News Record
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY
80th Year No. 42
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL, N.C.
THURSDAY, October 15,- 1981
15c Per Copy
County Board Okays
N.C. 212 Improvement
By NICHOLAS HANCOCK
Residents of the White Rock and
Shelton Laurel sections of Madison
County benefited from a road hearing
held the last week in September bet
ween the county commissioners and the
state Department of Transportation, in
which the commissioners and DOT
recommended that $100,000 be spent
this year on improving the five-mile,
unpaved stretch of N.C. 212 leading into
Tennessee.
The announcement came at the Oct. 2
commissioners meeting when commis
sioners chairman James Ledford told
the audience the state has allocated
$497,426 to be spent on some 306 miles of
secondary roads in the county this year.
The commissioner* approved the
recommended road work schedule, and
said they hoped to spend another
$100,000 over the next three years on
N.C. 212.
The commissioners came under fire
from a dozen or so residents of the
Shelton Laurel community at their
June 5 meeting when spokesmen for the
group said they have waited for years
to get something done about the road.
At the. time, Gladson Cutshall told the
commissioners it would take gravel
"three feet deep to cover up the rocks in
that road." The residents said people
living in the Shelton Laurel section felt
they "weren't even getting the crumbs
from the state and county taxes" they
paid.
The commissioners were able to
make recommendations about N.C. 212
only after the road's designation was
changed from a primary road to a
secondary road.
N.C. 212 connects Highways U.S.
25-70 and N.C. 208 with U.S. 23 north of
Flag Pond, Tenn. leading into Erwin,
Term. Approximately five miles of the
road is unpaved beginning just inside
the N.C. state line.
Other approved road work alloca
tions announced were Anderson Branch
Ed. (S.R. 1155) $50,000; Sandy Mush
Bridge on S.R. 1107, 180,000; Bear
Creek Rd. (S.R. 1114), $100,000; S.R.
1332, $82,426; Meadow Fork Rd. (S.R.
1175), $30,000; Baker Road, $40,000; and
S.R. 1124, $15,000.
In other business, the commis
sioners:
? Approved and signed contracts to
continue the Orientation and Motiva
tion and Youth Work Experience pro
grams in the county's Comprehensive
Education and Training Act (CETA)
Program. The county will receive
$72,331 through Sept. 30, 1982 to operate
both programs, and $13,193 for ad
ministration of the programs.
Acting CETA Director Darlene Cody
told the board there were 34 in-school
job slots and four drop-out job slots
available in the YWE program. After a
45-minute executive session, the com
missioners approved the names of
students to fill those slots.
? Approved the hiring of Mr. Jerry
Plemmons as director of the Madison
County Senior Citizen Center. Plem
mons was hired on the recommendation
of the chairman of the Personnel Com
mittee of the Council on Aging, Mrs.
Lucille Burnette.
? Approved the recommendation of
Chairman Ledford to raise the salary of
Luanne Roberts, director of Communi
ty Coordinated Child Care.
? Took no action on a request from
Russell Blevins, District Soil Conserva
tionist, to provide CETA funds to
employe secretary for the Soil Conser
vation Service office. Blevins made the
request saying that the county had, in
the past, provided a secretary through
CETA for 30 hours of work per week.
According to Blevins, the local SCS of
fice receives some $55,000 per year in
federal money for operations.
? Took no action on a request from
harpsichord maker Richard Kingston
to alter a five-year lease of the county
owned Sprinkle-Shelton Building on
Main Street in Marshall. However, the
commissioners instructed county at
torney Larry Leake to prepare a lease
agreement to be presented to Kingston
for his inspection and approval before
any action would be taken.
Student Council Attends Workshop
Thirteen members of the
Madison High Student Council
went to the Division III Stu
dent Body Council Workshop
held at Enka High School on
Oct. 2.
The workshop consisted of
three discussion groups, lunch
and songfest, and an overall
fellowship among the
students. The purpose of the
workshop was to discuss with
other schools how their Stu
dent Council operated and to
exchange ideas to make this
year's student council suc
cessful.
The council was designed to
provide representation for
students and to maintain an
effective student
administration relationship.
The council has numerous
goals and projects that are be
ing worked on to make this
school year a very commen
dable one. We, the Student
Council, would like to ask for
your support throughout this
year's activities.
Members making the trip to
Enka were Stuart Jolley, Bob
by Ingle, Cynthia Payne,
Theresa Norris, Mark Plem
mons, Robin Hough, Kim
Boles, Russell Lambert, Pam
Fish, Kim Taylor, Norman
Grose, Steve Birch, and Lynn
Mace. The students were ac
companied by sponsors Norris
Gentry and Francis Ramsey.
MADISON HIGH SCHOOL'S Stu
dent Council: (1-r) First row ?
Robin Hough, Sandra Griffen,
Kim Taylor, Lynn Mace, Teresa
Norris, Pam Fish. Second row ?
Russell Lambert, Stuart Jolley,
Debbie Spears, Bobby Ingle, Cyn
thia Payne, Mark Plemmons,
Norman Grose, Kim Boles and
Steve Birch. (Photo by Denise
Griffin)
The People Ask
The People Ask it a weekly feature of The News
Record. The pabttc may inbmil questions oa any local
sabject by calling Mt-Z741 or by malting them to The
People Ask, Hie News Record, P.O. Bex M, Marshall,
N.C. 28753.
QUESTION: Why does Madison High School
charge an t* fee for student lockers?
ANSWER: The ? fee is not merely a rental fee;
the money actually pay* for the lockers, according to
Principal David Wyatt. He said the lockers were pur
*1 in the fall of 1978 for $15,788 after the school
was built, and after asking the student body if
#ted lockers installed the 510 lockers coat ?66
set of two, and were purchaa
9 percent interest br
they
THE BAILEY MOUNTAIN RUN was won by
Edward Fore, 20, of Arden, seen third from
left in the photo above. Fore completed the
6.2-mile course in a record 33 minutes 3
seconds. Some 50 runners turned out to brave
a steady mist that blanketed the mountains
both for the one-mile Fun Run and the longer
run on Oct. 10 in Mars Hill. The one-mile run
was won by Dean Misner, a freshman at
Mars Hill College, in the time of 5:21. The an
nual event was sponsored by the Mars Hill
Lions Club, which will use all proceeds to
help the handicapped.
Ramsey Receives Apology
RALEIGH (AP) - Rep.
Patricia Hunt, D-O range, took
the floor of the state House
last Thursday to apologize for
a published story in which she
criticized House Speaker
Liston Ramsey as "not a very
competent person."
The story, in Thursday's
editions of the Winston-Salem
Journal, also quoted Mrs.
Hunt as saying that the House
was run by a clique of Ramsey
cronies, and that she would
resign her seat to accept an
appointment as district court
judge from Gov. Jim Hunt.
"I apologize to you for any
embarrassment, any inconve
nience for even taking up your
time on the floor of this
House," she said. "But I felt I
had to say that I am very
sorry for anything that might
have been written in the
paper.
"I do not feel that you are in
competent. I do not believe
you are incompetent. I did not
say that," she said.
In the emotion-filled speech
to her House colleagues, Mrs.
Hunt said she recognized her
political philosophy was more
liberal than most of the other
House members. But she said
she had made many friends
among her colleagues and
hoped they would remain
friends.
In the Journal story, Mrs.
Hunt, a Chapel Hill lawyer in
her fifth term in the House,
said one reason she was
Fall Visitation Planned
Mara Hill College will hold
Fall Visitation, ? program
designed to give prospective
students and their parents an
opportunity to become better
acquainted with the college
and its programs, on Satur
day, Oct. 24. Reservations are
required and the deadline Is
Friday, Oct l?.
The college's Office of Ad
missions and Enrichment has
planned a full day of activities
for the visitors with registra
? in the
lobby of Hall. The
college's Stage Band, a Jaw
a. ?
the
who have been trained as tour
guides. An informal introduc
tion to campus life will be held
in Belk Auditorium beginning
at 11:15 a.m. Dr. Richard Hof
fman, academic vice
president, Dr. Michael
O'Brien, dean of student
development, and Dr. Robert
Melvin, professor of religion
will be the speakers Ample
time for questions and
answers will b? provided.
A buffet luncheon will be
served in the Wren College
Union snack bar for the
V.'V
of the departments and direc
tors of special programs will
be present to talk with the
students in areas of their
special interest. The afternoon
will also feature special
displays and demonstrations
in some academic depart
ments and additional campus
tours will be conducted.
Dennis Hill, associate dean
for admissions and enrich
ment, notes that the college
wiU provide sleeping bag
resigning her seat was
because of Ramsey
My own view is that he's
not a very competent person,"
she said. "He's just been
around a long time, and he's
learned all the rules.
"Now you take (Lt. Gov.)
Jimmy Green. He's a smart
person ? he just hasn't learn
ed the rules," she was quoted
as saying.
Mrs. Hunt told the Journal
she expected to be appointed
by Hunt to fill one of several
newly created district court
judgeships.
In the Journal story, Mrs.
Hunt complained that Ramsey
had appointed his own cronies
to influential committee chair
manships. Mrs. Huat, a
judiciary committee chair
man under the previous House
speaker, Carl Stewart, com
plained of her committee
assignments under Ramsey.
Ramsey, asked about Mrs.
Hunt's original comments,
said, "That's okay if she
wants to think that. She's a
capable person, but I didn't
appoint her because she didn't
support me for speaker.
That's the name of the game
? you appoint the people who
helped you become speaker,
taking into account seniority
and geography ."
In her floor speech, Mrs.
Hunt said that Ramsey had
provided "extraordinary"
help on women's issues and
'iad appointed women to com
mittee chairmenships.
Joe Goodman, managing
editor of the Winston-Salem
Journal, said Thursday that
the newspaper stands by its
story.
"Our reporter was talking to
a politician about politics. We
took notes in good faith, we
wrote a story in good faith and
we published it in good faith,"
he said.
Five Local Residents
Receive Appointments
To Efficiency Council
Governor Jim Hunt has ap
pointed five Madison County
residents to the county's
Transportation Efficiency
Council.
The governor's appointees
to the Madison County council
are Virginia Anderson of Hot
Springs, Robert L. Edwards of
Mars Hill, R.Z. (Bobby)
Ponder of Hot Springs, Roger
Haynie of Marshall, and Willie
Rice of Rt. 6, Marshall.
Members will serve terms of
two years.
Hunt established the coun
cils in aU 100 counties by ex
ecutive order this spring to
help insure wise and 'efficient
use of the additional highway
dollars provided by legislative
approval of his "Good Roads"
program. I
"These councils will advise '
me and the State Board of ]
Transportation on how we can |
improve efficiency and pro- <
ductivity in our Department of
Transportation," Hunt said.
"This will give local people
the chance to examine and
review the work of the Depart
ment of Transportation on tbe
roads where they live.
Local residents will be able
to go to their county's Effi
ciency Council when they have
complaints about a
maintenance crew wasting
time, or not doing a through
Job, or whatever it may be,"
Hunt said.
The council will work close
y with the State Board of
IYa importation Zeno Ponder,
local member of the state
x>ard, is chairman of the
rounty Council.
Members of the General
Assembly serve as ex -officio
members of the councils in
their districts. Serving on the
Madison council are
Representative Ernest
Messer (D- Hay wood). Rep.
Listen Ramsey (D-Madison),
Senator James McCIure
Clarke (D-Buacombe) and
Seaator Robert Swain
(D-Buncombe).
Hie council will work with
DOT division and district
Vlarshall Gets Street Funds
.
The Town of Marshall
received a state grant of
$24,974 last week which will
pay for xoe-fourth of the ex
penses incurred in installing a
have been < 1 for
two year* to fimih the
project.
i have been a warded 'to
total co
exceeding ffflO r ilMar
or making
progfar t)HI