ELIZABETH D. SQUIRE PHOTO
Rain At Last
Western North Carolina skies opened up over Ike weekend,
wasklng ont Lakor Day plans knt providing some mack
needed rainfall. The weekend rains kroagkt fortk tke first
nmkrellas seen In Marskall In a long wkfle. Alana Haynes,
daagkter of Ted and Renee Haynes of N.C. 212, protects ker
family's kasket of kooks korrowed from tke Madison Coanty
PakUc Llkrary In Marskall.
Interim Chief Of Police
In Weaverville Resigns
BY BILL STUD ENC
Editor
Sgt. J.D. Bay has announced his
resignation from the Weaverville
police force, Just a week after being
named acting police chief following
the firing of the former chief .
Bay informed Weaverville Town
Manager Charles Home of his
resignation last Friday. The
resignation is effective Sept. 25.
Bay, contacted this week by The
News Record, refused to comment on
his reasons for leaving the
Weaverville police force.
"I'd just as soon not make any
comments on that," he said Tuesday.
Bay also refused to comment on
whether hit resignation is related to
the Aug. ? firing of Dan-ell Rath
burn, who had served as Weaverville
police chief for slightly more than one
year, or to the recent resignation of
two other Weaverville police officers.
Town officials say they dont know
if the firing or resignations played
any part in Ray's decision to quit.
"I have no idea if it's related to the
others," Weaverville Mayor Reese
Lasher said.
"To my knowledge, this has
nothing to do with the others. I
believe he's just tired of law en
forcement and wants to get into
another field," Home said.
"He basically told me that he was
getting out of law enforcement
altogether," be said.
Lasher voiced disappointment at
the recent rate of turnover on the
police force.
"I'm disappointed because I don't
like turnover to begin with, and we've
had an unusual amount in the police
department," be said. "I like to
believe we treat our people right."
Currently, Weaverville's police
department, usually a five-man
organisation (including the chief)
consists of three officers - Ray,
Roger Webb and Gerald Scott.
Rathburn, the fifth police chief in
Weaverville since a 1963 depart
mental reorganization, was fired by
Home for undisclosed reasons. Of
ficers Tom Banks and Ron Benson
turned in their resignations last
mnnth, citing reasons and
general Job dissatisfaction.
Town officials have refused to
comment on the termination until
after a yet-to-be-scheduled grievance
hearing can be held.
Rathburn, 30, has also refused to
comment on the firing until the
grievance hearing.
Rathburn has requested that a
grievance hearing be held, but a date
for the hearing has not yet been set.
Weaverville officials say that
hearing should be held late this week
?CeattnedMi Paget
Madison County Commissioners
Warn Sheriff About Overspending
By BILL STUDENC
Editor
Madison County officials have
warned Sheriff Dedrick Brown that if
he continues spending at his current
rate, his department will be out of
money by April.
During Tuesday's meeting of the
Madison County Board of Com
missioners, county finance officer
Ralph Rice told Brown that he has
spent more money than budgeted for
the months of July and August.
The commissioners had asked Rice
to keep a tab on all county depart
ments and to inform them if a
department head spends more than
one-twelfth of a department's budget
during one month.
Baaed on a total departmental
budget of $1?, 129, the sheriff's
department should be spending at the
rate of about $15,760.75 per month.
Rice said.
According to Rice's figures, the
sheriff's department spent $17,8M.M
in July - $1,864 above projected
expenditures - and $16,90 in August,
roughly $2,469 overbudget.
"The biggest concern I have is
when we come into next spring, if we
continue to spend at this rate well be
out of money," Rice said.
"We will need another $24,000 to
meet expenses at the current rate,"
he said. "Our only option is to
somehow cut expenditures so
we can be within the budget."
The commissioners' meeting with
the sheriff comes after Brown issued
a statement last month crittdng
county officials for failing to provide
his department with adequate fun
ding.
Although the total department
budget is some 190,000 more than last
year'* amount, moat of that money ia
from sources other than the county,
amounting to no increase, Brown bas
said.
County officials also said last year
that the sheriff's department was
spending more money than budgeted,
and later ?n?niui the sheriff's
budget
During Tuesday's meeting, the
commissioners suggested ways that
Brown might be able to cut expenses.
-Continued oa Page a
North Buncombe School Plans
Have Supporters , Opponents
By ELIZABETH D. SQUIRE
Feature Writer
North Buncombe County parents,
teachers and school principals are in
general sympathy this week with a
proposal by the State Department of
Public Instruction to merge the
Barnardsville, Bed Oak and Flat
Greek elementary schools and close
the French Broad school in
Alexander.
Need for such a plan arose (ram the
opening of the new North Buncombe
High School on Salem Church Road
north of Weaverville and the con
sequent conversion of the old Ugh
school to a new North Buncombe
Middle School, officials said.
Drastic cuts in enrollment at the
Wolf Laurel
Residents
Help Out
Area VFD
By ELIZABETH D. SQUIRE
The Wolf Laval Prop erty-Owners
Association has donated |B,000
toward the coat of outfitting an
ambulance for the Ebbs Chapel
Volunteer Fire Department.
"We art all part of the same
neighborhood and we need to work
together," said John lagjett,
Bill Ward, who serves as liaison
four affected elementary schools has
resulted from the opening of the new
middle school, with 100 pupils leaving
Baraardsville (along with an already
existing decline ia school-age
population), 85 leaving Red Oak, 121
leaving Flat Creek and with French
Broad losing a third of its 215
enrollment to the middle school.
Baraardsville principal Robert
Nesbitt said it is his understanding
that the plan, to take effect in two to
three school years, will be broadly
baaed on the arrangement of the West
Buncombe Elementary School.
Red Oak principal William
Brigman expressed no surprise at the
decision and said meetings with
parents have bean taken place on the
idea for several years. Moot parents
supported the idea then, be said, but
some parents now are cool to the
idea.
A disadvantage to tbe creation of
the new Middle School, Brigman said,
is the need for more combination
grades. A few mm pupils in kin
dergarten would mean creation of a
combined K-l grade, and con
sequently, if this results In too large a
class, a combined 1-2 grade would be
needed, he said.
Nesbitt said parents in Bar
nardsville were generally pleased
when they were in on the planning.
Barnardsville's school was built in
1928, he said, and the time has come
-Continued en Page S
ELIZABETH U. SVU1KE MtUTU
UbIm Valley Missionary Baptist Ctaorch was the sceae of an
alleged ceafrentattea last week la ce?ecWaa te the ceavicttee
of Andrew "Junior" Chandler.
?e8igns,
By BILL 8TUDENC
Jimmy Dun Hensley, on* of
thm BepubHcan member* of the
Madison County Board of Edu
froaa the board Twaaday night, but
haa since had a change of haart
Henaley, contacted by Hie News
Becord on Wednesday, said he has
the achoot board, and now is hoping
that he can withdraw the resig
"Now I'm having second
thoughts about it," ha aaid. "I'd
like to withdraw my resignation,
but I'm not sure if it's too late to do
thatornot."
Hensiey, in a letter given at
?bout 11:46p.m. Tuesday to James
Baker, school board chairman,
said that his duties as a school
hoard member were taking too
much of his time away from his
family.
"I feel that in order to be an
effective board member, one
should be able to devote more time
and energy than I'm willing to
give," he said hi the latter. "My
church and my family must come
first In my life. Anything less
would be falling short on my part
. as a Christian and as a father."
) The issues faced by the school
board "were constantly bearing on
my mind," Hensley said.
"I refuse to allow this position to
bitter perm. Ufa ia too ahort, my
family, my church and my huat
aaaa la? important to ba constantly
interrupted by tha Board of edu
cation, "he laid
Haaaiey laid that since be
coming a achooi board member, he
haa apent all of his vara time danl
t?|^)nf)|^ii||niin
"If I had not put tha Board of
Education flrat aU of the time, I
might aat have gotten to burned
out aoaoon," he laid. "I got burned
out before I really got itartad."
But, after sleeping oa hia da
data overnight, Henaley aaM he
nwa wouM like to remain on the
-Cautioned ea Page!
Pfu*ents Of Molested Children
Say They've Been Threatened
By CHICK SQUIRE
A confrontation at a Revere church
apparently occurred last week bet
ween supporters of Andrew "Junior"
Chandler and parenta of children he
waa convicted earlier this year of
ia currently in
Prison in Raleigh serving two con
secutive life sentences plus SI yean
after a Buncombe County Jury found
him gtfty in March of charges of
County
day (
witnesses say that Chandler's uncle,
Jeter Chandler, and another member
of the family rose up to apeak in
church toward the end of aorvteea.
Some members of the
congregation, which included parent*
of the children, asserted
Hif ? tpMiilMw ?l ttw. flmiHUr family
had threatened the others because of
a belief that Mrs. WUlard Norton,
wife ef the pastor, waa hiding
evidence that could have resulted in
Jwior Chandler's aquittaL
Mrs. Norton told The News Record
she knows of no rach evidence.
"I know nothing that would gat Mm
oat of prison," she said. "God la
heaven knows I dont."
After a commotion in the church
and a confrontation outside the
church later that day, a witness
celled the Madlaon County Sheriff's
Mrs. Norton said her niece, Nancy
Burgees (mother e( one ?f the
children), and the ?lace's haahand
Hot Springs Community Rallies
Around Man Injured In Accident
Fran sun Kcp?rt!
A '-ot-dog lie #t the H
Con 1 unity Cent* or Frifey wttli
lunch ?en i from noon !? 1 p.i
and upper fr 5 to 6
Puter k in the
surfi? m a re It of
? tained In a motor rcle
d<? sat rUJ help
as ? raatft of
taw f Bfcrker'i . Fr nd
ha at ,t M
?' "I - - !> '?'Wt t
? driving I
? tr*? toppied by a alarm. Both Ma
lega ?m Mind In tha accktaot,
according to CacUta Champion, head
penaes syj tmaiTa
Madison Man Dies
In Weekend Crash
. . ..
| A jtodaan County wu one
h Carol tanak
5
??
Saturday 1 1 lost coitr?i of
tr
I * iat o k
?*? at *iis
rten i of til ir
IK ll
OrwnvUte, ItiMk, ?l 'WMMp *
attiMflBftjfl