,
at y PH: 842-2611
Price 50 Cents
briefly weather Fair; high in the mid 60s; low in the mid 40s ; sunrise 6:48; sunset 5:41. Page 18.
Furniture m anufactur.ers from Northeast Mississippi and beyond converged on Tupelo to see "everything that goes into the finished holstered product" in the st Furniture Suppliers position in the area . The e~o continues today at the N tchez Trace Hall of Fame Co vention Center. Page 5.
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eJfperiences told Three divorce victims relate th~ir experiences - good and bad - in obtaining a divorce . Page 12.
freighter, barge collide A freighter and a barge carrier collided in heavy fog shortly before dawn Friday in the Gulf of Mexico, near Galveston, Texas, mJuring four crewmen and smashing a hole in the freighter's hull. Page 2.
at&t releases plan .Ameri can Telephone & Telegraph Co. Friday released a planning model that would structure its 22 telephone compan ies into seven op.e rating region s as it prepares for divestiture of the coµipanies as part of the proposed settlement with the· government of a 7-year-old antitrust suit. Page 8.
shotgun massacre An ex-convict has been arrested in Jasper, Tenn., in connection with the shotgun massacre of his estranged wife and six of her relatives who all lived in Michigan. Page 19. I
state hosts rebels Mississippi State, which has managed to demolish Auburn and Kentucky at Starkville, will try to upend Ole Miss tonight before a sellout crowd at Humphrey Coliseum at 7:30 p.m . Page 21.
war report El Salvador 's ruling junta depicts the guerrilla forces as lacking peasant support, being demoralized by constant army attacks and being strong only in their Marxist- fanaticism. Page 7.
polish warning Saying ' 'sinister" resistance slogans were cropping up across Poland, a government spokesman in Warsaw warned Friday that open opposition to martial law would be met by tough repression. P age 17.
index
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About People ... .... . . . ...... 8 Around Mississippi ........ . . 3 Church Notices ..•. ... . .. . 10-tl Classified ..... ...... . ... . 26-31 Comics ...... .. ....... . ..... 16 Editorial . .. ... . . .. . ... .. . ... 6 Look At Lee .. . ..... . ... ... . 18 Look Of America ... ... . . .. . 19 Markets . ... ... .. ... .. ... . .. 31 Mississippi Living . .. ... . . 12-14 Movies . .. ... .. . ...... . .. : . 8-9 Obituaries ....... . . .. . . ..... 18 Sports ................... 21-25 What's Happening .. ...... .. 8
44 pages, 3 sections
Tupelo, Mississippi, Weekend Edition, February 20-21, 1982
Vol. 108 No. 276
e 1m Jounal Pabliatatq Co.
1655 S. Green St.
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Personal Income Makes Slight Gain WASHINGTON (U PI) Americans saw their total income increase slightly last month, the government reported Friday, despite the recession, bad weather and higher Social Security taxes. Personal income went up 0.2 percent in January after seasonal adjustment, the Commerce Department said, bringing the total to $2.49 trillion at an annual rate. Another category, disposable income, showed a greater · increase, 0.5 percent for the month after income taxes, school
taxes and tuition wer e subtracted. But by whatever measure, it wasn 't enough to keep up with spending, a third category the government said climbed by 0.8 percent in January. The big increase in Social Security taxes for January, a hike in the withholding rate that went from 6.65 to 6. 70 percent, was taken right off the top, and cut in · half what would otherwise have been a personal income increase of 0.4 percent. Bad weather, which kept many people off work in January c:nd
helped send industrial production down , t ook away a no ther uns pe cif ied portion of the increase. But probably the largest influence, analysts said, was the effect of the recession, which has cost jobs and trimmed back working hours. As recently as July, when the recession was just getting started, personal income climbed 1.4 percent, with the help of a cost-of-living increase in Social Security payments that wa s applied that month. "It could have been worse," said Rober t Or tn er , c hie f
ec onom ist of the Commerce institutions, the department said. Wages and salaries went up Department. "It was at least up at this point ... and would have one-quarter of a percent in January, despite severe weather been up more were it not for the increase in Soc ial Security last month. The savings rate of 5.8 percent ' taxes ." In August, personal income .of disposable i nco me in climbed 1 percent. In September, December appeared to drop, somewhat in January, although growth · slipped to 0.8 percent. October was only up 0.4 percent, the official figure for January will November rebounded to a 0.7 not be released until next month. Farm income wa s down 0.4 percent increase and December percent. Government employees' dropped all the way to zero. Offsetting the hike in Social · income went up 0.6 percent. Security taxes was $6 billion drop, Income in the service industries at an annual rate, in income taxes . went up 0.3 percent. Interest income stayed the same. and tuition paid to government
Spending
Governor
Cutbacks Studied
Backs House
By MIKE TAPSCOTT Staff Writer Tupelo city officials, looking for cures to a city budget being badly battered by dismal sales tax collections, are bracing for eossible cutbacks in city spending during the remainder of the fiscal year. Budget and Accounting Director. David Long said Friday he is searching the city's $7.6 million operating budget for · spending reductions required by an expected drop in revenue from sales taxes. M a y o r Jimm ie Caldwellinstructed the budget review this week after learning revenue from taxes ~n sales in December plunged 4.5 percent, or about $15 AS9i .,J;>elow December 1980 levels ; tong said. The Decem her collections , considered critical because of sluggish sales taxes in preceding months, has helped sales tax revenue drag $71,679 behind projected revenues used to draft the 1981-1982 budget, which began Oct. 1., he said. Long said the December collections , viewed as 'an indication of sales taxes that will be gathered during the first .q uarter of 198~, point to a possible shortfall of $200,000 to $30o;ooo in anticipated sales tax revenues. "It (December collections) hit us hard due to the fact that December was the month that we anticipated being up because of Christmas sales," Long said. Caldwell, saying he was "4.-isappointed" with the Decem her collections, said that means the city will have to " tighten its belt. It makes us aware that we have to be more efficient." Long said he can't suggest possible cuts until next week, when he should complete the revisions on anticipated revenues. The mayor promised that no Continued on Page 18
Fuel Tax-Bill
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Photo by Pb1lli1 Harper
BACK AT HOME - Bobby and Carolyn Lee share mid-morning coffee at home, where he is recuperating from cancer surgery.
Obstacles No Barrier For Growing Faith By PHYLLIS HARPER especially those like himself Feature Editor who never smoked nor drank. Bobby and Carolyn Lee She has recovered fully. He's remain undaunted in spirit, still recuperating from surge.ry cheerful and determined to that successfully removed all serve the Lord and their signs of the cancer, but left him fellowmen despite obstacles that unable to speak because of the would have overwhelmed many. laryngectomy . He writes on a At different times in the past child' s magic slate and has five years, both husband and started therapy t o learn wife heard the dreaded esophageal speech. diagnosis : "You have cancer." Lee is a Baptist minister , Mrs . L e e h a d pastor at Cen ter HiH, " a choriocarcinoma, a type so rare beautiful, small country church that diagnosis wasn't made for a in the hills of Pontotoc County." year after she started having ,Lee admits that he doesn't symptoms. know what the future holds, but Lee had a more common he knows the Lord still has work cancer of the larynx, ·but one for him to do. which seldom strikes patients " We really believe God has younger than age 60 or 70, and greater· things for both of us,"
explained Mrs. Lee. "My life has been different, so much greater" Since her bout with cancer. There's a framed needlework copy of Romans 8:28 hanging pro minently in the Lee home: " And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God , to them who are call ed according to his purpose ." Mrs . Lee ' s ca ncer was diagnosed in 1977 after a year of " losing weight, when I was always tired, nauseated," she recalled. "I had started feeling like I was a hypochondriac, always going to the doctor and Continued on Page 18
By NORMA FIELDS Capitol Correspondent Gov. William JACKSON Winter said Fr iday he prefers a Severance tax bill presently on the House calendar over the broad package proposed by the ·ways and Means chairman, and ·s aid the House-passed cigarette tax increase to fund a new medical research center gives him " concern." Winter, saying he is still confident he will get a state wide system of kindergartens, said the severance tax bill now . on the House · calendar would be a vehicle for getting his proposal of a 9 perc ent se verance tax · increase-passed. . He said he has not discussed with House Ways and Means chairm an Rep. H.L. " Sonny" Meride th t h'e a l ter nati ve " package" including local option · kindergartens funded with a fivem ill local tax levy. "I a m aware of the ideas he has advanced and I am not in agreement with the idea that requires local support," ' said Winter. "I am in agree'ment with getting a system of kindergartens · started and hopefully later on get some local support in it." He said requiring local districts to suppor t . the kindergartens wou ld be " self-defeating" because "those school districts most in need of kindergartens are the poorer districts, those that have been unable to raise the local funds .. ." The governor said he does not believe leaving the 8 percent severance tax hike bill lying on the calendar without action until next week would result in lost momentum for his program. " The other side of it is it will give us some more time to address the problems in it." Winter said he is convinced there is a deep , wide area of publi c support behind hi s proposal to fund a statewide system of kindergartens with the Continued on Page 18
Tupelo~s Racial Relations Move Forward. By MIKE TAPSCOTT Staff Writer The significance of this week's hiring of two black Tupelo firemen, coupled with other responses by the city to recent requests by black groups, is not lost on black Tupelo attorney · K,e nneth Mayfield. Mayfield, · spokesman· for five black groups that sought more black firemen , thinks the city's reaction to that and other requests may signal a turning point in the sometimes stormy relationship between City Hall and blacks. Without predicting a problemfree future in Tupelo racial relations, Mayfield said the positive response of Mayor Jimmie Caldwell and aldermen indicates a new attitude toward racial issues may have taken root in City Hall. That attitude, Mayfield hopes, is a w1llingness by freshman Mayor Jimmie Caldwell and the
Board of Aldermen, including five freshman members who took office in July , to negotiate differences with blacks in "good faith." The previous administr ation, which governed during a se·r ies of Caldwell refuses to compare tense marches by black groups in 1978, 1979 and 1980 that gained the previous administration and national publicity, adopted a the current city government, "hostile and adversary " which has been grappling with relationship with blacks, blacks' protests over the ci.t y's commitment to affi rmativ e Mayfield said. The previous administration action since m id-December. Instead, the mayor simply did ac c ept some recomme nda tions made by affirmed his and the aldermen's blacks, but usually only after comm itmen t t o reso lvi ng protests, business boycotts or com plaints presented by citizens other threats , said Mayfield', a groups, regardless of the race of civil rights activist since he was the citizens. " I really don' t think we are an Ole Miss undergraduate in the trying to be more receptive to late 1960s. "As far as I know, there wa s no blacks th an we would be to real relationship between blacks anyone else with a complaint or and the previous administration. grie va nce,'' said Caldwell, With this administration there adding that he is pleased with appears to · be a cordi a l Mayfield 's analys is of his relationship developing," he said. administration.
Analysis
Ward 3 Alderm an Jack whose initial complaints in midMarshall, a first-year board . December were sparked by the member, said the administration hiring of a white city policeman. has " a very good working The groups were concerned relationship with black groups. that the city had abandoned its We respect their thoughts and affirm ative action plan, because ideas, and I feel we are the P olice Depart ment fell below developing respect from the m." the plan's minority employment One of t wo current aldermen goal for city departments when who served on the previous the white policeman wa s hired. aldermen, Ward 1 Alderman The city responded to the , James Williams denied the requests by adopting the city's preceding board refused to first citywide personnel policy, negotiate with blacks unless which states the city' s dedication threatened with a business to affirma tive action, on Jan. 5 boycott or march. and by hiring a black policeman "That's a general statement on F eb.1. that I don 't know is accurate," Break rooms at the Street Williams said of Mayfield's Department, where black and characterization of the former white employees voluntarily administration. "They did not segrega ted themselves, were come to the boa rd with the same eliminated in late J anuary and requests. I don 't know that he can early February. Then the two prove that." bi ack firemen were hired While rejecting some requests ·. Thursday. by black groups, the current Mayfield said these actions are administration has accepted four Continued on Page 18 major ones made by groups