The Charleston Sun-Sentinel from Charleston, Mississippi • 1

in CO CO The Charleston CO Id 5 r-j tH cr CO 1X1 i a. 0-. LU u. "Serving Tallahatchie County" Volume 66 Number 25 Charleston, Thursday, June 22, 1989 25 cents Fish kill could bring charges Man, Son die in rail collision 'PmMMm ni fa Am tpLWtx wMtvfi Clean-up efforts to resume in old cemetery The Masonic Cemetery, the oldest burial grounds in Charleston and one of the oldest in Tallahatchie County, is in need of some clean-up and restoration, as evidenced by a portion of the cemetery shown here. Mrs.

Brownie Hulett, a Charleston resident long known for her beautification and preservation efforts, is attempting to spearhead a drive with the assistance of city officials to restore the old cemetery to a respectable condition. Some graves in the cemetery, located on North Market Street near the Charleston Industrial Park, date back to the early 1860s. Persons desiring to help with the cleanup effort are asked to contact Mrs. Hulett or Charleston City Hall. SUMNER Charges were expected to be filed as early as this week in connection with the early-June incident which caused the deaths of some 12,000 fish along a six-mile stretch of Cassidy Bayou between Sumner and Webb.

"We have found what we were looking for," said Phil Bass, laboratory director of the Mississippi Department of Natural Resources' Bureau of Pollution Control. Bass, who confirmed the presence of a toxicant in the dead fish examined, declined to specify the chemical agent which may have led to the fish disaster. "We pretty much know a toxicant was present, based on the kill. The difficulty is in detecting which one," Bass noted Monday. Some officials believe Toxaphene, a cotton pesticide banned since 1986, caused the kill.

Toxaphene, a suspected cancer-causing agent, was banned because of its effect on fish and wildlife and because it persists in the environment It can be toxic at levels as low as one part per billion. Officials investigating the kill have said the chemical may have been sprayed on farmland near the bayou using an airplane and washed into the stream by recent heavy rains. Anonymous tipsters have reported to another Delta newspaper that a landowner in the area was applying Toxaphene prior to the fish kill. Due to the analysis of samples taken from the bayou and the persisting rumors of illegal pesticide use, the FBI has joined the state Department of Agriculture's Division of Plant Industry and pollution control officials in probing the cause of the kill. The Division of Plant Industry is considering administrative, civil and criminal charges for illegal pesticide use, charges which may be filed against a farmer, a crop-duster pilot and a chemical supplier.

Robert McCarty, deputy director of the Division of Plant Industry, said last week that the investigation into the kill was nearing an end, and he added, "We have pretty well everything we feel like we need to proceed with initiating action." McCarty did not cite the names of individuals who may be charged in the incident, but a prominent Sumner-area planter has been rumored to be involved. The state Bureau of Pollution Control is considering separate charges, which could result in penalties of $25,000 per day plus damages, for pollution violations and the fish kill itself. The bureau has referred its findings to the state attorney general's office. Helen Weatherby, who is handling the case, was in court Monday and Tuesday and could not be reached for comment. Earlier, investigators had discounted the Toxaphene theory after samples of the dead fish, water and sediment in the bayou failed to turn-up any traces of the outlawed chemical.

But Bass said it was later learned that biologists, testing after dark on a rainy night, were instructed to sample the wrong area of the stream. Biologists from the bureau lab were in Sumner again Tuesday, sampling fish, soil and water upstream from the kill for comparison with samples from the area of the kill. Bass said the results will be used to see if restocking is practical. Biologists with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Conservation also were scheduled to conduct fish population studies this week "to see what if anything, is left in the bayou," Bass noted. He said officials will continue to monitor and conduct testing on Cassidy Bayou for up to two or three years.

Residents in the area are still cautioned against eating any fish which may be taken from the bayou. Although it has been said that fish several miles upstream are probably safe to consume, more conclusive results should come from this week's testing. Charleston, Glendora schools to receive computer facilities JACKSON Charleston Elementary School and Black Bayou Elementary School at Glendora have been awarded funding for a computer lab as part of a statewide project to teach kindergarten and first grade children to read and write. Gov. Ray Mabus and the state Department of Education jointly announced the grant, which will be funded by a partnership of charitable, business and state government sources, including the Riordan Foundation of Los Angeles and the RORD Foundation of Greenwich, Conn.

The goal of the program is to put a computer lab in every Mississippi elementary school within the next four years. The grants announced for the two Tallahatchie County schools are part of the first phase of the program. "When this project is complete, Mississippi will be the first state in the country, to our knowledge, to labs. "This project represents a commitment by both public and private sources to provide childreruwith a "TucccssfuT first educational experience," said James E. Dezell, IBM vice president and general manager for IBM Educational Systems.

"The partnership of Gov. Mabus, the Riordan Foundation, the RORD Foundation, IBM and individual schools such as Charleston Elementary and Black Bayou Elementary will help to ensure that virtually every child in the state of Mississippi is successful with that first experience," Dezell noted. Charleston Elementary School, in the East Tallahatchie School District, houses kindergarten through third grade, while Black Bayou Elementary School, in the West Tallahatchie School District, houses students in kindergarten through the sixth grade. BRAZIL A Flora man and his 12-year-old son were killed instantly Sunday afternoon when the car in which they were riding was struck by an Illinois Central Gulf Railroad Co. train at a private crossing off Highway 321 near Brazil.

A third passenger, the man's 13-year-old (laughter, was injured, according to deputy sheriff Henry Gipson, who investigated the accident for the Tallahatchie County Sheriff Department at Sumner. Killed were Billy B. Kerr, 49, a resident of Flora in Madison County, and his son, Jon Kerr. Injured was Kelly Kerr, who sustained bruises and scratches but was able to walk from the scene to a nearby house. She later was transferred to Quitman County Hospital at Marks, where she was treated and released.

Gipson said the trio were in Tallahatchie County on Father's Day because the elder Kerr, a native of the county who still has cousins here, wanted to show his children the site of his childhood home. Kerr left the highway and proceeded down a farm road that took him to the rural railroad crossing. Gipson said the crossing leads into a cotton field. When Kerr came to the tracks about 3:50 p.m., he probably did not see the oncoming freight train, said Gipson. "His vision would've been blocked by the trees along the tracks," said the deputy, who noted that weeds had grown tall alongside the railroad's right-of-way.

In a later interview with the train's engineer, L.D. Green, Gipson said he was told that Green saw the automobile on the tracks and blew a warning whistle which apparently went unheeded. The seven-engine, 123-boxcar train which had left Memphis and was bound for New Orleans rammed the mid-section of the 1989 Oldsmobile 98, knocking all three passengers from the vehicle. Gipson said the father was knocked about 95 feet from the site of the initial collision while his son was knocked about 125 feet. The Oldsmobile was hurled through the air, landing on top of the 12-year-old boy.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene by Tallahatchie County Medical Examiner Investigator Larry Tucker. The engines and forty boxcars passed the crossing before the train was able to come to a complete halt, Gipson said. Patrick Healy, acting corporate affairs officer for the railroad's Chicago office, told The Sun-Sentinel Tuesday that he had received reports stating the crossing was a public crossing and that crossbars were posted to caution motorists. Deputy Gipson said there were no crossbars on either side of the railroad crossing. Investigators with the sheriff's department, railroad, and state and federal transportation agencies will be looking further into the accident and its causes.

Meanwhile, services were held Wednesday morning for the two victims at Flora Baptist Church, where both were members, with burial in the church cemetery. The elder Kerr, a resident of Flora for the past 14 years and a former resident of Greenwood, owned Rent-a-Wreck Inc. and Kerr Wholesale Motors in Jackson. In addition to his daughter, he is survived by his wife, Rosemary Kerr of Flora; a son, Jeffery Kerr of Henning, two sisters, Rebecca Sue Sherer and Shirley Cohea, both of Flora; and a brother, John Kerr Jr. of Winona.

Jon was a seventh-grade student at Tri-County Academy in Flora, where he was a member of the football, basketball and baseball teams and was a champion BMX bicycle racer. He is also survived by his great-grandmother, Anna Mary Bolin of Barbersville, Fla. Literacy effort starts Sun-Sentinel wins 11 have such an extensive computer-based literacy program for its children," Mabus said. "It is ijBfiassiMfiJli calculate the impact this will have ort fututB generations. With the help of schools like Charleston Elementary and Black Bayou Elementary, we know it will be tremendous," the governor noted.

The computer labs will utilize "Writing to Read," an educational computer system developed by IBM that helps prosper the writing and reading skills of kindergarten and first grade students. Using a variety of tools from computers, cassette tapes and children's books, to clay, sand, blocks and crayons children discover that they can read by first learning to write anything they can say. Charleston Elementary and Black Bayou Elementary will receive computers, computer software, teacher training and accompanying instructional materials for their general news story and best editorials. Front pages judged were from issues dated July 14, Oct. 13 and Nov.

10, 1988. Major stories on these dates dealt with the audit department's investigation of former school superintendent Lewis Brewer, ongoing street and sewer work in Charleston, voters' approval of the county unit system and the completion of Charleston High School's 9-1 football season which earned them a playoff berth. McFerrin's topic for his award-winning general news story was Lewis Brewer being ordered to repay $237,928 in school funds which he allegedly misused. Of this story, judges commented, "Money matters create interest and this story is no exception. Well written, good organization." McFerrin's series of editorials, judged second best in the Sun-Sentinel's circulation category, included ones dealing with county-wide garbage disposal, community clean-up, the need for more handicapped parking spaces in Charleston and a wind-up of the 1988 Rock River Arts Festival.

The judges said of these editorials, "Good arguments, support; well written." The Sun-Sentinel won third place awards for general excellence, while McFerrin captured third place awards in the categories of best investigative reporting and best sports page or section. The general excellence award, the most coveted of all among lish a literacy council. Benton and Quitman counties had meetings this month, while DeSoto, Lafayette, Marshall and Yalobusha counties have active councils that are working to expand their programs. The Tutwiler Clinic Outreach agency also operates an adult literacy program for residents in that area, but despite past discussions about the formulation of a literacy council, no such program exists in eastern Tallahatchie County. "The purpose of these literacy councils is to support efforts already underway by helping with the uniting of volunteers, training these volunteers, marketing the programs to prospective students, and encouraging the support of government, business, industry and civic leaders in the fight against adult illiteracy," said Dr.

Barbara Jones, director of research and development at Northwest and author of the project "Our motto of the coalition is 'Joining Hands for Literacy Across Northwest said Mrs. Robinson. "All of us working together just have to be stronger and more effective than all of us working alone. The goal of the coalition is to aid in the fight for increased literacy in this geographic area. Mrs.

Robinson cited current estimates that 27 million American adults one out of every five lack necessary basic skills in reading and writing and that 400,000 of these are Mississippians. "We are speaking of basic skills such as being able to look up a number in the phone book, read instructions on the medicine bottle, make out a grocery list, read the Bible or the front page of a newspaper, fill out a report form on the job, read to their children, or read their own mail," she said. Literacy council members in nine counties, including Tallahatchie, are "joining hands for literacy across Northwest Mississippi" through the formation of the Northwest Literacy Coalition. Formed as a result of a $5,000 JTPA literacy grant awarded to Northwest Mississippi Community College, the coalition will support the work of Adult Basic Education (ABE) and adult literacy programs in the area. An organizational meeting will be held on Northwest's Senatobia campus June 29 at 7:30 p.m.

in the administration building to unify efforts in developing com-munitycountywide support to attack the problem of adult literacy, announced Kay Robinson, coordinator of the project. Other participating counties include Benton, DeSoto, Lafayette, Marshall, Panola, Quitman, Tate and Yalobusha. Several of these counties, which comprise the Northwest Mississippi Community College- ABE district, have functioning literacy councils while others are in the organizational stages. Tallahatchie County has an organizational meeting set for Thursday, June 22, at 7:30 p.m., in the Mississippi Power Light building's auditorium. The proposed county literacy council needs the involvement of anyone who is concerned about illiteracy business, professional and civic leaders, people who are good at organizing and keeping the wheels rolling, people who are good at keeping records, people who are good at talking on the phone or people who think they might be interested in learning to be reading tutors.

Tate and Panola counties will hold meetings next week to estab awards newspaper professionals, is based upon overall excellence in every facet. The Sun-Sentinel submitted three issues dated Aug. 11, 18 and 25, 1988. Judges lauded the Sun-Sentinel for "good local emphasis." In the category of best investigative reporting, McFerrin was honored fo'r a Feb. 25, 1988, story concerning Charleston officials' plans to change the city's means of wastewater treatment.

Judges commented on the article's "good description of subject matter and supporting details." Of the Sun-Sentinel's sports page, in issues dated Oct. 6, 13 and 20, 1988, judges commented on the "good coverage" and writing. McFerrin took honorable mention awards for best feature story and best sports photograph. The feature story was an April 28, 1988, article about then 99-year-old Maggie Merriwether of Paynes, while the sports photo was one of Jerry "The King" Lawler flinging Eddie Gilbert through the air during a March 1988 wrestling bout at Charleston High School. Combined with three earlier awards for excellence in the advertising division, the latest honors bring to 14 the total number of awards presented to the Sun-Sentinel by the Mississippi Press Association in 1989.

The MP founded in 1866, is one of the oldest professional associations in Mississippi and is the sixth oldest press association in the United States. BILOXI The Sun-Sentinel won 11 awards in the 1989 Mississippi Press Association Better Newspaper Contest The awards were presented Saturday morning during the MPA's 123rd annual convention held at the Gulf Coast's Biloxi Hilton. The Sun-Sentinel captured three each of first, second and third place awards, in addition to two honorable mention awards, in competition among Mississippi weekly newspapers with circulations of 3,000 and below. Entries in the competition were published during the 1988 calendar year. Sun-Sentinel editor Clay McFer-rin won a first place award for best spot news photograph.

The judges, professors of journalism at Northern Arizona University, said of the May 5, 1988, photograph which depicted firemen bearing a body bag containing the remains of a 10-month-old baby killed by fire, "Good drama; shows tragedy of incident; good quality." McFerrin also took a first place plaque for best pictorial series in one issue. The photographs were taken of the December 1988 Christmas parades in Charleston and Tutwiler. McFerrin and his wife, Krista, shared a first place plaque for best layout and design. Of the Sun-Sentinel, judges cited a "good modular look, balanced pages, good typeface uses." McFerrin won second place awards for best front page, best.