Newspapers / The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.) / Aug. 28, 1986, edition 1 / Page 1
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- 1 BR.ARY / A^IVWRV He "tw$ 26752 i nc rtOPLe OF MADISON COUNTY SINCE 1901 " wmxr'vm&rr i f Thursday, August 28, 1986 25c T- "1 Calendar Alderman Meeting Re-scheduled The meeting of the Board of Aldermen for the Town of Hot Springs, orginally scheduled for September 1, has been chang ed to September 8 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Women Voters Meet There will be a meeting of the newly-formed Madison Coun ty unit of The League of Women Voters on September 3, at 4 p.m., at the Baird House, 121 S. Main Street, Mars Hill. New members are welcome. For more information contact Judy McLeod at 689-4815 or Yvette Wessel at 689-5722. Democrats Sponsor Breakfast The Madison County Democrat Party is sponsoring a free breakfast at Madison High School on August 30 St 7:30 a.m. Former Governor Terry Sanford and former Senator Jamie Garke will be the keynote speakers. Everyone is invited to at tend. Fisher-Fox Family Reunion The Fisher-Fox family reunion will be held August 31 bginn ing at 11:00 a.m. at the Long Branch Baptist Church. All decendants of William E. and Harriet F. Fisher are encourag ed to attend. Democrats Meet The Madison County Democratic Women will meet at 7 p.m. on September 2 at the Mars Hill Steakhouse. The annual con vention of the N. C. Democratic Women will be held in Wilm ington from September 20-21. Plese let us know as soon as possible if you wish to attend the convention. Towns Discuss Mutual Water Supply Officials ntpreswiJinp I\tarstvall. Mars Hill, Weaverville and Woodfin met together last Thursday night to discuss possible water sources to serve all four towns. Marshall Mayor Anita Ward called the special meeting and presided at Thursday's hearing. Among the visiting officials were Mars Hill Mayor Owen Tilson. aldermen John Chandler and Grady Worlev . Weaver ville Mayor Reese Lasher and town manager Charles Home and Woodfin Water District board members Charles Anderson and Hugh Robin son. The officials heard from Larry A. New and John McMichael of Vaughn and Melton Engineers of Asheville. New and McMichael have been study ing the possible use of the Hunter Creek dam as a water source. New told the meeting that Marshall is under an order from federal of ficials to either restore the abandon ed dam or breach it. New said that breaching the dam would cost an estimated $200,000, while repairing the dam to meet federal standards would cost about $400,000. New suggested that restoring and using the dam might be a more 1^^. - economical choice, . ditional customers could makenBTof Hunter Creek as a water source. He said that the cost of constructing a water treatment plant at Hunter Creek and installing lines to serve Weaverville. Woodfin and Mars Hill could approach $5 million. Questioned by officials from Mars Hill and Weaverville, New said that the Hunter Creek dam. restored to a height of 45 feet, could provide a capacity of about 100 million gallons. The engineer also said that the system could be operated on gravity flow due to the elevation of the aban doned dam. Hunter Creek dam is located at an elevation of 2,500 feet above sea level according to topographical maps presented at the meeting. Mars Hill is at an elevation of 2,325 feet. Weaver ville at 2,176 and Woodfin is 2,179 feet above sea level. Marshall's Main Street is at an elevation of about 1 .800 feet above sea level. Earlier this year. Mars Hill, Weaverville and Woodfin approved a joint project to fund a feasibility study of the Ivy River as a potential -Continned on Page Rios Found Guilty; Receives Life Sentence By ROBERT KOENIG HENDERSONVILLE- A Henderson County jury convicted Jimmy Dean Rios of first degree murder last Thursday morn ing. Rios was also found guilty of larceny, armed robbery, and felonious breaking, entering and larceny. After six hours of deliberation on Wednesday, the panel of seven men and five women needed only 45 minutes to deliver the verdict on Thurdsay morning. On Friday, the same jury unanimously decided to spare Rios' life and handed down a life sentence. The jury required only two hours' deliberation to arrive at their sentencing recommendation. Late Friday night, Superior Curt Judge Mary McGloughlin Pope concluded the three-week trial by sentencing Rios to an additional 60 years for his convictions on charges of armed robbery, breaking, entering and larceny and felonious larceny. Pope ordered that the sentences be served con secutively, making Rios ineligible for parole for more than 30 years. Each of the sentences for the lesser offfenses was the maximum allowed by law. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Rios for his role in the murder of State Highway Patrol Trooper Bobby Lee Coggins last Sept. 14 at the Vann Cliffs overlook near Hot Spr ings. : On Thursday, Rios showed no emotion as the verdict was read aloud in the courtroom. He stared ahead blankly and turned pale as the individual jurors were polled as to their ver dict. Members of Rios' family and a single female juror cried as the guilty verdict was announced. Judge Pope began the sentencing phase of the trial im mediately after the jury delivered its verdict on Thursday morning. Family members, friends and an Asheville- based psychologist testified during the sentencing phase of the trial. Dr. David Dorr, a clincial psychologist, said Rios was a talented artist and an excellent candidate for rehabilitation. Dorr told the court that Rios suffered from a mild personality disorder .-See related story. Rios' wife, Cherry Bales Rios, mother and brothers also testified during the sentencing hearing. Defense attorney For rest Ball also introduced a letter written by Rios to DA Tom Rusher last May. In the letter, Rios offered to testify against co-defendant William R. Bray. Rusher declined Rios' offer to testify. Friday's sentencing completed the three-week trial which began on July 28. Prosecutors and defense attornies introduc ed more than 100 pieces of evidence and called some 52 witnesses to testify. ?Continued on Page H ? .s Rios Profile Convicted Killer Jimmy Uean Rios is a man of several contrasting personalities, according to witnesses who testified at his sentencing hearing last Thursday. Witnesses called by the defense portrayed the 24-year old Arkansas native as a former exotic dancer in Arkan sas nightclubs ; a born-again Christian who has studied the original versions of the Bible; a construction worker; a talented artist with a mixed personality disorder and a tender, loving father to a son born out of wedlock. Members of Rios' family, Madison County residents and an Asheville-based psychologist described the con victed murderer on the day a Henderson County jury con victed him in the murder of Trooper Bobby Lee Coggins. Clinical psychologist Darwin Dorr examined Rios for two weeks earlier this year and reported his findings dur ing the Thursday afternoon sentencing hearing. Dorr told the court that Rios "suffers from a mixed personality disorder, with passive-agressive tendencies." Asked to explain his diagnosis by defense attorney Forrest Ball, Tferr reptfST'To pot it BlunTly, he was a rfltxed-tfp kid." Although confused, Dorr said he thought the convicted murderer was "a really good candidate for rehabilita tion." In his report on Rios, the psychologist wrote, "I don't believe Jimmy could have firted a shot." District Attorney Tom Rusher objected to introducing Dorr's conclusion as part of his testimony. After a meeting in Judge Mary Pope's chambers. Dorr's report was introduced as evidence, but the conclusion regarding Rios' ability to fire a gun was deleted. Under cross-examination by Rusher, Dorr said that he had been hired to test Rios by the convicted killer's defense attornies. Dorr said, however, that being hired by the defense did not influence his findings. Rios' mother, Eva Mason, also testified during the sentencing phase of the three-week trial. Mason said her son was "an average boy" who didn't cause her trouble. She said that Rios was deeply affected by the death of his Hither when he was a teenager. Dorr's testimony also mentioned that Rios' personality required a strong father figure and that he could be easily led by a strong personality. The psychologist said that Rios constantly seeks ap proval and suggested that his employment as an exotic dancer was caused by his search for approval. Rios reportedly made as much as $1,500 a night in tips for dan cing in nightclubs. Rios' wife. Cherry Bales Eios, was also called to testify during the sentencing hearing. She and Rios were mar ried in a civil ceremony held in the Madison County Jail in March. The couple have an 11-month old son. Rebel Brannon Rios, born two weeks before the Sept. 14 murder at the Vann Cliffs overlook near Hot Springs Earlier on Thursday, Mrs. Rios was in tears as the Henderson County jury of seven men and five women pronounced her husband guilty. A composed Mrs. Rios took the stand and smiled'at her husband as she began testifying. She described Rios as "a loving father" who played with his son during visits at the Madison County Jail. * Mrs. Rios also told the court that her husband had begun a Bible study group among his fellow prisoners As she left the stand on Thursday, she smiled at her husband and mouthed the words, "I love you." Several other Madison County residents told the court of Rios' involvement with a jailhouse ministry at the county jail. -('(Blinued on Page 5 District Court Held In Marshall In district court sessions held this week in Madison County most cases were either continued or issued war rants for failure to appear. A bill of indictment to superior court was handed down against Joel Zimmerman during district court session this week. Zimmerman was charged in the manufacture of a con trolled substance. A not guilty verdict was -brought ??? tor l^roeny chargos against Edward Chandler. Judge Phillip Ginn in presiding over the Monday and Tuesday ses sions, also allowed a continuance in the larceny, breaking and entering charges against Darrell Justice. Justice is currently in jail, his case delayed until September IS, and will be released pending the securing of a $3,000 bond. Judge Ginn fleld first appearance precedings in his chambers for Scotty Ray, also accused of breaking and entering, and larceny. That case was also continued until Sept. 15. Charges of assault on a female and communicating threats were dismissed against Weldon Wild, while Judge Ginn continued Leonard Willis' case until Sept. 15, appointing Forest Ball as Willis' attorney. Willis is charged with aiding and abetting in an assault with a deadly weapon. A probable cause hearing was also set for Sept. 15 for David Ledford, ac cused of larceny. -Continued on Page 5 State Basic Education Plan Outlined SKCONI) IN SKHIKS By VMI.I.IAM I.KK The North Carolina State Board of Education recently apprised its coun ty and city school systems of its plans to implement a basic education pro gram by September 1987. While the program guidelines mainly deal with basic curriculum re quirements (see part one in back-to school supplement. August 31). the state has also set standards for just about all other areas of education, right down to recommendations for square foot requirements for classrooms and schools. Among the state guidelines are the following: K.xcrpt tonal children. In providing education for the handicapped learner, the school curriculum will be broken down into four grade levels as it is with other studnu. Grades K-3 will emphasize ment. language 44 will leach | beginning 7-8 will , and H2 win i Grades per 3.000 students, or one per county ) , and a school psychologist (one per 2.000 students, or one per county). I.ibrarv-Media Centers. Minimum standards for materials in each school library-media center are established. State guidelines call (or a minimum of ten books per student ( not including obsolete, badly worn or excessive duplicate materials), 15-30 magazines, 1-2 newspapers, and an appropriate amount of maps, globes, audio-visual aids, as deemed necessary by the local school board. Promotion standards. The state will continue to require students in grades 3, 6, and 8 to meet minumum testing standards In reading, language and mathmatics in order to be promoted. Students scoring below the 29 percentile in the annual testing progratp will not be promoted In order to receive a high school diploma students must pass one of three N.C. Competency Tests in math, reading and writing. School staffing. The state basic education guidelines also sets new policy in regard to teacher allotments and administrative personnel At grades K-3, one teacher will be alloted per 20 students. For grades 4-6 it's one teacher per 22 students Grades 7-8 allows for one per 21 students. At grades ?-12 there is an allotment of one teacher per 24.5 students. Summer school programs are provided for one teacher per 15 students, and vocational education is allowed one teacher per 96 students. One librarian is to be provided for every 400 students, and an In-School Suspension teacher is to be provided for each school with grades 7-12. other programs. vLocal school system. wiH nowjfce required to pro vide for three basic educational pro grams outside of the regular school program. An In-School Suspension program is now provided for through the state. A remedial and compen satory education program should be established to assist those who do not meet state promotion standards, or those seeking additional academic assistance. An Extended Day Pro gram is also required to serve students, age 16-19, who cannot at tend during regular school hours TT?e state's basic education pro cram also provides an extensive list of approved textbooks for all courses throughout the grade levels, and pro vides a suggested list of high school elective*
The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.)
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Aug. 28, 1986, edition 1
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