The Bradenton Herald from Bradenton, Florida • 13

1 FLORIDA NEWS I Ship captain blames Cubans, B-8 The Bradenton Herald, Sunday, February 12, 1989 Killer's resentencing moved, B-9 1 Gus Ellis Manatee County administrator Professional: Manatee County administrator since June 20, 1988. Previously was Escambia County administrator from April 1985 until June 1988 and Manatee County assistant administrator from November 1982 until April 1985. Retired U.S. Army colonel, specialized in deciphering codes. Educational: Bachelor's and master's degrees in political science from University of South Florida.

Master's and doctoral degrees in public administration from Nova University. Personal: Born in Chattanooga, Tenn. Age: 64. He and his wife Jacqueline live in southern Manatee County. They have no children.

Interests: Reading non-fiction, particularly about successful people. Tennis. Quote: you've made a decision, make it happen." LOCAL SECTION I Despite problems, Ellis lands praise Manatee County commissioners lauded County Administrator Gus Ellis for his diligence and work ethic. NICK MASON Herald Senior Writer Despite a rough 10 days, Manatee County Administrator Gus Ellis will get high marks Tuesday when county commissioners pass out their first report card. Commissioners said Ellis deserves an A for effort and good grades for recognizing problems in his extended eight-month honeymoon period as the county's top employee.

Ellis was coasting toward a healthy raise perhaps $5,000 until commissioners were embarrassed to learn Feb. 3 that 5,246 homeowners and businesses in unincorporated Manatee County might lose flood insurance. She was listed in fair condition. Seven-year-old Jacari Archey, a ger in the 1978 Lincoln Versailles, curred, according to investigating officer passenwas WRECK To B-2 GRANT Bradenton Herald Firefighters work to extricate Gladys Brooks from her automobile after a Saturday afternoon wreck. 1991 Local woman critically injured in wreck ELLEN MOSES 1510 Seventh Ave.

from the wreckage at treated for scrapes and bruises and reHerald Staff Writer the intersection of 14th Street and Seventh leased. A 49-year-old Bradenton, woman re- Avenue East, just a block from her home. The driver of the 1972 GMC truck, 46- mained in critical condition Saturday night Brooks was taken to Manatee Memorial year-old Helen W. Folds, 1218 21st St. at a local hospital after her car was hit Hospital along with her daughter, 17-year- was uninjured in the crash.

broadside by a truck, leaving her trapped old Roseanne Brooks. The younger Brooks The car was traveling south on inside her vehicle. was driving the car. 14th Street East when the accident oc- Fire and rescue personnel an hour to cut away the before they could remove World War shipmates renew ties Sixteen Navy veterans who served together in the Pacific theater caught up on 43 years Saturday. ELLEN MOSES Herald Staff Writer When they gathered at Bradenton Beach on Saturday, it was the first time in nearly 43 years that most of these World War II veterans had seen each other.

After weathering several decades and adding a few extra pounds, the 16 Navy veterans who served together in the Pacific theater still had their sense of humor. "Look at that kid there. Can you believe that was me?" said Bradenton Beach resident John Bacon as he pointed to himself in a 1945 group picture. "I was the smallest kid on the ship," he recalled. A youngster of 18 when he was drafted, Bacon weighed in at 107 pounds.

He's tipping the scales at 200 pounds these days, rounding his 5-foot 6-inch frame. Bacon, his former shipmates and their spouses gathered at the Silver Surf Motel to reminisce and remember the common thread that had once bound them. All had served on the LSMR 196, one of the U.S. Navy's first REUNION To B-3 Ellis knew the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) threatened to suspend insurance coverage. because of widespread illegal construction in flood-hazard zones, but he didn't tell his five bosses.

They learned of it from citizens. He accepted the blame Saturday for commissioners being caught off guard. "The administrator is responsible for everything the county does or does not Ellis said. "I am responsible for all the activities under me. It's nothing unique.

That is the responsibility of being a manager or administrator." Ellis hopes to convince FEMA to withdraw threatened sanctions by proving that some are not violations, correcting those that are violations and charting better enforcement of coastal construction regulations. That's how he approaches all problems. "You get your information, the facts. You do an evaluation. You determine what you can do and what you should do.

You do i it. And you report what you've done," Ellis said. "Once you've made a decision, make it happen," he said. "The car doesn't move until turn the key and hit the gas. Make it you happen.

That's what makes Gus Ellis tick and why he does what he does." Commissioners said last week that Ellis still deserves a raise despite the uncharacteristic mistake, but they said they don't know how much. Ellis, 64, now gets $70,350 per year, including a $67,000 1 base salary and $3,350 deferred compensation he will collect upon retirement. "He's not perfect by any means, but he's a much better administrator than we've had," Commissioner Kent Chetlain said. "He's had his hands on the problems I'm going to rate him very highly." Commissioner Maxine Hooper gave Ellis ELLIS To B-2 Health care draws focus National program seen as possible cure for ailing U.S. system BART GREENWALD months of "running in circles" Herald Staff Writer Jane, Lawrence is a 64-year-old Sarasota woman.

In April 1987, she was diagnosed as having a condition that could lead to cancer. She needed surgery immediately. But Lawrence is one of more than 35 million people in this country who do not have insurance and find it nearly impossible. to get anyone to take care of them. She could not get insurance because she did not have enough money, but could not rely on Medicare' or Medicaid because she was not poor enough and her condition was not critical.

"I was not blind, pregnant or over 65," Lawrence told a crowd of national health care advocates Saturday morning. The group of about 200 Manatee and Sarasota county residents banded together at University of South Florida's Sarasota campus to send a message that the U.S. government needs to establish a national health care system. Lawrence told the crowd that she believes a national health care system would have helped her. Six months after being diag- trying to find a doctor and a hospital that would help Jane was told she had 1 cancer.

Surgery was performed mostly paid for by a grant but Lawrence still is undergoing radiation treatment. "The time has come," said Jack Conway, the forum's moderator and a national expert on health care. "The debate has started. Let's make sure this country is educated on the need for a comprehensive health care system." During the three-hour seminar sponsored by the Gray Panthers of Sarasota and Manatee counties, seven "witnesses" spoke of their trials with local health care. Three experts from the U.S.

and Canada recommended solutions. "What will the world be like in 50 years?" bellowed Dr. Jay Wolfson, acting chairman of the public health college. "Will it be better or I've asked myself, 'What can I do to "We need to talk about social he told the group of mostly elderly people. "In 1950, how many of you would have contributed to a national health program instead of national defense?" worked for half roof of the car Gladys Brooks, DANCE TED Herald A Manatee County sheriff's deputy prepares to check out the suspected bomb.

Burnside's 'vanishing act' baffling a year after the fact How suspected murderer James Burnside slipped away in a noonday crowd at a shopping center still confounds police. KATE MURPHY Herald Staff Writer A woman is stabbed to death in broad daylight outside a crowded shopping center. Her co-worker is seriously wounded. The suspect in the attack, the woman's estranged husband, is the object of an intensive manhunt. A year later, James Burnside still is at large.

The stabbing death of Annette Burnside on Feb. 17, 1988, outside a waterbed store at the DeSoto Center gave rise to a prob- nosed with the condition six HEALTH To B-10 Palmetto bomb scare ends up a false alarm Herald Staff Writer booby trapped the car and left It wasn't a bomb, after all. it." But when Manatee County The car was abandoned on a sheriff's deputies saw the aban- dirt lane in a neighborhood that doned car in east Palmetto on Harris said is "a block-and-a-half Saturday afternoon doors ajar, from a major arlights flashing and with an alumi- ea." At the end of the dirt lane is num tube on the driver's floor- Mount Raymond Missionary Bapboard they knew to call in the tist Church, 2410 4th Ave. E. county's Hazardous Materials and The Rev.

S.D. Pollard and his Explosives Unit. family were shopping when the "You have to take into consid- church maintenance man saw the eration the circumstances sur- car and called the sheriff's derounding the abandoned car," partment at 3:15 p.m. said Lt. George Harris of the explosives unit.

"There was a very BOMB To B-3 ELLEN MOSES good chance someone could have lem that has confounded authorities the fast escape of her husband. How Burnside slipped away, blending in with the noonday crowd at the shopping center, is a question not easily answered. Scores of law enforcement officials, including Manatee County Sheriff Charlie Wells, combed the county Burnside. They went to the fishing village of Cortez, where at one time he kept a 28-foot sailboat he built himself. They trekked to Snead Island following a lead.

The day after his wife was stabbed to death, James Burnside's cash card for an automated bank machine was used at a Bradenton bank, according to a friend of his wife's family. ESCAPE To B-10 Contributions of blacks highlighted this month CHRIS DOWNEY tions of black Americans often overHerald Staff Writer looked in history books. They built an Afri- "The sad thing is why do they only McRae can hut in the middle give us one month?" said Bettye Madof Daughtrey Elementary School and dox, a fifth grade teacher at Daughtrey. adorned the hallway walls with con- "It's sad all this good information can't struction paper chains and pictures of be put into the books." famous black Americans. Maddox has bought picture cards Students at Manatee Elementary profiling 40 prominent black Americans School learned that black men invented and other black history materials out of the traffic light and the fountain pen her pocket to help expose her students from Johneyna McRae, wife of former to positive role models.

Kansas City Royals baseball star Hal In the morning, a student reads a McRae. profile of a famous black American over February is Black History month and the public address system. Maddox schools all over Manatee County are throwing the spotlight on the contribu- HISTORY To B-6.