Titusville Herald, The (Newspaper) - November 15, 1993, Titusville, Pennsylvania DRAKE WELL Established June 14 1865 Oldest Daily Newspaper in Northwestern Pennsylvania Cloudy cloudy and breezy Chance of morning showers northwest while morning showers and some thunderstorms likely elsewhere High in the 60s TITUSVILLE PA MONDAY MORNING NOVEMBER 15 1993 35 CENTS Local Truckers Will Hit The Road Again SANTAS WORKSHOP Always popular with the citizens of he Titusville area Santas Workshop did a brisk business on Saturday with over 50 displays of arts and crafts for sale The event which is held yearly at the CAC is sponsored by the St Titus PTG by TOM BOYLE Herald Staff Writer Members of the Association will hit the road this morning after participating in a shutdown since Wednesday at midnight The Association members haul any bulk item or byproduct such as milk logs lumber or gravel At a meeting of the organization in Restaurant Sunday afternoon the membership decided to go back to work and take things on a dayby day basis President Harold Graves made the following statement in opening the 45minute session This organization probably had to give ourselves an internal test I think this has happened The result is that we are a stronger group I think we had to make a statement to our government officials as well as to the loaders we did that I think we made a statement to our peers also Some of the ones who were screaming the loudest kept on running Also some of the businesses that asked us to start hauling again are not afraid to ask one of your officers to take a day off work to attend a hearing or a meeting for them So if this was somewhat of a test we came out Graves the membership to use caution in operating their vehicles in large metropolitan areas There may be some retaliation for us going back to work If anyone asks tell them that we did our shutdown from Wednesday until There was some discussion about the scattered violence on the road since the wildcat strike called by independent truckers Most of the reported incidents involved objects thrown at the trucks or tires being punctured Although it was noted at the meeting that no See TRUCKERS page two State Senate Facing Turmoil AP The state Senate is edging closer to the end of a five i month hiatus designed to al low time for two special elec tions to decide which party controls the upper chamber But with the second of those races tied up in court pundits and politicians are beginning to wonder what 22 the set in a Democrats ap inJune The atmosphere is so can lawmaker mentioned the possibility of a erupting when Democrats arid Republicans fi nally another across the Senate one has suggested ignoring the deadline until things settle down Ive heard that resolution raised to the level of the Ten Commandments and the Magna Carta by the Democrat leadership I think it is clear that the Senate will convene that day at 2 MacNett counsel to the Senate Republicans many legislative resolutions go largely unno such as the one desig October as Pennsylvania Grape Month this measure is different Democrats used it as their primary tool in avoiding ses sion this summer and fall when Republicans were clam oring for an early return to Harrisburg When Democrats crafted the measure they were con it would allow time to swear in William Stinson the Philadelphia Democrat they expected to win the late Sen Francis Lynchs 2nd District Senate seat On Nov 2 Stinson col 463 more votes than Republican Bruce Marks but the GOP is bitterly disputing the outcome Township Finances in Top 10 by JOHN YATES Herald Editor A pair of Titusville area town ships are at the very top of the state in terms of fiscal manage ment an independent study of 15 factors by Municipal Analysis Service of Austin Texas shows Nearby Township ranked ninth best among the states townships and Cranberry Township near Oil City ranked number one in the state In comparison to all of the states municipal govern mental units of all kinds Township tied for best and Cranberry Township ranked second only to Whitehall Borough near Pittsburgh the study showed Here is the basis for the rank ings according to a publication of Municipal Analysis Services Property Taxes as a percent age of total general revenue Township property taxes are 21 percent of the bud get and Cranberry Townships figure are 19 percent Fees represented 18 percent of general revenue in and 26 percent in Cranberry used local rev enues to pay for 98 percent of its operating budget while the figure for Cranberry was 114 percent Reserve funds are 74 percent of total revenue in and 78 percent in Cranberry Basic revenues received for each municipal employee are in and in Cranberry Taxes per overhead employee were in and in Cranberry i Each township has four de and total basic de expenses per capita are in and in Cranberry Property taxes per capita are in and in Cranberry Fees per capita are in and in Cranberry Nonutility debt per capita are zero in and in Cranberry Total debt service is 1 per cent of total revenue in see STUDY page two State Dems Oppose NAFTA WASHINGTON AP As President Clinton implores and cajoles undecided lawmakers to 8ujppprtt time with Democrats inthe Pennsylvania dele gation All but one of his fellow party members from the state are committed against the trade pact Ironically Clinton may find a more sympa thetic ear among Republicans as the House moves toward the climatic NAFTA vote this week Seven of the states 10 GOP members are wavering and the Republican leadership in Congress is solidly behind the trade deal Ive been convinced all along this is a good thing for the country The question is is this a good thing for my district Rep Rick Santorum said last week Im struggling through Another Republican Rep William Clinger has been invited to the White House several times by an administration eager to catch his ear He planned to spend the week end in his district talking with businesses and workers about the agreements possible impact Theres no question that theyve been after him Anybody whos been undecided on this has been approached by all said Clinger aide James Clarke goes to the House floor for a marked by furious lobbying from both sides in TV commercials If approved the agreement over 15 years would create the worlds largest free trade zone stretching from the Yukon to the Yucatan While approval in the Senate is expected the 435member House has become the decisive bat A win in the House will send the package to the Senate if the House rejects it the pact is dead In Pennsylvania a state where King Steel once reigned and union cards were aa common place as drivers licenses the presence of orga labor has proven a significant Members of both parties have relied on labor support in their campaigns and are under heavy pressure to vote against the deal Unions can point to the demise of manufactur ing in the state and the thousands of jobs that departed Pennsylvania for the Sun Belt and overseas in the 1970s and 80s Mexico they say poses the same threat NAFTA Foes Smell Blood ART EXHIBIT Over 40 artists from northwestern Pennsylvania were represented at the second annual Allegheny West Art Exhibit and Sale held Friday and Saturday at the University of Pittsburgh Titusville Among those featured were local artists Cindy Andes Robert Ernst Wiliam Brady and Jeff Hukill WASHINGTON AP Foes of the North American Free Trade Agreement seem a handful of votes shy of being able to kill the pact in Wednesdays House showdown leaving President Clinton with an uphill but achievable fight to save the deal an Associated Press sur vey has found With opponents of the agreement needing 217 votes to prevail 204 representatives said they would vote against the measure or were likely to do so the survey found The figure included 178 who said they would vote and 26 more who said they were leaning that way Arrayed against them were 176 supporters of NAFTA which would phase out tariffs and other restrictions on trade among the United States Mexico and Canada Of these 162 said they would vote for the agreement and 14 others said they were likely to do so That left 54 undeclared lawmakers and a daunting task for Clinton and his congressional allies who would suffer a major political setback should the pact be rejected Even if they retain all 14 representatives leaning toward the agreement they will need the votes of 42 of the nearly four of every five The measure will need a majority of votes to pass which means 218 if everyone casts a ballot There is one House vacancy Both sides in the battle exuded cautious con Sunday based on their own secret sur veys of sentiment I see a horse race a hand battle that will be decided during the Rep Richardson a vote counter for supporters said Sunday My predic tion is a narrow I think were going to House Whip David Bonior a leading congressional opponent said Biologist Works With Wetlands by JOHN YATES Herald Editor To Patricia McKellop biologist for the Fish and Wildlife Service saving and restoring wetlands is the heart of her job McKellop a Spartansburg native is the first biologist to be permanently assigned to northwestern Pennsylvania She covers a chunk of land in the region Interviewed recently by The Herald McKellop described three major aspects of her job Performing work as a biologist related to any application for federal and state permits for disturbances in wetland areas Most frequently the federal agency involved is the Army Corps of Engineers Investigating alleged violations of the Clean Water Act for placing fill material in wetlands without a permit She also works with the Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Resources to restore and maintain the chemical physical and biological integrity of wetlands And to inform and educate the public about wetlands McKellop has only worked in this area since June and said it is difficult to predict how her job will shake out over time However she said since June her work has involved about 15 permits of various kinds 25to 30 enforcement actions and some public education She expects to spend more time on education in the wintertime when construction and land disturbances are at relatively low levels While wetland issues occupy most of McKellops time she members of the Ecological Services Division State College on projects related to contamination endangered species and hydropower projects McKellop emphasized the ecological importance of wetlands which provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat filter pollutants to maintain water quality provide flood water storage and can recharge groundwater supplies If a violation of wetlands regulations is found McKellop said my sole goal is to get voluntary restoration of these McKellop said she is especially excited about statewide efforts to restore former wetlands that have been drained or ditched Working in cooperation with the state fish and departments and private groups such as Ducks Unlimited landowners who sign up for the program can get complete technical assistance on restoration projects There have been 42 restoration projects statewide this year involving 380 acres and there is a backlog of 400 more projects see WETLANDS page two Pastors Uphold Tradition On Confidentiality by TOM BOYLE Herald Staff Writer A provision in a House that preserves the confidentiality of conversation between a person and his or her clergyman in child abuse cases upholds the traditional code of church ethics according to Rev Barry Cressman vice president of the Titusville Ministerium Rev Cressman told The Herald that if someone spoke to a member of the clery about abuse in confidentiality it should be kept secret under the church code of ethics However he said it is the duty of the to try to convince the offender to go to the proper authorities in regard to the abuse It is traditional to keep information secret if the matter is discussed in the form of confession or a confidential meeting with a member of the Rev Cressman said But at the same time the clergy member must try to convince that person to do the appropriate thing and go to the proper authorities about the The is aimed at tightening up the state s child abuse laws and to further protect children from sexual abuse and violence Under the more people would be required to report child abuse cases if it is suspected Members of the clergy would be mandated to report any cases they suspect The in its original form contained no provision to preserve the privacy of conversation between a member of a church or synagogue and his or her minister rabbi or priest It went so far as to state that a priest must report an incident of child abuse if it was told to him during the Sacrament of Reconciliation In other words the original would violate the seal of confession for Catholics Although that portion of he was taken out the clergyman or woman would still be required to report information about child abuse told in a confidential setting The provision which was sponsored by State Rep Teresa Brown preserves the confidentiality of conversation between the individuals and elegy if the church member wishes it to remain so
