Restaurant named a James Beard Foundation‘America’s Classic’ honoree — Alabama’s first

“We will reopen,and when we do,we will be biggerand better thanever before.”Milton McGregor

McGregorwants AGto step inon bingo

NEWS STAFF/MARK ALMOND

Owners of The Bright Star restaurant, Nick Koikos, left, and Jimmy Koikos talk to long-time customers andfriends Jack and Sue Pearson as the Koikos’ niece Stacey Craig stands behind the coupleMonday evening.The Bessemer institution has been named one of the James Beard Foundation Awards’ “America’s Classics.”

Bright Star goes supernovaFears raidsmight getsomeone hurt

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By ALEC HARVEYNews staff writer

The Bright Star, a Bessemer insti-tution since 1907, has been namedone of the James Beard FoundationAwards’ “America’s Classics” honor-ees.

The Beard Foundation Awards —

considered the Oscars of the foodworld — give the America’s Classicsdistinction for “restaurants withtimeless appeal, beloved for qualityfood that reflects the character oftheir community.”

The Bright Star is the first Alabamarestaurant to earn the America’s

Classic distinction since the JamesBeard Foundation Awards beganawarding it in 1998, according to thefoundation.

“We are so honored,” said NickyKoikos, who co-owns The Bright Starwith his brother, Jimmy.

See AWARD Page 4A

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Bessemer official not guiltySolicitation case endsfor councilwomanBy ANITA DEBRONews staff writer

Bessemer City Councilwo-man Louise Alexander criedMonday after a jury pro-nounced her not guilty of solic-itation and using her office for

personal gain.Outside of the courtroom at

the Jefferson County Court-house in Bessemer, Alexander,49, said very little as she stoodby attorney U.W. Clemon. Thecouncilwoman said this periodof her life has been very hard.

“This has taken a toll onher,” Clemon said. “Now jus-tice has been done and she can

go on with her life.”It took the jury of eight

women and four men aboutfour hours of deliberation tofind the 49-year-old womannot guilty on all five counts. Al-exander was accused of usingher position to solicit moneyfrom Tuscaloosa businessman

See BESSEMER Page 4A

LouiseAlexanderShe plans to runfor mayor ofBessemer.

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Ex-2-year collegeboss ordered topay $18.2 million

Lt. Col.Ken BourlandSearchers onSunday recoveredhis body in theruins of the HotelMontana in Port-au-Prince.

Bell wants transit overhaulBirmingham Mayor William Bell wants currentMax bus system management out and replacedwithin the next 60 days. He also wants to appointan outside committee that will take a look at theagency’s problems and financial woes. 1B

By ROBERT K. GORDONNews staff writer

A federal judge Mondayordered former two-yearcollege Chancellor RoyJohnson to forfeit $18.2million in cash along withhis $1.3 millionOpelika home.

J o h n s o n , t h eonce powerful Ala-bama legislator, isscheduled to besentenced later thismonth in Birming-ham by U.S. Dis-trict Judge KaronBowdre. He facesmore than 25 yearsin prison and more than $2million in fines.

Monday’s forfeiture or-der — which allows thegovernment to seize thehome Johnson built onSanders Creek Drive inOpelika — will become partof the sentence.

Prosecutors are expected

to ask for a lighter prisonterm for Johnson becauseof his cooperation in thesuccessful public corrup-tion cases against formerlegislators Sue Schmitz,E.B. McClain and others.

Johnson, once thegovernment’s keytarget in its federalcriminal investiga-tion of the two-yearc o l l e g e s y s t e m ,turned into the keywitness as prosecu-tors looked into jobsand payments legis-lators and relativeso f s t a t e s c h o o l

board members received inthe system.

The investigation hasproduced more than adozen guilty pleas, convic-tions and indictments frompeople with two-year col-lege ties, including several

See JOHNSON Page 4A

City native, officer inHaiti confirmed deadBy ANNE RUISINews staff writer

A Birmingham nativeand Air Force officer miss-ing since last month’s dev-astating earthquake in Haitiwas confirmed dead Sun-day, his mother said, andwill be buried in the Ala-bama National Cemetery inMontevallo.

While details of the fu-neral arrangements arepending, Lt. Col. Ken Bour-land, 37, will be laid to restin the recently openedcemetery, said his mother,Adrienne Bourland of CookSprings.

Searchers on Sunday re-covered Col. Bourland’s

body in the ruins of the Ho-tel Montana, a popular ho-tel in the Haitian capital,Port-au-Prince, his mothersaid. Col. Bourland hadbeen among the thousandsreported missing followingthe Jan. 12 earthquake thatdevastated the Caribbeannation.

“Air Force officers cameto the house this afternoon,about 60 or 90 minutes af-ter Ken’s body was recov-ered” to notify the family,Bourland said late Sundaynight. “We knew that even-tually Ken would be found. . . we had confidence thatthe military people on the

See BOURLAND Page 4A

RoyJohnson