West Craven Highlights
Mewt From Along The Ranks Of The Neiise
NAICNAl rewSMIVR
VOLUME 12 NO. 22
VANCEBORO. NORTH CAROLINA
PHONE 244-0780 OR 946-2144 (UPSP 412110)
26 CENTS
SIX PAGES
Neuse River
Newest Site
Of Fish Kill
Home again
If you are a bird known for living and hunting near sounds
and oceans, what better place to live than on a buoy in the
middle of a feeding ground? These ospreys built a nest on a
channel marker, close to food and water. Home is easy to
find when it’s about the only thing around on the river for
Mo Krochmal photo
hundreds of yards. Those passing near the nest are tolerate
— barely. Mom and Pop osprey will warn visitors who get
too close. It won’t be longand» hopefully* some baby ospreys
will be calling the high*rise nest home.
The disease that has killed fish in
the Pamlico and Pungo rivers for
more than a week has spread to the
Neuse River, investigators from the
departments of marine fisheries
and enviromentol management
confirm.
Dead fish found in the Neuse over
the weekend appear to have died
from by ulcerative mycocis, the
same fungal disease blamed for kill
ing thousands of menhaden in the
other rivers, said Lorraine Shinn,
regional supervisor for the state De
partment of Natural Resources and
Community Development in
Washington.
In a telephone interview, Ms.
Shinn said several pockets of dead
fish were found between Hancock
and Slocombs Creek near Cherry
Point Marine Air Station and also
near Minnesott Beach.
The scientists took random sam
ples from the Neuse over the
weekend and sent them to Raleigh,
she said. Dr. Edward J. NogaofN.C.
State University’s veterinary
school, will evaluate the samples.
For the first time since the kill be
gan, tests of dissolved oxygen in the
Pamlico River showed lower than
normal amounts, Ms. Shinn said.
This was supported by data col
lected by volunteer monitors in the
estuary, who also recorded lower
oxygen readings.
dentists with several natural
resources departments and a mem
ber of Noga’s staff, Nancy Morris,
will work on the Pamlico River to
day, taking water samples.
Tbe Pamlico River fish kill con
tinued Saturday, Sunday and Mon
day with dead fish being found from
North Creek to Durham Creek, Ms.
Shinn said.
As of Monday, the fish kill seemed
to be ending in the Pungo River.
Pish found there during the
weekend had been dead for severnl
days, Ms. Shinn said.
Dissolved oxygen tests taken this
weekend showed amounts lower
than the 5 parts per million consid
ered normal for the river, Ms. Shinn
said.
A monitor at Pungo Shores near
the mouth of the Pungo River re
ported a dissolved oxygen content
May 26 of 3.9 parts per million. At
Hunter’s Bridge, also along the
Pungo, a dissolved oxygen amount
of 2.1 parts per million was recorded
May 28.
These low amounts of dissolved
oxygen coincide with the fish kill
first reported to the Pamlico Envir
onmental Response Team Memorial
Day weekend.
Low dissolved oxygen has been
linked to various fish diseases, fish
killsand other symptoms ofstress in
the estuarine system, according to
Tom Perlic, director of the volunteer
monitoring program.
See FISH, Page 6
Foundation Strives To Help In Battle Against Drugs
By Gr^ Stroud
Starr Writer
It seems whereever you go today,
communities are faced with the
problem of drug abuse. Most tragic
is the fact many of these users are
children. Ihe nation is slowly be
coming aware of the problem and
government agencies and law enfor
cement officers wage what they call
a *war on drugs.** One Grantsboro
couple intends to see that the war is
won. Jesse and Linda King have
started an organization, the We Are
America Foundation, with a goal to
‘Education Today For A Drug-Free Tomorrow’
Stop drug use through a program of
drug-awareness education aimed at
young children, ages 5-10. They also
assist other agencies and groups
working toward the eradication of il
licit drugs in our society.
This year alone, the United
States government will spend over
$9 billion dollars on efforts to stop
the drug problem. Of this amount,
only 6 percent will go toward educa
tion and rehabilitation.
*We believe the key to solving the'^
drug problem is education. And not
just aimed at the older kids, but at
little guys like this”, said Mrs. King
while proudly holding 7-year-old
Joey, who was adopted from their
daughter, Tiona. Joey has been with
them since he was 6-days-old. Tiona
is now serving 5 years in an Oregon
prison for drug-related crimes.
The Kings are committed to the
program. The Kings have single-
handedly managed the foundation’s
efforts by manning booths at
schools, shopping centers and festi
vals. They provide information by
telephone on the effectsof drugs and
drug abuse 24 hours a day. They
have also overseen the production of
coloring books designed to be intro
duced in the classroom and com
pleted at home with parents.
The foundation just completed
their coloring book project in Pam
lico County. Through the support of
local businesses and organizations,
over 1,300 coloring books were dis
tributed to Headstart through fiRh
grade children. The coloring books
contain art work done by Vanceboro
students in art classes at West Cra
ven High School and by King. In
volved with the project were Russell
Akers, Travis Manley, Chris Ames,
Tim Ford, Pete Taylor, Toby
Wooten, David Brown and Jason
Officials Have High Hopes
New Power Plant
Will Burn Timber,
1\id Local Economy
By Greg Stroud
Starr Writer
Plans are under way to locate a
timber-burning power plant in Cra
ven County, 'l^e site for the plant
will be outside New Bern on U.S. 70.
The 45-megawatt waste-wood
fueled power plant will be owned by
Craven County Wood Energy Lim
ited Partnership. Partners are
HYDRA-CO Enterprises, head
quartered in Syracuse, N.Y., and
U.S. Energy Corporation of
Washington, D.C.
g^The plant will bring about $82
Million dollars into Craven County
in construction and start-up costs,
and will provide over $350,000 in
tax revenues annually, according to
Tom Thompson, executive director
of the Craven County Development
commission. The plant will also pro
vide jobs for about 170 people loc
ally, said George Dimick, a member
of the Council of 100 and the mayor
of Ernul. The product produced,
electricity, wilt remain in Craven
County.
Local officials said they are ex
cited about the project. Vanceboro
Mayor Jimmie Morris said, *The
plant will be a big asset to the com
munity. It is the largest industry to
locate in Craven County in quite a
number of years. We are very happy
that they will locate here and ^-
lieve they will make fine corporate
neighbors.”
Dimick is pleased at the number
of jobs, fulltime and part-time, the
plant will produce. ”It will provide
jobs for some individuals that might
not otherwise find worl^* he said.
He said the corporate officials coor
dinating the project are ^really top
notch people.”
A spokesman for the partnership
said, *We are pleased with the site
in C^ven County. We have had to
See PLANT, Page 6
Dog*s life
It'8 not quite the best throne in the world, but for Princess Leah this chair is a place to
snooze and enJoybeinK the master of all she surveys. The canine monarch belongs to Jim
and Debbie Hines of Emul. Sunday afternoon snoozes are not uncommon for royalty, even
the four-legged variety.
Sasser.
Funding for the foundation comes
solely from businesses, concerned
citizens, and from the pocket of the
King family. The Kings sold their
house, two cars, and many personal
items collected over a period of 26
years in order to further their anti
drug campaign.
The Kings have personal reasons
for being involved with drug educa
tion. Mrs. King’s former husband
beat her 4-month-old baby so badly
it resulted In brain damage, includ-
See DRUGS, Page 5
Changes
Providing
New Clues
Volunteers monitoring area river
basins have reported a change that
may provide a clue in the search for
the cause of fish kills in the Neuse,
Pamlico and Pungo rivers this week
and last week.
Signifi cant drops i n the sal i nity of
the rivers have b^n reported at ev
ery testing station in the estuary.
Research at N.C. State University
in Raleigh has shown that fish
stressed by fluctuations in salinity
are more susceptible to disease.
In the river at the Washington
waterfront, a zero salinity amount
was recorded in May by Tom Perlic,
director of the monitoring program.
This was down from 6.7 parts per
thousand in January.
At Core Point, salinity measured
2.8 to 5 parts per thousand in May,
down from a high of 20.9 per thou
sand in January. In Bath, the last
reading in April showed salinity at
5.4 parts per thousand. This is down
from a reading 20.4 in January.
South Creek salinity was 22 parts
per thousand in January and the
last reading was 5.6 parts per thou-
See CHANGES, Page 6
Texasgulf Settles $5.7 Million Fine With $1 Million Payment
By Mike Voss
Editor
Texasgulf and the N.C. Department of Natural Re
sources and Community Development announced to
day a $1,001,907 out-of-court aettlement of a $5.7
million fine against the phosphate compaiw.
R. Paul Wilms, director of the Division of Environ
mental Management, accepted the company’s settle
ment offer of $1 million plus $1,907 in investigative
costs June 2 after long negotiations between NRCD
and Texasgulf.
The $5,^8,907 million civil penalty was for more
than 1,500 alleged violations of air-quality standards.
Texasgulf was informed of the fine by DEM on Dec. 17,
1986. It was publicly five days later.
Texasgulf filed a petition Jan. 16,1987, challenging
all of the proposed penalty and requesting a hearing
before an administrative law judge.
Texasgulf acknowledged two emission incidents*
but challenged the state’s right to levy a penalty. It de
nied the others occurred.
Days after the assessment, Texasgulf reassigned
some of its employees, including some in the environ
mental control area.
The settlement agreement fully resolves the issue
of a $5.7 million civil assessment penalty levied
against Texasguolf by the DEM in IkKember 1986.
Also, the agreement resolves all other outstanding air
compliance issues between the company and the
DEM,* said J. Randolph Carpenter, director of public
relations and governmental affairs for Texasgulf.
The settlement covers alleged violations of the
state’s air pollution control laws, plus a permit revoca
tion, and violations of Prevention of Significant Deter
ioration regulations and air-quality standard viola
tions for sulphur dioxide subsequent to the oririnal
$5.7 fine,” said a news release prepared by NRCD.
On Aug. 3,1988, Wilms revoked the air Recharge
permit issued to Texasgulf on Feb. 1, 1988 based on
Texasgulfs alleged submission of incorrect data in the
pennit application or the failure to advise that condi
tions under which the permit was issued had changed.
Texasgulf contested the penalty end the permit re
vocation. The settlement document states ”.. . both
parties believe that a settlement of all air permit and
air act compliance issues now outstanding and unre
solved would be in the interest of justice and consistent
with a desire by the parties to concentrate on future ef
forts to ensure proper management of air emissions nt
Texasgulfs operations in North Carolina.”
NRCD accussed Texasgulf in its announcement of
the $5.7 million fine of altering its pollution control
equipment without notifying DEM.
*Extensive discovery by DEM and Texasgulf has re
vealed no identifiable harm occurring to the environ
ment or to human health as a result of the alleged vio
lations,* said Carpenter. He echoed NRCD’s statement
on resolving the issue with justice and fairness. Tt
important the issue be resolved in a manner consistent
with justice and fairness,” said Carpenter.
TVe want to concentrate on the future and develop
the spirit of cooperation we have with DEM,” said
Carpenter.
Carpenter said DEM acknowledges the settlement
does not represent an admission of liability or guilt by
Texasgulf for any violation alleged by the DEM.
”We believe we can now fully concentrate our efforts
on present and future activities which actively demon
strate our commitment to assuring that our company
is looked upon as the leader in corporate responsbility
toward the environment. Let’s continue our committ
ment for tomorrow,* said Carpenter.
Last year, Texasgulf, environmentalists and state
agencies worked at details of a discharge permit. They
hailed the efforts on setting the permit requirements
as a mqjor step in cooperation among them to help re
duce pollution. As part of the permit requirements.
See SETTLE, Page 6