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WEDNESDAY, Junes, 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. 46
Roxboro, North Carolina
Three Sections — 22 Pages
www.personcountylite.com
'It's time to share the love'
County employees voice displeasure during public hearing on budget
By TIM CHANDLER
Courier-Times Editor
tchandler@roxboro-courier.com
“It’s time to share the love.”
Person County Sheriff Dewey Jones
spoke those words Monday night to the
Person Board of County Commission
ers during a public hearing regarding
the proposed budget for the upcoming
fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Jones and several other county
employees, who were joined by a large
contingent of other county workers in
attendance, urged commissioners to not
cut a proposed merit pay plan or increase
in 401(k) contributions for employees. He
and other county employees told com
missioners they feel like the county’s
budget is, once again, “being balanced
[on their] backs”.
Employees currently receive a 2.5
percent contribution from the county
for their 401k funds and are not required
to provide matching funds for that per
centage. County Manager Heidi York’s
proposed budget calls for a one percent
increase in 401(k) contributions and
merit pay raises of one and two percent
for employees.
York proposed a general fund bud
get of $48,619,655, which is a decrease
of $1.2 million from the current year.
York told commissioners earlier that
county government spending had been
decreased by nearly $7 million in the
past three years.
It was pointed out in York’s earlier
budget presentation that a one-cent in
crease in the county’s property tax rate
would generate an estimated $372,973 in
revenue. The proposed budget does not
include a tax rate increase, which would
See COUNTY back page
State House
approves
occupancy
tax increase
for Person Co.
By TIM CHANDLER
Courier-Times Editor
tchandler@roxboro-courier.com
“I think we’re going to be okay in
the Senate.”
State Rep. W.A. (Winkie) Wilkins,
D-Person, spoke those words Tuesday
when discussing his bill to increase
the hotel occupancy tax rate in Person
County
The bill, which, if passed would
increase the hotel/motel occupancy
tax in Person County from five person
to six percent, passed in the House of
Representatives by votes of 88-27 on the
second reading and 85-31 on the third
reading.
The bill has now been forwarded to
the Senate, where it will first be heard
before the Senate Finance Committee,
Wilkins said. He went on to reiterate
that he felt confident the bill would
receive a positive vote in the Senate.
“You have got some in both cham
bers who have signed no tax pledges,”
Wilkins explained. “Those are the nega
tive votes you see [from the House of
Representatives].”
Proceeds from the occupancy tax bill
would go to help fund tourism promo
tion and the Person County Museum
of History.
Wilkins said Tuesday that Rep.
Bill Faison, D-Orange, “ran” the bill
through the House Finance Committee
last week for him while he was hospital
ized at Duke University Medical Center
with a ruptured appendix.
Wilkins was released from the hos
pital Monday after spending a week in
the facility During that time, Wilkins
said he did keep up with things going
on in Raleigh, including the progress
of the occupancy tax bill.
“I was doing business from my hos
pital bed,” Wilkins joked Tuesday He
went on to say he hoped to return to
Raleigh Thursday
“My plan is to go to session Thurs
day,” Wilkins said. “I’m still pretty
weak and trying to get my strength
back right now.”
INSIDE Wednesday
Agenda
Classified
Do You Know....
Entertainment..
Legal Notices...
Looking Back...
Movies
Person People..
TV Listings
A2 Business
..C section Commentary
A3 Editorial
B2 Extension Notes..
C3 Lifestyle
A3 Mini-Page
A2 Obituaries
A3 Sports.
B3
A3
AS
A4
C4
..B4-5
B7
AS
A6-8
4879 08696
Kenneth Martin / Smith's Photography
IT'S OFFICIAL — Roxboro Community School seniors toss their caps into the air at the close of Saturday
afternoon's graduation ceremony at the Kirby Civic Auditorium.
'It seems like just yesterday'
RC5 graduates largest class during 3rd commencement exercise
By GREY PENTECOST
C-T Staff Writer
greypentecost@roxboro-courier.com
Roxboro Community School gradu
ated its largest class yet during its third
graduation ceremony on Saturday, June
4 at the Kirby Theater, with over 70 gradu
ates in the class of 2011.
In their remarks, members of the
graduating class recalled the students’
Kenneth Martin / Smith's Photography
Dr. Terri Cates addresses the
audience attending Roxboro
Community School's graduation.
first days at RCS and also offered thanks
to classmates, teachers, faculty, and
family
“It seems like just yesterday,” said
senior Jessica Murray in her welcome,
“Mr. Finnigan was our science teacher,
the cafeteria was Mr. Czysz’s room, the
library was a huge empty space, and
everyone in the entire school knew ev
eryone else. From humble beginnings,
and with the support of you all, RCS has
transformed into a loving family, consist
ing of wonderful individuals who strive
to be their best.”
Also speaking from the student body
were Salutatorian Olivia Meyers and
Valedictorian Hannah Womack.
Meyers thanked teachers for push
ing her class to do its best, and parents
for getting the students to school. She
also spoke about the cohesiveness of
the senior class, sharing how students
even helped classmates they didn’t
know very well on the night of their
exit speeches.
Womack spoke about teachers that
had been special to her over the years,
also acknowledging administrative staff,
her family, friends and her “Lord and
savior Jesus Christ.”
She challenged her fellow classmates
to be “open-minded, headstrong and
driven” as they began their new jour
neys.
First keynote speaker Dr. Terri Cates,
a pediatrician with Roxboro Med-Peds,
shared with those in attendance part
of her journey, from graduating Per
son High School in 1994, to graduating
from the University of North Carolina
School of Medicine and becoming a
Kenneth Martin / Smith's Photography
Former RCS Principal Sam
Kennington addresses the Class of
2011 at Saturday's graduation.
pediatrician.
She said she “took the road less trav
eled,” and gave up a lot to pursue her
dream of becoming a doctor. But Cates
said she had no regrets, because she feels
she is doing what she was called to do.
Cates told stories about a few of the
children that have been her patients
(names changed), using them to illus
trate words of advice she wanted to
share with the graduates.
Cates admonished the graduates to
be honest with themselves.
See RCS back page
Funding for
schools, PCC,
VFDs restored;
merit pay hike
not approved
By PHYLISS BOATWRIGHT
C-T Staff Writer
pboatwright@roxboro-courier.com
After three hours of deliberation
Tuesday, the Person Board of County
Commissioners decided to hold another
work session before movingforward on
adopting a county budget.
Prior to the decision to schedule
another session, however, commission
ers agreed to increase the amount of
funding for Person County Schools by
$221,539 and to allot Piedmont Commu
nity College (PCC) an additional $24,792.
In the latest version of the county
budget, volunteer fire departments will
See COMMISSIONERS back page
The Courier=Times
This Week’s Question:
What additional
items do you think
commissioners should
approve in the
upcoming budget for
county employees?
Merit Pay
lAn increase in ^
■^40IK contributions
lAn across the ^
^ board COLA raise
JAII of the above
_JTwo of the above
JNone of the above
Cast Your Vote On-Line At
vtfww.roxboro-courier.com
Results of our latest poll:
Do you think the decision by the
Social Security Administration (SSA)
to no longer operate its contact
station at the Person County Senior
Center was appropriate?
Yes, it had to be closed due to
funding issues - 25%
No, it will adversely affect many
people -13%
No, Person County needs an SSA
office - 54%
It does not matter to me - 8%
Police obtain arrest warrants for 2 more
sought in connection with recent shootings
By TIM CHANDLER
Courier-Times Editor
tchandler@roxboro-courier.com
Jeremy Eugene Bailey
Roxboro police announced Tuesday
that arrest warrants have been issued
for two additional men in connection
with recent shooting incidents in the
city that left four people injured.
Police are currently seekingDesmond
Omar Mason, 23, of 390 Henderson Rd.
Apt. 8B and Jeremy Eugene Bailey, 30, of
216 Lamberth St. in connection with the
shootings that took place on Saturday,
May 28 and Monday, May 30.
The two face felony charges of at
tempted first-degree murder, assault
with a deadly weapon with intent to
kill inflicting serious injury and dis
charging a weapon into an occupied
dwelling or vehicle. The two also face
misdemeanor charges of going armed
to the terror of the public.
Last week, police arrested Brentley
Derrick Yancey, 23, of Fayetteville and
Vernon Antwan Elliott Bailey, 21, of 74
Dylan St. on those same charges. Those
two remain in the Person County jail
under $500,000 secured bonds.
Yancey, a former Roxboro resident,
is a member of the US. Army and was
arrested last week at Fort Bragg in
Fayetteville.
The May 30 shooting incident oc
curred at 1721 Sunset Drive in Ca-Vel
Village shortly after 10 p.m.
At that location, shots were report
edly fired into a crowd of people attend
ing a cookout, as well into as homes and
vehicles. Two people suffered gunshot
See 2 back page
Desmond Omar Mason