ool will be h
? 7 pjn. at
? All parents, students
Auditorium, 301 ffc Hal
r J.C. Penny on WedMadty* Bee. & a
ne out and hear tbeae ^io^g. people
music of the season*! under tije din
feline Gerald. Also the HiU Mid#
hestra will be perfontung at Hanes
trsday, Dec. 16 it 10 a.m? under the
5
r DfC? 4?at tbe^ork Pofce Devel
ter at 516 N. Trade St^PpIO p.m. It
The program is geared for laymen,
als and parents, who are serkx&about
76J6. You may als* fc
if? 1.4 h^..,
- ____ ;
Cancer-Causing Soil Dumped in E. Winston from page A1
money."
Williams said that although the soil
was contaminated with petroleum, the
cleansing procedure did not cause an
odor or release harmful contaminants
into the atmosphere.
Residents are not convinced.
"We're very upset that he would
come into our neighborhood, a black
neighborhood," said Charles R. Pierce of
2437 New Walkertown Road. ". . .we're
trying to maintain decent homes."
Virginia Newell, East Ward alder
_man, said the process released an odor
and residents of the area felt disrespected
because Williams did not consult with
them.
"The smell is unbearable. In that
area there are a number of senior citizens
who are retired and already have respira
tory problems," Newell said. "We think
they were being totally insensitive
because it was a residential area and an
African- American community."
Tony Disher, president of Soil Solu
tions, a local company contracted by
Williams Oil to clean the soil, said the
steam distillation process heats the soil
until it breaks up the hazardous material.
It is then stored into tanks.
Williams said there was no odor
produced by the steam and the soil and
water were not contaminated.
"There was no contamination in the
atmosphere. The carbon filters out before
it is released into the atmosphere," he
said. "I have no idea where the com
plaints came from. There was no odor
from the steam. If so, it would have pro
duced a yellowish-brown look."
Last week, Newell met with a group -
of residents from the area and they said
they would pursue legal action if the
cleaning persisted. Williams called
Newell Nov. 22 and said the cleaning
would immediately stop.
"She voiced her concerns and we
felt that if there was that much concern
in the neighborhood, it was in our best
interest to stop the bperation," Williams
said. "We had permission from the state
and the county; we did all the necessary
stops. We would not do anything on a
main street that would be illegal."
Carmen Carouth, an official with the
city public works department, said the oil
company didn't need a permit from the
city although they were cleaning soil in
the city limits.
"Anytime you remove underground
storage tanks you have to follow state
regulations," she said. "The state regu
lates underground storage tanks. The city
does not have jurisdiction."
Williams said he brought the soil to
his property in East Winston because his
lot on Akron Drive was too small for the
tanks and there was not enough paved
surface to clean the contaminated soil on.
I felt we had done something
wrong, L^vould not have put it there," '
Williaftis said. "There are no animosities.
We have been committed to the citizens
throughout the years and we responded
to the situation based on their concerns."
Williams said the soil should be
removed from the area by next week. He
will now have the soil cleaned in Lexing
ton.
Lynne H. Lazzara, an environmental
and soil scientist with Soil Solutions,
said gas-contaminated soil could cause
cancer if released, but added there are no
environmental health risks from soil
cleaning.
"In a lot of the compounds at differ
ent sites, there are carcinogens, which
could cause cancer, kidney and liver fail
ure or a number of things," she said. "But
at that site, there was no danger. All of
the piles (of soil) were covered with plas
tic and it was completely safe." Lazzara
said she went to the site several times
and the only odor she found in the area
was a strong organic ?smell that came
from some dump trucks moving soil ?
not associated with Williams Oil ? that
came to the Wilco store.
Newell is pleased that the cleaning
has stopped, but said businesses need to
have more community concern.
"It was a disrespect for the people
going in there and buying his goods," she
said. "What we need to do is tell our
business people to respect the citizens
and their health."
Cooper Climbs To Top Fireman from page A1
degree in art with a minor in education in
1971. From 1971-73, he taught at Ander
son High School.
During Cooper s tenure as a teacher,
a friend used him as a reference for a job
at the Winston-Salem Police Depart
ment. When officers showed up to ask
Cooper about his friend's character, his
own interest was aroused.
"I became interested in what they
were talking about," he said.
When he joined the force, the
responsibilities of the police and fire
departments were combined, so an offi
cer had to deal with crime as well as
know how to put out a fire. He got a
taste of what it was like to be a fireman.
He spent six years on the force and
he sadly recalls that one of his first drug
busts involved arresting a man who had
been his student at Anderson.
"It was discouraging. ... It made
me feel as if I hadn't done any good as a
teacher," he said.
In 1980, he joined the fire depart
ment and steadily rose through the ranks
until he was promoted deputy chief in
1990.
"One of the things that motivated
me," Cooper said about those years of
working his way upjthe chain of com
mand, "was the firefighters who had
gone before me. The type of people they
were, you couldn't help but want to be
like them."
Former Chief Lester Ervin, the first
African American to head the city's fire
department, was one of his role models.
Of the 267 fire department employ
ees. about 37 percent are African Amer
ican, Cooper said. He said that figure
stacks up against other fire departments
of comparable size. There is, however,
work to be done in improving those
numbers in the upper ranks, he said.
One of his first tasks, he said, is to
mend the fences that were damaged by a
lawsuit that was fijppl in 1990. A group
of platoon supervisors maintained that
they were not exempt employees and
were entitled to overtime pay. The
courts, however, ruled this year in favor
of the department, which had maintained
that the supervisors were management.
"It's best for all if they laid down
their swords and do what's best for the
department and the community," Cooper
said.
"This administration is open to what
anyone in the department has to say," he
added.
Cooper pointed out that while it was
unsettling to have arrested one of his for
mer students, two of his former students
are currently on the fire department
force. So he did, after all, piake an
impact.
Cooper lives in Winston Lakes
Estates with his wife, Marilyn, and their
four children.
Nordlander Says Police Need Your Support from page A1
was his letter. That was the last straw,"
he said. "The others I could deal with . .
. but (the letter) was the one that people
talked about the most."
The review board is also an issue
that Nordlander says is not at the top of
his agenda, but he strongly disagrees
with it.
"I think it was a few people who
were disgruntled and wanted a review
board," he said. "I think it's very impor
tant not to have any political faction over
the police department. That's, why we
have internal affairs. They don't need
? ? that on their backs along with the crimi
nals as well."
Nordlander said it was an uphill bat
tle, so he campaigned by going door to
door to make himself known. The South
east Ward is predominantly white and a
democratic ward. Nordlander, who is
white, said race didn't help him defeat
one of city's four black alderman, it was
his platform and the controversies sur
rounding Womble.
"If the vote depended on racial lines,
he wouldn't have become an alderman,"
he said. "I don't like racism used as an
excuse. A lot of times people cry racism
because they. can't stand on anything
else." ?
Nordlander said that
he wants to rid the ward of
crime and help bring jobs
into the area.
"The only way to han
dle crime is to have a
deterrent to the criminal,"
he said. "We need to give
the benefit of the doubt to
police officers. They're
only human and we expect
them to make mistakes.
But they still need to know
that the board of aldermen
will stand behind them."
Larry WombU
Rules To Live By During The Holiday Season
Some people are still enjoying some of the holiday
food and company and relaxing with happy anticipation
of the coming Christmas Season. This is a good time
for you to take inventory of the child and adult electric
hazards around your home. Let the family join you in
finding and correcting these hazards^
foot or in wet shoes or sandals on concrete, stone, ter
razzo, tile, metal or dirt. Remember that a tumed-off
device is connected to electricity until it is unplugged.
Don't be careless with any electrical device in the
bathroom while you are wet, barefoot or touching any
part of the plumbing.
HOME ECONOMICS
By JOANN J. FALLS
Use extreme caution when oper
ating such outside devices as drills or
hedge trimmers. Read all safety
instructions, and don't remove the
third prong, the gTound of a three
prong plug.
A lot of persons will be using
one extension cord for the Christmas
tree and other decorations and items
in the household. '
next two or three minutes are vital.
? If the victim has a pulse or his heart is beating
but he is not breathing, immediately begin mouth-to
mouth breath assistance. If there is no pulse, external
cardiac message must also be employed ? the full car
diopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) according to medical
authorities, should be done by a qualified person. After
heartbeat and breathing are restored, stay with the vic
tim. Keep him quiet, warm and comfortable until
medics arrive to take charge.
Take time now to make a special check of your
home and find and weed out the electric hazards that
could electrocute you, your child or a visiting child in
your house
Did you know that there are several ways you can
accidentally electrocute yourself right in your own home
this Christmas. Last year hundreds of Americans were
killed by electric current, and thousands were treated in
hospitals for painful permanent scars from electrical
injuries. Many, many small children arc injured each
year by:
? Chewing the unattached ends of extension cords.
The child's saliva conducts electricity creating a
high temperature flash that burns the child's mouth area.
New extension cords now being manufactured are
required to have covers to block the NOT-IN-USE slots
in the cord receptacle end. But millions of old extension
cords do not have this precaution.
These are some basic precautions that you should
teach your child and each member of the family to
observe:
? Never touch any electrical items, washer, dryer,
shaver, grinder, drill, or whatever while standing bare
First aid rules
for electical
shock:
? Control you emotions ? don't
touch the victim if he's still in contact
with the electrical device or live wire.
? Turn off the current at the
switch if possible. Otherwise, use a
nonmetallic object, preferably a
wooden pole or board to remove the
power source from the victim. Try
not to move the victim. He may have
broken bones or interior burns that
could kill him if he is moved incor
rectly.
? Have someone call an ambu
lance and specify the precise nature
and location of the accident. The
ambulance crew can bring special
resuscitation equipment. But don't
leave the victim if you are alone. The
Winston-Salem Chronicle
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Matt to: Winttort'SaUm Chronic I*
P O Bo* 1638
Winston Salem. NC 27102
The Winston-Salem ChonicU is published
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Chronicle Publishing Co. Inc., N. Uberty St.
: P.O. Box 1636
Winston- Salem,
NC 27102
Phone: (919) 722-8824
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