Birmingham Post-Herald from Birmingham, Alabama • 23

TfMTI (Mu Einrangham INtroe SATURDAY Birmi" Pnt-IIcrald PwwbwMjw C3 I been the interim general manager for MAX only five months resigned Bob Edwards wu named the new interim GM To the chagrin of riders and drivers the Jefferson County Transit Authority continued to cut unprofitable MAX routes in order to save operating expenses Before long the Transit Authority wu talking about the possibility of contracting a private company to run the bus system By September the authority opened bids By early November RyderATE of Cincinnati wu awarded the contract on their bid of $77 million The company hu announced that it will take MAX over on Jan 4 At that time all MAX employees will be laid off essentially their employer the authority gives up the Inis system As their new employer cornu in all employees will have to pass driving tests criminal background ducks and drug screenings before they can be rehired Birmingham borrowed a couple of tried-and-true ldeu from other dtles in the country to try to curb the numbers of kids who were committing or being victimised by crime The Birmingham City Council adopted a curfew that began on Much 4 Under the curfew all youngsters 16 and younger have to be at school during school hours Also on weekdays the kids have to be home between 10 pjn and 6 am On weekends they have to be home between midnight and 6 am After three months police ai nounced that they had made 200 arrests under the dty curfew Chief Johnson said most officers appreciated the curfew another tool in their arsenal Abo In May1 the Birmingham school board adopted a policy requiring all pupils in the piddle schools to wesr uniforms to school The uniforms were to be various combinations of white and light blue shirts with dark blue pants or khakis For thou families that could not afford uniforms a variety of ways were set up for them to get the necessary clothing for free were raised In the late spring of this year questions like I change the stations while the stations are changing will anything Or this one: the morning paper comes in the afternoon and the afternoon paper comes in the morning then when Is There panic In the streets or anything but getting to favorite newspaper or TV show started getting kind of complicated In August On Aug 5 the Birmingham Post-Herald traded cycles with The Birmingham News Instead of coming out the morning the Post-Herald would be the evening paper while the News switched to a morning paper Thai less than a month later two of the television stations changed their network affiliations while a new station was added to TV landscape On Sept 1 WBRC-6 switched from being the ABC affiliate to be a Fox station The former Fox station WTTO-21 went back to its previous status ai an independent station And WCFT-33WJSU-40 came on the air for the first time as Birmingham's ABC affiliate There were a lot of new faces to get used to as well as a lot of old faces being In new a little nasty when Brenda Ladun and James Spann abandoned ship at Channel 6 and landed an the air on ABC 33-40 Lawsuits are still William LutherFoat-Herald Glenda Webb an anchorwoman for WCFT-33WJSU-40 reads from her teleprompter during the first morning news oast The station went on the air Sept 1 after a shakeup in the local television Industry that aaw some ststione changing affiliation and Fran page Cl The bus system let the fane down miserably on that first night leaving them stranded not far from one of the toughest neighborhoods Despite all of the morning-after finger pointing even that problem was straightened out by the next game Things went so well in fact that Birmingham found Itself on the list of possible venues for the next World Cup matches 3 The soccer capital of the South? Larry Had a Vision Even before the success of Olympic soccer another improbable dream began to come to fruition Many stood by and shook their heads at another harebrained scheme Fairfield Mayor Larry Langford barreled optimistically onward trying to make his idea for a theme park in western Jefferson County a reality Langford brought 11 cities Adamsville Bessemer Birmingham Brighton Fairfield Hueytown Lipscomb Maytown North Johns Sylvan Springs and Vance in on the deal Thai the Legislature made it possible for the cities to issue bonds a single entity and Langford was in business On April 18 ground was broken for VisionLand a park built loosely on' the theme of the old-time mining days on which western Jefferson County once thrived At a cost of somewhere between $35 and $42 million VisionLand will be a moderate-level part built on 75 acres of a 200-acre tract of land off Interstate 20-59 in Bessemer The roller coaster Is supposed to be ready for its first passengers in March 1998 VkV The Top Cop Perhaps no single person In Birmingham came under more scrutiny or criticism this year than the police chief Johnnie Johnson Jr While Johnson continued to preach his own brand of community involvement and individual responsibility as a solution to crime cries could be heard even from the office for a police force that was more responsive and more responsible At the beginning of the year Arrington set a series of goals for the Police Department including a 10 percent reduction in overall crime in 1996 He has strongly hinted throughout the year if not come right out and said that position would be riding on those numbers Not only is Johnson the first black police chief he is the first chief to be in the position of serving in that post solely at the discretion of the mayor Arrington also established a crime commission made up of business leaders and those in the critlabecame especially vocal in the summer when the city decided to pay three female police officers $425000 to settle their A New Sheriff in Town As the year started it wu becoming clear that Mel Bailey gong to be coming back to work much if at all At the age of 72 the once-and-fu-ture sheriff suffered a stroke in September 1995 while attending a conference in Florida He wu fighting anyone who knew him knew he would to come back But twice-weekly kidney dialysis plus other side effects of the were making it virtually lm- It also seemed fairly clear that Bailey simply wu not ready to give up the position he had held for more than 33 years For several months he wu determined to stay sheriff he wu to get better By late March a few politicians were publicly quoted saying Bailey' should step down and the rumblings threatened to grow louder Following an unsuccessful attempt to lead a meeting of his staff Bailey announced his retirement in April It took Gov Fob James only a week to name successor Chief Deputy Jim Woodward Routed nothing new about problems at perennially beleaguered maas transit authority Metro Area Express Chronically underfunded and unable to attract enough passengers to for itself the MAX bus system id limped slang for several years In May Emmett Ross who had In January Bennett repaid the school about $5000 for using the housekeeping services to take care of his private home That wu lust one of a few questionable uses Bennett made of school and student labor In March Bennett announced that after careful consideration UAB had decided it wu not tff going to sell University Hospital1 -UAB put the largest hostel on the sales rack back in causing all kinds of speculation and worry Why it suddenly wu taken off the market wu not made crystal clear In September the state Ethics Commission delivered a ruling that found Bennett guilty of a relatively minor noncriminal violation of the state ethics law in relation to all of his use of student and school labor at his house But In November Bennett resigned An interim president Paul Hardin from the University of Noth Carolina wu hired almost immediately The lower ranks of administration have remained hi some turmoil which wu not helped for several resignations and the firing of Sam Jackson the vice president for finance and administration The Switch All kinds of philosophical questions sexual-harassment lawsuit The settlement wu necessary city attorneys said became Johnson did not remove the women from the supervision of the sergeant they charged In the suit even though policy required it About a week later it wu revealed that Johnson recently had asked the FBI to investigate the apparent theft of a kiloesiu quantity of Cocaine that had been put into a locker at the North Precinct It wu believed that the culprit or culprits were police officers From the City Council to leaders of the black community some began to howl that leadership in the Police Department had completely broken down and that Johnson wu the cause With characteristic nonchalance Johnson let the criticisms roll off of his back Even when Money magazine named Birmingham one of the 10 most dangerous cities Johnson simply said he did not think things were bad all that Higher Education Troubles for Claude Bennett the president of the University of Alabama at Birmingham didnl exactly start in 1996 but they certainly continued And mow and more problems seemed to become problems every one to five hours The '97 model titers 20 hours a day dreutat-ing 36 gallons a minute and ensuring that the water Is always fresh In this revolutionary Uttering process the pump puls 06 amps Instead of five to six amps This Is less i1' i fni i Well-Rested and Looking Goo0 goal Christmas is over but Goodfellows is still trying to put the final wraps on its 1996 campaign As of today the fund drive needs approximately $8000 to reach its $100000 goal to pay fra the toys fruit candy and other goodies provided an Christmas morning for praximately 6300 needy children our area This campaign is being extended for the next several days in order to cover the operating expenses of the Goodfellows Store The store wu open three days the week before Christmas allowing parents who were ruled eligible by the Shout Lotteries MAM These numbers were drawl last rigfit nonoa CASH 3 1-33 PLAY 4-4-36 FANTASY 5 1-233-16-12 Georgia CASHS 2-6-9 FANTASY 5 8-18-24-29-33 (Florida and Goatfe lottery numbers nsi Monday-FUdey on A2 of Vie (WaA i In Post-Herald The odds are not very good Vat your beet buddy's tissue and blood woted provtdB a near-perfect match tor a transplant But I happened ha '97 models operates at 55 kfowatts In the '97 model however the heater switches to 1375 kilowatts after It gets up to operating temperature That geatly reduces operating costs and that's smart Cal Spa offers the best warranty In the Industry It's not a prorated warranty but a Aril live years on parts and labor That's protection Cal Spa has the only safety suo-don In the world If anything gets Into the suction the tub's power automatically kicks off How can you relax If you don't have peace of mind? That's what you get with a Smart' Spa In the past one of the less pleasant features of owning a spa was the difficulty In priming the pump after the spa was drained That was because the bleed plug was located underneath behind the pump The new models have an eesly accessible bleed plug located at the top of the tub for easy startup That's a Smart Spa For those times that you must come out of the spa and stll want to have some ton Spas Unlimited has mote than 20 different styles of pool tables along with appropriate aoces- HOLCOMBE HorpanvHte Al Qilo AI (IMjtTMaM HMnmv SM a iwji-iwwiMr Imagine your business in headlines The story of your business on this page can reach over 400000 adults For information call Tommy Strong 325-3171 SPAS UNLIMITED GETS SET FOR T97 WITH CAL SMART SPA still elusive state Depart-ment of Humu Resources to select presents to give to their children on Christmas morning Never in its 62-year history hu Goodfellows failed to reach Goodfellows its goal you help? Send your tax-deductible donations to: Goodfellows PO Box 2554 Birmingham Ala 35290 reports SLLoutahoapUaaanemangave mm MmJ Ik nb ongnma tnsna a rainy fki ia soy on re resin ana nBOTQ paQB On Va Digital Aga page read about Bob Hyatt kwerVorof Crafty one of the most popular computer -clou games accoocfcla via ta Sports wel have a preview of -Va Independence Bowl which Auburn meets Army and Rsii Ftrabaum wl took back at Va tap 10 stories In Alabama sports during 1096 Check out Va Fisafures section for a preview of Dick dark's New Year's Eve special and find out how the Faberga egg exNbR In New Orieans is Inspiring a number of new products sories The company also offers saunas In four different sizes for Indoor or outdoor use And backing every spa sold by Spas Unlimited is art outstanding service department If you've even thouit about the benefits and ton that a spa offers this to the smart time to shop at Spas Unlimited at 5350 Grantswood Rd right off 1-459 by Zamora Temple 9569888 Bring this ad when you come and receive a free gift when you purchase your 97 Cal Spa-adv NEVER CLEAN-OUT GUTTERS AGAIN! Postage Mochhiei A Meters VwwWila TSSSj LACROSSE HUNTING BOOT SAIF 89" Reg 11995 WATERPROOF INSULATED PELHAM 444-03M center poMTasa-aaM 8 POM1S WEST 7174120 i Red Wing Shoe Store Spa That's smart The pump also has automatic freeze protection When the spa senses that the temperature Is going below 40 degrees the pump kicks In and circulates the water Smart! The heater for both the 96 and GROUT TECHNOLOGY Foundation up ABCtianca Anchors Prawn grouting Wall Muck syitams 664-2911 DISPLAYiSELL'OFFII iMMrTUaaakioMM 17X8' iiriivvtsM rxio $5M ISM rX17 UMtotol MtoiiBIII than the standard stealth pump that the Industry uses It cuts operating costs and gives the customer deaner water like a Smart Spa should Cal Spa's association with appliance company GE adds 12000 service centers nationwide for the Cal SECURITY DOORS and WINDOWS from FOLKS YOU CAN TRUST 322-6868 ilil! 0 Fix Mo IMm Aid Brand Nm Wood Window fbphct MM Sh Trim fophe Farad tautaM Window Gku ImM Nm bwgy Etfdaol Window Imqnniwiryl eSpacMiing In OMr And Hbtorie Horn Ha NatioMl 'Window tof Inc IttIHiH What does the largest manufacturer of quality spas do to Improve Its product? Building on the already ex-ceSent features of the '96 Cal Spa the company offers an entirely new concept for r97 a spa deserving the name of Smart Spa The cabinet wel as the frame Is sti manufactured out of aN dear California redwood As experts explain redwood weathers much better than other woods and la Impervious to termites While the cabinets of products from mast competitors ere 38-tnch thick or at best 12ich thick the Cal Spa uses cabinets that are 5 8-lncti thick a feature that wi be appreciated 20 to 30 years from now An updated feature for the cabinet Is a key locking door to the pump so Vat children or odors get In And another reason a Smart Spa Jets In the foot wel have been repositioned to massage the entire leg radar dan Just da feet For maxP mum benefit the most Important feature Is the placement of the Jets radar dan their number end Cal Spa's Smart Spa Is designed to massage the body from head to toe Another outstanding feature Is that the drain plug Is at the bottom of the foot wel As the spa works dbt and debris are pushed to the top where da inter skims dam off and that's a Smart Spa In the past the Cal Spa filtered KITCHEN TUNE-UP I01CNIN RENEWML FOtt ANY SUOGCT CuWnrt macing CacMmtMtcn Fnm Damintalbn ScMacNan6uann(Md MnadCartMandlnuad Call 822-9991 FONTAINE' START THt NEW YEAH RIGHT WITH A TOOLBOX FROM FONTAINE MbnInM6w nMfr4SHMi MtoMviW taRtal Come see spas unlimited huge showroom home of the Adv LEISURE ROOMS by Sunbalt CALL TODAY FOS REE ESTIMATE 988-5252 I -800-844-7866 SPAS1UNLIMITED 956-98881 GET CAUGHT Saying I Wished I Had Seen spas Before I Bought My Spa WHY SACRIFICE QUALITY FOR SAVINGS WHEN fOU CAM HAVIBOTE ft.