Rocky Mount Telegram from Rocky Mount, North Carolina • 2

Carolina Rocky Mount telegram Pago 2A Monday March 29, 1999 Leaf farmers get chance at federal disaster aid claim for 1998 through us even, if you didn't have crop' insurance." The deadline for applying for' the disaster assistance has beer! extended to April 9. "We had to extend the dead-, line because we hadn't gotten alt of the information we needed to administer the program," Mabry said. Farmers who produce less tobacco than their allotment often lease the rights to those pounds to farmers who ended the season with more tobacco than their quota allows. "The new provision is to allow all farmers to participate in the disaster program but even the farmer who didn't fall-lease can apply for assistance," Mabry said. "You can make a disaster all of the other qualifications are To qualify for the funds, a farmer must have planted at least 90 percent of his quota allotment, used normal work practices in tending the crop and suffered at least a 20 percent loss of quota poundage.

Many Twin County leaf crops were adversely affected last year by an unusually wet spring and announced in February by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "For IWS only, if a producer didn't make his allotted pounds on his farm, he could fall-lease them off and still qualify for disaster assistance." said Patricia Mabry. executive director of Nash County Farm Services Agency. "He would then get the benefits of leasing those pounds off, plus disaster assistance if Touring performers Officials still watching farm for carcasses By David Blount Staff writer State and local officials are continuing to monitor a farm in Sharpsburg where improperly buried hogs were found, to determine if the problem still exists.

In February, neighbors of the Langley Farm on Floodstore Road reported several dead hogs were either buried in shallow ground or were exposed. Health and environmental officials investigated the farm and found it to be in violation of laws regulating the disposal of dead hogs, since the animals were located near an open ditch and a well. Normally, a farm contracts with a rendering plant to remove dead animals. According to Buster Towell, ground water specialist with the North Carolina Division of Water Quality in Raleigh, the Langley Farm no longer had a contract with a rendering plant. "They told us their farm was too far off the beaten path for a plant to come pick up the hogs," Towell said.

"Burial is an option in that case. But the hogs need to Okinawan Theatrical Group Miyarabi-Kai players The group of school-age children grades four from Ishikawa City, in Okinawa, Japan, perform through seven is promoting Okinawan-American at White Oak High School Sunday in Jackson- friendship through their performances of tradi- ville, for their premier performance in the U.S. tional folk songs and dances. an unseasonably dry summer. Those who were unable to grow their full quota of tobacco and leased out their allotments still suffered some financial losses.

"It depends on what time of year they lose their crop how much they've invested in fertilizer and other expenses," Mabry said. "But they can't lease it for what they can sell it for on the market." AP photo no money Start, his early childhood education initiative; began reforms in the juvenile justice system; and has promoted dozensJbf other initiatives with state ah'dfederal money. The state during this decade also has dramatically increased the amount of money it has bor-rpwed for school construction, highways and water and sewer projects. The impact hit this year. "This is the critical year," said Rep.

David Redwine, in his first year as co-chair of the House budget-writing committee. "If we can get through this year, next year looks like it will be better, at least according to our projections." music-oriented shows "Gateway Cafe," from 9 to 1 1 a.m., weekdays, with Jackson as host, and "Encore" from 1 to 3 p.m., weekdays, with Station Manager David Parker as host. The other programs are "Scratchy Grooves," big band and jazz music from 3 to 5 p.m. Sundays; Irish, Scottish and related music on "The Celtic Hour," from 3 to 5 p.m., Saturdays; and "Ben Boddie on Jazz" from 10 p.m. to midnight, five times a week.

Davis struck a positive note on continuing locally produced programs, but could not offer specific plans. "We're going to continue to have some form of local pro- gramming," he said. "I just don't know what. By Gene Metrlck Tobacco fanners have until April 9 lo lake advantage of a change in federal crop insurance policy. The change allows for the payment of disaster relief funds to leaf growers who were forced to lease their allotments to other producers.

The new policy was KOSOVO From page 1A only inflaming the ethnic crisis in Kosovo, where ethnic Albanian rebels have been fighting for independence from Serbia, the main Yugoslav republic. Rusi Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev claimed civilians had been killed in Yugoslavia as the alliance pounded the country for a sixth day. Belgrade has not announced casualty estimates, although Yugoslav U.N. envoy Vladislav Jovanovic claimed Friday that hundreds of civilians had been killed. It is impossible to independently confirm casualty figures.

Early today. Allied warplanes targeted mobile Serb units in Kosovo and cruise, missiles launched from U.S. ships in the Adriatic joined in the barrage. Air raid sirens sounded again in the Yugoslav capital at mid-morning. Serbian state-run television repeatedly showed video of a raging fire in the center of Kosovo's capital of Pristina that it said was set off by a NATO missile attack on a police building.

Rather than restraining the Serbs, however, the attacks appeared only to have intensified their anger at the ethnic Albanians, ho make up 90 percent of Kosovo's 2 million people inhabitants. "The pattern that emerges (from their accounts) is paramili-. tary forces arriving, rounding people up and telling them at gunpoint to go," said spokesman Kris Janowsky of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva. "So we are seeing officially sanctioned ethnic cleansing of the Albanian population in Kosovo." A 24-year-old refugee from the Suva Reka are of southern Kosovo, Jeton Vranovski, told a reporter in Albania that when NATO airstrikes began, Serb police "came to our village and told us to go to America, go to NATO and they will help you." But Western leaders insisted the air campaign would continue until its goals were achieved.

WRQM From page 1A The possibility of problems with either seems remote, according to Charlie Lane, a Rocky Mount lawyer and chairman of the board of Friends of Down East Public Radio. The FCC would intervene only if there was an objection from a third party that would have a reason to be interested in the merger. "They would have to have a legal basis, and would have to have a lawyer to fight it," he explained. The directors made the decision to align the station with WUNC after hearing repeated presentations from officials there and from another suitor, New Bern-based WTEB-FM. "There was a great deal of sympathy at one time for Budget lament: 'There' This lawmaker is one happy camper be buried away from ditches and wells and must be buried under a minimum of three feet of dirt." Lowell Speight, a neighbor of the farm, said the problem iff-continuing, despite the efforts of government officials.

i. "We went back down to the farm and found more hogs on top of the ground," Speight said. "This is still a problem and we want somebody to do something about it." Towell investigated the com-; plaint last week and did not find, any further problems, but said he would continue to monitor the situation. Also, Towell said the well will be properly "It is out of operation right, now," he said. "It is smart and makes good business sense to make sure it is closed.

We are, going to have them close it properly." Dr. Andy Mixon, the state vet-' erinarian, said his department was monitoring the situation asj well, but would not comment on whether the farm will face any, fines. "I will not go any further into it until action has been taken," he-, said. "The case is still under, investigation." in Johnston County proved too far from Raleigh, with a 35r. minute commute on a good day.

State parks in the Raleigh area weren't options because they don't allow long-term The Robinsons wondered if they would have to abandon their idea before they learned about; Buffaloe's Mobile Acres in Gaf-ner from a camping club. It didn't sound too appealing, he' said, until they checked it out. "I've never seen a neater' mobile home park," said Robin'-' son, a former football coach at Western Carolina University Z-where his wife worked as a secretary, i- The Robinsons, who have three children and three grand-'' children, have traveled as far Alaska and the Canadian ies in their RV but say living long-term in a motor home, requires some adjustments. 'The worst part is we both" have to share a bathroom," Mrs, Robinson said. y- "I feel like a go-go dancer irv the shower," she "It's-got a skylight and you're up on a.

ledge." pupil is more appropriate." Raising the per-pupil expend-'' ture to the national average' would cost $18,000 per class-', room. The money could cut class, size, increase teacher pay improve technology. Jenkins is a strong advocate for technology in schools. He works with computers Abbott Labs, and frequently shares his computer expertise when the school board is considr ering new computers or other technology-related topics. "That helps me help the school system keep up with gy," he said of his job at Abbott.

come up with a balanced budget in a year when court-ordered tax refunds and spending commitments already may outstrip the money the state has collected so far. While the federal government and most states are flush with cash because of a booming economy. North Carolina is facing its tightest budget in nearly a xleeade. The crunch is easy to explain. North Carolina was second only to Arizona in cutting taxes over the last four years, trimming revenues by nearly $2 billion.

At the same time, Gov. Jim Hunt was promoting a four-year program to raise teacher salaries to the national average. He also pushed for full funding for Smart programs. While attracting a core of supporters, WRQM could not reach a wide enough base of donors willing to contribute to its annual fall and spring fund-raisers. Several times in recent years, drives fell short of their goals.

Public, radio stations also are suffering from cuts in federal support. "It's a phenomenon that's occurring nationally," Lane said. "You've got to be in an area that can can raise $800,000 per year (to succeed). If we would have had a million dollars in the bank, we would have done this." The move leaves two workers and a handful of locally pro duced programming at WRQM. Still airing will be the classical it RALEIGH (AP) The pitch for state budget money was nothing unusual: constituents involved, in a pilot project wanted to expand their program next year.

"There is no money," Sen. Beverly Perdue, co-chair of the Senate budget committee, told the senator making the presentation. "I've told them that, but they want to talk to you," the senator responded. 'Til be glad to talk to them, but it isn't going to change anything," said Perdue, D-Craven. "There is no money this year." The scene at the back of the Senate chamber is repeated dozens of times a day as House and Senate budget-writers struggle to WTEB," he said.

"It would have been fine. (WTEB) is a fine group." In the end, however, WUNC won over the board, in part on the strength of its financial soundness. "That vote was unanimous, absolutely unanimous and enthusiastic," Lane said. The move marks a new chapter for Friends of Down East Public Radio had been trying to develop for several years. During the past two years, there had been an intense drive to set up the station so it would be self-supporting, including hiring an outside consultant to help guide the directors and station management, expanding the staff and adding a wider variety of Chuck Hatfield Circulation director Keith Abbott Production director Marti Barnes Advertising director WILMINGTON (AP) When it comes to.

wheeling and dealing in the General Assembly, you could say that state Sen. Dan Robinson is in the driver's seat. Shunning the usual pick of Raleigh hotels and apartment complexes where state lawmakers typically stay through Thursdays, Robinson and his wife, Jean, opted to bring their second home with them. Their home away from home is a 36-foot RV tucked among the trailers at a Wake County mobile home park. "We had more or less decided even before the election that if I was successful that we were going to use the mobile home," said Robinson, a first-term Democrat from Jackson County.

Jean Robinson, who serves as her husband's legislative clerk, first suggested the unusual living arrangement. "I tried to talk her out of it during the winter months," said Robinson. "That just didn't go over at all." With the election won, the Robinsons immediately began scouting for campgrounds. One JENKINS From page 1A "We just need to continue and make sure we don't go another 25 years without building a new school," he said. He's also concerned about the Nash-Rpcky Mount Association of Educators request to increase teacher pay.

The group recently asked the Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education to increase the local teacher supplement from the current rate of 4 percent to 10 percent. "It's a very laudable goal to raise teachers' salaries to the national average, but it's not the most appropriate goal," he said. "Raising the expenditure per Rocky Mount Telegram Rip Woodin Publisher Jeff Herrin Editor Julie Howard Accounting manager Miss your paper? We hope not. But if you haven't received your Rocky Mount Telegram by 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by 7 a.m.

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