The Nev
HAD I SON
COUNTY LIBRARY
GEUERAl r- '
1 ic.m-ti
f tAKSh'ALL
NC
IV- .
?so , 33
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF AAADISONtOuwTY
?1st Year No. 52
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL. N.C
WEDNESDAY, December 29, 1982
15c Pi' Copy
From The Front Pages
1982: THE YEAR IN REVIEW
? v . ^ ' - ^4 4* ? ? ? - * 8 ?
Fires and threats against Hot Springs
residents dominated the local headlines as 1982
began. On Jan. 3, the home of Hank Holmes was
destroyed by fire while Holmes and his family
were vacationing in Florida. Holmes operated a
game room and restaurant in Hot Springs.
The first edition of 1982 also reported that
three Hot Springs residents had been receiving
threatening telephone calls. The threats includ
ed having homes and property destroyed. The
following week, the News Record reported a
number of hoaxes involving false adver
tisements of homes in the Hot Springs area.
The weather also commanded headlines
last January as temperatures plunged below
zero throughout the county.
A Madison County nursing home operator,
Mildred Graham, was charged with operating a
home without a license. In a January court ap- ,
pearance, she pleaded not guilty.
Politics played a big part in 1982 headlines.
The county sheriff's race heated up when
Sheriff E.Y. Ponder announced he would seek
another term. Ponder's announcement brought
a withdrawal from the Democratic race. Roger
D. Haynie withdrew when Ponder announced
his candidacy. Republican W.R. Lisenbee
entered the Republican primary. A former
Marshall town policeman, Lisenbee won the
Republican primary, but was defeated by
Ponder in the general election in November.
In February, headlines announced that the
town of Marshall had decided to reduce the size
of the town police force. The move was made in
order to save the town some $25,000 in salaries.
Marshall aldermen also approved an ordinance
to cut off water service to customers who fail to
pay their water bills on time.
Madison High School girls' basketball
coach Ricky McDevitt was placed on probation
by the W.N.C. Officials Association after an
altercation following a game against Owen
High School on Feb. 2.
Also in February, the Laurel communities
organized a volunteer fire department, Z.
Herbert Ponder Jr. was appointed to the
Madison County Board of Elections and Mar
shall aldermen approved a $600,000 bond
referendum to improve the town's sewer
system. Marshall voters would later approve
the bond issue by a wide margin.
March saw News Record readers filling out
a questionnaire as part of the North Carolina
2000 project. Madison High School sharedvthe
March headlines with four awards in Voca
tional Industrial Club of America (VICA) com
petition and the introduction of an in-school
suspension program. Vandals smashed a win
dow in the News Record office and three Mars
Hill residents were arrested in an early
morning drug arrest March 31.
An April fire destroyed some 120 acres of
woodland in the Sleepy Valley community.
Mars Hill formally dedicated its new communi
ty library" lit art April 3 ceremony. Mildred
Graham was found guilty of operating a nurs
ing home without a license. She received a six
month suspended sentence.
A group of discontented parents petitioned
the Madison County Board of Education for the
removal of principal Vernon Ponder from his
position at the Laurel Elementary School. Peti
tions for and against Ponder were circulated
and presented to the board of education. The
school board retained Ponder in his position.
May saw Gov. Jim Hunt come to the county
to dedicate the $25 million link of U.S. Highway
25-70 connecting Madison and Buncombe coun
ties. James McClure Clarke announced his can
didacy for 11th District seat in Congress.
Madison County commissioners received more
than $2 million in budget requests from county
agencies. Madison High School unveiled an ex
pended music program and graduated 190
seniors on May 30.
In June, three men were arrested for
assaulting two hikers at the Jesuit Parish in Hot
Springs. A water shortage temporarily forced
Madison High School and several local
businesses to close. The county board of educa
tion approved $29,311 for repairs to the roofs of
Madison High School and the Marshall Elemen
tary School.
Henderson County businessman Dit
Williams offered the county school system
$10,000 to establish a stringed instrument pro
gram in the county schools.
The June primary saw JOemocrats retain
incumbents in all county offices. Republicans
nominated Bob Phillips, Gary Sprinkle and
Lester Wilde for the county commission. Spring
Creek voters rejected a fire tax in a special
referendum.
In July, the county commissioners and the
school board discussed the allocation of county
funds for education. A Marine was killed in an
accident at a July 4 rodeo in Marshall. Billy
Ramsey of Marshall was charged with murder
in the stabbing death of Kenneth Harris of
Asheville. A Madison County jury would later
acquit Ramsey in the case.
The News Record received a new editor
when Robert Koenig was named to succeed G.
Nicholas Hancock. The hopes of many of the
county's jobless workers were raised when
American Greeting Card Corp. of Cleveland,
Ohio announced plans to construct a $10 million
plant at the county landfill site. *
Construction on the new Marshall Primary
School was completed. The new school, for
kindergarten through third grade, opened its
doors for students in August.
The town of Marshall received an assist
from the Tennessee Valley Authority when TV A
announced the town would be part of the Town
Lift program. The program is designed to help
small Appalachian towns renovate their
downtown business districts.
Another August headline announced that
20% of county homes were substandard. A
small outbreak of blue mold was reported in
August, but the tobacco disease did 'not affect
much of the county crop. Joblessness in August
reached 8.2% and climbed to 9.8% by the end of
the month.
(Continued on Page 3)
In District Court
DUI Conviction Brings 6 Month Sentence
A Weaverville man con
victed of driving under the in
fluence received an active six
month sentence in district
court last week. Phillip Walter
Ingle was sentenced Wednes
day by Judge Alexander Lyer
ly. Ingle was also found guilty
of communicating threats,
assault on a police officer and
resisting arrest. He received
an additional six months
sentence for assault and 90
days for communicating
threats. Judge Lyerly ordered
the Jail terms be served con
secutively.
In other cases heard Dec. 23,
Edwin Ernest Arrington
pleaded guilty to first offense
DUI. He was ordered to pay a
$100 Tine plus court costs, at
tend Alcohol Driver Education
School and pay the school's
$100 tuition fee and pay $150 in
counsel fees for his court ap
pointed attorney. Arrington
also received a four month
sentence, suspended for one
year.
Randal Ernest Cody, charg
ed with failing to stop for
police, speeding and driving
under the influence, entered a
guilty plea to a charge of
reckless driving. The court
deferred sentencing until Jan.
19.
Ishmel Wallin, charged with
DUI, pleaded guilty to a
charge of reckless driving.
Wallin received a four month
suspended sentence, was fined
$100 plus court costs and
ordered to attend ADES and
pay the $100 tuition fee.
Clyde Ralph Rathbone,
charged with DUI, was found
guilty and ordered to sur
render his license, pay a $100
fine plus court costs and at
tend ADES and pay the $100
tuition fee.
Chuck Willis Gentry, charg
ed with DUI, following too
closely and no registration
and liability insurance, was
found guilty of DUI. The other
charges were dismissed. Gen
try was ordered to surrender
his license, pay a $100 fine,
court costs and the $100 tuition
of the ADES.
The court continued, at the
requests of the prosecution,
the cases of Ella Mae Lundy
and James Bruce Massey, Jr.
Lundy is charged with
damage to personal property,
resisting arrest, DUI and hav
ing no operator's license.
Massey is charged with drunk
and disorderly conduct and
assault on an officer. Both
cases were continued until
Jan. 19.
Two suspects charged with
DUI again were called and
failed to appear for trial. Troy
Lee Meadows, also charged
with no operator's license and
making an unsafe move, fail
ed to appear for the fourth
time. He previously failed to
appear for trial on Oct. 14 and
Nov. 12 and 24. Sam Miller,
charged with DUI, missed his
court appearance for the se
cond time. He failed to appear
on the Nov. 24 hearing. Arrest
orders for both men have been
issued.
Judge Robert Lacey presid
ed over district court on Dec.
22. Judge Lacey ordered pro
bable cause hearings on Jan.
18 for three defendants charg
ed with assault with a deadly
weapon and discharging a
firearm into a dwelling. The
three defendants are Wayne
Fore, Luther Fore and Em
mitt Randy Clubb.
In other cases heard on Pec.
22, David Eugene Wheeler,
Sr., charged with assault,
pleaded guilty to simple
assault. He was sentenced to
30 days in jail, suspended for
two years, and was ordered to
pay court costs and a 9200
counsel fee.
The court dismissed
charges of obstructing a
highway brought against Dr.
Larry Frost and charges of
trespassing brought against
J.F. Robinson.
Ms. David Harmon Wyatt,
1
charged with contributing to
the delinquency of a minor,
was called and failed to ap
pear. Bruce Hensley, charged
with assault, also failed to ap
pear. Patricia Moore, charged
with shoplifting, failed to ap
pear
At the request of the
defense, the court continued
until Jan. It, assault charges
against Earl Robinson,
forgery charges against Bruce
Massey and charges of com
municating threats against
Victor Bechtol.
Unemployment Rate,
Minimum Wage Increase
? The statewide total
_ unemployment rate rose
I slightly to ?.s percent in
November according to
figures released by Glenn R.
Jernigan. chairman of the
N.C. Employment Security
Commission. The rate in Oc
? tober was 9 3 percent
I The November rate of 9.5
percent represented 3TO>700
Jobless workers, an increase
of 1JS00 from the previous
month. The national unad
justed rate in November was
10.4 percent (11,476,000
unemployed).
JerftfipM said; Further
in agriculture <
?MMifeWl
the self
On New Year's Day,
thousands of North Carolina
worker* earning the state
minimum wage will begin to
see a 25 cent-an-hour increase
in their pay a* the wage moves
up te $3.35 an hour.
"Workers affected will be
those primarily in the smaller
retail, food service, wholesale
trade and service industry
establishments," State Labor
Commissioner John C. Brooks
said today.
"These include retail tales
clerks, janitors, stock clerks,
at- well as workers who often
receive tips as a portion of
their wages such at
waitresses and waiters,
beautic an I bartx
since December 1977. In an
average 40-hour workweek,
the pay boost will mean an ad
ditional $10 in a worker's
paycheck.
In general, state coverage is
primarily of employees in
enterprises having at least
three workers and not covered
by the federal wage. In many
cases, federal coverage is
determined by the gross in
come of an enterprise, which
must ext .-.Hi $362,500
"While we have no way of
tion by the 1959 General
Assembly which established a
75 centan-hour base.
The present increase was
authorised by the 1981 General
Assembly, which also (attend
ed the Jurisdiction of the state
law last year when it reduced
the number of workers re
* 4^ m ?? fakABM f Hill
qui rea tlx coverage from lour
to at I
Since 1979, the sUte has had
a special sub-minimum wage
for full-time students, which
1, to
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Gov. Hunt Proclaims 1982-83 /
Year Of The Public Sch?>ols
Gov. James B. Hunt has pro
claimed 1982-83 as the "Year
of the Public Schools" in
North Carolina. Public educa
tion has come a long way since
the state's first public schools
were established in 1788, and,
according to the governor,
deserve t-ecognition for their
many accomplishments
Today, some 2,090 elemen
tary and secondary public
schools serve more than a
million students. North
:hool eqr
from in
"i RV to
everyone ? the disadvantag
ed, the minority, the han
dicapped.
A look at the past shows that
most of the progress in public
education has come during the
20th Century. Although the
beginnings of our public
education system date back to
17M, the War Between the
States io 1800 did much to
destroy one of the best c
tional systems in tlte South.
During the period
the War until about 1900, the
school system had to be
During the first quarter of
the Century, educ
grossed
child labor laws and man
dated compulsory school at
tendance for children ages ?
through 11. Interest was rais
ed for increasing educational
opportunities for Negroes.
BecaO M of concern for
teachers' qualifications,
legislation was passed to
strengthen the state's teacher
traiaing institutions.
Teachers' salaries increased
progress continued. Ia 1185, I
plan established state tex
tbook rental and, the fot
year, provided free tex
for elementary grades
Improvements continued in
to the IMts, and tarther
a retir? nt plan for state
v tiding tli
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