^arrentonUeni. Library X
117 S.Main St.
Warrentori, N.C. 2758
?he Harrett Eecorh
Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina
Volume 91
25* Per Copy
Wednesday, January 13, 1988
Number 2
Transportation
Forces Ready
For This Snow
When the first flakes of snow
fell last Wednesday, local em
ployees of the N.C. Department
of Transportation iDOT) were
ready.
According to DOT Road Main
tenance Supervisor Glenwood
Rose, all equipment had been
checked out in advance and all
salt and sand trucks had been
loaded. Eighteen trucks and four
motor graders were ready for the
work that lay ahead.
Thirty-five DOT employees
have worked in excess of 1,578
man-hours to clear county high
ways that are on the state sys
tem. Rose said that efforts to
clear Thursday's snow accum
ulation were begun at about 12:30
a.m. on Friday. Snow removal
was begun on secondary paved
and unpaved roads by 6 a.m. on
Friday. Chemicals?salt and
calcium chloride mixed with
sand?had been put down by 4:30
p.m., Rose said. DOT crews had
"gone over" all roads by 2 p.m.
on Saturday, Rose said.
The "going over" in some
cases has meant "just knocking
off snow."
According to Rose, DOT em
ployees are still working on icy
spots.' 'We are trying to sand the
really dangerous spots, but we
must let the sun take care of the
rest," Rose said.
Rose noted that some county
roads, especially unpaved roads,
are covered with packed snow
and ice. "The graders won't even
cut it," he said.
"Anytime there is snow or ice,
along with temperatures like the
ones we have been having here, '
Rose said, "everyone should
drive with caution. When persons
get to a clear road, they should
still be aware at bridges and at
crests of hills of what may lie
ahead."
According to Rose, there have
been fewer accidents related to
the recent bad weather than he
has seen in a long time.
Rose asked area residents to
"bear with us at DOT. We have
worked long hours and have done
everything possible to get every
one moving?but sometimes all is
not enough."
Although minor accidents have
been reported in Warren County,
only one has resulted in heavy
damage.
A Vance County oil delivery
truck sustained about $20,000 in
damages last Friday morning
following a head-on collision with
a vehicle being driven by Victor
F. Roberts of Rt. 1, Warrenton on
S. R. 1229, about three miles west
of Norlina.
According to Trooper N. D. Sat
terfield, Roberts' 1975 Oldsmobile
skidded on the snow and crossed
the center line of Robinson Road
before colliding with the 1984
Chevrolet truck being driven by
William Paul Wright, 30, of Rt. 2,
Henderson. The oil truck was the
property of J. W. Jenkins Oil Co.
of Henderson.
An estimated $2,500 in damage
has been reported for Roberts'
car.
Store Renovated
The Warrenton building that
for many years housed The Cash
Company, a men's clothing store
operated by the late Allen
Hilliard, is being renovated by a
local firm.
According to James C. Harris
of Warrenton Construction Com
pany, one side of the 1,932-square
foot building, containing four of
fices, should be ready for oc
cupancy in about 45 days, de
pending on weather conditions.
Renovation of the remainder of
the building will be undertaken at
a later date.
Included in the current project
is replacement of the roof, floor
and partitioning of offices.
Harris said a tenant had been
located for the building, but
declined to release the name
pending signing of the lease.
Fog hovered over U.S. 158 between Warrenton
and Maeon when the sun rose early Tuesday morn
ing to warm the frozen, snow-and-ice-covered en
virons of Warren County. Remnants of last week's
snowfall, with a reported aeeumulation for the
county of four and one-half inches, continue to re
mind area residents of winter's power to immobi
lize and inconvenience mere mortals.
(Staff Photo by Dianne T. Rodwell)
Youth Faces Charge That He Set
Fire At Norlina Middle School
The Norlina youth who has
been linked with the recent fire
that destroyed a Four Oaks
public school appeared before the
Warren County Clerk of Superior
Court Tuesday for a 96-hour hear
ing on charges made in connec
tion with a 1986 fire at Norlina
Middle School.
Norlina Police Chief Charles J.
Galantis has confirmed that
Robert Edward Norris. 16, has
been charged with unlawful
burning in an incident, which oc
curred at Norlina Middle School
on Nov. 19, 1986 and left $7,006 in
damages in its wake. The youth
will appear on Feb. 3 for a pre
liminary hearing on the charges
here in Warren County Superior
Court.
Norris was returned from
Johnston County to Warren Coun
ty by Chief Galantis on Wednes
day of last week. He had been
housed in the Warren County Jail
under bonds totaling about
$149,000, Chief Galantis said.
The warrant was drawn follow
ing an investigation by the State
Bureau of Investigation.
According to Galantis, finger
prints were developed that
helped to link Norris to the crime.
Norris resides on Walker Ave
nue in Norlina. Norlina Middle
School, the facility once attended
by Norris, is also located on that
street.
The charge of arson carries
with it a maximum prison sen
tence of 30 years. No information
regarding motive has been
released.
In addition to the charges
resulting from the two school
fires, Norris has been charged
with auto larceny in Norlina. He
also faces charges of auto lar
ceny and possession of stolen
property in Johnston County.
Other charges may be pending
following SBI investigations of
other fires in the state, officials
noted.
Maj. Robert W. Atkinson of the
Johnston Sheriff's Department
;T''Vpn ? V ,.?? r/r ? 4
nology of the events leading to the
arrest of the youth:
Dec. 24 A car was stolen from
East Street in Norlina. The vehi
cle was abandoned in Chester
field County, Va. A second car
was stolen and driven south.
Dec. 25?Norris set fire to the
Four Oaks public school, a crime
to which he confessed at the time
of arrest, before leaving the site
in another stolen vehicle.
Dec. 26 -Northampton County
deputies arrested the youth on
1-95, about 10 miles from Jack
son, near the Virginia border,
where he had fallen asleep in the
stolen vehicle.
According to Johnston County
Sheriff Fred Narron, the youth
told officials there that he work
"d "Ion" in "etting the fires that
left $1.2 million in damage at the
Four Oaks Elementary School.
"...Every piece of concrete evi
dence that we've been able to find
corroborates the story...(sol...
he's bound to be telling us the
truth," he said.
Sheriff Narron noted that the
typical youthful car theft often in
volves at least two persons. "It's
(Continued on page 3B)
Snow Affects Meter Reading
Because the lingering snow and ice continue to hide the water
meters housed in area streets, residential water meters will not
be read for this month. Water Department Supervisor Bill Neal
announced this week.
Residential water customers will be billed identically to the
level of usage recorded for last month, he said. Automatic ad
justments for any errors in estimation will be made when the
meters are read in February.
Commercial customers, such as schools and factories, will be
billed acccording to actual usage. Because water meters that
register usage by commercial customers are housed in a dif
ferent type of metei box, the accumulation of snow will not
hinder the workers 10 attempt to read them, Neal said.
"We thank all our customers in advance for their coopera
tion," he said.
Looking every bit like an unwrapped package
from the recent holidays, the historic Shady Oaks
boose south of Warrenton on Baltimore Road is
covered with plastic to prevent damage by rain and
snow. The house, former home of the late Alston
Twitty, Is being renovated by a Virginia couple.
(Staff Photo by Howard Jones)
Pupils, Teachers
Slated To Attend
Saturday School
By THURLETTA M. BROWN
News Editor
Warren County's teachers will
find themselves in school for two
Saturdays this month, and area
students will attend for one Satur
day, following action taken at
Monday night's meeting of the
Warren County Board of Edu
cation.
The county's school calendar
was revised to accomodate clos
ings that have resulted from the
recent inclement weather.
Warren County students were
dismissed early last Thursday as
reports of approaching snow
were confirmed, and did not
return to classes until Tuesday of
this week. Friday of this week
signals the end of the first
semester.
Although Friday was original
ly scheduled as a teacher work
day, classes will be conducted in
Warren County schools.
The teacher work day has been
re-scheduled to Saturday, Jan. 16.
Schools will be closed on Mon
day, Jan. 18, in observance of the
birthday of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. ,
Students will report for instruc
tion on Saturday, Jan. 23.
The board also heard a prog
ress report from Mrs. Janice
Crump on a proposal that will be
submitted for funding to the Z.
Smith Reynolds Foundation
Drawing on her experience as
a producer for Durham's WTVD
television station, Mrs. Crump,
along with local administrators,
has developed a proposal for a
learning experience that will
benefit area students in two
ways: Students will be exposed to
the careers available in broad
cast media and they will gain
writing and speaking skills.
If funded by the foundation, the
program will bring to Warren
County High School sophisticated
television production equipment
that will be used for weekly
"news broadcasts" at the school".
Students will be assigned stories
for investigation, analysis, syn
thesis and reporting. Their
"beat" will not be limited to the
school, but will include all types
of activities in the county, Mrs.
Crump said.
According to Mrs. Crump.
WTVD is excited about the pro
gram and has offered to make
available to Warren County
equipment and technical
expertise.
Although funding by the Z.
Smith Reynolds Foundation has
not been guaranteed, based on
her involvement with the founda
tion, Mrs. Crump believes that
the project is one that the funding
committee will find attractive.
The board authorized the chair
man and the superintendent to
approve submission by Feb. 1 of
the application for the grant,
following continued discussion
and estimation of the cost
involved.
In other business, the board:
?Heard a presentation from
representatives of Construction
(Continued on page 71
[>K WILLIAMS
Education Board
Seat Is Sought
The first contender for one of
the available seats on the Warren
County Board of Education has
declared her intention to fi lat
vacancy.
Dr. Doris Terry Wdlia >f Rt
2, Norlina has filed for , seat
now held by Leigh Traylor, rep
resentative for District Three.
Traylor, a 12-year veteran board
member completing his third
term of service, has declared he
will not seek re-election. "It is
time for a change," he said.
The candidate is a 1969 grad
uate of North Warren High
School. She earned a bachelor's
degree in English from Duke
University in 1972. Dr. Williams
completed master's-level and
doctoral studies in adult and com
munity college education at N. C.
State University in Raleigh in
1976 and 1983, respectively.
"I have a great deal of ex
perience with Warren County
schools?both as a student and as
a parent," she said. "My obser
vations have been made from
both inside and outside of the
system."
Dr. Williams has amassed a
long career in education, holding
positions that have included
service as director of the Vance
Granville Community College
adult literacy G.E.D. program
and associate director of the
University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill N.C. Health Man
(Continued on page 4B)
Bruce Rose Files For Board Seat
Now Held By James T. Fleming
A Warrenton resident has
made known his intention to seek
a seat on the Warren County
Board of County Commissioners
when area voters go to the polls
on Tuesday, May 3.
Bruce H. Rose, Jr. has filed for
the seat assigned to the repre
sentative of District One in War
ren County. That seat is held now
by Commissioner J. T. Fleming,
who, at preSs time, had not made
his intentions known.
The candidate moved from
Halifax County to Warren Coun
ty in 1954. Following a 12-year
career with Boyd-Boyce Ford
here, he joined the staff of the
equipment department of the
N.C. Department of Transporta
tion in 1966.
Although Rose retired from the
department last year, he has con
tinued to operate Rose Construc
tion Co.
Rose has characterized himself
as a "people person," who has
promised to "talk to the people,"
if elected. "There need to be
some changes," he said, "and
many of the decisions that are
made should come back to the
people." Rose believes that atten
dance at regularly-scheduled
meetings and public hearings
would increase, if commissioners
returned to their districts to
discuss matters of importance.
"That would get the people in
terested," he said.
Rose is married to the former
Hazel Gardner. Thev have one
(laughter, Mrs. Delorcj Ann Serls
of Warren Plains.