News & Advertising
Deadline: Monday Noon
Harnett County News
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Published Continuously Since 1919
VOL. 62
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY, 8,1978
TWENTY CENTS
Money,Personnel Asked
Of Commissioners Mon.
At the Harnett County Board
of Commissioners meeting
Monday morning, Harnett
County Sheriff Lewis Rosser
announced plans for substantial
dtanges in both his of&ce staff
and law enforcement personnel.
Rosser, who took the office in
December, said that the first
phase, including renovation of
Around
Town
RURTTAN FISH FRY
The Neill’s Creek Ruritan
Club will sponsor a fish fry on
Friday, Feb. 9 at 4 p.ra. A three
dollar donation is asked and all
proceeds will go to the club’s
building fund. Tickets are
available firom all club mem
bers.
; The feed will be held at the
dubhouse, located in Buies
Creek near Johnson’s Store. To
find the building, go down N.C.
highway 210 north through the
stoplight at the intersection of
highways 421 and 401. Take the
first paved road to the right'
and proceed past Johnson’s
Store. The clubhouse is located
on the first dirt road on the
right, about one quarter of a
mile firom the store.
CLASS REUNION
The lillington High School
class of 1969 is planning, or at
least trying.to plan..a4p-year
anniversary reunion for April
14. The only problem is the
organizers can't get up with all
the class members to determine
if there is any interest in having
such an event.
Hopefully all class members
keep up with the Lillington
folks by reading the News, so
here is a message to all of you;
If you axe interested in the
event, or even if you are not,
contact Jane Stogsdill Lamer
by writing to Rt. 1, Bunnlevel
or calling 833-5445.
CABLVlCTIMBffiD
While Carl Clayton was busy
Friday night coordinating the
fund-raiser for N.C. Insurance
Commissioner John Ingram, his
home was being ransacked by
thieves.
Carl reported the break-in at
his RL1, Broadway home to the
sheriffs department at about 9
p.m. Friday night. He reported
the theft of $763 worth of
merchandise.
Carl told investigating offi
cers the back door had been
kicked open. Reported missing
were a shotgun, a riiie, a ’oaae
station citizens band receiver,
two necklaces and a hunting
knife.
offices and realignment of the
office staff, is nearly completed.
He made an appeal to the
board for the authority to hire
more deputies and detectives.
Eventually, he said, he would
like a rotating ^uad patrol
system within the department.
He told the board he needed
"at least” six more patrolmen
and two more det^iyes. There
are presently 16 patrolmen and
four detectives.
Rosser suggested the possibi
lity of using funds from the
Comprehensive Employment
Training Act (CETA) program
to pay for the additional
manpower.
Joining Rosser in maldng
requests was Chief Deputy BQl
Ca^n, who asked for permis
sion to submit an application to
the Law Enforcement Assist
ance Administration for funds
to hire temporarily a crime
prevention officer.
Carson said he and Rosser
felt that the officer’s position
could be phased out in two
years. But it would help cut the
county’s petty crime rate, he
said.
Jesse C. Alphin, chairman of
the board, said the request
would be considered, and he
appointed Commissioner Rudy
Collins to be a liaison officer
between the board and the
sheriffs office.
Rosser also announced the
work in their home areas.
In other action, the board
approved a request to hire an
additional public health nurse
and an aide for the home health
program in the Harnett County
Health Department.
' The boa:^ took no action on a
request for additional workers
in the Department of Sodal
Services.
Helen Crews, director of
social services, had sought to
replace a file clerk, food stamp
specialist and three workers in
the Aid to Families with
Dependent Children division.
The positions had been filled by
CETA workers who were
required to leave after complet
ing their training.
The commissioners indicated
they would announce a decision
on the matter later this month.
Day Care Center
At Coats Baptist
appointments of Pete Ledford
of Western Harnett County,
and Donald McLamb of Dunn as
detectives. The two men will
The Coats Baptist Church is
planning to open a Day Care
Center in the near future. The
Center will be equipped to
provide competent day care for
tJl in aitenduce, plus enriching
activities in a Christian envi
ronment for two, three and
four-years olds.
Applications will be accepted
for elffidren from six months of
age up to five years of a^. For
more information you are
requested-to call 897-8674-or-
897-5628.
Board Avoids Court
Suit Against 1 iVlli Move
ROOSEVELT BRUNSON of Western Harnett scored Us 1,000
career point with this basket Friday night against East Wake. The
M senior needed only three points prior to the game to reach the
plateau and got them on his team's first tWo possessions. He led
the way for the 66-52 win by scaring 37 points and pulliag down
13 rebounds. The Eagles are now 14-5 overall with a 10-3
conference mark. The Lady E^es who won their game 66-52, are
164 on the season and 134) in 4he conference. The Eagles play
thUr final hoinS game Friday ag^st Orange. (Photo by Lorraine
Mize)
The Harnett County Board
of Education Monday night
approved three classes for
trainable mentally retarded
(TMR) students in this area-
two at Shawtown and one at
Johnsonville.
Previously, there have only
been two TMR classes in this
county, one at Shawtown and
another at Johnsonville.
The derision to set up a third
came after two months of
protests firom parents who
didn’t want to see the Johnson
ville class dissolved.
Following the advice of
teachers, the board had earlier
voted to transfer the Johnson
ville students to Shawtown
where they could be divided
according to age.
With just two dasscs. each at
a different school, students
from age 5 to 20 bad been
lumped together making it
impossible, Superintendent
Gray said, for one teacher to
instruct them effectively.
The Board hoped to remedy
that situation by combining
Johnsonville’s students with
Shawtown’s and then dividing
the children according to age.
However their plans were
halted when parents of rix of
the older Johnsonville students
organized a lawsuit against the
school and had a court order
drawn up prohibiting the board
firom transferring, their child
ren.
Sanford attorney Jimmy
suggested to Gray that a third
class be considered.
At that time Superior Court
Judge Edwin S. Preston of
Raleigh agreed to postpone the
hearing until after the school
board had time to discuss the
new proposal.
Monday at 11 a.m.
Gray said this morning that
since the board had compro
mised and created the third
TMR class, the lawsuit would
probably be dropped.
• “I think everyone is satisified
now,” said Gray. “What we’re
Continued on Page 4
WLLN Goes on Air
By STEVE PLUMMER
After months of federal
setbacks and delays, LtUing-
ton’s long-awaited radio station
will finally go on the air
Mondau, Feb. 12 at 11 a.m., it
was announced this week by
WLLN business manager Lin
coln Faulk.
Special guests expected to be
on hand for the opening
ceremonies include U.S.. Sena
tor Robert Morgan, station
owner Bob Etheridge, liUiog-
ton Mayor Frank Lewis,
lillington Chamber of Com
merce president Leo McDon
ald, Tony Tucker of the Harnett
Co. Planning and Development
Coirimission and Jesse Alphin,
chairman of the Harnett board
of commissioners.
^Love represented the parents
at' a hearing last Thursday and'
Faulk said a formal opening
and ceremony will be held m
the near future for the general
public once the station is on the
air.
The 2,500-watt station will
operate a 1370 on the AM band
and will broadcast during
’ daylight' hbiirs'-seven' daj^a “a'
week.
Faulk said the station will
feature middle-of-the-road mu
sic and community-oriented
news and features.
“Our musical philosophy is
that a greater audience will be
reached if we play a little
something for everybody,"
Paulk said. “We wU! also
broadcast regular Sunday mor
ning services from Lillington
Baptist Church and daily
morning devoiionais with area
ministers.”
Faulk said alt community
organizations and civic clubs
are invited to make use of the
radio’s facilities for announce
ments and other activities.
Cary Stedman, a radio and
television graduate of UNC-
Cbapel Hill, is the station
manager. Stedman was employ
ed with a Durham station
before accepting the post in
Lillington.
Faulk, who retired from a
Dunn station after 25 years, is
weU-known in the Lillington
area. Hfo wife, the former PoUy
"Easdnl is’a'OUfegtmi'nalive.
Telephone Number
Established For LIP
Rain, Sleet Never Stopped Byrd, But Retirement Will
Continued on Page 4
By STEVE PLUMMER
A telephone number im the
lillington exchange has been
established by United Tele
phone Systems (UTS) for
persons who want to call
Project UP with suggestions
about community improve
ment.
The establishment of the
number was announced jointly
this week by UP co-chairman
Steve Skinner and Bobby
Suggs, UTS manager of
community relations.
The number to call is
893-2311. A recorded message
will instruct callers on the
procedure for learing their
message. Skinner said peraons
who wish to volunteer for
Project UP can also leave their
names and telephone numbers.
Someone from the committee
will contact them later.
The telephone number was
established to encourage more
citizen input into local revitali
zation efforts. The information
taken on the telephone will be
used in conjunction vnth recent
merchant interviews and a
customer questionnaire that
appeared in the Harnett
(jounty News.
Sldmier said that although
several of the customer quest
ionnaires had been mailed to
the News office, the committee
hopes the establishment of the
telephone number wifi encour
age even more citizen participa
tion.
Project UP is a joint effort
by local merchants, property
owners and ritizsns to improve
the economy, function and
appearance of the community
at a minimal cost. The local
committee is closely with
members of the N.C. Dept, of
Natural Resources and Com
munity Development and UTS,
whose Project PROUD has
helped several other North
Carolina communities achieve
positive results in similar
programs.
by LORRAINE MIZE
Neither rain nor sleet can stop
the local mail carrier, but come
this Friday, retirement will end
the 30-year career of rural mail
carrier Carl A. Byrd. ■'
Byrd, who has been nith the
lillington Postal Serrice since
1948, has served the citizens of
Route 1 in Lillington since 1956.
He said changes over the years
have come mostly in the volume
and type mril delivered and in
the toad conditions.
carrier. “I’d watch the mailman
come by every day while we
were in the fields piricing cotton
and knew that was what I
wanted to do. I just didn’t know
if I’d ever have the money to
buy a car and that was a
necessity.”
Byrd served as a squad leader
in the infantry during World
War H ahd was wounded in the
Battle of the Bulge on Dec. 25,
1944.
“That’s something I’ll never
forget,” he said thoughtfully.
“We were driven back almost to
the Meuse River and Bastogne
was surrounded in the southern
Ardennes Forest by the
Germans. Brig. Gen. (Anthony
C.) McAuliffe was asked to
surrender and his reply was
‘Nutsl’ By the middle of
January we had recovered all
the ground we lost in the
battle.”
After returning to Lillington in
1945, Byrd worked for his
father-in-law for three years at
Johnson and. Brvan Butcher
Shop. Then in August of 1948,
he began his work as a mail
carrier. For the first eight years,
he served the people on Route 3
Ullington before switching to
Route 1, where he has been a
daily figure for the past 22
years.
Byrd said he and his wife
haven’t really discussed his
retirernent but he plans to do a
lot of hunting and fishing, along
with all his gardening work.
The Lillington Post Office will
be losing a loyal employee
Friday, but perhaps more im
portantly, the people living
along Route 1 will be losing a
faithful friend, one they've
grown accustomed to seeing
every day for over 22 years.
“There’s a lot more work
involved now than when I
started with the post office,” he
said. "The roads have been
changed over the years and the
people have changed too. There
really aren’t any country people
any more, they’re all city-
Ingram Wants Insurance
Law Changed, Asks For Help
oriented,"
Byrd said, “Along with the
volume of mail being greater,
the type of mail is different now.
Whereas 25 years ago you might
get half a dozen Reader’s Digest
magazines, now you get as
many as 100. When I started
carrying mail, Progressive
Farmer. Reader’s Digest and
Life were about the only maga
zines you ever saw. Now you can
see just about anything.”
Born and raised on a fartr. in
Bunnlevel, Byrd said he had
always wanted to be mail
State Insurance Commission
er John Ingram Friday night
appealed to Harnett citizens to
hrtncp *11 tYlCk
■>•’***0 MM waav/
have with their State legisla
tors to change the insurance
law to again allow his office to
set insurance rates in the State.
The last legislature passed a
law which enables insurance
companies to put into effect
high and unreasonable insur
ance rates over the protest of
the State Lnsurance Commis
sion.
’The present law is against
the people and needs chang
ing," said Commissioner In
gram.
(kv-Chairmen Carl Qayton of
Upper Little River and J.D,
Stewart of Dunn, terming the
attended the fund-raiser for
Mr. Ingram.
Senator Morgan, after wel-
cvent highly auCCe&siui, rvpon.
spoke at a benefit barbecue
chicken supper held in the
LUlington Middle School to
raise money to help pay off the
debt he incurred in his
unsuccessful campaign against
U.S. Senator Jesse llelms.
ed they had raised over $800 (or
Mr. Ingram.
U.S. Senator Robert Morgan,
his wife, Katie, and two
daughters, Mary and Margaret,
headed Democrats from
throughout the county who
wajmi5 4«8i4 m.u iim
family back to Harnett, said the
fund-raiser was one of the
finest tributes that could be
paid Ingram.
“Winners in electiori cam
paign have no trouble raising
Continued on Page 4
Fourth Annual Kiwanis
Pancake Supper Feb. 22
EN APPRECUnON • Two retMng HaraeU
(kranly employeet, Edsa Newton (left) «t the
iberlffie depertment and Jnsalte mg|it of too
•gricnltiuel extension eeivko, wot* boeoeed
Monday morning at the regotar meotteg of tho
coonCy'e board of comwiealooeee. Soon ben
with tbo woman la board chatamaa Jeaae
Alphin and doxena of fellow employeoe who
wero on hand for (be preoeotatfon of the
reeolatloM commending tbo women for thebr
years of eervke. [Photo by Steve Plommer)
The fourth annual liltington Kiwanis pancake supper will be
held Thursday, Feb. 22 at the LOlington hliddle School cafeteria.
The meal will be served from 5:30 - 9 p.m. and tickets for the all-
you-can-eat affair are two dollars each,
A country ham will be given away during the evening as a door
prize.
The annual rite by the local dvicclub raises money for the dub’s
scholarship fund, given each year to a local high school senior. This
year proceeds from the dinner will also help pay for a Harnett
County handicapped youngster to attend C»mp Easter4n-lhe-
Pines, a camp in Moore County spemsored by the Easter Seals
Foundation. The club voted earlier this year to raise the $35C
necessary for one youngster’s partidpation in the summer
program.
Tickets are on sale now and are avaOable from any Kiwanis
member. Tickets can also be purchased at the office of the Harnett
County News on Main Street.
AT INGRAM FUND-RAISEK - Harnett
SfaerlH Lewis Rosser, left. Is shown here as
he welcomed State lasorance Commissioner
John Ingram back to Harnett Friday night
for a dinner held to help him raise hmds to
pay off his campaign debts.
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