I u ly 30. 2008 Page A2 Church Gunman Hated Liberal Causes servation" on $1 million bail, Adkisson, who neighbors said authorities said. had previously worked as a truck The Unitarian-Universalist driver, did not expect to leave church promotes progressive the church alive. He added the social work, including advocacy man also reported having no of women and gay rights. The family or next-of-kin. "He certainly intended to take Knox vii le congregation also has Usher shielded others from bullets (A P)— An unemployed man accused of opening fire with a shotgun and killing two people at a Unitarian church in Ten­ nessee apparently targeted the congregation out of hatred for its liberal social policies, police said Monday. K n o x v ille , T enn. P olice C h ie f Sterling Owen IV said a letter had been been recovered from the SUV of JimD. Adkisson, 58, by investiga­ tors seeking clues about the motive behind the Jim Adkisson attack. Authori­ ties said he was an apparent stra n g e r to the T ennessee church where gunfire punctu­ ated a children's performance based on the musical "Annie." Two people were killed and seven wounded Sunday. "I, appears that what brought him to this horrible event was his lack of being able to obtain a job, his frustration over that and his stated hatred of the liberal movement," Owen said at a news conference. No ch ild ren were hurt, but five people suffered serious or critical injuries. A burly usher who died is being hailed as a hero for shielding others from gun­ fire Sunday at the Tennessee V al­ ley Unitarian Uni- versalist Church. W itnesses said some of the men present tack­ led a man who pulled a shotgun from a guitar case before shoot­ ing. Adkisson, who ischarged with first-degree murder, remained jailed Tuesday under "close ob- He certainly intended to take a lot o f casualties. He had 76 rounds with him. - Sterling Owen IV, Knoxville, Tenn. Police Chief provided sanctuary for political refugees, fed the homeless and founded a chapter of the Ameri­ can Civil Liberties Union, ac­ cording to its Web site. Owen said the letter indicated Members o f the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church hug in the parking lot Monday, one day after a gunman opened fire at a youth performance at the church. Grocery Bag Fee Proposed in Portland Encouraging reusable cloth bags grocery bags given out in the United States are recycled, said Stephanie Barger, execu­ tive director of the Earth Re­ sources Foundation in Costa Mesa, Calif. And if even people do a better job of recycling, both types present environmental problem s. Plastic bags are made from oil and don't biode­ grade. Paper bags easily de­ compose, but it takes trees to make them. Part of the money raised from the fee would help pro­ (AP) — City Commissioner Sam Adams is pushing a plan to impose a fee on grocery bags. Paper or plastic. Adams, who hopes to have the fee in place before he takes over as mayor next year, said he's discussing that the City Council vote for a fee ranging anywhere from a nickel to 20 cents per bag. "It’s a sim ple behavioral change that we have to ingrain in ourselves," Adams said. Only 52 percent of paper bags and 5 percent of plastic vide free cloth bags to poor people. Some would go to­ ward city recycling programs and some would go to stores for adm inistration and pro­ grams to educate consumers about the fee. Adams acknowledged that the switch would represent a lifestyle change for shoppers, who would have to remember to bring theirown bags or pres­ sure the cashier to jam the groceries into the fewest bags possible — risking smushed bread. Portland, however, is not alone on this issue. In fact, it's behind other West Coast cit­ ies. In March 2007, San Fran­ cisco became the first city to ban the use o f plastic shop­ ping bags. Los Angeles, meanwhile, voted Tuesday to ban plastic shopping bags from stores be­ ginning in July 2010. Shop­ pers can either bring their own bags or pay 25 cents for a paper or biodegradable bag. And on M onday, the Se­ attle City Council approved on a proposal to implement a 20-cent fee at grocery stores on plastic bags. Y o u r fa v o r ite n e ig h b o r h o o d g r o c e r y s to r e n o w d e liv e r s g r o c e r ie s r ig h t to y o u r h o m e o r o ffic e . a lot of casualties," Owen said. "He had 76 rounds with him." Although the outlook and be­ liefs of individual Unitarian churches can vary dramatically, most congregations retain a deep commitment to social justice, which has led them to embrace liberal positions over the years. Unitarians were among the first to ordain women, support the civil rights movement and back gay rights. Black War Veteran Dies after Apology (AP) — An 83-year-old black World War II veteran died hours after receiving a long awaited honorable discharge from the Army. Samuel Snow of Leesburg, Fla., was one of 28 black sol­ diers falsely convicted of start­ ing a riot that led to the lynching of an Italian prisoner of war at an Army base in Seattle during World War II. The Army formally apologized Saturday. The soldiers' convic­ tions were set aside, their dis­ honorable discharges were changed to honorable d is ­ charges and they and their sur­ vivors were awarded back pay for their time in the brig. Snow had planned to a t­ te n d th e c e re m o n y b u t wound up in a S eattle ho sp i­ tal instead because o f a p ro b ­ lem with his pacem aker. He died early Sunday m orning, hours after his son told him about the apology cerem ony. John McCain Barack Obama Candidates Tackle Urban Agenda Senators John McCain and Barack Obama will speak later this week at the National Urban League conference in Orlando, Fla. Both presumptive presiden­ tial nominees have accepted the invitation to share their individual plans for an urban agenda, and to comment on the National Urban League’s Opportunity Com pact, the organization's plan to increase.opportunities for underrepresented popula­ tions. “We look forward to having both Senator Obama and Sena­ tor McCain at our annual con­ ference to present their plans to help bridge the economic divide between communities of color and mainstream America.” said Marc Morial, National Urban League president and chief ex­ ecutive officer. McCain is scheduled to speak on Friday, Aug. 1, and Obama is slated for Saturday, Aug. 2. Seeking Donations An account was opened today by Johnnie B. Will­ iams as a donation account to help with the funeral costs for his grandson Johnnie J. Williams. 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