Warrentonliem.Library X
" t Uarren lecorft
Volume 87 25c Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, April 25, 1984 Number 17
Rescue By
Norlina Man
Is Reported
A Norlina native is
credited with saving the
life of a mother and her
10-month-old daughter
after a car accident last
Wednesday in Land
over, Md. on the out
skirts of Washington, D.
C.
Glenn Kersey, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
W. Kersey of Norlina,
was the first to arrive at
the scene of a two-car
accident in which both
vehicles were on fire.
According to an ac
count in the Prince
George Journal, the
baby was dropped out of
the window of one of the
cars onto the pavement
by the mother and
picked up by Kersey.
Kersey took the child
to safety and then pulled
the mother from the car.
He attempted to save
the life of the infant's
grandmother, also in the
car, but the car was
engulfed in flames and
his efforts were futile.
Kersey, 31, is a
resident of the suburban
Maryland community of
Capitol Heights.
He said dozens of
people witnessed the
collision and warned
him during the rescue
attempts that the "car
was going to explode."
"It's not a situation
where you want to talk
about who did what,'
Kersey is reported
saying. "I have two
children and a wife
myself. I would hope in
a situation like that,
they'd get assistance."
Local Deputies
Get Recognition
Two Warren County
deputy sheriffs have
been given recognition
for the part they played
in the apprehension of a
suspect wanted in con
nection with the break
in of a store in Hender
son from which some
|4,000 in merchandise
was taken.
Chief Deputy B. D.
Bolton and Deputy
Lawrence Harrison
were cited by Hender
son Police Chief K. K.
Roberson, Detective Lt.
R. T. Robinson and
Detective C. J. Galantis
for their part in the in
vestigation which led to
the arrest of Bruce
Daryl Thomas of Lit
(Continued on page 8)
Leslie Mills, a 17-year-old student at Northwest High School in Halifax Coun
ty, was crowned tribal princess during the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Pow-Wow
festivities held last weekend at Old Bethlehem in Warren County. The new
princess, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thurman Mills of Hollister, was crowned by
reigning princess Tanya Richardson. For another photo and story on the pow
wow, see Page 8. (Staff Photo)
Quick City Block Grant
Will Not Be Forthcoming
State regulations have
forced county officials
to postpone application
for a block grant for
rehabilitation of the
Quick City area on the
northern outskirts of
Warrenton until after
October 1.
The county had plan
ned to seek a Com
munity Development
Block Grant from the N.
C. Department of
Natural Resources and
Community Develop
ment (NRCD) to
rehabilitate homes in
the area and to install
sewer lines.
However, the county's
recent receipt of a
1750,000 NRCD grant for
economic development
makes it ineligible to
apply for another such
grant during this fiscal
year.
"This is a serious dis
appointment on our part
and I know on the part of
the Quick City resi
dents," Mrs. Eva M.
Clayton, chairperson of
the County commission
ers, told her board last
Wednesday night.
"We regret that we
are unable to go for
ward," she continued.
"This will require some
explanation to the resi
dents of Quick City."
The $750,000 grant
recently awarded the
county was sought in
connection with the
location by Owens
Illinois, Inc. of a plant
for the manufacture of
corrugated shipping
boxes near the Warren
County community of
Ridgeway.
The Fortune 500 com
pany, which broke
ground for the construc
tion of the $15 million
facility earlier this
month, will use the
funds for purchase of
new equipment.
The economic
development grants are
part of NRCD's distribu
tion of annual
allocations from the
federal Department of
Housing and Urban
Development.
In other business, the
(Continued on page 3)
Machines Not To Be
Ready For May Vote
Legal Delay
Responsible
Warren County of
ficials had hoped to have
electronic vote tabulat
ing machines in all 14 of
the county's voting
precincts by the time of
the May 8 primary, but
County Manager
Charles Worth said this
week that the machines
must be advertised for
bids, which will delay
acquisition by as much
as 60 days.
County commission
ers last Wednesday
night authorized L. C.
Cooper, chairman of the
county Board of Elec
tions, to finalize details
of a lease-purchase
arrangement with Air
mac Technology
Systems, Inc. of Irvine,
Cal. for the acquisition
of 12 machines.
The county currently
owns three machines
which are used in the
larger precincts.
The proposal Cooper
presented to the com
missioners called for the
purchase of the
machines, which cost
$3,475 each, through a
five-year lease-pur
chase agreement.
The commissioners
approved Cooper's pro
posal with the total cost
not to exceed $51,258.
However, Worth, who
was out of town when
the commissioners met,
said yesterday that the
purchase of the voting
machines falls under the
N. C. General Statute
requiring counties to
advertise for com
petitive bids for pur
chases over $10,000.
The matter will have
to go back to the com
missioners for further
action, Worth said.
Easter Egg Hunt
Held For Children
An Easter egg hunt
was held Monday for the
children of employees of
Golden Skillet in
Warrenton.
About 20 children at
tended the event, which
was held on the grounds
of the restaurant.
Democratic presidential hopeful the Rev. Jesse
Jackson is shown above addressing the student
body at Warren County High School last Thursday
afternoon during a campaign swing through the
Second Congressional District.
(Community Schools Photo by Mary Hunter)
Students Addressed
Visit Paid Here
By Jesse Jackson
By KAY HORNER
Staff Writer
Democratic presi
dential candidate the
Rev. Jesse Jackson in
an appearance at War
ren County High School
Thursday afternoon
momentarily laid cam
paign issues aside to
urge students there to
"work long, work hard,
and be disciplined" in
their academic pursuits.
Jackson strode into
the school's gymnasium
to enthusiastic applause
and began his now
familiar chant, "I am
somebody."
The predominantly
black student body of
1,000 responded in kind
to Jackson as he led
them through the
refrains, "With my
mind I can see it, in my
heart I can believe it,
and I know I can achieve
it."
"I share with you a
special delight," Jack
son said. "You are our
future. I'm not here
because you can vote
today, but because you
can vote tomorrow."
Jackson urged the
students to use their
minds and their bodies
to "achieve against
great odds."
Noting that Warren
County High School's
basketball team was a
championship winner
(3-A basketball cham
pions in 1982), Jackson
asked the basketball
players to stand and
singled out Jeffrey
Hayes, a junior, for
some good-natured
questions about his bas
ketball practice habits
versus his study habits.
Jackson discovered
that the student devoted
more time to practice
than to study.
"The point of this is
that there's nothing
magic," Jackson said.
"If you slam dunk a
basketball, it's not
because you were born
to dunk, it's because you
work at it If you study
science, physics, and
literature, you'll be able
to slam dunk a thought
like you slam dunk a
basketball."
Jackson, who was ac
companied on his stop
by Second District Con
gressional hopeful Ken
neth Spaulding of
Durham, told the
students that it was up to
them to "defeat pover
ty, deliver the needy,
and bring in a new
(Continued on page I)
Citizens Study Group Sets Priorities
ByKAYHORNER
Stat! Writer
A citizens advisory group appointed last year to
study the economic and social needs of Warren
County has targeted a master health care plan, a
recreational and cultural arts commission and a
comprehensive soil survey as priorities for the
county.
The group, Citizens United for Progress (CUP),
was appointed by the county commissioners to
examine four areas: human resources, economic
development, community facilities, and natural
resources.
"There are many things the county needs," Brad
Carroll, chairman of CUP, told the commissioners
last Wednesday night in presenting the group's fin
dings. "We have tried to present what we think (the
county) can handle."
The Human Resources Committee, chaired by
Anna O. Butler, recommended development of a
master plan for health care in the county, but urged
immediate attention to structural repairs at Warren
General Hospital.
The committee also suggnated the possibility of
the health department becoming a "wing" of the
hospital at some point in the future, to "cut down on
duplication of services, provide better services to
clients, and be more cost effective." However, it
was recommended that action be delayed until the
future of the hospital was determined.
The Human Resources Committee also recom
mended that the county: coordinate ambulance and
rescue squad services and secure permanent hous
ing for their vehicles on the hospital grounds; seek
grants for improvements in housing in the county;
reinstate two full-time nurses to provide health ser
vices in the county school system; ask county chur
ches to designate at least five percent of their
mission offering to provide help for the needy in the
community; provide chore services for the elderly
and disabled; designate more funding for 17 rural
fire departments in the county, and establish a
training ground for firemen.
The community facilities committee, chaired by
Dr. L B. Henderson, Jr., targeted the formation of
a recreation and cultural arts commission as a
"must" and recommended the hiring of a paid
recreation director.
"Our research has shown that the county is
missing many available grants because of the lack
of a specific person to pursue the securing of the
available grants," the committee reported.
Other proposals included small, lighted com
munity play areas, an annual road race and bike
derby, and use of public school facilities for
recreational events until other recreational
facilities are available.
The facilities committee also proposed consolida
tion of county office buildings, promotion of
historical homes, beautification of county-owned
land, and use of abandoned school facilities for
branches of Vance-Granville Community College.
A comprehensive soil survey of the county got en
dorsement from the natural resources committee in
its report The committee, chaired by Russell C.
King, also suggested the possibility of land use
planning for the county.
Wildlife management and forestry management
were also cited as concerns of the committee.
The economic development committee chaired by
Floyd B. McKissick, Jr. presented no written
report to the commissioners, but Carroll said it was
concerned with "promoting the county."
Mrs. Eva M. Clayton, chairperson of the com
missioners, expressed appreciation for the work of
those on the various committees, but the commis
sioners took no action on any of the recommenda
tions.
Security
Was Tight
For Visit
The Rev. Jesse Jack
son's visit last Thursday
to Warren County High
School was the first ap
pearance in the county
by a presidential can
didate in recent
memory and it brought
to Warrenton a large
contingent of security
agents.
James T. Wilkerson,
principal of the high
school, said this week
that the first advance
man arrived Thursday,
April 12, and spent about
three hours going over
the entire school
facility.
Two major concerns,
according to Wilker
son, were where mem
bers of the general
public would be seated
and how the Jackson en
tourage could be
assured of a clear
departure route from
the school in case of an
emergency.
Additional visits were
made by security forces
on Friday, the following
Tuesday and Wednes
day. Thursday morning,
between nine and 11
security men arrived
and checked "every
crack of that gym
nasium," Wilkerson
said, and also mingled
with the student body to
"check out their feelings
about Jackson."
"We spent a lot of
time organizing things,"
Wilkerson said. "We
tried not to announce
(the appearance) any
earlier than we had to
for security reasons. We
felt honored to have him
(Continued on page 8)
Truck Purchase
Wins Approval
At a called meeting at
5:30 p. m. Tuesday
night, the Warrenton
Board of Town Commis
sioners unanimously
agreed to buy a used
1966 dodge truck from
the Warren County
School Garage at a cost
not to exceed $800.
The truck will be used
to replace the present
town garbage truck,
from which the dump
body will be taken and
placed on the purchased
truck, which will be
repainted.
While the agreement
has been made between
the school garage and
the town, in order to
meet legal require*
ments, it will be neces
sary to advertise the
title before the title can
be passed.
The chairman of the
street committee,
Mayor B. G. White and
Pete Vaughan, town ad
ministrator, have all
examined the track, and
-have been assured the
track is in nod con
dition with practical^
(Cortinuedonpage7)