THE County TIMES-NEWS
A Combination of
Volume 78, No. 23
THE ROANOKE-CHOWAN TIMES — Established 1892
THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 1969
THE NORTHAMPTON COUNTY NEWS — Established 1926
S
Rich Square, N. C.
10 Pages
Ordered To Submit New Assignment Plan By Monday-
'Freedom Of Choice’ Portions Of Northampton School Plan Rejected
RALEIGH - judge John D. Lar
kins told attorneys for the North
ampton County Board of Educa
tion at a hearing on Monday, June
16, that he was rejecting those
portions ofits desegregation plan
that involved « freedom of choice
because that system tended to
perpetuate the dual school sys
tem^' and that the school board
was to be directed to submit by
Monday a new plan not involving
freedom of choice but insteaa
assigning every pupil to a school
so that the school must be in
distinguishable as to race.
He placed the burden of mak
ing the plan on the board and
issued guidelines that it must
comply with. The plan cannot
allow a choice of schools to the
students or their parents.
The board, under court order,
had submitted a plan involving
seven districts with students
choosing the school that they
wished to attend within their dis
trict, with them being allowed to
transfer to another district if
the room was available. All of
this was disallowed except that
the judge indicated that the board
could use these districts or oth
er districts or consolidation or
pairing of schools as long as
it did not use freedom of choice
as the basis for assignment.
The board must present its
plan to the court by 9:30 a.m.
and it must be, in the judge* s
words, ‘‘acceptable to the
court,*' The board met until late
Tuesday night with county attor
ney Angus McKellar and was
scheduled to meet on Wednesday
night to attempt to finish its new
plan.
Attorney for the board, Perry
Martin, together with McKellar,
attended the hearing and for
warded the judge*s instruction
to the board on Tuesday. Martin
was to return to Jackson Wed
nesday for court and the board
meeting and was to try to clarify
some aspects of the judge*s in
structions on the high schools.
The board had no public com
ment on Thursday as to the pro
visions of its plans but it seemed
likely that the board would use
the districts as drawn in pairing
elementary schools, such as
grades one, two and three in one
school and grades four, five and
six in the other.
It is possible that the board
might consolidate some schools
but since all of the school build
ings other than the Woodland
Graded school are considered
to be in good condition and of
brick construction the board has
nearly completed a program of
consolidation begun over 10
years ago and would need most
of the buildings for the current
enrollment.
some rooms and annexes might
still have to be improved prior
to the opening of school in the fall
of this year to handle the new
assignments.
The board will also have to
deal with the problem ofdrawing
up districts to handle the four
high schools still in operation in
the county. The new consolidated
high school near Creeksville is
operating at near capacity and
could not absorb many students
from Gumberry, W. S. Creecy
or Gaston schools. On an assign
ment basis these schools would
need district lines.
The problem of districts is
especially acute for the high
schools since considerable con
struction over the past 10 years
has been oriented toward a dual
school system which now limits
the choices available to the
board. Some mobile units can be
transferred to help overloads in
any district.
McKellar stressed that the
board had little latitude in setting
up the plan under the judge*s
guidelines which were manda
tory, They have requested that
Superintendent Roy Lowry attend
the hearing on Monday morning
at 9:30 a.m. at New Bern.
It was expected that the board
would have no public comment
until after the hearing to see if
its plans were accepted.
NORTHAMPTON COUNTY
STATE WIDE HIGHWAY PLANNING SURVEY
SCHOOL DISTRICTS as proposed under
the Northompton County Board of Edu
cation were not disallowed as was the
freedom of choice provisions at a hearing
in federal district court on Monday. The
board will have to resubmit a new plan
that assigns each student to a specific
school and may use the same districts
with paired schools to accomplish the
requirements of Judge John D. Larkins.
High school districts for the four high
school districts will hove to be set by the
board prior to the hearing.
. • . , , , A
354 In County Getting
Aid To Aged Assistance
Northdmptoh Commissioners
To Keep County Tax At $1.60
(This Is the second in a series
of articles on public welfare in
Northampton County. Today’s ar
ticle begins to explain the ser
vices offered. The first article
reported that the many public
welfare services are divided into
three categories - financial as
sistance, medical assistance and
social services. Today*s article
will explain the first of three fi
nancial aid programs - aid to the
aged which .was formerly known
as old age assistance.)
JACKSON - Many of the elder
citizens of Northampton County
are faced with the reality during
their later years that they do not
have sufficient income to meet
their basic necessities of life.
Some find themselves with no in
come while others have a small
amount from social security, re
tirement, donations from family
members or other sources.
The Northampton County De
partment of Public Welfare ad
ministers a program of monthly
financial assistance to help needy
elderly people who meet certain
eligibility requirements with
their basic maintenance ex
penses.
The aid to the aged program
is a federal program which is
financed with approximately 70
per cent federal funds. The re
mainder is appropriated from
state and county funds in North
Carolina.
To be eligible a person must be
65 years of age or older; he must
be in need of essential require
ments such as food, shelter,
clothing and other necessary
items; he must not be living in a
public institution or a patient in
an institution for tuberculosis or
mental disease; or a patient in a
medical institution as the result
of having been diagnosed as hav
ing tuberculosis or psychosis;
and he must have been living in.
North Carolina for the past year.
In addition to the above eligi
bility requirements he must
agree to having a lien on any real
property he owns or acc^ires.
The said property to be sold at
his death and the government re
funded the amount paid him during
his lifetime.
He does not have to be com
pletely without money to estab
lish his need. Ifhe is living alone,
he may have up to $500 reserve
money or personal property. If
a couple is living together, they
may have up to $700 reserve.
When people apply for this as
sistance at the Northampton
County Welfare Department, a
welfare worker will helpprepare
a budget for them using the stan
dard budget allowances estab
lished by the State Board ofPub-
lic Welfare, Local welfare de
partments cannot allow amounts
above these established allow
ances.
The maximum monthly allow
ance for one person is $35,50 for
necessities which include food,
clothing, medicine chest sup
plies, household supplies, house
hold equipment and personal ex
penses.
The actual cost of rent or home
(See 354, Page 5)
JACKSON - The Northampton
County Board of Commissioners
held a special budget meeting on
Monday night at the courthouse in
lieu of its regular third Monday
afternoon meeting at which it in
dicated its intention of keeping
the county tax rate for 1969-70
at the current rate of $1.60 per
hundred dollars of valuation with
the ratio being 50 of the true
value.
It indicated that the accumu
lated surplus from past years
may run over $250,000 and that no
more than $100,000 of that will
be needed to balance Income and
preserve the current rate.
Initial requests had totaled
more than 14 cents above the rate'
without dipping into the county’s
surplus but the board rarely ever
grants all of the Initial requests
in any year.
The board did not attempt to set
a final rate at this meeting be
cause it has not considered the
Seven Highway Accidents
Include Two Friday, 13th
HALIFAX - seven accidents
occurred in Northampton County
in the past week - two of those
on Friday, the 13th - was the
report from the State Highway
patrol headquarters here,
John Wilson Staten, 34, of
Rich square lost control of his
car on south Main St. in Rich
square on Sunday afternoon and
collided with a tree. Damages to
his 196201dsmobiletotaled$800,
Staten, uninjured, was charged
with driving under the influence
by Trooper B. W. Corey.
One of the Friday, the 13th,
two miles east of Rich square
and collided with the right front
side of a car driven by Raymond
Hudson Harrison, 47, of Weldon
who was attempting to pass. Har
rison was charged with failure to
give an audible signal and Tyner
was charged with failure to see
safe movement. Trooper B. W.
Corey made the charges. Dam
ages totaled $100 to Harrison’s
car and $200 to Tyner*s car.
On June 11 at 5:45 a.m. Nat
Taylor Clements, 24, ofRoanoke
Rapids lost control of his 1965
Ford while attempting to dodge
school board’s request and has
decided to wait until the federal
court decision Is final so as to be
assured that no further changes
will be submitted.
The board will meet on Tues
day, July 1, instead of Monday,
July 7, so that those members
attending the county commission
ers’ associationmeetinginAshe-
vllle can leave that week. The
board will set its tax rate for
1969-70 at that meeting.
The board made several cuts In
the welfare department’s re
quests. First, it accepted the
rates set for a budget level that
calls for a 35 per cent increase.
costing the county approximately
$25,000 to cover the minimum
state requirements for the new
medicaid programs approved by
the state legislature. The other
request for maximum coverage
would have cost $56,000 and was
rejected.
A one-step Increase in wage
scales under the new state plan
adopted in 1969 was allowed the
department. The phone allowance
was cut from $2,700 to $2,100
and general relief was cut $4,-
200 from $32,915,
The health department re
quests were also pared withden-
(See TAX, Page 5)
Traffic, Assault Cases
Dominate Week’s Court
accidents occurred near Rich a dog on U.S. 158 within the town
square and the other was in limits of Conway. After losing"
Garysburg. Charlie Brantley
Howell, 55, driving a 1968 Ram
bler, stopped on U.S. 258 for
a barricade in the highway when
Cedric Leon Jones, 21, of Ches
apeake skidded into the rear of
Howell’s Rambler. Jones was
charged with failure to reduce
speed by Trooper G. L. Swanson.
Injured in the 4:30 p.m. accident
were Jones and his passengers,
Carol Buck, 20, of Hampton and
Mary Margaret Forehand, 21, of
Chesapeake. They were admitted
to Scotland Neck Clinic. Dam-
control of the car, it collided
with a concrete apron of a pri
vate driveway. Trooper B. W.
Corey made no charges. Dam
ages to the Ford totaled $250.
A 1964 Ford driven by Ernest
Flowers Tillman, 45, of Siler
City was struck by a car, whose
driver stopped briefly and con
tinued south on U.S. 258 near
Rich square on June 10. The un
known vehicle pulled across
the center of the road and struck
Tillman’s car before continuing
on. Damages to Tillman’s car
ages to Howell’s vehicle totaled totaled $250. Trooper J. C. Wood
TOUR RCA FAMILY PROJECT — North
Carolina Manpower Development Corpo
ration representatives Bob Smith, pro
gram and planning director and staff
member Mark Stewart watch John Har
rell of Colerain and Roy Scott of Windsor
work on an auto motor as part of their
vocational training at the family training
center for displaced or underemployed
form workers. The corporation coordinates
programs designed to provide jobs for low
income families and to supply assistance
to the staffs of manpower programs in
North Carolina. RCA's counseling coordi
nator Fletcher Lassiter and director Dr.
Charles Moffett explained the working of
the project and then a tour of the facili
ties showed the classes and projects in
operation. The observers found that
housing for graduates of the project was
one of the major placement problems.
$300 and to Jones’ car $350.
The accident in Garysburg oc
curred at 12:05 p.m. on U.S. 301
in the town limits when William
Allen Cooke, 16, ofRoanoke Rap
ids failed to stop for a stop sign
investigated the 12:05 a.m. acci
dent.
Mary Williams Whitaker, 41,
of Rich square was charged by
Trooper R. J. Evans with an un
safe movement after she st
and collided with a 1961 Ford tempted to make a left turn on
driven by Irvin Alex Harrell, 44, N.C. 305 one mile south of Rich
of Garysburg as he entered U.S. Square as Clara Feeble Carey,
301. Trooper B. W. Corey estl- 22, also of Rich square, was try-
mated damages to Cooke’s car ing to pass her. Damages total-
at $600 and to Harrell’s as $600. ing $75 were made to the Whit-
No injuries were reported. aker 1962 Chevrolet and dam-
Thursday of last week James ages totaled $50 to the 1963
Anter Tyner, 41, of Woodland Chevrolet driven by Clara Pee-
made a left turn off N.C. 305 ble Carey, also of Rich square.
Shirley Jones
Senior Wins
National
Competition
GASTON - Miss Shirley Jones,
12th grade student at Gaston High
School, has been selected as one
of the top 100 among 35,000 stu
dents participating in the National
High School Contest on the United
Nations.
In recognition of her outstand
ing scholarship, she was awarded
a certificate of honor and a sub
scription to the “UNESCO Cour
ier” which will be presented to
the school library in her honor.
Participating In the National
High School Contest was one of
the many projects undertaken by
the history club. A subscription
to Vista of the United Nations As
sociation was awarded to Mrs.
Barbara Jones, history club ad
visor.
Miss Jones has the distinction
of being the only winner from
North Carolina and because of
her fine achievement, she has
been selected by the United Na
tions to receive recognition in
“Who’s Who Among American
High School Students, 1968-69,”
Miss Jones is the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Millard Jones of
Henrico.
JACKSON - Judge Ballard S.
Gay disposed of the following
cases in Wednesday’s session of
District Court:
TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS -
James s. Green, driving under
influence changed to reckless
driving, $100 and costs; Robert
Philip Lawson, failure to yield
right-of-way from private drive,
nol-pros; Ellis Lassiter, driving
under influence, $100 and costs,
turn in license to clerk; Richard
J. More, speeding 80 mph in 65
mph zone, granted nol-pros with
leave; Joseph M. Stanley, 73 mph
in 60 mph zone, nol-pros with
leave; Robert Rudolph Carter,
70 mph in 60 mph zone, nol-
pros with leave; John Cecil Horn,
operate motor vehicle without
valid operator’s license, nol-
pros with leave.
Other traffic violations were
Robert Perry Peele, 60 mph in
50 mph zone, prayer for judg
ment continued upon payment of
costs; Kenneth Lewis Smith, 65
mph in 55 mph zone, prayer for
judgment continued upon payment
of costs; Nonnie King, speeding
83 mph in 60 mph zone, $50 and
costs; Joseph Grant, speeding 80
mph in 65 mph zone, $15 and
costs, using license plate on
vehicle other than one for which
the plate was Issued, nol-pros;
Mary Williams Whitaker, failing
to see before turning that move
ment could be made in safety,
$10 and costs; Charles Nelson
Meadows, failure to yield right-
of-way, $10 and costs; Argie Mae
Avent, driving under influence,
$100 and costs, not to operate
motor vehicle on North Carolina
public highways for 12 months.
MISCELLANEOUS - Edward
Wilkins, worthless check, pay
ment of costs ($15) and check
($25); Joe Peterson, careless
and reckless driving of motor-
boat, payment of costs and sum
of $25 to Jennings L. Story for
damages; Merle Blowe, worth
less check, case remanded to
magistrate’s court; David Ken-
niner, operating boat without
proper life preservers, nol-
pros.
ASSAULT - Hailey Flythe, as
sault while under influence, six
(See TRAFFIC, Page 5)
County Native’s Husband
Dies In Viet Nam Action
GARYSBURG - The husband of
a Garysburg woman has been
reported killed in Viet Nam.
SFC Terrell Gibson, a veter
an U.S. Army soldier on his sec
ond tour of duty in Viet Nam,
was killed June 14 when his com
pany was hitby heavy enemy fire.
Sergeant Gibson, a native of
south Carolina, was married to
the former Miss Odessa D. Gib
son of Garysburg. The couple,
wed for more than 15 years,
has no children.
Funeral arrangements are in
complete pending the arrival of
the body from overseas.
sergeant Gibson left the United
States last February 1 for his
second tour of duty in Viet Nam,
Mrs. Gibson resides here with
her mother, Mrs, semorasweatt.