8The Tar Heel Thursday, May 26, 1988
State and National
Election year may
From Associated Press reports
RALEIGH North Carolina
legislators have a powerful incentive
to make this summer's session of the
General Assembly a smooth one: the
1988 election.
"Every day you stay here, there's
a potential for controversial issues to
emerge and cause some of our leaders
to have to take stands that they'd just
as soon not," said Rep. Ed Nye, D
Bladen. Sen. Tony Rand, D-Cumberland,
the Democratic nominee for lieuten
ant governor, and Rep. Bob Ethe
ridge, D-Harnett, the nominee for
superintendent of public instruction,
would benefit from a quiet and quick
session, Nye said. So would Demo
cratic legislators who are up for re
election. The General Assembly's leadership
routinely promises a smooth and
businesslike session with adjourn
ment in early July. And the promise
is typically broken. But some lawma
kers believe the session that convenes
June 2 may be different.
Democrats, who control the Legis
lature, would like to enact some
Pre-trial publicity results in motion to change court site
From Associated Press reports
LUMBERTON Attorneys for
the man accused of killing judicial
candidate Julian Pierce have asked
for a change of venue because of pre
trial publicity.
"Any prosecutor of this case in
Robeson or any adjacent county
(would be) highly controversial in
light of the rumors and feelings
regarding racial or political motives
for the murder," wrote Evander Britt
III and Donald Bullard, attorneys for
Sandy Jordan Chavis.
The motion was filed Friday in
Robeson County Superior Court.
Chavis was arraigned Monday and
is scheduled to go to trial July 5,
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by BAUSCH & LOMB
News Analysis
popular measures and get out of town
without a repetition of last year's
House-Senate feuding that embar
rassed Lt. Gov. Bob Jordan, now the
party's gubernatorial nominee.
"I see for the first time since IVe
been here that we're really on the fast
track," said Nye, co-chairman of a
key budget subcommittee. He has
been in the Legislature since 1975,
except for the 1983-84 session.
There were hopeful signs last week
during three days of hearings on Gov.
Jim Martin's proposed $558 million
supplement to the 1988-89 budget,
which will be the chief item of
business next month.
The Joint Appropriations Com
mittee whisked through Martin's
blueprint as presented by a parade
of cabinet secretaries and other
department heads, asking numerous
questions but raising few controver
sial points that could prolong the
session.
At one point, co-chairman Rep.
Billy Watkins, D-Granville, angered
according to The News and Observer
of Raleigh.
Chavis, 24, is charged with first
degree murder in the March 26
shooting death of Pierce, a Lumbee
Indian who was running against white
District Attorney Joe Freeman Britt
for a special Superior Court judge
ship. Investigators initially said the
killing appeared to be a political
assassination, but several days later
said it was the result of a personal
dispute.
Joe Britt, who is not related to
Evander Britt, was declared the
winner automatically after Pierce was
killed.
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stimoiate
some Republicans by brusquely
refusing to let Commerce Secretary
Claude Pope recite statistics about
North Carolina's good economic
performance in 1987.
Watkins insisted he wasn't trying
to be offensive but wanted to keep
the focus on next year's budget.
"Really, we're trying to keep it
businesslike," he said. Asked whether
a smooth session would benefit
Jordan, with whom Watkins often
clashed last year, he laughed and said,
"I think a quick, easy session . . . will
help every living, breathing soul."
The budget, more than any other
factor, determines a session's time
table. Lawmakers cannot go home
until the budget is finished. Once it
is, there's a mad rush toward
adjournment.
The biggest reason for the length
of last year's session was the plodding
pace of the budget process, which
became mired in a House-Senate
fight. Jordan, sensitive to media
criticism of the secretive process, tried
to open meetings of the "supersub"
the elite group of leaders who
assemble the spending package.
Robeson County Sheriff Hubert
Stone described Chavis as a friend
of John Anderson Goins, who
authorities said dated the daughter of
Pierce's girlfriend. According to
Stone, Goins was angry with Pierce
for his role in breaking up their
Strode family puts church
From Associated Press reports
MARION The Rev. Danny
Castle says his congregation at New
Manna Baptist Church has been hurt
by the controversy surrounding the
street-preaching Strode family who
attend the church.
"We don't hate these people,"
Castle said. "We are not encouraging
these people. In fact, we are trying
to discourage them."
David and Robin Strode's three
children Duffy, Pepper and Mat
thew have been suspended four
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legislative session
House leaders resisted his reforms,
creating a weeks-long stalemate.
If predictions of adjournment by
July 4 come true, it likely will be
because Jordan, House Speaker
Liston Ramsey and other key officials
cut a deal on how the budget will
be put together. Lawmakers said last
week nothing had been decided.
They did say the Appropriations
Committee would not divide into five
subcommittees to study Martin's plan
as it usually does a decision that
should enhance brevity.
A possible money shortage could
create a snag. Some Democrats
accuse Martin of packing $100
million more into his budget than
revenue projections justify, a charge
he denies.
If there's only enough to give state
employees and teachers a 4.5 percent
raise and fund a few capital projects,
as Watkins says might be the case,
the scramble will intensify.
"It takes more time to say no to
programs than to fund them," said
Rep. Martin Nesbitt, D-Buncombe,
co-chairman of the budget subcom
mittee on education.
relationship. Goins committed sui
cide shortly before authorities were
to arrest him, Stone said.
Evander Britt and Bullard, in a
separate motion filed Monday, also
asked the court for $1,000 to conduct
opinion polls of Robeson area res
times from Eastfield Elementary
School for violating school. rules
when Duffy and Matthew preached
on school grounds.
The rules require the students to
obey teachers and administrators
when on campus and come inside the
school building after 7:30 a.m.
"I believe it's a trick of the devil
to discredit our ministry," Castle said.
Castle said as many as 75 percent
of his church members have expe
rienced harassment at work because
the Strodes attend New Manna.
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Still another indication that law
makers mean business is that fewer
bills will be introduced than during
the last short session in 1986, when
numerous study committees were
permitted to study proposals.
This year, only two study panels
will report and deadlines for
introducing other measures have been
set.
Martin criticized a committee
studying possible consolidation of
state environmental agencies last
month when it decided to recommend
delaying action on his plan until 1989.
He inserted the plan into his budget
package to force a vote, but its defeat
seems certain.
Martin also says hell demand a
vote on a constitutional amendment
to give the governor veto power,
despite repeated rebuffs in the past.
Jim Gardner, the GOP nominee for
lieutenant governor, says hell lead a
pro-veto march to the Legislative
Building.
Democrats are unfazed. "Well deal
with that in such a quick manner,"
Nye said. "Well take it up on the
floor and zip! It's gone."
idents to prove that Chavis could not
receive a fair trial.
Joe Britt has asked the state to
prosecute the case. Special Deputy
Attorney General James Coman,
who is handling the case, could not
be reached for comment.
in public eye
"TheyVe been called names and
they are being made fun of," Castle
said.
He said he differs with Strode on
the issue of obeying authority.
"We're law-abiding God
fearing, but law-abiding," Castle said.
"We are to obey the law of man until
it conflicts with the law of God, but
this case is not like that."
He said there was pressure in his
congregation to get the Strodes to
leave the church, but he was resisting,
although he sees some damage to the
youth ministry.
"Our bus drivers say they get
questions at every house about this
situation," Castle said. He said the
bus ministry is a cornerstone of the
1,500-member congregation.
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