? ?rrentonilem. Library X
117 8.Main St.
Warrantoii, n.C.
Stye barren Hecnrii
Volume 94 25c Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, November 8, 1989 Number 45
$43 Million Approved For Widening U.S. 158 From 1-85 To Littleton
Work On Cross-County Highway Is Scheduled To Begin After 1996
By THURLETTA M. BROWN
News Editor
Over $53 million worth of work
on Warren County's roads has
been approved.
The allocation is part of DOT's
$5 billion Transportation Im
provement Program (TIP) ap
proved Nov. 2 by the N. C. Board
of Transportation.
Last week's "green light" ac
celerates the schedule for one
Warren County project; adds
three new ones to DOT'S list of
planned improvements; and
funds repaving of 23.04 miles.
Long Range Projects
An estimated $9,007,000 will be
used on the 17.7 miles of 1-85
which runs north of NC 39 to south
of US 1. Improvements will be
pavement and bridge deck re
habilitation, rail retrofits and
raised grading on one bridge.
Work is expected to begin in the
spring of 1991 and be completed
by the fall of 1993.
The three new projects will
widen 26.2 miles of US 158 and the
replace two bridges over Fishing
Creek.
An estimated $43,050,000 will be
used to widen US 158 from 1-85 to
SR1405 (Gum Court), east of Lit
tleton. The road will become a
multi-lane artery with bypasses
of Norlina, Macon and Littleton
on a new location. The purchase
of right-of-way land to widen US
158 is estimated at $6,100,000, with
construction at $36,950,000. Work
will begin after 1996.
Two bridges over Fishing
Creek will be replaced at a cost
of about $1,090,000: an estimated
$720,000 for No. 73 on SR 1512,
located about 3.5 miles southwest
of Grove Hill between NC 43 and
NC 58; and an estimated $370,000
for No. 76 on SR 1513, located
about four miles east of Inez be
tween SR 1630 (Inez-Areola
Road) and SR 1635 (Old Avenue
Road). Right-of-way work for
both projects will begin in federal
fiscal year '94, with construction
slated for FFY '95.
Immediate Projects
Over 23 miles of Warren Coun
ty's roads will be resurfaced as a
part of the $5 billion TIP.
A $1.1 million contract was
awarded on Nov. 3 to Nello L.
Teer of Durham to resurface 65.8
miles in Warren, Vance and
Franklin counties.
Warren's portion of the con
tract will result in the resurfac
ing of 23.04 miles of roadway: 10.6
miles of US 401, from the Warren
ton city limits to the Franklin
County line; 4.9 miles of NC 58,
from SR1640 (Richardson Road)
to the Franklin County line; one
mile of SR 1237 (Manson-Drewry
Road), from US 158 to 1-85; 1.1
miles of SR 1365 (Fleming Dairy
Road), from NC 903 to SR 1354;
0.24 mile of SR 1354, from SR 1365
(Fleming Dairy Road) to the
Halifax County line; and 5.2
miles of SR 1512, from NC 43 to
NC 58.
(Continued on page 8B)
Stricken Goliath
Members of the Macon Rural Fire Department were on the scene
of a wreck last Thursday at the intersection of U. S. 158 and U.S.
158 Bypass near Macon. The driver of the overturned 1978 Mack
tractor-trailer was charged with exceeding a safe speed after the
trailer skidded and forced the truck into the ditch. See story on
page 8B. (Staff Photo by Diane Davis)
Truck Overturns
On Airport Road
A Macon man was charged
with driving while impaired and
driving left of center after the
vehicle he was driving ran off a
Warren County road and
overturned.
N. C. Highway Patrol Trooper
R. A. Ennis charged Thomas
Pete Wagner, 44, of Rt. 2, Macon
with driving while impaired after
the 1982 Ford truck he was driv
ing overturned. Ennis reported
that Wagner had been traveling
east on SR 1325 (Airport Road)
when he ran off the right shoulder
of the road, pulled the vehicle
back onto the road, began to skid
and ran off the right shoulder
again, struck a ditch bank and
became airborne. The Ford
traveled 70 feet in the air before
landing on the driver's side and
turning onto its top in the
roadway.
Wagner was taken to Maria
Par ham Hospital in Henderson,
where he was treated for an in
jury to his left index finger and
released. A passenger in his vehi
cle, Haley Robertson, 69, also of
Rt. 2, Macon, was treated for
bruises in the emergency room of
Maria Parham and was released.
Damage to the truck was
estimated at $2,500.
Car Flips, None
Injured Tuesday
Approximately $1,500 in
damage was sustained by a vehi
cle involved in a one-car accident
Tuesday afternoon in the Warren
Plains community.
Trooper R. A. Ennis of the N.
C. Highway Patrol reported that
Clarence Edgar Welker, Jr., 16,
of Gaines Street, Norlina, lost
control of the 1900 Ford he was
driving east on R.U.R. 1322 (King
Road) at 4:30Tuesday afternoon.
Welker lost control of the vehicle
in a curve, hit the ditch bank,
overturned, hit a light pole and
(Continued on page 6)
Phil Daniel Only Incumbent Casualty
Gardner Wins Seat On Town Board
By DIANE DAVIS
Staff Writer
Three-term Warrenton Com
missioner Phil Daniel lost his
seat on Warrenton's seven
member town board to non
incumbent candidate Walter M.
Gardner, Jr. during Tuesday's
non-partisan municipal election.
An unofficial vote count com
pleted at the close of the polls at
7:30 p.m. Tuesday shows Gard
ner with a total of 175 votes and
Daniel with 164. Although the
count is not official, election of
ficials said Tuesday night a final
count would not change the
outcome.
Gardner, who has previously
stated his intentions for im
proved fire protection, economic
development, as well as a plan
for systematic growth, said after
the election that he was "certain
ly pleased with the outcome" of
the election.
"I'm proud to have been
elected," he said. "I'm looking
The Local Vote
Mayor B.G. White 247
Eddie Clayton 199
Bobby Edmonds 197
Walter Gardner 175
Ralph Hawks Ill
Rich Knisely 105
W. A. Miles 237
Ray Shearin 202
Charles White 187
A. A. Wood 192
forward to serving, and I thank
the people who voted for me."
Other non-incumbent can
didates in the local election,
Ralph Hawks and Rich Knisely,
only gained 111 and 105 votes,
respectively.
On Tuesday, 292 Warrenton
voters went to the polls and cast
their ballots. Two of the ballots
were determined spoiled by
Board of Elections officials
because all of the choices had
been marked on the ballot.
In 1987, the last local election
date, only 121 of Warrenton's 677
registered voters went to the
polls.
In the unofficial count, Mayor
B. G. White, who ran unopposed
(Continued on page 6)
Warren Plains Bear Sightings Reported
By DIANE DAVIS
Staff Writer
Reports of a bear in the Warren Plains com
munity of Warren County have proven to be
true, but game warden Conley Mangum has
said there is nothing to worry about.
Mangum said the sighting off SR 1314
(Waverly Thompson Road) was the first of the
year, and is not uncommon in the area. The
sighting was confirmed by the positive iden
tification of a bear track.
"Bears normally migrate through Warren
County, but they don't stay here, they Just go
through," Mangum said.
He said that once bears have been sighted in
the western part of the state, he can track their
movements toward Warren County by Wildlife
Commission radio reports.
"Hie bears are progressively going east," he
said. "I might hear about a bear in Burlington
and then in the Williamsboro community of
Vance County. Then a bear will be spotted in
Drewry. Before I know it, people are spotting
bears all over the county."
Mangum said that although the migratory
bears come and go, he hears reports of
sightings of a bear and two cubs every year.
The bears which come through the county
weigh usually between 100-190 poinds, Mangum
said. This estimate of a bear's weight is deter
mined by the size of the bear track. Mangum
has also seen a track which indicated a larger
bear, one that weighed between 200 and 300
pounds.
Mangum said Warren County residents
should not feed bears, nor should they shoot
them. Warren County has no bear season, and
the fine for taking a bear out of season is a
minimum of $250 and court costs, in addition
to a hunter losing his hunting license and gun.
A replacement cost of $1,035 is also applicable,
Mangum said.
Although no surrounding counties have bear
seasons, counties in the eastern part of the state
do have regular bear seasons, he said.
Another recent sighting in Warren County is
that of a bald eagle in the Afton community.
Mangum said bald eagles, members of the en
dangered species, are not uncommon in War
ren County, but he said that fines for taking a
bald eagle are higher than most other fines.
Someone who is charged for taking a
member of the endangered species may face
a maximum fine of $1,000 and federal court
costs and imprisonment of one year. The
replacement cost for any member of the en
dangered species ranges from $2^00 to $3,500,
he said.
3 Challengers Win
Delbridge Wins
Race For Mayor
By THURLETTA M. BROWN
News Editor
William K. "Bill" Delbridge
has been relected to another term
as mayor of Norlina and three
challengers have been seated on
the board of commissioners.
"I'm just ecstatic over the vote
of confidence and feel especially
pleased with the tremendous
voter turnout," Mayor Delbridge
said Tuesday night in a telephone
interview.
The incumbent Delbridge re
ceived 273 votes to the 149 cast for
challenger Dwight Pearce.
Pearce had filed for the office
of mayor while serving on the
Norlina Town Board, a seat he
has held for six years.
"I certainly thank all who
voted and supported me, and
congratulate all winners and
wish them luck," Pearce said.
The preliminary election re
sults were announced shortly
after 10 p.m. by Norlina Board of
Elections Chairman James Over
by. He estimated the 415 votes
cast represented about 78 percent
of the total number of registered
voters in Norlina. Overby said
there were eight spoiled ballots.
"I got a call tonight from a
newspaper in Raleigh and they
could not believe the turnout
here," Mayor Delbridge said.
The mayor believes Tuesday's
turnout was the highest ever in
the history of the town. "I'm real
ly pleased," he said. In the 1967
election, 365 votes were cast.
In Tuesday's commissioners'
race, the highest number of votes
were cast for Mrs. Margaret
Willis, a newcomer, who received
295 votes. Mrs. Willis will be
Norlina's first woman mayor pro
tern. "I promise to do my best
and live up to the confidence
placed in me," she said Tuesday
night.
Incumbent James Knight re
ceived the second highest num
ber of votes, 290. "I feel very good
about this and appreciate the peo
ple here who have had confidence
in me," he said Tuesday night.
"Now I'm ready to get in there
and do the best I can."
Newcomer James H. Hundley
received the third highest num
ber of votes, 282. "I've enjoyed
my years of service to the coun
ty (as register of deeds, sheriff
and commissioner) and look for
DELBRIDGE
ward now to serving my town,"
Hundley said.
Incumbent Walter Newman re
ceived 264 votes, the fourth
highest count. Although Newman
was unavailable for comment
Tuesday night, he had said
earlier that he wished to continue
serving Norlina's citizens by en
suring that on-going projects
were completed.
Newcomer John Dore was the
fifth commissioner to be seated,
with 243 votes. "I believe we'll all
do a good job," he said Tuesday
night in a telephone interview.
"Now its time to settle down and
get to work."
The remaining votes cast in the
commissioners' race were: in
cumbent William Leonard?225,
Clyde T. Champion?141, and
James E. Vaughan?102.
Vaughan, who has been mayor
pro-tem for eight years, had
learned after filing that his job
would require relocation the mid
dle of this month, making him in
eligible to serve.
The ballot box was sealed with
tape by Board of Ejections Chair
man James Overby and will be
locked in Norlina Town Hall un
til canvassing on Thursday at 11
a.m. Other members of the Nor
lina Board of Elections are
Mrs. Dorothy Bobbitt and Julian
Farrar.
After voting ended at 7:30 pjn.,
the Norlina Board of Elections
worked long and hard to tabulate
the preliminary results of Tues
(Continued on page 6)
Raymond Harris Wins Election
As Write-In Choice For Board
Raymond Harris, Jr. polled 23
write-in votes to win a seat on
the five-man Macon Board of
Commissioners Tuesday.
In an uncontested election
which saw some 80 percent of
the eligible voters cast ballots,
Harris easily outdistanced nine
other town dtisens who gar
nered write-in votes. Joyce
Carroll, with eight votes, was the
second high write-in candidate.
Mayor M. C. Clary, who won a
sixth two-year term as 41 of
Macon's 53 registered voters
went to the municipal polling
place, wM that ballot
completed about 8:30 pjn.
Clary received 36 votes, wblk
there was a single write-in for
mayor.
Carroll Harris was top vote
named on 37
riming Mfcane
W. L. Edwards with
38, Rowlette Shaw with 33, and
Glenn Riggan with 31.