' 28753
HE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY SINCE 1901
Thursday, January 16, 1986
Community Watch Meeting Set
For Hot Springs On Jan. 28
The Hot Springs Police Dept. will hold a public meeting ort
Jan. 28 ^t 7 p.m. in the Community Center to discuss plans for
starting a Community Watch program.
Deputy John Heatherly of the Buncombe County Sheriff's
Dept. will attend and provide information on how the program
should operate. All Hot Springs residents are encouraged to
attend.
Weaverville Council Meets Monday
The Weaverville Town Council will hold its monthly meeting
on Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall on Main Street. All
Weaverville residents are invited to attend.
Lions Host Owls Tonight
The Mars Hill College Lions will host Warren Wilson College
in basketball action tonight at Chambers Gym. Tipoff is
scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
County wide Toll-Free
Telephone Service
To Begin Feb. 1
Madison County telephone
castomers will begin enjoying toll
free countvwide service beginning on
Feb. 1 when Contel completes connec
tions on new digital switching equip
ment in the Hot Springs area.
Weaverville customers will receive
toll-free service in Buncombe County
beginning on Jan. 25
PrK ale line customer^ in Madron
County will see their monthly bitfs in
crease by 35 cents with the introduc
tion of oountvwide toll-free service
In Weaverville. customers will see
residential service charges increase
by 25 cents.
Completion of the digital equips
ment installation is the final siep in
connecting the three Madison County
exhanges. Earlier, digital switching
equipment was installed in the Mar
shall. Mars Hill and Weaverville
areas.
With completion of the work. Hot
Springs customers will be able to
order the latest' innovations in
telephone service according to Contel
vice president. These innovations,
already available to Contel
customers in Marshall and Mars Hill,
include TouehToqg i^eryice.
eaHing. call wafting anffcoriTerenof
calling.
In announcing the commencement
of toll-free service. Contdl VP Turner
RoRers had other good news for coun
ty telephone users. Rogers told The
News Record. "If long distance
charges aren't severly increased, we
(Contel) would not anticipate seeking
a rate increase until late 19B7 or early
1988."
Grand Jury Calls For
Ledford Investigation
The Madison County grand jury has
called for an investigation of County
.Commissioner James Ledford's
business transactions with county
agencies. The panel returned a bill of
presentment to District Attorney
Tom Rusher on Monday. The bill of
presentment is not an indictment, but
rather instructs the DA to look
into the possibility that Ledford may
have violated state law regarding
conflict of interest.
Audits of the county finances have
revealed that the Madison County
Transportation Authority and
Emergency Medical Service have
purchased goods and services from
three Mars Hill Exxon stations
operated hv the chairman of the coun
ty commission. State law limits the
amount of business a public official
can conduct with government agen
cies to $5,000 per year. The annual
audit report indicates that the $5,000
limit was exceeded in each of the past
two fiscal years.
Assistant District Attorney Gerald
Wilson will co-ordinate the investiga
tion The state statute which may
have been violated is a misdemeanor
offense.
Ten new members of the
18-member county grand jury were
sworn in on Monday by Superior
Court Judge Marvin Gray at the
opening of a brief session of.Superior
Court conducted at Madison H S
In addition to the bill of present
ment. the grand jury also indicted 14
people. Those indicted include:
Ricky Honevcult. charged with
breaking, entering and larceny;
Dillard A Gentry, charged with
manufacturing a controlled
substance :
Jeffrey L. Johnson, charged with
manufacturing a controlled
substance.
Billy W. Anderson, charged with
manufacturing a controlled
substance:
Carl Carter, charged with breaking
and entering and assault with a dead
ly weapon inflicting serious injury;
Konald L. McKinnev, charged with
breaking, entering and larceny;
Darrell Justice, charged with
forgery and false pretense .
[)ebhie Cutshall. charged with con
spiracy and accessory before the fact
of breaking, entering and larceny ;
Brenda Henderson, charged with
two counts of forgery and a single
count of assault with a deadly weapon
inflicting serious injury:
Kusty Clonlz. charged with posses
sion of stolen property ;
Mr. - and Mrs. Tony Fore, both
charged with assault with a deadly
weapon inflicting serious injury and;
Norman P Jamerson. charged
with unlawful burning and two counts
of breaking, entering and larceny.
Incumbents File For Re-Election
County Commissioners, School Board
Members Enter Democratic Primary
The field in the upcoming county
elections became more crowded this
week as all three county commis
sioners and the five curent Board of
Education members all filed for re
elections.
County commissioners James T.
I.edford. Ervin Adams and Virginia
Anderson all filed with the Madison
County Board of Elections on Jan. 8.
Later the same day. school board
members Robert Z. "Bobby" Ponder,
Ed Gentry. Floyd Wallio. Gerald
-Vuuog Fr*de*J?tk Anderson,
entered the Democratic primary
following the monthly meeting of the
board.
Earlier. Clerk of Superior Court
James W. Cody filed for re-election.
Madison County Tax Collector Harold
Wallin will also seek re-election in the
May primary. Both Cody and Walin
are unopposed as we go to press. The
filing period will continue until Feb. 3
at noon.
In the races for state offices, both
incumbents Charles Beall of Clyde
and Speaker of the House Liston B.
Ramsey of Marshall have filed for re
election. Beall filed his application
with the Haywood County Board of
Electiosn.
In the Democratic school board
races. District I members Young and
Anderson are unopposed at press
tmv,- l)..n Massey Ms Pledgor eJec-.J
.lion U> one of (he three '^rats held in
District II.
Among Republicans, only Dewey i
Griffey Jr. filed this past week. Grif- !
fey entered the race for a District II /
seat on the Board of Education.
Earlier. James Dedrick Brown
entered the race for sheriff and both
Joe Fowler and Bob Phillips filed to
enter the county commission race.
K.7.. "Bohbv" l*o\l?KI<
IIAKOI.I) WAI.I.IX
Marshall Buys Two Patrol Cars
Hv WDHKW KU.I.KK
The Marshall Board of Aldermen
held (heir first meeting of the year on
Monday night
C'ecila Ward, the town's budget con
sultant. presented some good finatu
eial news. She told the aldermen that
the town is operating well within its
budget for the IS85-86 fiscal year.
In closing her financial report.
Ward again brought problems with
the town's water system to the
board's attention. She said that the
water system has pumped approx
imately to million gallons of water
that have not bc?n accounted for each
month. The town billed customers for
approximately two million gallons of
water The excess unaccounted-for
water is costing the town for utility
charges to pump water.
The town recently purchased two
cars from the State Highway Patrol
lor the police department at a cyst of
$5,301) each. The town had earlier
received a state grant of $10,001) to
purchase a new patrol car.
Kormer Mayor Betty Wild criticiz
ed the purchase during Monday's
meeting, saying. "I just think it's
about time the people of Marshall had
something new." Before leaving of
fice in December, the former mayor
ordered a new car without consulting
members of the town hoard. Shortly
after taking olfict, Mayor Anita
Ward cancelled the order for the new
car
Sam Parker, director of the
Madison County Housing Authority
i MCHA i presented information on
the Community Development Block
Grants iCDBG> that Marshall cur
rently has Before May 1. Marshall
must spend 60 percent of a 19R4 grant
before the town can apply lo the N.C
Department of Natural Resources
and Community Development for ad
ditional grant funds. In order to meet
the fit) percent requirement, a portion
of a grant will be used for im
provements on the Cotton Mill Hill
sewer line, which is in need of
repairs.
For the second month in a row. Cot
ton Mill Hill resident Eileen Payne
complained about a problem with a
neighbor's animals. Payne complain
ed that her neighbor is housing a live
hrig in a pen and also keeps as many
as seven dogs on the property Payne
asked the aldermen to enact an
animal ordinance during their
December meeting.
Mayor Ward said that the town's at
torney. Charles Mashburn. has
researched town records and found
an ordinance already on the books
that prohibits the keeping of animafc>
which give off noxious odors
Payne said that the town should en
force the ordinance and order the
animals removed.
Mayor Ward presented the
aldermen with copies of a proposed
sewer ordinance. The aldermen will
discuss the proposed ordinance at
their February meeting. The propos
ed ordinance is identical to one pass
ed by the Polk County town of Colum
bus. Among its provisions, the pro
posed ordinance would require
restaurant owners to install grease
traps to prevent cooking grease from
entering the town's sewer system
The aldermen are expected to discuss
revisions to the proposed amendment
at their Feb. to session.
At Mayor Ward's request, the
board ad journed to executive session
at 9::<0 p.m. to discuss a personnel
matter
Commissioners Are Told
Courtroom Repair
May Take Months
Repairs to the Madison County
Court House may take several mon
ths. forcing the closing of the cour
troom until sometime in May. That
was the news Mars Hill architect
Wayne Roberts presented to the
Madison County commissioners dur
ing their monthly meeting on Jan. 6.
Roberts is the architect supervising
the construction' project to replace
the roof on the 80-vear old courthouse
The commissioners approved a con
tact with Woodard and Roberts for
design work on the project .
Roberts told the commissioners
that they faced three options regar
ding replacement of the roof and
cupola housing the clock. The cupola
can be removed and replaced with a
lightweight replica, or it may be
repaired and replaced following in
stallation of the new roof.
County attorney Larry Leake
pressed Roberts for an estimated
completion date on the project, say
ing it was essential for the county to
have a courtroom available by April
1.
Roberts told Leake and the com
missioners. "I don't think there's any
way we can guarantee it will be
finished by April I. You might find a
contractor who will, but you'll haveto
pay "
Leake said the county will have to
-Continued on lNige H
Ponder Blasts Brewer
By ROBERT KOENIG
Saying that federal prosecutors had failed to prove their
case, U.S. District Court Judge Woodrow Jones dismissed 15
counts of mail fraud against Zeno Ponder, his wife, Marie,
nephew Leonard Ponder and business associate Marshall
Kanner last Wednesday. Judge Jones' decision came follow
ing two days of testimony in Federal Court in AsheviUe.
Attorneys for Ponder and the other defendants asked Judge
Jones to dismiss the charges at the conclusion of the prosecu
tion's evidence in the case. Prior to the judge's decision, pro
secutors voluntarily dismissed two additional counts of mail
fraud against the four defendants.
had failed to
; the use of the I
defraud both
thatl
out a scheme to defraud. "This evidence falls far short of prov
ing that," Jones said. "The mails were used, but they were in
cidental to carrying out the transactions."
Judge Jones went on to say that "I think whatever happened
here may have been fraud, but I don't think Mr. and Mrs.
Davis have a case. The amount paid for the land was all they
expected.''
Although dismissing the remaining charges, Jones said.
"The conduct of a state official is certainly in question here,
but I don't ride herd on state officials."
Immediately following the dismissal, U.S.
Brewer told 1
won't
Tm disappbinted in
,3
i