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Volume 80 Z5C Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, July 6, 1983 Number 27
A 4-H Activity Day which drew participants from
17 North Carolina counties was held Thursday at
Warren County High School. Here a few of the 1,000
participants take part in a char-grili demonstration
on the school campus. See story on Page 5B.
(Staff Photo)
For Warren County Citizens
$1 Tax Rate Is Approved
Warren County Commissioners voted last Wed
nesday night to accept a 1983-84 county budget of
$4,326,575 as recommended by County Manager
Glenwood Newsome.
The vote was three to one, with veteran County
Commissioner William T. Skinner the only opposing
vote.
Commissioner George Shearin was not present at
the meeting.
Skinner told fellow commissioners that he could
not vote in favor of a four-cent increase in the tax
rate due to the poor state of the economy and the
high rate of unemployment in the county.
The new budget takes the tax rate from 96 cents to
$1 per $100 valuation.
The only change in the budget as presented by the
county manager to the commissioners last month
was an increase of $1,000 in the mental health
budget, recommended by Newsome.
Tom McBride, area mental health director,
recently appeared before the board in a public
hearing on the budget and told the commissioners
that the amount proposed for mental health, which
included no increase over the current year, was
"marginal" in keeping the clinic here open.
The $1,000, which was taken from the contingency
fund, did not change the total budget figure, and
provides the program with a budget of $10,775 for
the coming fiscal year.
ABC Board Controversy
Fueled By Appointments
A controversy in
volving the Warren
County ABC Board that
began last January was
taken a step further
yesterday by members
of the Warren County
Board of Com
missioners in their
regular meeting.
The commissioners
voted to replace ABC
Board member John
Henry Palmer of Macon
with Sherman Johnson
of Warrenton, although
no resignation had been
submitted by Palmer.
Johnson, who is
associated with WARR
radio, was nominated by
Commissioner Francis
Alston.
The vote was split,
with commissioners
Jack Harris and
William T. Skinner
voting against the
replacement.
The board also voted
to accept the resignation
of Bill Delbridge of
Norlina, submitted but
not' accepted last
January, and to appoint
William B. Ellington of
Drewry to fill
Delbridge's unexpired
term. Ellington,
nominated by Com
missioner Harris, is a
farmer and farm
manager for People's
Bank and Trust Co. in
Rocky Mount in their
trust department.
Last January, State
ABC Commissioner Bill
Hester informed the
county commissioners
that the Warren County
ABC Board was not
making enough profit
for the amount of liquor
sold, and that the county
had more clerks than it
needed to man its
stores.
At tfeat time, the
board consisted of
Ctiatriram William K.
Lannier, Delbridge, and
The board accepted
the resignation of
Lanier, voted not to ac
cept the resignation of
Delbridge at that time,
and received no
resignation from
Palmer.
After the vote at
yesterday's meeting,
Commissioner Jack
Harris asked if Palmer
had been removed
without cause. Chair
person Eva Clayton
responded that the
cause for the new ap
pointments was
"whatever the board of
commissioners feels is
in the proper interest of
the ABC Board." She
noted that a "new
team" was now in place
for the sake of "har
mony" on the board.
When asked by Harris
if there had been
"disharmony" with
Palmer, she said that
she did not know.
After the meeting,
Chairperson Clayton
said that there were
some "realities" for
Delbridge and Palmer
to deal with, but that the
new appointments were
an opportunity to move
ahead with the ABC
Board, and that there
was nothing personal in
any of the changes.
Delbridge reached at
his home Tuesday af
ternoon said, "It's all
new to me." He in
dicated that he had not
been contacted by
anyone about the
board's decision, and
knew of no reason for its
action.
A spokesperson at
Palmer's home said that
he was not available for
comment.
ABC Board Chairper
son Bernadine Ballance,
who has been filling
Lanier's unexpired
term, was also reap
pointed at yesterday's
meeting.
Board Takes
Varied Action
Here Tuesday
The following items of
business were among
those voted on by
Warren County Com
missioners in their
regular meeting yester
day:
—A contract for
$112,000 with Carroll
Phelps Company of
Winston-Salem for the
county tax revaluation
was approved in the
form of a Revaluation
Budget Fund Ordi
nance.
—Five Warren County
citizens were appointed
to the N.C. Domicilary
Home Community Ad
visory Committee. They
are: Dr. D. R. Coffman,
a physician; Dr. L.B.
Henderson, Jr., a den
tist; Irene Fitts, a for
mer worker with the
county Department of
Social Services; Bessie
Shearin, former dietary
superintendent at
Jubilee Hospital in Hen
derson; and John Pool
with Warrenton Group
(Continued on page 2B)
Return Of Deputy's Gear
Being Sought By Sheriff
A former deputy with
the Warren County
Sheriff's Department
who resigned December
6 is still in possession of
over $1,000 of county
equipment and uni
forms, according to
Warren County Sheriff
Theo Williams.
Sheriff Williams told
county commissioners
at their meeting yester
day that Dorsey Capps
has been requested to
return riot gear, a
fingerprint kit, battery
jumper cables, badges,
uniforms, a flashlight,
leg irons, a night stick, a
black Jack, crime scene
photos, and fingerprint
card files which belong
to the Sheriff s Depart
Sheriff Williams said
that he would "bend
over backward" to get
the items bade without
bringing charges a
gainst Capps, but that he
felt such action might be
necessary unless the
county wanted simply to
give Capps the items
and replace the depart
ment's loss.
Sheriff Williams read
to the commissioners
from a January 17 letter
from County Manager
Glenwood Newsome to
Capps itemising the
equipment in question,
and told the com
missioners that Warren
County District Attor
ney David Waters had
indicated at the last
term of Superior Court
that he, too, would con
tact Capps about the
matter.
Chairperson Eva
Clayton agreed to write
to Capps, and county at
torney Charles Johnson
volunteered that he
would make an effort to
get the items returned.
Chairperson Clayton
expressed the hope that
the matter could be
resolved on a "con
ciliatory" manner with
friends of the court and
the commissioners.
Capps, who was un
successful in a bid for
the sheriff's pott last
year after the
retirement of Sheriff
Clarence Davis, could
not be reached Tuesday
afternoon for comment.
Local Nuclear Dump
Drawing Opposition
Wise Site
Proposed
ByKAYHORNER
Staff Writer
The appearance of a
Warren County com
munity on a U.S.
Department of Energy
list of possible sites for
the disposal of high
level nuclear waste
drew sharp response
from Warren County
Board of Com
missioners Chairperson
Eva Clayton yesterday.
Speaking at the
board's regular
meeting, she said,
"Enough is enough,"
referring to the state's
location last year of a
PCB landfill in the Afton
area of the county.
The Wise community
has been named as one
of 12 North Carolina
areas potentially
suitable for the storage
of nuclear waste.
"This appears to be
only in the exploratory
stage," Chairperson
Clayton said, " but
we've ueen explored
before and ended up ex
ploited."
The Nuclear Waste
Policy Act of 1982 direc
ted the Energy Depart
ment to establish at
least two major reposi
tories for high-level
nuclear waste to go into
operation by the year
2000.
Two-hundred and
twenty sites in 17 states
are being researched by
the Energy Department
for storage of nuclear
waste.
The Department of
Energy will recommend
the sites, and the gover
nor of the state will have
the authority to veto it.
A vote by both houses of
Congress would be
required to override a
gubernatorial veto.
According to a spokes
person with the Depart
ment of Energy, the
field of potential sites
will be narrowed down
by the department in
early 1964, after which
field testing and
gathering of additional
environmental data
would begin in
preparation for the 1989
recommendation of two
sites.
The department is
planning to store
solidified nuclear waste,
such as fuel rods en
cased in glass, in tun
nels at depths oif 2,000 to
4,000 feet, covered with
additional backfill.
The department is
looking at areas with
crystalline rock bodies,
such as granite, ..con
sidered to be the best
host for nuclear waste.
The Warren County
area being considered is
an abandoned rock
quarry.
Other North Carolina
areas being considered
for the storage sites are:
Rocky Mount,
Rolesville, Henderson
ville, Butterwood Creek
in Halifax County,
Castalia in Nash Coun
ty, and areas in Transyl
(Continued on page 2B)
Whether or not a sewing operation is resumed in this building on U.S. High
way One on the western outskirts of Norlina depends largely on improvement in
the economy, the owner of Norlina Manufacturing Company said this week.
Mallory Parrish of Emporia, Va., the owner of the company which closed down
operations late last month, said about 55 persons were idled by the closing.
The business, in operation for the past seven and one-half years, manufactured
children's dresses. (Staff Photo)
Board Is Informed
Lake Gaston Residents
Concerned Over Trash
A charge that Warren
County residents on
Lake Gaston are not get
ting the trash collection
they deserve for their
tax dollar was brought
before Warren County
commissioners in their
regular meeting
Tuesday morning.
Donald Freeh,
president of the Wild
wood Point Proper
tyowners Association,
said that trash collec
tion in the area is "un
believably bad."
Freeh referred
specifically to the mud
dy conditions and over
flowing trash at a solid
waste dumpster site on
State Road 1362 at
Lizard Creek near the
entrance to Wildwood
Point subdivision. He
appeared before the
commissioners in July
and August of last year
with complaints about
the same dumpsite.
The commissioners
promised at that time
that something would be
done about the dump
site. However, Freeh
charged Tuesday that
the situation was no bet
ter now than it was last
year.
County Manager,
Glenwood Newsome
said that the area had
been graded and gravel
had been put down, and
that cooperation from
citizens in keeping the
area clean was needed.
The dumpsite is on
property owned by
VEPCO. According to
George Gurley, reser
voir supervisor with
VEPCO, Warren County
has been requested to
try and find another site
for the dumpsters.
"We're concerned that
the area is not being
cleaned up properly,
and citizens are not
properly using the
dumpsters." he said in
an interview Tuesday
afternoon. He explained
that VEPCO was con
cerned that trash was
getting into Lake
Gaston, and that even if
the county cleaned up
the dumpsite, VEPCO
would rather not have it
within its project bound
ary.
its project boundary.
Freeh said he under
stood that the county
had until July 31 to find
another dumpsite, but
Gurley indicated that no
date had been set by
VEPCO.
Sheriff Theo Williams,
who was in attendance
at the meeting on
another matter, said
that he had recently
noticed doors, bed
springs, and items as
large as conference
tables discarded at the
dumpsite and in the
dumpsters.
Freck admitted that
this was a problem, and
noted "In recent
months, people have
been using the area as
an honest dump because
it looks so bad."
Also appearing before
the commissioners was
Dale Oberg, a Wildwood
Point resident, who said
that he was requesting
the county to do the
"just and right thing."
County Manager
Newsome told the
commissioners that the
county has 22 signs or
dered to be put on solid
waste dumpsters stating
the fine for littering a
dumpsite and violating
the county's two or
dinances on disposal of
solid waste.
"No one has ever been
cited that I know of for
violation of either of
these ordinances,"
Newsome said.
The county's 116
dumpsters are emptied
twice weekly. Those
designated as areas of
heavy usage are emp
tied on Monday and
Thursday, and those
designated as light are
emptied on Tuesday and
Friday.
No motion on the mat
ter was entertained by
the commissioners, but
Chairperson Eva
Clayton said that the
concerns expressed had
been heard and that the
(Continued on page 2B)
Justice Has Holiday
Of Sorts In Warren
Justice took a hoUday
S »ort? i" North
Carolina Jast week when
judges throughout the
state met for a judges
conference and no court
sessions were held
jjjjrber, i. u» Tar
However, the judicial
thS*"1 C?nks "P
this week and today
(Wednesday) Warren
County District Court is
in session.
Monday, Warren
County Superior Court
^HVenn,uwith Jud«*
Pjrt^Herring.jr.oi
Fayettevilie presiding.
Ninety-seven cases
s«P®rior
Court docket for next
week, and four caaes are
scheduled to go before
the grand Jury.
The murder trial of
David Son Kearney of
Norlina, charged in 'the
March death of Ran
dolph Suite, Jr., alao of
Norlina, is on the docket
for Monday, along with
the trial of Bruce
Hargrove of Norlina on
a charge of com
municating threats.
Hargrove was convic
ted in District Court of
communicating threats
against Warren County
High School teacher
James A. Blanchard by
pointing his forefinger
and saying "Bang."
Hargrove's case was
postponed in the last
session of Superior
Court until the end of the
school year.
Several of the 97 cases A
on the docket involve
multiple charges a
gainst one Individual.
They include 19 counts
of breaking and en
tering, larceny, and
posaession against
Richard Douglas Griffin
of Middlesex and 17
counts of worthltta
check against Walter
Somerville of Manaon.
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