The Anniston Star from Anniston, Alabama • Page 14

iiv-ariiiflrqgrwfl Page 6B Monday. October 4. 1999 Region (Tlir -Aunistcnt Jtnr n. Report: State's travel agency linked to scandal 1. computer system had been improperly removed before being entered on a judge's docket.

The News said it reviewed defendant's copies of 18 different traffic citations with seven-digit numbers that were missing from the state's database. Among those was a traffic ticket given to suspended policy aide Sabra Barnett in Montgomery in June. Bailey. Ms. Barnett and constituent affairs office head Josh Hayes were all suspended Saturday.

Bailey earns $88,000 a year, said Siegelman spokeswoman Carrie Kurlander. Ms. Barnett makes $43.000.. while Hayes makes $48,000. Siegelman.

who canceled several north Alabama appearances promoting his Alabama Education Lottery on Saturday to hold the news conference, also signed an executive order asking for Associated Press Gov. Don Siegelman's executive secretary, one of three top aides suspended tor ticket fixing favors, tried to help a travel agency manager who Siegelman had suggested state employees use for airline tickets, a state newspapei reported Sunday. William Ryan Prather of Tuscaloosa was apparently among those who had traffic charges dropped alter a request was made to acting Department of Public Salety Director Col. Mike Sullivan's office, in this case by Siegelman aide Nick Bailey. Prather.

24, is the manager of North port -bused World Wide Travel. Siegelman's office in March issued a memo to all executive departments telling them to use the company to buy airline tickets, in what Siegelman said was an effort to con- travel trol and reduce an investigation to be conducted in all state agencies. He said his legal counsel. Fournier "Boots" Gale III, would conduct a similar review in his office. Siegelman asked the Legislature, the judiciary and the Public Service Commission, none of which are under his jurisdiction, to cooperate with the probe.

Employees caugh Employees caught lying will be fired, Siegelman said, but didn't say what would happen to employees who admit they participated in ticket-fixing. He said he'll leave it up to the attorney general or a district attorney to decide whether to prosecute any offenders. costs. Prather faced a 60-day license suspension beginning Sept. 9 after he was convicted of attempting to elude police in July.

On Sept. 8. a memo from "Nick" on governor's office was faxed to Sullivan's office, asking "Coi. can we Thanks! NB." Accompanying the memo was an official Department of Public Safeiv notice i. i A.

1 informing Prather of the suspension. Records on Friday' showed the license had not been revoked, the Huntsville Times reported in a Sunday story. State court system workers could not locale the ticket in their records. Attempts to reach Prather were unsuccessful. Bailey was among three employees Siegelman suspended without pay Saturday.

Baiiey declined comment when shown the memo while on a trip to Huntsville with Siegelman Friday night. Siegelman said Saturday he had no know ledge of any ticket fixing until he was contacted bv The 1 lying will be tired, Siegelman said, but didn't say what would happen to employees who admit they participated in ticket-fixing. He said he'll leave it up to the attorney general or a district attorney to decide whether to prosecute any offenders. Anyone in stale government found to have fixed tickets will have them reinstated and have to pay the fine, possibly including interest and penalties, Siegelman said. Siegelman said Sullivan was not asked about the duration of the practice, but "it's my impression that this is something that's been going on for decades." He said he didn't know how people with traffic tickets would know how to.

contact his staff. Sullivan. 53, has announced he is retiring from state government, Siegelman said Saturday. In Gainesville, Saturday to work security at the University of Alabama football game, Sullivan declined to answer questions. The NCAA was questioning UA's Buchanan about a traffic ticket that was dismissed in April.

Buchanan was held out of Saturday's game against Florida because of the investigation. Associated Press Associated Press on Thursday. Reflection The building behind Emily Landers, left, and Kristlna Keenum is reflected across the hood of Keenum's father's 1953 Buck Roadmaster in Sheffield on Saturday. Keenum's father was dispalylng the car in the Sheffield Octoberfest car show. On Friday, Siegelman asked for Sullivan's resignation.

A review by the AP of tickets and fines over the past two years found requests for traffic ticket favors linked to the governor's office, lawmakers, Sullivan's acquaintances and possibly University of Alabama wide receiver Shamari Buchanan. The Birmingham News reported Sunday it wasn't clear if ticket numbers labeled "not in use" in the state Briefs Make your cash register ring all month long for as little as $150! Cljc iHnmston mm f- dispute. Orenthal McConnico remained outside, and fired shots into the home, Wallace said. Hollis, an unintended target, was killed. Man charged with assaulting his mother DAPHNE A Daphne man has been charged with assault for allegedly beating his mother.

Police responding to a Friday night call found Sandra Baldwin, 44, suffering from severe injuries, mostly to the head and face, said Daphne Police Capt. Charlie McNichol. He said a 12-year-old boy, whom he did not identify, reported the assault to authorities. Police arrested Ms. Baldwin's son, 24-year-old Tanaka Moore, on a charge of first-degree assault.

Ms. Baldwin was listed in stable condition at Thomas Hospital Sunday and had been taken out of intensive care. McNichol said officers initially were worried that the injuries were too severe for Ms. Baldwin to survive. "It was pretty bad," he said.

He said the incident apparently stemmed from "some sort of disagreement." Former Mobile officer appealing conviction MOBILE A former Mobile police officer is appealing his assault conviction for beating his wife at a downtown bar. Bobby Lane Covington resigned after the Sept. 15 conviction on third-degree assault charges. He received a six-month suspended sentence and was ordered to attend anger management counseling. Covington, 48, turned himself in after authorities charged him in the attack on his wife, Keeley, at the bar in the early morning hours ol June 14.

A bartender testified she ran to a local mini-precinct police station after she saw Covington slap his wife, then later strike her in the face, giving her a bloody nose. Mrs. Covington declined to press charges, saying she passed out and could not remember the incident. The police department filed the charges against Covington. Covington's attorney said his client was slapping his wife lightly in an attempt to revive her after she had a seizure and struck her head as she fell off a bar stool.

Court testimony showed Mrs. Covington told officers and medical personnel who treated her that her husband had struck her. Associated Press dawn of fiscal 2000, with only a three-week truce signed Thursday by the president preventing another costly and divisive government shutdown. Birmingham poet has following in Japan BIRMINGHAM The former home of Birmingham poet and community activist Samuel Ullman has been turned into a museum in his honor. A San Francisco filmmaker is working on a documentary on his life.

But Ullman's writings were better known in Japan than in his Alabama home. After retiring from his hardware business at age 70, Ullman began writing poetry. Shortly before his death in 1924, he wrote the prose poem "Youth," an optimistic meditation on life. "Youth is not a time of life," Ullman wrote. "It is a frame of mind." "Youth" eventually became a favorite poem of Gen.

Douglas McArthur, who introduced it to the Japanese after World War II. To many Japanese, the poem seemed to offer hope of a better future following the devastation of the war. "Youth" is especially popular among Japanese leaders and business executives. It's not uncommon for them to carry copies of the poem in their wallets. The poet's grandson, 94-year-old Mayer Newfield, said Ullman "never in his wildest dreams could have imagined" he would achieve fame in Japan.

Brothers convicted in 1997 shooting BIRMINGHAM Two brothers were convicted in the 1997 shooting death of a man at a Birmingham crack house. Jesse and Orentha! McConnico were charged with capital murder in the killing of Perry Hollis, 36. But a Jefferson County jury found Orenthal McConnico, 22, guilty of the lesser charge of felony murder Thursday. Jesse McConnico, 21, had pleaded guilty to felony murder and received a 20-year prison sentence Friday. He testified his brother was the triggerman in the slaying.

Circuit Judge Mike McCormick will sentence Orenthal McConnico on Nov. 15. His attorney said he would probably appeal. Prosecutor Jeff Wallace said Jesse McConnico was armed when he entered the house to confront a man named Larry about an earlier Poll shows lottery voters in a statistical dead heat MOBILE Alabama voters are in a statistical dead heat over Gin1. Don Siegelman's proposed education lottery, according to a new statewide poll, and support for the plan appears to be slipping as the Oct, 12 referendum date looms.

The poll showed 51 percent of 810 Alabamians said they supported the lottery, while 42 percent were opposed and 7 percent were undecided. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points. I he telephone survey was com-MiisMiuied by The Birmingham News. The Huntsville Times and '1 he Mobile Register, and was conducted last week by the USA l'olhng (imup. Alabama Education Lottery I nundation spokesman Rick Dent said the pull results show why Sicgcliii.ui and lottery proponents aren't taking any thing for granted.

Siegelman has said a lottery, modeled mi Georgia's, would raise money tor a prekindergarten program, college scholarships, and school computers. State's GOP delegation sees October showdown WASHINGTON With Congress having enacted just four of the 13 spending bills needed to keep the government running by the time the new fiscal year began last week, Rep. Sonny Callahan had to admit a certain degree of frustration. The Alabama Republican, after all, had predicted repeatedly back in January that this would be the year House Republicans proved they could make the appropriation trains run on time and avoid another October budget showdown with President Clinton. Callahan doesn't blame his frustration on the Democrats, because he never expected them to help the GOP succeed.

Instead, he blames those "inexperienced neophytes on our side of the aisle who demagogue it. who use namby-pamby reasons" to oppose spending bills. Rep: Bud Cramer of Huntsville. a Democratic member of the House Appropriations Committee, also is frustrated, but for a different reason. As he sees it.

House Republicans have; frozen Democrats out of the budget-making process, particularly conservatives like himself who have been eager to deal. The frustrations of the two Alabama lawmakers illustrate the dilemma facing Congress at the ,5 A noun, mweifrteiuUuj, autpjott booh okoch frdM iaainll Deadline: 2 weeks prior to publication Publication: First Wednesday of every month Premiere Edition: November 3, 1999 Call Brenda for (256) 235-9216 it 057083.