The Index-Journal from Greenwood, South Carolina • Page 1

Ouiiday Kj howcase -I i Accent YMCA by the book Page 1C NewsFkatures Recyling I problem I Page fD -I Sports JONES HOMERS Braves pull out 9-8 win Page fB Serving South A 1 rOOB TTr 1 1 Hii(Mii Carolina LAKELANDS Copyright 1997, by The Inoex-Joumal Company 79th Year, No 117 SC Flower festival a blooming success tib, i hi fin miiiii i ii ii li" Staff photo by Allen Easier number of options today ranging from flowers to children's activities to craft displays. More than 10,000 were expected to tour the Park Seed Company's Trial Gardens dur ing the South Carolina Festival of Flowers. The festival offered visitors to Greenwood a Park Seed 'shows off' By ALLEN EASLER Index-Journal staff writer GREENWOOD So far, Frank Cuda could not be more pleased with the 30th Annual South Carolina Festival of Flowers. Cuda, the festival director, was nearly ecstatic as of Saturday after-1 noon with the turnout and weather. "It's been absolutely fabulous," Cuda said.

"The crowds are well over our estimations. The weather has cooperated. And, we could not have asked for a better weekend so Cuda summarized the success of the many events going on in conjunction with the Festival. "Saturday morning, we had over 90 bikers for a bicycle tour of Greenwood County," Cuda said. "The KidsFest got off to a rousing start at the Museum.

The airplane rides at the airport with the EAA Young Eagles were just great. "I was out at Park Seed Saturday morning at 8 a.m.," he said. "At that point, there were already 2,000 people there. They were having a great time up there. They were buying flowers, shrubs, plants, trees and things like that along with touring the gardens.

"We've had several bus tours come into town for the weekend," he said. "They have all come out to the Civic Center for the craft show and the antique cars. It made a big impact on the crafters and artists. They are having a good show from what I have been able to determine. "At Crosscreek Mall, the flower show has some outstanding arrangements," he said.

"If anyone misses those, they're going to miss alot. "I had a report on the private garden tours," he said. "The private gardens are just being inundated by crowds of people. The folks are just raving how one garden is more beautiful than the other." Cuda said two of the souvenirs of the festival have been widely successful. "The Fuji camera that was made especially for the Festival of Flowers and the Greenwood County Centennial is selling like hot cakes," Cuda said.

"As people see those things, many are buying them for souvenirs. Plus, we had a number of people who were at Park Seed using them immediately to See FESTIVAL, page 2A LAKELANDS INSIDE Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of thun-derstorms. High in the lower 90s. Wind south 5 to 10 mph. Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms.

Low 65 to 70. Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. High in the lower 90s. ft GREENWOOD More than 10,000 were expected to walk through Park Seed Company's trial gardens during its annual Flower Day. Randy Morgan, chairman of Park Seed's Festival committee said they would easily reach their goal.

"As of early Saturday afternoon, we've had over 6,000 Saturday and another 2,000 Friday," Morgan said. "We have got the fun festival atmosphere going on and people are1 enjoying it." Margaret Neely from Rock Hill was one of the visitors to Park Seed Saturday afternoon. "I think it's great," Neely said. "This is the first time I have ever seen it in person. I've seen it in the catalog.

But, it's great to be able to get here. There is just so much to see." Hale Prothman from Bath, S.C. was also a first-time visitor. "It's good," Prothman said. "I like it.

This is my first time here. My wife Martha and I have been by here plenty of times driving up to Furman University to see our daughter. "But, it's tremendous to finally be able to stop and see this." Morgan said Flower Day is Park Seed's chance to show off. "This is what we Morgan said. "This is our way of showing off what we do.

This helps us determine which plants to sell and sup- "til'- I2 UNITY IN THE COMMUNITY: Both black and white came together to discuss the problems facing society at the Unity in the Community rally Saturday afternoon. Page 2A. TODAY'S SCHEDULE Adult Tennis Tournament, Hunter's Creek, 9 a.m. Men's Softball Tournament, Greenwood Civic Center, 9 a.m Craftsmen's Fair, Civic Center, 1-6 p.m. Art and Photo Show, Civic Center, 1-6 p.m.

Garden Tours, Various Locations, 1-5 p.m. rev IXi 4' ti -t ply. "The trial gardens are an experiment in progress," he said. "They allow us to exhibit the best selling and the most popular plants. They See FLOWERS, page 2A FESTIVAL IN PHOTOS Coverage of the 30th annual Festival of Flowers continues on pages 6A-8A.

Staff photo by Allen Easier Scott Neely, left, and Margaret Neely look over some of the flowers on display at the Park Seed Company's trial gardens Saturday after noon. Bitter enemies forged tobacco deal CAUGHT: Two bass fishermen, not even from the same county, combined their efforts again and claimed the top prize Saturday in the Bowers-Rodgers Bass Tournament at Lake Greenwood State Park. Page IB. working with Mississippi's Moore on some new tobacco law. Moore had gambled on a novel strategy by filing the nation's first lawsuit arguing that tobacco companies, not taxpayers, should pay when poor smokers get sick from r.

i Abby Accent 1C-6C Classified Ads Community Calendar 1B Editorials EngagementsBrides Obituaries 4A Sports Weather Forecast 2A products they were hooked on. That strategy, ultimately copied by 39 other states, terrified the industry. If it lost even two of those lawsuits, the financial ver S.C. farmer thinks Impact of deal will be years amy COLUMBIA (AP) The Impact of a $360 billion settlement on the tobacco industry is years away, South Carolina farmer George Abbott said Friday. Abbott, 59, foresees a 15 percent to 20 percent drop in how much tobacco he'll grow somewhere down the road.

But "I don't think it will affect anything immediately or this the Darlington farmer said. Tobacco companies, attorneys general from 40 states, including South Carolina, and members of the medical community reached 'the agreement after 17 lawsuits sought recovery of Medicaid funds used to treat sick smokers. The settlement, which must be approved by Congress, puts unprecedented restrictions on cigarettes in exchange for sharp limits on tobacco makers' liability in lawsuits. U.S. Rep.

James Qyburn, who represents the tobacco-' growing Pee Dee region, said he had not seen the agreement but was inclined to support it South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon said the states Please see FARMER, page 2A Greenwood death under investigation From staff reports GREENWOOD The Greenwood City Police Department suspects foul play in the death of a man found Friday morning. At 10:32 a.m. Friday, officers responded to Karen Apartments Unit No. 4 to find the body of Michael Arrington, 34, according the Greenwood City Police Chief Gerald Brooks. 7 An autopsy performed Saturday in Newberry indicated Arrington had died from severe head trauma, according to Greenwood County Coroner Grady Hill.

"At this point and time, we suspect the cause of death was the result of fou) play," Brooks said. "We are certainly treating this as a homi- See DEATH, page 2A WASHINGTON (AP) After weeks of hard negotiations, as the 70-page tobacco settlement peeled page-by-page from the copier in a posh Washington hotel room, it was hard to tell friend from foe. Philip Morris attorney Marc Firestone and Washington state attorney general Christine Gregoire, teary-eyed, hugged each other. It was a far cry from the first astonishing day of tentative talks, way back in April, when chief executives from the boardrooms of Big Tobacco sat down with their toughest foes and gingerly discussed a litigated truce, For an industry fearful that costly new lawsuits could jeopardize 40 years of legal victories, and for health advocates desperate to curb a rising epidemic of teen-age smoking, the April gathering was a calculated risk. "I've got a little boy.

His name is Kyle, and he's 10 years old. And every day when I've been in the room, that's who I've been thinking about," said Mississippi Attorney General Michael Moore, a colleague of Gregoire who led the bargaining team of anti-tobacco hawks. BILL CLINTON CALL US On Sunday, telephoned report of missing papers art recorded and monitored from 1 a.m. until 1 p.m. Please call 223-1411.

Advertising 223-1411 223-1811 dicts "are mind-boggling," said a key player in the tobacco camp. "The companies would have a (financial) problem even appealing those cases." One other thing was driving Big Sports 81 3 Tobacco. The hard-core chief executives who swore before Congress 223-1814 Business Have story or photo Idea? Call 223-1811, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., weekdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturdays. in 1994 that cigarettes were no more dangerous or addictive than caffeine See TOBACCO, page 2A pal, a retired judge named J. Phil Carlton.

The tobacco industry had hired Carlton a month earlier to track down rumors that Clinton was The road to the settlement really began on Christmas Eve, when North Carolina's governor introduced President Clinton to an old MONDAY: Wrapup of Festival of Flowers activities.