Tulare Advance-Register from Tulare, California • 1

Sports: East meets, tops Westpage A4 MONDAY TuIqpg 59 CENTS www.TulsreAdvancsnsslstsr.com nn JUL Oklahoma City bomber is first federal prisoner put to death In 33 years The execution of P8; Timothy McVeigh President Bush said bombing suspect chose 1 his own fate PeS6 Eyewitness to execu-tlon describes scene P36 Reaction at Okla- noma City bombing site Page6 iWQM teeth were clenched, just like when they showed him coming out of that facility when he was first arrested. His teeth were clenched, his lips were pursed and just a blank stare. It was the same today." Janice Smith, whose brother Lanny Scroggins died in the bombing, prayed with her children at the Oklahoma City National Memorial, then left after getting word that McVeigh was dead. "Ifs over," she said. "We don't have to continue with him anymore." McVeigh's lawyer Robert Nigh somberly reminded reporters that the government not only executed the Oklahoma City bomber, but also a decorated Gulf War veteran, a son and a brother.

He said there was "nothing reasonable or moral about what we did today." "If there is anything good that can come from the execution of Tim Mcveigh, it may be to help us realize sooner that we simply cannot do this anymore," Nigh said. "I am firmly convinced that it is not a question of if we will stop. It is simply a question of when." See MCVEIGH, page A6 620 miles away by looking directly into the overhead TV camera in the death chamber with the same cold, hard look he had on his face when he was first arrested after the April 19, 1995, bombing. McVeigh, wearing a white T-shirt, khaki pants and slip-on sneakers, looked pale as he awaited death. His hair was cropped short A light gray sheet was pulled up tightly to his chest as he lay strapped on the gurney.

McVeigh made eye contact with his four personal witnesses, then with the 10 media witnesses, then squinted toward the tinted window shielding the 10 victims' witnesses from his view. The lethal injection was administered to his right leg. When the first drug was delivered, he let out a couple of deep breaths, followed by a fluttery breath. His head moved back, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, and his eyes were glassy. In a recent letter to The Buffalo News, McVeigh said his body would be released to one his attorneys and cremated, and his ashes would be scattered in an undisclosed location.

In Oklahoma City, Kathleen Treanor, whose 4-year-old daughter, Ashley, and her husband's parents died in the bombing, watched the closed-circuit broadcast. Afterward, she held up a picture of her daughter and said: "I thought of her every step of the way." She said there was no display of emotion in the room as the execution took place. Larry Whicher, the brother of a bombing victim, said McVeigh looked straight into the camera with a cold, blank stare in the moments before he died "and that stare said volumes." The camera was suspended from the ceiling and pointed at an angle at his face. "He had a look of defiance and that if he could, he'd do it all over again," Whicher said. He added: "I don't think he gave himself to the Lord.

I don't think he repented and personally I think he's in hell" Jay Sawyer, who also watched via TV, said: "Without saying anything he got the final word, absolutely, bis Associated Press Holly Hryszko, right, and Shawn Lenn of Trenton, Ohio, demonstrate in an area reserved for pro-death penalty protesters outside the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, where Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was put to death today. norgy costs hit high school budget Day of Fun 7 vv ByRexW.Huppka Associated Press TERRE HAIITE In1 The government Timothy McVeigh so despised executed him by chemical injection today, taking his life in exchange for the 168 lives lost when he blew up the Oklahoma City federal building six years ago. He died silently, with his eyes open, and with no trace of remorse. Instead of making an oral statement, McVeigh, 33, issued a copy of the 1875 poem "Invictus," which concludes with the lines: 1 am the ter of my fate; I am the captain of my souL" He was pronounced dead at 8:14 a.m.

EDT, becoming the first federal prisoner executed in 38 years. In Oklahoma City, 232 survivors and victims' relatives watched a closed-circuit TV broadcast of the execution, sent from Terre Haute in a feed encrypted to guard against interception. Some of the victims and survivors said he seemed to stare straight at them from Religious clubs can moat at schools High Court lowers church-state barrier. Associated Press WASHINGTON The Supreme Court ruled for a Christian youth group today in a church-state battle over whether religious groups must be allowed to meet in Eublic schools after class ours. In a 6-3 decision that lowered the figurative wall of separation between church and state, the justices said a New York public school district must let the Good News Club hold after-school meetings for grade-school children to pray and study the Bible.

Justice Stephen Breyer, usually a moderate-to-liberal vote on the court, joined the five most conservative members Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Sandra Day O'Connor, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas in partial support of the religious club's request Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter dissented. The majority found that excluding the dub was unconstitutional discrimination based on the club's views. Letting the meeting take place would not be an unconstitutional government endorsement of religion, the court ruled. The Constitution's First Amendment protects free speech and the free exercise of religion, but it also bars government establishment of religion. The Milford School District in upstate New York had argued that allowing the Good News Club to hold what school officials called the equivalent of religious worship" at the school would amount to a school endorsement of Christianity over other religions.

The Good News Club said See COURT, page A2 INSIDE TODAY District estimates gas and electricity will cost $300,000 more next year. Tulare Advance-Register A significant increase in energy costs, and an expect-ed increase in employee benefits, are the two main adjustments to the 2001-02 year budget for the Tulare Joint Union High School District. Superintendent Gerald Benton said the district has allocated approximately $300,000 more for gas and electricity costs for the next year, and he said he is not sure exactly what the final costs will be. That, was a substantial hit," said Benton of the 50 percent increase in what is budgeted for energy. He said there is some talk in Sacramento that the state may give schools some extra funds to offset the charges, but they probably won't know for sure if that will oc i i Hon HolmanTulare Advance-Register Caitlin Valencia, left, tries to decide which face painting to get while her mother pulls her sister Cassie's hair away from her cheek and a freshly painted heart.

Caitlin decided on a butterfly. Face painting was just one of several booths around the Horizon Outlet Mall dunng Kid's Day at the Caboose on Saturday. toll from Associated Press A couple use a small swim ming pool to maneuver through flood waters in Houston Sunday. Hundreds of people remained out of their homes Sunday as tor rential rains from the remnants of Tropical Storm Allison swamped many homes and vehicles. take care of their own problems or to help friends or See RAIN, page A2 the money needed to construct a pool at Tulare Already approved, the contract for the pool will probably not be awarded until October with the work extending into the next budget year, said Bentoa There is some money for a new school bus ($110,000) and to complete the Tulare Western campus modernization project, but not much else.

The district has applied for Clean Air funds that would pay for a second bus. "If we get funded, we might get two new said Benton. Overall, the total budget is $34.1 dollars, of which $27.9 million is general fund expenditures. The district plans on a $7 million reserve. Of the budget, 81.32 percent ($22.5 million) is for salaries and benefits.

A separate budget for the adult school shows expenditures of $3,264,068, again, most of that for salaries and benefits. ple for Time Out Pizza," he said. "It more than doubles my staff." The Visalia YMCA, which stages several day camps and overnight camps in the summer for youth, also needs dozens of extra workers to keep all the events going. "Camp Tulequoia and Skate Camp alone serve nearly 1,500 children and need lifeguards, camp counselors, cooks and dishwashers for the entire summer," said Rebecca Jennings, public relations director for the Visalia YMCA. Altogether, the YMCA will hire nearly 100 extra workers for the summer programs.

In California, unemployment dipped to 4.5 percent from 4.7 percent cur until September. The high school board of trustees will hold a public hearing on the budget and probably pass it at its Thursday meeting. That is about three months before the state finalizes its budget, so some things will change. "The budget is based on estimates," said Benton. He said there will be several adjustments, the first in September when the state budget is approved.

i "If we get additional money, we have to decide where to put it," he said. A 3 percent increase in salaries for teachers and 4 percent for classified employees will cost the district about $850,000 more next year, while the increase in benefits will cost another $850,000. There is no money budgeted for a bond election next year. The high school district is eyeing a bond measure to build a third campus, but Benton said the vote is at least a year off. is only a portion of and early summer at the same time that harvesting of Valencia fruit is finishing.

The number of jobs does go up quite a bit as the season goes into full swing, but he said he would expect the employment situation to remain level rather than continue to increase. Amusement and recreation in May saw a double-digit increase of 14.3 percent in the number of jobs as summer and leisure activities go into full swing. Jason Mancil, manager of the Time Out Pizza and Fun Center waterslide park in Tulare, said the park hires additional workers for both the pizzeria and the park. "We've brought in 15 lifeguards as well as extra peo ses, to 18 County's jobless rate drops more than 2 percentage points Death otm Texas and Louisiana hardest hit by days of rain. Associated Press HOUSTON Crews scrambled today to repair power outages and reopen roads closed by flooding that was caused by as much as 3 feet of rain from the slow-moving remnants of Tropical Storm Allison.

The storm was blamed for 18 deaths in Texas and Louisiana, and thousands of people were torced to nee their flooded homes. Rain had stopped falling today in Texas and Louisiana, but thunderstorms left over from Allison caused flooding and some roof damage along the Mississippi Gulf Coast No injuries were reported. New evacuations were underway today morning in Louisiana, where sandbag levees had given way in two areas in Iberville Parish. At least 14 families were affected. Police were rescuing residents of low-lying neighborhoods of St.

Tammany Parish, said Slidell police Lt Rob Callahan. i "Ifs washing away part of the road, making it impossible to pass," said S.H. "Jackie" Jackson, director of emergency management for Iberville Parish. Houston Mayor Lee Brown ureed businesses to let their workers stay home today as the city recovers from flood' ing that reached rooftops in some neighborhoods. Much of the downtown area, including courts and the Federal Reserve office building, was without power and shut down.

Tm asking employers to consider (today) a day of recovery, to let downtown get back on track, back on its feet, to take the day off, to By Mellnda Morales For the Advance-Register As the US. unemployment figure inches up, the jobless rate in Tulare County is on the decline. For May, the unemployment rate dropped to 13.2 percent from 15.3 percent last month. Farming industries showed increased employ ment for the second month in a row with the biggest gains in farm production. Gary Kunkel, assistant Tulare County ag commissioner, said the increase in jobs is expected this time of year.

Tree fruit really gets going in May and what we're seeing now is just a continuation of that process," he said. He said that demand typically increases in spring vjr' Violin Mali V. Mm tics MIL Agriculture A12 Landers A10 Scores A4 Classified A12 living A7 Sports A4 Comics A10 Local A2 Stocks A12 Crossword A13 Obituaries A2 Television A10 Horoscope A10 Opinion All Weather A2 HOW TO REACH US Main office: 688-0521 388 E. Cross Tulare 1 8 am to 5 pm weekdays Main fax 688-7503 Advertising: 688-0521 NewsSport 6884524 News fax: 688-5580 Home deOvery: 683-0526 1 Comer of Walnut and Mooney, Visalia 733-3898 Volume 119, Number 147 CopyrigW 2000, ViseJia Newspapers to. A Garnet Newspaper.