The Knoxville News-Sentinel from Knoxville, Tennessee • 1

EAST TENNESSEE SPORTS LIVING Changes Knox County executive promotes growth A3 WEDNESDAY MORNING The Knoxville News-Sentinel SCRIPPS HOWARD Final Edition SEPTEMBER 7 1988 35 Cents State shuns guilty plea in death Witness says driver wanted to a By SIBYL JEFFERSON News-Sentinel staff writer thought I would try to help Soloman testified Soloman said he offered to drive the car but Sluder refused Assistant District Attorney General Mike Nassios told the jury during opening statements that Sluder frequently terrorized the neighborhood by burning rubber drinking and driving and generally raising hell in that Defense attorney Kurt Benson however said he plans to show the jury that his client hit the two youngsters as he tried to avoid colliding with another cause witnesses said Sluder had bragged earlier in the day about a desire to kill somebody one thing I (have) never done hit a Tim Soloman a passenger in vehicle testified Sluder told him Another witness longtime friend Donald Ward told the jury of seven men and five women that (Sluder) said he was going to go kill Sluder could have avoided a possible life sentence by pleading guilty to vehicular homicide which carries a maximum 21 -year sentence Judge Randy Nichols denied a request to drop the murder charge denied a change of venue and also ordered the jury sequestered until the trial ends Soloman and Ward both said Sluder was intoxicated June 17 1987 the day he is accused of running down two boys as they rode bicycles on Baxter Avenue Anthony Romines 10 was killed His friend Robert Carr 11 was injured Robert is expected to testify today in the Knox County Criminal Court trial Sluder who was 22 at the time registered 031 on a blood-alcohol test Under state law a person is considered legally drunk if blood alcohol content is 010 or above Sluder allegedly fled the scene of the accident after his car ran into a house at the corner of Boyd Street and into a telephone pole guy wire When caught a short time later Sluder was "belligerent (had) slurred speech and according to testimony by police officer Charlie Newman Soloman testified he met Sluder earlier that day at a gas station on Beaumont and Baxter avenues noticed that he had a pretty good buzz and (was) driving crazy and I Jimmy Sluder Tuesday admitted killing a 10-year-old boy riding a bicycle down Baxter Avenue a year ago but state prosecutors refused to accept his guilty plea to vehicular homicide Prosecutors forged ahead with a trial on a second -degree murder charge be No one injured as school bus flips Soviets get cosmonauts home safely Aborted landing raised chance of death in orbit Michael Patrick News-Sentinel start FBI seizes $240000 in Blount Man suspected of drug dealing FBI agents have seized more than $240000 from the home safe-deposit box and bank accounts of a Blount County man they suspect of cocaine trafficking court documents filed Tuesday show Authorities took $45000 in cash automobile titles tax records and deeds from the home of Johnie Nelson Gibson during the Aug 26 search according to the documents filed in US District Court On Aug 29 agents seized $195889 from four bank accounts and a safe-deposit box registered to Gibson the documents show No charges have been placed against Gibson of Crye Road in Maryville According to the warrants the FBI was looking for cocaine papers related to the transportation ordering purchase and distribution of cocaine and items relating to travel between Tennessee and Oklahoma FBI spokesman Wayne Baker said his case is not related to the recent indictment of Jerry Allen Le-Quire his three brothers nephew and son all of whom are Blount County natives Alabama authorities charged the LeQuires and 19 others last week with federal racketeering violations including drug trafficking and murder By Associated Press MOSCOW Two cosmonauts returned safely to Earth early Wednesday after their descent had been aborted twice and their food and oxygen was about to run out the official Soviet news agency reported Tass reported that Abdul Ahad Moh-mand the first Afghan in space and his Soviet crewmate Vladimir Lyakhov touched down at 4:50 am Moscow time (8:50 pm EDT Tuesday) in Soviet Central Asia "Both cosmonauts feel fine after the Tass said The agency said their Soyuz TM-5 space capsule landed about 99 miles southeast of the city of Dzhezkazgan The engine worked 60 seconds and shut off A violation of the stabilization Lyakhov told mission control in an exchange reported by the government newspaper Izvestia Lyakhov is a military pilot who has Please see SPACE back page Yellowstone fire empties 2 towns wreck shortly after 4 pm Witnesses said the bus flipped on its side after striking the rear of a Toyota stopped for a left turn into Meadowood Apartments Gallaher told police he slammed on his brakes and swerved toward a ditch but could not avoid hitting the car A Knox County school bus overturned after a wreck on Pleasant Ridge Road Tuesday afternoon There were no passengers and the bus driver was uninjured Raymond Gallaher Jr 35 of Middlebrook Pike said he had finished dropping off Central High School students prior to the NBC stars executive pay a call on new affiliate WBIR makes its switch from CBS on Saturday By REON CARTER News-Sentinel staff writer By Associated Press COOKE CITY Mont Wind threatened to drive a wall of flame through two small canyon communities bordering Yellowstone National Park and authorities on Tuesday ordered all residents to leave town going to make every effort we can to save every structure and every home in these said Mike Warren branch commander of the firefighting effort Facing a forecast of southwesterly winds as high as 30 mph fire officials were not optimistic about holding back the 61300-acre Storm Creek fire which was just two miles west of Silver Gate the first town in the path Thirteen major fires have burned roughly 1 million acres in Yellowstone and the surrounding national forests in Wyoming Montana and Idaho Park County commissioners directed sheriffs deputies to forcibly remove people from Silver Gate and Cooke City three miles to the east Silver Gate was encircled by firebreaks Monday and work continued Tuesday on strengthening the fire break around Cooke City About 75 fire trucks were stationed in the two towns uled for the trip but flu kept him away WBIR a CBS affiliate for almost 32 years announced in June that it would switch its network affiliation to No 1-rated NBC CBS announced about a month later that it would go with WTVK which has been carrying NBC programming Mapes pointed out that the WBIR switch is the second such change to NBC this year NBC also switched station affiliation in Jacksonville Fla He said one more switch is planned a top 35 reveal which city still a secret at this he said affiliate know about it WBIR-TV pulled two a wacky judge and network brass out of its bag of tricks Tuesday to promote its switch from CBS to NBC WBIR Channel 10 and WTVK-TV Channel 26 will exchange network affiliations on Saturday Betty White and Estelle Getty stars of the hit NBC sitcom Golden Harry Anderson of and NBC President Pierson Mapes arrived in Knoxville midafternoon Tuesday to mingle with WBIR advertising clients and employees Brandon Tartikoff president of entertainment division was also sched Al FuchsNews-Sentmel Estelle Getty left and Betty White of Please see WBIR page A2 Recreation centers facing cutback Fourth of a six-part series TAX Vote INDEX Comics B7 Dear Abby B6 East Tennessee A3 Editorials A12 Living food B1-14 Movies B4 NationWorld A8 Obituaries A13 Sports C1-5 Television BS Want Ads C9-14 STOCKS 1938 issues traded Despite fluctuations during the day Dow Jones ends session up 1067 Stock listings business news CM THE WEATHER Mostly sunny and warmer today High 79 Clear and becoming cool tonight Complete weather A2 On Sept 15 residents in the city of Knoxville will vote on a proposed three-fourths-cent increase in the sales tax and a 16-cent reduction in the city property tax If approved the additional revenue will be used to expand city services It would boost the combined local and state sales tax paid in Knoxville from 7 percent to 7 75 percent Today The News-Sentinel continues to look at how Knoxville officials propose to use the increased revenues love what I do but sometimes we have to work 12 hours a day because we have anybody to fill Wilson said Parks and Recreation Director Sam Anderson wants to give the center leaders some help He said passage of the Sept 15 sales tax referendum will make it possible Twenty -four years ago when Pat Wilson started working for the Knoxville Parks and Recreation Department she had more staff help than she does today Wilson and one assistant serve the 1500 people a week who use the Christenberry Recreation Center on Oglewood Avenue Dave CarterNews-Sentinel staff Pat Wilson of Christenberry Recreation Center says she serves more people today with a smaller staff than she had 24 years ago What It Means Please see TAX page A2 i.