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WEDNESDAY, Mayi8,2on
Serving All of Person County Since 1881
Copyright The Courier-Times inc. 2011 All Rights Reserved
75c
Our 129th Year — No. 40
Roxboro, North Carolina
Three Sections — 24 Pages
www.personcountylite.com
No tax hike proposed for county residents
■ Manager's recommendation calls for 2.5% reduction in monies for public education
By TIM CHANDLER
Courier-Times Editor
tchandler@roxboro-courier.com
“You must re-imagine our county for
a better future. We must all adapt to a
new normal.”
That was part of the message pre
sented by County Manager Heidi York
Monday morning when she delivered
her recommended budget for fiscal year
2011, which begins July 1, to the Person
Board of County Commissioners.
“These are not easy decisions,” York
saidlater, addingthatthe decisions com
missioners would be making were “not
just about cutting costs.”
York’s recommended budget, as
requested by commissioners, does not
include a tax rate increase for the sixth
consecutive year. As proposed Monday,
the county’s tax rate would remain at 70
cents per $100 valuation.
York did point out to commissioners
several times Monday, however, that a
one-cent hike on the current tax rate
would generate an estimated $372,973
in revenue.
The manager also said that her bud
get was devised with the 2010 Person
Futures Strategic Plan in mind.
“No longer do we want to make bud
getary decisions guided by whatever the
situation will allow—this has caused us
to implement temporary fixes that only
take us back to the drawing board the fol
lowing year begging for new ideas, ” York
wrote in her budget message to commis
sioners. “Rather, [commissioners have]
directed and voiced their support for
developing the budget upon strategies
that lead Person County Government
toward a sustainable future.
“This budget not only integrates the
strategic plan and the budget process,
but I believe that these funding recom
mendations propel Person County for
ward with a vision of sustainability,”
York added.
While York’s balanced budget rec
ommendation did not include a tax
increase, it showed a drop in the general
fund budget of over $1.2 million. The
general fund budget for the current
fiscal year is $49,859,325, while the
recommended general fund budget for
fiscal 2011 is $48,619,655.
York told commissioners Monday
See NO back page
New graduation
requirement
gets nod from
school board
TOBACCO PLANTING TIME
By GREY PENTECOST
C-T Staff Writer
greypentecost@roxboro-courier.com
During last week’s meeting of the
Person County Board of Education,
board members discussed and approved
a new graduation requirement for Per
son County Schools students.
According to the new policy, begin
ning with the upcoming freshman
class, PCS students will be “required
to take and receive a passing grade in
one online/virtual course (excluding
credit recovery). Blended courses will
satisfy this requirement provided that
at least half of the course material is
delivered virtually.”
The requirement will be upped to
two online courses beginning with the
ninth grade class of 2013-14.
During discussion of the policy,
board member Pecolia Beatty asked if
the school system would be able to ac
commodate all students in accordance
with the requirement.
PCS Math/Science Program Special
ist Harriett Tillett, who presented the
policy, explained that PCS would have
a variety of avenues it could take. She
explained that students involved in the
1:1 Laptop Initiative would he keeping
the laptops assigned to them as they
moved up to high school; some students
will participate in the blended learning
classes, which will be receiving addi
tional hardware through the NCVPS
partnership; and some students will
be able to work from home, as well as
at school.
Board Vice-Chair Jimmy Wilkins
inquired about how EC (exceptional
children) students would be affected.
Tillett replied, “The research in
dicated that because of the engaging
nature of online courses, [EC students]
tend to do very, very well.”
She added that this year the concept
was piloted with ninth graders, and all
but one student is currently making an
A in the course. She said the pilot group
includes exceptional children.
Board Chair Gordon Powell allowed
6th suspect
implicated
in recent
shootings
By TIM CHANDLER
Courier-Times Editor
tchandler@roxboro-courier.com
7' A' ■ ■‘‘i: - 4 ■ r' . , V:. ^. . *
Tim Chandler / C-T
TENDING THE CROP — As Jimmy Wilkins operates his John Deere tractor in the background, a farm worker
tends to the tobacco crop in this field on City Lake Road Tuesday afternoon.
Recent rains have put some tobacco
growers 10 days behind schedule
By GREY PENTECOST
C-T Staff Writer
greypentecost@roxboro-courier.com
See NEW back page
The recent rains have put tobacco
planting in the county about 10 days
behind schedule, according to County
Extension Director Derek Day.
Normally, said Day, farmers like to be
done planting by May 15, but the scat
tered showers over the last week and a
half have delayed the task. However, not
all farmers in the county are experienc
ing the same conditions.
“Some sections of our county have
been getting rains for over two weeks,”
noted Day on Monday afternoon. “Some
have been more spotty. Even today in one
section of the county, people are working
like nothing’s ever happened.”
In addition to tobacco. Day said farm
ers are having problems cutting hay. He
said there hasn’t been any “hay making
weather” for three weeks or longer.
Otherwise, Day said everything else
is moving along “decent,” with farmers
now beginning to plant soybeans; corn
planting at about 85 percent completion
and an “excellent” wheat crop coming
in this week.
Rain is in the forecast for most of the
rest of this week, with the high tempera
ture expected to reach 89 on Sunday.
According to a state report from the
United States Department of Agricul
ture (USDA), North Carolina as a whole
experienced 4.9 days suitable for field
work last week.
The USDA report for last week also
read, “The state received below normal
precipitation and above normal aver
age temperatures last week. Frequent
showers throughout the week in some
areas limited field activity due to wet soil
conditions. Tobacco transplants, small
grains, cotton, corn and soybeans all
continue to mature under pretty good
conditions.”
Deputies with the Person County
Sheriff’s Office arrested a sixth person
this week in connection with shooting
incidents that occurred March 2 at
Brookwood Apartments on Henderson
Road.
Ricky Jovon Horton, 18, of 200 Front
St. was arrested Monday on multiple
charges in connection with the shoot
ing and was jailed under a $1 million
secured bond. He has court appearances
scheduled in Person County Superior
Court and Person County District Court
next month.
Horton is charged with two counts
each of attempted first degree murder
and two counts of assault with a deadly
weapon with intent to kill, six counts
of conspiracy, participating in gang
activity, going armed to the terror of
the public, discharging a weapon into
occupied property and two counts of
injury to personal property.
Horton was also citedfor resist, delay
and obstruct when he was taken into
custody Monday.
Last month, deputies arrested five
other persons in connection with the
shooting incidents, which were report
edly gang related.
Those five included, Terrance Devon
Pettiford, 16, of 65 Glen Allen Ct., Ste
phen Fuller, 16, of 594 Glenn Fogleman
Rd., Reginald Thomas Jr., 16, of 390
Henderson Rd., Apt. 6C, Blake FuUer, 20,
of 594 Glenn Fogleman Rd., and Gerek
Richardson of Durham.
Those five were charged with mul
tiple felony conspiracy charges as well
as two counts of assault with a deadly
weapon with intent to kill. Each are
also reportedly charged with attempted
first degree murder, participating in
gang activity, discharging a weapon
into an occupied dwelling and injury
to personal property
All of the suspects are alleged to
have participated in shooting into
three occupied apartments. Deputies
reportedly recovered some weapons at
the scene of the shootings.
i 'Called from above to minister'
■ Keith Kimball enjoying role as police department's chaplain
By PHYLISS BOATWRIGHT
C-T Staff Writer
pboatwright@roxboro-courier.com
Phyliss Boatwright / C-T
Roxboro Police Department Chaplain Dr. Keith Kimball
“They’re equipped for facing danger.
We’re trying to equip them for facing
life.”
That’s what Roxboro Police Depart
ment Chaplain Dr. Keith Kimball said of
his volunteer job and those who support
him in his effort to spiritually support
the community and law enforcement
officers.
Police Chief Todd Boycher said he was
happy to have Kimball, a certified crisis
counselor, available to, not only officers,
but the citizens of Roxboro as well.
“We looked at the type of work we do,
and the type of calls we go on,” Boycher
said this week, “and determined that
there was a need in the department
for somebody who could specialize in
counseling” those hearing the news that
a loved one had died in a car accident or
by violent means.
Kimball’s training allows him to bet
ter deliver the news and to help family
members cope with it, Boycher said.
Kimball has ministered to Durham
Police officers. North Carolina State
Highway Patrol officers and served as
a chaplain at Pitt Memorial Hospital in
Greenville. He is a member of an emer
gency chaplains’ group in Durham.
While serving as a pastor in Johnston
County, Kimball said he volunteered as a
chaplain at Johnston Memorial Hospital,
where he often encountered cases in
which law enforcement was involved.
“I’ve always had a heart for police
officers,” Kimball said, adding that his
uncle was a police officer.
“I know what they go through,” he
said, “and it’s more garbage than you
can imagine. They have to maintain
their cool when faced with mortality,”
Kimball added.
He said law enforcement officers must
remain calm and respectful, and treat
people fairly when arresting them, even
though the suspects may be resisting or
trying to verbally or physically attack
the officer.
“It makes me wonder how they put up
with it, ” Kimball said of the way some in
the community treat police officers.
He explained that the officers must
deal with “a lot of stress,” adding that
the divorce rate among law enforcement
officers was “higher than that of the rest
of the public. Someone needs to do some-
See KIMBALL back page
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