Enterprise-Journal from McComb, Mississippi • 1

Index Classifieds 9 Sports Obituaries ...2 Opinion ComicsCrossword 7 TV Weather Tonight: Cloudy with a chance of showers. Low in the mid-50s. Tuesday: Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain. High in the mid-70s. Tuesday night: Cloudy with a chance of rain.

Low, 62, Other Forecasts, Back Page Coming Up FREE TAX HELP is available 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each Tuesday through April 10 at Edgewood Mall. Bring all current year's tax information and a copy of last year's returns. Delayed DuraSube Foul weather and wrecks were the order of the day Sunday at the Duralube 400 causing the finish of the race to be postponed until today.

Pago 5 The one newspaper in the world most interested in this community Monday, Feb. 26, 2001 Bush targets budget waste 1 No. 268 ifr itfiiTiWf i i ii mi ii -m-fi ii "-4N Mississippi 5 5-6 4 ...9 i Associated Press photo I mao r- I -iHTk: Vr McComb, -k. dozens of houses, farm buildings and other structures were damaged or destroyed. No serious injuries were reported.

The vast storm system that swept across the eastern half of the nation also dumped more than 20 inches of snow on northern Minnesota. Blowing snow closed hundreds of miles of highways in Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa, and heavy rain caused flooding in Missouri and Kansas. A 2-year-old boy was killed by a tornado in Arkansas, and a man died in a flooded creek in Kansas. Five people were dead on arrival at Pontotoc Hospital. Hospitals in Pontotoc, Tupelo and Memphis treated at least 48 people for injuries.

Len Grice of North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo said 11 injured remained at his hos- (See Tornado, back page by In the top photo, Rick Baggett helps gather belongings at the home of Lloyd Berry and Barbara Marsh in Pontotoc Sunday. A tornado packing winds of more than 150 miles per hour killed at least five people, injuring dozens more. In the bottom photo, the twister cut a path through this neighborhood, destroying nearly everything in its path. 5 Co 50 Cents 1 1 1th Year Citizens CSJI2 elected officials By Charles Dunagin Staff Writer About 50 people met with five area state legislators this morning at the Days Inn to discuss a wide range of topics under consideration in the current session of the Mississippi Legislature. Fielding questions at the Pike County Chamber of Commerce's Legislative Breakfast were Sens.

Bob Dearing, Robert Johnson and Cindy Hyde-Smith and Reps. David Green and Clem Nettles, all of whom represent districts coming into Pike County. Rep. David Myers of McComb was the only legislator with Pike County voters who was absent. Among the issues discussed were the tight state budget and how it might affect education funding, county roads and bridges, whether the state transportation commissioners should be elected or appointed, redistrict-ing and the state flag.

Some of the highlights: A lengthy discussion over a House-passed bill to provide appointed rather than elected transportation commissioners was sparked by a question from Pike County Supervisor Venton Ray Adams, who said he favors retaining the elected system. Dearing, chairman of the Senate Highways and Transportation Committee where the bill apparently will die this session, said, "Personally I'm for retaining my elected highway commissioner." He said among his reasons for opposing the House bill are fears southwest Mississippi will be shortchanged, especially on completing 1987 four-laning projects. Dearing also took issue with newspaper reports that Mississippi is the only state that elects commissioners. Johnson agreed with Dearing's position and said this region is fortunate to have Dearing as chairman of the transportation committee. Rep.

Nettles also said he favors continuing to elect transportation commissioners, asserting "it's wrong to take power away from the people." Rep. Green, however, said he voted for the House bill to require appointment of the commissioners. "What we have is not working for southwest Mississippi," said Green who added there are no four-lane highways in Amite County. "When what you have is not working, it's time to try something else." Addressing questions raised (See Legislative, back page) Arrests of cash, By Vickie Conn Staff Writer Lawmen made five arrests and confiscated 52 pounds of marijuana, a 2001 Oldsmo-bile and a GMC van along with $1,100 in cash at a driver's license checkpoint on Highway 61 in Woodville midnight Saturday. "Our investigation at this point indicates that the five had left Houston, Texas, earlier that day and were on their way back to north Mis 21, Pontotoc storm leaves dozens of people injured, homeless in At WASHINGTON (AP) Looking to trim budget fat, President Bush is targeting programs beloved by his allies in corporate America, aiming to cut government subsidies that help businesses to research, invest and sell.

Bush will present the outlines of his tax-cut and budget plan to a joint session of Congress on' Tuesday night. To lay the groundwork, he was pitching it to governors Monday, hoping some will return home to help him build public support. The president dribbled out would-be winners of his budget plan all last week, proposing to spend more on schools, Medicare and health research. Little was said about where he would cut. He must find areas to reduce spending, because he is holding next year's overall discretionary spending to 4 percent growth.

With a proposed 11.5 percent increase for the Education Department and a 10 percent boost for Medicare, other operations will absorb the difference. Moreover, Bush is proposing a 10-year, $1.6 trillion tax cut. And White House budget director Mitch Daniels pledged Sunday that the president would "pay down all the (national) debt that is available to be paid down." Some $3.4 trillion of the national debt is held by the public. California Gov. Gray Davis, chairman of the Democratic governors, said he supports a tax cut but feels it should be smaller than Bush is proposing and tailored to the middle class.

"I believe the most important thing we can do is maintain a strong economy," to produce jobs and revenues to fund health care and protect the environment, Davis said. "I don't want to go back to the policies of the late '80s and early '90s." In television interviews, Daniels began to reveal who will get hurt as Bush tries to restrain budget growth. One likely target is the U.S. Export-Import Bank, which guarantees loans to foreign companies in projects that use U.S. products and services.

Also targeted are federal programs that bring telephone service to rural areas, Daniels said on "Fox News Sunday." "There will definitely be some restraint and even some, yes, cuts in terms of government's involvement and subsidy of corporations," he said, citing government assistance for research and investments. A day away from FatTuesday A rider in the Krewe of Mid-City parade throws bags of Mardi Gras trinkets to the crowd lining Canal Street on Sunday in New Orleans. Rain earlier in the day threatened to cancel the parade, but moved through in time to allow it to roll. The Mardi Gras season is in full swing, with festivities culminating on Fat Tuesday. Associated Press photo PONTOTOC, Miss.

(AP) -Families are picking their way through shattered homes in Pontotoc, trying to salvage possessions that were not swept away by a weekend tornado that killed five, injured dozens and left whole communities twisted and torn. The sounds of chainsaws and tractors could be heard throughout the city at daylight today. Officials said it could be days before power is restored to the hardest-hit areas. The severe weather struck north Mississippi late Saturday but the full extent of damage in the rural area was not revealed until daylight. The major damage occurred when a twister cut a 23-mile path across Pontotoc County, the National Weather Service said.

Damage was also reported in several other areas of the state, including Tallahatchie and Bolivar counties in the Delta, where lead to seizure van and drugs ving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a suspended license; Charles Burnside, 25; and Philex Peebles, 22. The five remain in the Wilkinson County Jail today. No bond has been set. The arrests were a result of the combined efforts of Woodville Police, the Wilkinson County Sheriffs Department, Centreville Police, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Bureau, and Mississippi probation and parole officers. sissippi," Woodville police chief James Forman said.

All five suspects were from Philadelphia, and all were charged with conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute. They included Jimmie Harrison, 26; Samuel Powell, who was also charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Also arrested was Billie J. Black, 50, who was also charged with felonious dri rfi'M 111.