Newspapers / The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.) / June 25, 1987, edition 1 / Page 12
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DOE : MRS Issue espite Congress Action By BEN ANDERSONf JSSZJSS: ly in east Tennessee isn't despite a committee vote In the U.S. ?House of Representatives last That according to Ginger King, a spokeswoman in the U.S. Department of Energy, which has proposed building an MRS on a site once pro posed for the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Ms. King said that despite the House Appropriations Committee's denial of a $58 million request on MRS design work, the DOE is still op timistic that the facility will be authorised and funded. "We do have the MRS proposal before Congress," she said, "and we hope that, one, the MRS will be approve, however, a <34 million re quest by the DOE for general research on a selection of a second waste repository. "We did not request any fundi for site-specific work." Ms. King said. Both finding requests will be acted on this week by the entire House, said Dennis Clark, a spokesman for Rep. James McClure Clarke, D-N.C. "Something could come up before then, but we don't expect anybody will come in and try to restore fun ding (for the MRS), spokesman Clark ssid. The MRS facility would process .. . A fc, n | 1 ana score ipeni ruei iram riucmr reactors until the fuel could be transferred to ? permanent burial Many people, including Rep. Clarke, think construction of an MRS in Tennessee would make Western North Carolina a likely site tor a nuclear waste repository because of its proximity. A tOfi-square mile site combe and Haywood counties was identified in early 1986 as one of IS eastern sites under consideration for a second repository. Opponents are also concerned that an MRS in eastern Tennessee would mesn the shipments of radioactive waste through WNC - by way of In terstate 40 through Haywood County and by railroad through Madison County. The search for a second dump was manently ending the search for a se cond repository Ms. King said selection of a second waste dump would not be linked to the location of the MRS, however. "No, it would not be at all likely that a nearby site would be choeen," she said. "It's the geology that counts for a repository. "We look at geology, then en vironmental considerations, socioeconomic factor*, transporta tion, and where the spent fuel is generated." But she said general location "is not a technical factor, and it Just would not come into play." Ms. King points to the considera tion of three sites in the West - in I'exa Utah and Washington state is the site of the first repository as (vidence that selection if the 11m first repoai ? Slate Completes DSS Investigation ?OmIM from Page 1 Interna, " aba hM "They found noth ing In tha files to indicate anything ^waToffteUi? to tha N.C. De partmant of Human Resources, whan contacted Wednesday, would not con firm that finding. Mary Lea Anderson, head of the Child Protective Service* Division, said David Flaherty, secretary of human resources , is the only state official authorized to comment on the investigation. State DSS inves tigators, who only completed the irprobe late Monday, have not yet filed a report on their findings with The Madison County Board of Social Services asked Flaherty last month to latives and supporters of Chandler aiked the board to re-investigate the NXUliftftbUttCIM. Chandler, 29, was convicted earlier thia year on IS child sexual abuse charges iavolving Madison County Day Care children, aged 2 to S. Chandler was arretted following an investigation by Social Services workers who had received complaints from several parents of those chil dren. Buncombe Residents Oppose Rock Quarry Continued from Page 1 started pounding the pavement, ob taining signatures on petitions in op position to the quarry and sending let ters to state officials. Among their major complaints is the threat the mine would pose to clean air and water in the adjacent community, said Gary' Hensley, leader of the Flat Creek group. "The mine could contaminate groundwater and surface water," said Hensley. "All of the people in this area are on wells or springs, and all of those water sources would be upset by a major operation of this kind." Storm water runoff from the site would devastate drinking water sup plies, he said. The quarry site is located three fourths of a mile from the new North Buncombe High School and three fourths of a mile from the old high school, which will become the junior high school. "All the school buses would be us ing the same access road alongside big dump trucks and other mining equipment, and that's already a busy road," Hensley said. More traffic on the road would mean more accidents, injuries and fatalities, he said. Residents are also concerned that a mining operation nearby, with fre quent blasting, will create noise and raise dust. "It's totally residential and farmland out here," Hensley said. "Something like this can only decrease land values." Hensley and other Flat Creek residents have discussed their con cerns with Weaverville town officials, and have also talked to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners and the Buncombe County Board of Education. Charles Horne, Weaverville town manager, was scheduled to meet with a group of the residents Wednesday. "We have talked with a couple of folks out there, and we have set up a meeting to see exactly what they have on their minds," Horne said Monday. Weaverville officials are looking at town zoning maps to determine if the Vulcan site is located in the town's one-mile extraterritorial area of con trol. If it is, the town may have some bearing on the location of the quarry, Home said. "If it's not good for the north end of the county, it's not good for Weaver ville, either, and our initial reaction is that it's not good," said Mayor Reese Lasher. "The type of economic growth we could like to see is not the kind that would impair property values, and with strip mining, we question whether that will help our people," Lasher said. Lasher and Tom Sobol and Curtis Ratcliff of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners were scheduled to meet Wednesday with Vulcan officials to listen to the com pany's plans. Hensley said he and others would be at the July 9 meeting of the Bun combe County Board of Education to talk about their concerns. Hensley also said he has been in contact with Guy Mitchell of Winston Salem, state vice president of Vulcan, who has said he would be willing to meet with community members to discuss the mining operation. "My response to that was that it would have been better to do so before they sent out the letters and got everbody worried to death," Hensley said. Despite several telephone <???? to Vulcan's offices in Winston-Salem, Mitchell could not be reached for comment. "Every secluded cove in Western North Carolina has granite in it. They should go somewhere else not so heavily populated," Hensley said. "We are not opposed to Vulcan. We are not opposed to community growth. We are just standing up for the right kind of community growth," he said. After a public hearing on the issue - if one is called - state officials will make a ruling within 10 days on Vulcan's application for a surface mining permit. SBI Arrests Tax Collector On 4 Charges -Continued from Page 1 Commissioners," Rusher said Tues day. Commissioners asked Rusher in May 1986 to investigate Wallin, and Rusher passed the matter over to the SBI. During the SBI's investigation, Rusher also asked a Madison County grand jury to look into the delinquent taxes. "This investigation began at the re quest of the Madison County Board of Commissioners. While the investiga tion ensued, some time ago the Madison County grand jury re quested we continue the investiga tion," Rusher said Tuesday. The file on Wallin has been kept open until this week's filing of charges by the SBI, he said. The commissioners, in April 1906, asked Wallin about his failure to col lect interest charges on a number of delinquent tax accounts. Wallin told the commissioners that some of the uncollected penalties were the result of a mix-up in tax bill ings. He also offered to pay <79.20 in lost interest out of his own pocket. That came a month before the com missioners asked Rusher to conduct an investigation. Wallin left the tax collectors office Tuesday following his release from custody. He could not be reached at home for comment. According to warrants charging Wallin with willfully failing to discharge his duties, he did "unlawfully and willfully omit, neglect and refuse to discharge the duties of his office, the office of tax collector for Madison County, N.C. This offense occurred in that the said Harold Hubert Wallin is the duly fllwtod ?"?* lyMiWf* tax collector for Madison County and he did corruptly omit, neglect and refuse to collect in terest in the nature of penalty from taxpayers which he favored. . Warrants also charge Wallin with specifically violating General Statute 106-373 (f) . .in that while serving as tax collector for Madison County, be did fail to perform his duty of col lecting interest in the nature of penalties from taxpayers that he favored." Peregrine Falcons To Be Released Mars Hill OKs Budget -Continued from Page 1 dinator of the peregrine recovery program in the Southern Ap palachians. "They had nests all around these mountains, but from the 1940s to 1960s, pesticide use completely wiped them out." For the past 10 years, state and federal wildlife officials - working with the Peregrine Fund, a private group that provides funding for the reintroduction of the species into the East - have been releas ing young birds into the wild in the hopes that they will breed. A total of 50 pairs of adult falcons now live and in the eastern United States - and one of those pairs is in the Southern Appalachian region, Henry said. Efforts to return peregrines to the east first began in the nor theast corner of the nation, but ? have now shifted to the Southern he said. site where falcons are Into the wild, wildlHh a general hack (The term "hack releasing birds ): in captivity, t 30 days old 'We 1 fly used to the site. the location where they learned to fly." ? Workers continue to leave food for the falcons, but do so in such a way that the birds cannot associate the food with humans, Henry said. ? Within six to eight weeks, the falcons should be able to catch their own prey. "When the birds disappear for two to three days, we assume they won't be coming back," Yambert said. "We also assume they can get their own food, or they would be coming back." ? When the falcons become sex- ? ually mature, they should return to the original hacking site to mate and nest, he said. New birds, born in the wild, should follow the same pattern as their parents, eventual ly restoring the species into the ecosystem, Henry said. Although some area farmers and livestock producers have ex pressed concern that the falcons may try to feed on their chickens or other animals, wildlife officials say that's unlikely ?We're tried to put out publicity to alleviate those fears, ' Henry iwid. "Although it's a bird of prey, I -Continued from Page 1 sewer customers now than it did at this time last year, Boone said. "We didn't really have anybody hooked up and paying a sewer fee last year," he said. "Very few customers were hooked up. That's the dif ference." The general fund budget of 9399, 150, used to finance the operation of the town, is $30,500 lower than last year's 9429,500. Boone said that the loss of federal revenue sharing funds has given the town less money to work with, forcing officials to cut back in several budget areas. "Some of this is due to the fact that revenue sharing has been cut out," he said. "Plus, we don't have the unex pended funds available this year that we've had in the past. We were forced to spend money last year than in the past, leaving us with leas money left over at the end of the year." The town had $112,500 left over at the end of the 1985-06 budget to apply toward the 1906-67 fiscal year, Boone said. This year, the town has 100,500 in unexpended funds. Water Supply May Hurt Town -Continued from Page 1 ? Natural gai lines are already in place on the west side of U.S. 19-23, where many potential industrial sites are located. ? The local labor force is "inexpen sive and of high quality." ? Ashevilie, "with its much-touted quality of life." is nearby. ? A newly formed chamber of com merce should be of value to economic development efforts. Glen's report also examines other ways to boost the Weaverville She suggests that Weaverville of ficials try to capture" the money that is being spent eleewUm - that sss&sgAsa i . .ihk. ? capture money spent by Madison County residents, and capture money spent by Asheville residents or tourists. The town should try to take advan . tage of goods and services available only in Weaverville. she said. "Local officials should realize the reality that the variety of goods of fered in a city as large as Asheville cannot be matched in Weaverville and win continue to draw shoppers from Weaverville," Glen said. She niggwinl that the town try to attract and promote restaurants, lodging, entertainment, crafts and festivals Weaverville shoud capitalize on its "unall-town" atmosphere, its "walkabie downtown" aad its scenic hAAiitv laid uhw;, wc miu. Weavei called tbe partnership "an inveot BMj^i If the prof, ?r results in new I .m ~ " aftBUonal revenue to ?n Iwrraaai to pro to Ruth Gregory . . first citizen of the month Ruth Gregory Is ' Citizen Of Month' Ruth Gregory of Marshall has been selected as The News Record's first "Citizen of the Month." Gregory is best known in the Marshall community - and across Madison County - for her efforts to help beautify the town and the county. She has spearheaded several cleanup campaigns throughout the years, and has also been active in area youth projects. Here's what James "Pop" Story, who nominated Gregory for this award, had to say about her: "I have known Ruth Gregory for more than SO years. She is a born leader and dedicated to serve youths, to serve the environment, to serve her fellow human beings and to serve her friends and neighbors in making Madison ( County a better place in which to live. "Her accomplishments are numerous and reach all ages. She has worked with the PTA, with the Land-of-Sky Regional Council, with the Western North Carolina Community Development Association, with Piagah Council of the Girl Scouts and many more organizations. She is an active member of the Marshall United Methodist Church and accepts leadership roles in all progressive projects involving Marshall and Madison County. She is a most deserving asset to this area." Gregory was selected "Citizen of the Month" by a pane) of Judges from the Madison County Board of Realtors. She will receive lunch for two at French Broad Deli, dinner for two at Mary's Restaurant, a floral ar rangement from Shadyside Florist and a one-year subscription to The News Record. Those who submit the winning . nomination will receive a bouquet from Mars Hill Florist. Nominations for the next "Citizen of the Month" are due at The News Record by Tuesday Residents of Madison County and North Buncombe County (the Weaverville and Leicester areas) are eligible. Myths Surround Crime Of Rape By ANNE KITCHELL Staff Writer One of the moat traumatizing and violent crimes committed daily is rape. The shocking statistics reflect a society in need of education to dispel the myths surrounding the nature of rape, say experts. That's one reason Gov. James G. Martin has proclaimed June as Rape Prevention Month," stating that citizens of North Carolina have a right to Hve in a rape-free society. According to Nancy Oglevie of the Madison County Rape Crisis Center, the incidence of rape may not be in creasing, but the number of reported cases is. "Prior to May of ISM, before the Rape Crisis Center opened there was one reported rape case in 10 yean," Oglevie said. 'From May 1?M to victims and presented programs to i the occurrence of date rape. Date rape can be defined as anytime a person is forced to have sex and his or her protests are ig nored. If forced<intereourse occurs, it is considered rape, but other swnial acts against the will of the partner are considered sexual offenses. "Date rape victims are very reluc tant to report the rape, and sometimes are not even aware that a rape has occured," Oglevie said. "The victim may blame herself because she may feel she must have somehow consented or not fought hard enough." More often than not, victims of data rape know their assailant and have consented to go out with the person, she said The victim will often feel that because she has agreed to go an the date, she is responsible for the Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the rape, the victim Rap, i r ;
The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.)
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June 25, 1987, edition 1
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