Warren tonMena. Library X
117 S . Ma In St.
Warrenton, N.C. 27599
?if* Uarren lecori
Volume 88 25c Per Copy Warrenton* County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, October 16, 1985 Number 43
Four people were Injured in a single-vehicle accident early
Sunday morning on S.R. 1001 near Warrenton. Dennis Paschall,
director of the Warren County Ambulance Service is shown above
working with emergency crews that freed the victims from the
automobile, which was severed in two when the driver lost control
of the car and it ran into a stand of trees.
(Staff Photo by Howard Jones)
Rash Of Road Accidents Reported In Warren
A rash of accidents on
Warren County roads
have been reported in the
past week.
A single-vehicle acci
dent Sunday morning on
S.R. 1001 about seven
miles south of Warren
ton's city limits left four
men injured, one
seriously.
Robert Lee Balthorpe,
34, was still hospitalized
Tuesday at Duke Med
ical Center following
treatment for broken
ribs and a back injury
sustained in the acci
dent, and three
passengers in his car,
James Alston, Donnell
Hayes, and Rod Taylor
were treated and releas
ed from Maria Parham
Hospital.
According to reports
filed by Trooper L. W.
Holt with the Highway
Patrol, Balthorpe lost
control of his car, ran off
the left side of the road
and hit a stand of trees.
Reports estimate that
Balthorpe was traveling
at 90 mph when his car
left the road, and that he
hit the trees when travel
ing at an estimated
speed of about 40 mph.
The car was severed in
two, and members of the
Warren County Am
bulance Service, Vance
County Rescue Squad
and Cokesbury Vol
unteer Fire Depart
ment worked for almost
an hour freeing the acci
dent victims from the
car and treating them at
the scene.
Balthorpe was charg
ed with careless and
reckless driving and
driving with no op
erator's license.
Another single-vehicle
accident Friday on
Chicken Farm Road left
the driver, George R.
Hawkins, Jr. of Route 2,
Norlina uninjured but
did $1,000 to his vehicle.
According to reports,
Hawkins was traveling
east when his car ran off
the road, hitting a
drainage ditch.
He was charged with
exceeding the speed
limit.
Trooper A.M. Bennett
reported a third single
vehicle accident late
Saturday night on S.R.
1133 eight miles south of
the Warrenton city
limits.
According to reports,
the accident occurred
when the driver of the
car, Macy Gregg Bolton,
of Route 1, Warrenton
lost control of his vehicle
after entering a sharp
curve. He ran off the
shoulder of the road
twice and came to a stop
after hitting the railing of
a bridge.
Damages to Bolton's
car were estimated at
$1,500, with $1,200
damage to the bridge.
Bolton was charged
with driving left of
center.
A tire blow-out was
blamed for an accident
Saturday on S.R 1620
about 4.5 miles south of
Warrenton.
According to Trooper
T. S. Wright, Alfonso
Cheek of Route 2, War
renton was traveling
north when a rear tire
exploded, causing the
car to leave the road,
strike a ditch and
overturn.
Cheek was charged
with an inspection viola
tion. Damage to the vehi
cle was estimated at
$4,500.
Trooper R. T. Futrell
reported a two-vehicle
accident Thursday mor
ning on U.S. 401 at its in
tersection with S.R. 1625
about 4.5 miles south of
Warrenton.
Reports indicate that
the accident occurred
when Clara T. Champion
of 603 Plainview St.,
Warrenton, was attemp
ting to make a left turn
and her car struck an on
coming pickup truck
driven by Charlie M.
Aycock of Route 2,
Warrenton.
Mrs. Champion was
following a school bus at
the time of the accident
and indicated she could
not see the oncoming
truck.
She was charged with
failing to see before tur
ning that movement
could be made safely.
Warren Historic Sites
To Be Object Of Tour
Warren County
historic sites will be the
focus of a lecture and
tour planned by the
Historic Preservation
Foundation of North
Carolina later this
month.
Carolyn Bishir of the
archaeology and historic
preservation section of
the state Division of Ar
chives and History will
lead a discussion on
several sites on Oct. 30.
The program will begin
with a dinner at 7 p.m. at
Balentine's Cafeteria in
Cameron Village.
Ms. Bishir is scheduled
to present a slide show on
the antebellum years
when Warren County
was a bustling trade
center, wealthy from
tobacco and cotton.
She will also lead a
tour of historic sites in
Warrenton on Nov. 2.
The tour will begin at
the parsonage of Wesley
Memorial United
Methodist Church built
as the William Eaton Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson,
home, then proceed to Tickets for the Oct. 30
Emmanuel Episcopal dinner and lecture are
Church, Warrenton $8. Cost of the Nov. 2 tour
Presbyterian Church, is $15 for members of the
and the Green-Polk foundation and $20 for
home on South Main non-members. The price
Street, now the home of includes bus trip, tour
T. K. Davis. and lunch.
The group will be serv- For more information,
ed lunch at Cherry Hill, contact the Historic
an antebellum plantation Preservation Foundation
home in the Inez com- of North Carolina, Inc. at
munity believed to have (919)832-3652. The ad
been constructed by dress is P.O. Box 27644,
noted Warren County Raleigh, 27611-7644.
builder Jacob Holt and The registration
now the home of Edgar deadline for both events
Thorne and his sister, is Oct. 28.
I urkey Shoot Planned
The Ridgeway The sweepstakes are
Volunteer Fire Depart- to help local fire depart
ment will sponsor a ments raise needed
turkey shoot on Satur- funds.
day, Nov. 2 in coopera- Turkey shoots are
tion with Field and traditional autumn or
Stream Magazine and pre-holiday events held
the National Volunteer at volunteer fire depart
Fire Council's Second ments. Eight to 12
Annual Turkey Shoot shooters fire at a target
Sweepstakes.
Board Takes Steps To Control Heavy Traffic
The Warrenton Town
Board took the first step
Monday night toward
controlling the traffic of
heavy vehicles on back
streets. The commis
sioners adopted an or
dinance designating
certain routes in town
for heavy traffic.
Town attorney
Charles Johnson was
requested to review
existing regulations
before penalties for vio
lation of the ordinance
could be established.
Mayor B. O. White point
ed out that the Depart
ment of Transporta
tion would erect signs on
the appropriate streets
to designate truck
routes.
According to the ordi
nance which was ap
proved on Monday,
vehicles with more than
two axles or more than
two wheels on the rear
axle may travel only on
the malor streets,
namely East Macon,
Ridgeway, South Main,
North Main, West
Franklin and Halifax.
Exceptions include
vehicles such as repair,
service, delivery or
garbage trucks which
may be performing a
service or making a
delivery within the pre
scribed off-limits area.
The commissioners
also heard Kennit C.
Copley, local accountant
and auditor for the town,
report his findings in
review of the past fiscal
year. Copley stated that
both the General Fund
and Enterprise Fund
showed substantial sur
plus.
Among Copley's
suggestions for im
provement were that the
town consider the pur
chase of a computing
system for bookkeeping
and water and sewer
billings; that contracts
with new policeman be
executed prior to their
training with provision
for reimbursement to
the Town for training
should the officers leave
before a designated
date; and that the
collection policy for out
standing water and
sewer bills and property
taxes be reviewed.
Police Commission
er A. A. Wood reported
that the police depart
ment had completed the
move to new headquar
ters in the Town Hall.
He reported that
adequate police protec
tion for the town was
now in effect and that
results of the depart
ment's move appeared
favorable.
Water superintendent
Bill Neal explained his
dilemma of too little
help in the water depart
ment. He noted that he
had difficulty providing
adequate service with
the present work force
and asked die commis
sioners for assistance.
The Water Committee
was asked to meet with
Neal to assess die needs
of the department and to
report to the board so
the situation could be
remedied.
To Work For Growth
Committee Of 100
Is Formed Locally
By MARY C.HARRIS
Staff Writer
A non-profit corpora
tion has been
established locally to
promote the expansion
of economic growth and
job opportunities in the
county and surrounding
area, according to Mrs.
Cathy Wilson, director
of the Warren County
Economic Development
Commission. Members
of a planning/steering
committee for the
group, Warren Commit
tee of 100, met Monday
night at First Citizens
Bank.
Goals set for 1986 in
clude the enlistment of
350 members in the cor
poration and the solicit
ing of |50,000 in contri
butions from individuals
and corporations. The
group will seek to at
tract one new industry
providing 100 jobs to the
county in the next year.
A top priority of the
Committee of 100 is the
planning, development
and construction of an
industrial incubator
facility, Mrs. Wilson
stated, with funding
provided in part by the
committee. The cor
poration will afford seed
monies to receive grants
from the N. C. Techno
logical Development
Authority and the N. C.
Department of Natural
Resources and Com
munity Development for
completion of the incu
bator project.
Mrs. Wilson noted that
an industrial incubator
facility is a "building
that provides space and
support services for
manufacturing con
cerns. The rent in an in
dustrial incubator
facility is lower than
market rates and
generally provides
oKqm/I oa/tmtAMfll on/1
iiikucu occicMtiai aim
support services, as well
as basic utilities and
equipment."
The availability of the
necessary services on a
shared basis would
allow tenant industries
to reduce their initial
capitalization require
ments and annual
operating costs, Mrs.
Wilson said, and would
consequently encourage
industrial concerns to
locate in Warren Coun
ty.
The Committee of 100
will rely on membership
dues and corporate con
tributions to provide
financial assistance for
economic develop
ment. Mrs. Wilson
stated that the concept
has received en
thusiastic support
locally. "The private
development effort is at
tractive to local govern
ment because of legal
flexibility in securing
property for develop
ment and because of
direct citizen support
and funding," she said.
Mrs. Wilson presided
at the Monday night
meeting which was at
tended by Eddie
Clayton, Jim Hill, Bob
Jenkins, David Gard
ner, Dr. Jim Crenshaw,
Prank Ballance, Brad
Carroll, Jimmy Harris,
CoL John Jenkins, Cal
White and Maybelle
Hueber.
The economic director find jobs to support
quoted the high unem- themselves and get off...
ployment rate and low government programs
economic level of the that cost far more than
county as incentives for the annual dues. It will
membership in the be a vote of confidence
Committee of 100. in the future of Warren
"Your tax-deductible County and a positive
contribution will be the step to help ourselves in
most worthwhile charity difficult economic
of all ? helping people times," she stated.
Warren Schools
May Participate
In Pilot Program
By KAY HORNER
News Editor
The State Board of
Education is looking for
nine school systems to
participate in a pilot pro
gram for evaluation of
certified school person
nel, and the Warren
County Board of Educa
tion voted Mcnday night
to volunteer for the
project.
The program, which
will be administered at
no cost to the local
system, will provide for
outside evaluation of
employees, as opposed to
the current in-house
evaluation, Superinten
dent Michael F. Williams
told the board.
"The biggest advan
tage to our participa
tion," Williams said, "is
that there is strong
evidence that the state is
heading in this direction
and we'd be one of nine
systems working on it
now as opposed to one of
142 later."
Three school systems
will be selected by the
state for outside evalua
tion of principals and
assistant principals,
three for teachers,
counselors and media
personnel, and three for
all five employee groups.
Williams indicated
that he would like to see
the county selected for
evaluation of all person
nel. His second and third
preferences were for
evaluation of teachers,
media and counseling
personnel and for
evaluation of principals
and assistant principals,
respectively.
Application for par
ticipation must be made
to the state by Nov. IS.
Selection will be made by
the state board in
January, with im
plementation of the pro
gram for the schools
selected in 1986. The
schools selected will par
ticipate for four years in
the project.
Individual evaluations
would become a part of
the employee's person
nel record, Williams
said.
Williams also updated
the board on the status of
the system's liability
policies.
General liability in
surance against claims
for personal injury and
property damage is no
longer available.
The system's policy,
arranged hy the N.C.
School Boards Associa
tion, was not renewed
this year.
According to Williams,
the company refused to
renew the policy at any
rate, and the state has
found no other company
willing to issue the
insurance.
In the absence of the
insurance, Williams ex
plained, a school system
can plead governmental
immunity from suit.
The system's legal
liability insurance,
which provides protec
tion against claims for
violation of civil or con
stitutional rights, was
recently renewed for
three years. .>?*
But, insurance com
panies have begun refus
ing to provide this type of
coverage and companies
who do provide it are re
quiring premiums of as
much as $15,000 a year,
Williams commented.
The board's current
policy premium is fixed
at $1,225 per year until
1987.
The state School Board
Association is working
toward formation of a
self-insurance trust for
systems in North
Carolina, and Williams
urged to board to con
sider future partici
pation.
The board also review
ed, but made no changes
in the system's employee
hiring procedure.
Board Member Yar
borough Williams had
requested a review of the
1977 policy which allows
the superintendent to of
fer new teachers con
tracts, after he and the
school principal have in
terviewed the candi
dates.
The contracts are not
finalized until approved
by the board, as required
by N.C. General Statute.
Williams voiced con
cern that the board's
chairman was not in
volved in the process un
til it readied the board
for a final decision.
"I think we ought to do
something about the
policy to have the board
chairman in on the last
yea or nay before the full
board gets die report,"
Williams told fellow
board members.
Superintendent Wil
liams explained that thte
policy was an attempt to
deal with vacancies In
the interim between
not official until acted on
by the board.