The Fresno Bee from Fresno, California • 1

BUSINESS FORECAST Area experts share their thoughts on 1997 Valley economic outlook BUSINESS Cl 49ERS OUSTED Brett Favre leads Packers to 35-14 NFC divisional playoffs win SPORTS D1 MADONNA MOODS CHANCE HIGH: OF RAIN LOW: Patella: Waattwr Bfl cC3 Material girl mellows with motherhood SPOTLIGHT HI BB SUNDAY January 5 1997 In f3 final $125 Central leading newspaper Leader of new era faces challenges doubts Spees community activist and friend says: think Jim is seeing the power that comes from listening and how well he listens will be the test of the next four years" But someone who knows Patterson well says only one voice really matters to the mayor: his own "Lode how far gone on his mouth" sayB the friend who asked to remain anonymous been a slick radio salesman all his life What you see is not what you This much is indisputable: Norwood James Patterson Jr is the mayor as he has a habit of reminding people Crisp and telegenic he will lean Fresno Please see Mayor Page A12 Some wonder if Fresno's first 1 has right stuff By Doug Hoag land and Anne Dudley Ellis The Fresno Bee -w- im Patterson's juniperreen I Acura Bped across the dark Fres-l no frontier It was 2:22 on a cold November morning and the mayor was homeward bound after a satisfying evening of schmoozing and sound bites Brian Davies driver guided the Acura from Shaw Avenue cm to northbound Freeway 41 Patterson sat in the front passenger seat un-wrinkled in his new Claiborne jacket 1 New council structure begins its test Psge A13 It was Election Night 1996 It had Tiigh to 806 And bo ppffix tit can-didata parties around town A night to spread some political analysis on TV and radio Patterson had played hard with his words He bad diced a triumphant Bill Clinton and a vanquished Bob Lung and had gossiped about Michael Erin Woody who had been his main rival in the Bpring election Finalfy at 2:22 am Patterson had shut up Finally he was quiet this mayor who even friends say should learn to talk less and listen more Busy schedule Mayor Patterson pauses during a review of his notes to acknowledge the arrival of a visitor fora meeting in his office JOftfl W8M0r The Fresno Bee evees Air 21 support amazing Outpouring impresses one analyst bankruptcy course undecided CALIFORNIA Water spite into Madera County Firebaugh Mendota spared Forecast By Sanford Nax The Fresno Bee Slight chance of showers this morning Mostly sunny by afternoon Sunday night will be dear and cold with dense fog developing Numbers By Tom Ketrtscher The Fresno Bee Floodwaters of historic proportion broke levees along the San Joaquin River Saturday and nulled into Madera County largely missing the nemo County cities of Firebaugh and Mendota where there had been evacuations a day earlier President Clinton declared Madera County and 36 other California counties disaster areas making them eligible for federal aid But no deaths since a drowning Thursday were reported and officials said the worst seemed to be over not to say that the threat is totally past but the majority of the threat has said Steve Rodriguez spokesman for the Fresno County Office of Emergency Services was a lot less impact than we anticipated still keeping our fingers Water officials said the amount of flooding was worse than that caused by a storm in February 1986 when overflows from the San Joaquin River damaged 40 homes swamped 6600 acres of farm and pasture land and caused damage estimated at $13 million The 1986 storm caused two breaks along San Joaquin River levees said Reggie Hill Please see Floods Page A9 The story is not that Air 21 is on the brink of failure The important tale is the incredible amount of support that investors and civic leaders bestowed upon the upstart airline Analysts and investors some of whom dipped into their wallets two or three times to help finance the venture say that gives them hope that a Fresno-based jet airline can work in my whole career have I seen the sustained outpouring of support for a company like seen for this said Stuart Klaskin an airline consultant who has been in American Red Cross: 486-0701 Road conditions: (800) 427-7623 Inside i i I a i Shaw if Helping pets survive the storm Page A3 Air travelers rush out of Reno Page A3 Some Fresno mobile home residents return Page A8 Detour on Highway 99 in Tulare County Page A9 volved in recent negotiations at Air 21 Bankruptcy court is Air next likely stop but shareholders had not decided by Friday whether to file under Chapter 7 liquidating the business or Chapter 11 leaving the door open for restructuring No matter what happens the current incarnation of Air 21 is dead Any successor would have a different form could be a little Klaskin said of a reformed Air 21 have the right airplanes and a number erf qualified people It can be So why it work this time? The main reason according to analysts and shareholders was that the airline with just $3 million was undercapitalized Please see Air 21 Page A10 Debbie The Modesto Bee Break Water rushes through a broken levee south of Highway 132 near Modesto Collapsed Nicolas Esquivel of Caltrans inspects part of roadway at Skaggs Bridge Inside The Bee Ravaged north state is given respite AnnAbby E2 Cl F8 E2 El B1 DIO B5 B6 D1 BS Business Classified Crossword Ute Local News Obituaries Ombudsmen Opinion Soorts Vision thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost loved ones or their homes and businesses in these terrible Clinton said in a statement from his vacation retreat in the UJ3 Virgin Islands At least 23 deaths have been blamed on the storms in the West Four dead were reported in PnlifnraiH inrlnHing an Ahwahnee woman Julie Danielson 33 who died when toe pickup she was riding in was washed away Between 100000 and 125000 people had been Please see Storm Page A8 By Steve Lawrence Associated Press The rain stayed away from flood-ravaged Northern California for a second day Saturday giving hope to tens of thousands of evacuees waiting to get back to their homes Officials kept a wary eye on levees as rivers swelled out or their hanks with water draining away after nearly a week of Btorms President Clinton issued a disaster declaration Saturday for 37 counties in California and 13 in Idaho He had declared Northern Nevada a major disaster area Friday Roof tops A neighborhood in Olivehurst near Yuba City is lost in a muddy fork of the Feather River Friday after a section of levee broke Thursday night Assodstsd Press 0 1997 The Fresno Bee tf To Subscribe 441-6233 I.