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The News record
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADIS S ? 17 'QOt .
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Vol. 84 NO. 28 PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT A, 7",
1984 25C
Marshall
Hires
Police
Chief
By ROBERT KOENIG
The Marshal Board of Aldermen named
Herschel Cox the new chief of police during a
special called meeting held Thursday momiing
at Town Hall.
Appointment of the new police chief came on
a motion made by board member Ed Niles.
Alderman John Dodson voted in favor of hiring
the 29-year old Cox. Board member Sammy
Lunsford opposed the appointment.
Cox will be paid $9200 a year as the town's
police chief.
The new police chief will be the first to lead
the Marshall police deparment in several
years. Former Marshall police officer Carlie
Gunter served as the town's unofficial police
chief until he was dismissed by Mayor Wild in
December of last year. Gunter has filed a
Blue Mold
Warning
Issued
Hie Madison County Extension Service has
issued a blue moid watch to local tobacco
growers. )
Although blue mold has not been reported tat
the area, weather conditions have been
favorable for the disease's development. The
wet .overcast and cool weather of the past
several weeks is the ideal enviornment for blue
mold development in unprotected fields.
Farmers are urged to watch for the disease in
old plant beds that have not been destroyed
Parts of fields which receive morning or after
noon shade and valleys subject to early morn
ing fog also require careful observation.
Growers should make sure that all old tobac
co beds are destroyed. Hie Extension Service
recommends applying a layby treatment of
Ridomil at the rate of one quart per acre. The
treatment should be applied to the row middles
and the base of all plants. A shallow cultivation
of the soil or immediate rainfall following ap
plication will increase the treatment's effec
tiveness because Ridomil gives best protection
when it is absorbed by the plants' roots. Ap
plications on the plant does not provide protec
tion for any new growth.
Farmers detecting signs of blue mold infesta
tion in their fields are asked to contact the
Madison County Extension Service office in
Marshall immediately. Hie Extension Service
telephone number in Marshall is 649-2411.
I - if;' 5675 3
? -
Compromise Is Reached
In Laurel Precinct Dispute
TROON SQUIRE AND HIS PET CHICKENS
were awarded a blue ribbon during animal
parade at Beech community's 100th July 4th
celebration. -More pictures on Page ?.
By ROBERT KOENIG
The Madison County Board of Commissioners
redrew the boundaries of the Laurel precinct
for the second time in less than two months
Monday night after hearing appeals from
Laurel voters opposed to the decision to split
the precinct. Following an hour of public com
ment and a 20-minute closed session, the com
missioners emerged with a compromise that
satisfied the Laurel voters.
Under the compromise decision, Spillcom
and Big Laurel residents were returned to the
Laurel precinct (Township 2) while voters in
the Revere and Rice's Cove communities will
form Township 11 created by the county com
misisoners on June 4.
Monday's special public hearing was called
after Laurel residents petitioned the commis
sioners to rescind their June 4 decision creating
a Revere-Spillcorn precinct from a portion of
Laurel township. Terry Gunter presented the
commissioners with a petition signed by some
530 Laurel area voters to the commissioners
during their monthly meeting on July 2. After
reading the petition, the commissioners voted
to hold a public hearing.
When Monday night's meeting was called to
order, opinions both for and against the division
were heard.
Keith Ray of the Revere community opened
the hearing by supporting the division. Ray said
that the people of Revere and Spillcorn re
quested the division and said that voters in his
community were aware that a division was be
ing considered.
Ray told the hearing, "We don't want tokai
political handouts from Shelton Laurel and
Guntertown."
Ray discounted the cost of purchasing new
voting machines and hiring election officials
and said that "threats, lies and loosely -worded
petitions have been circulating in Laurel." He
said that many people who signed the petition
opposing the division were misled into signing
petitions both for and against the split.
Ray was one of the few who spoke in favor of
the division during Monday's hearing.
Terry Gunter, who led the fight against the
split, also addressed Monday's hearing. Gunter
opened by presenting another petition, this one
signed by 18 voters who stated they were misled
into signing the anti-division petition.
Gunter then told the commissioners, "We
have the majority by over 2 to 1 that don't want
the precinct divided. If you continue to go
through with this, you are setting the most
dangerous precedence you ever have.
Every time there's a spat, there'll be a call for a
( Continued on Page 6
School Board Awards Tenure
To Nine County Teachers
Johnson Charged
With Murder
Of Daughter
The Madison County Board
of Education awarded tenure
to nine teachers and hired an
additional six teachers during
their meeting July 3.
The teachers receiving
tenure are Carol Blair, Wilda
Loomis, Karen Blevins, Carol
Evans, Hary Overby, Barbara
Penland, Billie Redmon,
Deborah Boone and Lynn
Plemmons.
The board also approved
hiring Sandra Reeves,
Melanie Blankenship, Allen
Stines, Lula Meulenberg,
Helen Norton and Anita Ward.
Ward was hired as a part-time
health careers instructor. The
other five teachers were all
hired as full-time workers.
Reeves will be assigned to
Marshall Primary School.
Blankenship will teach at
Marshall Elementary School
and Norton was assigned to
Mars Hill Elementary. Both
Stines and Meulenberg were
assigned to Hot Springs
School.
The school board also ac
cepted resignations from
Susan Kiser, Beverly Hough
and JoAnn Johnson. The three
resignations together with the
retirement of teachers
Dorothy Chandler and Jacob
Sams means that Madison
County schools have gained
two teacher positions over last
year's allotment. The increase
is due in part to legislation ap
proved by the General
Assembly during the short
session that decreases the
class size for kindergarten
through sixth grade.
In other action taken during
last week's meeting, the board
approved Standard Life as the
carrier for student insurance.
The board also approved
two transfers of students from
Buncombe County schools.
Charlie Moore and Kelly
Sawyers received approval to
attend Madison County school.
The board also denied three
transfer requests for students
wishing to leave Madison
County. Those denied were
Glen Gosnell, James Cogdill
and Darlene Turner.
The board also approved a
one-year extension of an ex
perimental attendance policy
at Marshall Elementary
School. Principal Fred Haynie
reported that the experimen
tal policy resulted in decreas
ed absenteeism at the school
this year.
Dr. Thomas Jones was also
approved as a full-time
psychologist. Jones has pro
vided service to the county
schools on a contract basis in
the past.
Superintendant Robert Ed
wards delivered a progress
report on construction at Mars
Hill, Laurel and Marshall
Primary schools. The system
is in the process of installing a
new roof in Mars Hill and
preparing trailers for use at
Marshall Primary. Work on
the lunchroom at Laurel
School has been completed.
The school board's next
sheduled meeting will be held
Aug. 1 at 10:90 a.m.
Richard Johnson of Hot Spr
ngs was arrested on murder
charges last Wednesday in
connection with the June 21
ieath of his daughter, five
year old Joyce Johnson,
lohnson, 36. was arrested at
lis home by Madison County
Sheriff E.Y. Ponder after
ireliminary autopsy results
ndicated the child had died as
i result of poisoning.
Buncombe County medical
examiner Dr. H.E. Hinrtan
? rdered the autopsy following
he child's death at Memorial
Mission Hospital in Asheville.
rhe child had been treated
wice before for an undeter
nined illness at the hospital.
She was taken to Memorial
Mission on June 17 by the
Madison County EMS.
Following his arrest,
lohnson was taken to Avery
County where he appeared
before District Court Judge
Phillip Ginn. Johnson was
denied bail at the first ap
pearance hearing and re
mains in the Madison County
jail.
District Court is scheduled
for Wednesday and THursday
of this week in Marshall.
Johnson was not scheduled for
a court appearance, but he is
believed to have requested a
bond hearing be set.
The Madison County
Sheriff's Department is being
assisted by the State Bureau
of Investigation in the case.
The Madison County
Department of Social Services
assumed custody of an older
child, Christopher, following
the June 17 hospitalization of
his slater. The child remains
in faster care.
Report To The Commissioners
Committee Recommends Shift From Tobacco
Following are the major
conclusions pertaining to
agriculture-forestry and their
relationship to economic
development in Madison
County. The more specific
recommendations were
shaped by and should be con
sidered within the context of
these major conclusions.
Agriculture and forestry in
Madison County appear to of
fer litUe opportunity for full
maintenance of the county's
rural lifeatyle and character.
Since approximately 80 per
cent of the county*a farmers
are part-time, adequate non
farm job opportunities must
be available so that residents
can remain in the county, re
tain their agricultural lands,
and pursue part-time
agricultural interests
agriculture and
should
economic
I recommenda
above, meat
Hi I
in order to |
Also, it is essential to note that
maintenance of healthy
agricultural* lors win netpir
othei
essential, to promotion of
tourism and recreation. The
county's quality of life is
greatly dependent on the coun
ty's rural character shich, of
course, is derived from the ex
istence of agriculture and
forestland. Industrial pro
spects whould be interested in
a work force, that, because of
an agricultural lifestyle, is
stable and hahlworking. In
esaence, the values of main
taining a viable agricultural
and forestry eector go far
beyond Merely calculating
farm- and forestry-related in
come.
i
The ctusly's limited I
ly industry and tourism.
[alternative crops and
ENTERPRISES
Although the future at tobac
co is somewhat uncertain, it is
expected to remain the chief
source of farm income for
quite some time.
As long as producing tobacco
remains a low-risk venture,
farmers will not be inclined to
change to alternative crop*.
However, the long-term im
portance of developing attar
native enterprises to grsdual
l obacco and s\*>ptemenl non
ment tobacco for a while, not
replace it. The following is
recommended:
Each fanner mail find the
right combination of after
native* since not ail can be
pradaced everywhere in Ike
caanty and. given their higher
rWu than tobacco, ta avoid
dependence on one crop.
The recommended alter
native unitrprlwi have been
divided into kmg-and abort
tar* categories. Man, local
SHORT TERM ENTER
PRISES: Tomatoes, berries,
and vegetable* are recont
m ended as the beat abort -term
enterprises. Tomato prodnc
tian la highly speculative and
requires maintaining high
staadards of fnltty and effi
ciency. However, In IW about
US Madison County fanners
grew tomatoes which resulted
la over 11 million In income. It
I* believed there W greater
I LONG TERM ENTER
PRISES: Native and non
native ornamental shrubs are
ret?n?nM as the beat
long-term eoterpriaes. NaUve
shrubs incluse hemlock,
rhododendron. laurel,
dogwood and Rame azaleas.
While tke market far
ChrtaUaaa trees h currently
goad, It May cot warrant addi
other's successes.
This is an across-the-board
need, and therefore, ia
discussed below in the subsec
tion entitled Increased
Awareness About Existing
Agricultural Programs and
Alternative Enterprises" The
farmer's decision to change to
any alternative enterprises is