Newspapers / The Pilot (Southern Pines, … / May 27, 1981, edition 1 / Page 16
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Page 16-A THE PILOT—Southern Pines, North Carolina Wednesday, May 27, 1981 SERIOUSLY INJURED—Robin Denise McKenzie, 22, of West End was injured and remains in serious condition, in Moore Memorial Hospital with a head injury following a collision last Wednesday with a transfer truck at the intersection of U.S. Highway 1 and N.C. Highway 5. According to police reports, Ms. McKenzie was turning left onto Highway 5, apparently did not see the truck which was traveling south on U.S. 1, and drove into the truck’s path. The 1980 Honda Ms. McKenzie was driving was totalled, while the truck was damaged an estimated $2,000.—(Photo by Glenn M. Sides) Schools (Continued From Front Page) new physical education position to Dr. Charles Phillips, chairman of the board of commissioners, during the two boards’ retreat at Quail’s Roost in February, at which time Phillips had said “he wanted to see something done about the health and P.E. depart ments,’’ Lee said. “So I recommended the in creases, and now he says the amount is ‘overwhelming*.’’ Presently there is one elemen tary P.E. teacher in the county, and the seven additional positions would allow for a ratio of one teacher per 750 students. The amount requested for the salaries is $130,320 total. “It costs money to hire people,’’ Lee said. Lee said his first responsibility was to tlie students and teachers, and said that he would be shirk ing his responsibility to them if he did not ask for the decreased stu dent fees and new positions. “Who am I to say to teachers, ‘I never asked for it,’ that I didn’t even give them a chance to say no,’’ said Lee. “I want C!harlie Phillips and the commissioners to be the ones to say no, to drawn the line.’’ But he said, “there’s not any item in that budget that’s not worthy of being funded.’’ In answer to many questions he’s received about “fat’’ in the budget, Lee said, “I’ve quit tell ing people that there isn’t any fat in the budget. The fat in the budget is in the eye of the beholder,’’ he said. Some people would consider athletics “fat,” Lee said, “but if I took it out they’d ride me out of town on a rail.” The “fat,” then, is many of the schools’ enrichment programs developed over the past few years, he said. Programs like music, art, auto mechanics, carpentry are other examples of programs that are not necessary for the reading, writing and arithmetic side of education. Lee said, “but they are necessary for a well-rounded school program.” It is also these programs that have increased the cost of educating a child over the years, although student population has decreased, Lee said. Phillips had said at the commissioners’ meeting that he was “over whelmed by 13 new positions for fewer students.” Lee said Friday, that there was. more involved than just enroll ment figures. “They don’t understand the increa^ ser vices that are now expected of us.” He said that 10 to 15 years ago, there were fewer programs for students, and the Imaid was not required by law to educate ex ceptional students, and it did not provide such vocational pro grams as carpentry and auto mechanics. Other changes in the school program over the years include larger classrooms, which are re quired by law, and the addition of aides in all kindergarten through third grade classrooms. But, Lee insists this expansion is “not just true of the schools.” He pointed out that the county has increased services to the peo ple in the areas of increased gar bage collection, recreation departments and programs and a larger sheriff’s department. “People are demanding these things,” he said. “Their standard of living is higher now.” Lee admitted that few pro grams in the school system are required by law, but that when one examines those which are not required, many are programs which people te^e for granted. Examples are busing, lun chrooms and hot lunches for children and, again, music, athletics and vocational pro grams. “But we know, and others know,” Lee said, “that it’s in the best interest to provide busing and hot lunches for children, especially when you realize that some children could not get to school, and would not get a good meal without these.” It is also becoming more expen sive to compete for good quality personnel, Lee said. “When we approach a person about working for us, the first two things he’s go ing to ask is: ‘is it a 12-month position, so I can support my wife and kids?’ and ‘is there an in come supplement?”’ “We could settle for lower qua lity personnel,” Lee said, “but I don’t know of any parents who want their children to receive a second-rate education.” In answer to a question about building the Cameron school, at the risk of having to cut back the budget, Lee said, “I would gladly reduce our programs to as low as we can to build Cameron school,” but he said, “But we will not fire teachers and sacrifice existing programs to put in brick and mortar.” He said the issue had been part of Phillips’ campaign platform, and that Phillips had promised that Cameron school would be built, “without consulting us.” “We want to see it built too, but we will not sacrifice existing pro grams for a new building.” Court Cases (Continued From Front Page) when the court year began on Ju ly 1, 1979, there were 167 felonies and 57 n^emeanors pending in superior court in Moore County. Another 574 felonies and 346 misdemeanors were filed before the year ended June 30,1980. At the end of the court year, 65 felonies were pending, as were 29 misdemeanors. For the entire district the total caseload for the year amounted to 2,783 felonies and 1,893 misde meanors. Moore (bounty Superior Court had the highest rate of disposition in the district for misdemeanors. For felonies Moore was second only to Anson County, which had a disposition rate of 92.6 percent. Few districts had rates this high or higher, and few counties are higher. Lincoln County, in District 27B, had the highest disposition rate for misdemeanors, 98.5 percent, but the rate for the one other county in the district, Qeveland, pulled the district rate down to 76.7 percent. Lincoln had a 94.2 percent rate on the disposition of blonies, and the district rate was 82.5 percent. No criminal cases were dismissed in the 20th District because of the Speedy Trial law. Forty were disinissed across the state, including 17 in Mecklen burg County and 16 in Alamance County. The light of a criminal case defendant to a “speedy trial” is guaranteed in both the United States and North (Carolina con stitutions. Present state law re quires that criminal cases must tried within 120 days of filing unless there has been justifiable delay for one or more reasons spelled out in the statute. Most cases were disposed of through guilty pleas by defen dants. The annual report shows that in Moore County 283 felony cases and 170 misdemeanors were disposed of by a guilty plea. In sudi cases the defendant signs appropriate affidavits that he or she is pleading guilty to certain charges, and the verdict and sentencing are left to the presiding judge. Another 367 felonies and 127 misdemeanors were dismissed by the district attorney’s office. Most of these cases were compa nion charges to other cases which were disposed of separately, through guilty pleas or other ar rangements. Sixteen jury trials - 12 felony cases and four misdemeanors - were held. Jury trials are held in superior court when a defendant enters a not guilty plea. In order to secure a jury trifd, a defendant charged with a misdemeanor must appeal from district to superior court and must plead not guilty. Eighty-seven other cases - 14 felonies and 73 misdemeanors - were disposed of by other means, perhaps by no contest pleas. In the 20th District there were 92 jury trials for felonies and 35 for misdemeanors. The 1979-80 year was the first complete year in which the Moore Ck)unty courts occupied the new courts facility in Car thage. The move was made in Ju ly, 1979. Occupancy of the new facility made it possible for Moore Coun ty to comply with the relatively new state “speedy trial” law. The county had received a temporary exemption from the law while the building was being completed. With four courtrooms available in the new facility, it was possible to conduct more than one court session at a time and thus to com ply with the “speedy trial” law. The old courthouse has one cour troom, which is used today for county commissioners’ meetings and other public events. The annual report represents the compilation of statistics by the personnel of clerk of court of fices throughout the state. Within the Administrative Of fice of the Courts, principal responsibilities for preparing the report were shared by the Research and Planning Division and the Systems Division. Arrests (Continued From Front Page) YARD SALE / Shaw Road, Pinehurst (First Right Off Linden Road) Saturday, May 30 9 a.in.-2 p.m. Baby Accessories, Children's Clothes, Toys, House & Kitchen Wares, Furniture, Books, Light Fixtures, etc. School Lunches (Continued From Front Page) cident. At that time the State Patrol reported that the bus driver, Mrs. Gary Oabtree, let Randy and another boy off the bus at Patterson Store, on Roseland Road near Aberdeen. The bus driver reportedly went up the road to let other passengers off at their stops, and came back to pick up the two boys, who saw the bus and ran across the road. According to accident reports, a car struck Randy, injuring him seriously. Alfonzo Watkins, the driver of the car pleaded guilty to charge of careless and reckless driving in a trial on January 21, and was ordered to pay restitution to the boy’s father of $2,900. The charge of manslaughter was voluntarily dismissed. Lee said Monday night that the lawsuit came as a surprise because the bus driver was the boy’s aunt, and it was expected that the case would be settled out of court. Tbe Attorney General will represent the state and the school board in the case, and if tines have to be paid, the state will pay them. The date has not been set for the hearing, but it will be held in Moore County. Dr. Owens Appoihted In other business, the board appointed Dr. Francis Owens as a Sandhills (Community College trustee, in spite of a policy the board had adopted earlier in the year which would have made the chairman of the school board the next trustee. The unanimous decision came following a statement read by Chairman Lou Frye asking that Dr. Owens be re-appointed, because he would prove more valuable for the county and entire school system, because of ; his association with the Kennedy Foundation. The foundation has provided financial support to the college, and Mrs. Frye felt that to remove Dr. Owens could tinancially hurt both the schools and the college, because more funds would be required on the local level. “If the foundation money was cut, it would just intensify the problem,” said Mrs. Frye, apparently referring to the budget request of the county commissioners and the expected cut. The board had passed an ad ditional policy for the ap pointment of trustees, stating that “beginning with the next vacancy, one of the four trustee appointment allocations shall be reserved for the chairman of the Moore County Board of Education.” Mrs. Frye’s statement, put into the form of a motion, and ap proved by the board, overrides the policy. The vacancy becomes ef fective June 30. New Principal In another unanimous ap pointment, Herbert Leon HoUeman was appointed to the principalship at i^uthern Pines Middle School, replacing Samuel Perkins, who is retiring in June. The appointment came following a recommendation by the Southern Pines Middle School Advisory Council, which con sidered the top six candidates before making a recom mendation. The North Moore Future Farmers of America club (FFA), as part of the county Vocational Agriculture {wogram, presented a program to the Fire Tax (Continued From Front Page) lected on investments,” he said. Moubry reported that he had recently met with the fire officers association to discuss methods of collection. Conunissioner Tony Parker said he had received complaints from people who know of proper ty owners who are not paying the fire tax although they reside in a service district. Eastwood Fire Chief Max Whitesell said he knows people paying the tax to the wrong district and also knows one man who owns a $200,(X)0 house but pays no service tax at all. Commissioner Arthur Purvis was incredulous that such a situa tion should exist. Parker agreed, adding that “when you establish a district, everybody should pay.” Near the close of the meeting the board voted to refund taxes paid by two property owners, Jim Halstead and Terry Weaver, who live outside a fire district. The re fund will be made from the district budget to which the taxes were paid in error. The refund was made at the recommenda tion of Fire Marshal Joe Adams, Tax Collector Don Richardson, and Tax Supervisor Dewitt Pur vis. During the long Monday night meeting the commissioners ap proved all 13 of the fire service district budgets. Only two tax rate increases were included. The Eastwood rate was increased from 11 cents to 15 cents, and the Carthage rate was increased from six cents to 10 cents. The tax is levied on the basis of the property evaluation within that dikrict and is in addi tion to other property taxes paid to the county. Adams explained that the thage unit needs the additional tax money to replace a tanker and for other equipment needs. Whitesell admitted that his department at Eastwood made a mistake last year when the rate was reduced from 12 cents to 11 cents. He said Eastwood needs funds to pay off a debt with Farmers Home Administration for its building and for other needs. Whitesell said the increase would enable his unit to pay off its debts, bring its equipment up to date and “get the monkey off our back.” In addition to Carthage and Eastwood, the fire service districts are: Southern Pines, with a 15-cent rate; Crestline, 10 cents; Pinebluff, 12 cents; Pinehurst, 15; Seven Lakes, 12 cents; West End, 10 cents; Vass, 13; Robbins, five cents; Cameron, six cents; High Falls, nine cents; Eagle Springs, eight cents. Although most areas of the county are included in one of these districts, there are some areas not covered, and a tax is not levied for this service. Under law the fire service district tax can be no higher than 15 cents per $100 property valuation. Budget (Continued From Front Page) cemed that the treasury may run taxes are collected to provide door, and when he opened it, the two young men forced their way into the room. They pointed IHstols at the man and his wife, made them lie on the floor and took all of their cash, which totalled about $70. Lyles and Morrison have also been charged with an attempted armed robbery at the Fairway Motel on US I South, on May 3. Det. Galloway said the arrest was made “after investigations and compiling information supplied by other officers in the department.” The hearing is scheduled for June 10 in District Court in Clarthage. completely dry in July or August, when tax collections are tradi tionally very slow. At a recent board meeting Dr. Charles Phillips, the board chair man, commented that the county had little more than $5,000 in the bank that day. Budget proposals have already been present^ by those agencies which are administered by elected or appointed officials, such as the health and social ser vices departments, the sheriff, the schools and the coroner. Coming up next are budget re quests from everyone else, in cluding county administration, tax department, finance office, inspectors, garage. Par Travel, and Humane Society of Moore County (HUSOM), among others. A few budgets have already been approved. Among them are the social services department, the fire service districts, and the regional wastewater treatment facility. Action is usually taken early on the wastewater treatment plant board, describing the various ideals of the FFA, its purpose, and reciting its creed. The club was named the Pineland Federation Overall Winner for 1981 by winning first place awards in seven out of 10 categories in which the state FFA clubs compete. The club will compete on the state level June 17-19. The board accepted one bid and rejected another for two houses built in the Live Car pentry Project at North Moore and Union Pines High Schools. The high bids received came during an auction May 19 at which time both houses were put up for sale. The first bid was for a house built by Union Pines students, which cost a total of $18,684 to build. The accepted bid was from Mohammad M. Shodja of Shodja Textiles in Aberdeen, who bid $20,000. Tlie second, rejected bid was for the North Moore jx-oject, which cost $22,452 to buUd. The bid was for $19,200 and the board rejected it because it would mean a loss of money. Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company was approved again this year as the company to handle student insurance, following recommendation by the county schools’ principals. The board unanimously accepted the recommendation. Assistant Superintendent William C. W^ton reported that insurance premiums will increase one dollar per student, to $7.25 for the year, because the insurance company paid out more in in surance tean it took in in premiums. Free Estimates Satisfaction Guaranteed ROOFING & CHIMNEY CLEANING Coll: Virgil John Lanier Dillon 944-7037 295-1344 budget because this facility is y j C* * operated with funds collected jacKson a^pnngs from the three participating municipalities. Southern Pines, Pinehurst and Aberdeen. The three towns need this information early in order to prepare their an nual budgets. Another budget which does not come from the county General Fund is fire service. Although these taxes are collected on the basis of property valuation, as is the regular county budget, these mmWm Turn H#r* DundM Road 3 Moara M«m. He$pHo1 Sales llM.-Sat 8-6 Service lloR.-Fri. 8-5 Pinohuret Traffic Circia "Nobody can beat a Bill CLARK Deal." # CLARK Chev.-Cadillac 295-6101 i . - J By ESPRIT AVMLAfeLt EXCUJSNELy AT EBENEZ,E1^ PlPKINf Ud, TqwnI r.i-.iiMTgy SHoot-iklCr (LPHTEK &££gDEEt4 c-ALviri KueiM . JOROftWe »sftsson »MMC »c.ire»v\a-« uee.«ueot » muixoftM » je>wK wchw »^ rnoge PENNSYLVANIA AVE mmm FOR RENT In Southern Pines’ most convenient location. Modern, attractive setting for any type of business. special fire service within the districts. There are 13 fire ser vice districts. The social services budget was approved early because it now faces approval from state of ficials. If the commissioners follow the practice of recent years, they will hold a series of extended meetings just to discuss budget matters. They have agreed to devote most of the regular Mon day, June 1, meeting, to budget discussions. A budget and a tax rate must be decided within a month, and a public hearing must be held before the commissioners can of ficially adopt the 1981-82 budget. The new budget must take effect July 1. Moore County presently has a tax rate of 50 cents for each $100 property valuation. The tax base for the new year is estimated at $1,134,000,000, reflecting about the normal rate of growth in the county. Retail Outlet: approximately 925 sq. ft. M50 per month. - fi a Office: approximately 925 sq. ft. *325 per month. i * Office: approximately 850 sq. ft. *225 per month. mmm* BY ELLEN LAWI UNCE Mr. and Mrs. Carlton C^ter and Mrs. Ruth Flippin of Jackson Springs and Mrs. Jesse Poole of Ellerbe attended a birthday dinner for Mr. Robert Allen in Pinehurst on Sunday. Jackson Six'ings’ 4-H Club held a meeting at the Community Building Monday, May 25, from 7-8:30 p.m. For more information, call Michael Fiskin at 692-3315.
The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.)
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May 27, 1981, edition 1
16
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