North Carolina Now; Neverending; Interview with Dr. Ted Johnson

It's Wednesday July 26. Tonight it's not easy being green and it could be getting tougher to recycle in North Carolina now. Good

evening and thanks for joining us on this Wednesday evening I'm Mary the party coming up. There's been a big push in recent years to save the environment. One of the most popular ways to do that is through recycling. Tonight we'll see how the effort is going. Something I sure don't have to tell you is how hot it's been these last few days. Well tonight we'll talk with a doctor to get advice on how to care for yourself and the elderly during the hot summer. If you like the musical blues you'll enjoy our final installment of the history of the blues in our state. First tonight though saving the earth. You know Recent reports show that while the state has made a major effort to encourage recycling it is still falling far short of its waste reduction goals. And now some environmentalists are concerned the General Assembly is considering proposals to ease state recycling guidelines. Ironically this all comes at a time when prices for recyclable materials are at an all time high. Christina Copeland reports. Garbage Yeah profits out the river refused to move.

Hand's cardboard and other material produced by North Carolinians is turning into a revenue stream for some local governments. The town of Cary has a contract with sun chairs a nonprofit recycling company Sun shares collects recyclable materials and sells them for firms that turn them into new products. Sun shares gets to see 5 percent of the sales price. Kerry gets the remaining 95 percent over the past year we've got our revenues have doubled and and that has totaled about two hundred forty thousand dollars this past year on a monthly basis that averages about forty five thousand dollars a month. The main reason for the jump in revenues is skyrocketing prices for recyclables in the past year the price for newspapers per ton has more than double to forty three dollars. Cardboard has nearly tripled to $80. The type of plastic used in milk jugs has jumped from one hundred forty dollars to two hundred sixty dollars and aluminum has soared from four hundred to eight hundred sixty dollars a ton.

All of a sudden everybody wants our stuff and they're competing big time. And markets are going through the roof and it's a thrill to be in a seller's market. A few years ago the recycling industry had a glut on its hands. Too much supply not enough demand. Prices were rock bottom but that's all turned around in part because of federal and state mandates that require government agencies to buy products made of recyclable materials. The word mandate was an offensive word. Right now to a lot of politicians but in this case I think the mandate was important. And as a result the demand increased and a lot of infrastructure was built in North Carolina that infrastructure has grown to include nearly 500 businesses whose primary activity is recycling. A recent study prepared for the state office of waste reduction found that the industry now provides nearly 9000 jobs across the state and it's expected to add another 60 700 jobs in the next three years. Paper stock dealers of Raleigh is just one of the companies

planning to expand to meet the growing demand for recycled materials. So right now a lot of new material and it's really driving the markets went up. While the lack of recyclables may be good news for prices it's bad news for recycling programs. Even though the amount of materials being recycled in North Carolina's residential programs has nearly tripled since 1990 there's still a lot of trash that's not making it into recycling sites. I think it needs to be a real targeted effort towards business and industry recycling. We've spent probably the last five years really working with cities and counties on establishing good residential recycling programs. But household garbage is only about a third of the way stream so two thirds of that is really not getting the attention that it deserves. Powell is concerned that instead of moving ahead on recycling the state may be moving backwards. In 1989 the General Assembly set a goal to reduce the amount of trash sent to landfills by 40 percent by the year 2000 in one. While some

counties have reached their goal statewide the total reduction rate in 1994 was less than six percent. In fact the state did worse last year than it did in 1993. Environmentalists say there's a perception the state is backing away from its commitment to waste reduction legislation pending in the General Assembly would take some of the pressures off local governments to reach the 40 percent goal. But one of the bill's sponsors insists it's not an anti recycling bill. We're not trying to slow or or lacks a recycling program. We're tipping to the more we saw I think it's like we're trying to get rid of landfills put in line landfills as soon as possible. But we haven't tried to with this bill to decrease recycling at all. I think the law gets passed. It may lead some cities and counties to back down on some of their programs. I think that they won't take the the Goala seriously because the main provision in the new law would allow

cities and counties to establish their own waste reduction goals. Powell says she sympathizes with communities that feel they don't have the resources to develop strong waste reduction plans. But she also believes the growing public support for recycling will keep the state moving slowly towards its goal. Success stories like Carrie's recycling program have also attracted some interest. Several communities have sought advice from the town on how to run a successful program of their own. I recommend to other communities to book heavily at the revenue sharing issue because that's one thing that's really made. Kerry's program different by retaining the 95 percent of the materials revenues. I think that's been very profitable. Some counties will have to wait until current recycling contracts expire to try to reap the full benefits of higher prices. And there is no guarantee prices will stay where they are. Meanwhile the business of recycling is dependent on a continuing flow of trash to

keep its mills running and its employees working Aitchison says politicians should be paying closer attention to the state's business interests and find new ways to fund waste reduction programs. What I worry about is the recycling infrastructure in North Carolina. I worry about those mills. Somebody just invest 300 million or 40 million dollars in a paper mill hoping anticipating that paper won't come to them and instead of recycling continue to grow and collection continue to grow it stalls and stagnates and then these markets are going to wonder why they spent the money. There could be a new incentive for local governments to encourage recycling. The State Health Services Commission has rejected a request that would have allowed some unlined landfills to remain open past a 1998 deadline. The commission also wants to consider a new rule that would require expensive waterproof caps to be placed on landfills. Well what to do about this heat will pose that

question to an expert in a few minutes. But first our expert at the news desk Michel Louis has your statewide news business and weather. Hello Michel. Hello Mary Lou. Good evening everyone. The state House was quick to respond to a request today to help women who have just given birth. Lawmakers tentatively approved an amendment to an insurance bill that requires insurance companies to allow a minimum 48 hour hospital stay after a normal delivery. The bill requires a minimum 96 hour stay for sincerity in sections. The move came after the North Carolina Medical Society both voiced concerns that some women were being sent home too early and danger in both mothers and babies. Amendment sponsor representative Arlene pulley agreed when a woman can stay in labor for 48 hours. Reset time in 24 hours with a six pound baby in one arm and a catheter in the other. Then changes must be made. The Senate has already approved the insurance bill if the House gives the amendment its final

approval. It would go back to the Senate for one last OK. Tomorrow evening we will discuss this issue of hospital maternity stays with Dr. Thad Wester of the North Carolina Medical Society. The House pushed through a bill regulating hawg waste applicators today without any debate. Members voted 86 to 24 to pass the bill which has been criticized by environmentalists as being too lenient. The bill would require workers who spray hog waste on fields to take a six hour training session. But no testing is required. The lack of discussion caused one member to speak out. Everyone in this room knows that we've made national news with respect to Nat this this problem. And I'm embarrassed for this house that we are afraid to have a debate. We are afraid to have a debate and let those of us in the minority who have concerns about this bill. And I thought by the way that a member the majority had concern about this bill you musta been talked out of it overnight.

But I regret that the minority is not given the opportunity to present our amendments and even to speak on the bill this summer the state has suffered four major hawg waste spills into its rivers and tributaries which sparked a call for tighter regulations. House members will take a final vote on the applicator bill tomorrow. A House committee heard testimony today that the state constitution does not allow voters to decide whether the state should have a lottery. The testimony came from John Sanders former director of the State Institute of Government but his views were at odds with the legislature's constitutional expert a bill calling for a referendum was sent to committee last week after House members voted to study the matter. Lawmakers were divided on the issue and took no action on the bill. The bill's sponsor representative Toby Fitch of Wilson says he just wanted the bill to be heard. Researchers from NC State are trying to determine what killed more than half a million fish in the Neuse River over the past four days. Two hundred fifty thousand fish

died just yesterday as the fish kill spread from just up river of Carolina pines to Hancock creek. More fish have been found on the north shore of the news today. The fish were found with open sores and lesions. Researchers say that indicates the presence of toxic organisms in the water. Western North Carolina is expecting a big influx of visitors as the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta draw near the Nantahala outdoor center in the western corner of our state. As one of six centers of excellence in the nation sanctioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee for white water event training the spot is also only an hour's drive from the Ocoee River Gorge where the 1996 Olympic Whitewater events will be held. And now for a look at tomorrow's weather. Temperatures are dropping slowly but surely highs in the mountains will range from 80 to 88 degrees. Highs in the Piedmont and coastal areas will be in the low 90s. Partly cloudy skies will cover most of the state with a slight chance of showers and afternoon thunderstorms throughout. In business news Nations Bank wants to

tear down the barriers between its banks in the Carolinas Virginia and Washington D.C. The Charlotte based bank is seeking federal permission that would allow customers with accounts in one state to conduct transactions at a branch and another state folding the banks into a single unit will also save the company $50000000 companies relocating to North Carolina may face an unexpected hurdle finding office space. A recent study of office vacancy rates place the Raleigh Durham area on the top of the list of the toughest places to find office space and for the central business districts that the retired US markets in the nation are. Charlotte the Raleigh Durham area and Winston-Salem. The stock market was mixed today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost a little more than seven and a quarter points to close at forty seven eighty seven point six. The gainers lead decliners by six to five. Volume was heavy with three hundred ninety three million shares changing hands. The Standard Poor's 500 Index and the Nasdaq composite index both rose and now for

some stocks of North Carolina interest. The extreme temperatures we've been experiencing cool down slightly around the state today but the heat is still a major concern especially to small children and the elderly. Our guest this evening has some advice on how the elderly can better cope during these long hot North

Carolina summers. He is Dr. Ted Johnson a geriatrician at USC hospitals and it's good to have you here Dr. Johnson. Thanks for having me. I guess the big question here is we've heard about so many problems with the heat and people's health. Are are the elderly first of all more susceptible to problems in the heat. Well they are more susceptible to problems with the heat. Some of the things about elderly people as people age their ability to manipulate their environments is slightly impaired for some people they're more susceptible to diseases that will impact how they deal with the heat. Some elderly people won't be on medications that impair how they deal with the heat. So medications can affect their all around how they're dealing with the hot temperatures. Sure. And so in what way I mean it's not something that we want to take them off the medication. Story No absolutely not but some elderly people are on medications that would include fluid pills or what we call diuretics that would make them get rid of some of their body fluids and also people who are

on certain types of antidepressants might be more susceptible to the heat. OK. So be advised of that and perhaps ask your doctor or your doctor about it. You know we've heard so much too about problems especially in the Midwest in the Chicago area there were so many heat related deaths of from elderly people as well. Is there something to be said for the intense heat that we've been having consecutively. Yes there is when when people have looked back at some of the most severe cases. Clusters of deaths that have occurred related to the heat they've looked back and they've noted that the heat the temperature has always been above 90 degrees that the humidity has been somewhere above 50 percent or between 50 percent and 75 percent. In that the heat has been consecutive perhaps meaning that people are still not recovering from the day before and therefore more susceptible on the next day. It is just kind of been miserable and I'm not one to complain about the heat so it really has been bad and I've

noticed the weatherman saying things about the heat index lately so that's something that you need to be aware of as well. That's something that you need to be aware of as well. As we look over what happened in Chicago and look at so many elderly people who are stuck in their homes and who who died it's important to recognize that. Everyone is vulnerable to this heat especially people who are out exerting themselves in the heat it's in. It's just as important for those people to not increase their amount of activity to actually curtail it. And to be sure and replenish their liquids. OK let me get some solutions for me and then if there are just maybe a few key things that you can tell me about what we can to do what we can do to sort of avoid these problems and many of them may seem very common sense but obviously we're still having problems. Well one of the most obvious things to do in terms of dealing with the heat and one of the ways to avoid ill effects of the heat is to avoid it is to not go out during the hottest times during the day. Also to seek shelter in an air conditioned surroundings. If that's

your home that's one way. If you don't have air conditioning in your home going to the mall going to a shopping center or going to a library. I think as well this is an especially important time for people to be charitable if you know of an elderly relative or an elderly neighbor who may not have air conditioning who may be vulnerable to reach out and help them get some relief for themselves. And quenching your thirst to survey Dale. Absolutely absolutely that's one other thing that puts the elderly at high higher risk than most is that. Some elderly people will not sense thirst as readily as younger people will and therefore they'll fail to recognize that they need to replenish fluids. OK what are some of the things we should be looking out for then. I always recall people feeling very dizzy sort of lightheaded If they're beginning to get the onset of heat stroke some more things heat stroke is a very very severe disease and can be fatal in up to 10 percent of the cases on the way.

There are some warning symptoms before you get to heat stroke and that would include some mild confusion and some light headedness. Some headaches some muscle or stomach cramping. Those would be times to go ahead and work at replenishing your fluids and removing yourself from the hot environment and this is doctor just because your systems are sort of breaking down they're all working together and they're just they cannot cool you fast enough. Our body's way of cooling itself. First and foremost is to avoid heat. After that the body removes heat by sweating having sweat evaporate and by our body losing heat with the environment. Our body produces heat by exercise and other things we do so that if it gets so hot or so humid that some of the ways of the body releasing heat break down that's when trouble can start. Well goodness. Well let's talk about here especially in North Carolina. You know it's amazing to me that we hear about problems in the Midwest where it doesn't normally get hot maybe that's the problem is they're not used to the heat.

But you don't hear about as many problems in the West or here in the south or the southeast No you don't and there are actually some physiologic or the way the body works differences between people who are acclimated to to the hotter more humid weather and not. There are some different characteristics about how they sweat that may be adaptive. We're fortunate here in North Carolina that we haven't seen the type of thing that they've seen in Chicago. And it's still important to follow some of those guidelines and to be sure and replenish your fluids and to be sure and stay out of the heat when you can. Well let's hope that there's no more problems here in North Carolina for sure. Dr. Johnson thank you so much for joining us again stay out of the heat and lots of liquids right that's right. Thank you sir. Thank you. We

continue our look at the development of Piedmont style blues in North Carolina in the 1930s and 40s economics and war caused many blacks to leave the South. The Blues traveled along and became interwoven with the black experience nationwide. But here in North Carolina blues music still found a home in the factories and fields at house parties and on stage. Producer Steve Channing and correspondent Audrey Cates Bailey to take a final look at this Carolina art form. Like many blues musicians in the late 1940s John C. home and switched from acoustic to electric guitar with the sound and the chimes signal much of the future of popular music in America and our decline in the broad popularity of our own style.

That includes the following World War Two. It survives in many forms and places and is celebrated as part of African-American culture honored here at Durham's Heritage Center. The electric car was only one of the many factors that set the vitality of the blues in the late 1940s and 1950s. Many young men left the community eager to fight in the war or to find work up north and those that did return did so with different expectations tastes and tempers. Durham also lost several of its musicians to death and to the lure of New York City where record companies and clubs made it easier for them to make a living. Technology also contributed to the declining popularity of the jukeboxes live entertainment at parties and radio has continued to become more affordable and portable.

The places and people connected with germs blues tradition lived on its custody and the. With if

they fall in or fall really have to be down a mile you know. Why do they want to go.

From gossip and honky tonk to Western Swing rock and roll the blues has had a profound influence on the other types of popular music of the 20th century and it speaks directly to the city's industrial and cultural heritage to black achievement and racial tolerance to the past before us in North Carolina today. Some of the footage that appeared in this story is from you and see TV's documentary step it up and go if you would like more information about the history of blues in North Carolina. Send for our brochure. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope to North Carolina now P.O. Box 1 4 9 0 0 RTP NC 2 7 7 0 9 dash forty nine hundred. Well hope you enjoy that interesting series coming up tomorrow night. We will check in with our legislative bureau. They'll have the latest news concerning the school bond issue. Also tomorrow night a delicious treat from the now kitchen We'll check in with the wonderful cook Gretchen Lai. We hope to see you then have a

great evening everyone goodnight ily.