The Fraii'Miii Times
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Published Every Tuesday & Thursday ' ^ i Serving All Of Franklin County
Gy 6-3283 Ten Cents Louisburg, N. C.. Tuesday, June 3. 1969 (Eight Pages Today) 100th Year-Number 31
Honor Students
EDWARD
Stephen Medlin
Valedictorian
BEST
Wade Stallings
Salutatorian
Future Of Soul City
Could Rest With
Franklin Representatives
By Clint Fuller
Times Managing Editor
Although little is heard nowadays
about the once much publicized Soul
City to be located in neighboring
Warren County, the project is not dead
even though it may be considerably
weaker today than it was a few
months ago. Ironically, it now appears
that if the effort is to get underway it
must come, not from Warren County
citizens but from Franklin and Vance
County men. More specifically, Frank
lin Representative James D. Speed and
Vance Representative John T. Church,
both of whom also represent Warren
County in the Ceneral Assembly.
Stacie Steele, a writer for the As
sociation of Afternoon Dailies, reports
that the project, with former Durham
Negro activist Floyd McKissick at the
head, has run into some difficulty.
Steele reports that federal grants are
available for erection of low income
housing for Soul City, but unless the
development is chartered as a town,
many types of federal grants and loans
will not be available.
A community must be incorporated
before it can enter into a contract with
the federal government to receive
grants for planning, water and sewers,
open space dedication and community
buildings.
Steele explains that there are only
two ways to achieve this in North
Carolina. One is to go before the
Board of Municipalities, meet the re
quirements as set forth in state sta
tutes and the Board, according to
reports, has little recourse but to grant
a charter. However, a bill is making
swift headway in the General Assemb
ly to abolish the Board of Municipali
ties altogether.
House Minority Leader Charles
Taylor of Transylvania County is spon
soring the bill to abolish this agency.
The bill breezed through the House
last week without debate. The same
success is predicted in the Senate.
Assuming this bill passes and the
Board is killed, there remains only one
other alternative. A local measure
would be needed. It is here that the
two Representatives could be called on -
to enter the picture. Steele, says how
ever, that this is unlikely. He indicates
that neither of the two men are likely
to be willing to exert the effort neces
sary to get a local measure introduced
now that the deadline for such legists
tion has passed.
Backers of Soul City have not said
what course. If any, they plan to take
See SOUL CITY Page 8
Edward Best, Bunn Elementary
To Get New Principals
The Franklin Conty Board of Edu
cation accepted the resignation of
Robert Fleming as principal of Edward
Best High School in its regular month
ly here Monday night and approved B.
B. Booth of Nash County as his
replacement. Vann J. Bass was named
principal of Bunn Elementary School
replacing A. A. Lane.
Fleming took over as principal at
Edward Best in 1963 when Warren
Smith became Superintendent. Lane
was employed last year at Bunn Ele
mentary after having retired from the
Henderson City system. Lane retired
this year.
Twenty-three resignations, includ
ing some retirements, were given final
approval by the Board although some
are expected to be reinstated if posi
tions become available.
In other actions the Board gave
tentative approval to the Summer
School personnel with most positions
being filled. Summer School is to be
held at Louisburg High School begin
ning June 12. Louisburg Principal
Thomas Riggan will head the summer
program. Sixteen teachers were ap
proved to work in the project.
The Pre- School Readiness Program
also gained Board approval in Mon
day's meeting and fourteen teachers
were approved to work in this project.
This program will be headed by J. E.
Wilson, principal at Gold Sand Ele
mentary School and will be held at"
Bunn, Edward Best. Epsom, Gold
Sand, Louisburg and Youngsviile Ele
mentary Schools. The Board approved
expenditures of $1,302.69 at Gold
Sand High School and $376.08 at
Youngsviile High School for library
shelving.
Lull Before The Storm
Board Holds Routine Meet
The Board of County CommiKlon
ers held a somewhat routine monthly
meeting here Monday. However, the
lull is expected to be short lived as the
Board \neets again Thursday afternoon
at 2 P.M. to tackle what is expected to
be a very sticky budget.
In Monday's session, the Board
received the regular monthly reports
frpm the various department heads
and heard representatives of the Wel
fare Department explain the "work
being done in regard to food stamps
for better health".
Wilton Smith appeared before the
Board to request space for the Di*rtct
Conservationist and asked for a five
-year contract in leiu of the present
one-year agreement. He also asked for
free rent if possible. Asher Johnson
appeared to invite members of the
Board to a supper meeting as guests of
the Louisburg Rescue Service on June
12.
Tom Marshall, Farm Home Ad
ministrator. appeared before the Board
and some members of tbe County
Planning Board to bring new informa
tion pertaining to sewer and water
development in the county. It was
disclosed that the plans for Franklin
are to be revised and additional maps
of the county are to be furnished.
In other actions, the Board purchas
ed some benchs from the Alert
Holinea Church at $t0 each to be
used in the courtroom.
New Pool Upens
Scene (bow showi ribbon cutting ceremonies here Saturday at 11 A.M. marking the opening of the new Town and Country
Recreation iwtmming pool. Mr*. David Daniel, wife of the organisation'! president, performed the ceremonies with the
Mriatance of her huaband, center. Board of Director!, right, looked on at nearly 200 pertona attended the opening. The project
wat begun laat year, but aeveral deUyi prevented the pool openly originally icheduled for last August.
Staff photo by Clint Fuller.
Hail And Rain Hit
Some County Areas
A severe hail and rain storm hit
several sections of Franklin County
late Saturday afternoon inflicting from
light to heavy damage in some areas,
according to C. T. Dem. Jr., Agricul
tural Extension Chairman.
Dean said water damage exceeded
that inflicted by the hail accompany
ing the storm which struck hardest in
the Franklinton to Pocomoke area;
Pine Ridge to Pilot area and the Whit?
A second hall storm hit the county
Monday night shortly after 6 P.M.
inflicting damage in the Harris Croat
roads section and along NC-98. Extent
of the area affected is unknown but at
least one highway accident and a barn
fire have been attributed to the storm.
Lightning set fire to a barn on the
Elmo May farm on NC-39 around 7
P.M. and a one-car pccldent took placc
on rainslick NC-98 around 6:30 P.M.
The Louisburg area received .85 inches
of rain in a short time during the
storm.
Level area The storm hit around 6
P.M. Saturday.
In the area between Pocomoke and
Franklinton, which stretched for a
distance 1': miles long and a mile
wide. Dean said "extremely heavy
rains" inflicted damage on the Howard
Conyers farm and others in the area
"That section received two-and-a-half
inches of rain in twenty minutes".
Dean said.
The storm swept "an area half mile
wide and three miles long in the
Pilot-Pine Ridge section of the county
but damage was generally lighter than
in the western section of the county.
"This area didn't get as much rain".
Dean stated. There was right much haih
damage, but only about an inch of rain
fell".
Farms in the area of those belong
ing to Herbert Stallings, Earl Carlyle
and the Fred Perry farm received
damage. Dean stated.
Three inches of rain fell in the
White Level-Cedar Rock area, accord
ing to Dean. He said the area hit was
"considerable in size and that he had
not completed his inspection of dam
age in that section. He said farms
owned by D. B. Gardner and Billy
Stallings were among those receiving
damage.
Dean explained that the crops are
small and that this accounted for the
losses being moderate. He said that
many farms will need additional fertili
zer or top dressing to put back. He
said had the storm hit a little later in
the crop year, damage could have been
extensive. "This Is bad for those who
were hit", Dean said as he explained
that things could have been much
worse.
One Of The Many
Result of one of the many wrecks that occurred in Franklin County over the
long Memorial Day weekend is pictured above. Actually this accident took place
shortly before the holiday countdown. Wilson Willis Whitaker, w/m/28 of South
Hill, Va. received facial injuries when his Volkswagen rammed into the rear of a
Chevrolet driven by Henry George Henry, c/m/19 of U.S. 1 at the Wake County
line last Thursday afternoon around 4 P.M. Whitaker. who was treated at Maria
Parham Hospital in Henderson and later released, was charged by Trooper C. U.
Todd with failing to reduce speed. Damage to the two cars totaled $1,100,
according to Trooper Todd. Staff Photo by Clint Fuller.
No Local Fatalities
Number Of Holiday Accidents Reported
While the nation suffered a record
542 highway death toll and North
Carolina experienced 23 road tra
gediet, Franklin County escaped the
holiday slaughter The area, however,
was tar from accident free and had,
perhaps, more than its share of high
way crashes. However, there were no
reports of aerious bodily injury.
A complete count of accidents over
the long Memorial Day weekend is not
available but a number of wrecks have
been reported. Beginning last Thurs
day afternoon shortly after 4 P.M. and
ending Monday night around 6:30
P.M. no day was totally free of a
smash-up somewhere in the county.
A two-car accident on US 1 at the
Wake County line last Thursday sent
Wilson Willis Whitaker, w/m/28, to
Maria Parham Hospital with facial
cuts. The accident occurred, according
to Trooper C. G. Todd, when a car
driven by Henry George Henry,
c/m/19, slowed to make a right turn
and was rammed in the rear by a
Volkswagen driven by Whitaker.
Henry and two passengers in his car
were" uninjured. Whitaker was charged
with failing to reduce speed and dam
age to the two cars was placed at
$1,100.00.
The intersection of NC-96 and US-1
south of Frank II nton proved to be a
hazardous place for Greyhound buses
last Saturday around 9 P.M. Within
minutes, two accidents involving the
buses took place. The first consisted of
a hit and run driver running a stop sign
and colliding with the bus driven by
Walter Jackson Rackler, Jr., w/m/42,
of Raleigh. Damage to the bus was
? i
estimated by Trooper Todd at $500.
The second accident, taking place'
just minutes later at the same location, i_.
involved three vehicles. A 1960 Buick,
reportedly operated by David Gay
Allen, c/m/24, ran a stop sign and
struck the blis and was struck by a car
operated by Thomas Kraley, w/m/17
of Raleigh. Damage to the bus. driven
by David James, w/m/48 of Raleigh,
was placed at $300 by Trooper Todd
and damage to Praley's Chevrolet was
estimated at $25 while damage to the
Allen car was placed at $400. No
injuries were reported.
Around 12:15 A.M. Saturday, Os
borne Riley Radford, Jr., w/m/39 was
arrested and charged with driving un
der the influence and driving after his
license had been permanently revoked
and without proper registration after
he ran his car off NC-56 west of
Louisburg and into a ditch. Radford,
according to Trooper Todd, had driven
the vehicle from Harris Crossroads to
Louisburg without a tire on the right
front wheel, turned around at a local
drive in and headed towards Franklin
ton where 1 14 wrecked the vehicle and
ran. He was later jailed.
Then Saturday afternoon around 2
P.M. John Thomas Lewis, w/m/27 of
Kt. 2, Louisburg. received a broken
nose and facial lacerations when his
llarley motocycle ran off a rural road.
Me was charged with careless and
reckless driving, according to Todd.
Monday night around 6:30 P.M.
Judith Ann Bunn, w/f/19, ran her car
off NC-98 near New Hope and over
turned on the rain-slick highway. She
was taken by a passerby to Franklin
Memorial Hospital and admitted. Her
injuries, according to reports, are not
believed serious. Damage was heavy to
her small sports car. which landed in a
hog pasture off NC-98, according to
reports.
Partly cloudy and cooler today.
Wednesday, generally fair and mild.
Low today, mid 50s; high, 80.
County Leaders
Visit General
Assembly
Fourteen county officials and lead
en visited the General Aaaembly Mon
day night and conferred with Franklin
Representative James D. Speed and
Franklin Senator E. F. Griffin.
The group met for dinner with the
two representatives and later attended
the Monday night session where they
were recognized by both the Senate
and the House.
Among those attending were:
County Commissioners Norwood
Faulkner, E. M. Sykes, John House
and Robert L. Burnette, Clerk of
Court Ralph Knott; Register of Deeds
Alex Wood; County Attorney W. H.
Taylor; County Accountant Kenneth
Braswell; Veteran Service Officer
George Champion; WYRN newsman
Aaher Johnson; Bernard Walters, WU
lard Kearney, Bo Perry and Bobby
McGhee.
Mrs. R.W. Alston Retires
Mr*. Robert W. Alston is shown above following her retirement here last Friday
with J. Harold I'alton, left, manager of First-Cltizena Bank and Trust Co. here and
Lewis R. Holding, President of the firm. Mrs. Alston, a clerk-switchboard operator,
has been employed by the bank since October 1, 1945. She and her late husband
have two children, Mrs. Randall S. Moore of St. Petersburg, FT*, and Robert W.
Alston, Jr. of Salisbury. Mrs. Alston has three grandchildren and one great
grandchild. She has served as deaconess in the Louisburg Baptist Church and is a
member of the Franklin Historical Society. Her co-workers gave a party at bar
retirement Friday afternoon. Staff photo by Clint Fuller.