The Greenville News from Greenville, South Carolina • Page 42

Wednesday, August 28,1991 3 GREENVILLESTATE (The Cmr turille Neus ca nn Cowpens mayor wins nomination SPARTANBURG Cowpens Mayor Ty Courtney won the Republican nomination for the Senate District 13 race on Tuesday defeating two-term state House Rep. Steve Lanford by 150 votes in the runoff primary. take a stand because their group-is statewide, and people who have heard about the puppy program are interested in what the assocH ation says, she said. Marjorie Stein, manager ofj adoption services for the North Shore Animal League, said there is an extensive adoption ing program. One of every five families is turned down for adop-v tions, she said.

"We are very particular," she said. "Every animal that leaves here is being well-cared for." Concerning the issue of ization, the animal league has a low-cost program that results in thousands of sterilizations year, she said. The fact that there; is a puppy shortage shows people are sterilizing their animals, she said. cording to advocates of the program. Ms.

Mujica said the association is concerned that the North Shore Animal League encourages people to adopt animals on impulse. That means people might get rid of animals later and even leave them in the streets, where they can reproduce and add to overpopulation problems, she said. All animal welfare advocates would rather see animals go into homes, but the quality of those homes is important, she said. "I definitely think it is more humane to humanely euthanize an animal than it is to put it into an unknown circumstance," she said. But John Freed, executive director of the Greenville Humane Society, said association officials are basing their criticism on second-hand information at best.

"I find it rather hypocritical that anyone in this business can recommend euthanasia over the chance at a good home," he said. "We're supposed to be in the business to help the animals." The group that has criticized the practice is made up of animal shelter administrators, shelter workers, humane society members and enforcement officials. It has about 325 members statewide, according to Ms. Mujica. She said the association based its position on what members heard from others interested in animal welfare and on articles in a weekly newspaper in New York.

Members felt they should The South Carolina Animal Care and Control Association believes it is wrong for one region to send unsterilized animals to another area, said Susan Mujica, association president. The group's boa rd of di rectors is concerned that the Greenville Humane Society and the Spartanburg Animal Welfare League are losing control over their puppies' fate after sending them to the North Shore Animal League in Long Island, she said. The Greenville and Spartanburg shelters send the dogs to New York because they have too many, and puppies are said to be in short supply in Long Island. The dogs otherwise would have been put to death because no one would have adopted them, ac Shipping unsterilized animals to another region is wrong, an animal care group says. By Jill Gerber News staff writer Two Upstate humane societies that have been shipping unwanted puppies to pet-craving residents in Long Island, N.Y., have drawn fire from a South Carolina association of animal control and shelter personnel.

But those who run the puppy pipeline defended their program, saying it spares many animals from death and places them in good homes through adoptions. Courtney, 39, a Spartanburg attorney, received 2,648 votes. Lanford, 41, a partner at Lanford-Pollard Funeral Home, received 2,498. Unofficially, 5,146 residents i ii Courtney 'T'TiVTiTn cial election, which was called after veteran senator Horace Smith resigned after pleading guilty to conspira Ti1 how. ows WYF hits in Upstate 4 vy.

A i i n. --w JUt' 'ff "vrY wji i mil t'j 6 JJJf, cy to commit securities fraud in connection with the Skylyn Hall retirement center venture. Five candidates originally sought the Republican nomination on Aug. 13. Courtney had 42 more votes than Lanford.

Courtney, who was a co-chairman in Gov. Carroll Campbell's re-election campaign last year, said ethics and auto insurance reform were the prime issues. Courtney will face Spartanburg County Councilman Danny Allen in the general election on Oct. 1. 'Unsolved Mysteries' films Savannah show SAVANNAH (AP) Nathan NeeSmith was the only known survivor when a 34-foot fishing boat sank in the Atlantic Ocean 16 months ago.

Now, he's hoping a television show can do what the U.S. Coast Guard could not: solve the mystery of his three missing companions. A crew from "Unsolved Mysteries" was in Savannah last week to film a segment about the April 1990 sinking of the "Casey Nicole." Their visit was prompted by a call three months ago from NeeSmith, a Darien resident. NeeSmith said he hopes the show can help find his brother, Billy Joe Neesmith; his nephew, Keith Wilkes; and his friend, Franklin Brantley. He is convinced the three missing men are safe, despite the time that has elapsed since the sinking, and he believes the Coast Guard gave up its search too quickly.

He said his sister and others have received suspicious telephone calls from people who spoke no English. "They spoke Billy Joe's name," he said. "Maybe they were picked up by a cargo boat." 1 The show will be broadcast on NBC Dec. 25. Rain forces families to evacuate homes BOWMAN (AP) An estimated 6 to 8 inches of rain fell in Bowman over the weekend, forcing about 25 families to be evacuated from their homes.

The families were evacuated from homes along South Carolina 210 and other streets Sunday evening, Capt. C.C. Clark of the Bowman Police Department said. Area wells used for drinking water should be considered unsafe if they flooded and should be tested before they are used again, said Leonard Rice, environmental health director for the 4 tfr. 41 rAMATAES By David Eskola News staff writer WYFF-TV had the Upstate's most-watched newscasts at 6 p.m.

and 11 p.m. in the July ratings released Tuesday. And teen-agers in the GreenvilleSpartanburg Asheville market appear to be in step with their brethren nationwide when it comes to catching the Fox Network's surprise hit "Beverly Hills 90210." The Nielsen survey showed WYFF had an estimated 17 percent of the TV market's households tuned in at 6 p.m., a four-point pad over WSPA-TV and WLOSWAXA. At 11 p.m., channel 4's newscast had a 13 rating, five points ahead of WSPA, seven over WLOSWAXA. Arbitron at 11 p.m.

showed a slightly tighter race, with WYFF scoring a 12 rating, WSPA a 9 and WLOSWAXA a 6. Among the noon newscasts, WYFF's 10 rating in Nielsen gave it the time period, but WSPA returned the favor in Arbitron, winning with a 9 rating. While stations like finishing first, the July ratings period rarely captures a trend. This midsummer "sweeps" month comes at a time when reruns crowd the schedule and fewer people are watching TV. One exception was the Miss South Carolina Pageant, in its first year on WSPA, which was watched by 28 percent of viewers in the market's metropolitan areas.

Another exception is the Fox Network's "Beverly Hills 90210," which airs on WHNS channel 21 Thursdays at 9 p.m. The series, about the exploits of a group of high school students, introduced new episodes in July and has become a sensation among many younger viewers. Though "Cheers" is still the leader at 9 p.m., 11 percent of all CO Shannen Doherty and Luke Perry ol "Beverly Hilts 90210" i viewers in the market tuned in to "Beverly Hills," including 22 per-' cent of women age 12-24, and 17 percent of all teen-agers, the maJ jority of them female, accordng to Nielsen. That breaks down to 23,000 teenagers, and 22,000 children ages 6-11, Nielsen estimates. Which might be worth a cautiq- nary note from Charles Rosin, one of the producers of the showj a which tackles issues involvings teen-age sexuality such as preg- nancy and date rape.

Though the series deals with the issues responsibly, parents should be involved in deciding whether their children watch ce-tain episodes, he told TV critics'' recently in Los Angeles. A ratings point reflects the per-!" centage of viewers among all households in the market. TheJ GreenvilleSpartanburg Asheville Anderson market about 650,000 households. 4 k. 2 HI THE NEWS DAVE EKREN Home-grown tomatoes J.D.

Walters sells vegetables at a stand on Greenville Tuesday. Walters was doing a brisk East North Street near Prescott Street in late season business in home grown tomatoes. Landowner ordered by court to clean yard or face jail term Edisto Health District in Orangeburg. Bowman's town water supply appeared safe, he said. Schools unlikely to get more help from state coffers Jack Sijon of Greenville was found guilty of three environmental code ordinances.

He said a jury had never ruled on a case involving the property before Tuesday. Charges were dropped or dismissed in the earlier cases, he said. Harbin unsuccessfully tried to subpoena witnesses including Mayor Bill Workman on Monday, but Bartlett said Harbin hadn't proved that the witnesses would offer relevant testimony. Harbin also wasn't allowed to introduce a 1976 occupancy permit for the property into evidence after Bartlett dismissed charges tied to 11 vehicles stored on Sijon's property. The permit allows vehicle storage and guard dogs on the property and still is valid, Harbin said, despite two previous attempts by the city to revoke it.

Sijon said the city prosecuted him in a new attempt to revoke the occupancy permit now that the new Greenville Water System building is nearing completion across Hyde Street from his land. But Pam Price, of the city attorney's office, argued for a conviction, saying, "The purpose of the (environmental) code is to protect the public from unsafe, unsanitary and, yes, unsightly No official rainfall measurements were taken in Bowman, but John Smith, Orangeburg County disaster preparedness director, said conversations he had with residents led him to estimate that up to 8 eight inches fell there. He said Bowman was the only area affected so severely. Myrtle Beach Jetport expansion to be studied MYRTLE BEACH (AP) A plan to further study the expansion of the Myrtle Beach Jetport after the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base closes was approved. On Monday, the state Base Development Commission voted during a meeting at the base to give the Horry County Department of Airports permission to apply for the $400,000 Federal Aviation Administration study.

That study would determine how to expand or consolidate the county's four airports after the Myrtle Bea base closes in mid-1993. After the meeting, formal applications were sent to the FAA by the county airports department, said airports director Carl Ellington. If approved, the FAA will fund $360,000 of the study with the county and state. Aeronautics Commission supplying $20,000 each. The purpose of the code is to protect the public from unsafe, unsanitary and, yes, unsightly Pam Price, city attorney's office condition that the property be cleaned within 21 days.

During testimony, Bartlett repeatedly and sometimes angrily warned Sijon's lawyer, Eddie Harbin, not to bring up previous cases involving 17 Hyde where at least nine separate warrants have been issued over the past 15 years, leading to numerous court appearances and two visits to the state Court of Appeals. Sijon prevailed in each previous case, Harbin said. "We're talking about 17 years of yearly litigation here," Harbin said in arguing for a mistrial. Bartlett said, "No one is more painfully aware of that than I am." lature since it will be coming back to work then, he said. State Superintendent of Education Barbara Nielsen said the delay shouldn't be a hardship on schools since immediate problems threatened by the reduction have been alleviated by board restoration of $11 million in aid.

The board shifted money away from school construction reserves to avoid property tax increases, teacher layoffs and larger classes in many areas. Education officials suggested further shifts from construction surpluses and a teacher bonus pay plan to make up the entire cut forced by declining revenues, but the board has deferred a decision amid doubts whether it can do that. Some lawmakers challenged proposals that would let the board revise spending plans adopted by the General Assembly. By Tim Flach News Capital Bureau COLUMBIA Restoration of a $22 million cut in state aid to local schools is likely to remain in limbo until after Jan. 1, a lawmaker who serves on the Budget and Control Board predicted Wednesday.

The wait will provide a clearer picture on state finances to see if the return is possible and avoid a confrontation over whether fiscal shifts suggested to provide the money require legislative permission, Senate Finance Committee Chairman James Waddell said. "We don't have to jump into that right now" unless state income unexpectedly continues to deteriorate, the Beaufort Democrat told the legislative panel he heads after some members questioned the proposal. The board is likely to leave the matter up to the Legis By Jo Fleischer News staff writer After 15 years of court battles and a guilty verdict Tuesday, a Greenville landowner said he will clean up his yard rather than face at least 30 days in jail after a judge called the property a "blight" and "a cancer" during sentencing. Jack Sijon, owner of 17 Hyde was found guilty of three city environmental code ordinances after a two-day jury trial, which Included heated exchanges and attempts to call top city leaders to testify. Sijon also said he is considering an appeal after being sentenced on charges of creating a public nuisance, storing refrigerators and allowing the accumulation of brush and other debris.

Municipal Court Judge Steven Bartlett fined Sijon $195 and handed down two 30-day jail terms, suspending the jail time on the.