Elizabethton Star from Elizabethton, Tennessee • A2

NASHVILLE (AP) An airline employee led former Vice President Al Gore and two associates around airport security lines before police spotted the breach and re- quired them to be screened, of- ficials said Thursday. The employee of American Airlines led the three down to the lower baggage level Wednesday and improperly swiped each of them through a secure turnstile with her secu- rity badge, Nashville Interna- tional Airport spokeswoman Lynne Lowrance said. She de- clined to identify the employ- ee. The breach was spotted by airport police officer Sgt. Gary Glover, who was assigned to wait for Gore to come through security and escort him to his gate.

After Gore never came through security, Glover found the former vice president, his communications director Kalee Kreider and another staffer waiting at the gate for the flight to Miami. The officer asked the group if they went through security, and when they said they had- they were taken back and fully screened. Gore did not complain and cooperated fully, Lowrance said. goes through se- she said of the employ- action. showed bad judgment.

They were trying to be helpful, maybe too The employee will be re- quired to go through the air- port security training course again, Lowrance said. Any oth- er penalties, if any, would come from her employer. The company does not dis- cuss security issues and will not identify the employee, American Airlines spokesman John Hotard said. Kreider said staff usually notifies airports where he will be flying to make sure they know the former vice president will be coming through. we usually request is help from the airline to check in and alert so that he causes minimal disruption, she said.

was just an unusual situ- ation where he was taken past security and taken directly to the gate. When asked, of course, he came back through Kreider said. was there, and we know if standards had changed or she said. are different policies at different airports and you basi- cally do what asked to Gore was on his way to de- liver his presentation on global warming at the University of Miami. Page 2A STAR- FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2007 CALL Dr.

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(AP) Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen says going to have to carefully consider whether the role of National Guards- men along the U.S.-Mexico border should be changed. Bredesen has previously deflected criticism of the rules for when guardsmen are allowed to use force and whether they should be al- lowed to detain illegal immi- grants. always a concern about using the military for police purposes within (U.S.) Bredesen said while visiting Tennessee guardsmen near the Arizona- Mexico border on Thursday. at the same time, these are very well-trained people, and the problem is obviously Bredesen, a Democrat, said he recognizes the nation- al debate about the role along the border.

Those opinions range from ought to be home, to they ought to be down here with machine guns keeping peo- ple from coming across the he said. The governor said he was struck by statements from Guard and U.S. Border Patrol officials that just because ille- gal immigrants or drug traf- fickers are spotted coming in- to the country, it mean they will be stopped. Once alerted, Border Pa- trol agents have to respond quickly or risk losing illegal immigrants in the difficult terrain. Agents track them with trucks, all-terrain vehi- cles, motorcycles, horses and on foot.

Bredesen said he was sur- prised that a modern law en- forcement agency sometimes resorts to tracking suspects through the desert on foot. I heard that, my re- actions was that it sounded like something from 1875 and the ones that have the helicopters and the ATVs and all those he said. About 400 Tennessee sol- diers are currently deployed in Arizona. They are part of Operation Jump Start, Presi- dent initiative to have 6,000 guardsmen work in support of Border Patrol ef- forts in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California. Guard units have been called in for surveillance and support operations, but are not allowed to engage in armed confrontations.

In January four Tennessee guardsmen encountered a group of armed men, be- lieved to be drug smugglers. The soldiers followed train- ing and withdrew to their post to call Border Patrol to respond. No shots were fired. The incident prompted calls from some lawmakers in Arizona and Tennessee to ex- pand the role to in- clude apprehending illegal immigrants and policing against drug smuggling. Op- ponents have said changing the mission would militarize the border.

But the Guard units have brought their own expertise to the limited role and get ex- tra field training. Spc. Daniel Shear, of Hunt- ingdon, said he has be- come increasingly adept us- ing the night-vision goggles and heat detecting equip- ment from his surveil- lance post near the border. might have looked like a little blip on the screen might now look like some- body or something he said. you used to see a blip, and call it in, and then find out a cow or something.

That happens a little less The Border Patrol lauds the Guard for its surveillance work, vehicle maintenance and repair, and for helping construct vehicle barriers for the border. With guardsmen taking over those tasks, Bor- der Patrol agents are able to do more work in the field. have a lot of people doing some things that they were pulling official badged agents off the border to do, like making these Bredesen said. I think a very good use of our Still, Bredesen said he has- made up his mind about whether to recommend in- creased responsibilities for the Tennessee Guard. the commander in chief of (more than 10,000) Guard members, so not something I want to pop off politically he said.

want to learn about the situa- tion and have an informed NASHVILLE (AP) A De- mocratic state senator wants to know whether a Republican questions to the state education commissioner about creationism are uncon- stitutional. Sen. Shea Flinn, D-Mem- phis, has asked Attorney Gen- eral Bob Cooper whether the request violates a provision in the Tennessee Constitution that bans religious tests for public office holders. resolution in question requests our commissioner of the Department of Education to opine on the origin of our universe and the existence of a Supreme Flinn said in his request to the attorney general. Sen.

Raymond Finney, R- Maryville, has sponsored a res- olution to ask Education Com- missioner Lana Seivers whether the universe been created or has merely happened by random, un- planned, and purposeless oc- Finney said he wants the department to say no scientific proof for the theory of evolution and to let schools teach creationism or intelligent design. there a creator? If yes, why are we afraid to teach cre- Finney said earlier this week. if the answer is we then why are we prohibiting an al- ternative Flinn asked whether the resolution would violate the U.S. Constitution or the Ten- nessee Constitution. Article 1 of the state consti- tution holds that political or religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under this Flinn immediately return a phone call Thursday seeking elaboration on why challenging the resolution.

However, Finney said he did- know if the legislation is constitutional and is unsure about trying to pass it this year. is jumping the gun on this and getting upset for nothing. I have it in there but I probably have time this said Finney, a 65- year-old retired physician who said he has found no scientific proof of evolution. resolution would not need approval from the Democratic-controlled House or the governor. Republicans hold a one-seat advantage in the Senate.

Education Department spokeswoman Rachel Woods has said the department would work to formulate an- swers to resolution if it passes the Senate. Creationism is not part of the biology curriculum but schools can include it in elective religious studies, so- cial studies and humanities courses. The state Board of Educa- tion not the Department of Education oversees any changes to the curriculum, Woods said. The East Tennessee town of Dayton was the home of the 1925 Tennessee Tri- that pitted evolution against the biblical creation story and resulted in the con- viction of biology teacher John T. Scopes for teaching evolu- tion.

Scopes, a Dayton teacher, was convicted of violating a state law that forbade teaching evolution and was fined $100. The Tennessee Supreme Court reversed the conviction on the narrow ground that only a jury trial could impose a fine of more than $50. It did not rule on the constitutionality of the law. The state repealed the law more than 40 years later, in 1967. Senate Minority Leader Jim Kyle, D-Memphis, speculated that Finney is using the meas- ure to gain political traction in advance of his 2008 re-election bid.

to me is an effort di- rected to a niche political group that trying to ingra- tiate himself to as he starts his re-election Kyle said. Kyle said he will defer to the attorney general on consti- tutional questions about the resolution. Senate Speaker Ron Ram- sey disagreed with sug- gestion of political motiva- tions. do it like that, he just does in his Ramsey said. Ramsey, R-Blountville, said he agrees with objec- tives.

I believe in the supreme being: I believe in God and I believe Jesus is my Ramsey said. just trying to make the point that creationism is an alternative to evolution, that two different views out he said. KNOXVILLE (AP) Firefighters battled high winds Thursday to bring a wildfire un- der control after it ignited several unoccu- pied rental cabins and up to 500 acres on a mountain near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, officials said. have been no injuries. We have been very Nathan Waters, a spokesman for the Tennessee Division of Forestry, said from the fire scene on Cove Mountain, about 35 miles south of Knoxville.

Bulldozers cut a new fire break around the smoldering woods Thursday evening and fire crews moved a pumper truck into a monitoring position on top of the mountain in case of flare-ups. Though conditions remained windy, the firefighters were hoping to back to- morrow and regroup, walk it and see where any structures need more work, and start mopping Waters said. Several hours earlier, the situation so calm. was on top when the first structure went Waters said. had power lines that came down and a propane tank was getting hit.

So they evacuated everyone off the top, and that propane tank About 40 firefighters and foresters from six counties joined the effort, fighting a fire pushed by winds of up to 50 mph and fu- eled by dead trees killed by beetles and ice storms. has just been a Waters said. wind and the (steep) slope have been the two major A scattered rain, however, helped control the fire. Waters said the first crews arrived late Wednesday. They thought the fire was stopped behind a fire break.

But the flames jumped the line around 5 a.m. EST and threatened homes. Waters said six of eight unoccupied rental cabins at the top of the mountain burned. At one point the metal roof on one of the units exploded off the building. At least four families and their pets living on the same road were evacuated.

Firefight- ers stood by to protect their houses and oth- ers in a gated community nearby. had any residences Waters said. had several that were threatened and have black (from flames) all the way around Authorities know what started the fire, but Waters said the underbrush that owners allowed to grow close to the burned rental cabins contributed to their fate. The Division of Forestry issued a re- minder to the public to before you because of moderate wildfire condi- tions this spring. During the official fire season, Oct.

15 through May 15, citizens must get a burning permit before conduct- ing open, outdoor burning. Earlier this week, a state forestry aerial observer spotted a man setting fires near Fall Creek Falls State Park and officers on the ground in Bledsoe County arrested him. Lake Thomas Angel, 49, of Pikeville, was charged with setting fire to personal proper- ty and released on a $10,000 bond, pending a Monday court hearing. Beth Elliott is the state forestry aerial observer who saw the incident unfold below her, said Robert Rhinehart, assistant district forester. fly through the district several times a day when fire danger is Rhinehart said.

When Elliott saw what was happening she followed (the suspect) along and called law he said. Spotting a fire being started is unusual, he said. Most arrests come from tips or leads after the fact. Angel denied setting the fires and told authorities he was squirrel hunting. Officials said Angel was found with a lighter and a squirrel carcass.

Rental cabins, up to 500 acres burn in wildfire near Smokies Airline employee led Gore around Nashville airport security Bredesen uncertain about Guard duties on border Constitutionality of creationism resolution questioned by senator KINGSPORT (AP) New exit numbers and signs will start to go up along Interstate 26 next week to replace the old In- terstate 181 signs in upper East Tennessee. Tennessee Department of Transportation officials said Thursday they plan to start in- stalling 284 news signs on March 5. The work should take about 11 days, they said. The former I-181 is the north- ernmost section of I-26, which now stretches from the Virginia border at Kingsport to Charleston, S.C. The new signs will be posted along the road in Sullivan, Washington, Carter and Unicoi counties.

Old Exit 55 in Sullivan County will now be Exit 1. will be a transition period when exit numbers will be different from one inter- change to another, so motorists need to be alert while traveling said TDOT regional trans- portation director Fred Corum. aid motorists during the transition, the old exit numbers will be displayed along with the new exit numbers for approxi- mately 24 I-26 gets new exit numbers, signs.