Kingsport Times-News from Kingsport, Tennessee • 3

i- IB LocalState Kingsport Times-News Wednesday October 19 1988 WETO-TV sold Station manager Jay Austin says lack of capital forced sale By ROSE HUTCHINSON Times-News Business Editor capital to pull through" New ownership should benefit audience Austin said because programming will -continue to be locally controlled additional resources will be available to boost the programming budget and havihg a station in the large Nashville market will give East Tennessee? Broadcasting more vith program suppliers "It should leave the station stronger financially and in terms of its programming and promoting its programming" he said Austin will continue to serve as general manager of the station and "I expect the folks that are here to' With the additional capital resources WETO may expand its sales force and its promotion department pleased they are going to let East Tennesseans continue to run the station" Austin said keeps the station sensitive to the needs of its Ratings estimates say WETO reaches between 140000 and 150000 viewers primarily in the Tri-Cities area spill over significantly into the Knoxville market and we have some viewership in Asheville Austin said The independent station is available on cable to 100 communities in Tennessee Virginia and Kentucky It is affiliated with the Fox Network and Austin says its Sunday night line-up featuring Fox programs represents the best of the week Austin said the Federal Communications Commission approved the change of licensing Oct 6 and the final order to be issued after allowing time for public comment should be made by Nov 7 MT Communications is based in Hidden Hills a suburb of Los Angeles and is owned primarily by Michael Thompson Stockholders in East Own include father Tom and his brother Tom Jr Jurgen Rademacher Roberta Lochte Robert Lochte Dr James Easterly John Kilday III and Ben Russell James Warner a secretary for MT Communications plans (to move from his home in Illinois to Tennessee and spend three days each in Greeneville and Nashville during each week He has more than 20 years experience including general manager of WFLD-TV GREENEVILLE Lack of operating capital forced the owners of WETO-TV in Greeneville to sell the station but station manager Jay Austin said the-sale will mean increased capital and clout for upgrading programming station has failed to be a monetary Austin said Tuesday started out undercapitalized The station just viable with the financial structure we Austin is one of several stockowners in East Tennessee's Own Incwhich began operating WETO-TV three years ago MT Communications Inc a California-based corporation agreed to pay East Own $150000 and to assume the bank debts up to $19 million MT Communications also is buying WCAY-TV in Nashville to combine with WETO to form East Tennessee Broadcasting Inc had nice growth as far as audience is concerned and the revenues have continued to Austin said just did not have enough rolls in By ALAN WESTON Times-News Staff Writer Dukakis is underdog in Tennessee Before Sullivan next state senator votes on any legislation next year he or she will vote on who will lead the Senate a question that has divided legislators into feuding factions in recent years Sen Milton Hamilton D-Union who is challenging Sen John Wilder's 18-year-grip on the Senate leadership post was in Sullivan ty Tuesday campaigning for local Democratic candidates as part of a statewide Victory tour think right now that on the Democratic Party side that I have enough votes to win the nomination to be (Senate) said Hamilton The Senate speaker is elected by the Senate as its leader and appoints officers and members off Senate committees The speaker also serves as lieutenant governor In 1986 Wilder a West Tennessee Democrat barely held on to the post By a 15-8 margin a majority of Democratic senators voted By ALAN WESTON Times-News Staff Writer Democratic leaders who rolled through Sullivan County on the Victory Tuesday did not sound highly optimistic about Democratic presidential candidate Michael chances for victory in Tennessee now Dukakis is running said state Sen Milton Hamilton of Union City one of the leading Democrats on Please see DUKAKIS page 2B 7 klNGSPORT MAN GUILTY IN STABBING BLOUNTVILLE A Kingsport man has been found guilty of the Feb 5 stabbing of an Abingdon man at a Bristol Tenn bar Tyrone Mitchell- T42 Springdale Drive was charged with aggravated assault for repeatedly stabbing James Richard Hughes 24 in the chest shoulder and side with a lock-blade knife at the Streamers- £lub-on Volunteer-Parkway Hughes was hospitalized for 10 days following the attack said Assistant District Attorney General Ed Wilson Mitchell was convicted Monday by a Sullivan County Criminal Court Jury after he turned down a plea bargain agreement under which he would plead guilty to aggravated assault and receive a four-year sentence He now faces a two-to-six-year sentence which will be set Dec 1 by Judge Lynn Brown FESTIVAL FEATURES SLIM GOODBODY The health safety apd fitness of children is the focus of the Healthy Festival sponsored by Holston Valley Hospital and WCYB Thursday and Friday at the Kingsport Civic Auditorium Featured entertainment for children in kindergarten through sixth grade will be Slim Goodbody and his musical health show Various school groups from Tennessee find Virginia will be attending the festival during the day but there will be a public performance at 7 Thursday at the Civic Auditorium The show will be presented free of charge There will be balloon rides starting at 6 pm and refreshments will be served SHUTTLEBUSES TO QUAYLE RALLY Shuttlebuses will transport supporters from the Freedom Hall Civic Center parking area to Sen Dan outdoor rally at East Tennessee State University beginning at 9:30 am Friday The Republican vice presidential candidate is scheduled to speak at 11:45 am at the amphitheater on the ETSU campus between the DP Culp Center and the library Those attending are asked to assemble at the amphitheater at 11:15 am The free bus service utilizing nearly two dozen buses will make return trips to the parking lot at Freedom Hall immediately after the rally is concluded Entertainment for the rally will get under way at 10:30 am with the bands from Daniel Boone and David Crockett high schools Other entertainment will be featured including Polly Mitchell Miss Downtown Johnson City and the country group David Band The ROTC Honor Guard will also be featured BOYS CLUB DINNER SLATED SATURDAY The Boys Club annual dinner and silent auction begins at 6 pm Saturday at the club says Executive Director Tom Condron Items donated from area business and private contributors will be on display with a bid sheet Bidders will write in their bid on the items then check back to see if the bid has been raised The high bid at the end of the social hour takes the prize The regular auction be- gins at 8:30 pm following a gourmet dinner The big-ticket item on this- auction is a Hawaii vacation complete with air transportation and one week's use of a four-bedroom condominium Tickets are $100 per couple For further information call Condron at1 245-8391 WESTMORELAND ELECTED BY GROUP Sullivan County Executive Keith Westmoreland has been elected vice president of the Tennessee County Executives Association a lobbying organization for county officials Westmoreland will help direct the lobbying efforts of the organization which has objected to paying to hold state prisoners in local jails requested the help in finding ways to fund state and federal regulations on landfills and solid waste and has supported expanding the local tax base to provide more money for education NATURE WORKSHOP SLATED A workshop on nature observation sponsored by the Watauga Audubon Society will be conducted by one of New best known naturalists Friday and Saturday at Warriors Path State Park The workshop will be conducted by Charles Roth director of education for the Massachusetts Audubon Society Roth is the author of a series of field guides including the well-known Observers The workshop will begin Friday with registration from 3-6 pm and will conclude at noon Sunday Cost of the workshop is $25 per person with meals provided at a small additional fee Camping is available at the park for $9 for the entire weekend or $650 per night To pre-register or for further information call Marty Silver Warriors Path State Park (615) 239-8531 Times-News photo David Grace aides Beth Winstead and Lewis Combs left with Vaughn Brewer and Sen Milton Hamilton D-Union City prior to visiting Kingsport City Hall Please see page 2B Bluff ducks can quack sigh of relief By LEE ANN FLEET Sullivan County Bureau you have White quipped one of those things that applies to my trade which is signs part of smelling the he said Whoever stole the old signs might even have done Bluff ducks a favor since the new ones will have a feature the old ones lacked: A reflective finish to protect ducks that might wander into the streets after dark Wells said the signs will be hung near Boone Lake where ducks congregate and often wander into the road disagreed and he and another resident paid for the signs which the mayor said were needed to protect ducks that gathered around Boone Lake White who owns White Advertising in Blountville said he was moved to aid Bluff ducks when he heard the signs were stolen i duck story is going to have a happy ending I just sleep at night thinking there is Bluff City without any duck signs your moral obligation to jump in and do what With any luck feathers be flying in Bluff City thanks to Blountville businessman Tim White who has volunteered to replace duck crossing signs stolen in recent weeks The two stolen signs caused a stir among the aldermen when Mayor Billy Wells purchased them in May because aldermen considered the signs a needless expense Wells Phipps grants again sought Church Hill officials renew application for sewer line By MIKE DYE Hawkins County Bureau Phipps Bend site will depend on sewer service from Church Hill The grant applications have the support of Hawkins County and Kingsport leaders involved with the Phipps Bend project and other state officials Noe said Church Hill has spent $150000 in city funds to modernize the sewer system including the addition of dewatering equipment City Attorney Charlton DeVault also briefed th? Board of Mayor and Aldermen on the status of the lawsuit against the Hawkins County Planning Commission Oral arguments are scheduled for Wednesday morning in Hawkins County Chancery Court for the suit in which the city is attempting to maintain the right to control zoning and subdivision regulations within its ex-tended planning region been a rather long gnd drawn-out dispute bqt (Wednesday) should be the start of the closing DeVault told the board The county Planning Commission is attempting to use private acts from 1975 and 1978 to control zoning and subdivision regulations within Church planning region which extends up to 5 miles outside city limits A Tennessee Supreme Court ruling involving a similar dispute between Alcoa and Blount County says a private act cannot be used to override authority mandated by state law DeVault said the county Planning Commission is attempting to sidestep this obstacle by claiming the Church Hill Planning Commission does not legally exist because $150 filing fee allegedly was -not paid in 1960 to have the com- mission chartered Church Hill disputes the contention that the fee was not paid and DeVault said he has found case law that rules a charter is valid if it was filed even if the fee was not paid CHURCH HILL City officials renewed the application Tuesday night for $15 million in state and federal grants to fund a 65-mile sewer line to the Phipps Bend Industrial Park Church Hill Mayor EB Noe said he expects a response to be made on the requests in the near future The grant applications were initially filed in the spring but had to be refiled because of the expiration of a six-month waiting period the mayor said The three grant applications include $700000 from the federal Appalachian Regional Commission $500000 from the federal Economic Development Agency and $300000 from the T'nnec'e Industrial Improvement Program Industrial development of the 1182-acre alternatiye school loses pfenal image Students in the alternative program today follow the regular high 'school curriculum guide and two of last graduates are now attending college The 96 percent attendance figures at the end of last year were better than the overall average at D-B Perhaps most important Ritz said he believes the students in the program feel good about school Life at the alternative school always been so positive When the D-B administration estab-' lished the program three years ago its function was primarily penal Students markedly and he will graduate on time He is vice president of auto mechanics organization and plans to enter the field after Ritz really helped a Stair says have stayed in the regular school I would have Students are assigned initially for a semester and evaluations are conducted each semester to determine whether they are ready to return to the regular'classroom often defensive when they Please see ALTERNATIVE page 2B I By JEFF KEELING Times-News Education Writer The attitudes and accomplishments at Dobyns-Bennett High alternative school run contrary to common perceptions that its the kind of place where difficult students are alternative program is full of intelligent likable says Mike Ritz who teaches the program along with RodBurton of them just happen for one reason or another to have a hard time functioning in the regular school the year though this early in' the year Ritz and Burton only have 11 By far the most prevalent reason for referral to the program is excessive unexcused absences For some reason most students in the program capable as they may be have lost the motivation to succeed in the traditional classroom setting was laying out of claSs a lot just not wanting to says Brian Stair 17 about the period just before he entered the alternative program last year Since the change in environment grades have improved A were for an initial period of six weeks and would perform assignments from their regular classes Ritz had just come over from Sullivan North High School to teach science but D-B needed someone for the new alternative program Ritz was that someone thought that I was going to be dealing with he says take us long to realize that these kids were all really capable though so we came up with a philosophy where eould help Enrollment in the alternative school usually runs about 20 students during A.