Birmingham Post-Herald from Birmingham, Alabama • 1

Newlywed nest brand-new dream homes goes on display in tour Features Cl Underdogs Samford faces St in first NCAA Tournament game Sports D1 Join a club to learn about investing Page B6 ANALYSIS Negotiations attempt to resolve imbroglio Democratic senators against Republican LL Gov Steven Windom and 17 senators supporting him it appears to be mostly Democrats negotiating with Democrats in search of a solution As of this morning neither side appeared close to being the first to blink Please tare to SENATE page A ByledBryaat Birmingham Fort-Herald Republican LL Gov Steve Windom left hai refuted to allow the Democratic president pro tempore Lowefl Barron center to make committee appointments Moat senators have protested action and have doted down the Senate stalling the lottery bil of Gov Don Siegelman right famai vMtar to the Legislature might never notice became negotiations between the parties are being carried out to-illy behind dosi I closed doors often outside the State House difficult to find out who is negotiating where they are negotiating and exactly what they're negotiating about And strangely although the feud pits 18 MONTGOMERY The state Senate is involved in a bitter power struggle bat the tally warring GADSDEN had checkmate! Clothes to help scores Uniforms go out if SATsgo up By William Singleton and Dave Fitz Birmingham Pmt-Henld GADSDEN Tommy Hil-figer could help some Gadsden teenagers study more at school Abercrombie Fitch could pitch in tax The Gadsden school board is enticing Litchfield High School students with a nova proposition: Get higher scares on the Stanford Achievement Test next month and well get rid of the mandatary uniform policy The scnool has been on the state alert status list because of weak SAT scores The state superintendent has threatened to take over the school If the scores don't improve The board will drop the mandatory uniform policy if the school gets academically dear status mm the state as a result of this year's SATi Please tin 1 to UNIFORMS page Al CLAY ELEMENTARY Class to lift off for Space Camp i Grant brings i adventure to I fifth-graders By Cindy Fisher Birmingham Port-Herald i Carte Lunceford has wanted to go to Space Camp in since she was years old The 10-year-old knew so much about the camp she excitedly listed activities she can't wan to do when she gets there: Ride in the gravity chair that spin around and around Build miniature space ship that houses a cricket to the test run Though Lunceford thought she'd never get to go she will along with the entire filth-grade class at Clay Elementary SchooL The 150 students are gang from March 28 through April 2 during spring break thanks to a $90000 grant from an anonymous doner The grant will pay the $550-peritudent charge plus transportation and fees for the six teachers "A lot of these kids would never have an opportunity like tins because it so expensive'' said Joy Todd parent of fifth-grader Brittany lodd Joy Todd read an article to the Birmingham Post-Herald in December about fifth-graders from Ttexas who got to attend the camp under a new program developed by the new chief executive Max Wing who came to the UJi Space Camp center in September Wing wanted the camp to run at capacity during the offseason so he began soliciting donations for grants to send 16000 fifth-graders to the camp free Todd called Space Camp's puMic relations department after reading the article asking only for tuition for 50 of the gifted students Then she got a call in late February saying they found to send i enough money T'vV tv'-- v' 45251 JvVfe Jf- Above Torrey Stevenson considers his predicament after a move by opponent lyanna Shelton right during a chess class at Tuggle Elemental? School in Birmingham Torrey and lyanna both 9 and 20 other fourth-graders in Maiy Jean class at Tuggle are learning chess and hoping to reach the city chess championships in two weeks At left Wallace Fard Muhammad executive director of Osiris Chess Club explains to lyanna that she has not lost to Torrey but has played him to a draw Muhammad's club sponsors the chess championships He teaches once-a-week chess classes for children at various Birmingham schools seven of which will send 12 students apiece to the competition The program Muhammad said helps students build character and interpersonal skills Details on the second annual Birmingham City Schools Chess Championships: Where I When Hemphill Elementary School I 8:30 am to 2:30 pm March 26 Participating schools Elementary School Middle School Elementary School Center Street Middle School Hemphill Elementary School Holy Family Elementary School Lincoln Middle School For more information call Osiris Chess Club at 802-7195 Robinson Rutledge Tuggle Photographs by Bob Farley Post-Herald STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION Approval of background checks plan expected today Portion included in previous bills dropped "A teacher may have been fired from a school in another state tor mofestatim sexual tion Association The new Mil removes checks an teachers seeking work at GAITHER SLAYING Offenses of hatred merit hard penalties The legitimacy of hate crime laws has been the topic of renewed debate particularly an local talk radio in the wake of the Feb 19 slaying of Billy Jack Gaither accused kiU-enhave said they beat him to death and burned his body in rural Coosa County because he was gay A state legislator has used the slaying as evidence that Alabama's hate crimes law should be expanded to cover crimes against homosexuals And maybe it should But a murder might be a poor example of wtor hate crimes liws exist at all A better example of their function may he vandalism If a teenager tears up the mailbox of a girl who wont go aid with him that's a minor criminal act usually not too abuse or a number of things and they can still come and teach said board Vice President Ethel Hall of Fairfield The legislation has been supported by the board several senators and the Alabama Educa private and church-mated schools Christian school'offidab said the Mil form them to adhere to state rules which violates separation of church and state Please tare to TEACHERS page Ai support personneL Today the board expected to endorse a third try This Mil has been changed with a portion removed that has held it up each year endorsed legislation asking to extend current background checks to cover checks on to-coming teachers from other statex Last year the bill was extended to include checks on By Cindy Usher Birmingham Fort-HereU Maybe the third time will be the charm For the past two yean the Alabama Board of Education has Please tare to CAMP page Al WIAT news ratings TELEVISION redesigned news attracts viewers Fotaury sweeps rattan Span Opm sampling the product liking what they aee and coming Not only have WIATk news ratings been steady they've gone up a ML The I pm newscast debuted to February 1991 with a L4 rating Please tare to WIAT page Al news outlets at least it's no longer invisible game plan a year ago was just to be in the game" said WIAT President and General Manger Eric Land "Now we are definitely a competitor We wanted to create an alternative And as time goes by more and mare people are sen ratings it appears that the on-air makeover was a modest success Viewen who tuned in for that much-hyped dehut appear to have stuck with the station giving WIAT some of its best news ratings to recent memory Although WIAT still in last place arneng Birmingham's TV By Darin Powell Binniigham Port-Herald A little over year ago WIAT-42 debuted with a radically redesigned newscast and a simple goal to breathe some life into its perennially low-ranked local news programming Judging from the latest Niel Since switching to a new newscast format in February 1998 WIAT has managed to expand its viewing audience Sourer NMn MkSi floMawh percentage of people In the market area who are watching a particular program Jane fiellPost-Henik to WITT page Al The Birmingham Fost-Herald Is confnuouriy making changes to improve foe paper for leaders: -and wrt Ha you to be part of tie dbcusiion If youU be Hsfested in partidpwtihg on a reader committmpicontadTabi8wSpaftmassistartmanaginga(ftorrt32h3111maiai to 3254410 or into Birmingham Ala 35202 How are we doing? 4 t4.