WarrentonMem.Library X
117 S . Ma In St.
Warrenton. N.C. 27589
Ira SUtflrii
Volume 85
25* Per Copy
Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina
Wednesday, April 28, 1982
Number 17
Warren School Supt. Michael F. Williams makes dedicatory remarks
In the school theater while members of the Warren County High School
Chorus prepare to render musical selections. The dedication and tours
of the new building covered a three-hour period Sunday afternoon.
School Dedication
is Held On Sunday
Warren County residents
turned out in force Sunday
afternoon to witness the
formal dedication of the
Warren County High
School, and later many of
them toured the four-million-dollar
facility which
now houses 1,050 students.
Sunday's activities began
at 2 p. m. when school
officials and others who
had a part in the project
clipped a ribbon at the
school's front entrance.
Henry D. Bobbitt, III,
chairman of the Warren
County Board of Education,
actually cut the
ribbon.
Moments later the dedication
ceremony was held
in the school theater. The
invocation was given by
Roosevelt Alston, assistant
principal, and a welcome
was delivered by Ben- £
jamin T. Terrell, principal
Guests were introduced by >:
James Jordan, Jr., assistant
superintendent, and remarks
were made by §
Chairman Bobbitt and by
Walter J. Harris, chair- if:
man of the Warren County f
(Continued on page 13) , ?
Double Amputee
Gets Hole-In-One
In the world of golf, the chances of a hole-in-one §
are somewhere around one in 700,000. And that's 3
if you're a professional. •:!
But the chance became reality on Sunday,
April 18, Tor Ron Riggan of Macon. He shot a
hole-in-one from 126 yards on the 11th hole at the §:
Warrenton Golf Club. .
Riggan, who is a paraplegic with two artificial
limbs, took up the sport over a year ago with the
encouragement of friends. He's worked hard at
the game, but hesitates to attribute his latest feat
to his skill.
"Actually, I was just lucky," he said.
Having a hand In Sunday's ribbon cutting at the Warren
County High School were, left to right, Dr. Dudley Flood,
Henry Bobbitt, HI, Walter J. Harris, Architect Dan
Knight, Leigh Traylor, Harold Harris, Benjamin Terrell
and Michael Williams. (Staff Photos)
Chamber Conducts Fraud Clinic Monday
Approximately 50 Warren
business people turned
out Monday night for a
fraud clinic held by the
Warren County Chamber
of Commerce at the
Warrenton Lions Den.
Chamber President
Charles Hayes presided
over the session, which
began with a social hour
and a dinner. Hayes
recognized special guests
who included A. D.
Johnson and Wallace
Brown, candidates for
sheriff, and Richard Hunter,
Jr., seeking re-election
as Warren clerk of court.
Sheriff Clarence Davis
and District Attorney
David Waters appeared on
the program to answer
questions stimulated by
talks by the night's special
speakers - SBI Resident
Agent Jim Walker and
John Chipps of the U. S.
Secret Service
Walker spoke on his
duties which involve primarily
giving assistance to
local law enforcement
officers, and pakS special
attention to shopliftin« and
larceny, crimes that affect
many retail merchant*
"North Carolina is fortunate
in having one of the
best shoplifting laws I have
seen," Walker said. He
noted that state law calls
for a $100 fine and or six
months jail term upon
conviction.
Walker said one effective
anti-shoplifting tech
nique is to wait until a
shoplifting customer
leaves the store, when he
then can be charged with
larceny.
"As long as your actions
are reasonable you should
use your power to detain
shoplifters," he told the
audience.
Chipps, a Secret Service
agent for 19 Vi years, Rave
a brief history of the duties
of the Secret Service, and
he touched on the agency's
protective responsibilities,
efforts to thwart counterfeiters,
and work to apprehend
persons responsible
for forging federal checks.
These five men had nlaces on the program Monday nieht when the
Warren County Chamber of Commerce iponaorcd a fraud clinic at the
Warrenton Ltons Den. Shown left to right are SBI Agent Jim Walker,
Sheriff Clare** Davis, District Attorney David Waters, Chamber
President Charles Hayes and Secret Service Agent John Chipps.
(Staff Photo)
Primary Date Set
Warren Placed
In 6th District
The North Carolina
General Assembly Tuesday
placed all of Warren
County in a newly fashioned
6th Senate Distric t with
portions of Halifax and
Edgecombe counties, and
called for state primary
elections on June 10
The redistricting move
met with opposition from
State Sen. James Speed of
Franklin County, who had
represented Warren County
in past sessions of the
Legislature
"I think it is a disadvantage
to put Warren in
with two large counties,"
Speed told The Warren
Record on Tuesday. He
said "it all comes about in
trying to raise the racial
ratio."
Lawmakers expressed
confidence that the revised
district boundaries would
win approval of federal
officials under the federal
Voting Rights Act.
A separate bill approved
Tuesday during the special
legislative session - the
third to be held since
October to determine redistricting
- set the filing
period for congressional
and legislative races from
noon Friday through noon
May 7.
Warren's Jobless
Rate Shows Rise
I Unemployment rose in
Warren County and 51
other North Carolina counties
from February to
March, the North Carolina
Employment Security
Commission (ESC) reported
this week.
Warren County recorded
an unemployment rate of
13.8 percent in March, an
increase of two-tenths of a
percentage point over
February. Only 21 of the
state's 100 counties had a
higher unemployment
rate, ESC figures showed.
The broad-based rise in
unemployment reflected a
slight increase in the
stateside jobless rate from
9.3 percent in February to
9.7 percent in March. The
current statewide total unemployment
rate in North
Carolina exceeded the
national unadjusted rate
for the first time since
1975.
Orange County, for the
fifth consecutive month,
was the only county with a
jobless rate of 4.0 percent
or less. In March, Orange
County's rate remained
unchanged at 3.8 percent.
The largest increase in
unemployment occurred in
Mitchell County which
registered an increase of
6.0 percentage points. The
largest decrease in unemployment
was registered
to Chowan County,
down 3.7 percentage
points.
Voter registration would
end May 17, with the
primary held on Thursday,
June 10. If needed, a
second primary would be
held on Thursday, July 8.
The primary had been
scheduled for May 4, but
delay in winning approval
for redistricting plans by
the Justice Department's
civil rights division forced
a postponement.
The 6th Senate District,
which will elect one
senator, will consist of
Warren, 14 townships of
Edgecombe, including
Tarboro, and seven pre
cincts of Halifax, including
Littleton and Roanoke
Rapids
Trustees Report
CHHS Contract
Is Terminated
By KAY HORNER
Staff Writer
Effective June 30,
Warren General Hospital
will terminate its
management contract with
Carolinas Hospital and
Health Services, Inc.
(CHHS), a Charlotte-based
hfealth care management
and consulting firm that
has provided tlie hospital
with an administrator and
consulting services since
May 1981.
Lynn C. Orfgen, hospital
administrator, came to
Warren General in June
1981 from CHHS. Under the
contract agreement, he is
an employee of CHHS, but
his salary' is paid by the
hospital.
A1 Fleming, chairman of
the hospital's board of
trustees, said the decision
to terminate the contract
was unanimous at the
March meeting.
"There were no
surprises, and no one has
any bones to pick,"
Fleming said. "Due to the
low patient census at the
hospital and the high cost
of operation, we felt we
should hold back expenses
wherever and however we
could."
Fleming said that there
were no concrete figures
on how much the hospital
hoped to save in hiring its
own administrator, but
that the board now felt it to
be the most economical
route for the hospital.
According to Fleming,
the trustees decided to try
the services of a
management and
consulting firm over a year
ago, and settled on CHHS.
He emphasized that the
board was trying to be
"pragmatic" at that time
in exploring ways to
provide the best health
care possible while
keeping costs down.
In a prepared statement,
Orfgen said "CHHS has
appreciated the chance to
work with Warren General
Hospital in providing good
health care for the people
of Warren County. The
hospital has our best
wishes for its future
service to the
community."
CHHS, which provides
services to 21 other health
care facilities in the
Southeast, also provided
the services of a controller
to the hospital until earlier
this year when cost
considerations led to the
termination of that
agreement.
Fleming stressed that
the hospital has a good
rapport with CHHS, and
anticipates a smooth
transition when the new
administrator arrives.
"Ideally, we would like
to have someone on board
(Continued on page ft)
Stabbing Suspect
Nabbed In Virginia
Joseph "Chug" Mayfield,
escaped convict, allegedly
involved in a
stabbing on March 28 at
the Starlight Palace on
Highway 1001 near Warren
ton. is being held in
Warren County jail under
$5,000 bond.
Arrested in Richmond at
the home of his sister.
Maxiene Henderson, by
Richmond officers, Mayfield
was returned to Warren
County by Deputy
Bobby Dean Bolton, investigation
officer who had
learned of Mayfield's
whereabouts.
Deputy Bolton said that
shortly after Mayfield's
escape from the Department
of Correction in April
1976, he had beat arrested
on a burglary charge in
Richmond and while being
sought by North Carolina
prison officials, was serving
time in Virginia. At the
time of his arrest he was
served under parole, which
was to expire in July. His
parole officer assisted in
his arrest.
Stabbed in Ms rib cage
early on Sunday morning,
March 18, Jonathan Phil
lips of 125 Lyles Lane,
South Hill, Va. was taken
to the South Hill, Va.,
Community Memorial
Hospital from which he
was transferred to the
University of Virginia
Medical Center in Richmond,
Va., from which he
has been discharged.
Deputy Bolton was accompanied
to Richmond
by Mecklenburg, Va., ABC
Officer Emmit Williams
and Parole Officer Mike
Moody of Mecklenburg
County. The arrest in
Richmond was made be
Detective Norman Hudson
of the Richmond Police
Department.
Mayfield waived extradition.
He was given a
96-hour hearing on Monday
morning and was expected
to be given a preliminary
hearing in Warren County
District Court on Wednesday
morning.
It was explained at tbe
office of Sheriff CUreoce
Davis that Warren and
Mecklinburg County officers
work cloaely t met her
and it was felt that the