LOCAL NEWS HEROES

It was the 99th day of the Clinton presidency, and half a dozen reporters were ushered into the Old Executive Office Building to hear Al Gore talk up the new administration's record.

Gore spoke of Bosnia and Boris Yeltsin, of family leave and health care reform. But Kelly Richmond, one of the assembled scribes, had a more parochial matter on his mind.

The 28-year-old reporter was attending the briefing on behalf of the Nashville Banner. He had been churning out stories about Nashville's hotly contested bid for a plane route to London. Now he had the chance to ask the vice president of the United States whether he would support the effort of his adopted home town.

"I think that it has to be presented in a way that allows the secretary of transportation to make the proper evaluations," Gore said carefully. "But you can guess where my sympathies are." CLICK FOR MORE