Sunday, Jan. 11, 1987 --

• Nine people have applied to fill Norman Conway’s shoes on the City Council. They are: William Benn, Bob Caldwell, Donald E. Caldwell, Sandy Dennis, the Rev. Harvey Dixon, Ralph McIntyre Sr., Robert Menzel Jr., Duke Shanahan and Gertrude Shockley, according to City Clerk Fara Tawes. William F. Brooks had applied for the seat, Tawes said, but has since asked that his name be withdrawn. The Democratic Central Committee was supposed to narrow the list to three, but City Council members decided they wanted to interview all contenders. Conway will formally resign later this week when he is sworn in as delegate in the Maryland General Assembly.
• Barbara Womack of Ahtes, Hanna & McLaughlin Realtors was heralded for selling $1,005,600 in real estate in 1986. In welcoming her to the “Million Dollar Club,” he colleagues said she had “worked hard and diligently, as usual” to achieve the high status.
• Negotiations were to begin this week between Safeway and the United Food & Commercial Workers union over the grocery chain’s decision to close three supermarkets in Salisbury, Georgetown and Rehoboth Beach. Some 43 employees would lose their jobs at the Mount Hermon Road and East Main Street store. Union officials said they were trying to achieve the “best possible contract concessions” for the local workers, but some local union rank-and-file members have accused the union leadership of instead seeking better wages for western shore employees. Safeway is reported to be $4 billion in debt; the local stores are slated to close Feb. 7.
• Local gas prices have jumped 3 cents this week, mostly because of higher demand and higher taxes, local service station owners said. The average price for leaded gas is 75.9 cents per gallon; unleaded gas is selling for .079.9 on average.
• Salisbury was preparing to welcome former U.S. Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz to the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center for a daylong forum on regional agriculture. Butz, who served under presidents Nixon and Ford, was forced to resign after he told a racist joke to a group that included a reporter. Butz in recent months has assailed the government for mistreating farmers, which has caused numerous farm failures, escalating debts and bankruptcies. Butz’s visit was sponsored by Milford Fertilizer Co.
• The Wicomico County Council was poised to adopt a $7.8 million capital budget that includes $5.5 million for a renovation and expansion of the Wicomico County Courthouse. The council delayed approval last week until Becker Morgan Architects Inc. could make some demanded design changes. Members complained the designers had made the building and inside spaces too large; the architects responded that their plans would allow for future expansion. Other capital budget items include $900,000 for new equipment at the county Detention Center, $629,000 for renovations to Pinehurst Elementary School and $15,500 for the development of Cedar Hill Park.
• Shivering in 30-degree temperatures and strong winds, Donna Ennis and Mary Lou Dix continued their rate-increase protest in front of Storer Cable’s offices on East Main Street. The bundled-up Salisbury women sat on folding chairs, holding placards -- one read: “$28.88 a month -- where’s the picture?”; the other read “U.S. boycotts USSR, Salisbury boycotts Storer.”  Storer recently increased its monthly fee for basic channels and HBO by $2. Dix said that because “there are plenty of Stores and malls in Salisbury,” Storer should replace the Home Shopping Network with the popular Disney Channel.