^arrentonllam.Library X
'7 S.Mala St.
varrenton, N.C. 27589
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Volume 90 25c Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, September 30, 1987 Number 38
A spider's web, encased by early morning
dewdrops, glistens like so many strands of pearls.
The web was spotted in Warren County Monday
morning when traffic was slowed by a dense fog.
(Staff Photo by Dianne T. Rod well)
Health Department Task Force
Formed To Present AIDS Facts
Warren County Health Direc
tor Dennis Ketzlaff this week
announced the formation of a
task force to help prepare the
Health Department, the county
medical community and the
public for the dangers presented
our citizens by Acquired Im
mune Deficiency Syndrome
(AIDS).
In making the announcement
Retzlaff emphasized that this
step is not being taken in re
sponse to any known case of the
disease.
"To date there has not been a
confirmed report of AIDS in a
citizen living in Warren Coun
ty," Retzlaff said. "The massive
publicity given this disease and
its current incurability make it
necessary that we take action to
education our citizens about this
disease and the steps we are
taking to protect our people."
AIDS is a generally fatal
disease which is usually trans
mitted through an exchange of
bodily fluids, the most common
means of transmission being
through sexual contact and
sharing of hypodermic needles.
WILSON
Warren Native Gets
Large Research Grant
Carlton Wilson, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Bobbie H. Wilson of
Warren County and a 1974 gradu
ate of John Graham High
School, was recently awarded a
127,500 research grant by the
National Endowment for the Hu
manities.
Wilson is currently a member
of the faculty in the Department
of History at North Carolina
Central University. He is also
pursuing a doctorate in British
History at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Wilson plans to use the grant
to finance several months of
study and research in England
in order to complete his disserta
tion, which is an analysis of the
black community in Liverpool,
England.
Nationwide over 24,019 have died
from the disease wiule North
Carolina has reported 273 cases
with 172 known to have died from
AIDS-related causes.
The task force, which includes
Doris Dryden, nursing super
visor; Vivian Faynter, com
municable disease control
nurse; Lynne West, laboratory
technologist; and Katherine
Hilliard, health educator, will
plan public education events,
coordinate communication with
local health providers and
develop procedures for respond
ing to AIDS-related situations.
Mrs. Dryden emphasized the
need for calm and responsible
discussion of this disease.
"AIDS is not a communicable
disease like the common cold or
the dreaded polio virus of 30
years ago. AIDS cannot be trans
mitted through the air or by or
dinary human contact such as
handshaking, hugging and other
non-sexual contact. With routine
cautions to prevent contact with
blood or other bodily fluids AIDS
victims can be kept at home
without danger to other family
members," she said.
Local efforts to control AIDS
in our communities include con
fidential testing for the AIDS
virus. The test, available
through the Warren County
Health Department, can reliably
determine if a person has been
exposed to AIDS and is at risk of
transmitting the disease to
others. Lynne West, the Depart
ment's laboratory technologist
emphasizes that this test is
aimed primarily at individuals
who are at high risk of having
been exposed to the disease.
"We are not recommending
this screening for the general
public at this time." Ms. West
said. "Those most encouraged to
seek this test are male
homosexuals, individuals with a
history of numerous sexual part
ners, hemophiliacs or othe"
persons who have received
numerous blood transfusions
between the years of 1978 and
July, 1985.
Any inquiries related to AIDS
should be directed to one of the
members of the task force, Ketz
laff concluded.
"We hope to soon have other
representatives of the local
medical community to join this
task force," he said. As with
many of the health challenges
facing us today, it is only
through the cooperation of local
medical providers and the
citizens of this county that we
can successfully meet the
challenge set before us."
Break-Ins, Stabbings
Probed By Deputies
The Warren County Sheriff's
Department has been busy this
week with a number of incidents
reported around the county.
Last Thursday, around 9:30
p.m., an attempted break-in was
reported by Everette W. Jones,
Sr., of Littleton. Jones owns a
white framed house across the
street from his residence located
on Elam's Road. Apparently
someone had tried to gain entry
into the house by the side door.
Nothing was reported missing
from the house, but there was
damage to the door. Harold
Seaman, the investigating of
ficer, said that there are no
suspects in the case.
Another break-in was reported
in Littleton last Thursday at
6:45 p.m. at the home of Minnie
S. Taylor. Her residence, located
on Route 1, was broken into
through the front door. A VCR,
lawnmower, microwave and
stereo were reported stolen.
The items were valued at around
$1,000, said Percell Williams, the
investigating officer. There are
no suspects in the break-in.
Three stabbings were reported
this week, according to Sheriff
Theo Williams. The first stabbing
was reported by Maria Parham
Hospital. They treated Ms. Bren
da Montague, 29, of Route 1, War
renton. She was treated for
wounds to her back, abdomen
and chest. According to the
report, the stabbing occured at
Roseland, a night club in Norlina.
Ms. Elizabeth Myrick, 32, of
Route 1, Manson, was
charged with assault with a dead
ly weapon inflicting serious in
jury. She was released under
$2500 bond and is scheduled to ap
pear in court at the Warren Coun
ty Courthouse on Oct. 21. Harold
Seaman and Percell Williams
were the investigating officers.
On Monday, the sheriff's office
received a call at 2:44 a.m. from
a woman whose residence is on
Hwy. 43. She stated that two men
were at her door requesting help.
When Harold Seaman arrived on
the scene, he found two Mexican
men, one of them seriously
wounded. Valentin Marteniz
Cruz, 25, and his brother stated
that they had been traveling with
two of their friends. They said
that a fight had broken out and
that one of the other men
stabbed them, stole their suit
(Continued on page 3B)
Average Monthly Value Is $39.41
Decrease Is Noted
In Food Stamp Use
According to figures recently
released by the Department of
agriculture, the number of
; sidents of Warren County re
ceiving assistance through the
Food Stamp program declined
trom 2,838 in 1984 to 2,549 by
January of 1986 or by 10.2%.
During this same period, the
number of food stamp recipients
nationally declined from
19.673,239 persons m 1984 to
19, 28,929 persons by January of
1986 or by slightly less than one
tenth of one per cent.
The number of food stamp
recipients in North Carolina in
reased from 403,911 to 468,138 or
by 15.9% over this period.
The Food Stamp program is
the largest and most, important
federal nutrition program.
During fiscal 1985, expenditures
through the Food Stamp
program were $12.6 billion
dollars or 66.6% of all spending
for federal food assistance. The
food stamp program directly af
fects more Americans as well as
more residents of Warren Coun
ty than any other federal
nutrition program. Some 15 4%
of the population of Warren
County received food stamps in
January of 1986 compared to
8.1% of the national population.
Some 7.5% of the population of
North Carolina received food
stamps at that tune.
Food stamps are provided to
individuals and households using
a formula largely based on in
come (means). Virtually all in
dividuals or households with in
comes less than the poverty
level qualify for food stamp
assistance as do a number of in
dividuals and households with
incomes greater than the pover
ty level. According to the Census
Bureau, 72.9% of all households
nationally receiving food stamps
had incomes below the poverty
level. Comparable state and
local figures are not available.
Some 35.1% of food stamp
recipients in Warren County
lived in households where all
members of the household re
ceived some other form of public
assistance in the form of Aid to
Families with Dependent
Children, Supplemental Social
Security, or other general
welfare assistance. The remain
ing 64.9% of local food stamp
recipients lived in households
where at least one member of
that household did not receive
public assistance.
National figures indicate that
47.5% of all food stamp recipi
ents lived in households where
all household members received
another form of public assist
ance while 52.5% of recipients
lived in households where at
le ast one household member did
not receive other public assist
ance. Figures for North Car
olina show that 39.2% of state
food stamp recipients lived in
households with all household
members receiving some other
form of public assistance while
60 8% of recipients lived in
households where at least one
household member did not.
In Warren County, the
average monthly value of food
stamps provided per individual
increased from $38.65 in 1984 to
$39.41 by January of 1986 or by
2%. Nationally, the level of in
dividual food stamp assistance
increased by 1.1% from $44.74 to
$45.23. In North Carolina, the
average monthly value of food
stamps provided per individual
declined from $43.38 to $41.01 or
by 5.5% during the period.
Total federal expenditures for
the Food Stamp program
declined slightly from fiscal 1984
through fiscal 1986. However,
most analysts attribute this
decrease in spending to the fact
that national economic con
ditions generally improved
during the period.
The legislation providing for
most federal nutrition assist
ance programs, including the
Food Stamp program, is based
upon income (means) qualifica
tions. Those individuals who
qualify for assistance through
the Food Stamp programs are
automatically entitled to such
assistance if they qualify. The
federal government has
budgeted $12.6 billion dollars for
food assistance during fiscal
1987 and some $12.8 billion
dollars is proposed for Food
Stamps in the projected fiscal
1988 budget. If the iunds
budgeted for the program are
insufficient, the Congress has
always provided additional fund
ing.
It appears that a substantial
number of those individuals
legally entitled to assistance
through the Food Stamp
program are not currently ac
cepting such assistance. At the
end of 1985, only 58.9% of
American households receiving
some form of means-tested
public assistance also received
food stamps. While comparable
state and local figures are not
available, after state and local
personal income statistics are
taken into consideration, it ap
pears that a number of residents
of both North Carolina and
Warren County qualifying for
food stamps do not accept them.
The proportion of the popula
tion of Warren County receiving
food stamps was greater than
the national proportion in
Jinuary of 1986. It was also
greater than the proportion of
the population of North Carolina
receiving food stamps.
Percentage
16 T
I
14 \
12
10
8
6
4
2
0 ?
Percentage of Population
Receiving Food Stamps
January, 1986
T
United States
HI North Carolina
Q Warren County
15 4
01
7.5
Carl Lowendick and Ms. Jean H. Dodd, coor
dinators of Keep North Carolina Clean and
Beautiful, are shown here with Warrenton Mer
chant's Association President Woody King. They
gave a video taped presentation at the Rafter's oa
Monday night which discusaed different ways In
which the community could make an effort to heap
N. C. clean and beautiful.