The Atchison Daily Globe from Atchison, Kansas • Page 1

Thursday Established in 1877 Our 120th vear Atchison Daily Volume 120 Number 175 AMELIA EARHART Birthday Centennial 1897-1997 IN BRIEF Hutchinson names Hailing new managing editor HUTCHINSON Hailing, managing editorof The Hay sDaily News, was named managing editor of The Hutchinson News, the central Kansas newspaper announced Wednesday. Hailing, 38, succeeds Steve Whitmore, who left May 30 to become editor and publisher of La Canada Valley Sun in California. Hailing will take his new post in August. 'Greg and I have similar managing Jini Bloom; who becomes publisher of the Hutchinson newspaper on Monday. "We have a shared interest in developing people into great journalists.

Greg has a strong basket of abilities and a great deal of journalistic experience." Both Hutchinson and Hays newspapers arenart of the Harris Group of newspapers. Hailing has served as managing editor at Hays since March 1994. He has also been managing editorof TheLeavenworth Times and was an adjunct journalism professor at Benedictine College in Atchison. He was also a wire and editor at'The' Emporia Gazette. Hailing received his bachelor'sdegree in English from Benedictine College and a in English from Emporia State University.

Globe will not publish tomorrow The AtchisonDaily Globe will not publish a newspaper on Friday, July 4, so that our employees may enjoy our nation's indepen- dence.The next issuccf the Globe will hit the streets Saturday morning, July 5. Safety commission issues Fourth of July tips WASHINGTON (AP) With the Fourthof July approaching, the Consumer Product Safety Commission notes that emergency rooms treated 7,600 fireworks injuries last year, a third of, them suffered by children under 15. That's an improvement over' 1995 when 11,000 fireworks injuries were recorded, but the safety commission said Wednesday that more reductions in'fire- works injuries are needed. The agency bans fireworks it considers unduly dangerous; including the powerful M-80s. This year it imposed an additional ban on unstable multiple tube fireworks of the kind that killed two bystanders when the device tipped over.

The safety commission offers these suggestions to reduce the risk of injuries from fireworks: children to play with fireworks. and follow ail fireworks warnings and instructions. try to relight fireworks that have fizzled. a bucket of water nearby in case of accident or fire. light fireworks on a smooth, flat surface away from houses.dry leaves and flammable materials.

taxation What happened? Earhart's legacy lives on Local Zontians lay wreath to honor Atchison aviatrix DJP Ullmlw. IflVIVl ((T 1 Bv Chris Taylir Staff writer "Thanks to the Zontas, other service clubs, the 99s, the Forest of Friendship, local people and people with Sixty years after her disappear- W1UI ance, Atchison saluted its missing local ties who have contributed money daughter once again. for Amelia-Earhart projects, Crosby The Atchison Area Zonta Club Kemper for this statue, pilots, both yesterday sponsored an afternoon men and women all over the world, memorial to Amelia Earhart with Amelia's accomplishments have been words, a wreath of sunflowers and kept alive," said Knoch. "Ann the tolling of church bells across the Pellegreno's flight in 1967, and now hills of Earhart's hometown. Linda Finch's recent World On the Mall, in front Flight 1997 has had far of one of the statues of Earhart, Mayor Scott Knoch arid Trinity Episcopal Pastor Father Ray Hartjen saluted the memory and greater all over the world now know more about Amelia Earhart than I ever did as a child or even a young adult." Hartjen echoed Knoch's vit a legacy Earhart left AMELIA EARHART sentiments of the legacy behind: Birthday Centennial Earhart left behind.

"I would like to 1897-1J9 7 He said although her fate open today wjth a a mystery 60 years quote from'the Mayor of Atchison, 'later her accomplishments remain a Albert Lehman, from August record of what determination can said Knoch. "Unless we do erect a achieve. Hartjen said that even more memorial, in 10 years youngsters important than her aviation records is will have grown up who may never know the history of the women who became famous in aeronautics and who was known ass Lady Lindy." Knoch saluted the local Zontians, and many inner ciubs and organizations and individuals who have contributed to keeping the memory of Earhart alive in Atchison. Chris Father Ray Hartjen, pastor of Trinity Episcopal Church in Atchison, praised the the influence Earhart had on giving legacy Amelia Earhart left behind in the aviator's hometown and the world yesterday women an equal footing with men in a a memorial service to mark the 60th anniversary of her disappearance. the world.

"The greatest tribute to Amelia Earhart is not this hunk of bronze but raiher the destruction of gender biases," said Hartjen. "Because of Amelia Earhart women can now be supreme court justices, senators, truck Earhart and said, "May her coura- cluded.Andthetollingechoedacross and tenacity one Atchison girl helped geous and pioneering spirit live on," the hills Earhart roamed as a young change the beiis began co toil. And wiih me ring- girl'and over the Missouri River Then as local Zonta club president ing of church bells from Trinity Epis- bluffs the young Earhart gazed over Janelle Weishaar placed the wreath of copal, Str Benedict's Church 'and Sa- perhaps longing to fly across the far sunflowers by the Mall statue of cred Heart the memorial service con- horizons. Wilson to be arraigned Monday for allegedly kidnapping his father Bu By Jessie Clark The preliminary hearing for the Belton, man accused of kidnapping his own father was held Thursday morning in Atchison County District Court. '40-year-old Kirk Wilson, handcuffed and dressed in jail orange, hardly looked up this morning at his preliminary hearing in Atchison District Court as his 87-year-old father Ray Wilson, Atchison, entered the courtroom using a cane and being helped into his chair by assistant county attorney Kathleen Selzler.

Kirk Wilson was initially charged with aggravated intimidation of a witness arid kidnapping, after he allegedly forced his 87-year-old father to drive to United Missouri Bank at 626 Commercial street, to withdraw $1,000. June During the hearing, the elder Wilson said his son came to his home and. told his father he needed 1,000. "I was laying on the couch in my pajama's," Ray Wilson testified this morning at the preliminary hearing. "When Kirk came to the house, I let him in and he said he needed money.

I told him I didn't have any more money to give him. Then he said 'get dressed we're going to the bank. 1 Wilson then said he drove his son to the bank, because he feared something bad would happen to him if he didn't comply. Ray Wilson also said, he had enough of his son's alleged coercion. "I knew, when we left the house, what I would do," Ray Wilson then said.

"I was going to call the cops." Atchison police officers were called to the UMB Bank after an employee called 911. Officer Lyndon Whittled, who was called to the bank, said when the questioned the elder Wilson, he appeared to be extremely shaken up almost to the point of tears. "Ray told me he didn' have any more money to give him. He said he had pretty well cleaned him out, meaning he had no more money to give him." Arraignment for Kirk Wilson will be held Monday at 1:30 p.m. in Atchison County District Court.

Defendants set life without parole in firefighters' deaths KANSAS CITY, Mo. a case the judge called the most difficult of his people' were sentenced to life without parole for setting a 1988 fire that killed six firefighters in an ensuing explosion. A'defense lawyer said'he expected that appeals would yield not merely reduced sentences for the five, butreversal of their arson convictions, in causing the blast at a south Kansas City highway construction site. "I think we've got some very good issues on appeal, aboutas good as any I've seen in any case in a Ipng, long time," John Osgood, a former prosecutor, said after Wednesday's sentencings in U.S. District Court.

Somerelatives of the firefighters expressed relief at the sentences, which equaled the punishment for first-degree murder, and scoffed at the defendants' staunch claims of innocence. 'At least they've got their families to said Cecilia Kilventon, widow of James 'I can't. My husband's eight feet underground. were convicted of arson in February; two years after a segment about the case on the television show "Unsolved Mysteries" pro: duced hundreds of fresh phone tips and revived the investigation. BeforeimposingsentericeWednes- day, LTiS.

District Joseph E. Stevens Jr. heard assertions of innocence from all five defendants: Frank Sheppard, 47; his brother Skip Sheppard, 37; their nephew Bryan Sheppard, 26; Dariene Edwards, 43; and Richard Brown, 27. 'As God is my witness, I had nothing to do with this," Frank Sheppard, his hands shackled before told spectators packed shoulder-to-shqul- der in the courtroom. "This has been a long ordeal for all of us, and it may be over, but sadly it's not solved.

It's not solved." Prosecutors accused thefiveof tak- ingpartin setting a fire at theconstruc- tion site before dawn on Nov. 29, 1988, to conceal a theft. Fire crews had responded several other times to the lot, and knew dynamite was stored there in bunkers. But on that morning, the site also contained two parked trailers loaded with ammonium nitrate and fuel oil the same explosive combination used in April 1995 in the Oklahoma City federal building blast. One of the burning trailers exploded a.m., instantly killing Kilventon and fellow firefighters Gerald Halle-ran, Robert McKarnin, Michael Oldham, Luther Kurd and Thomas Fry.

Thesecond trailer went up 40 minutes later, again shaking a wide area of south Kansas City. Earlier Wednesday, the judge heard and rejected a final pitch from the defense against treating the defendants' arson convictions as equivalent to first-degree murder. Osgood, representing Brown, argued the firefighters recklessly caused their own deaths by ignoring a security guard's warning that a burning trailercontained ammonium nitrate and fuel oil. The firefighters should have followed their hazardous-materials training and a federal manual and stayed away from the trailer, Osgood said, speaking on behalf of all five See Sentencing Continued on Page 2 WHAT TO DO: A Fourthof July Amelia Earhart Stadium, for more information call Rev. Valerian Ahles at 367-3495.

The photo shoot at the Earthwork at WarnockLake was postponed from Thursday to Friday, July 4 at 9 a.m. Young people and everyone welcome to take part in aphoto of the Earthwork for a commemorative book to come out during July 24-27 celebration. For information call Diane Liebsch at 367-7031 or Chris Taylor at 367-0273. Refreshments available. Saturday 1962 Atchison High School Class Reunion Dinner Dance, Bellevue Country Club, p.m., for more information call Otto Wick at 3677536.

Painting steam Chris Otto Wick, a of the North East Kansas Railroaders, was out yesterday morning painting the numbers of the 811 Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe steam engine in the Atchison Rail Museum. The group had recently put a fresh coat of paint on the engine and Wick was stenciling on the numbers and logo after the paint job..