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Nation & World Crash from page 4 to Georgia. Kate Pannell, personnel director for Murray County schools, said she knew of no previous accidents on the oriver’s record. She said the woman had been dri ving for the district for about three years. Residents said the bus driver seemed conscientious. “Every time that lady has come through there, that bus has stopped at that road, ” Edward V&tson said Searching for explanations, he said: “It is hard to see a train coming, and if you have children on the bus, even if the train had blowed its hom, she may not have even heard it.” Several residents faulted the lack of a warning signal. “That’s where the blame lies,” Whtson said Each day, about 150 cars pass over that crossing, and 13 trains pass the in tersection at about 60 mph, said Lu anne Grandinetti, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Of the 3,424 railroad crossings in the state, 61 percent are “passive,” meaning there’s a warning sign, but no lights or gate. Electronic warning systems are on ly required at crossings where more than 100 cars cross each day, there’s regular school bus and train traffic and a fatal ac cident has happened. The crossing now appears to meet all those requirements, Grandinetti said. She said some sort of warning system would be installed. It would cost $10 billion to erect warning lights and gates at the 85,000 highway-rail crossings in the United States that don’t have them, said Gerri Hall, president of Operation Lifesaver Inc., a nonprofit agency in Alexandria, Va., that promotes traffic safety. “We don’t have that kind of money in the federal coffers or anyone’s pock et waiting to be spent,” she said, adding that half of all vehicle-train accidents oc • cur at crossings that have warning lights and guard arms. Accidents between trains and high way vehicles have dropped nearly 90 per cent since 1972, according to the Fed eral Railroad Administration. Murray County, with about 31,000 people, is a blue-collar manufacturing area dependent on carpet mills in near by Dalton. Northwest Elementary maintained its regular class schedule Tuesday. Three counselors were at the school. Veronica Ownby, who lives about a quarter-mile from the accident scene, said her grandson, 7-year-old Zachary Matthews, rides the bus in the afternoons, but she drives him to school in the morn ings. “He’s upset over all his little bud dies,” she said. 'He's upset over all his little buddies.’ Veronica Ownby grandmother of Northwest Elementary student Flag from page 4 stars historians say was most frequently carried into battle, at a monument to Con federate women. A flag black Union sol diers in the First South Carolina Volun teer Infantry Regiment carried would go elsewhere on the grounds. Sen. Glenn McConnell, a Charleston Republican who sells Confederate mem orabilia at his Charleston gallery, said the plan “is entombment” for the flag that he spends some weekends fighting under as a Civil War re-enactor. “That symbolically would bury the flag,” he said. “Then somebody tells me that they want another glass case for this and another glass case for that. You start putting up glass cases all over [this] yard and it’s going to look like Crystal City on Krypton,” McConnell said. “A political deal is not worth risking a priceless artifact,” he said. From politics and business to enter tainment and sports, the flag continues to create controversy in South Carolina. Former NASCAR great Cale Yarbor ough is a Confederate flag supporter. Charleston Mayor Joe Riley thought he had enlisted Yarborough to participate in a march from Charleston to Colum bia to protest the flag, but Yarborough said he was misled. “I was told ‘if’ the Legislature de cides to take down the flag, the march was to make sure it was put in an ap propriate place of honor, not shoved in some closet,” he said. “I’m a supporter of the Confederate battle flag. I’ll march to keep it up.” However, Riley’s march is not with out its big names, including USC coach es Eddie Fogler and Lou Holtz, Hootie and the Blowfish lead singer Darius Ruck er, Bank of America Chairman Hugh Mc Coll and financier Darla Moore. The march will be held Sunday through Thursday and is being funded by a private organization called South Car olina United. Euan from page 4 so confident they will win, then they can wait a few weeks. It would be a mistake, provoking this family and the commu nity.” ,s Government officials have said they do not want to traumatize the boy or cre ate a conflict with the family. “From the beginning we have been mindful of the fact that at the center of this case is a 6-year-old boy who has been through a terrible ordeal,” Kraushaar said “Wfe are concerned for him and will continue to try to resolve this matter in a way that avoids additional trauma to him.” About 75 demonstrators gathered outside the Gonzalez home Tuesday in response to a call by the anti-Castro Democracy Movement, which uiged them to form a human chain around the home if the government tries to remove Elian. n Cheaper than Tuition... more fun than Body Piercinj Special Student Airfares Great Travel Products Adventure Holidays Beds on a Budget Travel Insurance Eurail Passes Contiki Tours Student ID's 800-777-0112 | 1TRAVEL WE’VE BEEN THERE. Dobson Volunteer Service Program , Wmm. 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