The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • 1

'GATS' STILL PURRING IfUJVING VANDY STUf TODAY'S VVEATKER A43 Five-day forecast on Page 6B rimson ti 1 IN SPORTS www.tennessean.com NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2007 A GANNETT NEWSPAPER 1j COPYRIGHT 2007 vy hi- VOLUME 103, NO. 18 6 SECTIONS U.S. CANCER DEATHS DROP Cancer deaths in the United States have dropped for a second straight year while more than 1,4 million new cases and 559,000 deaths are projected this year, the American Cancer Society reported. Number of cancer deaths In thousands ffUoadlliDinies i Men Women 230 '89 91 93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 04 6 PHOTOS BY MANDYLUNN THE TENNESSEAN Ravenwood High School senior Bobby Little, 18, sends a text message at a Franklin coffee house. With him are Ravenwood students Kelly Wooters, 17 and Cameron Behar, 17.

GLENN YAEGER, SOUNDS GM "We are on a tight construction schedule, but we can do it if we get in the ground in early February," TEACHERS FEAR TEXT EFFECT Keypad shortcuts creep into English classwork Sounds hope financing won't stall project start By BRYAN MULLEN Staff Writer Despite all the complexities, red tape and politics, it all boils down to one thing for the Nashville Sounds: For a new downtown baseball park to be ready for the 2008 season, a shovel needs to be put in the ground sooa 'We are on a tight construction schedule, but we can do it if we get in the ground in early February," Nashville Sounds General Manager Glenn Yaeger said. "There is very little room for error." is, there is plenty that could go wrong. As the ballpark's financial finish line some drama is being played out. First came the Sounds' private development partner, Baltimore-based Struever Bros. Eccles Rouse, which recently asked for and received a deadline extension from Metro Council to meet the company's financial obligations for the new ballpark.

Team, builder on 2 tracks Now some building contractors and real-estate insiders are growing more pessimistic about the ballpark even being built as construction costs continually rise. Then there's the city councilman con: Please see SOUNDS, 1 1 A Wei 'Cr? 4 owf COUNCILMAN DAVID BRILEY "The concern is, Ms this thing ever going to Bobby Little, 18, lets his thumbs do some talking via text messages at It's A Grind Coffee House in Franklin. IF SHAKESPEARE HAD A CELL PHONE Centennial High School teacher Lindsey Martin challenged her freshman students to explain these famous quotes from Romeo and Juliet using text-message treatment. Following are some student responses: A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME The Nashville Sounds' proposed $43 million baseball stadium project would include condos, a hotel and restaurants. It's By JAIME SARRI0 Staff Writer Sometimes it seems like kids are using another language.

And sometimes, they are. Call it "text speak," or Web slanguage." No matter how you label it, if you were born pre-Internet era, odds are you don't understand it This shorthand style of writing omits vowels and punctuation in favor of numbers and abbreviations. For children TEXT with cell phones cpr or instant mes- 9r saging, text Read the speak is a staple first few sen-of casual com- tencesofthis munication, but story in text in some Middle Tennessee rageibA schools, it's making a jump from the chat-room to the classroom. "To be very honest, I think it is destroying their grammar skills," said Lindsey Martin, a ninth-grade English teacher at Centennial High School in Williamson County. "Students cannot spell, they don't capitalize proper nouns and they have no idea how to use commas or semi-colons." Martin was so tired of confiscating cell phones used to send text messages, she assigned a Please see TEXTING, 16A SOURCE: American Cancer Society AP Cancer battle at turning point 2 years with fewer deaths signal trend By ROB STEIN The Washington Post and CLAUDIA PINTO Staff Writer WASHINGTON The number of Americans who died of cancer has dropped for a second straight year, marking a milestone in the war on cancer, officials said Wednesday.

More than 3,000 fewer Americans died from cancer in 2004 than in 2003, according to statistics analyzed by the American Cancer Society, indicating that a smaller decline a year earlier was probably not a fluke but the start of a trend. "It's very exciting," said Ahmedin Jemal, a cancer epidemiologist who prepared the report. "I think it's a turning point in our efforts to reduce the number of INSIDE Feople dybg from cancer. Cancer Its very good found more news" often in The trend dense breast was Mwm tissue study death's from three of the four major forms of cancer breast, prostate and colorectal and a decline in deaths among men from the fourth, lung cancer. It was caused by a combination of factors, including a decline in smoking among mea wider screening for colon, prostate and breast cancer, and better treatments, Jemal and others said.

"There's a lot of good news in this report," said Linda Pickle of the National Cancer Institute. 'We hope that it's the beginning of a long-term downward trend and that we've finally turned the corner." In Tennessee, cancer deaths dropped from 12,595 in 2003 to 12,558 in 2004, according to data from the state's department of health. In Davidson County, there were L122 cancer deaths in 2003, compared to 1,069 in 2004. 'We are moving in the right direction," said Megan Brown, spokesperson for the American Cancer Society's Tennessee chapter. are seeing the results of years and years and decades and decades of cancer research and educatioa This second year decline, this steep decline, is due to the efforts of the past." scheduled to open in 2008.

15- to 20-story residential Quote: "Tybalt, that an hour hath been my cousin. Sweet Juliet, Thy beauty hath made me effeminateAnd in my temper soft'ned valor's steel!" 5-story residential 75 condos behind the left-field fence 250 condos along the first-base line Quote: "See how she leans her cheek upon that hand! that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek." Text speak: Romoe: bro, I so dig Jul. I want 2 her husband Benvolio: then dont you marry her? Romeo: idk (I don't know) Benvolio: scared? Romeo: no, I just dont want 2 rush things -byCaitlin Smith, 15 10-story residential, hotel 175-room hotel, 125 condos and up to 6 restaurants 'jF V'" Text speak: Romeo: Ur my cousin Tybalt: noim Romeo: my love 4 julie has taught me to be more calm and not fight with swords. Tybalt: that's not going to help by Riley Mayes, 15 I -woua lift lo.ooo 1 i t' L4V READ MORE TEXT SPEAK ON PAGE 16A 4 Cnnmri TCYT lr ritr1 nurnr rn Dnmort anW li iliat that uac lnrrtton in favnca onH 1ST AVENUE earned an A. THE TENNESSEAN RENDERING COURTESY OF HASTINGS ARCHITECTURE ASSOCIATES, LLC AND HOK SVE.

George Jones U. to teach the music trade i mmw i Sections: Local News Sports Living Business Classifieds 5 "No Show Jones" during his drinking days for skipping his concerts, but when he created a career leading to Days-long course billed as university alternative Beverly Keel i tog Search GEORGEJONES for more information about George Jones University and to view our George Jones artist page. the Hall of Fame and a reputation as one of the best country singers ever. GJU's first class i will luuviiit; mi three days in late 1 March, and then l4090T'05606l What school would have a possum as its mascot, "White Lightning" as its fight song and a knowing wink for students who don't show? Why, George Jones University, of course, a new education program that will provide a grand tour of the country music industry to a class of up to 200 students hoping to follow in Jones' cowboy bootsteps not when The Possum also was dubbed and Music Row politics, said Tandy Rice, a GJU partner and its "dean." Oilier partners are Jones and his wife, Nancy, and Gandylnk executive Matthew Wilkes. "There is a large market, in my for people who don't have JONES once quarterly thereafter.

Country music To subscribe call: 242-NEWS or (800) 342-8237 leaders will discuss topics such as music publishing, recording con tracts, artist imaging, life on the road Please see JONES, 2A.