The Paducah Sun from Paducah, Kentucky • 1

THURSDAY Nf'N 1 it i side I Jl 1 II I 1 His Sine 1898 www. paducahsun. com March 20, 2003 Paducah, Ky 42002 Vol. 107 No. 79 Chicken trial Tyson, chicken house lawyers try to stop new nuisance trial In Crittenden.

hold TI52 TliGUcaT: Let's roll: U.S. troops fighting necessary war Editorial, 4A a OTi Iraqi mum: i 4 We will accept no outcome but victory' "I i i i. ni BMHaa mm Good shepherd Tubby has protected players, beat Off wolvish critics for years. How his flock has grown. Patton vetoes Patton vetoes cutting 250 non-merit employees, says more lit: By David Etpo Associated Press The United States launched the opening salvo Wednesday night of a war to topple Saddam Hussein, firing cruise missiles and precision-guided bombs against targets in Baghdad.

"This will not be a campaign of half measures and we will accept no outcome but victory," President Bush said in an Oval Office address shortly after explosions ricocheted through the pre-dawn light of the Iraqi capital. Defiant to the end, Saddam's state-run television broadcast this message to the Americans after the bombs struck: "It's an inferno that awaits them, Let them try their faltering luck and they shall meet what awaits them." Anti-aircraft tracer fire made arcs across the Baghdad sky as the American munitions bore in on their targets. A ball of fire shot skyward after one explosion. Bush described the targets as being of "military importance." A U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said about three dozen cruise missiles were fired from a small number of ships perhaps as few as two in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

The official said they were fired at "leadership targets." Another official said the strikes were not part of the opening of the main air campaign but rather an attempt to take advantage of "time-sensitive" targets, meaning fresh intelligence on the I 1 --'Il OH I I Iff vetoes to come. EI 1 Associated Prm Fateful words: President Bush announces the start of a campaign 'to undermine Saddam Hussein's ability to wage carrying pictures of Saddam, "We are dedicated to martyrdom in defense of Iraq under your leadership," a loyal Iraqi parliament assured the Iraqi dictator, and armed members of the ruling Baath party deployed behind hundreds of sandbagged defensive positions in Baghdad. Even so, 17 Iraqi soldiers surrendered to American GIs during the day, eager to give up before the shooting started, Bush met periodically throughout the day with his top aides at the White House and sent formal notice to Congress that reliance on "further diplomatic and other peaceful means alone" would not suffice to counter "the continuing threat posed by Iraq." Auoclalod Prm On the move: Troops with the 3rd Infantry Division move to a position near the Iraqi border. chief of staff Andrew Card informed the president that intelligence officials had no information that Saddam had left Iraq, and Saddam's regime gave every appearance of digging in, In the minutes after the deadline, Iraqi TV showed footage of a pro-Saddam march Tuesday in Baghdad, with members of the crowd chanting pro-Saddam slogans, some brandishing rifles and loaded with bombs, and Tomahawk missile-carrying ships were in position, all awaiting an attack order from Bush. Bush had given Saddam 48 hours to leave the country or face war.

The ultimatum expired at 7 p.m. CST 4 a.m. today in Baghdad, its population shrunken in recent days by an exodus of thousands of fearful residents. Not long after, White House whereabouts of Iraqi leaders. Even so, it was clear from Bush's words that the war to topple the Iraqi dictator and eliminate his weapons of mass destruction had begun.

An American-led invasion force of 300,000 troops awaited the broader order to strike. U.S. and British forces massed in the Kuwaiti desert close to the Iraqi border, giant B-52 warplanes were Dixie Chicks Murray sta tion bans country group; Paducah Local students mostly try to avoid talk of war other stuff going on. The war is for groceries," Concord Elementary station gives songs COS, 8 uli I always on the news. It's the only thing you hear on the news.

And the news is always on. You can't really think about anything else. It's scary. We're supposed to be safe. But we School third-grader Jaclyn Scott said.

'There are movies my brother and I want to see and things we want to do. My mom wants to get the yard and house cleaned up for NCAA Network releases Different definitions of 'success' 2A Text of president's speech 2A Hostilities not reducing interest In upcoming Paducah quilt show 2A Bomb that produces magnetic pulses ready for use 2A McCracken teachers will not keep televisions on during classtime. By Molly Harpar The Paducah Sun While the war in Iraq seems far away, like something televised from a studio, local students say it's strange to carry on with their normal lives. "There's good, normal stuff we get to do, like go to school and shop contingency Stahl Scott plans for tournament; don't know what's going to Please see LOCAL 14A spring. "But then we have all of this alternate networks not named.

FBI, ethics probe spreads to Codell are rewarded with additional highway funding. Paducah architect Nick Warren, longtime critic of Codell Con- struction, said the mm i FBI and investi FORECAST Today: Clouds and sun, warm; a few t-showers late. Tonight: Mostly cloudy with a t-shower. Today gators for the eth Warren said he contacted the ethics commission last year when it started investigating whether Gov. Paul Patton abused his powers in dealings with Clinton businesswoman Tina Con ics commission interviewed him last week.

Although Warren said he doesn't have definitive proof, legal and whether the firm and the transportation secretary are involved in a plot to secure more contracts. Codell Construction, based in Winchester, manages building construction projects. The work involves hiring subcontractors, buying materials and seeing that the work is completed on time and that it meets specifications. Codell's Internet site states that the firm has managed 68 construction projects in 43 counties. No public officials have said publicly that they were pressured by the transportation secretary or Please see COOILL 1 4A Allegations have been made that Codell Construction is benefiting from James Codell III being state transportation secretary.

By Bill Bartlaman Copyright 2003, The Paducah Sun The FBI and the Kentucky Executive Branch Ethics Commission apparently have expanded their investigations into claims of political influence peddling to include allegations that Codell Construction Co, is benefiting from the fact that James Codell III is the state transportation secretary, Turner handed 10-year sentence Foust says he looked for signs of remorse from the woman convicted of killing her newborn 'every time we have been In By Anna Throwar Tha Paducah Sun MURRAY, Ky. The judge looked at the young woman, eager to find a Warran Codall he believes pres Tonight sure is being placed on local officials to hire the firm to manage construction projects or face the possible loss of state funds for local highway projects. He also said he believes counties that hire the firm ner, with whom Patton had a two-year affair. Warren also has asked Attorney General Ben Chandler to investigate whether the no-bid contracts Codell Construction is receiving are McCracken PVA staff reassesses homes ED TST dex 6 Business 118 Classified 63 Comics ICS Deaths Ah Editorial ,453 TV Listings Lottery sign ot a redeeming quality. A look.

A gesture. Something to say she was sorry. He saw "That's hard to estimate," she said. "It depends on the area and what property is selling for in that area." Bock said, for example, that homes near the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant haven't grown in value as much as in the Hcndron-Lone Oak area. She thinks that is because of widespread publicity about past environmental problems at the plant.

Some neighborhoods could even go down in value, she said. "I've had more houses go down In the last year than in the 10 yean I've been the PVA." Bock said the drop stems from i' residential reassessment was in 1998. "Some areas might not have been reassessed since 1998. I'm not sure why. They've just gotten through the crack, you might say," Bock said.

"Those are the areas fm concentrating on first." More residential work will be done next year, followed by commercial land in 2005 and farmland in 2006, Bock said. Each 1 percent increase in value is about $15 million and she is targeting an 8 percent increase for $120 million, That would put local property at 98 percent of the market as measured by the state. Which neighborhoods will go up? Administrator Nancy Bock. "At that time, they will have three weeks to come in and discuss it with me. If they bring in documents to prove we're incorrect, we'll work with the taxpayers on it, she said.

"If we can't reach an agreement, they have the right to appeal to the local board of tax appeals." Starting Wednesday, six members of Bock's staff fanned out across the city and county to examine homes that haven't been recently reassessed. Although property is supposed to be revalued annually, PVAs are required to look at every home at least once every four years. The last major Some property faxes will rise and others will fall. About 10,000 to 15,000 owners will find out by letter after May 1. By Joa Walkar Sun Bulnei Editor About $120 million in Paducah-McCracken County residential real estate is being reassessed to raise the book value of homes more in line with the market.

Letters will go out May 1 to 10,000 to 15,000 homeowners whose property has gone up or down in value, said Property Valuation Tumar nothing. So, Calloway Circuit Judge Dennis Foust sentenced Angel-ita Turner to 10 years in prison Wednesday for killing her newborn in a Murray State University dorm room in March 2001. "In a way I looked for those Please see TURNER 13A mmm TS.