The Knoxville News-Sentinel from Knoxville, Tennessee • 4

A4 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Friday January 27 1989 EAST TENNESSEE State fuel proposal fuels funding debate By ROSALAND TYLER News-Sentinel staff writer think we can police it more effectively if we build the lab Farming out the test samples to independent firms would cost too much 99 Rep Robert Good R-Johnson City stricter quality control program Co-Chairman Rep Robb Robinson D-Nashville said program will force service station owners to tell the truth when posting octane levels If the sign says 100 octane then we will test the fuel to make sure it is all it is supposed to Tennessee is one of a handful of states without a fuel testing lab or strict fines for violators said Co-Chairman Rep Robert Good R-Johnson City To fund the proposed gasoline testing and enforcement program subcommittee members will either ask for a portion of Gov Ned proposed gasoline tax increase or request funds from the current 1 -cent gasoline inspection fee ies received nearly $74 million for streets and the University of Tennessee received $65000 for its government training pogram The rest $473000 went to the general fund If approved the state testing and enforcement program would operate under the Department of Agriculture The proposed budget of nearly $25 million would fund construction of a state lab purchase of equipment and addition of field inspectors Lawmakers are divided about funding a state testing lab during the first year The proposal estimates the lab would cost at least $900000 to build Equipment costs would be $742500 Members of the Motor Fuels Study Committee may fuel debate as they add finishing touches Monday to a $25 million legislative proposal designed to improve gasoline quality statewide The six -member House subcommittee formed in April to study gasoline kerosene and diesel fuels found that more than half of 111 fuel samples failed to meet state standards Subcommittee members released their findings based on a check of service stations throughout Tennessee in July The subcommittee called for a that brought in more than $365 million last year Those proposals might create debate Good said reasonable to assume the state and county highway department and others will object to us going into that Good said Last year the Department of Transportation received nearly $232 million the share of the gasoline inspection fee money Nearly $48 million was returned to counties for highway improvements Cit Champion denies bluffing Rescue squad board sues WKXT-TV official calls licensing procedure unfair By BETSY PICKLE News-Sentinel entertainment writer the mill would not achieve water-quality standards The states agreed to consider variances to their water-quality standards for color If the variances were granted the EPA would issue a draft permit requiring a of 85 true color units at the state Barrett said the proposed permit would have met all of standards except for color denial of the color variance by Tennessee limits the potential he said continue to seek a satisfactory solution to this For 80 years the huge paper mill has been discharging waste into the Pigeon River ronmental Protection Agency issued a statement Thursday confirming earlier statements by Champion and North Carolina officials that there was no existing technology to enable the plant to meet standard of 50 color units at the state border EPA discussed possible solutions to the problem with representatives from North Carolina and Tennessee in February 1988 There was a general consensus that feasible technology does not exist to achieve 50 apparent color units at the state line with the mill at full said Bruce Barrett director of the water management division for Region 4 By Associated Press CHARLOTTE NC Champion International Corp Thursday disputed claims that the company was bluffing when it announced it will cut at least 1000 jobs at its Canton paper mill and may close the plant because it cannot meet standards for a cleaner Pigeon River clear preference is to figure a way to keep that mill open and Champion vice president Robert Turner said in a telephone interview from the Stamford Conn headquarters not going to Meanwhile the federal Envi From staff reports MARYVILLE The board of directors of the Blount County Rescue Squad went to court Thursday in its continuing battle with squad members The board filed a lawsuit in the equity division of Blount County Circuit Court asking the court to declare the charter of incorporation dated March 24 1958 be in full force and The lawsuit also asks the court to nullify a charter amendment adopted by the squad membership in which the squad has the power to remove board members The board also wants the court to issue injunctive relief demanding the squad turn in keys and equipment and relingush control of the squad building The lawsuit seeks an accounting of the finances since Sept 1 1988 About two weeks ago the board voted to appoint a new captain and reorganize the squad The squad then voted to remove board members compete with The other difference between WKXT and other two network-affiliated commercial television stations is that WKXT has an hour early evening newscast instead of the traditional half-hour newscast The CBS affiliate inherited the hour format from WTVK Channel 26 the UHF station it bought and shut down in order to convert to VHF Bagwell said he was dubious at first about continuing the hour newscast but he gradually has been won over think an hour newscast is a disadvantage from a ratings he said start at 5:30 Viewers in this market have had 30 years of watching their news at 6 conditioned to that You change viewer habits overnight you change change viewer habits in six months you change them in a year will probably take two years for us to make some significant impact in our news ratings when I say significant I mean No Cocaine ruled responsible for death collapsed at the Me-chanicsville Beaumont Lonsdale building while officers were questioning him He died later at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center A toxicology report revealed had 178 micrograms of cocaine per milliliter of blood which apparently caused his heart to stop Pedigo said a whole lot of he said Besides cocaine blood contained two other narcotic drugs but no alcohol Pedigo said The preliminary autopsy in December revealed death by drug overdose but medical examiners performed toxicology tests to determine the type of drug A Knoxville police internal investigation into the death is ongoing and should be completed next week police said The 34-year-old man who died from a drug overdose while in police custody in December had ingested an excessive amount of cocaine Knox County Medical Examiner Randy Pedigo said Thursday Ray Anthony was picked up by Metro narcotics officers Dec 8 at his Berlin Drive condominium on a warrant involving the alleged sale and delivery of cocaine police said The Federal Communications Commission unnecessarily doubled the time it should have taken to approve a licensee for Channel 8 WKXT-TV news director and general partner Don Bagwell said Thursday 8 could have been on the air four years ago had the commission taken the initiative and weeded those people out who were not serious or who had no Bagwell told the East Tennessee Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists composed of print and broadcast representatives About 35 people attended the meeting at the Greater Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Bagwell whose station began full-power broadcasting Dec 12 said the process of application and negotiation for television channels is not think that probably one of the greatest travesties that ever been involved in that the FCC would allow people that virtually had no chance of winning any broadcast channel not just Channel 8 to go in and gain financial said Bag-well who spent nine years on public affairs staff is absurd Tennessee Telecorp of Knoxville and South Central Communications of Evansville Ind formed a limited partnership in September 1988 and were granted the license for Channel 8 Their setup puts Channel 8 in a different somewhat disadvantaged situation from competitors WBIR owned by Multimedia and WATE owned by Nationwide Communications Bagwell said have deep pockets and long he said have to Boxer Tate pushes fight to win assets back By SIBYL JEFFERSON News-Sentinel staff writer you want to be on the weekend! refused to see that Tate has appropriate training educational medical and psychological services according to the complaint court-ordered conservatorship was set up in 1983 He tried to get the conservatorship dissolved in 1987 but Knox County Chancellor Sharon Bell said Tate lacked the ability to handle his own financial affairs estate is valued at $155000 to $165000 in cash and $60000 to $100000 in property At the time the conservatorship was set up Tate had about $300000 in assets Bell ruled that his reputation as a spendthrift was one reason for maintaining the conservator-ship After Bell refused request he asked the state Court of Appeals to consider it In December the court upheld decision That left finances in hands Tate 33 who has a fourth-grade education has requested that he be allowed to transfer his conservatorship to Texas where he hopes to move The Knox County Chancery Court lawsuit states the boxer who was the World Boxing Association heavyweight champion in 1979 and is trying a comeback has about 13000 pounds of furniture in storage which is costing him about $3000 a year That in addition to the storage of his own personal boat worth about $10000 represents a waste of money the lawsuit states The lawsuit filed by attorney James Varner seeks to have furniture inventoried and what he use sold with the proceeds going to Tate to move Former heavyweight boxing champion John Tate continued his struggle to regain control of his assets Thursday by filing a lawsuit against his court-appointed conservator Tate claims attorney Lawrence Ault who has control of his assets has forced Tate to live as a transient from hotel to hotel with no real home The boxer claims Ault has failed to provide Tate with reliable transportation He also has Fridays in The News-Sentinel Morgan prison inmate fatally stabbed Jury mulls rape charge against former deputy From staff reports The Knoxville News-Sentinel Issue No 33218 (USPS 297-540) 1988 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Published daily and Sunday by The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co 204 Church Ave Knoxville Tenn 37902 Second-class postage paid at Knoxville Tenn Postmaster: Send address changes to The Knoxville News-Sentinel PO Box 59038 Knoxville TN 37950-9038 Subscription rates: DailyMonday-Saturday $585month DailySunday by carrier $1130month Sunday only by carrier $545month Saturday-Monday $655month ing to Warden Herman Davis Armes reportedly got into a scuffle with an inmate in their housing unit about 3:30 pm Wednesday as many of the inmates were returning from work duty said David Newberry associate warden of treatment Newberry said Armes was stabbed repeatedly in the chest with a homemade knife He said that Armes died at the scene WARTBURG Tenn Johnny Ray Armes a 40-year-old inmate at the Morgan County Regional Correctional Facility was stabbed to death in a fight with another inmate prison officials said Thursday Armes of Morgan County had served about seven months of a 13-year sentence for armed robbery and sexual battery accord Blocking of Choo-Choo sale denied By Associated Press Toll-free line 1 (800) 237-5821 called for him at the Sheriffs Department He said he returned her call and agreed to meet her After the two of them had sex in the front seat of his cruiser he said he told her he could not see her again was beginning to feel guilty about committing adultery on my he testified He said the alleged victim who was 25 at the time appeared angry with him when he took her back to her car Bright also admitted lying to sheriffs Detective Herman Johnson when he was first questioned about the incident He said he told the truth in a second statement to Johnson The woman however claims Bright called her at work and told her he wanted to talk to her about her friend who was in trouble She said she met him after she got off work sometime after 3:30 am She testified she thought he was taking her to see her friend Instead he took her down a dark road and raped her at gunpoint she said A jury deliberated hours Thursday in the rape trial of a former Knox County sheriffs deputy before retiring It will resume deliberations today James Allen Bright is on trial in Knox County Criminal Court on charges of rape aggravated rape and aggravated kidnapping The jury of eight men and four women heard testimony Thursday from Bright who admitted having sexual intercourse with the woman in his cruiser while he was on duty However Bright said he had not done anything want me to Bright an officer for eight years was fired after an investigation of the Oct 27 1987 incident on Ferry Road in West Knoxville Bright had met the alleged victim two weeks earlier after a disturbance at the fast-food restaurant where she worked At that time she had acted friendly toward him he testified Bright told the jury he was on patrol on Oct 27 when the woman a group of investors had already gone through made the questions raised by Casey moot The sale to Choo-Choo Partners Ltd was approvedn Dec 1 and the investment group closed the deal on Jan 13 At the time of the auction Casey offered to pay $11 million for the complex which he opened in 1973 CHATTANOOGA A federal judge has dismissed an appeal by former Chattanooga Choo-Choo owner Allen Casey to block the bankruptcy court sale of the tourist and convention complex US District Judge Allan Edgar ruling Wednesday said the fact that the $10 million sale to CLEARANCE KEROSENE HEATERS s2000 M00 OFF (Quowtities Are Limited To Heoters In Stock) pelonis furnace SALE H2998 Simplicity PRE-SEASON SALE SAVE 1200 WILL BE CLOSED ALL DAY SATURDAY JANUARY 28TH FOR INVENTORY We will reopen Monday at 9 AM Chair Allows you to stand smoothly Gives a welcome power assist Hand held control to sit easily quality and comfort Reclines fully in regular position 3-year warranty on motor Power assistance for those with physical difficulties and Medicare may help pay part of the cost! With Medicare qualification and Certificate of Medical Necessity from physician Medicare may pay partial cost of Chair Consult your Medicare office for further details LA-Z-BOY SHOWCASE SHOPPE OF KNOXVILLE 690-1740 Interest No Monthly Payments Until May '89 Si 4711 Kingston Pike 4860 Broadway 10037 Kingston Pika 620S Chapman Hwy garden CENTERS Mayo Since 1912 Downtown Gay at Union.