Sioux City Journal from Sioux City, Iowa • 1

i i 5) IM East, Heelan girls clash Page CI Turtles pace candy firm Page Bl CITY Vf I 1 lit Wednesday Jan. 26 2000 in i fn Mrtilif 31 Partly cloudy High in mid-20s 50 cents in i "Celebrating Siowdand Pride' Vol. 136 No. 144 Sioux City, Iowa METRO EDITION mm Plan would mean having three middle schools Miaou: SEHBQt By LynnZerschling Journal staff writer The Sioux City School District could create a true feeder school system by having three middle schools, a citizens committee told the Board of Education Tuesday night. The report calls for building a new North Middle School, closing East Middle School and converting Hoover Middle and Woodrow Wilson middle schools into elementary buildings.

A subcommittee of the district's original Facilities Review Committee also recommended closing three grade schools and changing grade school boundaries to promote racial integration in Morningside. "This is only a plan. It's not locked in stone," Doug Batcheller, a member of the Facilities subcom- North Middle School on the district's construction timetable and built. Superintendent Larry Williams recommended and the school board agreed to hold public forums on the proposals. The dates and times of those meetings will be announced.

This plan arose from the school board's request last March to obtain additional proposals on what to do with Hoover Middle School. The subcommittee concluded there were a number of problems in remodeling Hoover for a middle school and made the following recommendations: Close East Middle School, at 1720 Morningside and consolidate it with the expanded and remodeled Hayworth Middle School, at 5601 Lorraine Ave. Bids will be taken next week on Hayworth. Build a new North Middle School to replace Hoover and Woodrow Wilson Middle Schools, at an estimated cost of $17 million. No site was proposed for the new school, although committee members said there is land available by North High School.

Additional land would have to be bought. Remodel Woodrow Wilson Middle School, at 1010 Iowa to accommodate pupils from Irving Elementary, at 1 022 Jennings St. Remodel Hoover Middle School, at 3601 Country Club for a grade school and remove the 14 portable classroom trailers now being used for the overflow of middle school students there. Close Clark Elementary, at 43 15 Hamilton Lincoln Elementary, SEE WEST continued on page A3 A meeting Tuesday discussed major changes proposed for Hoover Middle School. (Staff photo by Jim Lee) mittee and chairman of the Building Oversight Committee, said.

Committee member Sue Pierce stressed that no changes would be made for at least five to eight years the time it would take to get the ft t-1 County's spending cuts exceed $1 million 'tvr aiiliHirwH WiiT fin -r ---i A hole from missing ceiling tiles looms overhead as Gary Sitzman reads to students in a seventh-grade reading class in one of the portable classrooms at Hoover Middle School. (Staff photo by Jim Lee) Unexpected funds help get budget under levy cap By Nick Hytrek Journal staff writer There hasn't been much to smile about in the Woodbury County board room during budget hearings the past few weeks. But on Tuesday, Woodbury County supervisors were beaming after finally cutting more than $1 million in expenditures, finding out about some unexpected revenue and getting the largest portion of their budget in under the state-mandated levy cap. "We've got it Under the cap," board chairman George Boykin said after the meeting. "We won't have to worry about taking reserves and putting them in that." Tuesday's action cut more than $381,000 from the county's proposed budget.

When that was coupled with $200,000 in extra revenue from the can be cut. The board said it hopes to finalize its budget on Feb. 8. On Tuesday, the board continued to freeze budget requests at the 1999-2000 fiscal year level, then cut an additional 5 percent. Amick's department took more than $100,000 in cuts.

Items cut included the replacement of four vehicles and the elimination of one position in the sheriff's office. That job had been funded by a grant, which runs out this year. The county also decided to use more than $1 million in reserves from the mental health fund to cover a $1.5 million shortfall in that fund. The proposed $8.5 million fund budget included the creation of programs that will be designed to reduce the jail population by removing inmates with mental illnesses and treating them in the hope that they will not wind up in jail again. Of the $8.5 million in the mental health fund, the county funds about $2 million.

The rest of the budget is funded with money from the state and federal governments. The rest of the shortfall was eliminated through budget cuts and increased revenue. Woodbury County Sheriff's Office, the board realized it had eliminated what started out as a $1.5 million shortfall in the general basic fund and will meet the levy cap of $3.50 per $1,000 in valuation. The general basic fund is the county's largest budget area from which most of the expenses are spent. "I think it's important to tell folks we had a tremendous task and we did a pretty good job," supervisor Doug Walish said.

But more budget scrutiny remains. The county still is roughly $700,000 over budget in other funds. Any increased spending will result in a property tax increase, although with each cut, that increase gets smaller. Supervisor Larry Clausen estimated an 8 to 10 percent tax increase last fall. Boykin said Tuesday that will not be the case.

"It certainly won't be that (high)," Boykin said. "It's going to be way under that." More budget cuts likely will be made, but probably not enough to eliminate a tax increase altogether. Boykin said the board will spend the next two weeks revisiting budgets to see if more Relatives agree to allow grandmas to see Cuban boy Huge storm buries East Coast in 2 feet of snow tions marked by an order from the Immigration and Naturalization Service to hold the neutral-site meeting, that had been thwarted on Monday by the relatives. Florman said the government had reassured the relatives that today's session at the Miami Beach home of the president of a Dominican college would be just a visit and would not result in his being taken back to Cuba. The grandmothers will see Elian privately, but the boy's Florida relatives will be nearby in the house at WASHINGTON (AP) Under government orders, the Florida relatives of Elian Gonzalez agreed Tuesday to make the boy available for a meeting with his Cuban grandmothers Wednesday at a neutral site, the Justice Department said.

The grandmothers pressed their insistence for the boy's return and pleaded with Congress not to force U.S. citizenship upon him. "The meeting will take place at the time and site selected by the Immigration Service," Justice spokeswoman Carole Florman said Tuesday evening. The agreement culminated a long day of negotia Republican Alan Keyes got stuck in Detroit, unable to fly into Boston. The storm known as a nor'easter drove northward along the coast, with moist air from the ocean colliding with cold air over the land.

During the morning, snow fell from South Carolina all the way to Maine. The storm raced into the Northeast with a speed that surprised "We knew it was coming. It just decided to hit us a day earlier," said National Weather Service meteorologist Tim Morrin in New York. It was the third snowfall in a week for some states, but for much of the region it was the first major storm in a season that has seen little snow. It was also the worst snowstorm to hit SEE CAROLINAS continued on page A3 Raleigh, N.C.

At least four people were killed in weather-related traffic accidents in the Carolinas, and a 5-year-old girl was missing and feared dead in Massachusetts after falling into an icy river while walking to school in heavy snow. The storm even intruded on the presidential campaign. Most of the candidates flew to New Hampshire after the Iowa caucuses, but By The Associated Press A surprisingly fast-moving storm blanketed the East Coast with up to 2 feet of wind-blown snow Tuesday, closing airports and schools, paralyzing the nation's capital and leaving North Carolina looking more like North Dakota. "The snow has completely covered my car. It's gone, I can't even see it," Thomas Allen said in SEE CLINTON continued on page A3 mm City's KCAU-TV, three other Citadel stations put up for sale work.

In 1996, Citadel moved the then-Albion satellite of KCAU to Lincoln, where it set up a transmitter and facilities for news and programming. WOI is still in its early stages of operating as a commercial station. Iowa State University established the ABC affiliate and ran the station until its purchase in 1994 by Citadel. The sale generated controversy, with a number of ISU supporters calling for the university to retain the station as a teaching tool for its broadcast journalism students. The Citadel stations will be offered through Wasserstein Perella Co.

a prominent New Yoik banking and investment firm. Sioux City's oldest TV station, KCAU went on the air on March 29, 1953, under the call letters KVTV. The name was changed to KCAU in 1967. Citadel acquired KCAU in 1985 for a reported $14 million. Once the top-rated local news station in Sioux City, KCAU has consistently trailed KTIV, the NBC affiliate, for a number of years.

KMEG, the CBS affiliate in Sioux City, joined the viewer contest when it reestablished local news last year. Lombardo noted that two other Citadel stations, WOI and KLKN, are "at unique points in their history." KLKN is one of the few start-up VHF stations in the country affiliated with a net ficer of Citadel. Cole, who said he supports Lombardo's decision, said rapid consolidation in the broadcast industry also played a role. Like other TV stations, the Citadel group faces the conversion of its brodcast signal from analog to digital. "It's a very exciting time for the broadcast industry," Cole said.

"It's also one that can be somewhat problematic for small family broadasters like Citadel. Larger companies are better equipped to lend the resources necessary to make a very significant conversion to digital that we'll be looking at in the next several years." In addition to KCAU, Citadel stations include WOI, an ABC affiliate in Des Moines; WHBF, a CBS affiliate in Rock Island, and KLKN, an ABC affiliate in Lincoln, Neb. KLKN operates a satellite, KLKE, in Albion, Neb. Cole said the four stations could appeal to a broadcast group wanting to expand its operations in the Midwest, or one looking to gain a foothold in this part of the country. "We think the fact these four stations are so geographically concentrated makes the group a very attractive acquistion for an established broacast company," Cole said.

In a prepared statement, Lombardo said the Citadel group is "stabilized" by KCAU and WHBF, which he called "two well-established steady performers." By Dave Dreeszen Journal business editor The owner of KCAU-TV in Sioux City has put the ABC affiliate and three other stations on the sale block. Citadel Communications annouced Tuesday it has started taking offers for all its television stations. The sale is driven by the scheduled retirement of Philip J. Lombardo, Citadel's founder and controlling shareholder. Lombardo, who turns 65 later this year, plans to spend more time with his family.

"It's the ideal time for him to exit this industry after 44 years," said Ray Cole, executive vice president and chief operating of More money: The Congressional Budget Office says it now expects federal surpluses over the next decade to total as high as $1.9 trillion. Page B6 Super trip: Six Sioux Ciryans will get a free trip to the Super Bowl as a 1993 graduate of East High School wins a contest sponsored by Southwest Airlines. Page A4 Bears invade Storm Lake Two hundred teddy bears from the lifetime collection of the late Mayrene "Chine" Turner are on display at the Buena Vista County Museum in Storm Lake, Iowa. The exhibit will continue through mid-February. page A4 Hair today Keri Russell cut her hair before the start of this year's television season.

"Felicity" viewers protested and ratings drop. Should other actors be careful about their tresses? For details, check out The Journal's Thursday Living page. Where to find it Dear Abby C9 Ask Ann pageA10 Bridge page C9 Comics A1 0,11 Classifieds Horoscope A1 1 Markets page Movies pageC9 Obituaries B3.C10 Opinion pageA6 Puzzle pageA10 TV pageA11 2000 Sioux City Newspapers Inc. A uses recycled gf paper and 1 color soy ink. It is a fact.

Gov. George Bush did lower taxes in Texas, something that Gov. Vilsack should make a note of. This is one of the reasons Gov. Bush won by a landslide in Iowa and will win the rest of the nation.

Paul Jackson, Sioux City, Iowa THE MINI fit.