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Volume 90 25c Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, January 14, 1987 Number 2
Mrs. Rachael Ricks, retired assistant superintendent, receives a
silver platter at an event held Monday in honor of her 27 and one
half years of service to Warren County schools. Presenting the plat
ter is Superintendent Mike Williams. Among other tributes received
were travel gear. Pound Puppies, a vase, an engraved plaque and
the scrapbook of memoirs presented by Mrs. Betsy Clark, teacher
observer/evaluator, shown below. Well-wishei s (left to right) Mrs.
Melba Johnston, Mrs. Lois Williams, John Hudgins, Mrs. A. Wright
and Henry Greene share Mrs. flicks' joy at the event attended by over
ISO persons. Among those family members attending the party was
Mrs. Ricks' daughter, Ms. Anna Fischel. The party was held at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hunter.
(Staff Photos by Howard Jones)
Davis Murder Suspect
Nabbed In Philadelphia
A 23-year-old Philadelphia, Pa.
man has been charged in the
murder last week of a Henderson
taxicab driver whose body was
discovered in Warren County.
Willie Eugene Jones, Jr. was
charged on Monday with armed
robbery and the murder of
William Thomas Davis, 78, of
Henderson, a spokesperson in the
Warren County Sheriffs Depart
ment said.
Jones was picked up for ques
tioning Monday morning by
Philadelphia authorities and
charges against Jones were
stated later in the day by the local
sheriff's department.
Chief Warren County Deputy
Bobby D. Bolton along with SBI
Agent Rick Sims and Detective
Mike Grissom of the Henderson
Police Department went to
Philadelphia Monday to question
Jones and request extradition.
The outcome of efforts toward
bringing the suspect back to War
ren County had not been learned
at press time. Nor had it been
determined whether additional
charges would be brought against
Jones by the Henderson Police
Department.
Jones, who has relatives in both
Warren and Vance counties, has
been considered a prime suspect
since the case opened. The
charges came just one week after
Williams' body was discovered
by a hunter in the Lickskillet
community and his cab was
found abandoned in Henderson.
Jones has prior convictions in
Philadelphia, a sheriff's
spokesperson said.
Town Tax Collection Rate
Is Almost 90 Per Cent
By MARY C. HARRIS
Staff Writer
Approximately 89 percent of
1986 property taxes due the Town
of Warrenton had been collected
as of Jan. 8, Mayor B. G. White
reported to the town commis
sioners at their regular monthly
meeting Monday night.
Commissioners appeared
pleased with progress of the col
lections and with Mayor White's
report that additional efforts
were being initiated to collect
taxes on the books from previous
years. Town Administrator V. R.
(Pete) Vaughan said Tuesday
some $14,000 are due the town
from years prior to 1986.
Administrator Vaughan told
commissioners at the Monday
meeting that Mrs. Martha Page,
owner/manager of Warren Plaza
Rest Home, has accepted the
town's rate for hooking onto the
wastewater system with the
understanding that the town will
maintain the line once it is
installed.
Mayor White reported that
Richard D. Harmon has in
dicated to town officials he will
accept a cash settlement for the
town's use of his pond equal to the
minimum bid which can be ob
tained for cleaning the pond.
White said bids from two local
contractors have been received,
one from Harold Harris for $9,750
and another from John T. Harris
for $11,500. Commissioners took
no action on the matter pending
further contact with Harmon.
Other routine committee
reports were heard before the
commissioners adjourned to at
tend an informal merchants'
meeting at the Warren County
Courthouse.
Principal Expresses Concern
Over Possible Loss Of Class
Move Seen
As Unwise
By THURLETTA M. BROWN
Stall Writer
Lucious Hawkins, principal ol
South Warren Elementary
School, Monday night voiced to
board ol education members his
concern that the proposed trans
fer of sixth graders to the middle
school would have a negative im
pact on his school. He asked that
the board consider increasing the
South Warren enrollment by
75-100 students. .
To justify his request, Hawkins
listed current problems directly
attributable to the limited enroll
ment. "We have three empty
classrooms, only a part-time
librarian (state guidelines re
quire a minimum enrollment of
267 for a full-time librarian), and
scheduling problems that result
from combined classes," he said.
"If the current plans are im
plemented, all other county
school's enrollments will be
larger than South Warren, he
noted.
Yarborough Williams, board
member and South Warren
community resident, spoke to the
need to utilize the facility to its
fullest capacity. The matter will
be reviewed.
In other business, the board:
-adopted the $10.8 million
estimate of the long-range
building plan as a statement of
facility needs to be submitted to
the State Board of Education.
?Received as information a
report from the Superintendent
on the organization of the school
system and instructional pro
gram director job description.
?Adopted a policy defining
parental involvement in ECIA
Chapter I programs.
?Heard a report on eight class
size violations.
?Approved amendments to the
1986-87 budget.
Heard a report on seven
vacancies.
?Approved the employment of
Ms. Turnette R. Chestnut as
math teacher at Warren County
High School, effective Feb. 1.
?Approved leaves of absences
for Ms. Connie Alston (Northside
food service employee), Ms.
Diane Reavis (Northside
teacher) and Ms. Tona Alston
(Warren County High School
math teacher).
Denied the request of Mrs.
Perry that her son be released to
attend school in Vance County.
?Endorsed the participation of
school personnel in the Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day event to be
held 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, at
All Saints Episcopal Church.
Course Is Under Way
Fifteen health department,
ambulance service, law enforce
ment and emergency manage
ment personnel are completing a
12-hour course in crisis manage
ment. The course, a crisis
management workshop, is taught
by Ms. Mary Edith Watkins,
counselor. At the conclusion of
the course on Jan. 15, par
ticipants will receive credit from
Vance-Granville Community
College.
According to Gary Robenolt,
emergency management coor
dinator, the course is designed to
teach the best methods of deal
ing with those in crisis. Targeted
populations are violent, angry or
suicidal individuals. "Par
ticipants also learn how to inter
pret body language," be said. In
addition to lectures, role playing
and videotaping exercises are
included.
Dennis Paschall, director of ambulance services,
is shown with the new 1986 Type II Ford Ambulance
recently put in service in the county. The vehicle
features oxygen, a 4-wheel cot, a spine board,
splints, first aid supplies and other items required
by the Office of Emergency Medical Services. It is
housed in a three-bay shelter at the Warren Coun
ty Ambulance Service ?t the old hospital
grounds. (Staff vard Jones)
Owens-Illinois Is Biggest
Warren County Taxpayer
Warren County's top 10 taxpayers for 1986 will contribute a total
of $395,488 in revenue into the county's budget according to informa
tion received from County Finance Officer Susan W. Brown.
The valuation of property owned by those 10 businesses and in
dustries $54,176,436. This represents 12.5 percent of the county's
$433,159,800 total base. Using that base figure, the county should
receive $3,214,466 in 1986 taxes.
The top 10 taxpayers and their approximate amounts of property
tax owed in 1986 are:
Owens-Illinois $110,921.90
Carolina Telegraph $46,538.79
Carolina Power and Light $44,966.55
Champion International, Inc $39,109.08
Peck Manufacturing $37,467.65
Cochrane $27,220.79
Norlina Mills $26,626.98
Vepco ...$23,136.53
Halifax Electric Membership Corp $22,764.37
Carolina Sportswear $16,735.34
Subdivision Regulations
Need Update, Board Told
Economic Development Direc
tor Cathy Wilson advised the
Warren County Planning Board
Thursday night of the need to up
date local subdivision regulations
to make them more in line with
the trend of development in the
county. The subdivisions govern
ing current development were
formulated in 1978 with no
changes since then except for
minor alterations required by the
Register of Deeds Office.
Board members concurred
with Mrs. Wilson's suggestion
and scheduled a planning session
with attorneys and other in
terested parties for Jan. 21 at The
Rafters.
Local residents would also
benefit from advice in estate
planning, which could help
eliminate some property division
problems posed for the Planning
Board, Mrs. Wilson pointed out.
Items on the Thursday night
board agenda included a request
by Lake Gaston developer Clyde
Harris for a variance on a penin
sula lot of Summerwood subdivi
sion on the lake. Zoning regula
tions call for a lot width of 125 feet
and Harris noted this would re
quire a prospective buyer to build
on the lot in question at con
siderable distance from the
water. Board members deter
mined that allowing building
closer to the water's edge would
not present problems for
neighboring property owners and
voted to recommend approval of
the variance by the Board of Ad
justments, which oversees zoning
matters.
In other business Thursday
night, the board:
?Approved, subject to health
department approval, Gordon L.
and Evelyn S. Pittman's final
plat for four lots on Highway 43.
?Approved a request by David
Bell to cut off for sale one lot of
a 15-acre tract at Nocarva.
?Approved, subject to health
department inspection, the final
plat for WhiteRock subdivision
for 27 lots on SR1317 and SR1320
in Fishing Creek Township.
?Approved the final plats for
the three phases of Capps Ridge
on SR 1636, subject to a road
maintenance agreement and sub
ject to on-site inspection by the
Warren County Health Depart
ment, with variances granted on
two lots.
Haywood Assumes
Director's Post
Charles P. Haywood assumed
his post as director of social ser
vices Monday, Jan. 12. The
Warrenton native returns to the
county following a career in
California. His office is located
at 532 Ridgeway Street.
"We want to be progressive
and meet the needs of the people
here in so doing," Haywood said.
New AmbUi .ces
Are Put Into Use
In Warren County
Warren County boasts a new
ambulance. Director of Am
bulance Services Dennis
Paschall announced this week.
The new 1986 Ford Type II Am
bulance was put in service
Wednesday, Jan. 7. It replaced a
1981 Chevrolet van taken out of
service and scheduled for release
to the sheriff's office for use by
that department.
The vehicle, manufactured by
Frontline of Florida, was pur
chased from Southeast Emergen
cy Equipment in Wake Forest.
The $31,262 quoted was the most
attractive bid received.
"We plan to use the ambulance
mainly for emergencies," Pas
chall said. "The 1984 Type II that
we have already has over 72,000
miles on it," he said.
The vehicle is similar to the one
purchased recently by the War
ren County Rescue Squad. That
vehicle is stationed in Vaughan
near the exit to Eaton's Ferry.
Arts Center Heist
Leads To Loss Of
More Than $10,000
Thieves escaped last week with
sound equipment valued at in ex
cess of $10,000 taken from the
Lakeland Arts Center in Lit
tleton. The crime was discovered
early Thursday morning by Mark
Taylor, director, as he reported
for work. "They came in from the
back of the building," he said.
Missing are a double-cassette
tape deck, a double turntable, a
sound board, an amplifier,
speakers and a string synthesizer
valued alone at $4,700.
Lakeland Arts Center is
situated on land in both Warren
and Halifax counties. Because
thieves entered a building located
in Halifax County and stole equip
ment from a Warren County-situ
ated building, both municipalities
are involved in the investigation.
Deputy Harold Seaman of the
Warren County sheriffs depart
ment initiated the investigation.
Sgt. Lawrence Harrison is the
current investigating officer.
Taylor is distraught. "I fail to
understand why anyone would do
this to a non-profit organization,"
he said.