The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 1

1 SATURDAY ILLUSTRATION BY JIM Vandy's true student-athletes Tops in SAT score survey In Sports, 1C Nalied in Nashville CHAPMAN 41' no more Local nude statues get a Complete weather forecast on 8B In Living, ID rENNI NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE VOLUME 93, NO. 347 5 SECTIONS Copyright, 1997 PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID IN NASHVILLE, TN 11 ri. 2 't, 1 A w33B I IE II i AA -VVSt 1 ft IT Jurors say Cherry charge too harsh jf The panel deliberated for two days before acquitting Cherry yesterday morning of aggravated child abuse, which carries a prison term of 15-25 years, and convicting him of reckless aggravated assault The penalty for that crime is a two- to four-year prison term. The jury also found Cherry guilty of reckless endangerment for exposing his I Turn to PAGE 2A, Column 4 Panel finds father guilty of lesser offense in death of toddler during drug deal By KIRK LOCCINS Staff Writer Donald Cherry could not have been "reasonably certain" that his 2-year-old son would be killed when he took the child along on a search for cocaine, said members of the Criminal Court jury that abortive cocaine deal in October 1996. "The prosecutors took the parts of the law that they wanted to use and they disregarded the rest," said a female juror, who asked not to be identified.

"It was a horrible tragedy, but what he was charged with didnt match" the evidence in the case. "You cant go by your own feelings," said another juror, retired truck driver LH. Edmondson. "You have to go by the law." convicted Cherry yesterday of a less serious offense. That's the legal standard that the jury would have had to find to convict Cherry of aggravated child abuse, as prosecutors had asked them to do.

Two jurors said in interviews that they believe Davidson County prosecutors filed too serious a charge against Cherry for his role in the fatal shooting of his son, Donald (D.J.) Cherry. The boy was shot as his father drove away from an CKY ROGERS STAFF Donald Cherry, left, and his attorney, Tommy Overton, are downcast at the announcement of a verdict Briley comes full circle No trophy needed for Peyton's mom to know he's best if TROPHY WATCH I Closest-ever Heisman, on 1C. I David Climer: Manning's the best, on 1C. By CHRIS LOW Sports Writer NEW YORK Olivia Manning, Peyton's mother, doesn't know whether to laugh or to cry. The longer she talks about her son's brilliant career at Tennessee, the more sentimental she becomes.

Although there's still the Orange Bowl to go, it's a career that in many ways culminates tonight with i me ooru annual i Heisman Tro- yuy vciciuuiucs. The award goes to the nation's outstanding college ball player, and the Vols' senior quarterback is one of four fi ill I I rTi if i i.inill.IiWift-iriMli Bt it will be allowed in the room at the Downtown Athletic Club where the winner is announced. After enduring Tennessee's heart-tugging 30-29 victory over Auburn last Saturday to win the SEC Championship, Olivia Manning thinks tonight will be a piece of cake. "Nothing's as hard as those games. This is out of our control.

"Peyton's received enough honors to last anybody a lifetime. The Heisman 's the best But if he doesnt get ft, well all be OK" According to the Heisman polls, Michigan defensive back Charles Woodson is the front-runner. "Peyton's totally relaxed," Olivia Manning said. "He's been that way his whole senior year. I think he's slowed the pace down to savor everything "He's really hooked up with the great player from Nebraska Grant WistromJ I think Peyton's hoping he wont come after him too hard in the Orange nalists.

MANNWQ Yet when Olivia thinks back on his four years at Tennessee, football records are only a small part of the reason she swells with pride. "I'm always amazed with all this attention he receives and how he handles it He's turned into a young man. He's no longer that little kid we sent away as a freshman." The entire Manning family and some close friends are here for the ceremonies. Only immediate family D. PATRICK HARDING Carl Bailey, left, and John Sullivan prepare an exit sign for the new segment of Briley Parkway.

Idig has cable TV out-dishing the dish Closing the Briley loop Last link of freeway opens 37 years later 1.6-mile final section The final link in the 34-mile-long Briley Parkway loop around Nashville falls into place Friday after 37 fw uoooiensvuiB i years of planning and construction. Briley Parkway f-l 2 1 ff I A RffBriley Parkway WhtteBr wpxSoj woodiT'ritVS nnLdn JhJ fx Boulevard By WILL PINKSTON Staff Writer It's like digital satellite TV, only without that little gray dish. That's one way InterMedia is billing Idig, its new service that will deliver to Nashville cable subscribers The Golf Channel, CBS Eye on People, America's Health Network and two dozen more specialty channels. Also included is Digital Music Express, 40 music channels that can be piped through a home stereo system, and additional movie channels in homes that already receive HBO, Cinemax or others. Intermedia's Midstate customers can add Idig to their existing cable packages in 1998 for $16 a month extra.

The digital service is scheduled to be available mid-January in Nashville, and other parts of Middle Tennessee should have it by next fall Idig is tied to InterMedia 's mostly completed $180 million upgrade of its Midstate network. Using technol- By DAVID HEFNER Staff Writer It's taken 37 years of planning and construction, but east will finally meet west Friday when the last link of Briley Parkway around Nashville opens to traffic. The thoroughfare that will surround Nashville's central city began as a Davidson County project in 1961 and was supposed to be completed before the inter-states were built "It's excellent timing," said Luanne GrandinetrJ, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, which took over the project in 1983. "We tried to get it open by Thanksgiving, but the next best thing was to have it open by Christmas. "It will really mean a lot for people who live in that part of the city.

"Now, if you live in Madison, for example, it wont take any ENVIRONMENT Residents of Briley expansion area raise environmental Issues that must be addressed, officials say, on 2A. time to get to Interstate 40 to Memphis. Prior to this, people had to take local roads. This is a valuable freeway." A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 1.6-mile segment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Briley Parkway and 1-65.

Transportation Commissioner Bruce Saltsman will officiate, accompanied by Nashville legislators, Grandinetti said. The public is invited. The final section of the four-lane highway cost $16.6 million, but it will connect Interstates 65 and 24 north of downtown. It's been under construction since Turn to PAGE 2A, Column 1 OVERVIEW The cable package, on 2A. ogy that compresses cable signals, transmitting them as light pulses through new fiber-optic lines, InterMedia now can make dozens more channels available.

Including those reserved for pay-per-view movies, InterMedia now will have about 200 channels. Previously, only satellite services speaking the language of computers ones and zeros could deliver so many channels at once. But fiber-optic technology is letting cable systems catch up, and Nashville is one of the first cities to get so many channels through a traditional cable company. Primestar, a leading digital satellite service, charges J25-J56 a month. But the selection of channels is sometimes smaller, and there is an initial charge of $398 to buy and install a 2-foot dish.B DREW WHITE STAFF mm i Sections: Local News Christmas music comes out of the closet on CD NFL playoff spots may be decided today c.

Sports. Living 1 Business RuPaul's Ho Ho Ho- is one of many Christmas CD sur- Brad About You 2-1 4E Classified-. To subscribe: 242-NEWS Delivery problems: 254-5661 or 1-6CXW42-8237 For personal service, cafl during these times: a MOfKMyTnaay: 5:30 a.m to 6:30 fun. Saturday: 630 am to 1030 Sunday: 730ajn.lt 1230 pm To reach our newsroom: Sport 259-8010 LMnp; 2S9-80S0 Playoff positions could be decided today as the next-to-last week of the NFL season gets under way. The Giants .60 Carlos the Jackal unrepentant One of the world's most long-sought terrorists, known as Carlos the Jackal, told a French court yesterday he is a "professional revolutionary," and demanded that charges of murdering two French intelligence agents and a Lebanese colleague be dismissed.

The world is my domain," said the man who by his own count has killed 83 people. On 4 A. prises uncovered by 1 i music writer Tom Roland. Jewels in Con Fewer hysterectomies The FDA has approved use of a device created to help women who suffer excessive menstrual bleeding. ThermaChoice, a heated balloon that destroys the cause of the problem in eight minutes, is expected to replace 20 to 30 of the hysterectomies performed today.

On 15A. Sport-utes dangerous Sport utility vehicles are more dangerous to both their occupants and other drivers than cars, a conference on vehicle safety says, because they're hard to maneuver and roll over torj easily. On 1 DearAbby 50 7B Deaths 14A EcStorials Entertainment 30 20 Horoscope clude RuPaul The Red-Nosed Drag Queen and a disco carol medley. Roland reviews other gift CDs ranging from could gain their first playoff berth since 1 993 with a win or tie against Washington. New England can clinch an AFC berth by beating Pittsburgh.

On Movies -40 National News Scoreooard 7C .70 World News 5A RUPAUL to country. On 1 D. I.