Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Feb. 17, 1995, edition 1 / Page 5
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Sailg (Ear Hwl Senator May Face Ethics Charge for Hog Deals Due to a Financial Interest In Hog Farms, Faircloth May Have a Conflict of Interest BYKURTRAATZS STAFF WRITER Sen. LauchFairdoth, a key figure in the ongoing investigation ofthe financial deal ings of Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, is himself facing allegations of ethical mis conduct from an environmental interest group. Faircloth, R-N.C., sent a letter to a Senate ethics panel Tuesday asking whether his recent actions in support of the hog fanning industry and his chairing a sub committee impacting the industry consti tuted a conflict of interest. Faircloth was named chairman of the Environment and Public Works subcom mittee on clean air, wetlands, private prop erty and nudear safety in January. The letter is in response to the Alliance for a Responsible Swine Industry, a North Carolina interest group that has asked the Senate Ethics Committee to conduct hear ings into whether Faircloth had unduly profited from his actions on behalf of the hog farming industry. He has a major interest in at least nine hog farming operations near Clinton, N. C., worth an estimated sl9 million and with annual profits of $3 million He also has a Local Peace Corps to Help Build School in Kenya BYKARENHURKA STAFF WRITER In response to a request for aid in Gisambai, Kenya, the proceeds from this seventh annual Africa Night, sponsored by the N.C. Peace Corps Assodation, will be donated to the construction of a secondary school there. The N. C. Peace Corps Assodation, which is hdping to raise part of the SIO,OOO needed to build the school, selected this endeavor from a list of proposals compiled by the Peace Corps Partnership Program. The Partnership Program receives projectproposals from volunteers overseas and then links these to local groups that help with fund raising. Christine Degnon, a Peace Corps vol TASK FORCE FROM PAGE 1 tragedy. “We want to thank a variety of organi zations who we think responded quickly and appropriately to the shootings on s Henderson Street,” Brown said. Three Faculty Council committees will also present their standing reports. The administrative board of the library, black faculty and faculty welfare will give their annual reports. Following the committees’ reports, there will be resolutions concerning distribution of basketball tickets for faculty members. Brown said there would be a clarification of the distribution policy that was imple mentedinFebruary 1994, which tookrank out of the distribution process. “There was some question as to whether the policy was to be applied retroactively,” she said. The a.p.p.l.e.s. program, a service-learn ing organization, will also present its re port. Brown said she planned to encourage faculty members to join the a.p.p.l.e.s. pro gram. Lastly, the Committee on Honorary Degrees and Special Awards will present names of distinguished alumni who have been nominated to receive awards for fac ulty members to vote on. archiv HbRUyIfIUK|aIiIiIKSB9UUBUQUs|SsB PROOUKTION -J- \ BEEthoven m j-> him ll mu in iii 11 an m iiiiiiijLijTHr ,rr T Revolution _ TT Discover the Ui U spirit that started it all. ■SSHCSn IHBBMMffIHmUMMMBB ■ .j:^"""" BiEWIAWIIHMBIIMBI Revolutionary ~ WMMWaaminmMua □ rchestre Revqlutidnnaire * a & ROMANTIQUE . U | 1 IBflßWWWHiAMiiiiiiki ■§, AVAILABLE ON GD & CASSETTE § A!K!!S ON SALE NOW THROUGH 2/26 US.Sen.UUCH FAIRCLOTH. R-N.C.. signed a letter urging pork dealings with the former Soviet Union. major interest, worth approxi mately $1 million, in two corporations that buy hogs from farms for slaughter. Don Webb, the president of the Al liance for a Respon sible Swine Indus try, said he ques tioned Faircloth’s ability to be objec tive as the leader of a subcommittee with such an impact on hog farmers. “Any man who receives as much money as Senator Faircloth has received from the hog farming business won’t have an open mind to us,” Webb said. “[Faircloth] is sitting on a powerful committee that can influence the rules that govern an industry in which he has such a special interest. He should be disqualified.” In October, Faircloth and 15 other sena tors signed a letter urging then-Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy to subsidize the sale 0f20,000 metric tons of pork to the repub lics of the former Soviet Union “to help offset a 22-year low in hog prices.” The Agriculture Department approved the subsidy Nov. 5. Smithfield Foods, one ofthe companies in which Faircloth has an interest, received part of the pork subsidy. However, George Howard, a top aide for unteer who has been living in Gisambai for almost two years, worked closely with the community to develop a plan to build the secondary school. Gisambai, a village of about 3,200, cur rently has no secondary schools. There is a polytechnical school and a primary school that hold classes for sec ondary school students. Reed Altman, executive officer of the N.C. Peace Corps Association, said he thought the need for a freestanding facility to cater to secondary school students had been caused by Gisambai’s burgeoning population and low standards of living. “Demographics necessitates that the school be built pretty fast,” Altman said. Degnon will oversee the construction of the school, said Gretchen Gindlesperger, INN FROM PAGE 3 planning stages, figure in extra time to deal with the problems," Norton said. “We’ve beenpleasantly surprised, however, to find things in good condition and to be able to get the work done faster than expected.” The Carolifialnn was built in 1924, and it resembles tif fflfe' old buildings in Chapel Hill. It was built on a north-south/ east-west crossroads of roads that led from Richmond to Pittsboro andfromNewßem to Salem. The town of Chapel Hill even derives its name from a church that was on the exact spot where the Inn stands today. About 200 years ago, a small Episcopal church called “The Chapel on the Hill” stood there John Sprunt Hill of Durham, an alum nus of the University, built the Carolina Inn, which at that time consisted of 52 rooms, and gave it to the University as a gift. He recognized the need for a good hotel to serve the town, the campus and visitors to Chapel Hill. The Inn was owned and managed by the University until July 1993, said Terry Murphy, the general manager of the Caro lina Inn. At that time, the University hired Doubletree Hotels Managing Corp. to manage the Inn because of previous finan STATE & NATIONAL Faircloth, said the profit Faircloth had received was minimal “There’s no way we could know how much (Faircloth) could have profited,” Howard said. “The gain is so infinitesi mally small. You’ve got to look at the real world. In the real world, someone doesn’t attach his name to a letter to receive one one hundredth of a percent of the benefit. ” In December, Faircloth sent a letter to the ethics panel asking ifhis actions consti tuted a conflict of interest. Victor Baird, legal counsel for the Ethics Committee, said there was no conflict of interest then. Faircloth said he would receive virtu ally no financial benefit from the deal. However, Webb said that Faircloth did not reveal the extent of his holdings to the ethics committee in his December letter. Faircloth has also worked to weaken laws cracking down on farmers who pol lute wetlands. Hog farmers often spray hog waste onto the nearby fields. The rain runoff from these fields can pollute nearby rivers and streams. The subcommittee Faircloth chairs over sees wetlands legislation and formulates laws and environmental regulations di rectly impacting hog farmers. Later this year, the subcommittee will hold hearings on the reauthorization of the Clean Water Act, which contains numerous provisions affecting hog fanners. Faircloth has lobbied for a provision in the Clean Water Act that would reduce the EPA fines farmers pay for polluting wet manager of the Partnership Program. The Kenyan community itself will be responsible for obtaining the materials and building the facility. The Peace Corps will not provide volunteers—the teachers and administrators will be Kenyans. “The Peace Corps is just there to coor dinate,” Gindlesperger said. She said that aside from the Africa Night profits, funding would come primarily from the Friends Family, a fund-raising organi zation spearheaded by Degnon’s father. Friends Family is asking for donations from local businesses in McLean, Va., to support the project. Funding will also be provided by a chap ter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority in Chicago. So far, $7,500 has been raised. rial losses incurred by inefficient manage ment, Murphy said. Doubletree manages 110 hotels across the country in almost every state, he said. Murphy said that the renovation was continuing, and that the “discoveries” that are dilapidated will be destroyed as the renovation progresses further. DIAZ FROM PAGE 1 former employer. She has also been charged with stealing $12,000 worth of property from her ex-fiance. In the trial, Brown’s former employer, Timothy Callahan, testified that his jew elry store had had a “significant shortage” after a routine inventory check. He also said that he saw pictures of Brown wearing the jewelry after she announced her en gagement. Darin Reinolds, her ex-fiance, testified that he had found Brown to be untrustwor thy after he started living with her. He said that Brown offered him money to keep quiet about the allegations. Reinolds also said Brown had talked about the money she would win in a civil suit against UNC Hospitals if she won the criminal case. He said she had already chosen the car she would buy with the settlement money. lands and has proposed an amendment to protect hog farmers from litigation con cerning field runoff pollution. Currently, hog farmers face fines of $25,000 per day per violation. Doug Rader, a senior scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund of North Carolina, said he thought that the current regulation of hog farmers was inadequate and that regulations should be enforced more strictly, not relaxed. “I would have a hard time imagining doing less than we are doing right now,” Rader said. “Anything that would do less than that is unconscionable. If we treated human waste the same way we treated hog waste, people would be horrified.” Webb agreed with Rader’s analysis and called for a congressional investigation of the matter. “The people in the eastern part of the state are begging for help from the pollu tion of air and water sources,” he said. “Let us have a congressional hearing,” Webb said. “Let us go to Washington and bring in the families who are suffering (from the pollution). Then people will see we need more strict regulations.” Faircloth led a group of 14 Republican senators who asked the Justice Depart ment Jan. 23 to appoint an independent counsel to investigate the dealings of Com merce Secretary Ron Brown. The senators are concerned Brown might have violated Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. mles in settling a debt. The N.C. Peace Corps Association hopes to raise $ 1,000 at Africa Night, which will be held March 11 at the Palace Inter national in Durham, Altman said. If they are unable to raise the SI,OOO promised to the Partnership Program, they will, “kick in the rest,” he said. Altman said one of the reasons the Peace Corps had chosen to support the program was its desire “to make it a grassroots operation.” There are several local ties to Kenya in particular, he said. Caren Ochola and her husband, Maurice, who own the Palace Interna tional, are originally from Kenya. Ochola said, “I’m very impressed and pleased to be doing this because the area needs schools badly.” HERITAGE FROM PAGE 3 dents Association and the Carolina Indian Circle. “Everyone will have a chance to say what’s on their mind,” Terrence Tan said. “I think it is ground-breaking. It is the first time we’ll have all minority groups in one place speaking about unity.” Sangam will hold a cultural activity at 9 p.m. Monday in Union2ll-212. The ASA and the Women’s IssuesNetworkwillhold a forum from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday in Union 205-206. Its theme will be “Sex ism, Racism and Minority Women.” A reception for Asian-American alumni will be held at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the George Watts Hill Alumni Center. Takei will make a guest appearance at the recep tion. At noon Thursday, a ticket contest giveaway for the Asian-American Film Festival will take place in the Pit. The ticket will be for the Feb. 24 showing dur ing the film festival at the Carolina Theatre in Durham. CAROUDIA ' PRIDES CLEARANCE 3MM Great Savings on over 200 styles of heavyweight sweatshirts, jackets, hats, t-shirts, 8c more. CAROLINA PRIDE 151 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill 919-942-0127 Carolina Blue for the Pride in You. State Amendment May Increase .Victims’ Rights BY BRYAN P. PRUITT STAFF WRITER The proposed bill to add a victims’rights amendment to the N.C. Constitution passed the Senate by a 43-1 vote Wednes day, but lawmakers expect that the House of Representatives will not pass the bill in its current form. The proposed amendment calls for courts and district attorneys ’ offices to keep victims updated on the court cases that pertain to them. It also allows for victims to be heard at the sentencing of criminals and provides for compensation of the victims by the offenders. Two different forms of the bill were introduced, one in the Senate by Sen. Ea Warren, D-Pitt, and one in the House bv Rep. James Black, D-Mecklenburg. Only one bill has to pass for the bill to become law, but the same form of the bill must pass both chambers by a three-fifths majority. If the bill passes the General Assembly, it then will have to gather a simple majority of votes in a referendum on the ballot during the next election. Sen. Roy Cooper, D-Nash, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Constitution Com mittee, said the bill the Senate passed Wednesday included a needed provision that limited the number of cases in which the victims would be informed. “The Senate version is important be cause it allows the legislators to define which victims need to be notified for cer tain cases,” Cooper said. He said the House form of the bill did not have a clause that would give the law makers the power to choose which situa tions warranted that the courts notify the victims. Cooper said that if the legislators were not authorized to decide in which situa tions victims did not need to be notified, the district attorneys’ offices and the courts would have to contact victims each time anything occurred that might affect them. He said the offices would become too bogged down in the time and paperwork needed to reach victims. V*'' " ■ "FOUNDED 1882 J Non- Fat Frozen Yogurt Also try our delicious Oreo Cookie, Butter Pecan, Peanut Butter, Tangy Fruits, and much, much more. Downtown Chapel Hill , . 106 W. Franklin St. (next to Pizza Hut) [[lo f 942 - pUMP UOGURI South Durham | a1 fIUB/ 4711 Hope Valley Rd.fHwy 751) &Hwy 54 PUfliP W 7 493-8594 North Durham Put a little "culture" I Northgate Mall (Next to Carousel) • i./■ 286-7868 in Y our life. Friday, February 17,1995 He also said that the House version of the bill included a list that attempted to name all the rights the victims had and that the House’s version was complicated and bulky. “The House’s bill contains a laundry list of specific rights for victims,” Cooper said. He said the problem with the list on the House’s bill was that it was difficult to define all the rights included on the list. Sen. Teena Little, R-Moore, said she thought that a victims’ rights amendment was overdue and that it was necessary to clarify what rights victims had. “The amendment would spell out and define a number of rights that the victims had already but were not always adhered to. It would spell out those rights clearly,” Little said. She said she thought the amendment would be important as it would be a guide for the prosecuting and defense attorneys so they would know to which rights the victims were entitled. Little also said that victims often were not even aware that criminal proceedings were taking place and that sometimes the court cases had ended before the victims heard anything about their case. Walker Reagan, an attorney in the Re search Division of the General Assembly, said North Carolina had a Fair Treatment for Victims and Witness Act that included a series of provisions that protected vic tims’ interests. The act has been in effect since 1986. He said that the amendment was simi lar to the act but that the amendment was significant because it contained a clause that made the victims eligible for restitu tion from the criminals. “The biggest difference in the two is the right to be heard at sentencing,” Reagan said. The issue of victims’ rights has come up twice in the past two years. In 1993, a victims’ rights study com mission recommended to the General As sembly that a bill be passed, and some lawmakers wanted to include victims’ rights as part of the crime package during the General Assembly’s special crime session in 1994. 5
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