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. Poll: Most want Confederate flag removed Associated Press Almost 60 percent of South Car olinians want the Confederate flag re moved from atop the Statehouse and al most half say the NAACP’s tourism boycott had “no effect” on their opin ion, a new poll shows. The survey dispels some widely held notions about the importance of the flag, said Clemson University political science professor and Republican strategist Dave Woodard, who helped conduct the poll. “Some people believe the Confed erate flag defeated (former Gov.) David Beasley. We believe our data disprove that notion,” he said. More than half those polled would vote to re-elect a legislator even if they disagreed with that legislator on the flag issue, said Beth Schapiro, an Atlanta De mocrat who also worked on the poll. Republican voters were more for giving on the issue than were Democrats, she said. Sixty-eight percent of Republi cans said they would still vote for a can didate even if they disagreed on the flag issue, while among Democrats, 43 per cent said they would vote for that per son. The telephone poll of600 people who voted in two of the last three general elec tions was commissioned by the Heritage Roundtable of Greenville, a multiracial group of about 40 elected officials, business people and cleigy working to re move the flag. The poll, conducted Dec. 12 to 20 and Dec. 27 to 30, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent. While 59 percent said they wanted the flag down, about two-thirds of voters supported moving the flag to a Confed erate memorial on Capitol grounds. More than half said they favor having a state holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Women and voters aged 18 to 34 showed the highest level of concern about the issue. The poll showed 51 percent of women said it was very important to seek a solution to the flag controversy while among voters 18 to 34,59 percent felt a solution was very important. The poll also showed: —43 percent of voters think the flag hurts tourism. — 34 percent agreed the flag will harm recruiting businesses to the state. — 29 percent think the flag hurts USC and Clemson athletic recruiting. — 27 percent think South Carolina companies will have trouble selling their products. Fifty-two 52 percent of voters placed responsibility for taking the lead on the flag issue on Gov. Jim Hodges, while 9 percent said House Speaker David Wilkins, R-Greenville, was the key to the issue. Five percent said Senate President Pro Tem John Drummond, D-Ninety Six, was the key. ‘Some people believe the Confederate flag defeated (former Gov.) David Beasley. We believe our data disproves that notion.’ Dave Woodard Clemson University political science professor Russian forces attack Grozny by Elmira Kozhayeva Associated Press MOZDOK, RUSSIA — Russian helicopter gunships rocketed rebel positions in Chechnya’s capital on Sunday as heavy street fighting resumed after a brief lull during Orthodox Christmas. Russian troops were continuing their . push to take Grozny, the capital. But in yet another sign that Russia is still far from victory, rebel forces launched new at tacks outside Grozny, assaulting federal troops in two nearby towns and ambushing a Russian troop column. After steadily retreating over the last few months, the rebels have gone on the offensive in the past week in Grozny and other parts of the breakaway republic. The Defense Ministry said its forces encountered stiff resistance from well armed Chechen fighters in Grozny but insisted that the rebels were suffering high casualties. Helicopter gunships sup ported ground attacks by rocketing rebel positions in the northwestern Staro promyslovsky district. The fighting came a day after a rela tively quiet Saturday, when the holiday and heavy fog kept fighting to a mini mum. The military said Sunday that it was still refraining from bombardment of cen tral Grozny, where many civilians are hiding — and where federal troops are trying to ovenun rebel positions. But ar tillery continued to support ground units trying to advance deep into Grozny, and the ban on air bombardment did not appear to extend beyond the center of the city. Commanders announced a pause in bombing in Grozny’s center on Friday, saying it was meant to mark the Ortho dox Christmas holiday and to allow the thousands of civilians trapped in Grozny to flee. Only about 400 people left the cap ital on Friday and Saturday, the ITAR-Tass news agency quoted the Ministry for Emergency Situations as saying. Some 20,000 people are believed to still be in the city, the ministry said. Russia’s drive to occupy Chechnya J has stalled in the face of bitter rebel re sistance in Grozny and the southern moun tains. The top two Russian combat commanders were removed last week af ter repeated predictions that Grozny was about to fall did not prove accurate. In the town of Aigun, nine miles east of Grozny, a 300-strong rebel band at tacked Russian forces Sunday. The mili tants blockaded several dozen Russian of ficers and soldiers inside the local military headquarters and an unknown number of servicemen in the railway station, said Lt. Col. Konstantin Kukharenko, a mil itary spokesman. Fighting there was con tinuing Sunday evening. Rebels also launched a surprise attack on a Russian post between Argun and the town of Shali, Kukharenko said. They pulled up to the checkpoint in a bus and opened fire on the troops, killing two and wounding another. Russian helicopters and armored vehicles were rushed to the area, and the battle lasted for some two hours, “Chechnya seewgeaz Russell House University Union will be sponsoring a COLLEGE BOWL Campus Tournament January 19-20, 2000 “The Varsity Sport of the Mind” Applications available at the Russell House Information Center Registration Deadline: Thursday, January 13 For more information, contact Jennifer Barrineau 777-8182 Commission blames train wreck on missed red light by Doug Mellgren , Associated Press Oslo, Norway—A fiery train wreck that killed 19 people in southern Norway was probably caused by a lo cal train passing a red stop signal, an in vestigative commission said Sunday. In a preliminary report, the Na tional Rail Administration accident can mission said no technical foults had beat found in the lights used to signal the trains. It said the small local train prob ably left a station despite a red light in dicating it should stop. Railroad traffic controllers had no chance to warn the trains’ engineers before the crash, the report said. The controllers discovered the impending catastrophe just 35 seconds before the local train collided with a region al express line, it said. The two passenger trains crashed head-on Tuesday near the town of Rfna, about 110 miles north of Oslo. A fire then swept the wreckage, burning some of the 19 victims alive. The trains were both traveling at about 55 mph. The commission said neither train braked, meaning they crashed at full speed. “Thirty-five seconds is too short to dial a cellular phone and stop a train at those speak,” Ove Skovdal, the head of the commission, said at a news con ference in Oslo. Control computers showed that the trains were mi a collision course four minutes before the crash, but traffic managers did not immediately notice because they were busy directing traf fic on another line, officials said. The commission was oik of three investigating the wreck. The main'gov ernment commission has said it will take months before a final report is is sued. News Briefs * Post office prepares to launch rate change process Washington (AP) — The Postal Ser vice is getting ready to kick off the com plex process of raising rates, a step that could mean higher stamp prices early next year. Major mailers have been on edge in recent months, anticipating the action many expect to be announced Tuesday at the monthly meeting of the Postal Ser vice’s board of governors. “I think it’s about 95 percent likely that the governors will approve a filing, ” said Neal Denton of the Alliance of Non profit Mailers. ' “They ’re going to do it, ” said Gene Del Polito, president of the American As sociation for Postal Commerce, former- , ly the Advertising Mail Marketing As sociation. Postal officials weren’t discussing how much of an increase would be sought — or even whether a request would be filed — stressing that the decision is up to the governing board. ■ Study; Criminals attack elderly less often Washington (AP) — Violent crimi nals attack Americans age 65 or older far less often than younger men and women, probably because older people don’t go out at night as much, the Justice De partment reported Sunday. There were an average of 5.3 violent crimes for every 1,000 U.S. residents age 65 or older each year from 1992 through 1997, according to the department’s Bu reau of Justice Statistics. That was less than one-tenth the rate of violent attacks on younger Americans. Those age 12 though 64 suffered an annual average of 56 violent attacks for every 1,000 resi dents during each of the same six years. The data were based on Census Bu reau interviews every six months during the period with 85,000 Americans age 12 and older. In 1997, the elderly, defined by the report as those age 65 or older, made up 12.7 percent of the U.S. popu lation, but they accounted for only 7 per cent of the crime victims identified in the interviews. Welcome Back (Formerly 3ayer) Welcomes back USC Students and We make the following offer: Students can donate plasma with 9 SercrTec and Earn Cash in Z donations Open A\-F 1916 Taylor Street Z5F6683 * % ' _ d)