The State from Columbia, South Carolina • 8

A8 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1999 FROM PAGE A1 THE STATE, COLUMBIA, S.C. Clyburn says Clinton wants minority judges 8 But president won't make appointments while Congress is in recess, congressman says By MICHELLE R. DAVIS Washington Bureau WASHINGTON President Clinton emphatically supports Congressional Black Caucus efforts to appoint more minorities to federal benches across the country, caucus chairman Jim Clyburn said Monday after a caucus meeting with the president. Clinton told caucus members, however, he would not make appointments while Congress is in recess, as some have requested. "The President is very reluctant to do that," said Clyburn, who represents South Carolina's Sixth District.

Instead, he said, Clinton insisted he would work to put more African-Americans on the bench next year, especially on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals which includes South Carolina. There are no African-Americans on the bench on the 4th Circuit Court. The issue of judicial appointments has been a volatile one, with some senators blocking nominations, some of which have been pending for years. The Black Caucus cried racism earlier this year when the Senate rejected the nomination of Judge Ronnie White, the first black judge on the Missouri Supreme Court, to the federal trial bench in a party-line vote on Oct. 5.

The make-up of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which along with South Carolina also includes Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, has particularly rankled caucus members. The circuit has the largest African-American population of any in the country, but has never had a black judge on its bench. Though Clyburn had pushed for some recess nominations to the judiciary, he said Monday he understood why Clinton was against it. And he said since a new spot on the 4th Circuit has recently opened, when one of the judges retired in mid-November, the dynamics of the situation have changed. The meeting between black caucus members and the president also touched on the issue of mandatory minimum prison sentences, especially for drug violations, Clyburn said.

The caucus is particularly concerned about the disparity in sentencing between those convicted of crack cocaine drug offensea and powder cocaine. But the president urged the caucus to search for Republicans who might support a change in the law and said members must get broader Democratic support. "We're concerned about it in our communities," Clyburn told a crowd of reporters gathered in the rain outside the White House. "It's wreaking havoc in our society." Along with that, Clyburn said the president supports efforts to return voting rights to non-violent drug offenders. Michelle R.

Davis covers Washington issues from a South Carolina perspective. She can be reached at (202) 383-6023 or by e-mail at Nurse admits he started fire that killed billionaire MONTE CARLO, Monaco An American nurse confessed Monday to setting the fire that killed banker Edmond Safra, saying he had hoped to emerge as the hero who saved the billionaire's life, police said. Ted Maher, 41, told investigators that he started the fatal blaze in a wastebasket but did not intend to kill the banker, said Monaco's chief prosecutor, Daniel Serdet. Maher, described by Serdet as an unstable man who had taken heavy doses of sedatives, was being charged Monday with arson leading to the deaths of two people a crime punishable by life in prison. Serdet said Maher acted alone.

An investigator in Serdet's office, reading from Maher's lengthy statement to prosecutors, later said Maher deliberately sparked panic in Safra's penthouse by pretending dangerous intruders had broken in. He then stabbed himself twice in the abdomen and FRAUD The Associated Press FROM PAGE A1 businesses to reroute traffic to sham sites. Some shysters have learned how to have merchandise purchased with a stolen credit card delivered to a person's home and then make off with the goods when the resident won't be around. People often won't notice fraudulent charges to their credit cards under $50, and hackers know that, said Keith Lowery, director of security for Pilot Network Services and a former member of the San Jose Police Department's high-tech crime unit. If you do get e-conned, don't expect the police to jump to your aid for such petty theft, Lowery said.

It's impossible for police to catch a thief hiding in the millions of computer connections around the world. "It's 'Buyer Lowery said. "I've seen too many of the potholes you can hit to remain overly confident." Online shopping is still a small piece of the $185 billion holiday retail bonanza, but Internet retail revenues have more than quadrupled since 1997. A full 10 percent of shoppers plan to buy something online this holiday season, according to a recent study by the accounting firm Deloitte Touche. The largest Internet shops revolve around the three most popular holiday gifts apparel, toys and music.

But smaller operations with more exotic and expensive merchandise are starting to draw customers with the convenience of 24-hour shopping. Consumers shouldn't worry too much about offline fraud, GANDY FROM PAGE A1 ment make for better forecasts." Gandy's return marks another escalation of the growing rivalry between WLTX and perennial market ratings leader WIS. Since its purchase by Gannett, WLTX has upgraded its local news staff and is preparing to meet its competition on the weather map. "Every study and poll we've done showed that weather reports were No. 1 with most viewers," said media research adviser 1 Tom Summers, who now works for Gannett.

David Dodds, general manager at Columbia ABC affiliate WOLOTV, said Gandy's return makes for a "very competitive market. It will be interesting to see of what kind of an impact he has." Grimes said he and his station "wish he had never left us. It's puzzling why he did." "I really was tired of the daily grind when I left WIS, and at the time, I didn't know if I ever wanted to go back on the air," Gandy said Monday at a press conference FLAG FROM PAGE A1 "innocent inadvertence or oversight." West, who along with former Gov. Bob McNair organized the event, said efforts to determine which members of the all-white 1962 General Assembly have survived were continuing as late as Monday morning. The former governor estimated the number at 60- 65, and said "25 or 30" were expected for the event.

West said a number of former members won't be able to attend for health reasons. One non-legislator with a role in the 1962 events who won't attend is Daniel Hollis, the last surviving member of the commission named in 1959 to plan the centennial celebration. Hollis, 77, said his health will not allow him to attend, but he agreed that the flag should be "It will be interesting to see what kind of an impact he (Gandy) has." David Dodds, general manager at WOLO-TV announcing his return. Gandy had a while to make up his mind. He couldn't join WLTX right away because of an exclusivity clause in his WIS contract that prohibited him from appearing on a competitor's station for 12 months.

During his time as a consultant, he filled in on-air for Gannett stations in Atlanta and Washington. "I guess it was while I was in Washington that I began to think about returning," Gandy said. He said one of the things that appealed to him about returning to removed. "I'd just as soon it disappear," he said. "I don't believe in flying it." According to the April 12, 1961, edition of The State, a Confederate flag was hoisted April 11, the 100th anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumter, on a flagpole on the Gervais Street side of the State House roof.

Hollis said he didn't remember when that flag was removed. The flag on the dome went up after the S.C. Senate, on March 20, 1962, signed off on a measure ordering that it be raised. Meanwhile, a group of eighthgrade students from a private school in Rockville, chose to go to New York instead of Charleston this spring because of economic sanctions the NAACP has imposed against South Carolina until the flag is removed. The students, who attend the Green Acres School, a private school in Montgomery County, have visited Charleston annually for the past six years.

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COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA 31223-62 the air on WLTX is that "my schedule won't be as hectic as it was (at WIS). It will give me more time to produce quality weather segments." When Gandy was at WIS, the station's staff not only produced its own newscasts, but also the nightly news at Fox affiliate WACH-TV and updates on WISW radio. Although he won't have the High-Definition Super Doppler radar to work with at WLTX as he did at WIS, Gandy said there are plenty of plans for improvement ahead. "I'm already impressed with the things WLTX has done in the past year, and I know they're committed to make this even better." Rich O'Dell, WLTX general manager, who last month announced a "nationwide search" for a meteorologist, said the deal with Gandy wasn't formulated until last Saturday. While at WIS, Gandy developed a loyal following.

He also made a name for himself with his ability to accurately predict the path of approaching storms. In 1989, Gandy was on target with his forecast that Hurricane Conversations between NAACP leaders' and other factions in the divisive flag debate are ongoing, according to James Gallman, president of the S.C. Conference of NAACP Branches. Gallman said it seems to him that "the next thing to happen. is to sit down and talk with people from both sides as to what they would be agreeable to do." Gallman said such a meeting could be initiated by Gov.

Jim Hodges, who has tried to act as a Hugo would slam into South Carolina even though the National Weather Service said otherwise. Gandy replaces Camille Bradford Hugg, who had been reporting the weather on WLTX since 1978. Last month, she was named the station's community-affairs director. Gandy's hiring is just one of several major changes since Gannett, purchased the CBS affiliate. Audas took over as news director last year.

Then O'Dell was brought in from the Cleveland market to replace Debbie Holland, who resigned. News co-anchor Trinnell Moore left to pursue another career and was replaced by Deloris Keith. Co-anchor Gene Upright retired in October after more than 50 years in the business and was replaced by newcomer Michael Chisholm, who co-anchors WLTX's 6 p.m. and. 11 p.m.

newscasts with Keith. Last month, the station unveiled new sets and launched its two-hour, early-morning newscast, 5-7 a.m. Doug Nye edits TV Weekly and writes about television. He can be reached at (803) 771-8395 or by e- mail at broker on the issue, or by business leaders. Citing an article in Sunday's New York Times, Gallman said he was encouraged by signs that South Carolina business leaders "want to be seen as progressive, and not living in the past." The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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"Then he said he started the blaze so as to get the fire brigade involved and make it look even more dramatic," said the investigator, who demanded anonymity. "He said he had an intense professional rivalry with another member of the staff, and that this seemed a good way of bringing attention to himself. He said he forced Safra and his other nurse into the bathroom for protection and started the fire near a vent so it would spread." Safra, 67, the founder of the Republic National Bank of New York and a member of a prominent Jewish family, died Friday, along with American nurse Viviane Torrent, in the fire at his seaside apartment. Safra, a Monaco resident with homes around the world, was a leading philanthropist who helped build synagogues, schools and community centers from Greece to the United States. Tips to fight fraud Here are some tips to reduce the risk of fraud when shopping online: If you aren't familiar with an online merchant, ask the company for its address and phone number so you can check its reliability with consumer groups.

Determine the company's refund and return policies before you order. Never give out your Internet passwords. Avoid making your passwords established numbers like your house, phone or Social Security numbers. Be clear on the prices and additional shipping and handling charges. Provide credit card and other private information only in a secure environment.

The Web address should begin with it is secure. Print out a copy of your order and confirmation number for your records. Know your consumer rights and exercise them as you would in a conventional retail store. SOURCE: BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU "SHOPPING SAFELY experts say, because many complaints about Internet shopping grow out of honest mistakes. Incorrect orders or slow delivery make up the majority of problems, because many companies opened their e-shops without the necessary customer support.

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