Hunt for PR Only Bags Boo-Boos

Alabama Gov. Guy Hunt’s staff can’t seem to get their fax straight. Hunt’s Press Secretary Terry Abbott had intended to fax a press release to the Birmingham News but instead sent a memo addressed to the governor, pointing out some of Hunt’s own problems with facts. “I’ve noticed that you’ve been saying that last week was the best single week in the history of the state for economic development and that Nichii is the largest grocery store chain in the world,� the memo said. It was not the best “because the GE announcement in 1981 was $1.5 billion all by itself.� The memo said also that Nichii is only one of the largest grocery chains. When Abbott realized the memo had been faxed, he asked the newspaper to destroy it. In a story, the News said it would--eventually.

--Salman Rushdie, the author whose novel “The Satanic Verses� caused worldwide uproar among Muslims, is living the kind of secretive life usually reserved for spy stories, a British newspaper said. Rushdie and his wife, Marianne Wiggins, have lived in a succession of “safe houses� since the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran called Feb. 14 for the author’s death for insulting “Islamic sanctity,� the Independent reported. The paper said the houses--which are used for spies and intelligence contacts--are operated by Scotland Yard’s Special Branch, which deals with political activities, and MI5, the intelligence agency. The report said that, even though Rushdie and his wife have dined with literary friends and political figures, such as Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock, they are isolated. “Literally no friends, acquaintances, agents or publishers know where they are. They cannot receive telephone calls, though mail sent through a tortuous route via police does reach them and they can then respond to messages. But it is a slow process,� the paper said.

--Tommy Clack, the Outstanding Disabled Veteran for 1989, sees reminders almost daily of his 21-month recovery after a battle injury in Vietnam that claimed both legs and one arm. Clack, assistant to the Atlanta Department of Veterans Affairs director since 1979, has spent the last 10 years working at Atlanta’s VA Medical Center, where he was once hospitalized. “To come back here . . . this isn’t just a job,� Clack said. “It’s an opportunity to serve veterans.� The 42-year-old Stone Mountain, Ga., man, who holds Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals, will be recognized Sunday at the Disabled American Veterans’ convention in Las Vegas.