Newspapers / West Craven Highlights (Vanceboro, … / May 14, 1987, edition 1 / Page 1
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Anderson Brothers A 1-2 Combination See Page 2 Festival Fun Featured Fantastic Frivolity See Page 4 (CrButniSmintii West Craven Highlights VOLUME 10 NO. 20 MAY H. 1987 VANCEBORO, NORTH CAROLINA PHONE 244-0780 OR 948-2144 (UPSP 412-110) 25 CENTS SIX PAGES Festival Leaves Sweet Taste Behind 2,500 Visit Vanceboro To Sample Offerings Tabilha Williams and Janell Morris have to peer around the legs of adults to see parade Bill Targeted At Eliminating Unfair Rates, Says Anderson By MIKE VOSS Editor Strawberry shortcake, straw berry ice cream and strawberries disguised with a chocolate coat ing should have been enough of a hint. But those still unsure what all the hoopla was about Satur day had only to take notice of all the items adorned with strawber ries. The annual Strawberry Festiv al-Rescue Day left a ftavorful and favorable impression on many. The Vanceboro Junior Woman's Club and Rescue Squad sponsor the fruity festival each year as one of their iargest money making events. The organiza tions use the money to do work in the town. About 2,590 lined the streets and the once-vacant lots down town. The conversion from quiet little town to a beehive buzzing with activity oftiered treats for tastebuds, sights to see and choices to choose from. With blue skies and a golden sun, strawberries weren’t the only things red. A few faces turned red on the cheeks as the day wore on. Craftsmen had their wares on display early and the town square took on the atmosphere of a medieval marketplace. A bunch of grapes made their way down the street, but on second glance it was just a vendor and his purple balloons. About the only casualties of the day were the balloons, which would pop as the sun expanded them. The parade snaked through the town as a corps of parade watch ers craned their necks to view varieties of bands, baton twirlers, floats and creatures. Brassy bands blared, majorettes mar ched majestically and festooned floats fluttered down the street. Picnic tables under shade trees became a gathering point white people ate barbecued pork or did some chicken pickin' as tendrils of smoke wafted through the sunstreaked square. While pa lates were being pleased, some Angers were busy picking a ban jo or plucking a bass fiddte. While some sat on grass and lis tened to bluegrass, others strol led among the staiUs searching for bargains. Ponies pranced with children on their backs, toddlers took tentative steps while holding (See FESTIVAL, Page 5) RALEIGH—Rep. Gerald Anderson, D-Craven, has intro duced a biil aimed at eliminating what he considers unfair rates many municipal utility systems charge customers living outside the corporate city limits. “There are some systems that charge customers living outside the city limits double what they charge citizens living inside the city for the same utility services,” Anderson said. “This hurts the user of the spe cific services and is unfair, espe cially to senior citizens, the poor, and persons on flxed incomes," Jta added. l^'^kMunicipal utilities were formed to help people and pro vide services they must have but can’t provide for themselves,” Anderson said, “but the present law penalizes the people who live outside the city and buy utilities services from the municipality. “Instead of raising ad valorem taxes of city residents, the muni cipalities are making money on utilities provided outside the city and using those profits to subsi dize services inside the city,” Anderson said. In addition, cities receive money back from the Vi-cent sales tax that the state returns to them to be used for water and sewer services. “And county resi dents, as well as city residents, pay that sales tax,” Anderson said. “Municipalities also can apply for money from the state's general fund ftom the Clean Wa ter Act passed in 1985 to help meet water and sewer needs,” he added. If enacted, the bill would re quire that revenues the utility generates be used only for oper ating, maintaining or expanding that particular utility, rather than helping to subsidize the general ftmds of municipal budgets. The bill would continue to allow different rates for different classes of services, i.e., commer cial and residential services. However, for the same classes of service, the bill would not allow different rates to be charged to customers outside the corporate city limits than those charged to in-city customers. A major change in the bill would prevent Electricities (municipalities which operate their own electric generating facilities) flrom providing electric service outside their corporate boundaries except to customers already being served unless elec tric service will not be provided by a public utility or an electric membership corporation (EMC) and the property owner asks the city to supply electric service. If a city annexes territory which is not contiguous to its city limits, including territory con nected to the city only by a nar row corridor, in which electric service is being supplied by a public utility or EMC, the city may not supply electric service in the annexed territory except to premises it already supplies or to which electric sei^ce will not be provided by a public utility or EMC. Electric service provisions in annexed areas contiguous to a ci ty’s limit will not change under ^e new bill. In most cases, city rates are higher than rates charged by public utility companies which are regulated by the North Caro- fSee BILL, Page 5) Oh Brother! West Craven's Arnold Morris, in lead, had com- petitin ftom his brother, James, in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes at the Coastal Conference track championships in Havelock. Arnold won both races and James took second place in each race. The two will compete tomorrow in the 3- AAA sectional track meet at Bertie High School in Windsor. (Mark Inabinett photo) Area Legislators Vow To Fight Severance Tax Rep. Gerald Anderson, D- Craven, is ready to fight against a bill that would im pose a severance tax on min ing operations at Texasgulf Chemical Co.’s phosphate mining operation at Aurora. Joining him in opposing the bill is Rep. Beverly Perdue, D- Craven, who said, “I certainly am against the severance tax." And two other legislators could have an early impact on the proposed bill. Senators Bill Barker, D-Pamlico, and Tom Taft, D-Pitt, both serve _on the senate Envlnronmental ^jtimmiUe. The bill would have to pass through that com mittee before moving further in the legislative process. Anderson, interviewed at the Vanceboro Strawberry Festival Saturday, said, "I was ready to flght.” 'The bill was ihtroduced by Sen. Bo Tho mas, D-Hendersonville, who admitted the bill was aimed at Texasgulf. Anderson said the bill was probably in response to the re- centiy passed phosphate ban. Some critics of the ban say it was watered down and not effective. The ban applies to afeas identified as nutrient sensitive by the state. Some legisiators who voted against the ban said there were too many exemptions for it to be effective. Anderson voted against the ban. Anderson said the sever ance tax bill was “a little poli tics” in that it was probably aimed at “punishing Texas gulf for its lobbying efforts against the (statewide) phos phate ban. “The importance of Texas gulf to the area is employ ment-wise and tax-wise,” said Anderson. Rep. Perdue said the pre- (See LEOISLATORS. Page !) Martin: Phosphate Ban ‘Boy Scout Merit Badge’ For Some Legislators Sen. Barker at Strawberry Festival By A.B. FUTRELLJr. Pubtillirr RALEIGH — Gov. Jim Martin has reiterated his strong stand against legislation which would have the effect of weakening the phosphorus industry in North Carolina. Martin likened the recent pas sage of a bill limiting the amount of phosphates in household de tergents to a “Boy Scout merit badge” for some legislators. Martin said that the propo nents of the legislation “wanted to show that their hearts were in the right place, that their inten tions were honorable. So they passed a bill with little far- reaching effect and now proudly wear the badge of environments protection for SI to see.” The governor made his re marks Friday night in answer to questions during a meeting of the Eastern North Carolina Press Association. He emphasized his commitment to protect the en vironment, but said that there are alternatives to prevent phos phorus ftom entering the estuary systems other than limiting phosphate use. Noting that most phosphorus in streams and lakes comes ftom agricultural run-off, Martin sug gested that experiments such as no-till farming be implemented statewide. No-till farming is a method in which holes are punched in the soil and seed and fertilizer in serted. This limits run-off with out decreasing productivity, according to Martin. He said the method had been used success- ftilly in the western parts of the state. (See MARTIN, Page 3)
West Craven Highlights (Vanceboro, N.C.)
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May 14, 1987, edition 1
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