Sun Herald from Biloxi, Mississippi • 28

2 THESUNIIEHALD WEDNESDAY JAN 21 1987 Black-oriented ing on Foxy AM and FM Meanwhile at WGCM Carney who replaced former manager Max Stevens agreed that Foxy "was doing it better than WTAM was So we decided that we were going to do country better than anyone else Carney stressed that all WTAM employees would work at WGCM "We have positions for he said know what doing and where going If you you lose They Lucas a former employee of WGCM and WTAM said he knew WTAM was heading for bad days before he left to go to work at Foxy 96 "We knew what was needed at TAM but we allowed to do it Now we have many of the ex-TAM people working over here at Foxy and doing what we wanted to do over Besides Lucas other former WTAM workers at Foxy 96 include Rip Daniels A1 Love and Tommy Manning who has an all-day religious show on Sundays on Foxy-AM Foxy owner David Steere was scheduled to praise contributions to the community in an on-air editorial broadcast this morn radio Foxy 96 for instance began simulcasting about two years ago on AM-1130 which had been known as "Big WAIZ Foxy spokesman Jim Lucas said that AM stations are finding their listeners are being sapped off by FM stations happening because of the clearer signal on The Federal Communications Commission Iiraa said realized what was happening and gave stations "an opportunity to simulcast the FM to help make the AM more Lucas said previous management had lost touch with its audience "They just got he said "It die staff but the management Radio is a living entity like a living being You have to mat would be changing to country music The announcement also said that the station would continue religious programming on Sunday mornings Carney said competition from other black-oriented station WQFX popularly known as Foxy 96 led to the change at WTAM which had served Gulfport since 1969 In fact the WTAM announcements on TUesday encouraged listeners who like black-oriented music also known as urban contemporary to tune to Foxy 96 Beginning today Foxy will be the only black-oriented station in Gulfport It broadcasts at FM-96 with a simulcast on AM-1130 Pascagoula has a black-oriented WKKY Simulcasting which is sending one broadcast over two frequencies is not new to Coast By ymcniT cam MARQUEE EDITOR Regular listeners of WTAM the black-oriented station in Gulfport will hear different music this morning when they tune to 1240 AM WmH of black artists such as Cameo Freddie Jackson and Janet Jackson WTAM listeners will hear such country acts as Alabama Dan Seals and Reba McEntire Beginning at 6 am WTAM will become WGCM-AM and provide a simulcast of its sister country station WGCM-FM WTAM general manager Dan Carney announced the decision Tuesday afternoon The broadcast light jazz music throughout the day periodically announcing that the for WTAM had originally been an FM station when it made its debut Shortly after Hurricane Camille in 1969 WGCM was moved to the FM slot in 1981 and TAM was relegated to AM The move made WGCM the only country station in stereo In the most recent Arbitron radio ratings WGCM was the most popular country station on the Coast Investigators suspect arson in school fire Fire investigators suspect that arson caused a Monday night fire that gutted the old Orange Grove School Middle School on Okl US 49 Bill Suckow chief of the Orange Grove Volunteer Fire Department said Tuesday that investigators were sifting through the ashes of the 70-year-old building which was being used for storage "The investigation is not complete yet but right now it looks like Suckow said "It looks like somebody broke into the building and set fire to it while they were in One Orange Grove volunteer firefighter Tun Switzer was hospitalized after inhaling smoke while fighting the Maze He was listed in good condition and stable at Gulf Coast Community Hospital in Biloxi cm Tuesday A spokesman in the office of Henry Arledge superintendent of county schools estimated the damage to the building at $158000 Suckow said that 53 firefighters from six volunteer fire departments responded to the fire which was reported at about 10:30 pm The school had not been used for classes since 1971 and firefighters concentrated their efforts in protecting the nearby new Orange Grove School which houses grades four through six Suckow said the newer building was not damaged by fire PAT SULLIVAN Firefighters from several volunteer fire departments work to keep flames from spreading to newer sections of the 70-year-old Orange Grove School BE Fire destroys auto customizing shop I WJ roads Council passes Joint tax resolution The Biloxi City Council on Tuesday adopted resolutions asking the state Legislature to pass laws allowing the dty and county to collect taxes jointly designating a deadline for setting mayor and council salaries and providing for special elections to fill vacant council seats All three resolutions passed unanimously Ward 3 Councilman Yankie Barhan-ovich said the joint tax collection proposal would let people (dty and county) taxes at the same time in the same place Sales of property for delinquent taxes tax sales redemptions would also be conducted jointly under the proposed law Remembering the last election when outgoing coundlmen voted pay increases from $6000 to $8000 for the already-elected but not yet swom-in new members the council asked Tuesday for an amended law requiring any salary changes for elected dty officials be made at least 180 days prior to the election The resolution was introduced by Ward 6 Councilman Bob Carroll and Ward 7 Councilman Bill Fluty Ward 5 Coundlwoman Dianne Har-enski said the new law if enacted by the Legislature would up government and keep people Council President Mary Carpenter of Ward 4 said she no qualms about people knowing my salary stand last time" and had no qualms about the new resolution as adopted Another resolution introduced by Carroll and Fluty would require an election within 120 days after the vacancy to fill any open seat on the dty coundl provided the unexpired term was 270 days or more Fhity said that under current law an appointee could serve "364 before an election is called He said people should be served by elected nffv-iaU not appointed ones Carroll said the new law if enacted would that down to four months which was under investigation was started The fire spread quickly throughout the wooden structure but firefighters were able to extinguish the flames in the front section within minutes Because of a strong northeast wind firefighters took the precaution of housing down the a section of the Metropolitan Bank which is next to the customizing shop Scott Crothers bank branch manager was called to the scene He said the bank did not appear to be damaged The alarm on at least erne oxygen pack was heard ringing as he left the charred building Two of the firefighters also were equipped with motion alarms which go off whenever the wearer is motionless for a certain time This way a downed fireman can eaily be located Battalion Chief Russel Doucet said Ronnie Mattina owner and operator of Fancy Vans Inc an automotive customizing shop in Biloxi barely escaped from a fire that gutted his business Tuesday night No injuries were reported "I was back there welding and the next thing I knew one side of the wall was on Mattina 42 said as he stood staring blankly into the blackened interior of his shop on Pass Road at Beauvoir Road Mattina failed to put out the fire fled to a nearby business and called the fire department shortly before 9 pm He said that before he could get back to the scene a gas tank in the building exploded Mattina who was alone in the shop said he was welding on a dolly near the center of the building when he looked to his side and saw the fire He said he did not know how the fire Gulfport council delays vote on EEOC officer Gulfport City Council members delayed a vote on appointing personnel director Doris Robinson as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission officer Mayor Leroy Urie had asked the council to appoint Robinson the EEOC officer replacing present EEOC officer Claude Griffin Urie said the city does not need a full-time EEOC officer But a group of black residents led by the Rev William Young of Ward 1 opposed combining the personnel director and the EEOC officer into one position And Maltena James of Ward 1 said she wanted to know why the dty made an effort to employ many qualified black residents in dty jobs More blacks should be employed by the dty she said Ward 3 Councilman Jim McDaniel suggested delaying action on request until the Feb 3 meeting because he said he needed more information before he could reach a dedsion Council members voted to change addresses along Pass Road and East Beach Boulevard in east Gulfport The action will prepare the dty for enhanced-911 emergency telephone service set to begin July 1 Pass Road east of Courthouse Road will become East Pass Road and East Beach Boulevard east of Courthouse will become Beach Drive Zeros will be dropped from the begining of street numbers along both Flooding forces Laurel evacuations LAUREL (AP) Flooding from a creek sent water into a dozen homes here Tuesday and Jones County officials said as many as 400 people could be forced to higher ground before the stream returned to its banks got about 60 familes out now and looking at possibly 40 more families facing evacuation before all this said Carl Carlos county Civil Defense chief The Laurel area had redeved over five inches of water in rains BILOXI Continued from Page D-l the resolution by Biloxi director of Community Development Robert Simmons The commission did unanimously and was praised by Simmons for its action "That support represents a change in the right Simmons said Blessey has complained in the past about the lade of assistance in luring new industry to the eastern part of Harrison County The application must be in by Feb 1 and the state Department of Economic Development is expected to consider it along with applications from other parts of the state at its February board meeting suiting in a 179 percent decrease in population Blessey said the request for enterprise zone designation for part of the dty is unique "in that the City of Biloxi is the first area smaller than a county to But Blessey said in a letter accompanying the application is clearly among the 40 most distressed county or sub-county areas in the About the same time that the council was passing the resolution 7-0 the Harmon County Development Commission was asked at its meeting in Gulfport to endorse Staff writer Alan Schmidt contributed to this report muuniwiiMU iuppfw OYSTERS Continued from Page D-l thrive where salt concentration in the water is high subsequent years things might get better Leard said In the meantime however oysters prices are climbing from a recent low of $13 a sack to $20 to $23 a sack scarce prices are high and yielding nothing said Jackie Pickich an employee of Captain seafood market in Biloxi purge the coliform from their system "It is very tentative at this time especially after three days of Leard said about the chances of reopening the reefs But the rains while causing shortterm problems for oystermen could be a long-term blessing The fresh water rushing into the Sound may push back oyster drills predatory snails that have devastated oyster reefs on the Coast Drills Harrison County reefs and in Jackson County The water near those reefs had tested below dangerous fecal coli-form levels twice in recent days Only me more positive test is needed fin: the reefs to be opened But the weekend rains have probably raised the coliform levels Leard aid meaning that the testing cycle will have to begin all over again Oysters who feed by filtering particles from the water need about 15 days to cock County has been released under $5000 bond Delbert Archie Ashcraft 48 of 364 Courthouse Road is accused of embezzling several thousand dollars during the past six or seven months from his employer Gulf Coast Security Services Inc Hancock County Department Investigator Glen Strong said Man held on stolen property charge BAY ST LOUIS A Tennessee man was arrested in Hancock County on Monday and charged with possession of stolen property Perry Ward 27 of Memphis is accused of stealing a motorcycle in Slidell La Sheriffs Department Investigator Glen Strong said The motorcycle was recovered by authorities and Ward has been turned over to the Slidell Police Department One charged in armed robbery A 17-year-old was jailed under a $10000 bond Sunday after being charged with pulling a knife on a convenience store clerk and robbing her The robbery occurred between 8:20 and 8:30 pm Sunday Police said Tuesday that the juvenile and a companion were taking money out of the cash register at Party Store on Cowan Road in Gulfjxut while clerk Wilma back was turned When McCaine turned around and saw what was happening she was threatened with the knife police said The two robbers described by Gulfport police as white males fled on foot into a wooded area southwest of the store Police spotted the 17-year-old who matched the description provided by witnesses He was returned to the store and allegedly identified as being one of the robbers police said The companion was still at large police said oystermen "If not going to hurt anything you might as well let them try Leard said Leard said that BMR sampling showed many more oysters in West Youth arrested in bomb scare A 17-year-old was arrested by Long Beach police Tuesday and charged with three counts of telephoning bomb scares to Long Beach High School during the past week Police Chief Ken Pell said the teenager was arrested in the Piggly Wiggly grocery store parking lot on East Railroad Street about 25 minutes after he allegedly telephoned a bomb scare to school officials on Tuesday morning Pell would not release the name of the North Long Beach youth because of his age He was placed in the Harrison County Family Court detention center pending a hearing Pell said that the boy allegedly telephoned in bomb scares last Thursday and Friday before he telephoned in the scare Tuesday at 8:45 am In the Thursday and Friday threats the boy allegedly told school nffiriaU that there was a bomb in the school and said that it would explode in a certain amount of time But Tuesday morning the message was different morning he just said that there was a bomb in the school and hung Pell said Tuesday seemed A telephone-tracing device was put on the school phone after the first threat on Thursday and an investigation by police and a South Central Bell security officer led to the arrest PeO said Embezzlement suspect released on bond BAY ST A Gulfport man who was arrested on Monday and charged with embezzlement in Han IVAIfik TilIK' ir'Ji HiiUmLii'lirtUil'illJiJrl stating its approval of allowing the city of Gautier to take over the utility in the future when it is financially able Ellingson said the city which was incorporated last summer cannot borrow money from the Home Administration or the Environmental Protection Agency which are funding $12 million of improvements and cannot pass bond issues because the US Justice Department has not approved election system Acting Mayor Bill Scheffler said recently that Gautier would consider taking over the utility when the city has an established budget and when the utility has secured all necessary loans HOSTAGE Continued from Page D-l bottom of the door Scott said he and his cell mate could not both exercise which mainly consisted of jogging in place at the same time due to the scarcity of oxygen in the ceD He said they had no radio no television and no communication with other prisoners Upon learning of the arms issue Scott said he was frustrated more than anything else initially questioning himself as to why he had suffered through the 444-day hostage crisis But he said he finally realized that he had done it for himself not the United States Still he says he is a patriot In fact his message to the dinner club Tuesday was on the rebirth of patriotism in America UTILITY Continued from Page D-l know anything in advance you were chained blindfolded and one of those leather prison hoods pulled down over your Often he was held in a 5-foot by 7-foot cell with a steel door The only air came through the crack at the not have meters utility manager Paul Boguski said Ellingson said the district commissioners passed a resolution recently.