The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 82

(Il)c Atlanta ammial AND CONSTITUTION SUNDAY, AAARCH 5, 1 989 400 Students Take Part in Conference on Sex, Drugs and Nutrition you, but I know if I eat right I can avoid getting both of them." said Dr. Rudolph Jackson of the Morehouse School of Medicine led the workshop on AIDS and adolescents, which gave the students not only cause and prevention techniques but startling photographs and statistics about how AIDS has affected the black community. March of Dimes. The most popular workshops were those on sexual intercourse, which gave teens information on sexual responsibility, and on nutrition, which emphasized healthy eating habits. The students said they understood not only what was being said but how they could apply it to their lives.

"I felt I was learning things about sex from a good friend instead of a teacher. I felt comfortable and not afraid to talk and afterward I know that I am not ready for sex," said Gerron Foster, 14, of Coan Middle School. "Diabetes and bulimia were problems that I had heard about but today's nutrition seminar taught me things about both. I was scared after learning what they can do to "You get told a hundred times not to do drugs, but today I learned about what was in the drugs and the bad things they can do to you," he said. The daylong conference, sponsored by the Atlanta chapter of the March of Dimes and the Peachtree Suburban Chapter of The Links a national civic organization of black women, offered 13 one-hour workshops with information from area medical professionals, politicians and police officials.

Dr. Rudolph Jackson, professor and department chairman for pediatrics at the Morehouse School' of Medicine, led the workshop on AIDS and adolescentswhich gave the students not only cause and prevention techniques but startling photographs and statistics about Melanie Patrick, 14 of Sylvan Mid-r-w die School. US. Links members said the semi-tJt nars and help groups will continue throughout the year. "The underlying reason for thisjf conference is money and the ability' of the students to maximize their economic potential.

We are trying to prepare these young people the rest of their lives with different support mechanisms," said Cherlyn Mitchell, chairman for The Links. 'ifl As apart of the day's activities, Mayor Andrew Young was present-4V'()y ed with an award of appreciation by Qrj Links members for his assistance with the annual conference and his support of the city's youth. ok Ik Students were selected to participate in the conference by teachers who have identified them to be in high-risk groups or in need of help with peer pressure or family problems. "We are attempting to make these children feel that they are a vital part of our mission to make people of social problems around them," said Lorie Mayer, director of community services for the orU I'ftB'f) Issue for Next Mayor Comparing the Mayoral Candidates On Taxes, Other Money Matters Changes during Michael L. Lomax's tenure as Fulton County' Commission chairman, and Maynard H.

Jackson's terms as mayor of Atlanta boo 37 r.uon Fulton County 1982 1989 Increase Number of employees 3,314 5,091 53.6 Millage 13J53 15.06 8.9 Tax on $100,000 home $526.66 $574.24 9,0 Bonded Indebtedness $66.8 million $301.2 million 350.9 Budget $146.7 million $296.9 million 102.4 AeofDec, 31, 1988 1988 rate. County approved no-Increase resolution (or 1989 taxes, but rate not actually set until May. City of Atlanta 1974 1982 Increase Number of employees 8,221 8,265 0.5 Millage 16.30 20.85 27.9 Tax on $100,000 home $593 $756.75 27.6 Bonded Indebtedness $166.5 million $170.6 million 2.5" Budget $113.4 million $184.7 million 62.9 "I consider myself, in fiscal terms, to be a conservative," Mr. Jackson said. "I believe in doing more with less." The former mayor noted that property taxes during his years at City Hall grew more slowly than inflation.

He contrasted that with Mr. Lomax's record, which he says indicates a willingness to "tax and spend." 1 Mr. Lomax spurned the charge. "I'm not much on labels," he said, "but I think I tend to be a moderate in my approach." He blamed the county's spate of tax increases on a steady reduction in federal aid during the Reagan years, coupled with an expansion of county services. Mr.

Lomax noted that, despite those fiscal pressures, the county millage is just a tad higher than when he took office 10 years ago. A pro-development commissioner whose campaign support comes largely from builders and related interests, he credited booming development with keeping tax rates down. "People take shots at me for having been supportive of development in Fulton County," he said, "but the net result of development has meant that our tax digest has continued to grow." Mr. Lomax is capitalizing on the county's avoidance of a tax increase this year, but the no-increase mandate adopted by the. County Com-mission last year was not his idea, according to its sponsors, Commissioners Michael Hightower and Gordon L.

Joyner. "Lomax came along to embrace the no tax increase after Hightower and I had already taken the initiative to present it to county commissioners," Mr. Joyner said. "At most, Lomax was an unintended WffW Jesr! OS oJ 8B7 iai 6 10 Ol imort 70-03 9fiJ Mora ShC! brio hem U(Sl islliv 'Ml mm h'Ai 7yfq mora avriq SB Includes school board levy. at the millage rate per se but at what the city's needs are," said Councilman Jackson, the Finance Committee chairman during the mer mayor's administration.

"If the needs say an increase is needed, I believe he would be behind that," Ira Jackson said. Mr. Lomax proposes several short- and long-term property tax abatement measures, including city and county consolidation. "I realize it's a difficult issue fraught with political peril, but the city doesn't have a sufficient tax base to support itself without expanding, he said. Atlanta also must examine alternative revenue sources, he said.

Mr. Lomax supports "tourist taxes," (such as the mixed-drink and enter-'tainment levies, special tax districts for capital projects in specific areas such as Buckhead and Midtown and a point-of-earnings tax for a 16-county metro region. By Bernadette Burden StuffWriter More than 400 city of Atlanta middle and high school students participated Saturday in heart-to-heart "rap" sessions to discuss problems that they say adults like to lecture them about but not discuss frankly. Straight talk on sex, AIDS, drug abuse, unwanted pregnancy and nutrition was the focus of the third annual Youth Health Conference Saturday at G.W. Carver High School.

"At first I didn't think I wanted to come, because I thought it was going to be another boring afternoon of people telling us what we should and should not do, but it wasn't like that," said Johnny Thornton, 15, who attends Coan Middle School. Taxes a Big From Page 1C Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of city needs are pending, and observers agree the next mayor will have to confront them. Combined sewer overflows, large road projects and solid waste disposal top the list of infrastructure projects, while social issues such as the city's ever-increasing homeless population also dog the budget. A review of ad valorem adjustments during their tenures shows that tax hikes have not exactly been anathema to either candidate. In 1982, Mr.

Lomax's first budget year as County Commission chairman, the county tax rate rose slightly, then underwent consecutive reductions in 1983, 1984 and 1985. The trend reversed in 1986 as the millage climbed steadily for three years. Like the city, the county has adopted a no-increase mandate for 1989. Two large tax hikes, one in 1975 and the other in 1982, bracketed Mr. Jackson's administration as mayor.

He also cut taxes twice, in 1976 and 1981, but those modest cuts were outweighed by the increases. His final budget which Mayor finalized left taxes almost 5 mills higher than when Mr. Jackson took the mayor's reins in 1974. Taxes on a $100,000 home in unincorporated Fulton County have increased 9 percent under Mr. Lomax's tenure, from $526 to $574.

The tax on a home of equal value in the city increased 27.6 percent during the Jackson administration, from $593 to $757. Despite their willingness to impose tax increases when they thought it necessary, neither candidate views himself as a free spender with the public's money. Similarities Seen in Deaths Of 4 Women From Page 1C "This one today, I'm not prepared to say it's the same," Lieutenant Walker said. "We're still investigating it at this time. It's too early to make any assumptions." In the previous cases, which happened over the past six months, police said two were similar, and a third was very similar in detail, but because it occurred across town, investigators were not convinced it was connected to the other two.

The first death occurred in August in southeast Atlanta near the Clayton County line. Saturday's death occurred about six miles north of the first slaying. The other two slayings occurred in Sept 1988 and Feb. 1989 within two miles of each other in the Vine City area. Lieutenant Walker had ordered the three detectives on the first three homicides to work together on the cases.

Among the similarities: The women were alone in their homes at night In two of the cases the homes were broken into. In the third, police said there was no sip of forced entry, and that the woman may have let in her attacker. Ms. Britt was alone Friday night in her home, which had been bro-, ken into. One of the women was the other two were sexually assaulted.

They were all found dead on their beds, and all showed signs of being strangled, although the official cause of death for one was listed as asphyxiation by suffocation. Police said her face had been pressed into a pillow. Ms. Britt's nude body was found on her bed, and police said she appeared to have been strangled. They have not yet determined whether she was sexually assaulted.

Burglary or robbery is the suspected motive in the first three cases, and police said Ms. Britt's hcjne had been ransacked. how AIDS has affected the black community. "I find that teenagers are aware of AIDS and its consequences, but after that their knowledge is limited about its causes and how it affects minority groups. There are too many myths and ignorances being publicized about who gets AIDS.

I hope good, hard facts to the students will change this," Dr. Jackson said. beneficiary." Unlike the county under Mr. Lomax, the city during Mr. Jackson's tenure was strapped with an eroding tax base and double-digit inflation.

To keep taxes down, the for- mer mayor relied heavily on federal grant funds and employee cutbacks, which earned him the wrath of lo- cal labor unions. "He raised taxes when he felt the need to, but we don't feel it ever trickled down to city employees," said David Palmer, staff representative for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Little federal money was coming to Atlanta in the mid-1970s, but by the early 1980s, the city's budget included nearly $50 million a year in grant funds. "Maynard made getting grant money a major part of his job," said one official familiar with the former mayor's administration. "That may not be so easy next time around, because there's just not that federal money Mr.

Jackson, who practices bond law for the Chicago-based firm of Chapman and Cutler, also is likely to rely more heavily than Mayor Young did on issuing bonds for projects, officials said. "I think he will push for a way to reduce the burden on the general fund by pushing for long-term debt on capital projects," said City Councilman Ira Jackson, who supports the former mayor. "He has long experience in that field, obviously, and it helps reduce the need to increase the millage rate." Despite Mr. Jackson's boasts of fiscal conservatism, some observers, including supporters, suggest new taxes will not be beyond discussion. "Based on what I've seen, my belief is that Maynard will not look Ann Britt RON CODDINGTONStaff to three weeks, he said.

Lieutenant Walker said police have combed their files back to 1984 looking for strangulation deaths. He said that while other open homicides with similar details have surfaced, police believe only the three from 1988 and 1989 possibly are connected. A decision on whether Ms. Britt's death is connected to these will be made later, he said. In Oct 1986, another task force was formed to investigate the slayings of four elderly west Atlanta women.

The four women were all black and in their 70s or 80s and several had been sexually assaulted. Three had been strangled or suffocated and the fourth was beaten to death. Two of the slayings occurred in March 1983, one in March 1985 and the last in Oct 1986. There also were three robberies during which the women were assaulted, that the task force added to their investigation. Lieutenant Walker said he does not believe any of those slayings are connected to the current group of murders, although none of the killings has been solved.

Another task force was created in April 1986 to investigate the last serial killings of elderly women that occurred in the city. In that Instance, a 32-year-old laborer arrested in April 1986 was convicted of raping and murdering four elderly women during March and April of that year. Newspaper Names New Asst. Managing Editor Slayings of Four Women Investigated No Clues Are Found On Woman Officers searched Saturday for a missing 26-year-old computer analyst, believed abducted while working late Feb. 26 at her Norcross office, but failed to turn up any clues.

About 125 officers combed the 236-acre office park off Beaver Ruin Road for about seven hours, but were unable to learn any more about the disappearance of Lisa Geise. Ms. Geise, of 2105 Tree Trail Parkway near Lilburn, logged on to her computer at 9:30 p.m. seven days ago to work on the month's end inventory for Larson Picture Frames her employer said. When Ms.

Geise failed to return home by 6 a.m. Monday, her roommates called police, who have since found evidence of. blood at her work station and her car abandoned in a nearby parking lot A $25,000 reward has been offered leading to her safe return, but has yet produced no leads, Gwinnett police spokesman Lawrence M. Walton said. Saturday's effort, he said, was routine.

"There was no tip," Mr. Walton said. "They wanted to go back." Kathy Scruggs ticles written for the newspapers after extensive travels through the region. His works of journalism, poetry and fiction have appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers in this country and abroad and have earned him a number of prizes and awards, including the Sigma Delta Chi Green Eyeshade Award and the Gwendolyn Brooks Literary Award for Poetry. In 1987, he was named United Press International's Writer of the Year in Georgia.

Mr. Fuller is married and the father of three children. He and his family reside in Decatur. J. in Marietta beating on her door.

"They told us to get out, so we started walking," she said. Many of the hundreds of people evacuated from apartments, hotels, restaurants and other businesses went to the Cobb County Civic Center, which was opened about midnight to accommodate them. There was no indication early today when residents might be able to return to their homes. Cobb County's hazardous waste team was on the scene, along with officials from the police, fire and sheriffs departments. 7:00 Great Circuses of the World The Big Apple Circus of New York presents Chinese acrobats, dancing elephants and performing seals.

60 Mlnutei Charges a company withheld cancer-risk data from its employees; Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto; college TV course, 8:30 Married With Children Kelly must oin I tap-dancing club she Insulted. 9:00 CDMovIe "Manhunter" (1986) William Petersen, Tom Noonan, An FBI agent is called out of retirement to hunt i mass murderer as only he can. Directed by Michael Mann. 'R' 10:30 (3D A Matter of Life and Death Jour- nalists Ike Pappas and Ron Golubin each Investi gate 1 197S Florida murder. Host; John McLaugh gal (in lin, 11:30 CONkwi I ill 1 i i A 'ii fb 'I'll March 4, 1989 fJ I Cleveland falngsidePt.

i 3 I iwlaBll Enlarged McAfet I Area Aug. 22, 1988 pSCl tyfijp? Simon St, ff (Splki I () March 4, 1989 ijnl'f, If.btO vri.) Mr. Jackson emphasized state and federal revenue sources, saying those governments have played too small a role in funding city programs. In particular, he said the state has failed to address human service needs in Atlanta such as homelessness. In addition, the former mayor pointed to his record of increased collection of city fines, which he said contain the potential to deliver millions of dollars in new money.

For both candidates, more efficient government is a prime concern. "There are always places where you can cut back," Mr. Jackson said. Mr. Lomax agreed: "The city government is top-heavy with fat salaries and too much staff." Once city excesses are trimmed, he said, "I think you've got a product that sells itself.

Andy has really put this town on the map. I don't think I've got to do as much selling as he had to do." lenge. Mr. Fuller, 39, is a native Atlan-tan and a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College in St Peter, Minn. He joined the newspapers in 1972 as a sportswriter and has served in a variety of jobs, including investigative reporter, features writer and assistant city editor.

For the past six years, he has been a member of the editorial board of The Atlanta Constitution and a weekly columnist. He is the author of a book of poetry and "I Hear Them Calling My Name," a non-fiction book about the New South, based on a series of ar Evacuations night on foot, by car or on police buses. "They just came knocking on my door and said 'go as far north as you said Beverly Hernandez, who fled the Magnolia Manor Apartments with her two children. "They didn't say why, and it scared me real bad," she said. "It smelted like burning rubber.

You know, it burned your eyes, your nose and your throat" Sandra Philpot, another evacu- ee from the Magnolia Manor Apartments, said she smelled the smoke from the fire and then police began 12:30 McLaughlin Group Tower's troubles; violence In the nation's capital. 1:00 CD College Basketball "Duke at North Carolina." Danny Ferry leads Duke into the Smith Center to take on J.R. Reid and the ACC-rival Tar Heels. North Carolina defeated the Blue Devils 91-71 in an early-season meeting. 1:30 SS) Washington Week In Re-view Tower nomination; Bush's trips abroad.

2:00 Golf "Vintage Chrysler Senior Invitational, Final Round." From the Vintage Club, Indian Wells, Calif. Past winners expected to compete Include Orville Moody, Don January and Miller Bar-ber, 2:30 Soloflem 3:00 (3D McLaughlin Group Tower's troubles; violence In the nation's apit Oil 'Olflft1 oiW iMattUMa McCletndoit I Sept. 10, 1988 A source close to the investigation said the cases showed other similarities, such as the use of a piece of clothing or cloth to strangle the victims. When Ms. Britt's body was discovered, there was a sock around her neck.

The first homicide that police are looking at occurred on Aug. 22. 1988, when Lula Bell McAfee, 86, was found in a kneeling position beside her bed with her bra and a rag wrapped around her neck. Ms. McAfee, who lived at 321 Simon St S.E., was found by a male boarder at 2:50 a.m.

The boarder later told police that Ms. McAfee was alive when he left at 5:30 p.m. On Sept 10, 1988, 'Mattie Mae McClendon, 78, was found dead in her bed by her sister. Police who went to her house at 59 South Rhodes St N.W. said she appeared to have been strangled, but the official cause of death was listed as asphyxiation by suffocation.

Ms. McClendon was found with her face in a pillow. On Feb. 4, less than two miles from Mattie McClendon's house, police discovered the body of Johnny Mae Martin, 79. Miss Martin had been strangled in her bed at 165 Walnut St S.W.

Lieutenant Walker said he plans to talk to the State Crime Lab and the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office in an effort to determine if the same person killed the women. A decision on whether to form a task force to work on the cases probably wllljfce made In two ly mcciMiaon Sept. 10. 1988 MARTA odes St. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ri I "Patia Htr-k F7l TT vVtfVpt5 iVI SE TOTnl.

Ma I Enlargedl Martin (Sgn Area Feb, 4, 1989 From Page 1C very good writer. He should be able to help us attract other talented writers." The continuing education aspects of Mr. Fuller's job are crucial, Mr. McCutchen said. "We have never done as well with continuing education and training as we should have.

"I know that will change with Chet monitoring special courses available to our reporters and editors as well as conducting some of the courses himself. I am delighted that he' has accepted this new chal Fire Leads to From Page 1C within a half-mile radius of the site and blocked off Cobb Parkway between Allgood and Seminole roads. Although some chlorine gas had escaped during the fire, officials said that because the chlorine was not in a concentrated form, it was not fatal, but could cause irritation of the eyes, throat and lungs. Some of the people evacuated from nearby apartments and hotels were coughing and rubbing their eyes, while others held towels across their mouths as they made their way through the cold, rainy TV UPDATE Late changes in your Sunday TV Week magazine. 1 SUNDAY 7i30 6) yomllyOulde Network 8:00 CD Sunday Today Greenhouse effect and the thinning ozone layer; air pollution! dwindling food and water supplies) an overdeveloped com-.

munity; waste-disposal crisis; efforts to save the Louisiana bayou; big business versus environment, 9:00 Sunday Morning The 150th anniversary ot photography; five generations of Swiss photographers; Ilia medium's Impact on social conscience; Democratic National Committee Chairman Ron Brown; retrospective of fotographers' works. hum ''nub Mm i'rui'j I'iv l)OCf JhO'l 'J'lOlil biri-i Uwj lifinil i a mm -Mil fJ I mm.