The NEWS RECORD
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY SINCE 1901
Mars Hill Approves Budget
- Story On P*ge 5 -
" 1 ? 1 ? 1
Marshall July 4 To Feature
Rodeo, Fireworks
The annual rodeo sponsored by the Marshall Volunteer Fire
Dept. will be held on July 3 and 4 at 7 p.m. on Blannerhassett
Island in Marshall.
Marshall Masons To Meet
There will be a static communication ot tne French Broad
Lodge No. 292 A.F.& A.M. on Monday, July 1 at 8 p.m. in the
Masonic Building in Marshall. All members are invited to at
tend.
County Commissioners To Meet
The Madison County Board of Commissioners will meet on
Friday at 2 p.m. to approve the county's 1985-86 budget.
The county commissioners will hold their regular monthly
meeting on July 1 at 1 p.m. in the Madison County Court
House.
The public is invited to attend both these meetings.
School Board Meets July 3
The Madison County Board of Education will meet on July 3
at 10:30 a.m. in the Madison County Court House.
Mars Hill Board Meets July 1
The Mars Hill Board of Aldermen will meet on July 1 at 7 : 30
p.m. in the Town Hall.
Hot Springs Board To Meet July 6
The Hot Springs Board of Aldermen will hold their monthly
meeting on July 6 at 8 a.m. in the Town Hall.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend these
meetings of local government.
News Record Office Closed July 4th
Deadline for all Community Calendar announcements is
Friday at 5 p.m. for inclusion in the following week's edition.
Open Meetings Bill
Delayed In House
BY JOHN DRKSCIIKK. JK.
News and Observer
The slate House voted Friday to
delay debate on toughening the
state's Open Meetings Law until next
week, sending .a signal that there will
be substantial opposition to the bill.
"I didn't expect otherwise." H.
Hugh Stevens, a lobbyist for the N. C.
Press Association, said in an inter
view after the meeting. But Stevens
added that attandance during the
- ote Friday had dwindled enough to
'uake it difficult to say how the bill
vould fare.
Only 7 1 of the 120 members of the
House vuieti, and they voted 40-35 to
delay debate until Tuesday. Several
members said they wanted to be able
to discuss the bill during the weekend
with their local boards and commis
sioners.
Rep Luther R. Jeralds,
D-Cumberland, said he was concern
ed about the effect the bill would have
on small municipalities "that don't
have a lot of attorneys and legal ad
vice available."
But other House members said
local government officals already
had made clear their opposition to-the
bill
"You don't have to go hone to see
how your county commissioners feel
about this bill." Rep. Timothy H.
McDowell, D-Alamance. told the
House. "1 can tell you. They 're oppos
ed to it You really ought to ask your
- ? "I (hey -feel about their
very strong discouragement of good
people running for (local) office," C.
Ronald Aycock, executive director of
the N. C. Association of County Com
missioners. siad in an interview.
Aycock said the bill was "pole
vaulting over anthills" because there
were few problems concerning viola
tions of the Open Meetings Law.
Aycock said he sought the delay.
"What's so wrong with putting it
off?" he said. "Arewe trying to rush
it through? It's a deliberative pro
cess."
But Rep. George W. Miller,
D-Durham. who introduced the bill,'
said in an interview that AycoCk's ef
forts showed his association had little
concern with ensuring that the Open
Meetings Law was enforced.
"They've attempted to subvert this
bill from the time it was first in
troduced." said Miller, who con
fronted Aycock with angry words in
the hallway after the vote. "They do
not appear to want any real enforce
ment proceedings for the Open
Meetings Law." Miller said op
ponents of his bill had to decide
whether the Open Meetings Law "
means something or is jest a lot of
words." Jjr : ,
The 1977 Open Meetings Law re
quires most government bodies to
hold meetings in public. That law in
cludes 19 exceptions that allow public
Testimony begins In
Adams Murder Trial
By ROBERT KOENIG
Testimony began on Monday afternoon in the murder trial
of former Volunteer In Service To America (VISTA) worker
James Arthur Adams in Madison County Superior Court.
Adams is charged with murder, rape and obstruction of
justice in connection with the 1970 slaying of VISTA worker
Nancy Dean Morgan.
Jury selection for the trial was completed during the Mon
day morning session. District Attorney James Tf Rusher and
defense attorney Joseph Huff of Marshall agreed on a panel of
seven women and five men. Two alternates, a man and a
woman, were also selected to hear the case.
Former Madison County Sheriff Roy Roberts was the first
prosecution witness to testify. Roberts was the sheriff at the
time of the June, 1970 murder.
Roberts told the court that he arrived at Tanyard Gap on
U.S. 25-70 near Hot Springs shortly after Morgan's car was
discovered on June 17, 1970, two days after the Louisiana
native was reported missing.
Roberts said he found Morgan's nude body in the rear of the
grey 1965 Plymouth four-door sedan. The former sheriff said
Morgan was bound with what appeared to be parachutechord.
The rope was tied around her feet and neck in hog-tie fashion.
Roberts said he found a piece of cloth about 10 feet from the
government-owned vehicle assigned to Morgan.
Under cross-examination, Roberts said he had questioned
Adams at the scene shortly after the discovery.
A fellow VISTA worker assigned to Madison County, Adams
was believed to have been the last person to see Morgan alive.
At the time, he told police Morgan had visited him in his home
in the Bluff section on. JLhe night of June 15. Adams told in
vestigators that Morgan left his home for her own home in the
Shelton Laurel community at 3:30 a.m. the next day after the
two discussed VISTA-related business.
Roberts also testified that he had questioned Adams'
neighbor at the time, Johnny Waldroup. The former sheriff
said he did not make an arrest in the case because he fe& he
had not found sufficient evidence.
Adams sat intently through Roberts' testimony, turning to
face Waldroup when Huff first mentioned his name in ques
tioning the former sheriff. Waldroup is a key prosecution
witness in the 15-year old case. Waldroup implicated Adams in
the murder while serving a jail sentence in the Madison Coun
ty for parole violation.
Waldroup took the stand following Roberts' testimony. The
36-year old Bluff resident had been under guard the past few
days prior to the trial following an earlier disappearance.
Waldroup told the court that he was at home the night of
June 15. He said he walked down t the Adams home after hear
ing a noise. Arriving at the house, he looked in the window and
saw two men and a women he identified as Nancy Morgan.
Waldroup said Morgan was nude and bound hand and foot
when he entered the Adams house. He said Adams then hit
him in the nose, drawing blood. Adams then threatened to kill
him if he (Waldroup) didn't help them get rid of the body.
Waldroup told the court, "She didn't have no clothes on. A
cord was tied from her neck to her feet."
Waldroup said he saw Morgan's eyes moving when he first
entered the house, but that she appeared to be dead shortly
after he was hit by Adams.
Waldroup said he got into. Adams' government-owned
-Continued on Page !?
Marshall Board Approves Budget
. t
BUDGET ORDINANCE, 1985-86 FISCAL YEAR
TOWN OF MARSHALL, NORTH CAROLINA
REVENUES:
Ad valorem tax (85 cents per $100) $160,000
Other taxes 44,000
Revenue sharing 15,000 !
Powell Bill 17,500
Licenses and penalties 1,500
Investment earnings 3,000
Sales and services : 5,000
Miscellaneous 500
1984-85 appropriated funds 11,253
TOTAL REVENUES $262,253
EXPENDITURES:
Administration $70,800
Police Dept 36,000
Fire Dept 8,700
Streets ? 34,000
Cemetery 500
Debt Service:
Principal 11,000
Interest 50,000
Election 750
Recreation 2,000
TOTAL EXPENDITURES
nSffll^lflil m
$262,253
Marshall aldermen met for three
hours last Wednesday night to ham
mer out budgets for the town's
general fund and Water and Sewer
Dept.
Mayor Wild and aldermen John
Dodson and Sammy Lunsford confer
red with Brad Pippinger, the town's
auditor. Pippinger and town
secretary Linda Dodson had
prepared a preliminary draft of the
town budget earlier. Board member
Ed Niles was out of town and did not
attend the special called meeting
The original estimate of revenues
for the Water and Sewer Dept. was
reduced when it was learned that less
than 80 percent of te town's water
customers will be connected to the
sewer.
The aldermen also heard a report
from Sam Parker regarding progress
on the Island Rd. housing rehabilita
tion project
With the new budget approved, the
board voted to hire Ricky Chandler as
a part-time police officer. The board
will hold its regularly scheduled mon
thly meeting on July 8 at 7:30 p.m.
A"
heroMtofl
fundraise