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flF VS RECORD
Serving The People Of Madison County Since 1 90 1
Vol. 86 No. 43 ' ! Thursday, October 23, 1986 ~ ? 25c
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FIELD GOAL BLOCKED. Mars Hill's David
Shealy attempts 27-yard FG in fourth quarter
only to have it blocked by Carson-Newman.
Mars Hill lost 10-7. ? See story Page 7.
Tax Records And More
Now On Computer
All of the information now in the 13
Madison County tax record books
compiled each year, and more, will
be put in the new IBM System 36 com
puter in his office, says Wesley H.
Straude Jr., county tax supervisor.
Once that information is in the com
puter to begin with, the computer can
print out 10,000 to 11,000 tax bills in
about two hours. The computer can
be used not only for billing, but to
make life easier for the Registrar of
Deeds. A tax map of the county,
which shows exactly where houses
are, should be fed into the computer
by 1969, Staude says, adding that the
Ambulance Service will be able to tie
into the computer with a console
down at the EMS office. By punching
in the name of an emergency caller,
an EMS worker will be able to call up
on the screen the place where the
client lives, his medical record,
whether he is a heart patient, and the
kind of medication he takes.
The new system will also be used to
aid in the county tax reevaluation
starting next August.
Before any of these useful things
can start to happen, however, Mr
Staude expects that feeding the
original tax information into the com
puter will take three to five months.
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Weaverville Acts On Risks
As part of a risk-management pro
gram for the town, the Weaverville
town council Monday evening
adopted one ordinance and amended
another. "
The amended ordinance, in effect,
bans the use of skateboards on town
sidewalks.
The ne\y ordinance covers the town
against potential liability if a car
driving in a procession being led by a
Weaverville police car-as in the case
of a funeral cortege- should be struck
by another car.
The ordinance, in effect, declares
the town may not be held liable in
leading such a procession in a town
owned vehicle if another car in the
procession is involved in an accident.
Time For Shots
Now is the time fo^ administering
flu shots, according to Or. Louis
Schroeder. internal medicine
specialist with the Hot Springs Health
Program.
"It's especially important for high
risk people to get their flu shots now,"
Dr. Schroder said, adding that high
risk people may include those over 65
or those with chronic illnesses such as
diabetes or heart, lung or kidney
disease.
Community Calendar1
Spring Creek Games
Spring Creek Volunteer Fire Dept. will sponsor a games
evening at the fire hall on Oct. 25, starting at 7 p.m. Everyone
is welcome to attend.
Absentee Voting
The Madison County Board of Elections office on Main
Street, Marshall, will be open for absentee voting on Saturday,
Oct. 25 from 8:30 to 4:30.
Mars Hill Festival
Mars Hill Elementary School PTSA will sponsor its fall
festival on Nov. 1 from 5 to 10 p.m. at the school. Admission:
|1 for adults, 50 cents for children. Children 3 and under will
get in free. Winners will get door prizes. Tickets are available
at the school and at the gate.
Greater Ivy Festival
The Greater Ivy Community will hold its fall festival on
Nov. 25 starting at 6:30 p.m. There will be dinner, games,
entertainment and cake-walks. A haunted house will begin at
8 p.m. Drawings will be held for prizes. Everyone is welcome.
Those
stmas Pageant
interested in participating in the Marshall Christmas
t are asked to meet at the town hall on Oct. 24 at 7:30
f>.m. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Democrats' Fish Fry
hold their traditional flah-fry oa Saturday.
County Names Board
For Historic Properties
By WILLIAM LEE
The Madison County Board of
County Commissioners this week ap
pointed five members to sit on its
newly formed Historic Properties
Commission.
The new commission was formed
oy the commissioners during their
October 6 meeting to make recom
mendations and determinations on
buildings or sites that need to be
designated as historic properties. The
new commission will also undertake
an inventory of properties of
historical, architectural and, or of ar
cheological significance.
The appointed members of the
board are Richard Kingston, Taylor
Barnhill, Frank Roberts, Jeanne Hof
fman, and Reena Shelby.
The new commission will also be
responsible for the acquisition of
historic properties, and will under
take any preservation, restoration or
improvement to any historic places in
Madison County. The commission
can then exchange, sell or lease out
historic properties, providing that
these properties are still to maintain
public access.
Madison County had its own
chapter of the National Historic
Preservation Society some years ago,
according to Commissioner James
Ledford.
"By now having a historic preser
vation group working within the coun
ty government we hope interest shall
not wane,", said Ledford. "Through
their recommendations the county
commission can, by ordinance, work
to save or secure historic places."
In other business, the county com
mission instructed its Health Depart
ment director, Edward Morton, to
begin searching for possible sites for
a new county landfill The current
landfill, off the Marshall Bypass, is
nearly full, reported Ledford.
Attorney for the county, Larry
Leake, began negotiations for the
county to lease property near Walnut
as instructed on October 6. Leake
reported back to the commission this
week that he considered the property
unsuitable for health reasons. He did
not elaborate and the matter was
discussed further in executive ses
sion.
Plans to remove the trash dump
ster center from James Ledford's
property along Hwy 19-23 in Mars Hill
has been delayed by the Department
of Transportation until the county
secures proper right-of-way into the
Blaine Jarvis property where the
dump6ters will be relocated.
Jim Brown, director of the county
landfill, presented preliminary
estimates to the commission for the
purchase of a new garbage truck and
bulldozer for the landfill. A lease
option purchase on the truck would
cost about $96,000, Brown said. No
prices have been submitted as yet on
the purchase of a bulldozer, but
Brown estimated the final tally for
the two items to be just under
$200,000.
The county commissioners approv
ed the purchase of a new ambulance
for the Mars Hill emergency ser
vices. Price of the new vehicle was
$27,435. Another ambulance was pur
chased last month for the Marshall
EMS.
In other business this month, at
both its October 6 and 20 meetings,
the commissioners appointed Susan
Moore Coonan as the new nurse with
the Madison County Health Depart
ment. The commissioners allocated
$1,000 to the Madison County Arts
Council and gave two grants of $7,757
and $2,829 to Madison High for new
fencing and a public address system.
A resolution was passed on October
6, proclaiming that the Hot Springs
Day Care Center and site for the
elderly be named the Virginia H.
Anderson Building in honor of the
county commissioner.
The resolution went on to credit
Anderson, who will be leaving office
after the November elections, as be
ing the "driving force in the building
of the center and any renovations of
the facilities."
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TAX RECORDS for new connty computer, held by Wesley H.
Straude Jr., tax supervisor.
Jury Selection Set
On Belva Trial
Jury selection was completed and
trial proceedings began this week on
charges of breaking and entering,
larceny and conspiracy to commit a
felony against Debbie Cutshall. The
, case i& being, heard in Superior Court
sesstiwfc 1*44*1 Marshall
The Sreeneville, Tenn. native is
alleged to have taken part in a
November 29, 1985 break-in at Cook's
Grocery Store on State Rd. 206 in
Belva. The 3 a.m. attempt ended with
two suspects. Isaac Junior Gunter,
32, and Jeffrey Bullman, 20, both of
Revere, shot and killed on the
premises by store-owner Odell Cook,
who was cleared of any wrong-doing
in defending his property by lethal
force.
Sheriff E.Y. Ponder apprehended
Debbie Cutshall, 20, as he made his
way to the scene. The two men died
from single wounds to the neck from
a 30-30 rifle.
The jury was seated Monday after
a number of jurors were excused for
being familiar with the incident, or
knowing the defendent or witnesses.
The defendant's attorney, Joseph
Huff, asked the jury to be certain not
to pass judgment on his client simply
because of her acquaintance with the
two deceased men.
"Guilt by association will do my
client no good," said Huff
Prosecutor Jim Baker was to call
five or six witnesses to the stand dur
ing the week's proceeding. The trial
is expected to conclude today or Fri
day.
Jail Inspected
An inspection of the Madison Coun
ty Jail was carried out by the county
grand jury on Oct. 20 and led to a
number of recommendations
Wall*, ceilings and floors of the jail
needed painting, the jury decided,
and efforts should be made to clear
up a fire hazard at the bottom of the
stairs. The hazard, the grand jury
concluded, was caused by boxes of
mattresses stacked in the stairwell
with cigaret butts on the boxes.
The grand jury also commented
that "the general temperature seem
ed to be cool."
The recommendations were reach
ed by the grand jury during a regular
session on Oct. 20 with 14 members
present, according to Ted Runnion,
foreman
Bear Kill-Count Up
Bean are gladdening hearts of
hunters with a larger kill than usual
with the kill-count up in the early
days of the season, county game
wardens say. And before the season
opened Oct. 13, bears were wandering
into Mart Hill, for example, and giv
ing firemen and others extra exercise
chasing them.
Bears come and go around here,
recalls long-time game warden and
wildlife protector Raymond E
of Fork Road About 90
i, Uie county had more bears
of space than any
of Western North Carolina
time they were virtual
area v had to
s for
in Hot Springs who rescued the boys
the following morning.
This year extra bears may be fin
ding their way into this area more
naturally.
In the mountains in general the
bears' natural food supply, or mast,
is in short supply, says the North
Carolina Wildlife Resources Commis
sion
But in Madison County there is
plenty of mast except at the highest
elevations, says Game Warden Le
Mar Worley
And hungry bears can wander into
the area from as far as Smoky Moun