Vol. 82 No. 33
THE County TIMES-NEWS
THE ROANOKE-CHOWAN TIMES — Established 1892
THURSDAY, Aug. 16, 1973
Northampton County's Only Advertising and News Medium ★ ★ ★
☆ THE NORTHAMPTON COUNTY NEWS — Established 1926
lOc Per Copy Rich Square, N. C.
12 Pages
Potential Danger Of
Black Root Important
J.4CKSON — “It’s the
potential danger that we’re
worried about, not the present
danger,” commented
Northampton Agricultural
Extension Chairman B. H.
Harrell about Black Root Rot
found in the county.
“Apparently we’ll have to
breed resistance in the plants
rather than treat them with
chemicals,’’ Harrell
continued. “It’s similiar to the
black shank in tobacco which
Congressman Fountain
To Visit Northampton
WASHINGTON,D.C.-
Congressman L, H. Fountain,
who will be visiting each
county in the Second
Congressional District August
20-25, will be in Northampton
County Wednesday, August 22.
Fountain’s schedule for
Northampton includes the
Northeast Academy
Announces Staff
LASKER — Northeast
Academy Headmaster Arthur
Dempsey has announced the
staff for the coming school
year.
Teachers will report August
27 and students will report for
their first day August 28.
Staff members include
.limmy G. Blythe, math; E.
Carl Witt, social studies;
Cedric (Dave) W. Davis,
health and physical
education; Emily W. Vinson,
English; Douglas L. Matson,
French and English.
Other academy staff
members are Frances Jordan,
business; Jenny N. D.
Heartsill, science; Sylvia
8 Wrecks Total
$4425 In Damage
WELDON — Eight wrecks
in Northampton County left
$4425 worth of damages to 10
cars with six of the accidents
involving only one car.
Interstate 95: Saturday,
August 4, 11:30 a.m., north of
Gaston. A 1973 Chevrolet
driven by Donald Eueene
Phauls, 21, of Mount Olive,
was forced off the road, lost
control and skidded into the
side of a 1973 Mack driven by
Nathan Ronald Todd, 37, of
Roanoke Rapids. Damage
came to $600 to the Chevrolet
and $200 to the Mack. No
charges were brought by the
investigating officer. Trooper
J, C. Wood.
US 258: Friday, August 3, 4
p.m., John Harris, 51, of
Seaboard, 1964 Buick, $600
damage, charged with failure
to decrease speed by Trooper
J. W. Narron. Friday, August
3, 4:30 p.m., Howard Glenn
Robinson of Fayetteville, 1967
Chevrolet, $750 damage, no
charges brought by Trooper L.
J. Pitula. Friday, August 3,
4:30 p.m., Jessie Lewis
Lassiter of Rich Square, 1969
Chevrolet, $175, no charges
brought by Trooper R. E.
Worley. Friday, August 3, 11
p.m., Timothy E. Gard of
Camp LeJeune, 1965
Volkswagon collided with
Mable Sexton of Rich Square,
1968 Ford. $700 to Volkswagon
and $600 to Ford.
Investigating officer was
Trooper R. W. Worley.
US 158: Friday, August 3,
4:50 p.m., Sidney Mark
(See WRECKS, Page 12)
- '7'"' */
Gaston Takes Steps
was conquered by breeding
resistance.
“Black Root Rot hits at
unexpected times and places
and shows no preference to
soil types. It’s totally
unpredictable. It’s bad but not
a real serious problem yet
except for some people. We’ve
found it throughout the county
but there are still lots of fields
with spots of Black Root that
we don’t know about.”
' . G J Mi /,'A
For Annexation
.V’
■S
following: Rich Square, Post
Office, 11 a.m.; Woodland,
downtown, 11:45 a.m.;Conway
Post Office, 12:30 p.m.;
Garysburg, Joyner’s, 2 p.m.;
visit courthouse and
downtown Jackson, 2:30 p.m.:
Lasker, Valley Pines Country
Club, 3:30-5 p.m.
1%
Lassiter, home economics and
librarian; Joseph H. Jernigan,
eighth grade; Anna Burgwyn,
seventh grade; Anne L.
Emory, sixth grade; Mrs.
Jack P. Morgan, sixth grade;
Ruth L. Vaughan, fifth grade,
Barbara H. Edwards, fifth
grade; and Nancy G.
Daughtry, fourth grade.
Appointed to teach the third
grade is Margaret M.
Womble, Sara R. Warmack to
teach the second grade and
Rebecca L. Copeland to teach
the first grade.
Other academy personnel
include Palsy Parker, aide,
Annie L. Tudor, secretary and
James Calvin Daughtry,
rn aintenwicc. .supervisor.
BL.ACK ROOT rot has infested Reuben Turner’s peanut fields near
Garysburg. Turner points to wilted and dried plants that have been affected
by the mysterious plant disease that has sporatically appeared throughout
Northampton. Turner said last year the disease caused him to lose $150 per
acre of peanuts harvested.
Rich Square Store Taken
Off Food Stamp Program
RICH SQUARE — A
Northampton County food
store has been disqualified
from the federal food stamp
program, the U. S,
Department of Agriculture’s
Food and Nutrition Service
reports. .
The store, D. A. Clarke
Grocery, was disqualified for
six months after being
charged with selling ineligible
items for USDA food stamp
coupons.
The store is located two
miles south of Rich Square on
U. S. 258.
Among the items sold were
clothing, paper products,
cleaning products, washtubs
and a straw hat, the FNS
reports.
Katie B. Clark is the store’s
proprietor.
A regional FNS official
explained that the store will
not be allowed to accept food
stamp coupons during the
(See STORE, Page 12)
GASTON — Gaston town
commissioners Tuesday night
took initial steps toward the
first annexation attempt in the
24-year history of the town.
The commissioners voted to
write the North Carolina
League of Municipalities
seeking assistance in drafting
legislation that would extend
the corporate limits westward
on N. C. 46 and eastward along
N. C. 46 and 48.
Property owners along the
two highways has informally
requested inclusion in the
corporate limits and a number
of persons have informed the
commissioners they will sign
petitions to seek annexation.
Mayor Firman Myrick
stated that special local
legislation will be requested in
the 1974 General Assembly.
In other action, the
commissioners:
—Voted to solocit bidsfrom
car dealers on removing
junked and abandoned cars
from the town. According to
the town clerk, there are 50 to
60 junked cars in the corporate
limits that need to be move.
The town will bear the
expense of removing the cars.
The deadline for submitting
bids is Aug. 31 at 5 p.m.
—Ordered a letter drafted to
Northampton school Supt. Roy
Lowry regarding the conduct
and driving ability of bus
drivers hired to operate school
buses.
The commissioners have
received numerous
complaints about reckless
driving on the part of school
bus drivers and the board is
N'ampton Schools
Open August 27
JACKSON — Students will
report to Northampton County
schools August 27 for a half
day of classe|. The busses will
run but no lunch will be
served. Tuesday, August 28,
will be the first full day of
classes.
Teachers at Northeast
Academy will report Monday,
August 27, for work and
students’ first full day will be
August 28.
seeking closer supervision of
drivers by school officials.
The board noted that a child
was struck by a bus last year
because of neglect on the part
of two bus drivers.
—Voted to erect no parking
signs on Reid Street in front of
Gaston High School and
requested the county schools
provide a parking lot for
students who will no longer be
able to park on the streetside.
-^Approved construction of
an additional drive at the
clinic building adjacent to the
new Town Hall and agreed to
correct wiring problems in the
building.
—Adopted an ordinance
calling for a 45 mph speed
limit on N. C. 48 through the
corporate limits. The present
speed limit is 55 mph. The
speed change is subject to
approval of the state
Department of
Transportation.
$688 Million Allotted
For 1973-74 education
RALEIGH - Public school
education is big business in
North Carolina,
Representative J. Guy
Revelle Sr., Democrat of
Northampton County, noted
on the eve of another school
■ year.
Revelle said more than $688
million in State tax dollars will
be invested in the 1973-74
school year to provide a better
education for elementary and
secondary school students.
Although the financial
outlay in tax dollars is large,
the funds are an important
investment in future
generations, the lawmaker
said.
A $12.3 million
appropriation to expand the
kindergarten program is in
funds for this year’s operation
of public schools. The funds
will maintain the present 149
classes and a,dd at least 698
new classes this fall.
The additional classes will
bring the total children in
public kindergartens to nearly
16,000. Classes are scheduled
tor all five-year-otds oy 1978.
In other areas of education,
funds were approved to
reduce the size of classrooms
($26 million); separate school
buses for elementary and high
school students were okayed
($3 million); teachers,
principals, superintendents
and other employees in public
schools received a five per
cent pay raise ($27 million);
and funds were approved to
enable a 10-month term of
employment for teachers ($33
million).
Included in the ’73 education
appropriation is $5 million for
occupational education in the
middle grades of public
schools and nearly $16.5
million to provide free
textbooks to all public school
students.
Textbooks have been
provided free to elementary-
school children since 1937. The
recent Assembly extended the
privilege to include high
school grades.
Education is big business in
North Carolina because of the
size of the operation.
Citing 1971-72 figures,
1,197.797 students were
enrolled. There were 52,421
classroom teachers on the
payroll in the 152 school
administrative units in the
state, teaching in 673 high
schools and 1,983 elementary
schools.
More than half of the
students rode buses to school.
It required 10,430 buses to
transport 722,714 students to
school each day.
School lunch rooms served
more than 887,000 meals each
dav.
Citizen's Arrest Made
In Grocery Store Robbery
JACKSON - A Norfolk, Va.,
man is being held in
Northampton County jail on
two charges following an
incident near here Monday.
Sidney Cornell Wilkins, 26,
was turned over to State High
way Patrolman John Wood
following a “citizen’s arrest”
by Johnny Davis of Conway.
Wood then contacted
Northampton County Sheriff
Frank Outland.
Following a description
heard on the radio, Davis
noticed a car near Zion
Church in the Faison’s Old
V
X,
INVESTIGATING A FIRE two weeks ago at the
Johnson Trailer Court in Rich Square are from
left, Police Chief Willie Wayne Connor, Fire Chief
Billy Ivey, and Deputy Sheriff Grover Parker.
I
The fire was caused by an overheated water
heater. Last Saturday night, the same trailer,
owned by Bobby Smith, caught fire at 1 a.m. and
burned beyond livable conditions.
Tavern area. Davis then
approached the man and
made a “citizen’s arrest.”
According to Sheriff
Outland, Wilkins was arrested
and charged with the robbery
of the W. F. Davis Grocery at
Faison’s Old Tavern
yesterday. He also was
charged with assault with a
deadly weapon with intent to
kill.
Wilkins to alleged to have
entered the grocery around
3:30 p.m. and assaulted Mrs.
W. F. Davis by beating her
about the body and head with
a soft drink bottle.
He was reported to have,
taken all the money from the
cash drawer and fled in a red
1973 Vega stationwagon.
Investigating officers
searched a nearby wooded
area where $918 was
recovered.
No bond was set for Wilkins
who is to be arrainged in
Northampton District Court.
2 Rich Square
Groceries Robbed
RICH SQUARE — Two
grocery stores were robbed
August 9 ih Rich Square and
the police have no leads at the
present according to Police
Chief Willie Wayne Connor.
Trailer’s Grocery Store on
Main Street was broken into
and the cash register
containing $100 cash and old
bills was taken and a bubble
gum machine full of dimes.
A. T. Joyner’s Grocery
Store on east Jackson Street
was robbed of one radio and a
small amount of change in the
register.
ilia
CREECY F’ARMERS — W. S. Creecy, principal of Creecy School, greets
Dr. L. G. Horton (right) of the governor’s office in Raleigh to the Creecy
.Adult Farm Class banquet held Wednesday in Rich Square. Looking on are
L. J. Morris Jr. (left), vocational-agricultural instructor at Creecy, and
David Odom, acting president of the farm class. Horton addressed the
banquet.
Turner Explains Tax Break
For Senior Citizens
JACKSON — Northampton
County Tax Supervisor Turner
Bradley has received tax
change information of special
interest to age 65 and older
residents.
Bradley stated. “The 1973
state legislature reviewed all
Property Tax Acts and
abolished some of them,
changed some and passed new
measures.
“First, I will review the
change that will be a boon to
most 65 year olds.
“If you are 65 during the list
year and your income is less
than' $5,000, excluding your
social security income, you
will be excluded a tax value of
up to $5,000 on both real and
personal property used
exqlusively for personal
purposes.
“You must be a resident of
North Carolina, and with
respect to real property, you
'must own fee simple title,
tenant by the entirety, tenants
in common, joint tenancy or
life estate.
“You must apply for this
exemption each year,
preferably during January at
list time.
“You must answer two
questions, your birthday and
your adjusted income, not
including social security.
“You must apply for this tax
relief by May 1 each year to
qualify. The Tax Supervisor
has no authority to grant it
after this date.
“Other properties that were
exempt in the past are no
longer excluded unless
applied for deferment each
list year. This will include
churches, private educational
institutions, charitable
organizations, community
buildings. Masonic Lodges
and the like.
“Someone in authority must
apply for these exemptions
each year or they will be taxed
as other properties.
“In 1974 and each year
thereafter, during the regular
listing period, the persons
seeking relief shall file a
request with the Tax
Supervisor of the County in
which the propertv would be
subject to taxation; if taxable.
If located in city or town he
must file with municipal tax
listc also,”
Bradley added, “There are
many more changes and I
hope, in the near future, to
be able to discuss them in
future articles.”