open session. Sen. Carroll Ingram of Hattiesburg, author of the proposal, described it as "a clean and simple bill that makes open meetings the public policy." The bill requires all meetings of boards, committees and commissions of state, county, city or other dub-divisions to be open when public business is being considered, unless three-fifths of the members have By OLIVER EMMERICH Editor-Publisher McComb Enterprise-Journal McCOMB (AP)-I heard that threatening roar, the massive roar of a tornado Friday morning. At first I tried to kid myself into believing that it was railroad train. But the railroad is east of my home and this powerful roar was coming out approved a motion to go into executive session.

"The reason for the simple approach is that many open meetings laws around the country are in the throes of litigation over technicalities," said Ingram. "When you try and set up procedures for requiring public notice, for instance, you run into problems of procedure. It is the details that complicate it." He said that although executive sessions are permitted, "every meeting has to start off open. Somebody has to make a motion to close it and you have to get a three- per cent of their 1974 income tax. Among the figures on spending: The nation's four major auto makers reported that Americans bought 23 per cent fewer cars In 1974 than they did in 1973.

Including Imports, 1974 sales were 8,856,448, well below the 10 million or more new cars the industry officials had expected they would sell. The National Association of Realtors said sales of single family homes during November were 11.3 per cent below the same period in 1973 and 16 per cent below 1972. It was the third consecutive month in which sales were more than 10 per cent below comparable figures for 1972. The association said the median price of an existing single family home Americans buy less to stretch budgets By LOUISE COOK Associated Press Writer The first full week of 1975 brought new signs that Americans are buying less of just about everything In tn effort to stretch family budgets. Statistics on economic indicators such as housing and auto sales, consumer credit and capital outlays came aa government officials talked about tax cuts to encourage people to spend money and ease the recession.

Administration officials said Friday that President Ford hat decided to seek a tax cut of about IS billion. They also said he was considering an unusual plan of tax rebates whereby millions of Americana could receive government checks equal to about 10.