xt7gxd0qvh1g https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7gxd0qvh1g/data/mets.xml The Kentucky Kernel Kentucky -- Lexington The Kentucky Kernel 1991-01-24 Earlier Titles: Idea of University of Kentucky, The State College Cadet newspapers  English   Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. The Kentucky Kernel  The Kentucky Kernel, January 24, 1991 text The Kentucky Kernel, January 24, 1991 1991 1991-01-24 2020 true xt7gxd0qvh1g section xt7gxd0qvh1g  

By TERENCE HUNT
Associated Press

WASHINGTON President
Bush said last night the war against
Saddam Hussein was “right on
schedule.” undercutting Iraq's abili-
ty to fight back. “There can be no
pause now that Saddam has forced
the world into war, ”Bush said.

Bush delivered an upbeat assess-
ment of the first week of war but
echoed military planners who cau-
tioned against overconfidence. Bush
warned there will be “setbacks and
sacrifices."

The instructions to war planners,
Bush said, are to "get it done quick-
ly and with as little loss of life as
possible."

Military leaders said allied bomb-

ing had destroyed Iraq’s two nucle-
ar research reactors and seriously
damaged factories believed to pro-
duce chemical and biological weap-
ons.

Saddam “doesn‘t know how bad-
ly he's been hit,” Defense Secretary
Dick Cheney said. pointing to dis—
ruption of Iraq’s communication
systems.

The Pentagon warned, however.

that Iraq' 3 military machine re-
mains strong despite intense allied
attacks. “We're dealing with an en-
emy that is resourceful, an enemy
that knows how to work around
problems, an enemy that is ingeni-
ous," said Gen. Colin Powell. chair-
man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

U.S. armored cavalrymen skir-
mished with Iraqis in the first fire-
fight along the northern border,
where fieets of tanks maneuvered
and dug in on the desert floor yes—
terday for the land war just over the
horizon.

The Americans captured six Ira-
qis and suffered two slight casual-
ties, the U.S. command said. It de~
nied a Baghdad claim that the Iraqis

See WAR, Back page

 

1 tion members tied yell

'Ontltetree's

. .'-:'+.

 

" : ribbons) me we day. madam

effectonalotofpeoplebeeamet
_ wouldsaythatalmoaallpeople
'supportttierroops. andmosisup-

. day. unmcdiately after the attack
while Socially Cemented Stu-__
dents members mt! red ribbons

onIraqstarted.

“The bill was rushed through
on. emergency stems. and we
wanted people to see them (the

said. "I thinkitshadaposinve

ponthe militaryactionf’
Middleton and 56A Senator at
Large Ashley Boyd placed the
ribbons around campus that night.
“It 3 pretty much a done effort.
We just want people to remem»
her” the soldiers in the gulf re-

See SGA, Back page

 

 

TESTING THE WATER

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the midst of a winter afternoon, some ducks take a swim at the pond located at the Retention Basin. Like yest

“Cl-MEL (‘l FVENGFR '~ "

erday. temperatures are expected to be around 30 degrees today.

 

Woods takes over as Cats Win 81-65

By BARRY REEVES
Assistant Sports Editor

Sean Woods did his best impres-
sion of Isiah Thomas last night, zip-
ping his way through Florida's de-
fense and leading eighth-ranked UK
to its lOth straight victory last night
at Rupp Arena.

Woods, a point guard from India-
napolis, scored 11 straight points
during a crucial first-half mn that
lifted the Wildcats to an eight-point
lead. And his consistent second-half
play kept the upstart Gators from
getting any closer than five points
the rest of the way.

UK TODAY

University of Cincinnati
Classical Guitar Ensemble
will be performing in the
Otis A. Singietary Center
for the ArtsRecital Hall at
8 pm.

Robinson
Forest
shows trou—
ble of re-
gion.

_ g a Story. Page
&Mfia 3

Sports ............................... 2
Outlook ............................. 3
Classifieds ........................ 5

 

 

W

“I thought we did a good job of
pressuring them on the perimeter.“
Florida coach Lon Kruger said. “ ..
but Woods just killed us. We knew
he was a great pcnctrator, and he
showed it tonight."

Woods‘ first-half scoring outburst
was accomplished in a span of just
2:29. impressing a crowd of 24,055
fans at Rupp Arena and pleasing
head coach Rick Pitino.

“Sean just did a tremendous job
penetrating again tonight," Pitino
said.

Florida was hanging tough in the
first half before Woods took over.
The 6-foot-3 junior scored on a lay-
up. two driving 5-foot bank shots
and was 5-for-5 from the line and
kept the Gators guessing.

“All I was doing was taking what
the defense was giving me." said

Woods. who also had six assists and
four steals. “They came up on me
real tight and I tried to go by them."

UK forward John Pprhrey said:
“Again tonight. you saw that Sean
Woods is the one who makes us go.
He is a very big key to our basket-
ball team.”

Florida held Kentucky to just 5-
for-24 shooting (20.8 percent) from
three-point range. but the Cats had a
big edge. 52-37, in rebounding.

“They just worked harder on the
boards than we did," Kruger said. “I
thought they were just quicker than
we were. They wanted it more than
we did."

Craig Brown led Florida with a
career-high 18 points. and Dwayne
Davis added 12. Stacey Poole
chipped in 10 points.

UK center Reggie Hanson scored

10 points and pulled down a game-
high 15 rebounds, including 12 in
the first half. Jctl' Brassow had 15
points, 10 rebounds in carom high)
and four steals. Pclphrcy had 14
points for the Winners.

“With our style of play. shooting
is not the most important variable."
said Pitino, whose team improved
to 15-2 overall and 7-0 in the South-
eastern Conference. “If we play
good. hard defense and get on the
boards. we’ll have a good chance of
winning the bailgame."

One of Pitino’s biggest concerns
heading into the game was Ken-
tucky‘s post defense. and the fact
that Florida‘s two big men — Davis
and Livingston Chatman — aver-
aged 29.2 points a game.

See CATS, Page 2

U.S.S.R. seizes another building

By JOHN DANISZEWSKI
Associated Press

VILNIUS. U.S.S.R. —— Soviet
soldiers seized the central paper and
dye warehouse in the Lithuanian
capital yesterday. despite a pledge
by President Mikhail S. Gorbachev
to restore peace in the Baltic repub
lics.

“This is simply an attempt to
hamper the press in Lithuania and
certainly will increase the tension,”
Lithuanian President Vytautas
Landsbergis told a news conference.

Landsbergis said a telegram ap-
proved by the republic's parliament
was sent to Gorbachev saying the
Soviet leader should order the with-
drawal of all Soviet troops occupy-

ing buildings in Lithuania.

Gorbachev told the nation Tues-
day that his main task was to
achieve calm in the Baltics. But he
also called on the republics to abide
by the Soviet constitution.

The Lithuanian parliament‘s press
office said two civilians who
claimed to represent the Lithuanian
Communist Party announced they
were taking control when they ar-
rived at the warehouse with soldiers
at 1 pm. yesterday.

About 20 Interior Ministry sol-
diers with automatic weapons drove
up in five jeeps and took up posi-
tions throughout the warehouse.

There were just a few workers in
the warehouse. who offered no re-
sistance. said Lithuanian govern-

ment spokesman Audrius Azubalis.

He said the building had about 37
tons of paper inside, but he added
that the seizure was unlikely to have
a serious effect on news because
most independent publications have
their own supplies.

The SOviet military already con-
trols Press House the main printing
plant in Vilnius. A unit of the so-
called “black beret" troops of the
Soviet Interior Ministry last week-
end seized a similar plant in the Lat-
vian capital Riga

Nikolai Gribanov a member of
the Lithuanian Communist Party 3
Central Committee. later said the
armed forces of the Soviet Interior

See U.S.S.R. , Back page

 

By KYLE FOSTER
Contributing Writer

Cindu'a Johnson 5 past 4 1’2
years- at UK have been filled
with salad bars and meatless ta-
cos because she could not find
nutritional meals on campus to
fit her vegetarian diet.

Johnson, a fifth year architec-

ture major. said she ate meals
that probably were not as low in
calories 0r fat as she would have
liked ,.
But this semester she said she
is “a lot happier" with the selec-
tions offered by UK Food Ser~
vices.

UK Food Services has added a
vegetarian line to its already pop.
ular Lite Line. said Robin Gibbs.
assistant manager of Student
Center Food Services. The Lite
Line, implemented in the fall of
1989. is comprised of Insofar.
low calorie, low-cholesterol me~
nus created by Gibbs and her
staff. ,

Gibbs said the vegetarian line
was incorporated into the health
line menus Jan. 7 because of re»
quests from 400 vegetarian Stu.
dents on campus.

A menu listing tat, calorie,
cholesterol. and sodium counts is
posted next to die Lite and vege-

Court. “Everybody is becoming
just a little bit more aware of
what they're taking in," Gibbs
said.

Gibbs um recipes out of

 

Food Services offers
vegetarian selections

cookbooks from Campbell‘s to
Southern Living and she is “will-
ing to try any recipes that vege-
tarians and/or healrlwonscious
eaters have.“ she said.

Cassie Dewriing, a dietetics
major, makes up the menus. She
takes into account fat content in
stead of calories to create flavor-
ful. nutritious meals that will fit
into a low-fat arid/or vegetarian
diet.

“Fat grams are more important
than calorie counting.” Downing
said.

Gibbs said a common miscon~
ception among dieters is that
counting fat grams is nOt impor‘
tant. “Fat is hard to burn." she
said.

Gibbs also said that on 3 nor—
mal low-fat diet, 30 grams of fat
3 day is the limit. “A normal on.
tree such 3 tinkey md dressing
or meatloaf contains 30 grams of
fat.” she said.

But with Downing‘s menu

" creatiorts.apersoncancoiisume

less than 12 grams of fat in an
entire meal

Nutritional difference charts
comparing the Vegetarian/Lite
entrees and the regular entrees
will be posted with the means so
that students can see the differ»
ences. Downing said.

the following menus.

served on the same day. by calo-
n‘es, cholesterol. found sodtu‘ m:

A vegetarian meal of pasta pri

See FOOD. Beat page

 

INSIDE: BRASSOW SPARKS UK TO VICTORY

 

 

 2 - Kentucky Kernel, Thurarlay, January 24. 1991

-— SPORTS

By JONATHAN MLLER
Staff Writer

If UK coach Rick Pitino had his
way, Jeff Brassow would start at all
five positions for the streaking
Wildcats — and be the sixth man
off the bench as well.

Pitino was, no doubt, impressed
with the sophomore's work ethic in
Kentucky's 81—65 win at Rupp Are-
nalast night.

“Everybody on the team has to
play as hard as Brassow did.” laud—
ed Pitino. “I want 13 Jeff Bras-
sows," he said.

The 6-5 sophomore guard from
Houston, Tex., was the second-
leading scorer and rebounder last
night for the Cats, with 15 points
and 10 rebounds.

His performance on the boards
was a career-high. as well.

Pitino, however, emphasized
Brassow‘s defensive effort.

”Brassow gets beat a lot (on de-
fense)," Pitino said. “But he gives

 

Sophomore forward complimented
by Pitino for hustling, ‘crazy’ play

 

you so much ef-
fort and so much
hustle that he
makes up for it.”
By halftime,
Brassow had
earned nine of
UK’s 22 deflec-
tions. He fin- -
ished the game “i
with 12 dcflcc- BRASSOW
tions and four
steals.

“This is my best game of the year
so far," Brassow said. “I’m not the
most talented, but I make up in oth-
er ways."

Brassow scored seven of UK's 11
points in one run. His seventh point
came on a Jamal Mashbum steal

 

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that resulted in
the first of Bras-
sow’s two
dunks.
Brassow’s
second dunk
probably will be
remembered.
With 2:56 left
in the game and
PITINO UK ahead 74-
58. Sean Woods
missed a lay-up that bounced high
off the rim. Brassow skied over a
crowd inside to rebound and dunk
with one quick thrust.

Brassow’s exclamation point on
the game sent the 24,055 at Rupp
Arena into a frenzy.

“I would say it was my second
best dunk,” Brassow said, still
clinging to his monster jam against
Western Kentucky at Freedom Hall
as his most impressive feat.

Florida coach Lon Kruger, who is
in his first year, couldn’t distinguish
Brassow from the rest of the UK
players.

“They all play like Brassow,"

Kruger said. “We were more aware
of the group. They play with such
intensity they're fun to watch.”

The stat sheet says Brassow is not
a player an opposing defense has to
key on.

He averages 8.2 points a game
and 2.9 rebounds. He is shooting 39
percent from the field and 35 per-
cent from three-point range.

Besides pulling down 10 re-
bounds, Brassow only marginally
improved his stats last night.

Brassow was six of 14 from the
field (42 percent) and hit only one
of five three-pointers (20 percent).

Brassow also had four fouls, but
that did not affect his intensity on
the court defensively.

“If I foul out, I foul out,” Brassow
said.

“I'm going to play hard regard-
less of how many fouls I have."

“When you look at him, you
sometimes wonder if he knows
what he's doing,” said senior center
Reggie Hanson.

Just put Brassow in a stat all his
own. Something that can’t be add-
ed, subtracted or divided.

“He doesn't try to be Bob Cousy
or Magic.” Pitino said. “He’s a fun-
damental ball player. he just
goes way beyond the norm.

Everybody’s got to be as cra-
zy as Brassow."

 

STEVE ucranumo/ Kernel Staff

UF’s Craig Brown goes after the ball as Brian Hogan holds UK's
Deron Feldhaus in last night's game at Rupp Arena against the Uni-
versity of Florida. The Wildcats rolled over the Gators 81 -65.

 

Cats

Continued from page 1

The Wildcats held the duo to 16
points.

“We did a good job in that area,"
the UK coach said. “... We did a
good job of keeping the ball out of
the low post.”

The Gators played Kentucky pret-
ty even in the first half, but could
not stop Woods.

The two teams basically traded
baskets until Florida took advantage
of two consecutive turnovers with a
pair of baskets — 3 Scott Stewart
lS-footer and a Poole l7-footer ——
to takea 15-11 lead.

Then it was Florida’s turn to turn
the ball over. Kentucky forced two
turnovers and Brown missed a free

 

 

 

 

 

 

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throw on consecutive possessions.
The Wildcats took a 16-15 lead
with 9:49 left in the half when Pel-
phrey hit one of two free throws.

After a pair of Brown free throws,
Kentucky reserve forward Deron
Feldhaus hit a three-pointer to give
the Wildcats the lead for good at
19-l7.

With UK holding a scant 25-22
lead, Woods took over. He started it
with a pair free throws, 27-22. After
a Poole miss, a driving layup. 29-
22. After a Chatman dunk, another
pair of free throws, 3l-24.

After a Garcia 15-footer, Woods
hit a 5-foot running bank shot, was
fouled and hit the free throw, 34-26.
A pair of Chatman free throws, then
another 5-foot banker from Woods,
36-28. Horida never recovered.

“It’s hard to contain him one-on-
one," said Kruger, whose team falls
to 7-9,_34. “He’s a big factor in
their offense. Woods makes it
tough on a lot of people, though."

 

 

 

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1 0800087407420
OCEAI‘iS ELEVEN RESORTS

 

 

 

 Kentucky Kernel, Thursday, January 24. 1991 - 3

 

 

Robinson Forest dispute
emblematic of troubles
facing Eastern Kentucky

 

An Essay

ur environmental problems.
moreover. are not at root,
political; they are cultural.”
—chdell Berry,
from his collection of essays,
What are People For?

JACKSON, Ky. —— Lester Prath-
er has spent his entire life in Brea-
thitt County. He has lived off the
land here, raised his children, and
seen the good times and bad times
that life in this mountain communi-
ty brings to its residents.

Today, he is one of five or six su-
pervisors still working for Arch
Mineral Corp. in Breathitt County.
Most of the other employees -—
250 Breathitt County miners ——
were laid off in October because
Arch had depleted its reserves in
the area.

Officials with the St. Louis-based
mining company say that if UK of-
ficials had not worked so hard the
last few months to block Arch's at-
tempt to mine near Robinson For-
est, many of the layoffs would not
have been

way this Breathitt County coal min-
er hauntingly encapsulated the com-
plex controversy of Robinson For-
est.

If you don’t know where your
next meal is coming from, or how
your family will get through tomor-
row, much less next year, improve-
ment is not a by-word in your home
—— survival is.

Yet, in providing for economic
security in the present, we may be
auctioning off our survival in the
long-term haze that is the future.
Three more years of mining ——
which is what Arch officials say
mining near the forest would pro-
vide — may mean jobs. But after
that those jobs will be gone. And
with that there may be incalculable
damage done to an environment
that has long been plundered for the
sake of economic fulfillment.

The same premise is true for all
of Appalachia, and indeed for all of
America’s industrial society. The
promise of economic satisfaction,
like ajunkie’s high, may bring

 

necessary
. UK.
however,
contends
that min-
ing near
the forest
would
damage
20 years of important research con-
ducted there.

Prather knows a great deal about
Robinson Forest. The 15,000-acre
research forest owned by the Uni-
versity covers Breathitt, Knott and
Perry counties.

Growing up, Prather “hunted a
squirrel or two" within the boundar~
ies of Robinson Forest, but he prob-
ably would be one of the first to ad-
mit that he knows little about
research conducted there.

That doesn’t really matter much,
though. The battle between the en—
vironment and economy holds little
concern for him. He worries about
the battle’s victims.

Today, he spends his time finish-
ing reclamation on Arch’s mining
interests nearby.

It's a job that marks an end, not a
beginning. And for that he has wor-
ries — worries about the future of
his fellow miners, worries about his
own future and about his homeland.

The people of Eastern Kentucky,
he told a crowd of 700 at a recent
state hearing on the topic, are trying
to improve themselves. “We here in
Eastern Kentucky are trying to edu-
cate ourselves,” he said.

Prather has had a son graduate
from UK. He currently has daugh-
ters at Temple, Western Kentucky
and Morehead State universities.

But on a rainy December evening
at a small middle school in Jackson,
Prather did not make any arguments
about improvement. He did not
argue about the environment or the
morality of strip-mining, or eco-
nomic flow charts that had been
carted out to show why Arch should
be allowed to mine its land near the
forest.

Yet, in his simple, but eloquent,

 

A WAR NEVER FINISHED: President Johnson initiated his idealistic

“I’m trying to figure out what it is
that the University has done with
(Robinson Forest) in the last 20
years that has benefited the hill
people of Eastem Kentucky.”

some re-
lief. But
that high
wears off,
and the
hangover
could be
the selling
of our
children’s
salvation in the future.

For more than 20 years, the Uni-
versity and environmentalists have
argued successfully that mining the
forest would destroy important sci-
entific research — primarily water
quality and reforestation — con-
ducted within the forest's Clemons
Fork watershed.

The watershed covers about
4,000 acres of the forest. However,
the latest attempt by Arch to mine
near the forest is, perhaps, the most
serious and most sustained that the
University has encountered.

For most of us, such concerns —
about a forest and people more than
90 miles away — are seemingly ir-
relevant. Ninety miles is a thousand
miles away in terms of relevance to
our lives.

Such a view, however, overlooks
the symbolic importance of Robin-
son Forest. In many respects, the
controversy of Robinson Forest is
emblematic of the problems, and
historical story, of Appalachia. And
in turn, Appalachia's story reflects
the problems of our own society.
the very fabric of our culture.

And, as usual, the story of Robin-
son Forest, like the story of Appala-
chia, has a predictable loser — the

people.

is that the University has done

with (Robinson Forest) in the

last 20 years that has benefited
the hill people of Eastern Ken-
tucky."

I 'm trying to figure out what it

—Blair Gardner,
attorney for Arch Mineral Corp.

People in and around Eastern
Kentucky have long expressed
more than a passing interest in min~

 

M070 COURTESY UK umnv MTO ANCHVE.

"War on Poverty" in Eastern Kentucky.

ing the voluminous coal reserves
housed under the earth of Robinson
Forest. There, an estimated 97 mil—
lion tons of coal rests, waiting to
make someone a fortune.

E.O. Robinson, a logger in the re-
gion. clear-cut the forest in the first
half of the century, and then decid-
ed to give it away. He chose UK.
And in separate conveyances in
1923 and 1930 from the ED. Rob-
inson Mountain Fund, Robinson
Forest came under the auspices of
the University.

According to the terms of the
Robinson trust, UK is to use the
forest for research in reforestation
and as a teaching laboratory. It ap-
pears the University, for the most
part, has done just that.

Forestry and agriculture students
at UK have long used the forest for
research, and as a clearinghouse for
infomiation about foresting tech-
niques and studies of water quality,
an important issue as clean drinking
water becomes a more cherished
memory rather than something we
can take for granted.

Interest in mining the rich coal
reserves in the forest did not sub-
side, however, over concern about
water and trees. And realistically,
the issue is valid, as the one-horse
economy of Eastern Kentucky —
King Coal —— went through treach-
erous boom and bust cycles
throughout the latter half of the cen-
tury.

The modemimtion and mechani-
zation of the mines have meant dra-
matic decreases in the need for hu-
man labor — jobs. And as coal
reserves have become less plentiful.
not to mention harder to get to,
Robinson Forest has undoubtedly
seemed like a surreal oasis. It‘s
there, but it can't be touched.

UK, though, has been resilient in
its resistance to mining efforts in
the forest, leading to a 1982 Board
of Trustees policy prohibiting the
mining of Robinson Forest.

The issue, for all intents and pur-
poses, was dead.

At least until fall 1989.

Then the University ended a
long-standing legal dispute by
agreeing to turn over about 60 acres
at the edge of Robinson Forest to
the heirs of people who leased the
land‘s mineral rights to an Eastem
Kentucky coal company — Arch
Mineral.

About 60 acres at the forest‘s
northern edge had been the center
of a dispute between UK and heirs
of the Bush family, which had
leased the mineral rights of the land
to Arch.

The problem is that UK and the
Bush heirs had deeds to the tract In
June 1989, a Breathitt County Cir-
cuit Judge ruled that the deed of the
Bush heirs pre-dated UK‘s claim to
the land. The University trustees,
when they met in October, had no
choice but to agree.

Shortly after that, Arch took that
land, along with about 90 other
acres it lemd, and filed a prelimi-
nary application with the state for a
permit to strip-mine.

The controversy started again.

he mining, although Outside
I the forest proper, was within
the forest‘s Clemons Fork
watershed. This watershed is of par-
ticular importance to the University
because it is the center of water-
quality studies that have been in
progress for several years.
In order to avoid the controversy

that dogged previous attempts to
mine in and near the forest, Arch
proposed what its officials called a
unique mining plan.

In short. the company proposed

Three officers with the state Cab—
inet for Natural Resources and En»
vironmental Protection sat at one
end of the middle school's tiny
gymnasium. 'lhe stands were filled

 

to mine
3.1 mil-
lion tons
of coal
over a
three-
year 130‘
riod. In
return
for the University’s cooperation,
Arch offered UK up to $1.5 million
to study the effect of mining in the
forest. Arch officials, though, con»
tended that effect would be negligi-
ble.

The initial mining proposal called
for using a hydraulic excavator,
similar to a backhoe, to cut into the
top of the land and extract the coal.
A seven-foot wall would be built
along the top of the ridge. Then ba-
sins would channel runoff into re-
tention ponds to prevent groundwa-
ter from flowing onto the
University‘s property and its wa-
tershed.

But leading state environmental-
ists and University forestry officials
said any mining plan, no matter
how carefully planned, would nec-
essarily damage the watershed.

Specifically, the argument says
that mining automatically changes
the calibration — or size and yield
H of their watershed by rerouting
pan of the stream, thus damaging
UK‘s investment in the forest. That
investment has been sirablc: about
$10 million in the last 20 years.

Then, in February last year. three
state environmental groups filed a
rarely used hinds-unsuitable-tor
mining petition Wllh the state. In
short. the petition .tskcd the state to
prohibit mining in more than
10,000 acres of the forest. Shortly
after that, the University moved to
join the petition as it pertained to
the more than 4,000 acres of the
Clemons Fork watershed.

The pr0vision is part of the 1977
federal Surface Mining Act. Since
then. only 10 groups have f iled
lands unsuitable petitions.

That move has resulted in a series
of legal dodges and spamngs be-
tween UK and Arch. Most recently,
those battles ended up outside of
the boardrooms and courtrooms of
Lexington and St. Louis and in a
small middle school in Jackson, Ky.

utsiders -— those who do not
Olive in the mountains where

coal is still king — tell us to
diversify, but how is this posSible in
a region without adequate high-
ways, water and sewage systems,
poorer quality schools, little public
recreation, ad nauseam. Industry
doesn‘t want to come to areas such
as this."

ofcoaL

—1L0iu.re B. llalmaker.
The Jackson Timer Editor and
Publisher

On Dec. 17. about 700 people
gathered in Jackson‘s Sebastian
Middle School to voice their opin-
ions on the request to prohibit min-
ing in part, or all, of Robinson For
est. The community had been
rocked recently by the layoffs of
250 workers at Arch‘s mining oper-
ations in Breathitt County. Coal, de-
spite its scars as a weakened indus-
try, has remained king in Eastern
Kentucky. It is, perhaps, Breathitt
County‘s only real industry.

“All you have to do is fly over the
North and South forks of the
Kentucky River” to see the impact

with people
wearing T‘-
shirts that
read, “Let
Arch Mine
lts Coal."
Many car-
ried plac-
ards, bear
ing messages such as “Research
doesn’t buy baby food“ and “My
kids need Arch."

lt was clear who they blamed for
their economic woes.

Even those who didn’t make it to
the hearing had their attention
turned toward it. At the nearby

pHOTOCOUPIFSV‘ it IJBPAFV : NH"

 

JFHRV VOIGT 7.4“ A" st

among many that the l'nivcrsity has
blithely ignored the real concerns
and problems of the region. The ar-
rogance (-f Lexington and the l n.
\ersity’s main campus have spurred
a deeply embedded feeling of suspi<
cion and resentment in many people
throughout the region. L'K basket»
ball remains uniwrxally belox ed

As an :iistitittit~n,l K is «till a bea—
con of hope and a sign of accom-
plishment

But Robinson Forest. tn some rc—
spccts. has become the focal point
for the anger and deep frustration
tel! among many in the region

And some of it is justified.

Adam Rose. a professor and head
of the Department of Mineral and
Economics at Pennsylvania State.
testified at the the hearing that it
Arch is forced to shut down its tip-

\

LDCNlt/F‘;

MEDIA BLITZ: The UK Board of Trustees has gone up .ioainst Turn
on the Mineral Corps hired PR guns.

Jackson Inn, the hearing could be
heard over the local radio station,
which was broadcasting it live. pr
Kentucky Highway 15, the hearing
was also on at a local piIJa place.
where business appeared slow.

Arch and the Jobs it brings are im—
portant to the community. said Can-
dice Gabbard, one of the restau-
rant's managers, who echoed the
droughts of many in the community:
“It‘s all we have here."

Almost 700 people .i few miles
down the road were saying the same
thing.

In particular, their anger and frus-
tration was directed toward UK.
Many blame the LTniverSity for the
layoffs. At the center of the contro-
versy is the nebulous research con-
ducted by UK in the forest.

To be sure, the University, upon
request, can furnish boxes of docu—
mentation to support its contention
that it is using the forest for re-
search. But its purpose is murky.
and certainly not translatable to the
layman, particularly someone
whose liVing is blocked by such cs«
otcric exercises.

Funhennore. the University has
not always done a suffiCient Job of
articulating its importance. in the
forest and elsewhere, to the people
of the Appalachian region. The Uni-
versity. to be sure, can point to pro-
grams, from community colleges to
health care, that are necessary to
Appalachia.

But there also is a very real sense

crations. there will be .i tlt'MhLillnil
effect on the ccononiv ot itreathttt
County and the entire state.

Rose and Arch represents 411 "cr-
cent of Breathitt County » toal I‘m—
duction. and he tontcndcd that ‘1
Arch were torccd to shut tiown, .he
county‘s tincmplovment rate would
lump to more than :0 percent. well
above national averages. ilrczithitt
County's current unemplovmcni
rate as 0.3 percent. \Vllllt.‘ the states
is nearlv \’ percent. Rose said

Rose was an expert Witness WY
hired gun ~ tor \rch, But nobodv
was disputing his figures

There .tre piles of .trcana the
stuff of dissertations and theses
filled Wllh panaceaic answers to the
problems of Appalachia. In this
seemingly small case. the L'nivcrsi-
ty's answer has been to think in the
long—term. to look at the environ-
mental impact of mining near the
forest.

Such an argument, though un-
doubtedly wcll~rcasoned. falls into
the lexicon of absurdity when
matched with the faces of people
who need jobs now. not tomorrow,
and not in the future.

To be sure. economic empower-
ment and diversification aren't the
only answers to the problems of to
day. Havmg a iob for three years in
an industry living on mecd time
that moreover damages the future is

See APPALACHIA'S. Page 4

 

 4 - Kurtueky Kernel. Thursday, January 24, 1991

Appalachia’s problems will persist after coal

Continued from Page 3

not the answer.

But implicit within the argument
of the University and environmen-
talist