Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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State budget passes House by Jim Davenport and Leigh Strope Associated Press After eight days of debate, the South Carolina House approved next year’s spending priorities 76 38 in a bill lauded by Republicans and loathed by Democrats. “We made a commitment late last year that the next House budget would remain focused on edu cation but would also be more responsible to the taxpayers,” House Speaker David Wilkins, R Greenville, said Wednesday. Democrats narrowly lost major battles on how to spend the state’s tobacco settlement money and on how much to spend for Gov. Jim Hodges’ First Steps preschool program. “How does this budget do anything but main tain the status quo?” Minority Leader Gilda Cobb Hunter, D-Orangebuig, said in a scalding rebuke to the House. On Wednesday, some House Democrats criti cized Rep. Ted Brown, D-Geoigetown, who earli er had voted against the governor’s request for an additional $10 million for First Steps. In the flurry of amendments to the $5.8 billion spending bill approved Wednesday, one provided $500,000 for a health clinic in Brown’s district. That caused some Democrats, who had fought for the ex tra First Steps funding, to question Brown’s motives. Many members wondered “why a particular member of this body would change their mind about a major policy initiative over a lunch hour about something as significant as the First Steps program,” said Rep. Doug Jennings, D-Bennettsville. “I think that answer came today, and I think it stinks. ” Brown said he made no deals to get the $500,000 to create the Geoigetown Choppee School Health Clinic and had been working on the project for six months. Of the hundreds of votes taken on more than 720 amendments, last week’s First Steps vote was one of the tightest - and highest-stakes. With Brown’s vote, the extra First Steps money failed on a 62-60 vote. However, one other Democrat vot Irirr oirainct tKo — o o- - amendment said he did so on a technical issue. Rep. Tim Wilkes, of Winnsboro, said his “no” vote al lowed him to call for reconsideration of the vote at a later time and would give Democrats time to debate the issue. In the end, it was to no avail as the budget bill passed without the additional funding for Fust Steps. Across the hall, Senate Democrats, fearful of voting against tax cuts for older residents in an elec tion year, went along with a Republican plan in a supplemental spending bill. “We just caught the re-election virus,” said Sen ate President Pro Tem John Drummond, D-Ninety Six. The amendment allots $50 million to pay for an increase in property tax exemptions for elderly res idents. The bill, which allocates money not includ ed in the state budget bill, also will pay for $5 mil lion in improvements for coastal storm evacuation and nearly $26 million for Medicaid shortfalls. Debate was heated as Democrats demanded to know how Republicans would pay for the tax ex emption increase. Budget see fage 4 How does this budget do anything but maintain the status quo?’ Gilda Cobb-Hunter South Carolina House Minority Leader Justice opens probe of White House e-mails by Larry Margasak ^Associated Press Washington — The Justice Depart ment announced Thursday it has opened a criminal investigation into how the White House failed to review thousands of e-mails that may have been under sub poena. Lawyers divulged most of Vice President A1 Gore’s messages are among the missing. The White House failure to archive vice presidential e-mails before 1997 means that most of Gore’s electronic cor respondence was never reviewed to de termine whether some pieces should be turned over to investigators looking at Democratic fund-raising abuses. “It appears that much, if not all” of Gore’s e-mails were not captured by the White House archive system, White House counsel Beth Nolan informed Con gress in a letter. Nolan told lawmakers they are re viewing backup tapes from the vice pres idential e-mail system to see if any of the e-mails can be reconstructed. The archive failure was “the sole re sult of human mistakes and entirely un intentional,” Nolan said, explaining that Gore’s office simply used a different e-mail system that until 1997 could not be archived by the normal White House system. “We have found no indication that those people producing documents (under subpoena) were aware of this prob lem,” Nolan wrote. jdul uie nuus»t; uuvcinuicm form Committee, which is investigat ing the e-mails, disclosed that current White House Chief of Staff John Podesta may have known about the e mail glitch back in the summer of 1998 in the midst of the Lewinsky scandal. The White House acknowledges that the glitches caused White House lawyers to fail to review thousands of messages to see if they were responsive to sub poenas and should have been turned over to Congress or criminal investigators from many Clinton-era controversies. Some of the e-mails may be lost forever, aides said. In a court filing, the Justice Depart ment divulged it has opened a criminal investigation into the missing e-mails, and allegations by some White House contract workers that they were threat ened by presidential aides never to dis close the problems to investigators. The investigation will be conducted by the campaign fund-raising task force which had subpoenaed the e-mails as part of its overall investigation into fund-rais ing abuses in the 1996 election. The dual developments Thursday added fresh fuel to a controversy that al ready has spilled into the presidential campaign. Republican George W. Bush raised the issue anew. _ “This is a White House that needs to lift the sunshine in when it comes to cam paign-funding allegations,” Bush said. “I look forward to seeing where those e mails are, and what was in those e-mails.” The committee released a June 19, 1998 memo from a presidential aide to then-deputy chief of staff Podesta in ft Vming him of an “anomaly in the sys tem involving the Mail2 server.” They also released a handwritten note sug gesting that Podesta asked an aide “to brief me on this.” Some private sector contract em ployees, who were hired by the White House to work on the e-mail system, con tended they were threatened by White House officials with termination — and even prison — if they told anyone about the breakdown. Investigators from independent coun sels to congressional committees all might have an interest in the missing e-mails, which could have been covered by sub poenas and document requests. E-mails see rage 4 ■-—1-— This is a White House that needs to let the sunshine in when it comes to campaign funding allegations.’ Gov. George W. Bush Republican Presidential Candidate Man shoots 4, kills himself \ by Megan K. Stack Associated Press Pasadena, Texas - Esly Contreras was talking with her mother and pastor about how to stem the repeated advances from a suitor when the man burst into the church’s office and opened fire, wounding the three and another parish ioner before siwoting himself in the head Oscar Castillo, 32, had been stalk ing 18-year-old Esly for weeks, her fam ily said Desperate to stop the come-ons and threats, mother and daughter went to their clergyman Wednesday night, her 15-year-old brother Robert said Esly was shot in the neck. Her moth er, 38-year-old Angela Contreras, was seriously wounded along with 43-year old pastor Carlos Matamoros. Another parishioner, 32-year-old Jose Luis Dones, was grazed by a bullet. Castillo returned to the parking lot after the attack, stood beside his car and killed himself with a semiautomatic pis tol. Eslywas in fair condition. Ha- moth er, wounded in the abdomen, and Mata moros, shot in the chest, were in criti cal condition. Castillo regularly donated his land scaping services to the church, said las boss, Qimilo Barreda. Castillo migrated north from Nicaragua years ago and ended up work ing landscape jobs near Houston. He bat tled drug addiction, acquaintances said, and eventually embraced Christianity. Neighbor Michelle Martinez de scribed the Contrerases as a loving, re ligious family. Angela emigrated from Honduras, divorced and raised her five children by herself. “As a mother, on a scale of one to 10, she's a 10,” Martinez said. An introspective, artistic young woman, Esly was scheduled to graduate from high school this spring. “There’sguys here that have crush es on her,”’ Martinez said, gesturing to ward the nearby apartments. “She does n’t give them the time of day. She just focuses on her education.” The courtyard was deserted Thurs day, and Martinez stood crying by her door. Blocks away, in the parking lot outside the locked church, blood stains marked the concrete. SHOOTING FOR SUCCESS In the New Millennium Career Fair 2000' Thursday, March 30, 20 Carolina Coliseum Concoi 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. If you are interested in the Hotel and Resort Industries, which is a rapidly growing and expanding field, then the Career Fair on March 30, 2000 is where you need to be. Marriott Fripp Island Resorts Lowe's Motor Speedway SEARS Omni Hotel From 9am until 2pm in the Coliseum Concourse, several of the hottest names in this industry will be present to answer your questions, take applications on-site, and give on-the-spot interviews. Door Prizes and other wonderful prizes will be awarded. If any additional information is needed, you may email: shemell©vm.sc.edu or call Prof. Sandy Strick at 777-6665. Hosted by: University of South Carolina College of Hospitality ^^Re^i^&SportsManagement^^^^^^ \~v-1 ' • 30 sizes and types ' | • You rent to the inch- only what you need | • • Extra side doors . • Resident Managers I • Computer controlled gate access ' | • Free use of moving dollies I , • Freight deliveries accepted . • You lock it and keep the keys I • From locker size to garage size ' U-Haul® Trucks • Moving Boxes & Supplies I Mini Office Warehouses * I_I • Temperature • Humidity • Climate Controlled 803-256-0103 803-787-5332 037 Elmwood Dr., Columbia 5604 Forest Dr., Columbia Elmwood @ Main St. Forest Dr. @ 177 803-798-1580 3754 Femandina Rd., Columbia 1-26, S. of Piney Grove /isit us on the web @ www.private-mini.com News Briefs ■ 12-year-old holds class at gunpoint Lisbon, Ohio (AP)—A 12-year-old who told authorities he wanted to be with his mother in jail briefly held his sixth grade class at gunpoint Thursday before a teacher persuaded him to give up the weapon. No one was hurt and no charges were immediately filed against the boy, who was taken into custody. The boy said “his biological mother was in jail and he wanted to visit her, be with her,” said Anthony Krukowski, superintendent of Lisbon schools. Police did not immediately confirm whether the mother was in jail. ■ Death toll in Mozambique hits 640 Xai-Xai, Mozambique (AP) — With gas in short supply Thursday, work ers found their boat stalled and were forced to leave a body floating in waist-high wa ter. The search for corpses came as the official death toll shot up to 640. Mortuary workers continued to use boats as access roads remained washed away from massive flooding last month. The workers in the southern town of Xai Xai were able to fish two corpses out of the muddy water in a back yard before they had to abandon their mission. Those three were among the 640 that had been counted as of Thursday, said An tonio Macheve, a spokesman for the Na tional Disaster Management Institute. The figure was expected to rise as the wa-. ter recedes. ■ Plane lost power before fatal crash Witnesses say a small plane that crashed just short of Columbia Owens Downtown Airport, killing one Midlands man and injuring another, apparently lost engine power before crashing in a wood ed area near railroad tracks. Charles W. Wmter HI, 53, of Irmo, died Wednesday night, Richland Coun ty Coroner Frank Barron said. William “Ray” Cooper, 42, of Columbia, was list ed in critical condition at Palmetto Rich land Memorial Hospital, Barron said. ra si i ^ aiwg irrjTjn I What would you & your I I friends do with $1000? I I Do you know a charity that I I could use $500? I for » jj| Bo the vem best B': yois campus, Brchansoe and Bor' details. it