North Carolina Now; Episode from 1999-07-27

It's Tuesday, July 27th, tonight's stocking up for the approaching millennium in North Carolina now. Hello and welcome to this Tuesday edition of North Carolina Now. I'm Rita Matray. Tonight we take a look at how in one of our stories some North Carolinians are expressing caution. Well some others in a separate report are expressing free speech. I'm talking about the preparations for Y2K and a low power radio broadcasting system known as free radio. Also tonight we'll speak with the chairman of the North Carolina Riders Conference about their upcoming milestone celebration. But at first tonight we look at the Y2K concerns. Within five months it will be the end of the year and state agencies are working to get all state computer systems ready for the year 2000. But they're not the only ones taking steps to prevent year 2000 related problems.

Tonight Shannon Vickery takes us to Charlotte to see how some North Carolinians are preparing for Y2K. For some time now this has been the scene each Saturday morning. People pulling their cars up to this loading dock at the end of a small brick building in Southwest Charlotte. For three hours each Saturday people from all over North Carolina come here to buy bags and buckets of wheat, rice, corn and many other natural food items. Much of which will go directly from here into storage. It will be used in case of an emergency come January 1st 2000. Well we have wheat for bread. We have corn for corn bread. We have dehydrated foods. We have water. We have lamps. We have put in a garden so we can can. There's not much we haven't done as far as preparing. Here's what we have. Montana Hardwhite Golden Spring Wheat. Kelly Limer started this unique business five years ago.

Called Finest of Wheat the business grew out of Limer's desire to find better wheat for her own baking. And I kept hearing about Montana Spring Wheat, Montana Golden Wheat and nobody could find it and nobody could get it. And I said I'm going to find it. Not only did she find the wheat but she discovered many other people were seeking the same thing. And I did no advertising. Strictly word of mouth for four years and the business just slowly grew and built itself up. And then last summer the phones began to ring off the hook, probably in July. And the people said we want to stop food for Y2K. Can you help us? And I said why to what? Limer quickly learned more than she wanted to know about the computer glitch which causes some computer systems to incorrectly process the date 2000. And she also discovered that her own skills with ordering grains and beans and bulk could help others. All I know is I feel in my heart that having some food put back is a good idea. Maybe having a little bit of water put back is a good idea.

Across town and a grocery liquidation warehouse Carol Mueller has started her own Y2K store. So we started research in Y2K about two years ago I guess. And about a year ago, a little over a year ago we ordered some food for our own preparedness. And we couldn't get it. Fueled by the frustration of trying to pull emergency supplies together from many different sources. Mueller decided to bring everything together in one place. We have everything from bulk grains. Storage containers to put them in. We have the wood burning cook stove. We have generators. The store even carries radios that work with just a little help from their owners. And what you do with this one is you just crank it. I have to turn it around this way. You crank it 60 times for one minute. And then when it plays, it automatically runs without any batteries. And you just turn it on over here.

You really don't know what's going to happen. And so we're just making sure we've got some foodstuffs and we've got a good supply of wood. So we want to stay warm and not starve. But despite the fears some North Carolinians may have about the year 2000, state officials say most computer systems will be ready to handle the transition. With application systems, the computer programs that support the different business functions across state government. We're standing at 80% ready. They will work with the year 2008. And June, we expect them to be at 95% ready. In the area of embedded microchip systems, and here we're talking about our facilities, traffic lights, medical equipment. The agencies have gone out and they're doing extensive inventories, checking with manufacturers to determine the year 2000 compliance levels for a number of different products. We were certainly very nervous early on. And it was due to the unknown.

But the more that we've gotten into this, the more manageable the problem actually is. And we're finding a lower incidence of problems and we originally estimated. But despite these assurances, many people still seek out ways to prepare for Y2K. It's a shaky time. You're changing the millennium. You're going into the next century. It's always rough, anyway. But these are people that are really feeling strongly that hold the care. I think what bothers me the most is when you see other people laughing at you. And that's fine if they want to laugh. But it's hard when they say, that's no problem. I'll just show up at your door. Because you've prepared. And that's kind of hard when you've got a whole bunch of people saying that to you. Because they're just living their life day by day and not preparing. But even if you don't want to invest in something as large as a wood burning stove, state officials say there are many simpler things you can do. The point they say is to be prepared. Not just for Y2K, but for any emergency. Our advice to them is to prepare for a snow storm. Because we are talking about the middle of winter.

We're talking about a very extensive hurricane season. So it probably be prudent to do that regardless of year 2000. But certainly don't look to prepare beyond that. There we go. And down here. Yeah, she should have to. There should be at least four bags. But if these past few months are any indication, both limer and Mueller can expect business to be strong. At least for the next few months. And if you would like more information on how the state is preparing for Y2K, you can check out the state's Y2K website. That address is year 2000 dot state dot NC dot US. Well, still ahead on North Carolina now 50 years of gathering together the best of the state's writers. But first here is Mitchell Lewis with a statewide news summary. Thanks, Marita. Good evening, everyone. Topping the news, officials at North Carolina Central University announced today that Chancellor Julius Chambers will be taking a leave of absence to treat an undisclosed medical condition.

The 62-year-old Chambers is in his seventh year as Chancellor at the historically black university located in Durham. Chambers will reportedly undergo surgery early next month. And officials say they expect him to be away for up to six weeks. In the interim, the campus will be managed by a five-member team of university administrators. This past legislative session was one of the shortest in 30 years. But some legislators think their fellow lawmakers still need to impose session limits. Senate President Pro Tem Mark Bass Knight believes sessions should be limited in the future. And how Speaker Jim Black says he's willing to consider the measure. The latest proposal calls for a maximum short session of 60 days and a long session of 135 days. The proposal provides for one 10-day extension per session. Controversy surrounding New Corps proposed $300 million steel plant in Hurtford County could lead to a courtroom battle. The Marine Fisheries Commission is considering joining three environmental groups in a lawsuit filed against the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The lawsuit stems from concern over an environmental assessment, giving New Corps the go ahead to build a steel mill in the northeastern corner of the state. Both the Marine Fisheries Commission and the environmental groups believe the approval of the assessment was too hasty. And are concerned about the effects the mill would have on area wildlife. Another North Carolina environmental group is taking its concerns to Governor Hunt. The North Carolina Public Interest Research Group believes more action needs to be taken to phase out hog waste lagoons. To make their point, the group mailed out 5,000 postcards to Governor Hunt's office. Hunt has a plan to phase out hog lagoons over the next 10 years. But members of the environmental groups say the pool should be phased out in half that time. The members also contend the hog industry should foot the bill for the cleanup of the lagoons. A date has been set for relighting the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The beacon will be powered up again during an evening ceremony on September 4th. Six months and four days after its light was extinguished in preparation for its 2,900-foot move.

The 208-foot tall landmark structure is now 1,600 feet away from the ocean. The same distance it was from the shore when it was built 129 years ago. A light inside the building can cast a beam that's visible from 20 miles away on a clear night. And now if we look at tomorrow's weather, highs across the state will range from the low 80s to upper 90s. Skies will vary from partly cloudy in the mountains to mostly sunny along the coast. In business news, Unify has announced that it will shut down its covered yarn facility outside of High Point, affecting 236 jobs. The archdale plants for reduction lines and equipment will be moved about 50 miles north to Mayo Dan. Company officials say employees will be given the opportunity to transfer to the Rockingham County facility. One of the top mobile home dealers in the southeastern part of North Carolina has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Ted Parker Homesales and two subsidiaries will be allowed to remain in operation while they lay out a plan to stay in business and pay off their debts. Ted Parker Homesales is based in Lumberton and has 36 dealerships around the state.

The company had planned to go public and become a nationwide home retailer in the next three years. The Dow Jones posted a triple-digit gain on Wall Street today. Let's take a look at the numbers. Coming up this last weekend in July, North Carolina's best authors will gather in Mantio for the 50th meeting of the North Carolina Riders Conference.

Joining me now is Bob Anthony. He is the chairman of the North Carolina Riders Conference. Mr. Anthony, welcome to the program. Thank you. There are people who might know you as being the curator of the Wilson Library, so we wanted to mention you are one in the same person, but you're here to talk about this event. Tell me about the Riders Conference and its origins. I understand it has a connection with the outdoor drama on the outer banks. It does. It does. In 1950, English Fletcher, who was a very popular historical novelist who lived in Chauhan County above Edenton, encouraged Lambert Davis, who was the director of the University of North Carolina press, to invite North Carolina Riders to come to Mantio to attend a performance of the Lost Colony, Paul Green's Lost Colony, the drama there. And while there to have a Riders Conference, the Lost Colony had a tradition of having what they call celebrity night, where they would have a state or local celebrity have a bit role in the part, usually it was part of a crowd.

But rather than have a single writer that year, Mrs. Fletcher thought, well why not have North Carolina Riders come as a group. So Lambert Davis, the UNC press director, invited 40 some writers, and about 15 were able to come to Mantio. And they attended on August 8th. They had a conference afterwards where they talked about the conditions for being a writer in North Carolina. They had a good time. They had such a good time that they decided that they wanted to do this annually. So they decided, well, they appointed two of them and they said, two of the members and said, we want you to organize a conference for next year, but we want to go to the opposite end of the state. So the next conference was held in Cherokee. And then the following year, they went to Edenton and we met at Hatteras in the 50s, then Asheville. And I've had a tradition of meeting at various points around the state because this is very much a statewide organization. But it started at the Lost Colony because of the Paul Green connection.

Is this conference really maybe the turning point of North Carolina coming to the forefront of the literary community? In some ways, I think you could make that case. Many of the writers, of course, were establishing connections with New York publishers or some of the larger publishing houses. And they gave kind of inside information like this is a good editor to work with or this is a good publishing house to contact. And so they shared that kind of inside information with each other. And I think created opportunities for some of the younger writers to establish themselves and their own reputation as writers. So the writers today really have a lot to owe to those original participants of that first conference? Yes, they do. If you study North Carolina literary history, the 20th century literary history, the leaders in this early, the writers' conference were some of the mainstays in terms of what they were writing, the novels, the nonfiction that was being produced. And it helped, I think, develop North Carolina's reputation as the center for writing. Some of the leading journalists, the writers' conference I should emphasize is a collection of poets, fiction writers, nonfiction writers, historians, journalists, people who write in all types of genres, not just one.

Why does North Carolina have such a wealth of good writers? I think that's something we could talk a long time about, but I've personally got a few ideas or suggestions as to possibilities on that. I think one thing that we need to remember is we criticize public school of the schools a lot. But we are producing some good writers through the North Carolina schools. I think if you look at Charles Frazier, in the Column Mountain book, that won the National Book Award last year, who grew up in Andrews and went through the schools there and then into the university system. People like Joe McCorkwell from Lumberton, people like Tim McLauren from Fayette. Well, these are North Carolina people, natives who came through the school system and did well. They somehow connected with English teachers and with literature and then decided they themselves wanted to be writers.

If you look at some of the colleges, we have some excellent creative writing programs at the undergraduate level, but also at the graduate level, UNC Greensboro has an excellent master's level creative writing program. Warren Wilson College in the western part in the Asheville area has a creative writing program. Chapel Hill has an undergraduate program, then their smaller colleges such as Barton College in Wilson, which is building a creative writing center that will be named for Sam Reagan, who was a mainstay in this writer's conference for many, many years. So I think that we're teaching writing and particularly those collegiate level programs are encouraging people to come to North Carolina and they join this writing community and kind of encourage each other. I think a lot of writers, they're sensitive types and they'll pick up on cultural changes. And in the latter half of the 20th century in North Carolina, we've seen the state move from a rural farm-oriented economy into a architect. We're almost post-industrial, of course, had the mill communities and the text was moving even beyond that.

I think of someone like Tim McLaura who did Woodrow's trumpet, a wonderful book on the kind of conflict between the newcomers in the triangle area and the older communities and the different values and all of that. I think writers pick up on that. So they have subject matter to work with today in North Carolina. Mr. Anything, Anthony, thank you so much for taking the time to be with us. Have fun at your conference. Good luck. Thank you. The North Carolina Riders Conference has held its annual meeting in all parts of the state. For this 50th anniversary celebration, of course, it's returning to Manteo to acknowledge where it all began. Across the country, there is a growing number of low-powered commercial-free FM radio stations taking the air. The problem is these micro or low-powered FM stations are not licensed by the FCC and operate outside the law. Producer Derek Long tuned into one such station in Asheville.

You are listening to Free Radio Asheville. I was just doing my regular weekly night radio show and I look over my shoulder because I heard some rustling and there was middle-aged, plain clothed, dressed man, and with two Asheville police officers. And the first thing came to mind was, okay, this is it. Looking me losing control. The first man was an agent with the Federal Communications Commission. He was there because Free Radio Asheville is what some call a pirate radio station. Broadcasting below 100 watts of power, operating without a license. He basically wanted to verify that, you know, was I currently broadcasting? Did I realize it was illegal? I did, kind of say, yes, it is me I'm doing this and he said, why are you engaging in these activities? If they're illegal, I said, well, I believe it should be decriminalized to help support free your speech for people.

And he said, well, of course, that doesn't change the fact that it's illegal. Ramlin Rose refused to allow the FCC agent to search the premises without a warrant. After warning her of the possible fines and jail time that could be imposed upon her, the agent left. Though the station shut down for the rest of the night, the Free Radio Asheville Collective decided to resume their broadcasts. Well, I see it as civil disobedience. That's essentially what we're doing. It's kind of an extended, protracted civil disobedience. In the eight months since Free Radio Asheville first signed on the air, this act of civil disobedience has grown. From a broadcast schedule of a few hours, two days a week, the station now broadcasts six days a week. Free Radio Asheville is just one of an increasing number of low-powered, commercial-free community radio stations taking to the air waves across the nation in defiance of FCC regulations. The mission, I guess, of the low-power movement is to make licensing for small low-power radio, community radio stations much easier than it is now, make it available to people within communities.

Current FCC regulations do not allow for FM stations below 100 watts. And for 100 watt stations and above, the cost associated with getting on the air and license with the FCC can run well over $100,000. The FCC maintains those costs are necessary to ensure the technical integrity of the FM spectrum. Micro broadcasters, however, contend that with today's technology and low-cost equipment, the technical integrity of the air waves can be maintained for much less. The prohibitive cost under current guidelines, say advocates of low-powered radio, puts access to the public air waves out of reach to both citizens. Freedom of speech is something we take for granted. Maybe our freedom of speech, maybe it's not that free. Maybe it's somewhat limited and we need to really work its spreading media outlets to everyone. Advocates of free radio aren't the only ones concerned over a decrease in the diversity of media outlets.

For the last 20 years, we have seen a consistent move away from regulation of the business of media in general and specifically the business of radio. The result of the deregulation has been an increasing concentration of ownership in the hands of fewer and fewer corporations. The result of this is that there are fewer and fewer voices, independent of one another, more and more voices owned by the same small group of corporations. That puts money rather than public service at the top of the agenda. And that's a problem that pirate radio sees, and it's a valid problem. Good evening, free radio Asheville, 89.1 FM, voice of the citizen. Through this act of electronic civil disobedience, free radio Asheville and other micro broadcasters address that problem by providing access to the air waves for citizens in their community. Anybody within the community can pick up an hour or two hours on the radio station if they're interested.

More than 90 percent of the programming is alternative music. But an important part of free radio Asheville's broadcast is alternative viewpoints and news that's not otherwise heard on the mainstream media. Today, we're going to be bringing you education on Mumia Abu Jamal. We do tend to cover more leftist issues than the normal news media covers. Maybe we are more of a leftist station, but it's part of a community that is not being covered by the other broadcast media. While some may see free radio broadcasters as pirates, others see them as reminders that an open exchange of views and ideas is vital to a healthy democracy. Pirate radio that does not cross the signal of licensed radio is healthy for the community. It gets people thinking. It gets them aware that there are other voices and that there need to be other voices. The FCC has heard those voices. And while they are cracking down on unlicensed stations, they're also reviewing their policy towards micro broadcasting.

Whether or not they will make room for low powered free radio stations on the FM spectrum remains to be seen. In the meantime, the battle over the airwaves continues. And once again, this is free radio Asheville. Keep asking questions. In January, the FCC issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to consider their creation of low power FM radio service licenses for local communities. The public comment period on the FCC proposal ends on August 2nd. Now you can file your comment or just review the proposal on the internet at www.fcc.gov. And that's our program for tonight. We'll see you back here tomorrow. Good night everyone. Thank you.