PRESIDENTS’ DAY
Monday, February 21, 2011
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SATURDAY, Feb. 19,2011
Serving All of Person County Since 1881
Copyright The Courier-Times inc. 2011 All Rights Reserved
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Our 129th Year — No, 15
Roxboro, North Carolina
Three Sections — 22 Pages
www.personcountylite.com
Rabies alert issued in Allensville Township
5 persons being treated for exposure; 2 dogs euthanized & 3 cats also at risk
By PHYLISS BOATWRIGHT
C-T Staff Writer
pboatwright@roxboro-courier.com
A rabid feral cat in Allensville came
in contact with unvaccinated pets this
week, causing five people to be treated
for rabies exposure as well as the eu-
thanization of two dogs and possibly
three more cats.
Animal Control Director Ron Shaw
said Thursday that Officer Kelly Oakley
responded Wednesday to a call about a
catfight in the Allensville Township.
The feral cat that was taken back to the
animal shelter exhibited “strong” signs
of rabies, Shaw said.
The cat tested positive for the rabies
virus and was destroyed.
The two dogs that were also put down
had not been vaccinated against rabies,
said Shaw. On Thursday morning, he
said there was a real possibility that
three cats picked up at the residence
where the fight took place would also
have to be put down.
“We want to emphasize the need for
pets to get their vaccinations,” Shaw
said, andfor people to report any “bites”
from animals “immediately.”
The Person County Health Depart
ment works closely with Person County
Animal Control when an animal is
suspected to have rabies, said Health
Director Janet Clayton.
“Animal Control alerts the health
department of any possible human
exposures to the suspected animal. The
health department then contacts the
individuals to assess the type and se
verity of the contact with the animal,”
Clayton explained.
The rabies virus is transmitted
See RABIES page AlO
Partnership report:
Abuse, neglect
are big concerns
Editor’s note: The fol
lowing is the second of two
stories pertaining to the Per
son County Partnership for
Children’s 2011 Community
Assessment on the needs of
young children.
PHYLISS BOATWRIGHT
C-T Staff Writer
pboatwright@roxboro-
courier.com
“It’s all about the jobs.”
Judy Batten, executive
director of the Person
County Partnership for
Children made that state
ment this week while dis
cussing the Partnership’s
2011 Community Assess
ment.
Batten said that, accord
ing to the research done
for the assessment, many
of the parents of young
childrenhere “who can find
work, are working more
than one job, which leaves
them less time to parent.”
And, she said, those
parents who are working
two or three part-time or
low-paying jobs typically
have no health insurance
for themselves and their
families.
“Over half the kids
five and under” in Person
County “are eligible for
Medicaid, based on family
income,” Batten said.
The most current figures
for unemployment, accord
ing to the Partnership’s
assessment, show that 9.3
percent of Personians are
unemployed. That number
is up from 5.5 percent in
2005.
Batten said that child
abuse and neglect here
had gone up along with
unemployment and under
employment.
Numbers from October
2009 and October 2010,
Batten said, show that “10
See ABUSE page AlO
CenturyLink expands
broadband service to
600 more customers
CenturyLink announced yesterday that 600 new con
sumers and businesses in Person County now have high
speed Internet availability.
“The CenturyLink service now allows customers to
quickly access the Internet to keep in contact with friends
and family,” the press release stated.
The company recently installed high-speed Internet
equipment to serve the following locations: Helena-
Moriah, Rougemont, Berea, Hunters Circle, Bass Farm,
Hill, A.W Bowling, Robert E. Blalock and Range roads,
south of Bethany Church Road only.
“We are excited to continue to expand our coverage
in Person County. These new locations will allow Centu
ryLink to provide custom features that include wire, j ack,
long distance, DSL, DirecTV and PC help desk,” said Bill
Reynolds, area plant supervisor.
CenturyLink’s local number for consumers and busi
nesses to call for information regarding service in their
area is 336-599-1978.
WARM WEATHER FUN
Tim Chandler / C-T
w
''J
Friday was a great day to be
outside and there were plenty
of children enjoying the warm
and sunny weather at the Huck
Sansbury Recreation Complex.
In the photo above, clock
wise, from bottom left, five-
year-old Coleman Glasscock,
four-year-old Bayley Duncan
and four-year-old jaxon Law-
son have fun together at the
park. At left, nine-month-old
Christian Portillo is all smiles
as he swings at Sansbury. The
extended forecast calls for
weather that should lead to
more fun days at Sansbury and
other area parks for Perso
nians.
Voluntary ag
districts approved
in Person County
By TIM CHANDLER
Courier-Times Editor
tchandler@roxboro-courier.com
The Person Board of County Commissioners recently
unanimously approved an ordinance supporting volun
tary agricultural districts (VAD) in Person County.
The ordinance was approved at the Feb. 7 meeting of
commissioners.
Person County Extension Director Derek Day told com
missioners that the purpose of the agricultural district
program is to encourage the preservation and protection
of farmland from non-farm development.
See VOLUNTARY page AlO
Farmers begin
preparations for
spring planting
By PHYLISS BOATWRIGHT
C-T Staff Writer
pboatwright@roxboro-
courier.com
“They’re starting to
move dirt.”
That’s what Person
County Cooperative Ex
tension Director Derek
Day said this week when
asked if farmers had begun
preparations for spring
planting.
“We’re getting some
warm weather and the land
is good and dry,” saidDay, so
growers are taking advan
tage of the conditions.
He added that tobacco
growers were working in
greenhouses, and said, “All
[greenhouses] should be
seeded within a couple of
weeks.”
Day also noted that farm
ers were fertilizing land
that will be used to grow
grains this spring.
Acreage on tobacco will
be about the same as that of
last year. Day said. In 2010,
Person County farmers
planted about 3,000 acres.
In 2003, over 3,500 acres of
leaf were grown in Person
County, but that number
has declined steadily over
the past few years.
Day said crop reports
were due at the end of May
and he would have a better
idea of total acreage after
that time.
In addition to tobacco,
farmers in the county
planted about 11,000 acres
of soybeans last year. Day
said he expected that to be
about the same this year.
Historically, tobacco has
brought in the majority
of the $30 million annual
agriculture receipts in
Person County, but that
figure has decreased over
the past few years.
Horticulture and for
estry are now responsible
for the bulk of agricul
tural dollars here. Day
has said.
Adrienne Duncan named new RDG director
By GREY PENTECOST
C-T Staff Writer
greypentecost@roxboro-courier.com
Adrienne Duncan
Person County native Adrienne
Duncan has been away for a while, but
now she’s back, and full of ideas for
improving Uptown Roxboro as Roxboro
Development Group’s (RDG) new part-
time director.
Duncan said she is happy to be back
in her hometown. Previously, she had
been living in Durham, working as
a project engineer for ValleyCrest
Landscape Development. She said she
moved back to Roxboro several months
ago when the development division of
the company was dissolved. Duncan’s
degree in urban planning, which she
received from East Carolina University
in 1995, and her work experience over the
years, have prepared her for her current
position. She worked for Ballentine As
sociates in Chapel Hill after graduating
college, and one of her projects included
creating the civil engineering drawings
for a subdivision. She said the process
took over three years, and she was
involved from start to finish, from the
planning stage through the creation of
a homeowner’s association.
Duncan said that because of her ex
periences she knows the “ins and outs”
of the kind of work she’ll be doing as
RDG director.
“I know there are a lot of steps you
have to go through to get something
done,” she commented, “and ‘yes’ isn’t
always the first answer you hear when
you propose something.”
She added that despite setbacks, it’s
important to keep up the momentum and
enthusiasm for a project. While it may
take several years, she said, “as long as
you believe in it, it’ll get done.”
INSIDE Saturday
Agenda A2 Churches/Religion B2-3
Classified C section Commentary A5
Court B5 Do You Know A3
Editorial A4 Education AS
Legai Notices C3 Lifestyie B4
Looking Back A3 Obituaries A11
Publisher’s Ink A2 Realty Transfers B5
School Spotlight A9 Sports A6-7
TV Listings C4
4879 08696
Duncan started the job on Monday
and said she is “thrilled” to be here.
‘Already this week I’ve thought of
10 or 15 things I really want to do,”
she said.
RDG exists to help revitalize Uptown
Roxboro and Duncan is excited about
working with Alive After Five events
in hopes of attracting more people to
the Uptown area, and would like to get
more businesses Uptown as well.
She reflected on the Uptown estab
lishments she enj oyed frequenting as a
child and hopes to bring back the hustle
and bustle she remembers.
Other improvements Duncan would
like to see made to the area are the cre
ation of better-defined crosswalks and
See DUNCAN page AlO