The Star Press from Muncie, Indiana • Page 3

S1MUNCIE STAR Local Inside Features 3B TVentertainment 4-5B Business news 6-8B FRIDAY, June 16, 1995 Id) Indy firm to handle employee evaluations East Central Indiana any undue questions or bias." David M. Griffith Associates Ltd. of Indianapolis has offered to do the annual evaluations for $1,008 and each appeal for $125. However, committee member Jennifer Blackford said Thursday that appeals that would require only a name change because of an adjustment in the job description could be less costly. She said only two departments had turned in appeals.

The council also followed committee expertise with computers. "If we do it for one department, we will have to do it for all," Shemenaur said. County Auditor Jane Ann Runyon said her full-time deputies were making only about a dime an hour more than Laux's suggested figure. "At least three other elected offic ials will be in my office next month if this goes," she said. She said that did not include herself.

recommendations to disallow a pay increase for a part-time clerical employee in the assessor's office and to let the county determine all employee salaries. Griffith and Associates had offered to handle salary recommendations as well for a fee of $950. Last month, County Assessor Ralph Laux asked the council to increase a part-time reassessment employee's hourly wage from the county standard of $5.40 to $6.65 because of her By MICHAEL McBRIDE Star staff reporter PORTLAND, Ind. The firm that developed Jay County's original employee pay plan 3 years ago will be rehired to evaluate workers and consider employee appeals. County council member Andy Sche-menaur relayed personnel committee recommendations to the council Wednesday.

"We thought it would be best to have an impartial third party involved to make sure there were not Local news briefing JtK CR225-N A business lure Winchester, Randolph ST The Randolph County Redevelopment Commission plans to buy 28 acres for an industrial park north of Winchester. Proposed officials join forces for industrial park industrial park site Winchester To Muncie That site is where Quartz Rock Development Group of Indianapolis plans to build a speculative building. Quartz Rock's investors will finance construction. An industrial tenant could lease the building and would have the option of buying it. Even if the anonymous business decides not to move to Winchester, Croyle said, a new industrial park is needed.

"Regardless, if you have a building out there, it's a magnet," he said. The Winchester City Council has pledged $90,000 from its share of the county economic-development income tax. If the city decides not to lease the land to Quartz Rock, the city will reimburse Quartz Rock an estimated $90,000 for engineering, architectural, legal and other fees. Because the 28 acres is outside of city limits, the Randolph County Redevelopment Commission is involved in the project. Besides buying the land, the commissions must get the land rezoned, have it declared a redevelopment area, annex it into the city and have utilities extended By RANDY RENDFELD Star stall reporter WINCHESTER, Ind.

An effort to create an industrial park north of Winchester has the city and county redevelopment commissions jumping through a series of legal hoops. City officials made some more jumps Thursday. Their goal is to accommodate a mysterious industry about which they know little. Remaining anonymous is one of the business's conditions for coming to Winchester, said Steve Croyle, a member of both Winchester's city council and redevelopment commission. He added that the business's identity had not been revealed even to council members.

However, he and others have said they expect the business to create about 400 jobs. The city now is trying to acquire and develop a 28-acre site near Randolph County Road 225-N at the intersection of U.S. 27 and Old Business U.S. 27. The land is owned by Peoples Loan and Trust, and a tenant is farming it.

Star graphic Shelby sapusek to the site. On Thursday, the city redevelopment commission's actions included signing a joint agreement with the county redevelopment commission. It gives the city the right to serve as agent for the county. When Winchester annexes the property, the city will take control. City officials heard Thursday that one of the bank's conditions for selling the 28 acres was the city's guarantee that the tenant get a fair-market price for the crops he was growing.

nHR RSS si! In her memory Standing in front of Daleville Junior-Senior High School, minister Gary McManus dedicates a blue spruce tree to Bonnie Hiday, who died in March. Mrs. Hiday was a business teacher and sponsor of the school's chapter of Business Professionals of America. Her husband, Jack Hiday, accepted the recognition in her honor at a school board meeting after the dedication ceremony. Ivy Tech fees going up 5 By THE STAR'S STAFF Student fees at Ivy Tech State College will rise by about 5 percent this fall.

Ivy Tech's state board of trustees on Tluusday approved a plan to increase the college's fees from $57.45 a credit hour to $60.30. Ivy Tech officials say the college's typical student takes about seven credit hours a semester. For that student, tuition will increase $19.95 to $422.10. Ivy Tech has campuses in Muncie, Anderson, Marion and Richmond in East Central Indiana. The college's trustees also approved funds to move the Marion campus into shared facilities in the Tucker Area Career Center.

Hartford City pool opens for the season HARTFORD CITY, Ind. Hartford City Memorial Pool had a belated opening this week. Pool hours for the summer will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 1 1 a.m.

to 8 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday hours are from noon to 6 p.m. Admission is $1.25 for children and $1.75 for adults. Season passes will be available soon.

Trailer spills liquid nitrogen at 1-69, Ind. 28 truckstop GASTON About 100 to 150 gallons of liquid nitrogen was spilled at a truck stop Wednesday afternoon near the Interstate 69 and Ind. 28 interchange. A Triple Co. truck had a problem with its trailer and the fertilizer was transferred to another trailer at 1-69 Auto Truck Plaza.

That was when the spill occurred on a paved portion of the truck stop's lot. Triple of Wabash provided a crew to clean up the spill. The Gaston Fire Department was called to the scene about 3:15 p.m. and remained there for several hours. 1-69 accident causes no serious injuries DALEVILLE There were no serious injuries in a Wednesday night accident that closed Interstate 69 for several hours.

Cpl. Shane Fisher of the Redkey state police post said the 6:30 p.m. accident occurred in the construction zone on the interstate near the Ind. 67 interchange. Fisher said a semitrailer driven by Terry Bowers, 55, Antwerp, Ohio, was southbound, as were cars driven by George Crowe, 61, 8208 N.

Sierra Drive, Muncie, and Judith McKibben, 44, 4400 Shellie Drive, Muncie. The cars were stopped to allow traffic to enter the interstate from Ind. 67 when Bowers slammed into the vehicles. Bowers's truck, which was carrying 27,000 pounds of coiled steel, slid 363 feet before slamming into Crowe's car and then McKibben's car. By the time the truck stopped, it had struck both cars a second time in the spinning melee.

Crowe was released Thursday after spending the night in Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie. His wife, Jacqueline Crowe, 59, and McKibben, were treated in Ball Memorial's emergency room and released. Muncie students place first in history contest Three Muncie middle school students won first place Thursday in the junior division of the National History Day competition. Kerri Stone, Lydgia Greiner and Sarah Greiner won first place in the group media category in the competition at the University of Maryland. They created a computer-generated presentation on Rosey the Riveter women who worked in the defense factories during World War II.

It included music and graphics. Chris Powers, Muncie, won fourth place in individual performance with his dramatic interpretation of Branch Rickey, the former owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Elyssa Ferguson, a Yorktown Middle School student, also competed. She dramatized the signing of the treaty with the Miami Indians in Greenville, Ohio. Three semi rigs collide on 1-70 near Knightstown KNIGHTSTOWN, Ind.

Two people suffered minor injuries Thursday in a chain reaction mishap on Interstate 70, just east of Knightstown, that involved three semitrailer rigs. The accident occurred about noon in a construction zone in the eastbound lane of 1-70, east of the Ind. 109 exit. A semitrailer rig driven by David Suhar, 26, of Lansdale, had stopped because of construction, according to state police officials at Connersville. The second truck, driven by Jesse Blaine, 35, of Mississippi slammed into the back of Suhar's rig, police said.

The third truck, driven by Justin Julian, 27, of Merrill, then struck the back of Blaine's rig. 1 hiAr i.i&&JksbMa Star photo GERRI C. MAHONEY Scam alert: Fund-raisers might be frauds donations in the last several days are doing anything illegal, but police are cautious about releasing the name of the group pending further investigation. "The VFW spokesman told me that he had heard of this group," Waiters said. "I don't know if they are legitimate or not I have no reason to believe that they are not.

"We just don't have the information right now to print the dirty laundry. This group is clean, and this group is dirty. We just don't know for sure right now." "The attorney general's office is not familiar with them," Quails said. "That doesn't mean it's not legitimate." Watters said several groups were operating within Delaware County, and some solicitor addresses return to homes. The Star will not publish the names of the organizations being investigated until it is determined whether they are legitimate.

By JOHN HALE Star staff reporter Muncie police is warning residents of a rash of potential telephone solicitation scams using veterans organizations as their base. Police have not been able to determine what groups are legitimate and which aren't, but investigators are looking into several organizatioas. "The VFW, AMVETS and the Delaware County Vietnam Veterans Association are not raising money right now," Detective Sgt. Bruce Quails said. People solicited by organizations should ask that, groups prove they are who they say they are.

"Ask for references and have that agency prove their legitimacy Detective Sgt. Gordon Walters said. "Any legitimate organization shouldn't have a problem proving they are legitimate." Police have no reason to believe a group that has been asking for Group addressing racism, race relations By RICK YENCER Star staff reporter After the 1992 Rodney King beating in Los Angeles, a group of local ministers started meeting every month to talk about racism. Racial tensions heightened in Muncie, as in other cities, as local police were accused of stopping African American youths without good cause. Phyllis Bartleson said recent court decisions and Congressional action challenging affirmative action programs continued to frustrate the civil rights community.

"There seems to be an escalation of racism nationwide," said Bartleson, director of Muncie's Human Rights Commission. "We need a setting to discuss experiences and feelings without being hostile or intimidated." The Combined Clergy of Delaware County is organizing study circles to talk about racism and race relations in Delaware County. Reading material and a video of study circles in Lima, Ohio, will be part of the program. Lima also had racial tensions after the King arrest in LA. Local clergy joined community leaders to talk about improving relations.

Muncie community leaders and other participants will be invited to join the circles. As many as six meeting will be held from August through November, and the group will report in January on improving relations. A kickoff meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. June 30 in city hall auditorium. Bartleson and Jim Barton, pastor at Yorktown Christian Church, will explain the process, which has been used in other communities.

Charles Mason of Grace Episcopal Church and Michael Millben of Christ Temple Church also will speak. They are co-chairmen of Combined Clergy. The group, an offshoot of Christian Ministries of Delaware County, began meeting after the King beating. Barton said African-American and white ministers began talking about local racial problems and how to solve them. One of the biggest issues is police relations with the African-American community.

Mayor David Dominick tried to resolve some concerns last year by naming Ralph McGairk as the city's first African-American police chief. Mason said he thought racism was a significant issue in the community and a difficult issue to get a handle on. "Mimcie is a pretty segregated city in my experience," Mason said, but he added, "I don't think Muncie is any different from anywhere else in the United States." The number of discrimination complaints filed with the HRC continues to grow. The agency had 51 complaints through April, up from 41 at the same time last year. Last year, 194 complaints were filed with the HRC, and most involved employment or housing discrimination..