Money might be the reason this year

Ever wonder why there are so many candidates? count while the General Assembly county* courthouse that has a is in session ' full-time job and makes less lhan

ilie average family in Rockcastle Representative Ford said County is the sheriff.

Wednesday that the SlOtTper day In 1984. It* local sheriff made he receives while in session may only $7,700 for his efforts, and very well seem high, but it is a since 1982. he has never made misleading figure. He said that over $8,500 in a one-year period, while he is in session, he has the The sheriff is the Other fee expense of renting an apartment office in the courthouse, and state in Frankfort and living awav from officials said the salary in thai home for the 3'/j month period, He office is low because of Rockcastle says the income, from Ms usual County's tax base and the percent-business is also lost. age of taws that are collected each

Going on down the list, the year Rockcastle County Property Valua- Although a county-wide off-tion Administrator was paid a base it*, the next highest paid official pavbf $16,008 by the state in 1984. does not have a full-time job. Th« Tom Armstrong, a spokesman for county coroner is paid $2,400 a the state. si*UTtftsday that war Two of his three deputies $16,008 is the bi(se pay. but it is receive $600 a year, and the. Other pissible for the PVAto make more one gets notliing. than that. Hi? said he did not have On the subj»-:t of nothing: the the. exact, figures for Rockcastle only elected offscftrfrlp serye in a County because of a probtem With county office and tetefiw any

By: Richard AnderMn , (hose unfortunates that hold er. Before that law was passed. office only in one district of the Rockcastle's judge/executive

Take a minute and .pdjvlMr. county. was paid $18,720. the question. "Why are there s6 The highest-paid public Next on the income list is many candidates running for servant is the county attorney. thy countv clerk, who is one of county office in this May's LaSt year. Rockcastle's prose- only tu\. offices left in the Primary election? " , cutor was paid a total of courthouse that actually gets a

One hundred-and three; to $41,719.62. However, this fig- percentage of the fees collected, be exact, and the answer could ure is the combination of a In 1984. the county clerk made t e economics salary from the county and the $27,550 from fees collected in

A recent. survey of the state. The county was respons- that office ,. salaries earned in . the local ible for only S12.000 and the An office, which is con-courthouse showed that only, state the rest. The state pays trolled completely by the state one county-wide office holder - each' county attorney in" the bui run by a local elected made less . than the average state the same each year Last official, receives the next high-income for a Rockcastle County year it was $28,719,62. est salary family. That average income The Rockcastle County The Rockcastle.County Cir was estimated at $14:500 for . Judge/Executive and the local cuit Clerk was paid $26:586 in 1984 by the state's Legislative jailer are next on the income 1984 State officials said the Researdj-lGynmlMion and is a list, .both making $28,387 in circuit clerk is paid, just like any figure which reflects both hus- 1^4.. other slate worker, and m-

• band's and wife.> incomes in .... 'vThe kx»l judge/executive , creases in their salaries are most Instances." '.In 1983. the reaped the behefes of. a 1982 amoved by the General As-

far down the list when it is not.. ' According to the state's Leg-

islative Research Commission. _Statgj:epresentatives are paid-for •the time they spcncl in Frankfort

-.actually working. A spokesman said that the average pay for a state representative for 1984. wnpn the General Assembly met. was $12,000. He explained that

' representatives are paid $100 a jrfay foretime In session, and $75 'per meeting attended when not in Session. He said the average number of meetings attended in 1984 was 44. which would make a total of $1,800. and 102 days in session, at $10,200. making a total of $12,000.

On top of the $12,000 in 1984. a session year: representatives are qiven $950 a Hiohth for expenses. However, the spokesman Said, if

if the General for. the Internal Revenue Service District Repre- says representatives must report y Ford would the $950 as income and pay laities • income list for writ •wrai Assembly A represenativv does not it he would fall receive his $150.00 expense ac-

$i8i«o Die Only office In

White House briefing See front Page second sect, i Parent-teacher

conference scheduled See Page B-7 second section

Local man has complaint about courthouse

^ \ See Page A-2 this section

MOUNT VERNON. KENTUCKY 40456 VOLUME 98-NUMBER 33 26 pages this week THURSDAY. MARCH 21. 1985

University of Kentucky Library Lexington, Ky. 40506

No opposition in district judge races this Fall

The two candidates for dist-rict judge in the 28th Judicial District of Rockcastle and Pulaski Counties are both unopposed in their bid for a term on the court

Incumbent Judge Walter F. Maguire of Somerset, one of Kentucky's original 113 district judges who took office in 1978. is seeking the seat held by Ernie Woods, who is not a candidate. Judge Maguire was district judge from 1978 to 1982.

Incumbent District Judge William T. Cain of* Somerset is seeking a full term on the court.

Judge Caift was-appointed to fill our the one-year unexpired term of Judge Daniel S. Venters when Judge Venters was elected Circuit Judge

Judge Maguire is a former assistant-track coach and-associate dean of students at the University of Kentucky. He is currently the assistant director of the UK Tobacco Research Institute in Lexington.

The parents of three children, the Maguires are members of the First United Methodfst Church of Somerset where his wife. Janice, conducts the children's choir.

Judge Cain is a native of Lexington. He grew up in Somer-set and is a graduate of Somerset High School. He received his

(Cont. to A14)

* Alumni banquet at Brodhead scheduled

Assessment raised to 30'

The Brodhead High -School Alumni Banquet will be Saturday night. April 6. at 7 p.m. All graduates and their husbands or wives are invited.

The classes to receive special honor are 1915. 1925. 1935. 1945. 1955 and 1965.

The cost is $5 00 per person. For reservations, write to: Brod-head School. Box 98. Brodhead. Ky. 40409. or phone 758-8512.

Lawrence name left out of Signal

The name of Billy Lawrence. Republican candidate for Rockcas-tle County Jailer. was inadvertent-ly omitted from a list of candidates published, in the March 7th issue of the Signal

The Signal regrets this error.

Farmers in holding pattern on tobacco

TEST1NG.THE WATERS—Darell Frazier. manager of Allegheny Laboratories, Inc., of London, tests the water quality at Livingston's sewer plant laboratory.

Allegheny rents the laboratory from Livingston for use in testing coal mine residue along with Livipgston sewer discharge water. »

i By: Ray McClure

Rockcastle Ceunty tobaccp farmers appear to be in a holding

. pattern following the announce ment of a stiff increase in the burlev assessment from 9 cents a pound m 1984 to 30 cents a pound in 19K5 by Agriculture Secretary John Block, That's a-233 percent iiie'rease .

Rockcastle County Extension Agent Tom Mills said ' right now.

%farmers we have talked with are taking a wait and see attitude "

"Those, we have contacted want to see what is going to happen before making up their

- -mmds-aslcwharthey wanr to"do But one thing is certain. anyway

- - yrni look at it. farmers are going to lose 30 cents a pound. "

• That means Rockcastle to-bacco farmers, which this year hav e a total .allotment of 2.676.490 pounds, w ill lose SK02.647

The increased assessment.

Livingston lab used in water, mine testing By: Ray McClure

Keeping a watchful eye on water quality in a six county area

- is the job of a London laboratory that is using facilities owned by

..the city-.-Tf Livingston for" its testing:- ~

In a time when the heavy hand of the Environmental Pro-tection Agency (EPA) can come down hard on the head of polluters, most cities become nervous over even a slight prob-lem with their sewer systems and water, sources.

There should not be much of a problem at Livingston where a well equipped testing laboratory is being used by professional tech-nicians to monitor the affluent from the city sewer system, and for the mining industry.

, Actually. Livingstoh is getting a real break on the cost of the testing procedures required by the state. Allegheny Laboratories. Inc. of London has rented the facilities from the city for $100 a month and is throwing.in for free the testing of the city sewer water that is going into the Rockcastle River.

"We arc very pleased to have the laboratory lake over our -testing." said Livingston Mayor Billy Medlev "In fact, we arc-saving from $1,000 to S1.500 a uear by letting them rent the lab* and test our sewer waste water. while thev do their test for the coal mines."

According to Darell Frazier. manager at tfie laboratory. Living-ston's sewer water that empties into the river is pure enough to drifik something the EPA likes to hear

"Livingston had a minor problem when we first came here, " Frazier declared "Bui it's all straightened out now We watch it closely. Water from the sewer plant meets EPA-standards and even exceeds those stand-ards "

Samples of water are taken in small containers and tested for such "foreign" elements as bio-chemical oxygen demand, sus-pended, solids. coliform bacteria, ammonia nitrogen, dissolved oxy-gen and liydrogen activity. ~'

In short, the EPA wants nothing to. go into the "pure. "

wild Kofkca .cmjammate i'. considered one of the purest in the nation It is under the protection of the Wild Rivers Ac!

"Water m this area is-gen-lerallu..reasonably-pure," -Frazier related. "The principal reason is the lack pf industrial wastes,'aiid the fact that not many pedple live along the river banks.

The Livingsta and the McKee pla two thai would affect Rockcastle Riverwawr quality McKee -ewer

into Indian Creek RockCastle River.

plant

he-work at the laboratory is done by Allegheny for lite mining' industry, where continue testing ol one kind or another is required t>v the Slate. Mine ponds left after strip mining are monitored twice" a month. Also, soil is tested for toxicity, meaning elements such as iron, manganese, hydrogen. activity, acidity and solids

The laboratory has clients in McCrearv. Whitley. Laurel. Jack-son. Pulaski, as well as Rock

casile Currently, it is working on from 40 to 45 iobs. making • between 80 and 90 different tests a . week.

l-razier explained thai before mining permits are issued, soil tests-are made Weekly basis and the results sent to the state where the permit is issued if the test results fall within EPA standards:

After mining is completed, particularly strip mines, the ponds • are tested twice a month to determine if the residue is accept

(Cont. to A14)

Baker files for Sheriff

A Rockcastle County .busi-nessman has filed his papers for the Republican nomination to the office of Rockcastle County Sher-iff

R A "Pill" Baker of Mt Vernon is making his first attempt ever at political office

Baker said- in announcing his • candidacy lasi week that he felt a

(Cont. to A9)

prompted by a large stock of unsold hurley thai has put the burley program in debt, is neces-sary tn msurl' th will be operated ?. taxpayers. Secretary Block ex- . plained ' .

Some burley farmers dubbed the announcement as the "worst news possible for us." and.; another called it a "death blow" for the Tease progtam

•Ojher farmers are holding out '• ' hope that some modification of the program might come about. For example, a lowering of the support price to somewhere around SI 45 a pound But most agree that it would-not-be likely m 1985 Since Congress would have to make changes and it does nut always act in haste

Some farmers~3t*a!sou)aiting to see if there flight be some help in the cental program, but that, too. is not likely this year

Farmers have until July 1 to decide on their individual pro-gram.

Farmers will also have a cfiancejii February. .1986, wtien a referendum on the burley price support program-'will be 'held, again, not Thucfi help in 1985

The news , from Secretary Block drew an angry reaction from burley officials andjnembers of the Kentucky' Congressional deie. galioti U. S Sen Wendell-Foitt said "it appears the Reagan Administration fears that it may be unable to abolish the tobacco program, so they have chosen Instead to keep tobacco farmers from turning a profit. "

U S Rep Larry Hopkins. -R-I.exington. said the increase was a "deadly accurate comment on the desperate state of the tobacco program

In a report for publication. Rockcastle Agent Mills gave farm-ers and landowners who plan to continue the leasing process a few figures and ideas-on the tobacco program as it relates to the county.

"What a person can afford to pav for poundage is best gauged' bv accurale farm records, Records should, not only include out-of-pocket cost but a return for equipment, buildings, and last, but not least, a return for the

(Cont. to A7)