The Daily News-Journal from Murfreesboro, Tennessee • 1

In a skimp Predators lose fifth in last six to Blackhawks Tiny paintings Prof sought display of work, at MTSU before employment Sso ArtStyhs, Pegs ID I' Sea SportSPcgs 1C C7 XT! IXX 0 Good Afternoon www. dnj.com -'Serving Middle Tennessee Since 1848' mm wmmmwm MuM iiUi Fmnkfin Bead wctorwd to 5 brwt state Route 840 from Umaville Road in Rutherford to Nolensville 840 interchange, road lead to siwerspeedwar in Wilson -JLT? A Ndwnpl Route WO to Widening, interstate hookup proposed for next fiscal year By Angela Cannon Staff writer Faca4 Road in Williamson County, and an interchange on 840 to accommodate a proposed super-speedway in Wilson County. Funding to widen 2.9 miles of Franklin Road from 1-24 to Overall Creek at the Murfreesboro city limits is the first con-, struction to be done on the narrow, heavily traveled road, said Luanne Grandinetti, department director of communications. Three members of Rutherford County's legislative delegation serve on the committees where the road project list was presented. "I think Rutherford County has done ex-(See Franklin, page 5A) By Angeu Cannon Staff wnter NASHVILLE A new state Route 840 interchange is planned inntwthemmost Rutherford Coun-ty'accompanied by a road that would take racing fans to the su-perspeedway proposed for Wilson County.

Tennessee Department of Transportation announced its ctmmit-ment to thexoad project Wednesday when the department's proposed 1999-2000 road project list was presented to state lawmakers, said Luanne Grandinetti, depart- ment director of communications. The interchange would be built on 840 in Rutherford County several hundred feet north of the Mona Road overpass near the Wilson County line, Grandinetti said. A new connector road would be built from the interchange to the speedway which is expected to open in 2000, she said.The proposed connector road would be called state Route 452. The interchange would be located in Rutherford, but most of the connector road would be in Wilson. (See 848, page 5A) NASHVILLE of state Route 96 West (Franklin Road) and a new Interstate 24interchange at Elam Road are being recommended for Rutherford County in fiscal 1999-2000 by the state Department of Transportation.

Transportation Commissioner Bruce Saltsman presented a list of 118 projects in 67 Te rkssee counties to the House and Senate Transportation Committees on Wednesday. Rutherford County is also recommended to receive right-of-way funding for 4.5 miles of improvements to state Route 99 through Eagleyflle, paving for 5.5 miles of A taring tor 840 tndAimtviHt Rd. i-Wr Wght-cf way purcftw tor start Routa 99 Or (Eagtevte) rio i aces sin charge imyrni Airport tears liabilOty lET oil Sandf ifL stabbing) robbery Agreement with Metro would let big project fly By Chris Shofner Staff writer 'A 1 2 million Uansportation hub could get off the ground at. Smyrna Airport without worries about an environmental lien on an old landfill there. Efforts to find a compromise between Smyrna Airport officials and the lien holder, Metropolitan P' By Lisa Marchesqni Staff writer Attempted murder charges were lodged against three suspects who allegedly stabbed and robbed a man of $4,800 Wednesday at his motelroom, Murfreesboro Police said; Victim Mark Forsythe of Murfreesboro Motel suffered three stab wounds to his chest and stab wounds to his feet, back and hands when he grabbed the knife, Detective Sgt.

Chris Guthrie said. Forsythe treated, then later released from Middle Tennessee Medical. Center. Suspects Richard Harris', 23, of 5518 Batey Circle near Murfreesboro, Jereme SrhitheyrT9, of 5753 Seminary Road near Smyrna, and Rhonda Neal, 19, of 614 Willowview Drive in La Vergne, were charged with attempted murder and especially aggravated robberv bv Detective Nashville Airport Authority, have apparently borne fruit through an offer to protect the lien holder from liability should "surprises' occur at the landfill-site. The lien against much of the airport' land near Smyrna had stymied efforts by PfaneStations the American subsidiary of The Group of London, from continuing the project.

PlaneStations plans to develop a til 4 1 WEATHERF0RD DNJ photo by J. Intintoli Brad Sykes, Michael Armistead and Kyle Sykes wear their colors on their faces as they cheer on the Gor-donsville Lady Tigers during Class A action in theTSSAA girls state tournament at MTSU's Murphy Center. 0 $12 million, 300-acre, transportation hub that could eventually employ 2,500 regionally. Up to 300 acres could be released if the lien agreement is finalized, said Jack Weatherford, chairman of the SmymaRutherford County Airport Authority. In return for release of the 300 acres, Smyrna would have to continue pursuing efforts to have the lien completely removed but not in patchwork fashion.

Airport Authority members approved the resolution Wednesday. Should the agreement fall through, Weatherford said, he would propose to turn entire property back over to the Metro authority at an April meeting. Since the lien issue came to light severaj days ago, airport officials have scrambled to solve what could be a disastrous development in PlaneStations Smyrna received information from the Metro authority that the deal is workable," Weatherford said. 5 my rna" Airport Executive Director John Ellington added that Metro officials indicated "the 300 acres is (See Smyrna, page SA) Brad Ballard. Forsythe's money was recovered.

Officer James Baskette reported Forsythe was in his room when Harris, who is an acquaintance, came over with another man who asked to use the telephone about midnight. When Forsythe turned around from getting the phone, one of the men had a knife. Forsythe told Baskette that both men demanded that he give them his money or they would kill him. 'The victim stated he then tried to get out of the room and grabbed (See Trio, page 5A) proposed by Commissioner Paul Johnson in a February meeting of the commission's Public Safety Committee. Johnson recommended two passages by the commission with a two-thirds majority Votild be contested by the community through a referendum with a petition from 10 percent of registered voters.

If adopted, the wheel tax increase could raise upwards of $250 million a year, the equivalent of adding one cent to the property tax rate, according to Johnson's esti- mates. "This is just another alternative measure for revenue without constantly looking at the property tax rate" Johnson said. "The general consensus from everybody I've heard from is that they feel it's equitable and not excessive." The largest budget request at issue tonight for the commission is one from the county Highway Department for an additional $400,000 to allow the department to continue paving county roads through the (See Wheel page 5A) Commercial vehicle, motorcycle tags affected By Byron Hensley Staff Water Rutherford County commissioners tonight will consider an increase in the wheel tax for commercial vehicles and motorcycles. The proposal, which would raise the tax on commercial vehicles to $60 from $30 and on motorcycles to $10 from $5, was fH mrnmmi Law enforcement personnel remove the bodies of a woman and child from a small church in Gonzales, this morning after they were killed when a gunman "And then he just started emptying his gun. He shot one in the back of the head.

We were all trying to get down. I just lay on the bench and started praying." The gunman's two family members and another member of the New St. John Fellowship Baptist Church congregation were killed Wednesday night. Four others were' injured, two of them critically. Police say Shon Miller also shot, his mother-in-law to death at home, before traveling the few blocks to the one-' story stucco church 20 miles southeast of Baton Rouge.

"The safest place in the world I always thought was a church and now that sanctuary has been broken," Police Chief Bill Landry said. "We'll all be a long time getting over this." Officers said it took three hours of searching around the (See Gunman, page 5A) Four Louisiana people killed in domestic shooting GONZALES, La. (AP) The pastor had just started reading a Bible lesson about being bom again when the gunman kicked open the church doors, fired twice into the ceiling and ordered everybody to hit the floof. He then marched down the aisle, shooting between the benches as screaming parishioners scattered in horror and pausing once to calmly reload. Among the crowd, police said, were the man's wife and child.

"His little boy turned and said, That's when he shot He hit his wife first and thgn the baby," congregation member Lolita Enkadi said. uuiai ii uu my church and opened fire. AP photo Mass Praise Choir uses voices from throughout Murfreesboro INDEX Business, Markets 43 Tks Weatmzs Partly tonight. Low 25 to 30. Obituaries 53 4A Potpourri 2 TV ........50 CfassTrred Section 43.