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Volume 85 25' Per Copy Werrenton. County 0. We„en. North Cerolina Wednesdey, May 5. 1982 Number 18
Former Local
Resident Dies
In Car Wreck
Mrs. Mildred Peeler
Mustian, 38, of Wilson,
formerly of Warrenton,
was killed Monday afternoon
in a single-car accident
when the car she was
driving struck a concrete
pillar on US 264 West at the
Sims exit near Wilson.
Funeral services will be
conducted Wednesday at
11 a. m. by the Rev. W. R
Bussey of First Baptist
Church, Wilson. Graveside
services will be held at 2:30
p. m. at Fairview Cemetery,
Warrenton.
Mrs. Mustian is survived
by her husband. Monroe B.
Mustian, a daughter, Amy,
and a son, Roger, both of
the home; and her parents,
Mr and Mrs. J. R. Peeler
of Warrenton.
More Cheese
On The Way
For Needy
The Warren County Department
of Social Services
has received another
shipment of 8,000 pounds of
United States Department
of Agriculture surplus
cheese for distribution to
low-income families.
All current food-stamp
recipient households and
other households certified
for the cheese distribution
last February will be
eligible for more cheese
with no new certification.
These recipients may
begin picking up their
cheese immediately at the
Food Stamp Office or the
Social Services Office at
538 W. Ridgeway Street
Households not previously
served can make application
at the distribution
sites. Certification is made
on income up to 130 percent
of the poverty level, and
liquid reserve not in excess
of $1,500, according to
Julian W. Farrar, director
of Social Services for the
county.
In February, 4,100 persons
were served by the
distribution of 9,000 pounds
of cheese.
Norlina Board
Awards Contracts
Norlina commissioners
Monday night formally approved,
by unanimous
vote, low bids for wastewater
improvements.
John T. Harris Construction
Co. of Warrenton was
awarded the contract for
general construction after
submitting a low bid of
$174,325.
Watson Electrical Construction
Co. of Wilson was
given the electrical
contract after submitting a
low bid of $7,193.
Work on the
improvements, which will
tie Norlina's wastewater
system into the regional
plant near Warrenton, is
expected to begin in 90
days. The bids were
received last month but
were not officially accepted
until Monday night.
Alternate bids for
asphalt paving at the
pumping station at the
lagoon and the southside
pumping station were also
approved by the board.
Harris Construction had offered
to do the paving for a
total of $3300.
In other action taken
during Monday night's
45-minute session, the
board:
-Ordered a refundable
deposit for transient water
customers to be increased
to $25. The fee has been $10
for customers inside town
and $15 for those outside.
-Left unchanged a decision
by town administra(Continued
on page 9)
Firemen stand atop the Taylor Building and bring their
hoses to bear on flames leaping from the old Warren
Theatre Building during Wednesday afternoon's disastrous
fire. In photo at left, firemen wort with their equipment
in an alley behind the burning building. At right, the
charred remains of the theatre's interior is shown. In
bottom photo, volunteers haul office furniture and
equipment from the Taylor Building which was
threatened by the fire. (Staff Photos)
Firemen Prevent Spread Of Damage
As Fire Guts Warrenton Landmark
A Warrenton landmark
for more than four decades
was gutted by fire on
Wednesday afternoon of
last week.
flames believed caused
by faulty wiring swept the
old Warren Theatre Building
on Main Street. The
owner of the building, J. T.
Fleming, hopes to rebuild
but plans are incomplete at
this time.
Fleming, a Warrenton
real estate and construction
executive, estimated
the loss at $105,000 $80,000
to the building and
$25,000 to the contents.
Housed in the brick
building were the offices of
Fleming Realty and Construction
Co. and the
Warren Video Games
Center. Both were victims
of the intense fire, which
for some time on Wednesday
threatened nearby
buildings. Only the Taylor
Building, which shares a
common wall with the
theatre building, suffered
damages.
Fleming said he did not
know the extent of the
damage to the Taylor
Building, but said that heat
from the blaze bowed the
north wall of the two-story
building which contains
offices. Much of the
contents of the Taylor
Building were removed by
volunteers as the fire
reached its peak.
Fleming said he and
Chet Forrester, a volunteer
fireman and county
electrical inspector, were
returning to Warren ton
following a meeting in
Raleigh when they saw
smoke as they approached
town. At first, as they
neared the business district,
they thought it might
have been caused by
workmen tarring a roof.
Upon arrival at the
theatre building, Fleming
opened a door leading to
the balcony and smoke
billowed out. While Forrester
began putting in calls
for help. Fleming herded
the 15-20 youngsters playing
electronic games out of
the building.
, The town fire company
responded, as did rural
firemen from Warrenton.
Norlina, Wise, Inez,
Areola, Macon, Drewry
and Cokesbury.
Only three of 14 video
games were removed from
the building before smoke
forced its complete evacuation.
Two desks and a
filing cabinet were also
saved.
"The machines cost
$19,000 and we had just
spent $8,000 remodelling
the building," Fleming
said. The building, believed
built in 1938, once seated
500 persons. The seats
were being removed in
anticipation of an auction
sale planned by Fleming.
Fleming said be did not
have nearly enough insurance
to cover his loss. He
estimated that it would
require $200,000 to build a
similar building today. He
said he did not know if the
front wall of the building
can be re-used until
demolition work gets
under way.
While Fleming is considering
his options on
replacement of the building,
he has moved his real
estate and construction
business to a temporary
location in a house on West
Macon Street owned by the
J. B. Davis Estate
Commissioners Decide
Tax Lien Sale
Planned In June
Tax liens on unpaid 1981
real estate taxes, which
are being advertised in
The Warren Record this
week, will be sold on Monday,
June 7, beginning at
12 noon, the Board of Warren
County Commissioners
ordered at their meeting
here on Monday morning.
Henry Pitchford, president
of the Warren County
Chapter of the National
Association for the Advancement
of Colored
People, appeared before
the commissioners with a
request that in choosing a
member of the Extension
Service to succeed L. C.
Cooper, retired, as an
Agricultural Agent, that
the commissioners insist
upon the hiring of a Black.
Chairman Harris told
Pitchford that the commissioners
always relied heavily
upon the recommendation
of the N. C. Extension
Service, but that there
might be several weeks
delay as the Extension
Service at the request of a
number of cattlemen had
promised that the job
would not be filled until a
competent cattle agent
could be found.
The commissioners announced
a budget schedule
for three budget hearings
and okayed a budget
amendment for the Health
Department.
W. P. "Pete" Jones, a
former chairman of the
Warren County Board of
Commissioners, was appointed
by the commissioners
to fill the unexpired
term of Howard Oakley as
a member of the Emergency
Medical Service
Board. Oakley's position
has been vacant since
November.
Jim Whitley, serving as
county manager during the
illness of Glen Newsome,
read a long list of suggestive
appointees to a
Citizens Involvement Committee
on Waste Management.
Action was tabled
until the June meeting in
order that the commissioners
may study a copy of the
list to be supplied by
Whitley.
Whitley reported sales
tax collections in Warren
County during March in
the amount of $20,851.68.
Alan Hawks, Director
for Coordinating Council
for Senior Citizens presented
his budget to the
commissioners. He pointed
out that since the federal
budget running to Sept. 30,
had been changed to the
state fiscal year ending
July 1, that the budget
figures should all be
reduced one-fourth. And
the $3700 requested as the
county's part, had been
reduced to $2775.00.
However. Hawks said
that he had requested the
Board of Education to
allow his agency to use the
Exum Building on the
Hawkins campus as a
Citizens Center. If this
permission is granted he
said, the cost of renovating
and furnishing is
estimated at $12,000, of
which a $6,000 matching
fund would be required of
the county, in addition to
the $2775 of the regular
operating budget.
Bennie Lynch appeared
before the commissioners
in regard to handling
waste products in Warren
County and if any additions
were to be expected for the
new year. He was told that
the only complaint was
that the bins were often
over-filled, and suggested
that during the summer
vacation in schools, some
of the bins could possibly
be shifted to lake develop
ments when the need is
greatest. The commission
ers, since they missed by
only a few points receiving
a federal grant for this
(Continued on page 9)
Terrell Resigns j
Benjamin Terrell, principal of the Warren $:
County High School, on Tuesday morning 5j
submitted his resignation to School Superinten- £
dent Mike Williams, in order that he may accept
a job as principal of a high school in Davidson £
County.
Supt. Williams said this morning that Principal
Terrell has done a magnificent job as principal of
the new county high school, and that his resignation
was accepted with deep regret.
New Date Selected
For N. C. Primary
In a rare Sunday meeting,
the state Board of
Elections named June 29
as election day, and
scheduled primary runoffs
for July 27.
According to Ruby
Jones, Warren County
supervisor of elections, the
first primary will be
Tuesday. June 29 and the
second primary will be
Tuesday, July 27.
The filing deadline for
seats in Congress, the N. C.
Senate and the N. C. House
of Representatives is Friday,
May 7.
State officials, according
to published reports,
felt that "severe hardship
and confusion" would
result if the 1982 primary
elections were delayed
further. They settled on the
June 29 date to avoid
further clash with federal
officials.
The June 29 date is a
compromise between the
state's previously expressed
preference for a June 10
primary and federal officials'
desire for an election
in July or August.
The General Assembly
originally set the June 10
date, but the U. S. Justice
Department opposed that
date saying that it might
not provide minority candidates
with enough time
to wage effective campaigns.
The decision made at the
Sunday meeting was the
latest of many actions
directed at winning federal
acceptance of the state's
redistricting plans. The
Justice Department has
rejected two redistricting
plans saying they diluted
minority voting strength
and thus violated the
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Alex Brock, director of
the state Board of Elections,
said in published
reports that he didn't like
the newly-established
dates, but that the board
had to choose between
them and an indefinite
primary date.
The deadline for registration
to vote in the June
primary is Monday, May
17.
Filing deadline for indigent
legislative and congressional
candidates, who
avoid paying a filing fee by
submitting petition, is May
17.
Durham Rampage
Begins In Warren
A white man reported to
be sitting under a bush on
Highway 1-85 in Warren
County was picked up by
Deputy Harold Seaman
around 4 p. m. on
Wednesday of last week
and after some delay
delivered to Warren General
Hospital, from which
he has been released.
His traveling companion,
James Morris McRay,
26, white male, was later
that day arrested in
Pom Currie Named
To Class Office
Pam Currie. daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Currie
of Division Street, Noriina,
was elected to the office of
junior class secretarytreasurer
at Atlantic
Christian CoDege during
the recent campus elections
Miss Currie is majoring
in music education.
Durham wnere he was
charged with careless and
reckless driving, possession
of a stolen vehicle,
possession of a stolen firearm,
carrying a concealed
weapon and with drunk
and disorderly conduct and
jailed under $17,000 bond.
While the larceny part of
the escapade was committed
in Warren County, it is
considered unlikely that he
will be returned to Warren
County for trial.
According to a report
gathered in the sheriffs
office here on Monday,
Cart D. Aysrue, 2911
Jefferson Davis Highway
in Richmond, Va., picked
up a hitchhiker, James
Morris McRay in Richmond
on 3016 Stems Avenue,
Richmond, Va., and
headed South on Highw ay
1-85. When they reached a
point near Manson in
Warren County, according
to Ayacue, he stofiped Iris
(Continued on page!)