The Clarksdale Press Register from Clarksdale, Mississippi • 1

easier 10 123rd Year -Number 16 Clarksdale, Mississippi, Tuesday Afternoon, January 19, 1988 18 Pages in Two Sections CeRs enafe committee assiqnments made ov. Dye ca 3 g. imp i nni By Lf 9 iLhcr: V. -i rJ i A -va 0 Mr Iff lit. i vl.

1 -A JACKSON (AP) Members of the Mississippi State Senate have "no excuse to not get to work now," Lt. Gov. Brad Dye told the lawmakers after appointing standing Senate committees. Dye said Monday before an-noucing the assignments, which are for the four-year term, that making the selections from among the 52 senators was "a most difficult task. "My problem was not in finding people who I felt would make capable chairmen, rather it was in deciding among a number of individuals with strong capabilities and a will-ingess to work hard," Dye said during a brief Senate session.

Dye said that in "a number of instances, several senators with nearly equal capabilities were seeking the same chairmanship." He said he had, in some instances, placed people in chairmanships they had not requested "because I felt for the best interest of not only the Senate, but for the state of Mississippi, these individuals could best perform in the particular chairmanships." The lieutenant governor said he took into consideration making the appointments the desires of the senators and tried "to in-sure that there was a geograhical and philosophical balance on each committee, and seniority played a role. "I tried to be fair," Dye said. He asked those senators unhappy with their assignments to tell him so this week. Committee chairmen and co-chairmen appointed by Dye were: Agriculture: Rob Smith, Jackson, chairman; Alan Heflin, Forest, vice chairman. Appropriations: Carl J.

Gordon, Okolona, chairman; Robert J. Crook, vice chairman. Business and Financial Institutions: John Keeton, Grenada, chairman; Bob Usey, vice chairman. Constitution: Hob Bryan, Amory, chairman; Jim Bean of Hattiesburg, vice chairman. Corrections: Robert Crook, Ruleville, chairman; Smith, vice chairman.

-County Affairs: Ollie Mohamed, Belzoni, chairman; Johnny Morgan, vice chairman. Education: Irb Benjamin, Rienzi, chairman; Cy Rosenblatt, Jackson, vice chairman. Elecions: Hainon Miller, Greenville, chairman; Alice Harden, Jackson, vice chairman. Environmental Protection, Conservation and a Water Resources: Dick Hall, Jackson, chairman; Bill Renick, Ashland, vice chairman. Fees, Salaries and Administration: Bill Harpole, Starkville, chairman; Heflin, vice chairman.

Finance: Bob Montgomery, Canton, chairman; Mohamed, vice chairman. Forestry: Cecil Mills, Clara, chairman; Terry Jordan, Philadelphia, vice chairman. Highways and Transpor-taton: William Canon, Columbus, chairman; Walter "Pud" Graham, vice chairman. Insurance: Wayne Burkes, Jackson, chairman; Margaret "Wootsie" Tate, Picayune, vice chairman. Intestate and Federal Cooperation: Kenneth Williams, Clarksdale, chairman; Crook, vice chairman.

Judiciary: Rick Lambert, Hattiesburg, chairman; Claude Bilbo, Pascagoula, vice chairman. Labor: Ken Harper, Vicksburg, chairman; Robert See Senate on Page 2 A Clarksdala firefighter hoses down flmes that engulfed Hewes Grocery Store in Bobo last night. Rena Ura SfOTQ DUrnS volunteer firemen were also on the scene. Officials said that arson is suspected because the front door of the store looked as if it had been forced open by an intruder. -Photo by Bush rson suspected in two fires A Arson is suspected in a fire that destroyed a grocery store in Bobo last night, reported the Clarksdale Fire Dept.

Around 8:37 p.m., firefighters responded to a call at Hawes Grocery in Bobo, which was already involved with flames upon their arrival. Rena Lara volunteer firemen were also on the scene. rived at the home of George Tullison at 501 Garfield. The front of the house received the heaviest fire damage, while the structure sustained light fire and smoke damage throughout. Officials said that the occupants were out of town at the time of the blaze, but that a door which had been locked by the owners was open.

According to reports, the blaze started in the northeast corner of the building. The front door looked as if it had been forced open, thus leading officials to believe that the store had been set on fire by an intruder. A city home also sustained heavy fire damage yesterday, officials said, and arson is again suspected. Around 6:20 p.m. Monday, firefighters ar Tornadoes touch down in 2 counties Thunderstorms division area of Southaven.

Witnesses said several homes had suffered roof damage but no injuries were reported. Dusty Perkins of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said the violent weather also was blamed for a train derailment in DeSoto County during the morning. Perkins said the derailment occurred near Church Road Just outside the Horn Lake City limits, with at least 11 cars hauling trailers off the tracks. "There appear to be within the During the morning hours, the weather service issued a rash of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings. In addition, the weather service issued a flash flood watch for north Mississippi during the afternoon hours.

In Holmes County, the trial of a major suit filed against a cigarette manufacturer was postponed for couple of hours when the court was notified that Lexington was under a tornado warning. trailers some aerosol cans," he said. "We do not know what material is in the cans and there is no reports of leakage, but a hazardous materials team has been dispatched and the state Bureau of Narcotics notified." Other storm damage was reported near Cleveland in Bolivar County, where the sheriff's department said damage was reported to barns and part of a house. In addition, Perkins said trailer park damage was reported a half-mile west of Cleveland. 1 A .9 j' drench Coahoma County's early-year pattern of weather excesses continued today as a thunderstorm packing heavy winds and rain moved into the area just after 9 a.m.

Temperature and barometic pressure dropped quickly upon its arrival. The Water and Light Department recorded .9 inches of rainfall between 7 a.m. and noon. The barometric pressure, which had fallen to 29.46 at 9 a.m., had risen to 29.48 at noon. The National Weather Service issued an extended tornado watch for the county about 8:45 this morning.

A possible funnel cloud was reportedly sighted by the public on the ground in neighboring Phillips County, about five minutes later. Unseasonably warm temperatures produced by southerly Gulf winds and the early morning approach of an upper level cold front from the west have resulted in atmospheric conditions almost Ideal for severe thunderstorm and possible tornadic activity. Much of Arkansas and North Mississippi had been under an earlier-issued tornado watch Delta this morning, and the local conditions were expected to become even more unstable as the same cold air system which caused massive damage in California and heavy snowfall in the Rockies made its way further east. In all, 27 Mississippi counties were included in the tornado watch, in effect initially until 1 p.m., and which forecasters indicated might well be extended or up-graded throughout the day. A tornado watch means that the weather service has determined that conditions are favorable for the formation of tornadic activity in a general area.

Thunderstorm activity, possibly severe, was predicted for the whole North Mississippi area, both in advance of the approaching front, and with its arrival in late afternoon or early evening. Since the beginning of the year, countians have been faced with a varied series of weather excesses frigid temperatures, a 10-inch snowfall, dense fog and now the potential severe thunderstorm activity. JACKSON (AP) Property damage occurred in north Mississippi today as violent weather pounded the state, prompting tornado warnings and watches and the threat of flash flooding. A tornado watch was posted for much of North Mississippi until early afternoon, while a second watch was issued for much of the remainder of the state until 6 p.m. today.

DeSoto County authorities said tornado damage was reported in the Greenbrook sub Eerie setting House briefed on budget, tax proposals State not on SC list WASHINGTON (AP) The federal government today officially made seven states finalists In the race for the multtbtllion-dollar superconducting super collider. The seven states, which earlier had been recommended by a scientific panel, are Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arizona, Michigan and Colorado. The department is scheduled to announce Its choice for the site in July and confirm It In January 1989. The project would require congressional approval. An ri fog that settled around the bare trees near Stovail Road Monday afternoon probably woutd have been an ideal setting for the latest Stephen King yarn, but it created hazards for motorists.

The dense mist hampered visibility conskJeribty, and drivers were advised to use headlights and proceed with caution. -Photo by Bosh JACKSON (AP) Budget and tax officials briefed Mississippi House members today on spending proposals for l9fi8-9 and the revenue structure that will provide the money to cover the costs. Hobby Greenlee, director of the Legislative Budget Office staff, explained to the Committee the budget recommendations announced last month by the Legislative Budget Committee. Tax Commission Chairman Charles Marx and his staff appeared before the House Ways and Means Committee to explain the tax structure that produces general-fund revenues that support the budget. The Budget Committee recommended a $1.6 billion general-fund budget for the year beginning next July 1 and the Appropriations Committee will work on the bills that will provide each agency and program with its operating funds.

Greenlee explained that the recom mended budget contains $24.3 million In built-in Increases, Including W.7 million for education, $7.2 million for debt service and $4.2 million for correctional facilities. Most of the education money would go for additional teachers or to teachers upgrading their certificates, while most of the correctional money would be used to staff new facilities, Greenlee said that the state would have only about $5 million left In the general fund If the recommended budget were adopted and taxes produced the estimated amounts of revenue, and conceded this was far under comfortable levels. "It is always good to have a cash balance to fall back on," he said. "An error of 1 percent In a $1.6 billion revenue estimate amounts to $32 million. It would be good to have a $50 million or $60 million balance.".