DESIGN ERby Paul Wallen, Design Director, Huntsville Times

When it’s too late to plan … When you don’t have enough time …

When you don’t have much to work with …

Embrace the challenge.

Here’s how …

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE » 7 MANAGER MINUTE » 6 WEATHER » 8

With the official start of hurri-cane season last week, it's time to make your mobile phone a big part of your disaster strategy, too.

It won't be enough to plan to stuff your phone in a pocket or purse to have handy when the worst happens.

You also should learn how to keep it working as long as possible when recharging isn't possible, and how to take advantage of wireless features that can be helpful dur-

ing a hurricane — even during a power outage.

Like all cell phones, mine won't be able to make or receive calls when local cell towers or switching stations become severely dam-aged or lose electrical power. "But there are definite advantages to the iPhone during a hurricane sce-nario," says Kelly Layne Starling, a south and west Florida spokes-woman for AT&T.

For instance, even when land

lines and cell towers are out of service, I can still access online news alerts and updates from the National Hurricane Center and other sources (including the Sun-Sentinel, which e-mails breaking news to registered users.). That's because iPhones (as well as some Blackberrys and other wireless handsets) are capable of connect-ing to any open Wi-Fi network to gain access to e-mail and Internet.

My iPhone is also GPS-enabled.

That means it allows me to use Google Maps to check local traf-fic and avoid back-ups caused by storms or problems related to mass evacuations. It just takes a couple of clicks on the iPhone to get real-time traffic conditions. If your phone is GPS-enabled or you're in the market for one, check with your carrier to find out about simi-lar features and how to use them.

To find out more about the big-gest Florida carriers and their

DanielVasquezCOMMENTARY

DEAL OR NO DEAL?McNelly TorresSTAFF WRITER

Martha Schiebelhuth thought she was making a good invest-ment when she signed a service contract with a South Florida com-pany last year for home and appli-ance repairs.

For $275, AtlasServices prom-ised to repair future electrical and plumbing problems, and maintain her home appliances or even re-place them, if necessary. It was an offer the 70-year-old west of Boca Raton resident felt could save her hundreds or thousands of dollars on bills.

But last October, Schiebelhuth canceled the contract after she was unable to resolve a protracted billing dispute with Atlas. She decided to distribute about 1,000 fliers in her neighborhood to warn others about the company, noting Atlas has been the subject of nu-merous complaints with the Better Business Bureau.

"I felt like a senior advocate," said Schiebelhuth. "If I saved five people from the same aggravation I went through, I was doing some-thing good."

Atlas president Kimberly Gross-

The average lifespanof your appliances

10 YEARSDishwashers, microwave ovens, electric and gas water heaters

15 YEARSGas ranges, garage doors, dryers, refrigerators, air conditioners

20 YEARSFurnaces, HVAC, tankless water heaters, heat pumps

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOMEBUILDERS, BANK OF AMERICA

LearnFind out what to look for in the fine print of your warranties at Sun-Sentinel.com/helpteam

How to give your kids an allowance, how much it should be and how to teach them about saving and spending. 3D

Find out how to make your home a wireless hub in a few simple steps. Plus, a new spelling tool for kids and a thinner flat screen TV. 3D

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IMPROVE YOUR READINESS

Preparation:Create more time for creativity by eliminating repetition.

Take advantage of templates, libraries and any tools your system offers to save and reapply what you’ve already done.

If you make something that works, save it – in a place where you can find it quickly.

Start small and build on as you go. Even five or ten minutes, a couple times a week, will add up to something big over time.

Just add design!  

 

Keys to building good templates:

 

Templates can even help improve communication:

-

-

Front page menuA

Standard template with single-copy sales topper

B

Display promo below topper (reduced digest)

C

Lead splash, feature topper (for newsy centerpiece)

D

Big news headline with one column story drop

A B C D

Big news strip story (with story jump)

Big news container story (no jump from lead story)

Vertical splash and digest, bigger 2nd story at bottom

Maximum impact splash, two toppers & full digest

Amount that Sheriff Al Lamberti has proposed.

BY SCOTT WYMANSTAFF WRITER

A battle has begun between Sheriff Al Lamberti and Broward County commissioners over their demand that he shoulder half of the spending cuts needed to pay for the property tax relief voters approved.

County budget analysts warned commissioners Tuesday that Lamberti has proposed be-tween $15 million and $20 mil-lion in cuts although they want to slice $50 million from the Bro-ward Sheriff’s Office.

Commissioners vowed not to retreat on their requirement that the sheriff trim his spending the same percentage as other county agencies. They said they are pre-pared for the sheriff to appeal the budget to Gov. Charlie Crist, and to even sue Lamberti if still not satisfied.

“We are looking for equal par-ticipation,” Mayor Lois Wexler said. “We made that clear from the get-go. The commission has refrained from micromanaging the sheriff, but there are many areas that would not affect public safety that could be addressed in his budget.”

The sheriff and commission-ers will sit down May 20 to dis-cuss his spending plans. He has given the county a $719.2 million budget that encompasses his re-gional law enforcement and fire services, the operation of the jail system, and local police and fire protection he provides through contracts with 14 communities such as Oakland Park and Dania Beach.

Lamberti said a $50 million cut would have a substantial ef-fect on his office because it would come out of the $468 million he receives in county property taxes to run the jail and regional ser-vices.

He said he hopes to avoid a fight but said he thinks voters did not want law enforcement cut when they approved the tax relief plan. He declined to comment further about his spending plan, saying he wanted to wait for the face-to-face meeting with com-missioners.

Proposal not as lean as demanded by commissioners

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4B

COUNTY, SHERIFF IN FIGHT OVER BUDGET

SMOKE HOVERS OVER LAUDERDALE

STAFF PHOTO/LOU TOMAN

$15-20 millionWhat's next?The Sheriff and commis-sioners will sit down May 20 to discuss spending plans.

BY SOFIA SANTANA AND ANDREW BA TRANSTAFF WRITER

Driving in Plantation, a frantic Olidia Kerr Day called 911, said she was being chased by a gunman and repeatedly asked where the local police station was.

Two 911 operators, in Sunrise and Plantation, who handled the April 25 call, couldn’t immediately tell her.

That’s according to a recording of Day’s 911 call that authorities released Tuesday and other recordings released last week.

Minutes later, at about 7:30 p.m., Day was able to make it to the police station at 451 NW 70th Terrace without help from the operators. The gunman, following close behind, got out of his car and fatally shot her near the entrance. Then, with a suicide note addressed to police in his pocket, gunman Carlos B. Cevallos, 48,

$50 millionAmount County commissioners want cut.

Difference in opinion

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4B

Read moreSee Ferandez' detailed list of problems with the agency's then-general counsel at the Broward politics blog at Sun-Sentinel.com/browardpolitics

WatchLocal residents sound off on the two-state resolution in a video report at Sun-Sentinel.com/twostate

S U N S E N T I N E L

CLINTON FANS ‘WON’T QUIT’

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UNLEASH THE POWER OF VERBAL HOOKSIf you don’t have a clear, strong visual, try focusing on the words first.

Visuals flow from words. The more words you come up with, the more visual possibilities you’ll find.

Search the information you have available (budget line, rough draft, conversation with writer or editor) to find the most fascinating bit of information.

The hook does not necessarily need to be what’s most important, it’s the sales pitch to the reader.

Headlines firstWorking with a headline during your creative process will open up new visual possibilities.

Build relationships with editors and appeal to them for early headlines. Explain how it helps the process and show them the results when it works.

Work on writing your own headlines. It’s a skill you can develop. Even if they don’t stick, it will help your creative process – and build your credibility.

Headlines that hookDitch the “headlinese.” Headlines and display type are small bits of sales copy and need function as such.

Yes, headlines should accurately reflect the story. But try to also inject a little attitude and a conversa-tional tone when appropriate.

Try writing a sound bite for the story – a few lines or a paragraph. This exercise often points the way to a good headline.

Have some fun, use humorNewspapers still have a reputation for being “stuffy.” Break out of that stereotype by having some fun and showing a sense of humor, when ap-propriate. Skyboxes, promos and teases offer great opportunities to loosen up a bit.

URGENT DESIGN TECHNIQUES

Simplicity Shapes Color

Letters Numbers Scale

Use this chart to help you “pull it out of your butt” on deadline.

Bob Gathany/The Huntsville Times

It’s the way golferstalk about their part-ners. It’s good-naturedbarbs, maybe glued to-gether with somesemi-truths.

Listen to what ScottDow said about hispartner, Bo Emerson.

“The cool thingabout him as a part-ner, he saves my baconabout 24 percent of the time,”Dow said. “And I save his onmost of the putting.”

Hearing that sent Emersoninto convulsions of laughter.

“I just hope,” Emerson said,“he doesn’t hit it dead right.”

Typical golf partners.Except there’s really little typi-

cal about it. It’s aunique partnership.

Dow is an infec-tiously happy 18-year-old young maninvolved in SpecialOlympics who isteamed with Emer-son, a former collegefootball player-turned-attorney.

They are in Lin-coln, Neb., this week for the golfcompetition in the 2010 SpecialOlympics USA National Games,with some 179 competitors from39 states entered

They’ll be playing threerounds of nine holes apiece. In

Huntsville, AlabamaVol. 101, No. 116, 58 pagesContents © 2010, The Huntsville Times

$1.50 newsstand Classifieds 256-532-4222We break news online Visit our web site at al.com

Find out what residents have to say.

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THENEVERENDINGTUITIONINCREASE23%

Alabama A&M:

11.7%

AthensState:

2010-11 tuitionincreases forfall and spring.See chart onPage A8for moredetailednumbersand

actualdollars.

13%Auburn:

12.8%Alabama :

13.9%UAB:

15%UAH:

Heavy underdog’s ‘outsider’ messageresonated for a big upset in the runoff

By Bob LowryTimes Staff Writerbob.lowry@htimes.com

MONTGOMERY – The Alabama Republican race forgovernor this year was like a Kentucky Derby where a50-1 longshot trails most of the race, but rallies downthe stretch to win easily.

Retired Tuscaloosa physician Robert Bentley was thelongshot who stunned the GOP establishment bytrouncing party favorite Bradley Byrne with 56 percentof the vote in Tuesday’s runoff.

Bentley, a little-known, soft-spoken House memberwith few accomplishments in two terms in the Legisla-ture, watched Byrne and Greenville businessman TimJames slug it out in the costly first primary. Bentley slippedinto the runoff by narrowly edging James.

“Dr. Bentley caught a perfect storm,” said Rep. MikeBall, D-Madison, chair of Byrne’s Madison County cam-paign. “There were a lot of circumstances that came to-gether and it worked out for him pretty well. Bradley

Taking a lookat what wonfor Bentley

Primary 2010

Wet and wild at Aquapalooza

Golf buddies to competein Special Olympics USA

Mark McCarterColumnist

ENJOY! » PAGE E1

VBC construction continuesNearly nine months into a $31 million renovation,the Von Braun Center project is right on schedule.

Relentless collegetuition hikes showno sign of slowingin Alabama system

SPORTS » PAGE B1

Vipers lose 21-point leadOpportunity slips away, Orlando wins 61-48

SPORTS » PAGE B4

Meet the soccer EliteTimes 2010 boys and girls teams

A newcourse

Mark McCarter’sreview of the

newly renovatedgolf course at

Lake GuntersvilleLodge: Page B6

Did endorsements matter?There’s some second-guessing among congressmen : Page A9

By Paul GattisTimes Staff Writerpaul.gattis@htimes.com

Year after year, the numbers rise higher andhigher. It’s as if “college tuition” is some for-gotten Latin phrase that means “must increaseannually.”

It’s relentless and inescapable, seemingly asnear as the next budget with its inevitableshortcoming.

For the 2010-11 academic year, tuition at Al-abama A&M University is rising 23 percent.At the University of Alabama in Huntsville,it’s rising 15 percent.

It’s jumping 13 percent at Auburn Univer-sity and at the University of Alabama, thestate’s largest schools.

How much is that in actual dollars?At UAH, tuition is going up $491 per se-

mester. At A&M, the increase is $641 per se-mester. At Auburn, it’s $464 per semester, andit’s $450 at Alabama.

Tuition at Auburn and in the three-campusUniversity of Alabama System has increasedeach year since at least 1998, the earliest fig-ures available from the Alabama Commission

The LakeGuntersville

AquaPaloozaattracted

nearly 200boats Saturday

afternoon.Find moreimages at

photos.al.com/huntsville-

times

See GOLF on A8

See BENTLEY on A9

See TUITION on A8

“I didn’t plan for it torise 23 percent. Thatwould be a problem.”DeJrish HuntEducation student, Alabama A&M

“No one likes doingthis. This is hard onfamilies.”Joe RitchUniversity of Alabama System board

Good eats in weird places YOU WON’TNEED ONE OF THESEHINT

Grandson of notedsenator says he’s acentrist like Cramer

By Patricia C. McCarterTimes Staff Writerpatricia.mccarter@htimes.com

With the portrait of hisgrandfather, longtime U.S.Sen. JohnSparkman, lookingdown on him earlier thisweek, attorneyTazewell Shep-ard III said he had believedhis own foray into elected of-fice was over.He served on the state

school board back in the1990s, and he enjoyed it, butwhen itwasdone, itwasdone.But when the Democratic

Party was left without a 5thCongressional District can-didate because incumbentU.S. Rep. Parker Griffithswitchedparties, Shepard re-

considered. He said he andwife, Pam, visited a Democ-ratic Partymeeting in Scotts-boro earlier this year, and heannounced his interest inrunning.“There was a very strong

show of support,” said Shep-ard, 56. “Wewent to anothermeetingandanothermeetingand another meeting, andeach time, we were met withexcitement.”And that’s how Shepard –

whose grandfather served inCongress and the Senate fora total of 32 years andwhosefather is a retired Navy ad-miral – came to get his nameon another ballot.“Itwas like adoor opening,

and you’ve got to weigh theadvantages and sacrifices ofgoing through it,” he said. “Ihave plenty to keep me busy

New plan for UAHThe University of Alabamaboard of trustees gets afirst look at a new five-yearmaster plan for theHuntsville campus today.The plan is expected toinclude increased accessfor pedestrians. A3

Real-life heroesTwo Madison teenagerswho rushed into the waterat a beach in Puerto Ricolast year to save adrowning man arerecognized in a ceremonyWednesday by U.S. Rep.Parker Griffith. A3

Spirit winnersAward winners areannounced for the 44thannual Spirit of AmericaFestival to be held July 4 inDecatur. A3

Who is Jarrod Massey?A central figure in a federalprobe in the Legislature isas married father of twowho has spent most of hisworking life either ingovernment or seeking toinfluence it. A6

Drug issue still on holdThe state’s 1,800 nursepractitioners may have towait at least another yearfor the right to prescribecontrolled substancesafter the issue is stalled inMontgomery. B1

Huntsville, AlabamaVol. 101, No. 17, 30 pagesContents © 2010, The Huntsville Times

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By Paul GattisTimes Staff Writerpaul.gattis@htimes.com

Patients are crowding into thewaiting room of Huntsville aller-gy doctor Shashi Kumar, eager tostifle the sniffles and sneezing ig-nitedbyhigher-than-normalpollencounts.Suchanecdotal evidenceperhaps

says more about the pollen prob-lems this spring than actual scien-tific numbers.“We’re seeing 1 1/2 to two times

asmanypatients,which is abigdif-ference compared to last year,”

Kumar said Tuesday.To handle the rush of patients,

Kumar is seeing patients onFridayafternoon when his office is typi-cally closed.“Usually with mild allergies,

they can take (over-the-counter)medication as needed,” Kumarsaid. “But this season, they’ve beensuffering a lot.”And there is a simple reason for

that – the pollen isworse than nor-mal this spring, beyond the annualunsightlyyellowishglazeonyourcar.

Council expected toapprove operatingagreement tonight

By Steve DoyleTimes Staff Writersteve.doyle@htimes.com

Inmates could be sleepingin the $80million metro jailaddition by Memorial Day.Huntsville City Council

members said Wednesdaythey are eager toOK the pro-posed jail operating agree-ment – the final hurdle in amessy, seven-year construc-tion project.“Wewant tomove forward,”

CouncilmanWill Culver said,“and get this behind us.”Added Councilwoman

SandraMoon: “There are as-pects of the agreement I havea problem with, but it’s timeto dowhat’s best for the com-munity and get the jail open.”Council President Mark

Russell and Councilman BillKling said they are also pre-pared to vote for the agree-ment at tonight’s councilmeeting, which starts at 6p.m. in City Hall, 308 Foun-tain Circle.The proposed contract be-

tween the city and MadisonCounty spells out each side’sresponsibilities once SheriffBlake Dorning begins hous-ing inmates in the 900-bedlockup on Wheeler Avenue.Madison County commis-

sioners approved the dealMonday.Huntsville has offered to

pay the county $2.1 milliona year for the right to houseup to 285 inmates per day inthe jail. If the city needsmorebeds, it would have to shellout a daily fee of $42 perprisoner.The agreement gives

Dorning the ability to leaseas many as 120 beds to out-side agencies such as the FBIand U.S. Marshals Service.Also, the city and county

would share any legal set-

Fifth District candidate profilesToday: Tazewell Shepard III

Tazewell Shepard IIIAge: 56Birthplace:Washington,D.C.Now lives in:Huntsville

Occupation: Attorney, smallbusiness ownerEducation: Dartmouth College,bachelor’s in history; Universityof Alabama Law SchoolExperience: 31 years in privatelaw practice; owns rentalproperty and self-storagebusinessFamily: Wife, Pam, and fivechildrenKey issues: Restoring economicprosperity by protecting federalbudget

Next week: Republican candidates

Profiles » Who’s next

‘It was like a door opening’

See SHEPARD on A12

Finalhurdlein jailsaga

See JAIL on A12

Reliance bothersShelby; he toutsConstellation need

By Lee RoopTimes Staff Writerlee.roop@htimes.com

NASA will still be ridingRussia’s space taxi to the In-ternational Space Station in2013 at a round-trip fare ofnearly $56 million per seat.U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby,

R-Tuscaloosa, said relyingontheRussians could last evenlonger, and that is “unac-ceptable.”NASA announced a $335

million contract with theRussian Federal SpaceAgency Wednesday. NASAspokesman John Yembricksaid it is amodifiedextension

of the current agreement.In the current deal, seats

cost just over $51 million.The increase to$55.8million

NewRussianrocket deal set

See NASA on A12

1,167 867 3,789Saturday, April 3: Sunday, April 4: Monday, April 5:

Source: City of Huntsville Department of Natural Resources

Recent pollen counts in Huntsville:

Numbers represent grains per cubic meter. Low April 4 number reflects impact of Saturday’s rain.

The yellow stuffis back.

See POLLEN on A12

Yes, the pollen counts are higher than normal.No, this is not a record-setting year.

Yes, you are allowed to complain.

The Associated Press

The space shuttleDiscovery goes throughfinal preparations forlaunch Sunday, April 4.

SPORTS » D1

Havocwinseries openerHuntsville claims a 5-1playoff win vs. Ice Bears.

Get to knowyour VipersQuarterback Kevin Eakinhas something to prove.Plus » Complete playerbios on D3