The Jackson Sun from Jackson, Tennessee • 1

good afternoon Wednesday nim 1976 Jackson Sun, Inc. Five Sections Dec. 1,1 976 PHONE 424-8080 Jackson, Tenn. 1 5 Cents I TV WO Call Sun Line 424-8080 or write Sun Line Box 1059, for action and information. Include your phone number or address in case your question requires clarification.

Sun Line selects the most interesting and informative queries to appear in print. All callers' names are kept confidential. ates Joined As Bridge Opens 1 si 1 1 1 By CHAMBERS WILLIAMS Sun Gibson County Bureau DYERSBURG "Hands Across the River" was the theme of dedication ceremonies this morning signaling opening of the new $25.8 million Tennessee-Missouri bridge across the Mississippi River 20 miles west of here. Tennessee Gov. Ray Blanton, in a prepared speech, called the bridge opening "the single most important element" ever to contribute to the future of the Northwest Tennessee area, and said the bridge js "tangible evidence of the excellent spirit between Tennessee and Missouri." The concrete and steel span, begun in 1969, was completed "a year ahead of schedule" because of "good weather and a far-sighted contractor," Blanton said, State Department of Transportation officials said the new bridge could have opened earlier if the approach on the Tennessee side had been ready.

AS IT IS, traffic will be routed over two of the four lanes of Interstate 155 for the first six miles of the 20-mile route to Dyersburg, then will take a recently-upgraded country road for three miles to intercept Tenn. 20 just west of Finley. From there, it's another eight miles on a poor two-lane road before traffic finds the four-lane U.S. 51 Bypass just west of Dyersburg. Blanton apologized for the state's bridge approach route, adding: "We'll have some inconvenience on the Tennessee side of the bridge for a time, but we hope our paving of the approaches will be finished in short order." The state intends to have the first six miles of the interstate completed within a few weeks, but it will be mid-1978 before the superhighway is finished all the way to Dyersburg.

On the Missouri side, things are a lot brighter. Interstate 155 is completed and open from the bridge to its connection with Interstate 55 10 Sun Photo Bv Chambers Williams A painter for United Contractors Inc. of Des Moines, Iowa, puts finishing touches on the new Interstate 1 55 bridge over the Mississippi River west of Dyersburg. The bridge, begun in 1 969, opened to traffic this morning. miles away at Hayti, and 1-55 is complete through Arkansas and Missouri.

Now that the bridge is open, Lanier said, a traffic survey will be conducted along Tenri. 20 to get an accurate count of traffic flow. Motorists will be interviewed so survey crews can determine their destinations. Cost of an interstate-type highway through that area would be "about $2 million per mile," Lanier said. There is a possibility federal interstate highway funds could be used for the link, he added, and it could become a part of the interstate highway system.

between Dyersburg and Jackson, to link the bridge with Interstate 40. HE SAID he feels the "county roads" between Dyersburg and Jackson are "very, very inadequate for the traffic load we foresee now that the bridge is completed." The toll road, which also has been recommended by Goals for Jackson and the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce, would probably follow close to the route of Tenn. 20 which now links the two cities. The ferry 27 miles north of the bridge at Tiptonville will remain. The new structure has been referred to by some in Northwest Tennessee as the "bridge to nowhere," because of limited access to it from the Tennessee side.

There are no four-lane superhighways leading to Dyersburg from the east, and none has been planned. State Rep. James O. Lanier, D-Dyersburg, said the Tennessee Toll-way Authority, of which he is chairman, is studying the feasibilty of building an interstate-type toll road THE BRIDGE is the only one across the Mississippi along a 220-mile stretch between Memphis and Cairo, 111. Two of the three ferries in Tennessee along the river will cease operation today, between Heloise and Cottonwood Point, and between Powell's Landing and Caruthersville, Mo.

Both are within five miles of the new bridge. Q. When is the American music festival this year? How can a person enter original material? C.G. Jackson A. James Petty, conductor of the Jackson Symphony, said the orchestra did some American music at its first concert this season and "that finished our part." But he said the symphony would be glad to consider any orchestral piece that a person is interested in having them examine.

Mail a copy of the score to the symphony and it will be returned to you whether the piece is used or not. "We'd be most anxious to hear from persons wishing to submit a work," Petty said. That address is.Jackson Symphony Orchestra, P.O. Box 3098, Jackson, 38301. Q.

Why is Jimmy Carter's mother referred to as "Miss?" A.W. Jackson A. Paul Flowers, Southern folk-lorist and former columnist for the Commercial Appeal, said that is simply an honorary title. Use of such terms of respect aren't restricted to the South. 'Miss Lillian' to friends and even family in Plains, is more intimate, more personal than 'Mrs.

Carter, Flowers explained and cited other examples of honorary titles. "Everybody who ever became a notary public was known as and every Civil War veteran was at least 'Captain' or even In Louisiana, male friends call each other 'cousin'," Flowers noted. Q. What are sand dollars and when were they first found? T.B. Jackson A.

Sand dollars "have been around for laughed a local reference librarian. They are members of a group of flattened, circular invertebrate animals found in shallow coastal areas. They are usually found just below the surface of the sand. Usually a mottled purple and gray color, the sand dollars' bodies are enclosed in limey shells. The small animals are closely related to starfish and sea urchins and are found on both North American coasts.

They are sometimes known as "sea cakes." Q. Why has Sears changed its lay-away plan? It has made it so that sale merchandise can't be put on lay-away now. L.II. Jackson A. The department store's merchandise manager said the store's policy has always been that you can put any sale item on lay-away except those in clearance sales.

Jerry Dug-gins said customers often fail to pick up lay-away items and that the store would lose money on such clearance merchandise as overstocked or seasonal items. He added that you can put regular sale items, those advertised at reduced prices, on lay-away. Q. Can you find out anything about refinishing beveled edge mirrors? E.C. Friendship Please Turn To Page 2 index Business 18 Classified 17A-19A Comics 5D Daily Report 7 A Dear Abby 4C Deaths 6A Education 8A-9A Leisure 16 Living 76 1C-4C Opinion 2A-3A People 12A-13A Sports 1B-7B TV Log 16 tit Ind ICQTOrS conomic how Uneasy Future i I It- i 'If flf i I If a 1 iM if a -h If f- I XT.

'mi fife f-v 8, sriMfiA I ft t' if if XV I I 1 4 Pi 1 1 -i1 I I Lif 'vtTf Jr i VI. rl sit If i I 1 i vj -a a I I TAt I'M -til I ir (t 1 yu I 1 them getting any better. Four of the 12 components used to assess the state of the economy were positive in October, while seven were negative. THE LARGEST upward push on the index was from contacts and orders for plants and equipment. Also showing gains were the average work week up from 39.7 hours in September to 39.8 hours business starts and the money supply.

The biggest downward influence was from business deliveries, also called vendor performance. Also worsening were the job layoff rate, change in cash and other liquid assets, changes in sensitive prices, stock prices, new orders for manufactured and consumer goods and building permits. The 12th component of the index the change in business inventories was not available. The index in October stood at 107.1, the same as in September. That compared with an index of 100 in 1967.

The flat performance for October likely will make economists want to wait another month before attempting to use the index to interpret the future course of the nation's economy. One Commerce Department analyst said the previous declines probably reflected the economic slowdown that has already occurred rather than pointing to a new downturn. HOWEVER, while the latest index could be worse, it also is not good news because it gave no indication that the current slowdown might soon be transformed into new gains for the economy. The final component added to the October index was new business formations. Before that measure was added Tuesday, the index was expected to show a decline of as much as five-tenths of one per cent.

The announcement of the final index was delayed by a day to allow this factor to be cranked into the index. However, it was not immediately clear why the Commerce Department was slow in obtaining the information about new businss formations. WASHINGTON (AP) The government said today its index foreshadowing economic trends remained unchanged in October after two months of steep decline. It indicated that the nation's economic slowdown might not worsen. At the same time, the Commerce Department revised its index of leading economic indicators for the previous two months to show that it had declined even further than first reported.

THE COMPOSITE INDEX was down eight-tenths of a per cent in August and nine-tenths of a per cent in September after the revisions, compared with the seven-tenths of a per cent decline reported earlier for both months. The performance of the index in October was not entirely conclusive since economists say it takes at least three months to establish a trend. John W. Kendrick, the Commerce Department's chief economist, said the October index provided "grounds for cautious optimism." "The fact that it has leveled out after two months of decline suggests the slowdown in growth in recent months may be drawing to a close," Kendrick said. He said growth of the economy in the final three months of this year may be disappointing over-all, but should set the stage for improved performance early next year, especially because of signs that investment spending by business and industry is picking up.

The index was certain to be discussed in Plains, today when President-elect Jimmy Carter meets with top economic advisers. Carter said last month he will recommend a tax reduction or other steps to stimulate the economy if the slowdown continued much longer. Until the index' final component was tabulated Tuesday, analysts feared the October figures would be down for the third month in a row. While the October index did not show things getting any worse, it did not show AP LoserpholO Frozen Dixie Cap the Weather Interstates 40 and 265 in Nashville. Freezing temperatures left these giant icicles on a limestone wall at the intersection of Board Pardon Wish rants mor Partly cloudy today through Thursday.

Highs today mid 40s. Lows tonight upper 20s. Highs Thursday mid 30s. Winds, southwest 10 miles per hour today, becoming northwest 5 to 10 miles per hour tonight. today a court spokesman said.

Rescheduling Gilmore's execution date would follow immediately, unless the judge decides otherwise because of possible appeals, spokesmen said. The Utah Supreme Court already has thrown out an earlier appeal filed by two other attorneys Gilmore fired. "THANK YOU, SIR," the handcuffed and shackled prisoner whispered on Tuesday after bord fast, had ridiculed witnesses who spoke against the death penalty, and snapped at reporters who crowded into the tiny hearing room. State officials said the execution which would be the first in the United States since June 2, 1967 must come by Monday to avoid conflict with a state law. That law requires that death sentences be carried out 60 days after initial sentencing, which in Gilmore's case was on Oct.

7.: chairman George Latimer announced a 2 to 1 decision affirming a jury's order that Gilmore be put to death for killing a motel clerk during a robbery. "I haye simply accepted the sentence that was given to me," he had told the board during a locally televised public hearing at the Utah State Prison. "I've accepted sentences all my life." Earlier, Gilmore, appearing healthy and alert despite an 11-day SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Gary Gilmore, his death wish granted by the state Pardons Board, could face a firing squad within days of his 36th birthday Saturday barring appeals by opponents of capital punishment who ignored his demand to "butt A notice of such an appeal, filed Tuesday by an attorney Gilmore claimed to have fired, was expected to be considered by 4th Dist. Court Judge J. Robert iBullock in Provo He chose the firing squad over hanging, and was to have been executed on Nov.

15. But retiring Gov. Calvin L. Rampton issued an unwanted stay until the pardons board reviewed the case. Gilmore labeled Rampton a "moral coward" for that delay.

AFTER THE HEARING which Gilmore contemptuously described as "much ado about nothing" several individuals and groups said Please TuiUTo Page 11 A More Weather On Pose 2.