Rocky Mount Telegram from Rocky Mount, North Carolina • 2

(LAKDLMA Tuesday July 29, 1997 Page 2A Rocky Mount Telegram plant has poor record Malfunctioning wastewater teria and other pollutants. The regulators issued only one fine. Two years ago, Durham County's Environmental Affairs Board produced a 70-page report warning about the plant's operating problems and calling for upgrades. "We've been seeking to raise the alarm for a few years now," said David Kirkpatrick, the board's chairman. "Now there's no more need to." State and local officials said Sunday's spill stemmed from a leaky valve on one of four pumps at the plant, which serves most of the laboratories and factories of Research Triangle Park and about 5,000 residents near the park.

About 1 1 a.m. Sunday, a valve at the plant's pump station started leaking s6wage through, a 2-inch hole, said Ken Schuster, regional supervisor for the state Division of Water Quality. The dam to contain a 400-foot portion of the creek and began flushing the sewage-laced section with fresh water. Officials said the spill posed no immediate danger to Cary, Apex and other communities that draw their drinking water from Jordan Lake, but Cary was advised to chlorinate its water more heavily. Environmentalists said the spill is another example of the state's reluctance to' enforce Emergency landing Military probing helicopter crash mm -t AP photo landing.

The crew had discovered smoke in the cockpit. No injuries were reported. The cause of the smoke is under investigation. A KC-135 military refueling plane sits on the taxiway Monday at Raleigh-Durham International. Airport after making an emergency DURHAM (AP) An accident at a Durham County wastewater treatment plant that sent 1.6 million gallons of sewage into tributajjesfJTordan Lake was not surprising, given the plant's track record, some environmentalists said.

Since 1993, state regulators have cited the Triangle Wastewater Treatment Plant for 14 violations of its operating permit including excessive discharges of ammonia, fecal bac State briefs From staff, wire reports Candidates file for local elections The following candidates tiled Friday and Monday for local October-November elections: Nash Countv I I Krviaiiaf 1 urn Commissioner: Elosie L. Bass Ronald H. Pace Middlesex Mayor: Bobby R. Bissette Middlesex Town Commissioner: Harold Meacombs Joseph Isaac Lewis Spring Hope Town Commissioner: Bobby J. Browder Jr.

Nashville Town Commissioner: Thomas I. Rogers Jr. Mary Hobbes Mclntyre Dispatcher pleads guilty in drug case WINSTON-SALEM A Durham 91 1 dispatcher charged with dealing cocaine pleaded guilty as his federal court trial was about to begin. Antonio Autry, 36, was scheduled for trial Monday. Instead, he changed the not-guilty plea he entered June 2 Autry pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring to distribute crack and powder cocaine.

ESCAPEE From page 1 A Stample's body was found five days later, and four men, including Arrington, were arrested. Pleading guilty to second-degree murder, Arrington received "the" stiffest sentence life behind bars for Stample's death. Authorities contended Arrington was the shooter. The other three defendants Michael Moore, Larry Donnel Cooper and John Moore all of Nashville at the time pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact of murder. Michael Moore was sentenced to 3 years in prison, and John Moore Jr.

and Cooper received 3-year suspended sentences for their plea-bargain agreements. Assistant News Editor J. Eric Eckard contributed to this story. CAMP LEJEUNE (AP) Military officials are launching an investigation to determine whya helicopter crashed into thi AtlanticjQcean, killing two Mar-: ine Corps aviators. The bodies of Capt.

Clark A. Cox, 32, a native of Iowa City, Iowa, and Capt. Jerrell H. Boggan, 30, -originally of Ha skell, were found in the Atlantic Monday. Their AH-1W Cobra helicopter crashed about 10:45 p.m.

Sunday during exercises with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Debris from the aircraft was found about seven miles southeast of New River Inlet. The crash was the second fatal military helicopter crash in North Carolina this month. Eight members of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division were killed July 8 when a Black Hawk JJH-60 crashed at Fort Bragg. In May, an AH-1W Cobra crashed near Dallas, Texas, while returning to Marine Corps Air Station New River from the Bell Helicopter Textron factory near Fort Worth.

Both crewmen were killed. In May 1996, 14 people died after a Cobra helicopter collided with a CH-64E Sea Knight helicopter at Camp The Cobra carries a two-man crew. The copter, that crashed was assigned to Marine Helicopter Squadron .263 at a WRQM gets go-ahead resulting flood knocked out all four pumps, causing the sewage to overflow and cascade into Northeast Creek and a smaller tributary of Jordan Lake. The overflow continued for 1 3 hours before workers repaired the first pump, said County Manager David Thompson. On Monday, workers began spreading lime on approximately one acre of contaminated soil around the pump station.

Crews also constructed a straw-bale to continue merce and WRQM board member, General Manager Burr Beard and consultant Michael Titterton, founder and ex-seneral manager of Wilmington's WHQR. WRQM's status was in jeopardy principally because it does not currently, meet NPR's minimum requirement of five full-time professional staff. That the network would agree to bend the rules for one more year to allow WRQM time to meet compliance is, according to' Titterton, "a tremendous vote of confidence in the ability of the citizens of this region to get behind a community effort. It's also, frankly, rather unusual. What swayed them, I think, was the degree of commitment shown by Mr.

Pitt and Mr. Fairchild, and the track record that the citizens of this community have for making good and worthwhile things happen." Titterton has- been working with the WRQM board for the past few weeks and interviewing community leaders. Later this week he will present a strategic plan for the coming year involving the gradual phasing-in of a full-strength professional staff, suggestions for ways in which WRQM can be of help to the region's cultural community, and the planning of on-air fund-raisers. son, Mitchell, Yancey, McDowell, Rutherford, Polk. Avery, Burke, Watauga.

Caldwell. Catawba and Alexander. ZZZ: Vance, part of Nash. Wilson, Greene. Lenoir, Warren, Halifax, Edgecombe.

Pitt. Craven, Junes. Northampton, Hertford. Bertie, Martin, Beaufort, Pamlico, Carteret, Gates, Camden, Currituck, Pasquotank, Perquimans. Chowan.

Dare, Tyrrell, Washington and Hyde. YYY: Remaining counties. water quality laws aggressively. Earlier this year, the State Bureau of Investigation launched a probe after disclosures of unreported sewage spills in Kiri-ston, which DWQ has cited nurnerous' times but fined only $500. According to state files, DWQ inspectors issued violation notices against the Triangle plant six times in 1993, four times in 1994, twice in 1995 and twice in 1996.

AH-1W Cobra Crew 2 Mission fuel load 2,086 lbs. Max. level speed '175mph lain-fotof-dii Helicopter' crash Atlantic Ocean 100 km APCarl Fox Marine Corps Air Station New River, a part of the sprawling Camp Lejeune base. Details about the crash were limited, said Staff Sgt. Kent Flora, a spokesman at the air station.

"We're still trying to find out what happened," he said Monday. Television station WCTI reported that the two aviators were providing close air support dur- ing a nighttime boat raid and 'were returning to the ship when their helicopter went down. mmm" 33 without pay while authorities investigate, charges that he threatened to shut down two businesses unless the owners paid him. The owner of one business recorded his conversations the inspector and turned the tape over to police. "To make it short, he was trying to blackmail me," said Roger Philbeck, owner of Breakers Billiards, who made the recording.

"He was wanting $500 now or he said he was going to shut me down." Hayes said Putnam also was charued with taking S80 at gunpoint from Philbeck. vr 1 GA. S.C. 100 miles -f Nutty legislators prideThe group lias constructed new studios and offices at 434 Falls Road. Rocky Mount, and adopted a classical musicfine arts format.

Public affairs programs from National Public Radio, such as "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition," are also an important part of WRQM's schedule, which is why last week's decision by NPR was welcome news to local officials. MI really -feel like we're finally on the home stretch," said Pitt, Rocky Mount businessman and vice-president of WRQM's Friends group. "It's been a struggle, but I know now that we're in sight of having a public radio station the whole community can get behind, and be proud of. The folks at NPR are as convinced as we are that WRQM will be a tremendous addition to the quality of life of the whole region not just Rocky Mount, but Wilson, Nashville, Tarboro, and even Greenville and in a couple of years from now we won't know how we ever managed without it." Pitt was one of a delegation of four who travelled to Washington, D.C., last week to plead WRQM's case before the NPR board. Others in the group were Jim Fairchild, president of the Rocky Mount Chamber of Com I I WW 1 1 ii mi "awn 111 ir 1- ir Mi turf Contributed to the Telegram In a show of confidence for local public radio station -WRQM, the governing board of National Public Radio in Washington, D.C., last week voted to allow the fledging station to retain full membership status.

WRQM's continued membership in NPR had been in question because WRQM does not at present meet the membership criteria for the network of non-commercial stations. WRQM (90.9 FM), which has been operating as a licensee Jof the Rocky Mount-based Friends of Down East Public Radio, Inc. since 1995, has been working to develop itself as a resource for all aspects of the area's culture. The group has been working toward its dream of providing the Down East region with a public radio station of the first rank, such as Chapel Hill's WUNC, Asheville's WCQS and Wilmington's WHQR. In those communities, the public radio stations are indispensable partners with the whole arts community, working cooperatively on events, providing exposure for local artists and organizations, and continually, raising levels of cultural consciousness and.

community are called XXX, YYY and ZZZ. Numbers wouldn't be assigned to them until they are approved. Area codes would be assigned to counties as follows: 704: Cleveland, Lincoln, Gaston, Iredell, Rowan, Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Stanly, Union and Anson. 919: Granville, Franklin, Durham, Orange, Chatham, Lee, part of Harnett, Wake, Johnston and Wayne. 910: Harnett, Moore, Montgomery, Richmond, Scot- Dave Roe Circulation director Keith Abbott Production director Marti Barnes Advertising director Telephone spokesmen say state needs three new area codes AP photo Rep.

Lyons Gray, R-Forsyth, left, and Sen. John Kerr, D-Wayne, share a jar of peanuts as they confer on the floor of the state House in Raleigh. RALEIGH (AP) The state may run out of telephone numbers if regulators don't approve a plan to double North Carolina's area codes to six, telephone company spokesmen say. "A very, very difficult situation has arisen," Steve Parrott of Sprint told the ctate Utilities Commission Monday. Telephone numbers available in area code 910 are due to run out by July 1998, said Wayne Gray, a planner for BellSouth.

The three proposed area codes 1 he Twin Counties would be included in one of the proposed new area codes. land, Hoke, Cumberland, Sampson, Duplin, Onslow, Pender. New Hanover, Brunswick, Columbus, Bladen and Robeson." XXX: Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Swain, Macon, Haywood, Jackson, Transylvania, Madison, Buncombe, Hender Building inspector faces extortion-related charges Rocky Mount Telegram Den Dickerson Publisher JeffHerrin 'Managing editor Gwen Williamson Accountant KINGS 'MOUNTAIN (AP) The city's chief building inspector made an unscheduled stop to check out the Cleveland County jail from an inmate's point of view. Jeff Putnam was released from the jail on $20,000 bond Monday, two days after he was charged with two counts of extortion, second-degree kidnapping, carrying a concealed weapon, larceny and communicating threats. "AH I can say is he was trying to abuse his position as building inspector," said Police Chief Bob Hayes.

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