The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • D4

JUST KNOW, UNDERSTAND ajc.com Visit www.ajc.com for continual news updates. Find out first via e-mail breaking news alerts. Sign up at www.ajc.com/email. LOOK TO US FOR BREAKING NEWS AND COVERAGE IN PRINT AND ONLINE AJC.COM 6034499A TOMORROW You may know CNN but you know CNNI. We take you inside international network and how it brings a different brand of news to 212 countries.

there was a loud You could feel it in the air, sound waves enveloping was like a nest out motto is: build, we Every day we bring you real stories from the front. Read dispatches on page A5. One Atlanta family explains why Al Jazeera, sometimes referred to in the U.S. as the Middle Eastern CNN, is their choice for news. IN ATLANTA THE WORLD FMAI50325OD4 5 Star 4D 4D RR RR BlueRedYellowBlack Blue RedYellowBlack D4 Tuesday, March 25, 2003 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 5 RMAIN0325OD4 By PHILLIP TAYLOR Two parents told a federal court that Cobb County defense of its evolution policy against a lawsuit fails to address the rights of their children to receive instruction critical of theories about human origins.

Attorneys for Larry Taylor and Allen Hardage, both fathers of children in Cobb County schools, filed a motion last week urging the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Georgia to allow them to help the schools fight the lawsuit. The school district found itself at the center of a national debate last summer after its school board voted unanimously for a policy allowing science teachers to include in teachings about human origins. The board said its purpose was to encourage critical thinking about evolution while at the same time ensuring toward School officials placed stickers in high school and middle school textbooks advising students that evolution was merely a theory and should be debated. Jeffery Selman, another Cobb County parent, filed a lawsuit last August challenging the disclaimers.

The lawsuit contends the textbook advisories serve as Christian and thus violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits government endorsement of religion. Both Taylor and Hardage in their motion exert First Amendment claims as well. The motion states that if the court rules in favor, information required for a thorough education about the origin of living things would be censored. the plaintiff is successful, defendants will be forced to censor speech regarding evolutionary theory that will allow students to approach this topic with an open mind, and study it carefully and the motion reads. will directly affect the parental rights and free speech rights of the Glenn Brock, attorney for the Cobb school district, did not return a call seeking comment.

Michael Manely, attorney, said he would not comment on the motion except to say the two fathers possibly could have standing in the case. He said additional defendants probably would not change the arguments against evolution policy or the textbook advisories. Evolution critics argue free speech By ROCHELLE CARTER and HENRY FARBER Two Lovejoy High School students were killed and two others injured when their car ran head-on into a school bus a quarter-mile from the campus Monday morning. The bus driver, Rebecca Holloway, 40, suffered minor injuries, Clayton County police said. There were no passengers on the bus.

Tenth-graders Darren Michael Brooks, 16, the driver, and Justin Phillips, 15, were killed in the crash. Ninth-graders Armonne Gallow, 15, and Kenneth Colvin, 15, were injured, police said. They were in intensive care at Atlanta Medical Center, with relatives camped out in a nearby ICU waiting room. Janet Gallow Gardiner, mother, said the teens lived in the same Jonesboro subdivision and were close friends. Her son, Gardiner said, was doing much better by Monday evening.

is she added. not critical. lost some friends, so have to deal with Dorothy Young, mother, Monday night described his condition as Both mothers declined to comment further. Police said Darren was driving toward the school when he ran off the right side of McDonough Road onto a sandy shoulder. He apparently overcorrected as he turned back, crossing into the path of the bus.

Officer Stefan Schindler said Darren apparently was exceeding the 45 mph speed limit, which drops to 25 mph a short distance closer to the school. None of the teens was wearing a seat belt. On campus, one student fainted and others expressed disbelief when they heard the news. Nabie Kanu was a close friend of Darren, who was a football player. just went to get some food and never came Nabie said.

Several students said the four had come to school early, then made a run to a nearby Schindler said the four apparently were rushing back to school for an 8:30 class. They hit the bus at 8:25 a.m. Police said the two-lane road, with a turn lane, is considered no more dangerous to drivers than any other school zone. But neighborhood residents said students frequently speed along McDonough Road. is a daily occurrence with these kids said Lovejoy resident Paul Carlisle.

will pull into a lane of oncoming traffic to get into the parking Lovejoy School Patrol Officer Heather Fields said Lovejoy students and adult drivers frequently speed past her on McDonough Road, ignoring the 25 mph limit and the whistle and stop sign she uses to control traffic. There are two or three accidents with injuries every year in front of the student parking lot, she said. The mood at Lovejoy was somber. Most students found out about the accident when teachers read a statement during third period. Phones in the front office of the school rang constantly, as parents called to see if children had gotten to school safely.

A letter was sent home to parents informing them of the accident. It explained the signs of grief they might see in their children and gave tips on helping children work through their feelings. Crisis counselors met with students Monday. The counselors will be at the school all week, said Linda Tanner, a county schools assistant superintendent. After school, students seemed to be more careful, Fields said.

But that last, she predicted. are rather somber this Fields said. spring break, it will be business as Staff writer S.A. Reid contributed to this article. JOHNNY CRAWFORD Staff As the car, its top cut away by rescue workers, is moved Monday, Clayton County Policeman Steve Long marks the accident spot.

Car-bus collision kills 2 teenagers 2 other youths, bus driver hurt in Clayton By MILO IPPOLITO Atlanta needs a regional authority to tackle homelessness, Mayor Shirley task force on the topic told City Council members Monday. The task study of homelessness in Atlanta will be released Wednesday. The council met Monday to discuss preliminary findings. Christopher Allers, vice president of the United Way, who is coordinating the study, said people from as far away as Lawrenceville are taken to Atlanta on cold nights because there are no nearby shelters. He suggested Atlanta and area counties join together to provide help in other metro areas.

The preliminary report also recommends projects for the homeless that Atlanta might take on, including turning the old city jail near Garnett Station into a 24- hour emergency shelter with a staff to assist mentally ill and addicted clients. But the unanswered question is who will pay for the needed shelter beds, drug counselors and facilities, such as public toilets, to take care of the needs of the homeless. It could be a combination of federal funds, nonprofit contributions and city tax dollars, Franklin said. have a financial plan to pay for Franklin said. Councilwoman Debi Starnes said she trust Atlanta business leaders to support funding for the homeless.

governments have never walked she said. non- profits have never walked away. The business community walks away every Study: Solving homelessness requires regional effort.