Ill
The News ?*cord
county libra*?*DI8on
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COU EE22:ldel,v?v
N? 287^3 i
82nd Year NO. 34 PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE ^ COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL, N.C WEDNtbUM 13 15' Per Copy
Worthless Check Conviction
Brings Active Jail Sentence
Judge Robert H. Lacey
sentenced Alan Payne to serve
from four to six months in jail
Friday after finding Payne
guilty of passing worthless
checks. Payne had entered a
not guilty plea to the charge in
0.. " i it r* -i.. t.
In other cases heard during
Friday's session of District
Court, J.D. Norton entered
guilty pleas to charges of DDI
and assault on an officer.
Charges of resisting arrest
and driving with license per
manently revoked were
dismissed. Norton was
sentenced to serve 90-to-120
days for the Dili and an addi
tional seven-to-nine months
for the assault. The 90- to- 120
day sentence was deferred for
two years. Judge Lacey also
deferred the seven-to-nine
month sentence for a period of
three years. Norton was also
fined $350 and ordered to pay
court costs.
The court heard a probable
cause hearing involving
charges of manufacturing a
controlled substance against
William Cutshall. Jr. After
hwinj; *hc ?tair.'s evidence ie
the case, the court found pro
bable cause and sent the case
on to Superior Court. '
Joe Balding, charged with
the manufacture of a controll
ed substance and Candace
Aldridge Durden and Steve A.
Rice, Jr., both charged with
possession with intent to
manufacture a controlled
substance, waived a probable
cause hearing and their cases
were sent on to Superior
Court.
Joseph Cioffi, also charged
with manufacturing a con
trolled substance, entered a
guilty plea to a misdemeanor
charge and was fined $250 and
ordered to pay court costs.
Eddie Doan, charged with
breaking, entering and
larceny, also waived a pro
bable cause hearing.
The court also found Ralph
Walker guilty of charges of
assault -vfh % de vt ty wt rtj-c i
Walker was charged with
shooting at Charlene Wallen, a
herdsman who was removing
cattle from land owned by
Walker at the time of the inci
dent. Walker told the court
that he had shot at a groun
dhog nearby Ms. Wallen. The
court found Walker guilty
The court also continued, at
the request of the prosecution,
driving under the influence
charges against Eldon
Thomas Ogle. Also continued
until the Sept. 6 session of
District Court were breaking,
entering and larceny charges
against David Lingerfelt;
charges of breaking and enter
ing a motor vehicle against
both Darryl Jerome Price and
James Bruce Massey;
charges of manufacturing a
controlled substance against
Vrffhs*' rhargv
of discharging a firearm into
an occupied dwelling against
Joseph Ross Chandler.
Chandler was granted the con
tinuance in order to obtain
legal counsel.
Teresa H. Rice, charged
with shoplifting, failed to ap
pear for trial and the court
issued an arrest warrant in
the case.
Charges of fornication and
adultery against Bennie Peal
were dismissed as were
assault charges against
Dewey Allison, and larceny
charges against William Nor
ton.
Grand Jury Indicts 13
The Madison County grand
jury met on Monday morning
and returned true bills against
13 defendants
The grand jury indicted two
men. Edd Young and Spencer
Mooney, on five counts of
receiving stolen property.
Joe Riddle was indicted on
charges of maliciously burn
ing his dwelling on Little Pine
Rd. J.H. Bise was indicted on
two counts of obtaining pro
perty under false pretense.
Douglas Sawyer was in
dicted on a charge of assault
with a deadly weapon with in
tent to kill. Sawyer is charged
with shooting Zoda Field with
a .22 caliber pistol.
Don Lancaster was indicted
on a charge of larceny in con
nection with the theft of a
washing machine and dryer.
Steve A. Rice, Jr. and Can
dace Aldridge Durden were
both indicted on a charge of
manufacturing a controlled
substance. In three unrelated
cases, William Cutshall, Jr.,
Michael Metcalf and Joe
Balding were each indicted on
charges of manufacturing a
controlled substance.
Eddie Doan and Ivan Doan
were both indicted by the
panel on a charge of breaking,
entering and larceny in con
nection with the theft of a tiller
and lawn mower.
Bruce Massey was indicted
on a charge of forgery and ut
tering.
Mars Hill College Anticipates
Increase In Student Enrollment
Mars Hill
tidpatingi
last year
the new school year
Dr. Smith ttoodrum, Mi
dean for admissions, said paid
student deposits are running
ahead of this time last year by
better than two percent
Coupled with the college's
traditionally high retention
rate from the upperelassmen,
(Ms news means that the col
lege could be reversing a
trend of declining student
Bentley, said that he was "en
couraged" by the enrollment
figures in his address during
the opening convocation and
faculty workshop Wednesday
and Thursday "We still have
a long way to go," he noted.
Bentley emphasized that
demographic predictions
show that the "student pool,"
that group of It to 24 year old
persons who traditionally at
tend college, will continue to
shrink through the two's In
addition to efforts the college
will continue to make ,n
Bentley urged the facuity and
;staff to adopt those concepts
which will allow Mars Hill to
continue to be "A vigorous
Christian college of distinc
tion, centered in the Baptist
tradition, staffed by
distinguished teachers,
enriched with programs that
stir the quest for self
realization, and cemented
with the spirit of joy known on
ly to those who not only have
the courage to seek truth, but
are empowered to live in that
It ion for its evening adult
education classes beginning
Aug. 39 at several sites around
Western North Carolina.
Registration will be held at
East Yancey Middle School
from 6 to 7 p.m. on Thursday,
Sept. 1; in Madison County,
registration will be held in
Blackwall Hall on Aug. M
from 6 to 7 p.m. ; on Tuesday,
Aug. W, from 5 to 6 p.m.; and
in Waynesville. registration
will be held at Tuscofc High
School on Thursday, Sept. 1,
from 5 toSp.m
For additional informal**,,
2?t * Adm"
Hundreds Attend
Spring Creek Meeting
By ROBERT KOEN'IG
Several hundred Spring Creek residents at
tended a special meeting of the Spring Creek
School PTA last Thursday night. The parents
attended the special meeting called by the
school's principal, Larry Plemmons, to discuss
a proposed private school that may open in the
Spring Creek community.
Plemmons told the parents that he is con
cerned that the proposed private school will at
tract students from the community's public
school. Spring Creek Elementary is the
smallest school in the county, with an enroll
ment of 109 full-time students.
The principal said that the school currently
has four teachers assigned to it. Plemmons also
serves as a teacher in addition to his duties as
principal. Plemmons warned the parents, "If
we lose just one teacher, it will mean that there
will be one teacher for every three classes.
That's not equal education and that's not equal
opportunity."
Plemmons explained that presently the
school conducts kindergarten and first grade
together in the same classroom. Second and
third grade classes and the fourth and fifth are
combined as are the sixth and seventh grade
classes. The eighth grade class, largest in the
school with '17 students, is in a separate
classroom taught by the principal.
Plemmons told the audience of parents that
he expects enrollment at Spring Creek to
decline next year after the present eighth grade
class graduates. He warned that a further loss
of students to the proposed private school could
seriously threaten the future of the school.
"I have nothing against private
education," Plemmons said, "I have nothing
against religious education, but I don't believe
that private education should harm public
education."
The principal told the parents that
Haywood County has recently decided to close
the Fines Creek School at the close of the pre
sent school year because of low enrollment. The
school has an enrollment of 88 students in
grades K through six. "By the number of
students per grade, that's more than we have
now."
Plemmons introduced Madison County
Board of Education chairman Robert Z. Ponder
who told the audience, "This is Spring Creek
Elementary School and there will always be a
Spring Creek Elementary School." Ponder urg
ed the parents to contact their elected represen
tatives to urge that the school be kept open and
the present system of allocating teachers ac
cording to enrollment be changed. Ponder said,
"Let's stop the numbers game. Give us a
teacher for children in every grade and we can
do the job that needs to be done."
Plemmons then returned to the podium to
ask the parents not to enroll their children in
the private school. He asked the parents, "If we
lose our school, what kind of community will we
have?"
Plemmons then introduced Frank Clark, a
Spring Creek native who served with the Lex
ington, Ky. school system for 35 years before
retiring. Clark told the meeting, "You cannot
operate a school without money. I don't see how
it can be done. Small schools are not a problem.
It's the larger schools that are the problem. We
have misplaced our values."
Earlier in the meeting, Plemmons said that
the planners of the proposed private school do
not plan to charge tuition for the first year of
the school's operation.
Plemmons said that leaders of the proposed
school were invited to attend the Thursday
night meeting to explain their position. No one
from the private school attended Thursday
night's meeting.
Plemmons told The News Record that the
Rev. Kyle Waitt of Meadow Fork was the leader
of those planning to operate the private school.
Contacted by telephone Monday, Rev. Waitt
said, "There's been so many lies and twisted
truths going around in the community, that I
want to pray on it before I answer any ques
tions. Anything that's said gets twisted 18 dif
ferent ways. I'm a little apprehensive. I want
the Lord to lead me in everything I do. We're
just trying to do what the Lord wants us to do.
We're not trying to cause a problem for the
public school system."
Rev. Waitt declined to comment on the
Thursday night meeting. He said his group was
not affiliated with any denomination and the
members of the group had broken away from
Thornburg Brings Campaign
To Madison County
Democratic gubernatorial
hopeful Lacy Thornburg
brought his campaign to
Madison County last Friday.
Thornburg, a former
Superior Court judge who
resigned his post in March to
seek the nomination, met with
local leaders at a reception
held at Madison High School.
A Mars Hill College
graduate, the Sylva Democrat
returned last week from a
campaign tour of eastern
North Carolina. Discussing
the campaign trip, Thornburg
?aid, "In traveling across the
eastern part of the state, I was
amazed to discover the sense
of kinship people in the east
have with Western North
Carolina "
Earlier in the week, Thorn
burg had called far the rapes)
of the newly enacted
"Discovery Law.'
told The News
? comprehensive
to influence legislation.
If elected, Thorn burg said
he would press for changes in
the current judicial system. "I
would like to see minor traffic
offenses handled by
magistrates. This would take
some load away from the
District Courts. 1 would also
recommend that appeals from
District Court be heard direct
ly by the Court of Appeals.
This will clear up the Superior
Courts. We also need to
shorten discovery hearings so
that we can make the best
possible use of Judges' time."
Thornburg said he will
watch with interest the way
the courts handle the new DWI
law that takes effect Oct. 1.
Reports have been cir
culating that Thornburg would
for