Newspapers / The Warren record. / Dec. 7, 1983, edition 1 / Page 1
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farren tonMem . Library X 117 S.llaln St. Warrenton, N.C. 27589 ©tot Harren Secarb Volume 86 25* Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, December 7, 1983 Number 49 Warren Deputy Lawrence Harrison holds a liquid propane gas tank found inside the house in which the body of 60-year-old Willie Cleaton Brown of the LicksUllet community was found following a fire on Thursday night. A state pathologist discovered that the victim had been shot twice in the back. Brown's automobile, which was destroyed in the blaze, is shown in the background. (Staff Photo) Pair Is Jailed After Fighting In Local Court A domestic dispute in Warren County District Court last Wednesday resulted in a year-old rhiki being thrown on the floor of the court room, stepped on, and injured in the mouth, according to court records. Before the incident, the child's father, Peter Alston, Jr. of the Inez community, was found guilty of assault on his estranged wife, Brenda Alston, given a suspend ed sentence and placed on probation. ~~ Court records indicate that at the conclusion of the case, Brenda Alston approached Maude Alston, Peter Alston's sister, and asked that she be given her child. Judge C. W. Wilkin son, Jr. of Oxford asked the two women to ap proach tlie bench. At this point, Maude Alston stated that Brenda Alston pinched her. When the judge again requested the two to ap proach the bench, Maude Alston "threw the said child on the floor and jumped on Brenda Alston." A fight over the child ensued, and the record indicates that the child was stepped on in the fracas. It took four sheriff's deputies and police of ficers to restrain the women, and before they could approach the judge's bench with the women, Brenda Alston i broke loose and at . tacked Maude Alston. V. a spokesperson in the gheriff a office said this week that the episode apparently began on y)anksgtving Day when peter Alston, Jr. took l^two children to his father's house, where he was staying, and failed to return them to their mother. The two women were found in contempt of court and sentenced to 10 days in jail. However, Judge Wilkinson rescinded that order on Friday, and the two women were released Monday at noon, according to the Sheriff's Department. The child 'eft the courtroom with the father and members of his family who promised to seek medical atten-7 tion for the child if needed. Killer Of Warren County Man Is Sought The Warren County Sheriff's Department and the State Bureau of Investigation have joined forces to solve the shooting death of a Warren County man whose body was found last Thursday in the charred remains of his home, which had been completely destroyed by fire. According to deputy Lawrence Harrison with the Sheriff's Depart ment, an autopsy showed that Willie Cleaton Brown, 60, of the Heck's Grove com munity, had been shot twice in the back with a shotgun. Thirty to 40 firemen responding to an alarm called in by Brown's neighbors around 7:20 p. m. found the house burn ed to the ground. Brown's body was found face down under a gas stove in the kitchen of the four-room frame house. Harrison said that at first he believed that Brown's death had been caused by the explosion of the gas stove, and that he now thinks the fire was deliberately set after Brown had been shot in the back. There are no suspects, but Deputy Harrison said that at least one story told the depart ment by a man question ed "doesn't add up." Brown's nephew, Gerald Benson, lives across the street from his uncle's house about (Continued on page 14) $2 Million Plant Expansion Could Create 85 New Jobs Cochrane Furniture Plans Are Revealed By KAY HORNER Staff Writer A proposed $2-million expansion by Coch rane Furniture Company could bring as many as 85 new jobs to the county within the next 18 months, according to a company spokesman. Although no official announcement of the expansion has been made by the company, which is headquartered in Lincolnton, the Warren County Industrial Facilities and Pollution Control r u mining rtuuiuiuy ui this week's issue of The Warren Record an nounced a public hearing on its issuing of industrial development revenue bonds for the financing of all or a por tion of the project. The public hearing will not be held until Dec. 21, and issuance of the bonds must be ap proved by the county Board of Commission ers. But Neal Rhyne, vice president of finance with Cochrane, said yesterday that grading at the site could begin as early as the end of this week, with completion in June. The project, Rhyne said, is being under taken in conjunction with a $5 million expan sion at the Lincolnton site. Although the expan sion of the Warrenton plant is not a building Yule Parade Is Slated Saturday Warrenton's annual Christmas Parade, held un der the sponsorship of the Warren County Chamber of Commerce, will be held Saturday at 10 a. m. in downtown Warrenton. For a list of entries expected on Saturday, as well as a route of the parade and directions to where Santa Claus can be seen, see Page 10. per se, Rhyne said it will involve the addition of a 400,000 board foot pre dryer, a 50,000 board foot kiln, and certain additional machinery and equipment All the equipment will be used for the manufac ture of component parts for furniture. The new positions at the Warrenton plant which now employs about 150, will be hourly workers, both skilled and unskilled, Rhyne said. In 1979, Cochrane ex panded its Warrenton facility through revenue bonds in the amount of $800,000. The company, which employs about 650 people in Warrenton and Lincolnton, opened its Warrenton facility in 1970. In a related item, Warren County commis sioners Monday granted a request from Jim Whitley, county in dustrial developer, that $20,000 of the $100,000 appropriation recently made by the N. C. General Assembly to Warren County for in dustrial development be earmarked for market ing and site evaluation (Continued on page 14) Former Governor Terry Sanford, right, now president of Duke University, was welcomed here last Friday afternoon for a barbecue dinner honoring Retired Major General Claude T. Bowers, left, a life-long Warren County resident Chatting with the former governor, who appointed Bowers aa the state's adjutant general, is Mrs. Bowers, known affectionately as "Miss Hattie" by North Carolina National Guardsmen. See related photo and story on Page 2. (Staff Photo) President Reagan s Signature Means Much To Warren Coffers President Reagan's signature on a federal Revenue Sharing bill last week could bring as much as $350,000 to Warren County for fiscal 1963-84, according to Glenwood Newsome, county manager. Newsome said this week that the county budgeted for a total of $427,000 from Revenue Sharing. However, $70,000 of that amount is surplus from last year's budget and is already on hand. Interest earned on the funds accounts for $7,000 of the $427,000 total. Revenue Sharing funds are distributed to local governments quar terly on the basis of tax collection, population, and per capita income, Newsome said. In Warren County, Revenue Sharing is a major source of funding for the county Jail, Warren County schools, the fire departments, Newly Installed Norths Mayor E. L. (Bill) Pony, left, ad ministers the oaths of office to foor of Nortel's five board mem bers. Secoad from left is tacombent James Vaaghan. Newly elect ed cmacfl members are Dwlgkt Pearce, Eleanor Haye« and Ken neth Severance, right See retailed ftery and nnelher picture on Pa«e 14. (StaffPhete) rescue squad, and Warren General Hospital. Warren County's three municipalities also stand to receive funding through the pro gram. In Warrenton, the 1983-84 budget projected $21,466 in Revenue Shar ing and in Norlina, $12,356 was projected. Figures for Macon were not available at press time. Nationwide, the program funnels about $4.6 billion into local governments. There were two changes in the Revenue Sharing program in cluded in the bill. In the past, two public hearings have been required before dis bursement of Revenue Sharing funds. The first hearing for public input on how the funds should be spent is still intact However, the proposed use hearing, required after the local govern ment has designated how the funds will be used, has been eliminated. Law also now requires annual audits of local governments receiving Revenue Sharing funds. Warren County and its municipalities already have annual audits, so the new law will not ad versely effect them. Mrs. Clayton Is Chosen To Direct Board Again Warren County com missioners Monday re elected Chairperson Eva M. Clayton and Vice Chairperson George Shearin to their posts, and then moved on to reappoint County Tax Collector Susan Whitley, and Deputy Tax Collectors Audrey Ayscue, Carolyn Cheek and Roberta King for one-year terms. The tax collector, deputy tax collectors, tax supervisor, and county manager are the only county employees who serve by appoint ment of the board. Mrs. Janice Haynes, tax supervisor, was reap pointed some time ago, and the commissioners, In a split vote earlier this month to consider the county manager's position (Continued on page IS)
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