1978 Weather Warmer tomorrow is the forecast, with temperatures near 70 Thursday. High Wednesday 65, low 40. Chance of rain, near zero tonight. LOT Index Books, 2-B; Church Calendar, 3-B: Classified Ads, 10-15-C; Editorial, 1-B; Entertainment, 6-7-C; Obituaries, 11- A; Pinehurst News, 1-3-C; Sandhills Scene, 2-8-A; Sports, 12-13-A. Vol. 58, Number 51 ■ I. ■. I I 48 Pages Southern Pines, North Carolina 28387 Wednesday, October 18,1978 48 Pages PRICE 15 CENTS Schools Promotion RateDown Non-promotions increased by a fraction of a percent in the Moore County Schools last year, con tinuing a trend which began the previous school year. Statistics issued by the Moore school system show that 686 students among the 8,707 membership were not promoted, a percentage of 7.8, at the end of the 1977-78 year. The percentage was slightly lower, 7.2, for the 1976-77 year, when 628 of the 8,722 students were not promoted. The big increase, a full 2 percent, occurred between the 1975-76 year and the 1976-77 year. The non-promotion rate was 5.2 percent for 1975-76, when 460 of ■ the 8,811 students did not “make the grade.” Assistant Superintendent W.C. Walton told The PUot that the increase in non-promotions does not reflect any policy for the entire Moore County School system. Walton is in charge of curriculum and professional development. Walton explained that decisions concerning iromotion and retention policy are left up to the individual schools and ultimately to the classroom teacher. “Our position is that the classroom teacher knows best,’^ (Continued on Page 15-A) K Mart To Open Oct. 26 The new 55,552 square foot K Mart discount department store on U.S. 15-501 here will open to the public at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26. A firm date for the opening was announced this week by K Mart Corporation headquarters in Troy, Michigan. It was also announced that the K Mart store here has employed more than 70 local residents, ^o are now being trained “to render fast and efficient service when the store opens.” Additional employes will be added to the K Mart staff during peak seasonal periods. Now that the opening date is definite, an extensive advertising campaign is being prepared. Commenting on this, the management stated: “Our concept is to stock only first quality goods and price (Continaed on Page 16-A) US 1 Gets Four Lane Board OK FLIGHT OF A DUCK — This duck didn’t take to wing but he made the water fly in sparkling lights when he spotted the photographer while feeding near the water’s edge on a Sandhills lake.—(Photo by Glenn M. Sides). Best Time To Visit Weymouth Woods NC Bar Holding MeetHere Top speakers from government and the legal profession will be heard at the 45th annual meeting of the North Carolina State Bar at the Pinehurst Hotei this week. Governor Jim Hunt will address the meeting Friday afternoon following a luncheon honoring lawyers i^o have been practicing 50 years or more at which U.S. Senator Robert B. Morgan will speak. Attorney General Rqfus Edmisten will speak at a luncheon meeting of district bar officers at noon Thursday. Judge J. Dickson Phillips, recently appointed by President Carter to the U.S. Court of Appeals and former dean of the UNOCH Law School will be the speaker at the annual dinner Thursday night. Other speakers on the program (Continued on Page 16-A) The four-laning of US 1 from Lakeview to Quail Ridge in Lee County is included in the State Board of Transportation seven year improvement program, which was adopted Friday at a meeting of the board in Franklin. Acquisition of right-of-way is scheduled to start in the fiscal year 1982-83. Board member Martha C. Hollers of Candor said Tuesday that in addition to the US 1 project there are several new urban improvement projects included in the program for Moore County. These are in the towns of Aberdeen, Clartbage, Pinebluff, Robbins, Southern Pines, Vass and Whispering Pines. Mrs. Hollers represents Highway Division 8, which includes the counties of Chatham, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Richmond and Scotland. She reported this week that among the projects added to the 1979-85 Transportation Improvement Program is the widening of US 401, the Laurinburg Bypass, from two lanes to four at an estimated cost of $3.5 million. In Montgomery County, three projects were added: a new two lane facility, NC 24-27 Troy Bypass, from Glenn Road (SR (Continued on Page 15-A) Watch Program Growing In Town Neighborhoods “This area observed by Conununity Watch Citizens” is the message carried by the big green signs posted in residential areas across Southern Pines. Neighborhood Watch signs have been erected in four sections of town, where the more active community programs have been organiz^. Signs will be erected in several other areas as soon as arrangements are complete, according to Sgt. Gerald Galloway of the Southern Pines Police Department. Galloway believes the system is working, although the program is less than a year old and statistics are not available yet for comparison purposes. He does know that the police department is receiving many more calls from residents of this area, who have been trained to be especially observant. Areas of town with active Neighborhood Watch programs are: Weymouth Heights, the area between Indiana and Connecticut avenues; the area from Indiana Avenue to May Street; KnoUwood Village; and the KnoUwood area, between Highway 22 and Midland Road. As the sergeant sees it, the (Continued on Page 15-A) BY FLORENCE GDLKESON “Man, the woods are ALIVE! ” exulted Rangerwiaturalist Tom Howard as he ended a hike through the Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve on a pleasant October day. On his brief excursion Howard, with his trained naturalist’s eye, had seen a very large pileated woodpecker, four deer, and any number of squirrels. Such experiences are the joy of the nature-lover who finds time to visit Weymouth Woods, the 403-acre wooded tract given to North Carolina in 1963 by Mrs. James Boyd, widow of the author. Weymouth UteraUy teems with wildlife, including one en dangered species of woodpecker, one threatened species of frog and two threatened species of plants. Amid the greens of the pine forest the sharp-eyed visitor may occasionaUy catch a glimpse of the rare red cockaded wood pecker or may spot die pine barren tree frog, Uvely in bright green, yeUow and purple. If sharp-eared as weU, the visitor may hear the distinctive “rib- bet” caU of the the frog-a noise described by L.M. Goodwin, Weymouth Woods superin tendent-naturalist, as similar to the quacking of a smaU duck. It’s part of the excitement at Weymouth Woods, and that excitemoit, the two naturalists agree, depends to a great degree on the visitor’s frame of mind. Dry Weather Is Raising Danger Of Forest Fires Governor Gives Program Here To Promote Timber Resources North Carolina Forestry Seryice personnel relaxed early this week with their first fireless days in two weeks. One fire on Wednesday threatened populated areas. Lade of rainfaU meant a continuation of the serious fire potential, however, according to Moore County Forest Ranger Robert Edwards, who said forestry firefighters were joined by local fire departments in battling the series of blazes. After a six-hour battle a Wednesday afternoon fire was brought under control on (Country CHubof North Carolina property. By that time the fire had l)umed an estimated three acres of woodland, Edwards said. The fire was detected at about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, while forest service personnel were tied up on another fire at a hunting preserve on Paul Russell’s property in the Sevai (Continued on Page 15-A) They agree too that this is one of the best times of year to visit the nature preserve and to get the most from the experience. For one thing, the animals are busy storing up food for winter. (Continued on Page 16-A) Beach Meet Officers and members of the Sandhills Area Chamber of Commerce will bold a “Design for ’79” planning session at the Blockade Runner at Wrightsville Beach on Oct. 29-30, Members are invited to attend and may make reservations by calling the Chamber office at 692- 3926. Pottery Event To Open In Moore On Thursday Barbecue, music, kiln firings, cooking in pots, lectures, exhibits, tours for school kids, are featured in the “Raised in the Mud” Pottery Celebration in MoOTe County this week. On Thursday night the public is invited to the opening of the Celebration at North Moore High School. Sara Hodgkins, Secretary of (Mtural Resoivces, will open the Celebration by welcoming the keynote speaker. Dr. William C. Ketdium of New York, who has written several bo(te on antiques ranging in subject from pottery to quilts. A reception will be held after his ^ech at which time refresh ments will be served. On Friday, a variety of ac tivities will take place. John Ellington is scheduled to speak about “The Importance of Folk Art in Elveryday Life.” Mrs. Ben Owen vrill provide a special treat as she and her family loA back into the past and recollect life as part of “The (Continned on Page 16-A) Democratic Candidates, Boyles Talk At Campaign Kickoff Rally The establishment of state programs to improve the development of timber resources, especialiy for small woodlot owners, was announced by Governor Jim Hunt at the annual meeting of the North Carolina Forestry Association at the Mid Pines Club here on Friday. “I believe that forest owners can be receiving an annual stumpage income of $1 biilion of today’s dollars within three decades-six times our present income,” Governor Hunt told the delegates to the convention. The Governor said that North Carolina is one of the leading timber producers in the nation, ranking eighth in lumber production and fifth in commercial timberland. The manufacture of forest products ranks third, behind only textiles and tobacco, in overall value- over $2.74 billion, he said. Governor Hunt continued: “Despite that, we haven’t begun to reach our full potential. Over 245,000 small woodlot owners own 80 percent of our (Continued on Page 16-A) ’78 Audit Reveals Town In Good Financial Shape With an end of year balance of $614,014 the Town (rf Southern Pines appears to be in good financial shape, according to a report on the 1^-78 fiscal year audit. The report, received by the town council at the O^ter meeting, shows that the municipality began the year, on July 1,1977, with a General Fund balance of $505,349, then gained $1,727,773 in revenues and deducted $1,619,108 for expenditures. The audit was conducted by the John C. Muse Company and was presented by Larry W. Newsome, CPA. In the Revenue Sharing Fund there was a balance of $120,678, based on a beginning of year balance of $115,684 with revenues of $179,602 and expenditures totalling $174,608. The town collected $800,422 in (Continued 4)n Page 15-A) BY ELLEN WELLES Cries of “Let’s wake up the Democratic Party” and urgings to “vote the straight party ticket” were the order of the day Saturday at the Democratic Rally to kick off this fall’s campaign in Moore (bounty for the November 7 election. About 150 people including candidates and party members attended the buffet dinner at Union Pines High School with N.C. State Treasurer Harlan Boyles as guest speaker. Present or reix'esented at the rally were Democratic can didates for U.S. House and Senate, N.C. House of Representatives, N.C. Senate, Moore County Board of Com missioners, Clerk of Court, Register of Deeds, Sheriff, Coroner, and School Board. Guests introduced by Vice Oiairman C^olyn Blue included Secretary of (Cultural Resources Sara Hodgkins, John Sledge with the Economic Development office, Shirley Gillis of the N.C. Judicial Selection Committee, Robert Hunt of the N.C. Youth (Continaed on Page 16-A) THE PILOT LIGHT r. FORESTRY AWARD — A plaque honoring Governor Jim Hunt (left) was presented by Voit Gilmore (right) and Jack Hennessee, president of the N.C. Forestry Association, at the association meeting at Mid Pines Club here Friday. VOTERS-There are 20,374 persons registered to vote in the Nov. 7 general election in Moore County, with 348 of those added to the registratiem lists between Oct. 1 and 9- Mrs. Doris Fuquay, executive director of the. Moore County Board of Elections, said this number will be somewhat reduced after the names of deceased persons are takoi frerna the rolls. Of the new voters registered in the nine days before the registration books were closed on Oct. 9 there are 193 Democrats, 140 Republicans and IS unaffiliat^. Mrs. Fuquay said the deadline for applying for absentee ballots in the November election is Nov. 1. Sixty five absentee ballot applications had been received up to Monday morning. REPUBUCANS-The public has been invited to have break fast with Moore County Republican candidates at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Pitts in Pinehurst on Saturday, Oct. 21. (Continued on Page 15-A) DEMOCRATIC RALLY — State Treasurer Harlan Boyles speaks Saturday night at the Moore County Democratic rally. Also shown at the head table are Wanda Hunt, Secretary of the Moore County Democratic Committee, Vice Chairman Carolyn Blue. Sandhills Community College President Dr. Raymond Stone and Democratic Committee Chairman Ed Causey.