The Greenville News from Greenville, South Carolina • Page 30

2B ffhf (Twmnlle News Sunday, March 4, 1990 Other City View volunteers threatening to leave By Mark Bergeron Newt staff writer Six City View volunteer firefighters quit their posts Saturday afternoon to protest the dismissal of Fire Chief Curtis Brissey, City View Councilman Jerry Yearwood said. The city council voted 5-0 Thursday night to fire Brissey, who had been chief for nearly three years. Yearwood said half of the department's 12 volunteer firefighters turned in their equipment at the station at about 4 p.m.' Saturday to show support for with his service, and that the city did not have to give a reason because department heads serve at the pleasure of the council. The council's vote to fire Brissey came at a special meeting held without advance notice. The South Carolina Freedom of Information Act requires public bodies to give at least 24 hours notice of their meetings, except in emergencies.

Landreth said Friday he was unaware of the 24-hour public notice stipulation. Councilman Sammy McGaha, a member of the council's fire committee, said he regarded the situation as an emergency. the fire department. He said he thinks Brissey was doing a good job. "I think he's done a lot to build up the fire department," Golden said.

Other volunteer firefighters also expressed support for their fired chief. Ginger Russell, who turned in her gear, said she does not like the way Brissey was fired and does not understand the reasons behind the dismissal. Russell said the City View fire department has operated more efficiently since Brissey arrived. Yearwood said the volunteer walkout will not affect fire coverage in City View. "We have better coverage tonight than we did 48 hours ago," he said.

However, some of the remaining volunteers, including volunteer Barry Nor-ris, said they also plan to quit if Brissey is not rehired. Roger Golden, a volunteer for 10 years, said he also will quit. Golden said he feels Brissey "was railroaded" and fears the same could happen to anyone in "We're actually saving houses now, instead of before," Mrs. Russell said. "Before he came, we'd lose them." Brissey, who could not be reached for comment Saturday, said Friday that he was given no reason for being fired and that he planned to hire a lawyer to contest the dismissal.

Mayor Clyde Landreth also could not be reached for comment late Saturday. He said earlier that the council dismissed Brissey because they were dissatisfied Married priests won't solve clergy shortage, bishop says a A I) a-, By Frances Evans News religion editor The new Catholic bishop of South Carolina, now in what he calls "spring training," for Easter, doesn't foresee wholesale acceptance of married priests by Catholicism. While the Most Rev. David B. Thompson, who became the 11th bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Charleston (covering South Carolina), is making plans to visit Rome in May, he is concentrating on preparing for one of Christendom's most important observances Easter.

He calls the preparations during Lent as being in "spring training." Thompson has written to seek an audience with Pope John Paul II when he visits the Vatican May 5-12. Visiting Rome on behalf of the Charleston Diocese, Thompson's visit will represent the first time he has met with the Pope since he was appointed bishop. He has had nine audiences with various popes, and three with the present Holy Father. Meanwhile, Thompson is focusing attention on Lent, the season of penitence before Easter. The bishop said he looks upon Lent as a time of "getting ourselves in condition" to approach Good Friday and Easter Sunday, a season "to try to improve ourselves, and our interest in our faith and In a telephone interview, the bishop talked about dialogue with other denominations and the shortage of priests in the Catholic Church.

Born in Phildelphia in 1923, Thompson said he believes he is very fortunate for "being But, he said, there's a shortage of clergy in other Christian denominations that do have married priests. "That's not the answer to the shortage," he said. He said the answer would be to get away from the materialistic trend and "have people dedicate their lives to the gospel and to working out salvation for people." Mixed marriages, he said, are more numerous "so they have to be more acceptable." Yet, he says, it's not an ideal situation when people who have differences of opinions about God and religion make life-long commitments to each other. "It's an added difficulty. It is much better, first of all, if they can agree on God Almighty, and then upon a particular church to which they wish to belong.

And that goes' over to the rearing of their children." The bishop said South Carolina Catholic population is expected to increase from 80,000 to 100,000 by the year 2000. He said he wanted to provide for the influx of Catholics in the state, by looking for sites for new parishes and promoting vocations to the priesthood and religious life. "I think the fact that we're growing in numbers in Catholicism, we will also grow in vocations because there are young men and women across the country who will see an active place. I hope they will come and grow with us." While many young people today may be struggling with career de-cisions, Thompson knew he wanted to be a priest by the time he was a high school sophomore. "I never wanted to be anything else." young enough to accept the new and old enough to hang on to the past." He spoke of the 16 documents which came out of the Vatican II Council (1962-65), and which addresses ecumenism.

He said there has been implementation in many areas of the proclamation. One is the Anglo-Catholic-Lutheran dialogue, he said, which particularly concerns the Eucharist and priesthood. Here in the United States, he said, there is an arrangement for Episcopalian priests who wish to become Catholics. He said the Rev. James Parker, who serves in the Charleston Diocese, is one of the first Anglican priests to become a Catholic priest.

"We have a real tie-in," he said about the arrangement. Thompson admitted there is a shortage of priests in certain areas, but overall there are more Catholic priests now in the world than ever before, with fewer now in the United States and more in the third world. He said the culture of the United States, "which is extreme ly worldly," has caused priests to go elsewhere. "The worldly attractions are having a stronger influence on our young he said. Religious vocations and priesthood are demanding and challenging, and do not always appeal to today's young people, he continued.

Even with the shortage of priests, the bishop said he didn't think it would mean the Catholic Church would generally accept married priests. "I think that's what many people look for," he said, as a solution to the shortage of vocations to the priesthood. rr THE NEWS ALAN DEVORSEY Kite flying weather Woman settles out of court over ad that led to obscene phone calls Jwelveyearld Natalie Clark and her sister Katie, 9, take advantage of a warm, breezy day Saturday to fly kites in a field at Donaldson Center near Greenville. The Upstate got a break from the cold rain as temperatures hit the mid-60s Saturday, and more mild, sunny weather is in the forecast through Thursday. if: Fire causes over $25,000 damage at warehouse By Matthew Burns News staff writer A Landrum woman has settled out of court with a dial-a-porn company over a magazine advertisement that she said led to a stream of obscene phone calls at her house.

Wanda B. Henson, a wife and mother of two, filed suit against Hustler Magazine Inc. and Mindy Inc. in August, alleging that dial-a- porn ads placed in the magazine by Mindy resulted in countless obscene phone calls to her home over several months last year. The ads promised "your phone fantasies fulfilled" and provided an Ohio telephone number for advertisement for a separate business and did nothing to link Mrs.

Henson with any obscenity. Mrs. Henson and Mindy recently reached an out-of-court settlement in the case, according to attorney Donald Van Riper, but he declined to disclose what the settlement was. Mindy also changed its dial-a-porn telephone number as part of he settlement, Van Riper said, but he said Mrs. Henson continues to receive a few obscene phone calls a month from people perusing old issues of Hustler.

He said she has since bought an answering machine to screen the unwanted calls. Attorneys for Mindy couldn't be "free samples," according to Mrs. Henson's suit. Callers to the number reached a taped message in which an excited female voice offered telephone porn for $1 a minute and made "sexually oriented comments and solicitations," the suit said. At the end of the message, callers were referred to an Ohio address or a seven-digit phone number for an answering service.

In South Carolina, the number rang at Mrs. Henson's home, her suit said. Hustler was dropped from the suit in November, after a circuit judge agreed with the magazine's assertion that it only printed an The warehouse was not affected by the fire, and none of the employees had to be evacuated, Singleton said. The fire alarm from the Winn-Dixie Distribution Center at 2819 Wade Hampton Boulevard came in about 10:55 p.m., Singleton said. About 20 firefighters battled the blaze, which was under control in about 30 minutes, Singleton said.

Both the refueling station which was about 100 feet from the A propane explosion and fire Friday night at a refueling station at the Winn-Dixie warehouse on Wade Hampton Boulevard in Greenville caused more than worth of damage to the station and a tractor-trailer, officials The tractor-trailer driver, who did not require hospitalization, had both his hands and arms blistered in the fire, Wade Hampton Rudy Singleton said. warehouse and the tractor-trailer were destroyed, Singleton said. The trailer was full of groceries. He said the driver apparently came too close to a propane pump with the truck and broke a valve off the pump, allowing the propane to gather on the ground. Soon afterward, something ignited the propane, which is used in the refrigeration units in the tractor trailers, and it exploded, Singleton said.

i cauieu ior comment nday WYFF plans to add an early morning newscast Monday By David Eskola WeatherCaSter Dale Gilhprt will inin SnnrVc nnH "There is a format to the npwcfncr hut- uo P. News staff writer A new morning newscast that starts Monday on WYFF-TV means afternoon naps for hosts Kenn Sparks and Rebecca Williams. a purely nocturnal creature. The nap is my only salvation," said Sparks, a 15-year-veteran at the station who will rise at 3:30 a.m. to co-anchor the early morning show while staying on as co-anchor of the noon newscast.

4 This Morning" debuts Monday at 6 a.nvThe talk-oriented show is meant to provide both a local TV angle on news and weather for early-risers and some competition for morning radio, said Jan Haswell, director of news promotions at WYFF. Ms. Williams for the 30-minute, Monday-through-Friday show. It's not the first time WYFF has tried a morning show. Plans for one about 18 months ago were scrubbed after intended co-host Marc Bailey departed for a job at a local radio station.

"News 4 This Morning" will try again to nab a growing early-morning audience with new hosts and a new format, said WYFF News Director John Harris. "Morning is a growing daypart. There's an audience already there and we're hoping to build on it," Harris said. Ratings surveys show that about 10 percent of people with televisions are watching at that hour. hersals led the station to build a new set for the show.

The show will be consist of several segment, including news, business and sports; "conversation starters," to offer the day's possible topics at the office water-cooler, and a calendar of events, said Ms. Williams, who also is the show's producer. The newscast will emphasize weather, with reports each segment, she said. There will also be regular features on fashion or makover tips, a weekly review segment of local music or theater every Friday by WYFF reporter John Culbertson, and a weekly contest for viewers who send in zany home videos. wanted time built in for people to talk to each other.

That's important. It's an audio program. We're competing with radio at that hour. People are washing or eating or getting dressed, and not necessarily sitting and watching TV," he said. Both Sparks and Ms.

Williams said they are excited about the program's intended loose, freewheeling format, which will allow them to display more of their personalities. "The best thing about the show is that we can be ourselves. If there's something that pops into our minds, it's probably popping into the minds of the viewers," Ms. Williams said. The informal feel of the program during re- I MEWS BRIEF News bureau listings New Circulation UPSTATE Anderson 22SS656 Atlanta 404-378-1088 Belton-Honea Path 338-8023 Clemson 654-8342 Chnton 833-3576 Columbia 256-7367 asleV 85M071 ureenwood onr.e 231-9978 231-9978 882-7243 833-2070 771-4902 298-4100 22M769 298-4100 833-2070 583-6285 882-7243 878-7784 583-6285 231-9978 oreer 070.700 Jack Hanna, director of pro bono legal services for the bar, said the academy will face Irmo High School in the finals next weekend.

The academy and Northwood Middle School were representing the state's 4th Congressional District Saturday, but Northwood lost in the semifinals. Arrested man linked with mobile home fire A Spartanburg County man was arrested Friday in connection with a fire and an assault that occurred at a mobile home in Wellford earlier in the day, according to Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office records. The man, whose name could not be confirmed through warrants Saturday night, was arrested shortly after the mobile home caught fire, according to a Sheriff's Office report. A Wellford woman told authorities that the man broke into her mobile home, beat her, set fire to the home and stole her car, the report said. Piedmont man dies in one-car accident A Piedmont man died in a one-car accident Saturday night on South Carolina 86 after he apparently lost control of his vhicle, hit a tree and overturned, authorities said.

The name of the man, who was in his late 40s, was not released Saturday night pending notification of his family, Anderson County Coroner Wilton Mackey said. The man died of multiple injuries at the scene of the accident, which happened about a quarter of a mile outside Piedmont at about 8:10 p.m., Mackey said. Bob Jones Academy is mock trial finalist Bob Jones Academy became the first private school ever to make it to the finals of the South Carolina Mock Trial Competition Saturday, winning on points in the semifinals in Columbia, a South Carolina Bar spokesrrtfm said. Laurens 833-3576 Lyman-Welltord-Duncan 877-3720 Oconee Cnuntu -r. '7 OOaJDOD Pickens Spartanburg 591-3356 Washington 202-737-4092 947-1 383.