Anderson Independent-Mail from Anderson, South Carolina • 11

Regional News Anderson independent rftlail Tum Nov 22 1983 IB Financial Woes May Force Further Cuts At Anderson Hosptial By John Gouch Vice President John Miller Mid after the meeting that the actions taken by the administration were an attempt to head off financial problems that may come later because of the declining census Because psyments from insurers and government medical programs take 60 to 90 days to come in revenues from the low-patient fourth quarter will come in during the busy first quarter of next year when expenses are higher don't anticipate serious he Mid if the bottom drops out of the census yes we could have serious problems" Oglesby indicated that no other costcutting actions will be taken unless that happens no new ground being plowed In these he told the board During October the hospital's daily census averaged 341 patients down from 383 patients per day the month before according to A1 Shorkey of the board's financial committee luenewSfiwie wna Cost-cutting measures initiated in response to a dropping patient census may reduce expenses at Anderson Memorial Hospital by 8 percent a month the board of trustees was told Monday night But if the number of patients in the hospital remains lower than projected past the Christmas holidays the end of January and February we could begin to feel the problem in terms of cash said Administrator Kirk Oglesby He told the board that during the last six to eight weeks the equivalent of 87 fUll-time positions had been eliminated by layoffs and attrition For the first time at the hospital management salaries have been cut by 5 percent Hospital officials also have adopted a hiring freeze reduced overtime pay and encouraged employees to cut expenses an October fire The cause of the fire remains unknown A crane aids in the cleanup of rubble at the Old Piedmont Mill The mill was destroyed in Upstate Backs Death Sentence In Rape Murder From Stiff and AP Report! PICKENS (AP) Mm than 12000 Upstate voter have signed a petition asking that rapists and murderers be sentenced to either death or life in prison Helen Dodgens the tedder of the petition drive said she Is determined to make an impression on ddqestate lawmakers and has set a goal of collecting 150000 signatures by Dec 31 And the petition has the support of the 13th Circuit Office which prosecutes homicide cases in volvlng Pickens County Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor Traxler pointed out the US Supreme Court has ruled against the death penalty for rape But he added he does think some convicted rapists and murderers are getting off too lighUy in South Carolina think that the petition will bring to the attention to our legislators some Important issues the point that a life sentence should mean life Imprisonment which it does not mean Traxler said Monday Traxler said the state legislature had at one time enacted tougher penalties in rape cases but those penalties have been weakened by changes in parole regulations "The parole rules have been rewritten so that for rape parole eligibility comes when you've served a fourth of your sentence rather than a third of your he said 1 "So 1 would be in of legislation calling for longer rape sentences Mrs Dodgens who calls herself fighter for all would-be victims said "The problem going to have in meeting our goal is She began the movement soon after she heard about the murder of 16-year-old Catherine Buckner a Dacusvllle-area girl whose Jbody was found in the Saluda River last month The -Pickens woman said her petition drive has spread beyond Pickens County and outside South Carolina had some people from Georgia from North Carolina express an said Mrs Dodgens who has three children "1 tell them to try to get something started in their A Greenville County pediatrics nurse is helping by circulating 1000 petitions with the hope of getting 20 to 2t names on each Donna Floyd said she has been interested in tougher penalties for violent crimes since last January when her father was robbed and murdered on a fishing trip The man and woman found guilty in the killing were sentenced to life imprisonment Ms Floyd said she discovered that a convicted murderer with a life sentence could be paroled in 20 years and began to feel angry saw a newspaper article about petition drive and I thought we're on the same Ms Floyd said "I know my story is not the only one out there but the more the stories are told the more people will want things No Evidence Of Arson In Piedmont Mill Fire Greenwood OKs Election Plan Favored By Blacks The generator and the mill are owned by Ralph Walker of Aquenergy Systems Inc Before the fire Walker sold electricity generated by the rush of Saluda River water through the turbines to Duke Power Co The 1 10-year-old mill adjacent to the Saluda River along SC 86 in the center of Piedmont was a national historic landmark The fire which was reported about 2:35 pm threatened to Ignite tanks of solvents and other chemicals and forced authorities to evacuate houses temporarily within a mile radius of the mill It drew a crowd of onlookers who watched It from a nearby bridge over the Saluda or from hills surrounding the mill Greenville Emergency Management Authority called in at least three Greenville Transit Authority buses to help with the evacuation The fire burned well into the next day and smoldered for days afterward The 300000-square-foot mill built in 1873 had been vacant since 1871 when cloth production operations were shut down From Staff Reports No evidence of arson has been found at the site of the Old Piedmont Mill in Greenville County which was destroyed by fire in October according to the Greenville County Sheriff's Department Spokesman Sgt Tommy Smith said Monday the loss has been estimated at more than 11 million That amount includes damage to a hydroelectric generator housed in the four-story mill which was not being used when it burned Oct 26 Smith said investigator Don Lee has not found any evidence of arson "He (Lee) said there was Just so much debris they really couldn't establish a pattern for Smith said State Law Enforcement Division spokesman Hugh Munn said SLED arson investigator Rick Corley also has not been able to establish that the fire was deliberately set A spokesman for the Piedmont Fire Department said Daniel Construction Co workers were using a huge crane Monday to tear down tottering mill walls near the generator turbines By ValW Palmer Cwinl aumninii GREENWOOD City Councilman Charlotte Dent changed her mind on a proposed election plan Monday casting her vote for a plan favored by blacks which would give the city four singlemember districts and two at-large districts Mayor Thomas Wingard broke a 3-3 council deadlock on the vote which had Mrs Dent Floyd Nicholson and Bill Fuller voting for the 4-2-1 plan and Perry Smith David Hill and John McGee opposing it Smith Hill and McGeehave backed an alternate plan which would allow for three single-member districts snd three at-large seats Under the current system in Greenwood six council members are elected from the wards they live in but are voted on by the entire city been thinking about it and talking to people and this is what the people seem to Mrs Dent Mid as she announced her backing for 4-2-1 The Rev Ed Johnson chairman of the Greenwood-Ninety Six chapter of the NAACP Hid glad to hear it (4-2-1) went through first Johnson Mid he had not known Mrs Dent was going to change her vote Johnson said he hopes the measure will remain unchanged through the second and final reading and Hid he believes it will have no trouble passing the required referendum it had made that much difference with the white voters I think we would already have been hearing a he Hid If the measure is approved in the referendum it must then get Justice Department approval Johnson says he hopes that approval will be swift County Wants To Examine Riley Education Program Riding High Dana Womack 5 gets his cowboy hat Sinned on to keep it place by Roslyn Moore during a rain delay at a benefit horse show in become a political football" Hid JM Wingo "But before it comes to a vote we (in Anderson County) need to let our legislators know how we feel" And Fred Dobbins the chairman said don't know if you can spend $200 million profitably or Durham Hid he hopes the plan sets forth definite goals the 1960s they poured a lot of money into education with no strings Durham Hid take the shotgun approach" County board members had drafted a propoMl that would involve the county superintendents board members parents teachers community and business leaders and elected officials with education The purpose of the county-wide coalition would be to study education issues and give advice to school systems Fred Dobbins Hid Dobbins Hid he asked the five Anderson County school district superintendents or board chairmen if they would support a countywide committee on excellence in education By Kathy Scruggs suswiaar The Anderson County Board of Education wants to examine the Gov Dick Riley's plan to Improve the state's public schools before going ahead with a proposed countywide committee for accountability in education board members -voted Monday night Riley will outline his proposed "Move to for public education in a 1 television add rets Tuesday The governor has said his plan will cost about $200 million He has endorsed a 1- cent Hies tax increase to fund the pro-Igram think we'd be better off to wait and see what the legislature approves based on the governor's Mid board member Hugh Durham "If the Mies tax passes that will give us some want to take in account how tie in with the Mid board member Tom Dobbins Some board members Hid they think the plan calling for another $200 million for education may cost taxpayers too much "I'm scared the governor's plan will New Anderson TV Station To Be Located Off US 29 From StaA Reports The studio for a proposed Independent television station to be based in Anderson is to be constructed on US 29 Bypass south of Breazeaie Road Groundbreaking ceremonies for the building are to be held at 11:30 am Tuesday at the site with city county and station officials attending according to the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce The station owned by Mark III Broadcasting Co of South Carolina recently received government approval to take over UHF channel 40 in this area That broadcast channel was formerly held by WAIM-TV here Anthony Kupris of Atlanta president of Mark III Broadcasting has said he expects the new station to be on the air by mid-summer 1984 Mike Scott Harold Gilbert Maynard Furniture Lakeside Jr High County To Discuss Recent Appointment Of Fire Commissioners By Coiirad Stunts MMa The Anderson County Legislative Delegation has invited County Council members to hold a Joint meeting Jan 3 to discuM the recent controversial appointment of county fire commissioners County Council Chairman Prue Gilreath Hid Monday the invitation was given verbally and County Council members are being contacted to see if the date is convenient Gilreath said he is willing to meet on that date The meeting is tentatively set for 7 pm at the Anderson CountyLibrary He Hid the meeting will be open to the public and though Are commissioners be invited in writing they are welcome to attend The session will serve as the legislative annual meeting before the state General Assembly convenes in January he Hid Councilman A1 Lynch who proposed Aw meeting uid attend but he doesn't think the session will be soon enough don't know how all going to come uid Lynch who had asked for a Dec 6 meeting Sen Ed Garrison D-Anderson said the legislative delegation has a prior commitment Dec 6 in Greenville Lynch proposed the meeting after the legislative delegation assumed the power of appointment of members of the fire commission The County Council had appointed Are commissioners since Home Rule was enacted in 1977 but an opinion sought by Garrison from the state attorney general's of Ace uid instead that the county legislative delegation has the power of appointment The legislative delegation reappointed the Are commissioners Nov 9 in Columbia reinstating each of the five members except chairman Harold Smith United Way Honors Top Fund-Raisers From Staff Reports Top awards in the Western Foothills United Way 1963 campaign went to Owens-Coming Fiberglas Corp Westinghouse-Micarta Guy Motors Maynards of Belton and Lakeside Junior High School at Monday's "Victoiy Steve Darby campaign chairman Hid volunteer workers with a 1983 goal of $825000 raised $863748 in the two-county area Anderson and Abbeville served by the Western Foothills agency "We went over the top and we did It before Thanksgiving Darby Mid Owens-Coming was cited for contributing $76500 the most by a firm during the campaign Westinghouse-Micarta had the highest per capita giving for Arms with 100 employees or more $7192 per capita The trophy for Guy Motors was in recognition of highest per capita giving for firms with 26 to 99 employees $8288 per capita Maynards of Belton was the firm with the highest per capita giving for firms with 10 to 24 employees $14574 per capita Students at Lakeside Junior High School tn Anderson contributed the largest amount for a school in Anderson District 5 Other awards presidents at the "Victory held at Central Presbyterian Fellowship Hall went to: 1 The Rev Victor Rampey and Lamar LeCroy for their leadership id the Abbeville campaign which went over the goal for the sixth year in succession Jim Vassey and Bob Altman for directing the 28 Pacesetter firms in surpassing their goal 1 EQ Ferrell for leading and training the who assisted in the campaign iarry beeves United Way president thanked Darby and vice chairmen of the campaign Bob Funk Charles Eldrldge and Elton Jones City Council OKs Ordinance To Keep Dogs Off Vacant Lots From Staff Reports The Anderson City Council passed an ordinance on second and third readings Monday which prohibits city residents from keeping dogs on vacant or unimproved residential property City Manager Richard Woodruff said at a called council meeting Monday night the ordinance does not affect commercial property Vacant or unimproved property according to the ordinance means "a lot or parcel without a principle dwelling place built Excluded from the definition are multiple lots owned by the lime person which are located adjacent to one another For example if a person owns a house on a lot and has three vacant lots next to it then a dog can be penned In either of the three vacant lots according to foe law main Ingredient of a successful campaign is the solicitation effort by the solictors and the generous response of the givers It was a job well done this Reevesuid Each United Way agency nominated a of the Year" and at the annual meeting of the Western Foothills United Way in January one of these will be named of the Plaque of Excellence awards along with bronze silver and gold plaques and achievement certificates were presented to many firms i i iJmIm.