Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 29 October 2004 — Page 5

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

PAGE AS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2004

ATA files for bankruptcy protection

CNN report Indianapolis-based ATA, the 10th largest U.S. airline, cited high fuel prices, empty seats and fierce fare competition for the bankruptcy filing, the third by a major U.S. carrier since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks which financially devastated the airline industry. “Excess capacity, extremely high fuel prices — which continue to escalate — and declining fares have necessitated that all airlines, including ATA, reexamine their business,“said George Mikelsons, chairman of the airline’s parent company, ATA Holdings Corp., in a statement Tuesday. The airline will focus on its “most profitable cornerstones,” including flights to and from its Indianapolis hub, flights to Hawaii and charter flights, Mikelsons said. The airline said it would honor tickets and frequent flier programs and planned to continue “business as usual” while

it restructures. As part of the restructuring, Air Tran will pay ATA $87-6 million to assume flight operations, gate leases and routes at Chicago Midway Airport, where ATA is currently the largest carrier. The deal also gives Air Tran ATA’s coveted arrival and departure slots at New York’s LaGuardia Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Air Tran and ATA will jointly operate flights into and out of Midway until ATA can make a “gradual, measured exit,” the statement said. So far this year, ATA pilots and flight attendants have accepted nearly $70 million in wage concessions, and the airline has announced plans to trim more than 300jobs in its workforce of7,200. The company warned in August that it might run out of cash in early 2005 and last week said its cash situation had worsened. Last week the company appointed its chief financial officer,

Gilbert Veits, to the new post of chief restructuring officer, triggering bankruptcy speculation. Even as ATA sought help at the courthouse, executives at Delta Air Lines, the nation’s third-larg-est carrier, were warning that they too may seek bankruptcy protection unless the Atlanta-based airline can gain financial concessions from employees and carriers. Two other carriers — US Airways and United Airlines — are currently reorganizing under Chapter 11. For US Airways, it is the second trip through bankruptcy since 2002. ATA, which was founded in 1973, currently provides scheduled commercial service to more than 40 U.S. destinations, as well as locations in Mexico and the Caribbean. Shares of ATA Holdings tumbled 53 cen ts Tuesday to close at 93 cents on anticipation of the bankruptcy announcement, which was jrude after Tuesday’s market closing.

Bush and Kerry on the issue o[ education

By The Associated Press 0 f th ese e ff 0 rts, the achievem President George W. Bush and f* Democrat presidential candidate commitment to ensure ev John Kerry were recently asked chiM js readi and doi mi to provide their response to the on de level M bud , following question: videsover$400millioneachy „. .. . , , r to help states design and adm Should the standards for test- ister ri s assessments tl ing students or assessing school measure their state acader performance under the No Child standards . j work vvith sta Left Behind law be changed? t0 he , p them develop the b n T rk n 1_- J possible assessments to measi Bush: No Child Left Behind student proficiency, but I will, gives states the authority to ere- make ch s that we . d i ate an accountability system of NC LB’s focus on quickly identi ft assessments, graduation rates, ing stud ents who need extra h J and other academic indicators and p rov i ding them the oppor f that best meet their needs. States ' imnr ° « r not only can use indicators such : as attendance or retention rates, K . w John Edwards an( f but they may also take into ac- wiU make reform work for ( £p£flpntstudent growtJ»4hrough an schools That means high sXi ■ htdwtthatcalculatesthepercent- dards and cornm0 n sense. Tod 1 age of ^students vvho improve to a m states are measuri s * basic level of proficiency. Because

dent achievement with fill-in-the-bubble tests that limit both teaching and learning. We will make sure we are measuring the full range of skills and talents that we want students to develop. We will also ensure accurate assessments of schools’ success. When the No Child Left Behind Act was signed, the Bush administration said the right things _ asking more from our schools and pledging to give them the resources to get the job done. But by now, they have underfunded No Child Left Behind by almost $27 billion, making it impossible for schools to meet the demands of the new law and literally leaving millions of children behind. We will fully fund No Child Left Behind so that we can provide our children with smaller classes, more textbooks, and more after-school opportunities."

DID YOU KNOW? In 1854, the Republican Party was formed in opposition to the Democratic Party’s support of Slavery Throughout the history of America, the Republican Party has been at the forefront of the fight for Civil Rights. 1863 Republicans established the Emancipation Proclamation 1860-1870 Republicans establish 13th. 14th and 15th Amendments: outlawing Slavery, pros iding Citizenship, and right to Vote for Blacks 1869 The First Black Congressmen entered Congress as Republicans 1909 Republicans form the NAACP. (Mary ()\ington. Oswald Villard and William Walling i I950's Republicans create the l’ S. Justice Dept and the "Civil Rights Division" 1964 Republicans lead and support the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act 1965 Republicans support the 1965 Voting Rights Act 1972 Under Republican President Nison, the 1972 Equal Employment Opportunity Act was passed to end discriminatory employment practices Today Republicans have empowered the Black community with the most senior appointed Blacks in any Presidential administration in U.S. history Today Republicans have founded & heavily funded many Historic Black colleges and Universities. (Laura Spelman and Henry Morehouse) Today Republicans increase "Title 1" funding by 41'/} for the poorest minority schools Today Republicans have facilitated Minority home ownership today w ith legislation such as the “American Dream Down Payment Act” Today Republicans have increased total college "Pell Grant" funding by 5094 Today Republicans have increased small business loans to Black businesses by 7591 Today Republicans have increased Federal contracts lo small economically disadvantaged firms by HO'i from 249.(8)0 to 449.000 Today 25 million small businesses will receive total tax relief of 75 “Billion" dollars Today 7.8 million low & middle income Americans have been “removed" from the tax rolls Today Under Republicans 5.8 Million children have been insured through the State Child Health Insurance program, while 2.5 million were enrolled under Clinton

DO YOU KNOW THESE BLACK REPUBLICANS?

Frederick DougUv. Harriet 1 uhtnan Sojourner Truth Booker I Washington 1870 Mississippi U.S. Senator Hiram Revel 1870 South C amlma U S Rep Joseph Ramey 1870 Georgia U.S Rep Jettenam l-ong 1871 South C arolinu U.S Rep Ritbert Fllntti 1871 South CanRina U S Rep Robert Delatgc 1871 Alabama U S Rep Benjamin Turner 1871 Florida V S Rep Josiah Walls 1873 South Carolina U S Rep Richard Cane 1873 Mississippi U.S Rep John Lynch 1873 Alabama U.S Rep James Rapiet 1873 South Carolina U S Rep Alon/o Ransicr 1875 Mississippi U S Senator Blanche Bruce 1875 Alabama U.S. Rep Jeremiah Haralstui 1875 North Carolina U S Rep John Hyman 1875 Louisiana U.S. Rep Charles Nash 1875 South Camlina U S. Rep Robert Smalls 1881 North Carolina U S Rep James O'Hara 1889 North Carolina U.S Rep Henry Cheatham

1890 Virginia U S Rep John Lanston

1891 StMiih Carolina U S Rep George Murray 1X97 North Carolina I S. Rep George White

1927 Illinois U S Rep Oscar DePnest

I9h7 Massachusrtts U.S Rep Fdwards Brooke I9 7 9 Virgin Islands U.S Rep Melvin hvans 1991 C onnecticut U S Rep Gary Franks 1995 Oklahoma Congressman J C Watts

Maryland Ut Governor. Michael Steele Ohio Ft Governor. Jenitctte Bradley

Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell Supreme Court luslice Clarence Ibonuis

Columnist Aintsinwig Williams

Florida State Representative, Jennifer Carroll

U.S Senate Candidate. Alan Keyes

Pres Bush’s Secretary of State Colin Powell Pres Hush-s National Security Advisor Condrilecz/a Rice Pres Bush’s Secretary ol Fd tic at ion Rod Paige Pres Hush's Dir of Office of Pervmnel. Kay Cole James Pres. Bush’s Dir. of the Dept ol Housing ami I rban Development. Alphonso Jackson Pies Bush’s Administrator of (icncral Services Administration. Stephen Perry Pres Bush's Deputy Administrator of NASA. Fredrick Gregory

The Re/mbliuw hirt\ i\ th t \hti<

urul idl else is the sea " Tmlrrick l)t>uftlii\\

...Bringing the TRUTH TO LIGHT of HISTORIC and PRESENT REPUBLICAN EMPOWERMENT OF OUR BLACK COMMUNITY...

Paid for by the Indiana Republican Party and Black Indiana Political Action Committee. t

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