Eddie Hama, Jr. Jan78
312 Church St.
larrenton, N.C. 27589
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Complete News Coverage Of Warren County
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Volume 80 15c Per Copy Warrentort, County Of Warren, North Carolina Thursday, September 8, 1977 Number 36
Local Candidates Mull Political Future
By HELEN HOWARD
Two statewide issues and
municipal elections will be
decided at the polls on
November 8.
Although it may seem too
early to start election
coverage for November, it is
only a week before candidates
begin filing for office.
The official filing periou,
according to the Warren
County Board of Elections,
is from Friday, Sept. 16,
until Friday, Oct. 7.
Purchase
Change Is
Approved
By HOWARD JONES
Warrenton commissioners
have agreed to halt
controversial buying practices
which during the past
fiscal year saw four businesses
operated by elected
municipal officials receive
77 Town of Warrenton
checks totalling more than
$3,700.
The action to end town
trade with the mayor and
members of the board came
after Town Attorney Charles
Johnson advised the
board, meeting September 1
in special session, that the
practice was illegal under
state law. He said the
practice was a misdemeanor
and had been prohibited
by state statute since the
1820s.
Johnson's opinion was
given in response to a
request from Commissioner
Bill Leary, chairman of the
Finance Committee, who
said he would like to have a
legal opinion before signing
any more checks to businesses
operated by board
members.
In agreeing to halt the
practice, again defended by
Mayor W. A. Miles as a
common occurrence in
small towns, the board said
it would seek a ruling from
Attorney General Rufus
Edmiston on the matter.
The fact that commissioners
were doing business with
themselves in violation of N.
C. General Statute 14-234
was disclosed in a story in
the August 4 edition of The
Warren Record which pointed
out that the action was
jeopardizing continued receipt
of federal revenue
sharing funds. The article
pointed out that at least
three commissioners were
guilty of the illicit trade.
During Thursday's special
session, it was revealed
that a fourth board member,
Commissioner W. K. Lanier,
Jr., had profited from town
business duririg the past
year. Lanier told the board
that he owned "100 per
cent" nf Lanier Hardware
Company. During the fiscal
year ended June 30, Lanier's
firm received $658.26 in
town payments.
Limer Post To
Have Dinner Meet
Limer Post 25 of the
American Legion will have
a regular dinner meeting
tonight, September 8, at 7
o'clock at the Lions Den.
"This will be the last
meeting prior to the Lions'
Warren County Fair so
come out and help us plan
our activities at the fair,"
Adjutant Russell Currin
said. "Bring along a
wartime veteran as a guest
and a potential member.
Please remember we are
still collecting membership
dues."
In order to file, a
candidate in Warrenton
must go to the Board of
Elections office 6n Front
Street and pay the filing fee.
In Macon and Norlina. a
candidate should go to tfie
respective chairman of the
Board of Elections for that
town and pay the filing fee.
The fees vary from town
to town, according to Mrs.
Mariam Coleman of the
Warren County Board of
Elections.
The municipal government
officials will be
seeking election in November.
This includes the mayor
and town commissioners.
In polling the incumbents
as to their decision on
whether or not they would
seek reelection, both Mayor
Miles of Warrenton and
Mayor Perry of Norlina said
that they would definitely
run again.
While the mayors have
decided, commissioners in
the respective towns are
mulling their decisions.
Commissioner Billy Lanier
was the only Warrenton
incumbent polled to give a
definite answer saying, "I
sure am. I have enjoyed it."
Other Warrenton commissioners
are having a
difficult time in making
their decision on the heels of
recent turmoils within the
group on buying practices of
the town from board
members. Similar conflicts
have caused friction among
the members, the commissioners
explained as each
was polled and reported
almost the same story.
B. G. White, who has been
on and off the board for
many years, along with Dr.
Sam Massey, William Leary
and Anna Butler said they
were undecided at this time.
Gordon Haithcock was not
available.
Norfleet Cliborne, who is
(Continued on page 3)
Students head for buses to return home following the
first full day of classes on Tuesday. Superintendent J. R.
Peeler's office said 3,436 pupils attended class and more
are expected after tobacco harvesting is completed.
Contract Not Signed
For Nursing Facility
The contract for a nursing
home at Oxford has not yet
been signed, Henry Pleasants
of the Capital Health
Systems Agency told the
Warren County Board of
Commissioners at their
meeting here Tuesday
morning.
Pleasants said that delay
was due to dissatisfaction on
the part of certain operators
of these homes with the
number of beds being
authorized by the state.
This, he said, caused Governor
Hunt to order a delay in
signing while a survey of
needs and beds could be
ascertained. The contracts
must be signed by Nov. 1.
Pleasants appeared before
the board in connection
with procedure required in
the election of a person to fill
a vacancy on the Board of
the Capital Health Systems
Agency, of which county
commissioners have a part.
The local commissioners
are particularly involved
because of the resignation of
John Hawkins of Warrenton
from the CHSA board.
The rather cumbersome
method approved by the
state, over HEW opposition,
was explained in a letter
from George M. Stockbridge,
executive director of
the Health Systems Agency,
and elaborated upon by
Pleasants. The Stockbridge
letter, which explains the
procedure reads as follows:
"Mr. John Hawkins, a
consumer representative
from your county, has
indicated he does not wish to
be reappointed to the Board
of the Capital Health
Systems Agency at the
Price Is Selected
Year's Top Teacher
Walter Price, teacher at
Hawkins Junior High School
was chosen as the 1976-77
Teacher of the Year by the
Warren County Unit of the
North Carolina Association
of Classroom Teachers. ^He
will represent the local unit
in the district competition in
September.
During the 1976-77 school
session. Price was selected
by the North Carolina
Department of Public Instruction
to serve as master
teacher counselor for the
North Carolina Internship
Program for Secondary
Occupational Education
Teachers; representative to
the National Commissioner's
Conference on Career
Education in Houston, Tex.,
and served as consultant for
Occupational Exploration
Workshops in several counties
in North Carolina
during the summer.
Price has served as
classroom teacher for 25
year* with 21 years in
Warren County.
In 1975, Price was
awarded the Scoutmaster's
Green Band Award for his
assistance on a 21-day
Philmont Scouting Expedition
in the high mountains of
Cimarron, N. M.
He has served as Adult
Sunday School teacher for 15
years, -and deacon of his
church for 10 years. He is a
Veteran of World War II, is
married and has three
children.
He received his education
from A & T State University
and North Carolina State
University.
expiration of his current
term which ends December
31st.
"Our procedure for filling
vacancies that occur on our
Board is as follows:
"We contact the appropriate
Board of Commissioners
and request that
they publish a public notice
that such a vacancy exists,
and describe the type of
representative needed to fill
that vacancy
"(In the case of Mr.
Hawkins, we would like to
replace him with a middle
income or retired minority
male consumer in order to
keep the 55 member board
mix in balance and in
conformity as required by
Federal Regulations.)
"All names submitted in
response to the public notice
should be submitted directly
to the CHSA Nominating
Committee, at our agency
headquarters no later than
September 22, 1977.
"Upon receipt of the
names, the CHSA will
promptly mail to the
individuals a personal
resume form which we will
ask them to complete and
return. The Nominating
Committee then screens and
compiles a list of those
names which fulfill the
requirements of the vacancy.
"At this point, the list of
names is submitted to your
Board of Commissioners to
determine whether any
name appearing on the list
is unsatisfactory to the
Commissioners. If so, that
name is removed from the
lsit and the Nominating
Committee proceeds to
make its selection and
recommendation to the
CHSA Board of Directors.
"The process may be
considered to be somewhat
cumbersome, but is designed
to meet the desired
objectives of openness of
procedure, public participation,
and county commissioner
concurrence. Your
help in this matter will be
greatly appreciated."
Record Prices
Are Received
On Local Mart
The Warrenton Tobacco
Market recorded the highest
prices in the history of the
maAet on Tuesday*, reaching
an average of $126.02.
"This was the highest to my
knowledge," reflected
George Willis Shearin, sales
supervisor for the market.
Shearin noted that one
warehouse on the market
reached an average of
$142.08 for Tuesday's sale,
the 10th day of the 1977
auction season. He said that
all the warehouses had
capacity sales and a better
type of tobacco was displayed.
Tueday's sale of 317,797
pounds made $353,647.73 for
the farmers for the high
average. Farmers also are
scheduled to sell here today
Revival Services
Are Scheduled By
Warrenton Church
Revival services will be
held at Warrenton Pentecostal
Holiness Church Sept.
12 through Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.
m. The Rev. B. C. Horrell of
Roanoke Rapids will be the
guest evangelist.
The Rev. Robert J.
Forehand, pastor, said
special music will be
rendered each night.
On Sunday, Sept. 11,
homecoming will be observed
at the church. A goal ol
108 attendance has been set.
The day will begin with
Sunday School at 10 a. m
followed by the morning
worship service by the
pastor at 11 a. m. and dinnei
on the grounds at 12:30 p. m
At 2 p. m. "The Redeemed'
of Winnabow will hold s
special singfeast.
No evening services art
scheduled for Sunday night
Only One Fire
Reported Here
Only one fire was reporte
by the Warrenton Rurs
Volunteer Fire Departmer
during the week.
One truck and six me
responded to a call for
brush fire on Haley Street t
3:15 Saturday. No damag
was reported.
New Direction Taken
Hopes Revived
For Water Line
Warren County officials
Tuesday agreed to appeal to
a new agency of the federal
government in an effort to
win approval of a twice
denied application for a
$900,000 water line linking
Warrenton with the regional
Kerr Lake water system.
Warren County commissioners,
at the urging of a
representative of the Soul
City Company, tentatively
voted to make their plea for
federal funding for the
water line to the U. S.
Department of Housing and
(HUD)" Deve,°pment
Commissioners authorized
Chairman W. P. Jones to
sign the necessary application
papers, provided the
move meets with the
approval of the county
attorney.
The proposed line which
would link Warrenton with
the regional system now
serving Soul City has been
turned down twice during
the past year by EDA
officials charged with allocating
public works money
Lewis Myers, a Soul City
official, said that the new
application for funding will
be submitted to HUD's New
Communities Administration,
the agency which has
provided the bulk of federal
assistance to Soul City.
Myers said HUD was
responsible for approving a
1976 Title I Community
Block Grant of $800,000 for
extending a sewer line trom
Soul City to Warrenton via
l S. 1 and 158. That line is
now nearing completion.
What Warren commissioners
did Tuesday was
endorse the idea of amending
the original grant
application with HUD to
include the water line.
Myers said that while the
cost of the proposed water
line is expected to exceed
$900,000, a cost under-run of
some $80,000 for the sewer
line could be applied to the
cost of the water line
construction.
Myers said he was "highly
optimistic" that the revised
application would be accepted
by HUD. He said such
approval will have a
beneficial effect on Soul
City's 400-acre industrial
park as well as an industrial
corridor running from Soul
City to Warrenton. The new
water line would roughly
parallel the sewer line.
Myers said Tuesday that
work is being completed this
week on an industrial
collector road at Soul City
which is expected to give
access to an additional 100
acres of industrial property
at Soul City. The work is
being performed by Warren
contractor John T Harris.
Board Adopts New
Subdivision Rules
The Warren County Subdivision
Regulations, recently
approved by the
County Planning Board with
minor changes, were adopted
by the County Commissioners
at their meeting
here Tuesday morning.
Adoption of the Zoning and
Building Codes were delayed.
Lack of a building code for
the county provides the
necessity for the appointment
of an Insulation
Inspector in order that
Warren citizens may share
in the costs of home
insulation through federal
assistance. This amounts to
25 percent for homeowners
and larger amounts for
commercial building, Chet
Forrester, Warren Electrical
Inspector, told the
commissioners. He said
such insulation must be
installed by a licensed
builder.
Forrester was before the
board to bring this information
to its attention and to
explain that if the job was
combined with that of
Electrical Inspector that it
would entail an increase in
costs, largely due to
increased travel. He said he
is not seeking the job.
The commissioners postponed
any action on the
appointment until their next
meeting in order that
further study of the law
could be made and an
Funds Are Received
For Lockup Of Males
The Warren County Board
of Commissioners has received
a contract from the
State Department of Correction
for reimbursement for
incarceration of male misdemeanants
with sentences
of 31 to 180 days. The size of
the proposed reimbursement
is $8.00 per day.
At their meeting Monday
the commissioners said that
the fee offered by the State
does not cover the actual
costs of boarding and
feeding the prisoners, and
voted to defer signing the
contract in the hope that a
better offer would be made.
J. Thomas McBride, Era
Administrator for the State
Mental Health Program,
and Tana Oniccohenko,
Director of Children's Program,
appeared before the
board in regard to a foster
home program for noncriminal
emotionally disturbed
children in the four
counties of Warren, Franklin,
Vance and Granville. In
(Continued on page 3)
Questionnaire Offered
Readers of today's Record have an
opportunity to tell State Government what they
believe is the biggest problem facing North
Carolina in a survey called "North Carolina
Tomorrow."
The survey questionnaire, which the Record is
publishing as a public service, is being
conducted by the State Goals and Policy Board,
i Governor Jim Hunt, chairman of the Goals and
1 Policy Board, said he wants North Carolinians to
t be "partners with us in Raleigh in deciding what
directions our state should take in the future."
[i Completed survey forms should be clipped
i from the Record and mailed to the Governor in
t Raleigh. Results will be tabulated by county and
e will be made available this fall.
inspector found.
Mrs. Joan Hight of
Henderson appeared before
the commissioners to again
request that the George
Allen Home on Cousin
Lucy's Lane, now owned by
the county, be used as a
Senic. Citizens Center. She
was accompanied by Bob
Keese of the Office for the
Aging.
Mrs. Hight said that the
building would more than
meet the state's requirement
for matching funds.
Commissioner Clyde Edwards,
a Senior Citizen, said
that the home would make
an excellent Center for the
Aging, but the commiaiioners
took no action.
Mrs. Hight said that she
felt it is too late for Warren
to get its application in this
year, and suggested that
they prepare to get this
application this year, but
suggested that plans be
made for an early application
in 1978. The commissioners
made no commitment
A group of citizens living
off Rural Road 1306 appeared
before the commissioners
to ask that they
recommend to the State
Highway Commission that a
privately owned road, 0.3
miles long, be taken over by
the state. Six families live
on the private road. The
commissioners approved
the request.
The board also approved a
resolution to have the
Highway Department pave
the driveway to the Ridgeway
Fire Department, and
to have the Newsom Road
graded, drained and stabilized.
Dr. Kirit Trivedi was appointed
a member of the
Warren County Emergency
Medical Council for one
year. He succeeds Dr. K. B.
Patel.
The appointment of two
Hospital Board members
was tabled until the next
meeting.
The board voted to
authorize Chairman Jones
to sign a letter of intent for
the county to participate in
Statewide Community Based
Alternate Programs, if.
there be no cost to the
county.
Chairman Jones announced
that the State Department
of Human Resources
had approved the County's
Social Service budget.
Juror Excuses
Will Be Heard
All jurors wishing to be
excused from jury duty at
the Sept. 12 Civil Session of
District Court are asked to
appear before tbe District
Court Judge on Friday,
Sept. 9, in the Warren
County Courthouse.