The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida • Page 16

The Orlando Sentinel He has served time for many crimes; now Johnnie Woods Jr. faces trial for murder, B-3 TUESDAY, August 3, 1993 ocal CFO State to planners: Decide on connector, now We The ultimatum from Florida's transportation chief may have dealt a mortal blow to the Central Connector. By Roger Roy OF THE SENTINEL STAFF If the proposed Central Connector toll road were a cat, it would have been dead long ago. For six years, the $368 million road that would run dicted Watts' ultimatum would kill it, the road has survived a series of travails. Its history goes back more than six years, when it was proposed by the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority.

In 1991, a state appeals court agreed with' Edgewood, which had challenged the project, halting; it even though the authority had already sold more than $100 million in bonds. But the court ruling didn't kill the connector, be-; cause the state can build a road even over a city's Please see CONNECTOR, B-4 from downtown Orlando to the Bee Line Expressway has survived more than its share of political crises and legal challenges. "This thing is like Freddie Krueger," said state Rep. Tom Feeney, a key opponent. "It just keeps coming back." But now it may have been dealt a mortal blow by the state's top transportation official, who says it's time to stop fighting over a project that has split residents, local governments and legislators for years.

"I feel that it is time to make a decision that will confirm the validity of the project or remove its shadow from over the heads of those in its path," Transportation Secretary Ben Watts wrote to the Metropolitan Planning Organization, which oversees transportation planning in Central Florida. In an interview Monday, Watts said the MPO, made up of local elected and appointed officials from Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties, should decide once and for all to support or kill the project. "Either it's going to be built or it's not, and it's time to move on," Watts said. Although opponents of the Central Connector pre Hot enough to beat NTCgets price tag: $132 million Property Appraiser Rich Crotty ordered an appraisal after the Navy base was recommended for closured the band i rrVt vsif if By Michael Griffin and Sean Holton OF THE SENTINEL STAFF Orlando leaders may not know what to do with the Naval Training Center but for the first time in 25 years they know what the base is worth, $132 million more than Sea World or Martin Marietta's Orange County defense plants. The main base in Orlando near the Winter Park city limits could be worth even more if the base is ultimately converted from public to private use, Orange County Property Appraiser Rich Crotty said Monday.

"It would be speculative to estimate its value at anything other than public use," Crotty said. "But clearly that's an important piece of property there." Sea World's assessed value is $112.8 million; Martin's east and west Orange defense plants total about $109 million. Both Sea World and Martin's facilities are worth more per acre, but in total value they fall just below the base. Crotty, elected property appraiser last year, ordered the appraisal after the Base Closure and Realignment Commission recommended in June that the center be closed. Because the base is tax-exempt, its value never had been assessed.

The base's value has been set at varying levels since it first appeared on a closing list in 1991. At one time, the Department of Defense set the value at $130 million, the base closure commission at $494 million and the Navy at $532 million. I Crony's team of appraisers compared the base's land and buildings with nearby housing and commercial properties; he said if the base were paying taxes, that bill would be based on $51 million in land val- Please see NTC, B-4 If you can't stand the heat, then stay out of the band. But if you're in the Edgewater High School band, at least try to do something about it. Band camp members did their best to cope Monday.

Percussion teacher Boomer Bardo (left) leads the front ensemble under the shade of trees in the parking lot. Meanwhile, Michele Sandford (right), 17, adjusts her sombrero during band practice on the football field. And flag corps member Anna-Kay Morrison (above), 16, may have been the coolest or the coolest-looking, anyway. She wrapped a towel around her head to ward off the heat. ft IntZ PHOTOS BY RED HUBER Osceola prosecutors agree to move state's trial of 4 in fatal carjacking By Henry Pierson Curtis OF THE SENTINEL STAFF playing dead after being shot in the hand as he lay between his friends.

A fourth friend, Tammy George, 25, was released unharmed when the killers said they did not want to hurt a black woman. The defendants already have been convicted and sentenced in the first federal trial involving a fatal carjacking. The unusual staging of two trials for the same incident was worked out between State Attorney Lawson Lamar and Robert Genzman, then the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida. dants are convicted in the death penalty case, said Jeff Ashton, the lead prosecutor.

"Just based on the amount of publicity in Osceola County, I think it would be difficult to find someone who had not heard of the case," Ashton said Monday. The carjacking occurred Nov. 29 when four Polk County men abducted four friends at a St. Cloud bar, authorities said. A short time later, two of the victims, Anthony Clifton, 20, and Anthony Faiella, 17, were shot and killed in a pasture outside Kissimmee.

A third friend, Michael Rentas, 20, survived by The site of the state trial will be discussed Wednes-' day afternoon during a telephone conference between Circuit Judge Gary L. Formet the trial judge, and the attorneys in the case. Sarasota and Fort Myers both have been mentioned in conferences as possible locations for the trial, which has been set for Oct. 4. Tallahassee is a third possible location.

The decision to move the trial pleased Attorney Please see CARJACK, B-4 KISSIMMEE Pretrial publicity is forcing the murder trial in last fall's fatal carjacking out of Osceola County. But where the trial will be held hasn't been decided. The Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office agreed not to fight a defense motion to move the trial in the hope of removing grounds for appeal if the defen State universities extend their bans on smoking 6 hurt in crash involving Peter Gabriel's tour bus By Jerry Fallstrom OF THE SENTINEL STAFF campus buildings, including classrooms, adrninistrative offices, cafeterias and dormitories. "We're doing this to comply with the state law and protect our employees and students from toxic substances such as secondhand smoke," said Patrick Riordan, a spokesman for the state Board of Regents, which governs Florida's university system. Such comprehensive smoking bans are expected to spread na tionwide as health issues, from preventing AIDS to curbing alcohol drinking, become a top prior' ity for university administrators, educators said.

"Promoting healthy living pat- LEESBURG The driver of a 40-foot bus carrying road crew members for pop star Peter Gabriel was the most seriously injured of six people hurt Monday when the bus plowed into the back of a dump truck on U.S. Highway 27. Rescue workers labored for about an hour to free the bus driver, Dus- Monday night. John Gray, 28, an assistant stage manager from London, underwent surgery for a gash on his leg and was to be admitted to Leesburg Regional Medical Center, said Dave Russell, production manager for the Gabriel tour. Four other crew members were treated for cuts and bruises but weren't admitted to hospitals.

Gabriel, who is scheduled to perform in concert at the Orlando Arena at 7:30 tonight, wasn't on the bus. "It won't affect the show," said Please see BUS, B-4 This fall, all buildings, including offices, dorms, classrooms and cafeterias, must be smoke-free. By Gene Yasuda OF THE SENTINEL STAFF For the Marlboro man, Joe Camel and Virginia Slims' sequined model, it's yet another setback. Already ushered out of public places ranging from barbershops to restaurants, these cigarette icons are no longer welcome at Florida's nine public universities. Beginning this fall semester, smoking will be prohibited in all un tainoun, its, oi i-eesuurg, uum the coach's mangled front end.

Cal JOANN VITELLISENTINEL houn was taken by helicopter to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was in stable condition The driver was the most seriously injured, and the assistant stage manager underwent surgery. Gabriel didn't take the Leesburg trip. Please see SMOKING. B-4.