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Story 4-20 a1 System AKRE by MTURNER Time 23:23:16 Date 4/19/03 Color layer: Black A 1 4X Pg. Date 4/20/03 Story: 4-20 a1 Topic: 4-20 offer Keyword 4-20 a1 Page 1

CCYYMK Salute to ourTr o op s The Beacon Journal honors those from the Akron area serving in the armed forces. A8-A9

$1.50 AKRON BEACON JOURNAL© Copyright 2003 Beacon Journal Publishing Co. In some areas $1.00 SUNDAY , April 20, 2003 ABC News Online www..com Home Delivery 800-777-2442

TheG reat V igilofEaster I raqistry ushers in resurrection celebration to move on with lives F ormer finance minister arrested. 4 troops hurt on patrol .R esidents seek normalcy in wake of fighting

K nightR idderN ewspapers BAGHDAD ,I raq : Ira q’s capital America at got its first postwar WAR on Saturday , published by the C ommunist P arty , and Marines D evelopments : didn ’ t shoot when a car back- S even former U.S. fired . In Basra , doctors are treat- prisoners of war arrive to ing more feuding neighbors and in El Pas o,T exas . car crash victims and fewer peo - I raqi police arrest the ple wounded in the war. former finance minister G unfire still sometimes ech- of Saddam H ussein . oes in the night, and while chil - The man known as the dren and older Iraqis wave play- fully at U.S. and British troops, mastermind of Ira q’s nerve many young men turn their agent program turns himself faces away when a military con - in to coalition authorities. voy passes them. B ut slowly , like a swimmer W arstories testing the water before diving S yria agrees to tighten visa in, most of Ira q’s main cities are restrictions on Iraqi travelers. returning to some level of nor- S tory ,Page A 12 malcy 12 days after major fight - I raqis speak out after years ing ended with the collapse of of fear. S tory ,Page A 12 S addam H ussein ’ s regime . The mood reflects the ambiv- alence of many Iraqis over their orders to shoot anything that situation – rid of a brutal dictator moves west of the Euphrates but now occupied by U.S. and R iver . B ritish troops and facing an un- certain future of internal ethnic, F our U.S. soldiers patrolling tribal and religious tensions. B aghdad wounded S atur - day when a young Iraqi girl S ome isolated pockets of handed them an explosive and it KEN LOVE / A kron B eacon J ournal armed resistance still remain. blew up. One soldier’sleg was M embersofTrinity United Church of Christ on High Street in Wadsworth gathered Saturday night for TheGreat Vigil of E aster . U.S. troops outside B aghdad amputated , but no other injuries M ichaelM c C ullough ,16, ( above ) holds the Paschal Candle ,or Christ C andle , during the service. imposed a 7 p.m. curfew for the first time Saturday night, with P leasesee Ira q,A1 2 E aster ’ s message of hope comforts G rieving father hangs on to trust in God in dealing with son’s death

By Colette M. Jenkins believing and you keep trusting. It’s more KAREN SCHIELY / A kron B eacon J ournal B eaconJ ournal religion writer of a trust thing than anything else. God asks us to accept him on faith, and that is TheRe v. T andy S loan is holding onto a TheRe v. T andyS loan made a decision hope centered on the resurrection of years ago to trust God. what I have done.’’ T hat trust hasn’t changed . S loan is the 44 - year - old associate minis- C hrist .He believes the joy of Easter It ha s n’t wavered , despite the fact that ter at the Historic Greater Friendship Mis- S unday will comfort him in his despair. he buried his only son, 19 - year - oldBra n- sionary Baptist Church in Cleveland and a don S loan , a week ago. resident of Bedford H eights .He could easi- H ope is the only thing that can sustain a In the midst of agony, the Rev. S loanis ly be used as an example in the Easter mes- person ’ sday - to - day sanity when tragedy holding onto a hope centered on the resur- sages being spoken in Christian churches strikes , says the Rev. L.T. Kin g, president A ssociated P ress rection of C hrist .He believes that the joy today . of the United Missionary Baptist State F ormerU.S. prisoners of war wave to a cheering crowd Saturday of Easter Sunday will comfort him in his For the story of Easter is one of hope – C onventionofOhio and the pastor of E liz - night after their transport plane landed at Fort B liss ,T exas . time of despair and reassure him that there C hristians believe it reveals that Jesus abeth Missionary Baptist Church in A kron . is life after death. C hrist is alive and demonstrates God’s ‘‘It’s not easy,’’ he says, ‘‘but you keep power to overcome death. P leasesee E aster , A13 Ex-PO Ws return Newquestions in ethics case to patriotic cheers R elatives and friends are among celebrants as plane I nterview just made public has details on Akron service director’s home arrives at Texas base with seven former Iraq captives By David Knox P olera ’ s statements were questions in a scandal that al- By Chris Roberts flag and waving to the crowd as B eaconJ ournal staff writer made in an Aug. 20, 2000 , inter - ready has cost Kidder his job. A ssociatedP ress the plane taxied. A ntonioP olera told investiga- view with members of a task K idder , 46, resigned from his FORT BLISS, TEXAS: A military F ive of the former POW s are tors nearly three years ago that force investigating Kidder for $10 9,0 9 6-a-y e a r post last month transport plane carrying seven stationed with the U.S. Arm y’s he was hired by Frank Cioffi to possible ethics violations involv - – two weeks after the B eacon former U.S. prisoners of war 507 th M aintenance C ompany . pose as the builder of a home for ing construction of the home and J ournal published a story about landed Saturday at Fort Bliss to T wo other Apache helicopter former Akron Service Dir e c t o r a nearly $1 million unbid con- the investigation based on 558 cheers from flag - wavingfamilies crewmen , who are with the F irst J oseph K idder . struction contract awarded Cio f- pages of Akron police docu- and friends, a week after they C avalry D ivision , will continue W hen P olera , a BathTown - fi about the same time. ments . were rescued. to their home base atFort H ood . ship carpenter, complained The interview report – made T he documents were made The seven were rescued April about soaring construction costs public Friday after Summit public after Schneiderman re- T housands of well - wishers 13 after I raqi captors abandoned – eventually reaching $ 70 , 000 C ounty C ommon P leas J udge jected a lawsuit filed by the city hoisted American flags and burst their posts ahead of advancing beyond estimates – he said C ioffi Ted S chneiderman turned back against the newspaper last May into cheers as a C-17landed on a A merican troops . responded , ‘‘Don’t worry about a challenge from the city to keep wind - swept runway . Two serv - El Paso Mayor Raymond Ca- it,I’l l take care of it.’’ the document secret – raises new P leasesee P rosecutors , A11 icemen emerged from a hatch on Joseph Kidder the plane, holding anAmerican P leasesee PO Ws,A1 2

Today’s weather I nside M ore copies available O therheadlines : college eligible for funds D aveB arry E2 J umble H3 earmarked for elementary and B ooks E4 L ocalN ews B1 L ooking for more copies of today’s H ongK ong reported a record secondary school building Showers and newspaper featuring the photographs of B usiness D1 L ottery A2 12 deaths in a single day from projects . L ocal ,Page B1 C lassified H1 M ovies E7 area women and men serving in the thunderstorms C ommunity F1 M usic E3 the SARS. W orld ,Page A4 TheI ndians lose 12-3 to White Search the classifieds military ? TheS unday edition will be D eaths B9-11 T erryP luto C1 available at the Akron Beacon Journal B eaconJ ournal public editor Sox. S ports ,Page C1 E ditorials B2 P eople A2 customer service desk and at Acme and discusses image of emaciated http://www.ohio.com D ianeE vans A15 P remier E1 S ome people are making a D avidG iffels B1 S ports C1 G iantE agle supermarkets throughout abuse victim. P ageA4 living selling on eBay. 70° High 53° Low H oroscope H3 W eddings F2 the week. M easure makes new Ohio B usiness ,Page D1 NewsChannel 5 forecast, Page B12

A1, Black, EDITION 4X, DAY 20 Story #4213 System AKRE by MTURNER Time 23:05:39 Date 4/19/03 Color layer: Black A 11 4X Pg. Date 4/20/03 Story: Topic: INL TAKES Keyword INL M TAKE Page 1

CCYYMK www.Ohi o.c o m A kron B eacon J ournal d S unday , A pril 20, 2003 • A11 Carpenter was asked to pose as contractor Continued from Page A1 C ioffi would do some of the con- thoroughly the docu- ‘‘Our conclusion was that neys opposed the motion. ment until she had a chance to crete work on the home , but ments released earlier and con- ( K idder ) paid a fair price forthat C ountyP rosecutorW alshde- consult records in her office on to keep the records secret. A cleared that with C ity L aw Di- cluded the records do n’t sub - house , ’ ’ he said. clined to discuss the P olera re- M onday . B eaconJ ournal reporter request- rector MaxRothal , who said stantiate P olera ’ s statements . C arroll , one of three senior port . T hrough a spokesperson, ed copies of the documents after C ioffi was permitted to work asa D avid K nox can be reached at 330 - 996 - 3532 ‘ ‘ T here are no billings for staffers who evaluated the inves - W alsh said she could not com- or dknox @ thebeaconjournal . com being told the 18 - month investi - subcontractor . some of those numbers,’’ he said. tigation for W alsh , said he was gation ended when S ummit P olera told investigators Cio f- ‘‘The r e is a lot of double billing aware the investigators had in- C ounty P rosecutor S herri B evan fi did much more than pour con - and invoices that aren’t th e r e.’’ terviewed P olera , but didn’t say W alsh concluded in a letter to crete and took pains to hide his more . The report had not been the Ohio Ethics Commission that involvement – going so far as to P rosecutordisagrees made public – presumably be- ‘ ‘ there is not enough evidence place magnetic signs , reading cause it had been written by an ...... to support a criminal ‘ ‘ P olera C onstruction ’ ’ on the P olera ’ s statements about cost overruns on the house also con- O hioE thicsC ommissioninvesti - charge . ’ ’ sides of C ioffi ’ s trucks at the gator . home site. flict with the judgment of the last 6 days! U nlike police records, Ethics I nsider ’ saccount W hen P olera asked about the staff of county Prosecutor Sherri B evan W alsh . C ommission documents aren’t T he P olera interview is sig- signs , C ioffi answered that ‘ ‘ he public record. nificant because it provides an couldn ’ t be seen working there.’’ D uring a Feb.28 interview, insider ’ s account of who built In addition to supplying the after the release of the 558 pages P olice report requested K idder ’ s home and how much it blueprints for the house , C ioffi of documents, assistant county cost to construct. prepared the cost estimates on P rosecutor M ichael C arroll said B ut a version of the report SAVE P olera told investigators the P olera letterhead stationery, that while investigators had was released late F riday , in re- story began when he ‘ ‘ was ap - which were ‘ ‘ then faxed to Po- found clear ‘ ‘ evidence that Cioffi sponse to a B eacon J ournal mo- proached by Cioffi and asked to le r a,’’ who submitted them to was involved in the construction tion asking the judge to recheck K idder ’ s bank as part of his of the house,’’ they failed to the files to determine ifa n Akron UP TO do a favor.’’ police officer also had written up 60% ‘ ‘ C ioffi stated he was building mortgage application, Polera show convincingly that Kid d e r a house’’ for Kidder ‘ ‘ and he had told investigators. got more house than he paid for. the Polera interview. City attor- to use Polera as the general con- ON ALL SALE MERCHANDISE tractor because it couldn ’ t be H ouse over estimates known that Cioffi was building I nitially , P olera said ‘‘hewas this house,’’ Polera told investi - under the impression’’ the con- gators . struction costs would be close to INVENTORY CLEARANCE In return for fronting the job , estimates . Adios avocado. P olera said Cioffi agreed to pay B ut P olera said the 2 , 780 - him $20,0 0 0. C ioffi also gave Po- square - foot home , which fea- lera $ 42 , 000 to buy a lot in Ellet tures a basement recreation Hello stainless steel. MOVING SALE! for the Kidder home. room , solid oak doors and trim, a C ioffi , who could not be wet bar and deck as well as We’re moving to a Bigger and better reached for comment S aturday , sound , security and sprinkler had reason to be concerned systems , ‘ ‘ went $ 70 , 000 over Lucky Shoes Store at Belden Commons. about building a house for Kid- budget . ’ ’ der . Ohi o’s conflict - of - interest P olera explained ‘ ‘ thatfigure ’ ’ Help us clear out our inventory. law states that it is illegal for a represented the amount above public official to ‘ ‘ accept any - the combined $42,0 0 0 cost of the There’s lots of sale merchandise to choose from: thing of value’’ from those they lot and a $146 , 215 construction deal with as part of their job. loan he had obtained. Where: The first - degree misdemeanor is T hat would make the cost of VARIABLE RATES AS LOW AS Lucky Shoes at Belden Village Mall Only punishable by six months in jail the home about $ 258 , 215 – a fig- an d a $1,00 0 fine for the official. ure close to the $ 253 , 562 found in What: Save up to 60% on all sale merchandise a spreadsheet included in earlier % including Rockport, Life Stride, Clarks, C ioffi won 20 contracts A kron police records. 3.99 APR* Naturalizer, Stride Rite, New Balance, E ither total would mean the C ioffi had done considerable FOR QUALIFYING BANK ONE HOME EQUITY LINESM construction work for the city – house cost substantially more Florsheim, handbags and accessories, he was awarded 20 contracts , than the $ 203 , 600 county auditor and much more! worth more than $6 million, be- records show Kidder paid. tween 1996 and June 2000, ac- So who made up the differ- When: Hurry, this sale ends April 26th, 2003 ence ? cording to city records. and all sales are final. S ix weeks before Polera P olera told investigators he 1.800.800.LOAN bought the home lot – April 11, thought Cioffi paid some sub - d20058889.dig 1997 – K idder had named C ioffi , contractors out of his pocket .Po- *Member FDIC. Subject to credit approval. Advertised rate is effective 3/28/03 and is subject to Bank One’s credit criteria, certain conditions and restrictions including qualifying lines with a 80% or less who is primarily a concrete con- lera wasn’t sure how others were loan-to-value ratio. Your rate and corresponding Annual Percentage Rate (APR) may be higher than the offered rate and depends on the amount of the credit line, the loan-to-value ratio, your credit history, Bank tractor , to renovate the former paid .But P olera said he got stuck One’s internal credit policies, and the date your application is received. Rates are subject to change at any DIY building on Tallmadge Ave- with many of the bills and that time without notice and may be higher or lower than the rate currently offered. This offer is available only on new home equity lines. Property and flood insurance may be required. Other fees and restrictions may apply. nue . The city wanted the build- C ioffi didn ’ t pay the $ 20 , 000 Advertised line rate is valid only on lines of $50,000 up to $322,700 in first lien position and up to $275,000 promised for agreeing to pose as in a second lien position. Other rates are available on credit lines of $5,000 to $49,999 and for loan-to- ing for a new home for the Sum- value ratio above 80% up to 100%. The APR on variable rate lines may increase or decrease, not to exceed 4131 Belden Village Mall mit County Title B ureau . the general contractor. an annual percentage rate of 25%. Borrower is responsible for a $50 annual fee, title insurance (when required), mortgage taxes (if any), recording fees, and lien release fees (if any). Please contact us for more Store Hours: Daily 10AM–9PM, Sunday 12NOON–5PM The unusual purchase agree - The money disputes led to a information regarding rates, fees, terms, conditions, and restrictions. ©2003 Bank One Corporation. ment called for DIY to hire Cio f- falling out. d20058981.dig fi to do the renovation, with the In July of 1998, Cioffi sued Po- city to pay the entire cost of re- lera , claiming he had not repaid modeling – nearly $1 million – in the $ 42 , 000 loan for the lot. addition to the $ 862 , 500 price of the building. The deal meant the W ife tells of threat city avoided the normal bidding P olera ’ s wife , A ntonia , told process used to ensure the low- investigators she phoned Kidder est and best price for the renova- about the suit, saying ‘‘if it went tion work. to court it would all come out.’’ S he told the investigators M ayor takes blame ‘ ‘ that everyone knew what was A kron M ayor Don P lusquel - happening ’ ’ – calling the con- lic took the blame for skipping struction of K idder ’ s house ‘‘a fa- the bidding process, saying he vor for the city jobs that Cioffi had waited too long in hopes of was getting.’’ finding another location for the W ithin days of the call, Cioffi T itle B ureau . The delay left the dropped the suit, she told inves - city facing a deadline to move tigators . the office from the city - owned T he P oleras could not be O’Nei l’s building – which was reached for comment S aturday . being renovated at the same time K idder , who has repeatedly – or pay the county $2 million to denied accepting anything from find new offices on its own. companies doing business wi t h ‘‘Thi s had nothing to do with the city in exchange for favor - Joe other than he was stuck car- able treatment, said he remem - rying out our orders to get the bered the phone call from An- job done,’’ the mayor said in an tonia P olera , but doesn’tre c a l l interview last month. specifics of the conversation. K idder was aware of the pos- ‘‘I was more concerned about sible conflict, saying that he the fact they were suing each searched for a homebuilder who other over my house , ’ ’ he said didn ’ t do business with the city S aturday . ‘‘I called Frank and just and got P olera ’ s name from a said it was too bad – these were former councilman. longtime friends suing each oth- P olera had little experience as er over this.’’ a homebuilder. Hetold investi- K idder stands by his earlier gators he had built only ‘ ‘ threeor statement that he had ‘ ‘ paid a fair four homes as a general contrac- price for his home.’’ to r.’’ K idder said he has not seen K idder said he knew that the interview report, but said he I sraelisinvade P alestiniancamp some friends playing cards when 5 killed, 35 wounded suddenly we came under fire,’’ in latest army incursion said Marwan K hatib , 39, who lives in the camp. A ssociatedP ress The army knocked out elec- GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP: Doz- tricity in part of the camp, wit- ens of Israeli tanks backed by at- nesses said. Rafah Mayor Said tack helicopters pushed into the Z ourab said undercover soldiers R afah refugee camp S aturday , raided homes and troops were in one of the largest military incur- control of most of the camp. sions into the Gaza Strip in 3 0 P alestinians said ambulances months of fighting, Palestinians could not enter the camp, and all said . casualties had arrived at the hos- At least five Palestinians were pital in private vehicles. killed , including a 15 - year - old boy , doctors said. R afah has been a flashpoint of W itnesses said at least 35 peo- tensions between I sraeli troops ple were wounded. and P alestinians . B ritish peace A lso S aturday , a cameraman activist TomHurndall , 21, was for Associated Press Television allegedly shot in the head by Is- N ews was shot and killed while raeli troops in R afah onApril 11. filming clashes in which 17 P ales - He remained in serious condi - tinians were wounded in the tion S aturday . W est B ank city of N ablus . H urndall was a volunteer T he incursion appeared to with the International Solidarity have targeted the Yibna neigh- M ovement , a Palestinian - backed borhood , one of two known mili- group .Thearmy has said it is in- tant strongholds in R afah . vestigating his shooting. I sraeli forces penetrated th e camp from three directions us- The operation in the refugee ing more than 35 tanks and ar- camp came hours after clashes in mored personnel carriers , bull - N ablus killed AP cameraman Go for fun, not for broke. Play responsibly. The Ontario Problem Gambling Helpline 1-888-230-3505. dozers and jeeps. Five attack N azeh D arwazeh , 45, and helicopters circled overhead, wounded 17 others. Must be at least 19 years of age. PAC card must be inserted and read “accepted” for double points to be earned. d20056953.dig flashing spotlights. D octors said Darwazeh died Double Points are earned from 12:00 am to 11:59 pm on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays in April. ‘‘I was sitting outside with of a bullet wound to the head.

A11, Black, EDITION 4X, DAY 20