The Herald-Palladium from Benton Harbor, Michigan • 8

8A WEDNESDAY, June 12, 2002 The Herald-Palladium Benton Harbor-St Joseph WEATHER 1 FT Afternoon Sunday Saturday Tonight Friday Thursday Anrryid'ldf('e AcruVVwiner, loe. 4: Shown is tomciow weather. Temperatures are tonight's lows and tomorrow's highs. Sault Ste. Marie 4771- 3 j.

Mostly sunny. Patchy clouds. Clouds and sun with a shower or two. 68 52 Times of clouds and sunshine. 74 Mostly cloudy and.

breezy with showers. 64 52 Mostly cloudy with a few t-showers. 70 54 68 50 54 IF: 4T I IMlHfc Temperature 100 Daily range Trave- City 51C 84 Bo Normal Exclusive AceuWeather composite ol the effects ot -temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine, precipitation, and elevation on the human body Noon today 4 p.m. today 75 p.m. today 8 a.m.

tomorrow 61 80 76 high 83" ....88 .,.76 High Low Normal high Normal low 68 68 64 "Li, 60 Normal low Jf I A Precipitation 40" 45 67 .68 .69 ,610 611 i- 612 613 614 615 616 i. Temperatures next 5 days Temperatures past 5 days Normal month to daw 1271! Year to date 14.06"" Normal year to date 14.8!? Pollen Mold 1-3, Minimal; 4-5, Low; 6-7, Moderate; 8-9, High; 10. Very High Higher index numbers indicate greater eye and skin expo- sure to Ultraviolet rays 1 Noon today it))iMiunMMUiitilHIIiH)m 4 4 p.m, 5 1 1 Eentor Harfco St. Jc Allergen Rating Low Grains Per Cubic Meter 18 Brldgma1 55770 New 59r From Holland to Indiana border. Winds tonight variable under 10 knots with waves 1-2 feet: North winds tomorrow at 5-10 knots with waves ol 1-2 feet.

Variably cloudy tonight; showers chicego Grass; Weeds i444ij Mold Moderate fn JfM EfrjVgfflftjt Moderate BaaaaMjiailMBaBaaalB 3400 and some thunder tomorrow. Visibility under 2 miles in thunder. Water temperature 60. Ren. TTi Wjiv, Sunset tonight' 593 Sunrise tomorrow 6:09 a.m.

1 RMwJllm 1 miiVik Main Offender Source: EPA in Coloma, Michigan Air Quality Yesterday Mam Offender The htqher the number, the greater the rowd tar people 5M00 with respiratory problems to t01-150 reduce outside activity. i.f Scalo is from 0 to 200. Moonris today 7:27 Moonset today 11:21 p.m. First Full Last New QQ-0O- June .17 June 24 -July 2 July 10 wMH.H.I.M, S3 ozone Good Sensitive General Saturday HI LOW Tomorrow Hi LoW Friday HI LoW Friday Hi LoW Saturday Hi LoW City Partly to mostly cloudy and dry tonight, tows 52-56. Showers and some thunderstorms are possible tomorrow.

Highs near 70. Winds tomorrow north at 5-10 mph. Indiana Partly to mostly cloudy tonight with thunderstorms across the south. Partly to mostly cloudy tomorrow with showers and thunderstorms. Tomorrow HI Lo 74 58 pc- "71 54 sh Source: EPA in Coloma, Michigan 87 850'f 73 63po 67 51c" 72 50pc ,71 54C 75 540'; 67 53pc Ann Artwr 79 Set-" 71 50r- 72 52c; Battle Creek 72 56 sh 67 51 71 51 eayClty 70 52 7t Cheboygan 69 51 sh 70 46 70 46 pc 73 58fr 68 53e "73 55 pc Cincinnati 78 62 1 74 54 74 54 pc Cleveland 70 68 7 54 68 58 of 62 42C; Upper Peninsula City Kokomo Kankakee Marquette Midland Mount Muncie vr; "Lansing 'Sagrnaw -Sault Ste.

Marie" South Bend Toledo uoiumous, uti bi i sac bbOC1 77 58 sh 74 55 pc 68 46 Sh 70 56 sh' 72 84sh 76 58 1 70 54 Sh 72 54 sh 70 58 Sh 71 53 sh 73 set 73 58 Detroit, 82 45C--, 67 Sir 68 49 -71 54r 65 51 0 68 49 67 52r" 71 47 87 53 Sh 72 53 Sh 66 49 Sh Illinois Mostly cloudy tonight with some thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy tomorrow with some thunderstorms. Thunderstorms will be mainly In the morning across the north. Ohio Mostly cloudy tonight with thunderstorms south; a shower or two north. Variably cloudy tomorrow with showers and thunderstorms in spots, V.

71 52 sh 7t50 74 53c 09 SI DC 70 49c 71 52 C-, 66 45 pc 71 53 pa 73 54c 9 49pq Partly cloudy east tonight; otherwise, mostly cloudy. A few showers late in the west, Mostly cloudy tomorrow with showers. Lower Peninsula Partly to mostly cloudy tonight. Variably cloudy tomorrow with showers; thunderstorms across the l78 59t -70 S4 8h-70 580, 73 55 sh' 68 50 "71.50 -78 58f 72 54 Sh" 74 52C? 72 55 Sh' 67 52 70 52 pc 74 571 7.67 53pQ 77 581' 72 54 sh 74 56 pc .73 56c 68 51 Flint Fori Wayne 'Grand Rapids" Indianapolis Jackson City 8 Legend: s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, e-cloudy, sh-showers, r-rain, t-thunderstorms, if-snow Hurries, sn-snow, Hot 1 xtmmw, Tomorrow Friday Saturday Hi LoW HI LoW HI LoW. -Tomorrow Friday Saturday HI LoW HI LoW Hi LoW Tomorrow Friday Saturday, HI LoW HI LOW HI LoW 73 "80 84 54 "76 73pc 94 62 70 60 pc 58 s-.

74 pc 60 sh 84 84 pe 80 60 pc 92 72c 76 60 sh 73 63s 78 46 89 74s -94 74 pc' 80 54 pc Tomorrow Hi LoW 87 62 51 89 77T 86 77 sh 63 59 Sh 81 59 pc 74 61 PC 77 59 -6252, DoitWF if how 1 i i i i i iiiil.i'.iii'iiiMi Ii ii iiimii i n.i.i i milln i iii ii nil -0s 1 70i 1 92 '78 82 107 80S' i 68 50 c' 104 102 76 821 581 51s 60s 107 72 .67 80 Xiry: Oklahoma City Omaha Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburgh Portland, ME Portland, OR fit. Louis Sail Lake City San Antonio San Diego San Francisco Seattle Friday HI LoW 78 81pc-66 57c 91 77 86 77c 75 54 pc 73 58r 66 561 75 53 sh 82 63 pc 80 66 pc 83 64 1 61 46 pc 77 870 63 50 sh 80 54 pc Saturday HI LoW 82 66 PC 82 66 91 790,, 86 78 pc 75 6200 74 59 57 67 53c 7S68T 79 67 pc 88 651 68 47c 76 70 po 62 47 9 49pc City Afeuquerque Anchorage Atlanta--' City Baltmore --j Birmingham -WW TfZ'M Boston Buffalo 5 SC'- Chartestoa WV' Charlotte Cheyenne sl" Da'las Denver City Des Molnea Helena tonofulir Houston. Las Vegas Los Angeles Memphis Milwaukee Orleans, New York jNorrorK City Beijing Berlin Hong Kong tondon Mexico City Montreal Moscow Parts Rio de Janeiro Rome Sydney Toronto 84 78 89 "78 107 76 .68 92 ,79 88 98 69 82 88 90 64 pc 70 50s 85 61 pc, 66 60 sh 74 60 Sh 86 59 pc 94 58 '-63 54 sh 68 501 92 690:: 78 65c 88 .62 72 88 68 pc 92 64(1 69 51 82 62 PC 78 58c' 79 80 pc 83 63s 92 56 po 68 56 sh 68 508" 87 65 pc 75 57C-; 84 64 pc 77 48PC 86 68 pc 84 66 63 49 a 93 69 pc. 73 59 80 64c -f 93 70 pc 90 58 9 67 55 pc 72 56 pc 94 73 pc 83 63 1 94 68 pc 70 44 pc 94 70 pc 74 50 PC. 58 pc 51 74 pc 70 pc torn 76 621 61 pc 61 pc 54 52 PC 58 pc.

72 pc 60 sh 66 pc 76 56 pc 81 52 pc 87 73S'-90 70 pc 60 60 i 102 76 88 62 78 61 pc 84 64 at 70 53 pc '72 54 DC 81 61 90 701-74 60 Sh' .62 64 pc 92 68 pc 76 61 pc '93 87 pc 70 53 86 '78 82 63 521 8tsh- 56 pc 57 pc, 62 70 pc 82 50stl 76 54 pc 79 61 90 60s 92 TOpS 69 62 pc 59 DC 74 58 90 74 pc 92 62 pc 70 52 DC 62 62 pc 69 57 pc -83 67 pc 80 62 8 66' 41 pc 77 67r.f 71 54c 66 631 ,70 SOstlvTO 89 65 pc 81' 92 741 92 74 58 pc 69 88 72 pc B0 52 DC 64 54 pc NATIONAL SUMMARY: New England will have some sunshine tomorrow. Showers and a few thunder-, storms will occur from the southern mid-Atlantic to eastern Oklahoma and the Upper Midwest. and thunderstorms also will affect South Florida. The Deep South will have another hot and muggy day. The High Plains, Rockies and West will have some sunshine.

58 i pC 72 52 PC 60 pc 80 54 pc Washington, DC 84 68 House Speaker Rick Johnson of LcRoy and Senate Majority Leader Dan DcGrow, both Republicans, 'It's important not to overreact to the deadline on Friday. If it takes us past Friday, we just need to take a deep breath and get it FRANK WALSH St. Joseph city manager recently proposed a number of budget cuts to help resolve the roughly $350 million hole in the $9.1 billion general fund budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 The proposed cuts would affect the state's revenue-sharing funds for local governments, immunizations for low-income families and early childhood development services, among other areas. Lawmakers wouldn't have to approve $149,5 million in budget cuts ii tney approve increasing tne cigarette tax by 30 cents, according day, we just need to take a deep breath and get it done." While an agreement may be close, the negotiations have not gone smoothly and some feelings evidently remain raw.

At Monday night's Royalton Township Board meeting, Supervisor Steve Tilly predicted that Lincoln Township would refuse to sign the agreement. Tilly also is authority chairman. The authority could not approve a proposed agreement if even one of the members refuses, Tilly said. If that happened, the authority would have to ask Lincoln to leave, hc-said. Pscholka took exception to what he said has "become a form of sport, to speculate" about what Lincoln Township would do.

Pscholka made his -comments after moving to approve a proposed 2002-03 budget for the authority. That budget calls for expenditures of $465 ,650, as opposed to a 200 1 -02 budget of SI 76,600. 1 Some $288,000 of the new budget would come out of Lincoln Township coffers, Pscholka said. "Despite that, we may be asked to leave the authority," Pscholka said. "I find that bizarre.

I find it unconscionable. We will likely support the (new budget) because it's the right thing to do. It's time WATER From page 1A The proposed agreement says any member municipality that does not agree with a proposal "for the incurrence of capital improvement indebtedness may, within 30 days after the approval by a majority of the Authority trustees serve upon the Authority: and the City notice of its intent to withdraw from the in- three years. "We were willing to compromise tonight and give up the rate setting formula," Trustee Al Pschoika said after the meeting. "But give us some protection on capital improvement in the long term, and if you do then yeah, let's get this behind us and solve the issue.

We'll have where that goes." The agreement is "just not real clear on how, if we didn't want to incur that capital debt, how we would get out," Pscholka said. that's cleared tip, think, we can live with the rest of it." St. Joseph hud set a Friday deadline for the authority to OK the agreement. However. Walsh said, "It's important not to overreact to the deadline on I riday.

If it takes us past Fri TAXES Lawmakers sticking to no-tax pledge From page 1A resolve the $492 million state Gilmer expects for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. "I go by what I think it best for the people of Michigan and the business community," Steil said. "Probably, one should never do. one of these pledges.

Everything you're doing as a legislator has an impact on the next thing you're doing, so you have to make some concessions." The pledges were signed by 1 0 the Senate's 23 Republicans and none of the Seante's 15 Democrats. On the House side, 14 of 58 Republicans signed the pledge; none of the 51 Democrats did. GOP Reps. Stephen Ehardt of Lexington and Wayne Kuipers of Holland both signed but said they would vote for a cigarette tax increase after reducing state spending. Rep.

Paul DeWeese is among the Michigan lawmakers who signed the pledge, but said he doesn't remember signing the document on Oct. 19, 1998. The Williamston Republi can called such pledges irresponsible. "We're governing by ideology now," he said. "It says, 'Don't show me facts, Don't tell me about the children who will die and programs that will be cut.

We were sent here to cut Emily Sedgwick, state projects manager for the Americans for Tax Reform, said .1,274 of the nation's 7,242 legislators signed the pledge for 2002. She said she's growing impatient with state lawmakers who she says arc going back on their promise to oppose all tax increases. "Even if you signed this pledge six years ago, ypu don't change your mind because your budget is different," she said. In" Michigan and other across the country, lawmakers are considering raising taxes and cutting spending to resolve large budget shortfalls. GOP Rep.

Leon Drolet of Macomb County's Clinton Township, who signed the no-tax pledge, said the promise reminds lawmakers that they shouldn't automatically increase taxes to balance the budget. "I am not going to blame the taxpayers because government has spent more than the rate of inflation," Drolet said. "We should move forward and make the tough cuts." for others to look in the mirror and ask if they are doing the same." The authority's budget shows a sharp increase because it is going to have to undertake some expensive sewer repairs in the coming ycar. Thc Lincoln Township Board voted to amend its budget, moving $2,000 from its water fund and $213,000 from its sewer fund to help accommodate the increased authority budget. Lincoln Township pays 62 percent of the authority budget, St.

Joseph Township pays 32.5 percent of the budget, and Royalton Township pays 7 percent. Stcvcnsville is included in Lincoln Township, and Shoreham is included in St. Joseph Township. lican legislators and Gov. John Engler.

However, Johnson has said the House is going ahead with the proposed cuts because he doesn't think there's enough votes in the House to support a cigarette tax increase. He's basing that assessment in part on the number of no-tax pledges made by GOP representatives. "I've told members, 'Why did you sign that pledge? Think about reality before you do he said. On the Net: Michigan Legislature, http:www.michiganlegislature.org Americans tor Tax Reform, http:www.atr.org. RATES 911 During the closings, the 1-94 exit ramps from M-139 will be closed and traffic will be detoured to exits at.Niles Road and Napier Avenue, Ramos said.

The two new bridges one for each direction of travel will M-63 will remain closed through July 3 from north of Momany Drive to Paw Paw Avenue. Local traffic can use the road from Golf Road to Paw Paw Avenue. When the project shifts into its final phase next month, M-63 will have phc traffic lane open in each direction, but Klock Road will require very long beams, and M-139 must be closed as a safety measure while they are put in place. remain closed. Work during this-: isn't enough competition to keep them honest," Waymirc said.

"SBC has dropped rates in other states for a while, but then later raises them several times." Ameritech denied that the moves are temporary. "These arctj't short-term, quick-grab promotions;" said -Ameritech Vice President Steve Dimmitt. "This is to demonstrate we value our existing customers, and we want them to know it" One rival praised Ameritech's price cuts. "I'm glad to sec that Ameritech is finally lowering its local monopoly rates," said Mike Pruyn, a spokesman for phase will include construction of the M-63 intersection with Klock Road. ROAD WORK From page 1 A "After this whole project is completed by October, the entire Edgcwatcr area will have the look of what we dreamed about five years ago." Edgcwatcr, a former- industrial site north of the St.

Joseph River along M-63, is a developing area that mixes houses, industries and businesses: The M-63 project aims to improve transportation along one of the main corridors through the Twin Cities. When the project is finished, Upton and Klock Road will connect at M-63. A new road, Edgcwater Drive, will connect M-63 in St. Joseph to Rivcrview Drive in Benton Harbor. Planning is under way for a new bridge to carry Edgcwater Drive over the Paw Paw i From page 1A now and we want to make sure we offer the best products and services," Schocnherr said.

"It's what customers want." The-number of Michigan phone customers served by other companies has risen from 268,000 in 2000 to about 900,000 today, according to the state Public Service Commission. "SBC is-feeling the bite of competition," said David Waymirc, a spokesman for the Michigan Competitive Telecommunications Providers Association, a Lansing-based coalition of long distance phone companies. "The problem there is still From page 1A back together. "To repair a regular copper line, it is like splicing a handful of spaghetti back together," she said. Kuenig said Ameritech apologizes for any The 9H interruption had an immediate impact on at least one police department Tuesday.

-C'hikami'ng Police Chief James Stonnont was 'at the scene of a two-vehicle car crash on Red Arrow Highway involving injuries just before the 'HI difficulties occurred. Stormont said initial 91 1 calls went through, and emergency-vehicles got to the scene, but problems soon developed. "IVopic started scrambling to cover the holes," Storniorit said "It definitely Changes the way We do -business. We all forget how important 91 1 will! something like this happens." Ramos said the long beams are required because the new bridges will not use a center pier for support. The existing bridge has a support pier in the center of M-139, and it sometimes blocks drivers' vision.

Crews have been on the job six days a week and will continue on that schedule until they finish, Ramos said. Much of the concrete patch work on has been done, and asphalt paving is scheduled to begin on Sunday. 1-94 project In the 1-94 project zone, at least two lanes of traffic are being kept open during the day for most of the time, MDOT said. During nighttime hours, at least one lane will be kept open in each direction. M-139 traffic will be maintained for one lane in each direction except for the one-day closure June 20.

Other similar closures will be required as the work progresses. in Chicago. "But that's what competition is all about and it leads to lower prices, bet- tcr services and more options (for) the consumer." I.