The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 77, No. 210, Ed. 1 Friday, July 2, 1999 Page: 1 of 20
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The Baytown Sun and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Sterling Municipal Library.
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What’s Inside
Industrial strength
Hylands teachers
learn at area plant
Bulletin Board.... 2-A
Opinion......
... 6-A
Classifieds..........SB
Police Beat...
...3-A
Comics..........9-B
Sports .......
...1-B
Obituaries.......&A
Television ....
...8-B
Nartt Hentoff
Justifying war is not
such an easy thing
Wht jSaptoton Hmtt
Volume 77, No. 210
Telephone Number: 281- 422-8302
Friday, July 2,1999
Baytown, Texas 77520
50 cents per copy
High-calibre
promo pack
strikes nerve
with Sheley
By ERICA L. WILLIAMS
The Baytown Sun
The record company of a popular rap
group recently mailed Lee College’s
journalism department a promotion
package containing a biography, a com-
pact disc and a bullet.
In the eyes of at least one Lee College
administrator, the entire promo is a dud.
Virgin records mailed the promotion
package to promote rap group Gang
Starr’s new CD entitled Full Clip: A
Decade of Gang Starr.
A local firearm shop determined that
the 9-millimeter semi-automatic round
contained primer, but no gunpowder,
therefore deeming it virtually harmless.
Susan Sheley, director of student pub-
lications at Lee College, calls the pro-
motion “irresponsible.” ,
“It doesn’t matter whether this pack-
age was sent to college students or not,
sending a bullet along with a promotion-
al package is promoting violence,” She-
Misses The Mark
t\ r'
>:wm
* X
\
The promotion package sent to Lee College featuring rap group Gang Starr's latest
CD. and a bullet.
ley says. “To use a bullet as a promo-
tional gimmick to promote a CD totally
diminishes the serious consequences of
violence.”
Malika Thompson, manager of publfc-
ity at Virgin Records, says the group
does not promote violence.
“Gang Starr is a nonviolent group,”
Thompson says. “The bullet is not sym-
bolizing violence. The group is basically
comparing their music to bullets by say-
ing their new CD is fully loaded with the
best music.”
According to U.S. Post Office Inspec-
tor Henry Palmer, had the bullet con-
tained gunpowder it would have been a
violation of federal statute Title 18 U.S.
Code 1716, which prohibits the mailing
. of all explosives and is a felony punish-
able by a five-year sentence and
$250,000 fine.
In the promotion package, Guru, a
member of the group, explains the
meaning of Full Clip.
“Spitting rhymes is like spitting
rounds,” Guru says. “It’s like getting that
frustration off your chest, taking aim
and firing it.”
Security tight for July 4th fete
• Schedule of events, Page 2-A
• Leavefireworks tothe pros, Page 2-A
By JIM WEBRE
The Baytown Sun
The Baytown Independence Day celebra-
tion on Saturday, July 3, at Bicentennial Park,
will include a day-long offering of marathon
running, a parade, music acts and other ac-
tivities and games.
Baytown police and the city’s parks and
recreation department are securing Bicen-
tennial Park and the surrounding area to en-
sure a safe and family-oriented celebration
of the nation’s 223rd anniversary of indepen-
dence from England.
“We know it is going to be difficult to se-
cure the park because there are no fences,”
says police Lt. Roger Clifford.
But having said that, Clifford, says there
‘‘absolutely will not be any alcohol, drugs,
firearms or other weapons allowed” in the
park
Market Street and Lee Drive on the
perimeter of the park will be blocked off
early Saturday.
Officials expect parking to be a problem,
but with a'little cooperation from revelers,
police feel there will be enough places to
leave vehicles without having to walk for
miles.
“We’re basically going to let people fend
for themselves when it comes to parking,”
Clifford says.
Lots at the Eddie V Gray Wetlands Center,
Lee College and other lots in the area will be
open for parking on a first-come, first-
served basis.
The Lee College parking lot directly
across Lee Drive from the entrance to the
Freshwater district gets $800,000 loan
By M.A. BENGTSON
The Baytown Sun
A loan off$800,000 for Har-
ris County Fresh Water Supply
District 1-A foi a wastewater
system improvement project
was closed June 29 by the
Texas Water Development
Board FWSD.
District 1-A, which consists
of the unincorporated commu-
nity of McNair, will also bene-
fit from a grant from the Harris
County Housing and Commu-
nity Development Agency, a
grant from the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Construc-
tion Grants Program and a loan
from Zions Bank to finance the
$2,765,995 project to put the
district back in compliance
with the state’s water treatment
regulations.
Funding for the loan is com-
ing through the Texas Water
Development Fund, according
to Janice Cartwright of the
TWDB.
The proposed upgrade for
the system has “been in the
mix for about 10 years,” ac-
cording to Joseph P. Caesar, the
district’s manager.
“Our sewer plant doesn’t
contain the mechanisms to
keep it operating. It is outdated,
a dinosaur,” says Caesar. “We
had problems with our trickling
filter, plus an increase in in-
flow and infiltration (seepage)
that put us above our capacity
to treat the volume.”
To solve the problem, the
district proposes to use the
funding to construct a force
main, lift stations and waster
water storage facilities in order
to tie into the 24-inch sewer
line the city of Baytown is con-
structing in the vicinity of the
district.
Baytown intends to complete
construction of the sewer line
by September 1999, and, ac-
cording to Caesar, the FWSD
1-A construction is projected
for completion in January
2000.
Currently, the district must
contract for sewage removal
and treatment at the cost of
$1,800 to $2,400 every six
weeks, Caesar says.
“To keep from being penal-
ized by the TNRCC ( for lack
of compliance), the waste will
be transported by pipeline to
the city of Baytown (for treat-
ment),” says Cartwright.
“Once the improvements are
completed, the district’s raw
wastewater can be collected
and transported to Baytown for
treatment at its existing West
Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The district’s existing waste-
water treatment plant... will be
demolished,” Cartwright says.
The district, located on the
north side of Interstate 10 and
about five miles northwest of
Baytown, serves a community
of 1,650.
News tip? Call 281-422-8302
vrwv/. bayto wns un. co in
Man charged
with possession
of child porn
.park will be reserved for parks staff and peo-
ple who are working at the events.
“As long as people aren’t blocking drive-
ways or intruding on private property, we’re
going to wink at it,” Clifford says.
Security at the event will include Baytown
patrol officers, a mounted patrol officer, ca-
nine officers and about 100 Texas State
Guard members obtained through Bernard
Olive of the Baytown Fire Department.
Since it’s the nation’s annual Indepen-
dence Day celebration, there will be a con-
trolled fireworks show beginning after 9
p.m., but personal fireworks, which are ille-
gal inside the city limits, will not be tolerat-
ed.
Possession and/or use of fireworks at the
park or anywhere inside the city limits can
subject the user to hefty fines and confisca-
tion of whatever fireworks they have in their
possession.
By JIM WEBRE
The Baytown Sun
A 52-year-old sprinkler system in-
staller is in Harris County jail under
a $100,000 bond for possession of
child pornography that could include
an undetermined number of Baytown
youngsters.
Jerry Wayne Nobles was arrested
about 4 p.m. Wednesday in his resi-
dence at 514 Gresham Drive after
police executed a search warrant ear-
Her in the day and found pictures and
a computer they believe holds digital
pictures of chifdren ranging in ages
from 3 to 10 years old.
“Right now we don’t believe there
is distribution involved ... I think it
was all for his own gratification,”
said Randy Rhodes, case investiga-
tor.
Rhodes said poljge have been in-
vestigating Nobles for about a month
since receiving phone calls from peo-
ple who had reportedly been inside
Nobles’ house and saw some of the,
material he displayed on the walls of
one room.
Those with information or who be-
lieve their child may have had con-
tact with Nobles can call Rhodes at
281420-5855 or call the police sta-
tion and ask for the criminal investi-
gation secretary.
The investigation is continuing as
police try to download the computer
to see if photos taken with a digital
camera wiR add to their list of of-
fenses. ~ *
Rhodes said it is uflclear whether
the suspect had physical involvement
with the children in his photos aside
Nobles
from simply photographing them. •
“We anticipate there could be addi-
tional charges,” Rhodes said.
Possession of child pornography in
Texas is a third-degree felony, pun-
ishable by up to 10 years in state
prison with a fine of up to $10,000.
Police said local children are be-
lieved to be included in the photo-
graphic array
found in Nobles
house, but there
are children in
photos that have
not been identi-
fied.
“We have con-
tacted some par-
ents,” Rhodes
said. “There may
be other (law en-
forcement) agencies involved.”
Rhodes said that after the arrest,
the suspect was cooperating with in-
vestigators.
When the search warrant was exe-
cuted at about 9:20 am. Wednesday,
animal control officers were called to
the scene to capture a pit bull terrier
inside the house before officers made
their search of the residence, Rhodes
said.
Nobles remained in county jail
Thursday morning and is charged in
% 180th State District Court.
Police said the Missouri native had
lived in Baytown for about three
yea^s anffohadTielff several
other cities. - ,
. Police.said a check of Nobles
background turned up no other sig-
nificant arrests other than a single
“public intoxication arrest years ago.
Dupont CPC plant
announces layoffs
By M A BENGTSON
The Baytown Sun
Employees of DuPont CPC, the
Crop Protection Chemicals division in
La Porte, are facing layoff as part of a
restructuring in the DuPont produc-
tion of agricultural chemicals world-
wide.
The layoffs were announced early
Thursday by Jim Borel, agriculture
production vice president aid general
manager. The $2 billion business will
lose a total of 800 jobs out of 5,500
worldwide.
A total of 325 employees, locally,
could be directly affected by the lay-
offs. However, Jim Felder, the compa-
ny’s public affairs representative for
the Gulf Coast, indicated that a deter-
mination has not been made on the
number of local layoffs.
‘Work is in progress to determine
what the employment impact will be
at La Porte, in Mobile and in El Paso,
111., Felder says. “Communications
have been going on throughout the
day at all the agricultural sites. We an-
ticipate this to be in place by the
fourth quarter.”
“Business and farm consolidation,
global competition and improving
farm productivity are the driving
forces behind the redefinition of the
industry,” Borel wrote in a statement
given to employees.
‘‘\\&s&4gking these actions to keep
DuPont ahead of the incredibly fast-
paced and ever-changing global agri-
cultural marketplace,” says DuPont
Chairman and CEO Charles O. Holli-
day Jr. “These difficult, but necessary
actions will enable the crop protection
business to provide an even stronger
base in support of the other parts of
our agricultural enterprisey specifical-
ly Nutrition & Health and the impend-
ing merger with Pioneer Hi-Bred In-
ternational,” he says.
“We must maintain a competitive
cost structure in our crop protection
business while focusing our resources
on the successful introduction of three
new products and achieving synergies
with Pioneer,” Holliday says. (Pioneer
is a leader in agricultural seed hy-
bridization).
“This is to make us more competi-
tive, to make us a stronger agricultural
business player,” says Felder. ‘We’re
not backing off of die agriculture busi-
ness by any means. We are restructur-
ing.”
DuPont Crop Protection has facili-
ties in 40 countries. It sells herbicides,
fungicides and insecticides to die com
and soybean, cereals and specialties
markets.
For home delivery, cal! 281 -422-3202
f
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Dobbs, Gary. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 77, No. 210, Ed. 1 Friday, July 2, 1999, newspaper, July 2, 1999; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1019168/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.