Newspapers / The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.) / Dec. 4, 1986, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Vol. 86 No. 49 Serving The People Of Madison County Since 1901 \'4v, Thursday, December 4, 1986 Vote Probe Comes To Madison By BILL STUDENT Editor Federal agents have subpoenaed voting records from Madison County as a part of a four-year investigation into voting irregularities in Western North Carolina. Those records, including absentee voting records from the May primary and the November election, are being examined by a federal grand jury meeting this week in Charlotte. The grand jury's three-day session was expected to end late Wednesday. U.S. Attorney Charles Brewer would not confirm Tuesday that the grand jury was examining Madison records. But county election officials confirmed that voting records have been subpoenaed by federal agents. Brewer did say he expected at least one new vote-related indictment to be iisued after the grand jury ad journs. He would not say if that in dictment would result from the newly subpoenaed records, or from records subpoenaed earlier in the investiga tion. Authorities alio subpoenaed absentee ballots, poll books and ballot envelopes for the 1966 primary and general election in Transylvania County. The federal investigation in Madison County is in addition to a State Bureau of Investigation probe into possible voting irregularities. That state investigation continued this week, as several SBI agents look ed at precinct books and obtained names and addresses from Madison County election officials. Disagreements Surface At 1st Board Meeting By BILL STUDENC Editor The latest edition of the Madison County Board of Commissioners went straight to work after being sworn in Monday, appointing a board chair man, approving a new meeting schedule and shuffling its line-up of employees. Despite opening-day pledges of uni ty and cooperation, the new county commissioners found themselves split on a number of issues that arose during their inaugural meeting Things did begin smoothly for the new board, as the commissioners elected Robert Capps, top vote-getter in the Nov. 4 balloting, as the board chairman. Commissioner John A. Hensley nominated Capps for chairman, and Commissioner Reese Steen seconded the motion. "I'll second the nomination to show we need to work together as a unified group for the betterment of the coun ty," Steen said. "I want to show my commitment to work with these gentlemen." Capps accepted the chairmanship, saying "I appreciate that you gentlemen have that much con fidence in me. I want to work with you in every way I can to make Madison County a better county." That spirit of cooperation, however, was short-lived - at least during Monday's meeting. Capps, after being appointed chair man, nominated Hensley for vice chairman. That prompted Steen to ask county attorney Larry Leake if the board chairman can make such nominations. Leake told Steen that the chairman could have whatever authority given him by the board. Hensley then made a motion that the chairman be allowed to make mo tions and nominations. Capps second ed the motion. Both Capps and Hensley voted in favor of the motion, while Steen abs tained - the first of many abstentions Monday. Capps then nominated Hensley for the vice-chairman's spot, and That set In? stage for a lively debate over when the board should hold its meetings, which have begun at l p.m. on the first Monday of the month. Steen made a motion that meetings be held at night, but the mo tion died for lack of a second. "All three of us have gone on record saying we would support meetings at night to give the people that work a chance to participate in county government and to give the people a chance to feel that they are a part of county government without having to miss work," Steen said in making the motion. Steen said th<f commissioners should set one meeting time - at night - "to erase a lot of the confusion." He suggested the board meet on the first Monday of the month at 7 p.m. Capps said he agreed with the idea of having night meetings, but not right away. "I think we ought to have the first couple (of meetings) during the day until we get established, and then go -Continued on back page Weaverville Parade Set The town of Weaverville will hold its first Christmas parade on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. The parade will begin at the Tri City Plaza and end at the Weaverville Middle School. Hot Springs Ready For Parade The town of Hot Springs will sponsor its first Christmas parade on Dec. IS, beginning at 2 p.m. For more information on entering the parade, call <22-3227. __ ??? Benefit Basketball The Marshall and Walnut Boosters cMte art challenging each other in a benefit basketball game Saturday at 7 p.m. )n the Marshall JBtomentary School gym. Admission will b? $1 ,1 llmm* p ' ' SBI agents came to Madison about two weeks prior to the Nov. 4 election, and those agents have yet to complete their work. William Powell, chairman of the Madison County Board of Elections, requested the SBI investigation, but said he was surprised to learn that federal authorities were also in terested in the Madison election. Powell turned over the requested records to a Federal Bureau of In vestigation agent after the Nov. 6 canvass. "The same day as the canvass, a federal agent was out here and he served me with a subpoena to bring all of the absentee records for the primary and the general election to Charlotte," Powell said. "I just tinn ed them over to the FBI agent on Nov. brings to nine the total number of WNC counties touched by Project WestVote, a federal investigation into voting improprieties in the mountains of WNC. Voting records from Alexander, Avery, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Swain and Yancey counties have also been examined by federal in vestigators during Project WestVote. Several WNC officials have been in dicted on charges of vote-buying as a result of the on-going investigation, and a number of voters charged with vote-selling. A total of 40 indictments have resulted from the project, making it the most extensive FBI investigation ever conducted in WNC. Powell said he would not be surpris ed to see indictments handed down Photo by Bill Studenc An Arresting Idea New Madison County Sheriff Dedrick Brown stands beside one of the two new patrol cars he purchased for his depu ties. Brown obtained the vehicles, the first marked patrol cars in Madison County, from the N.C. Highway Patrol. from both the federal and state in 6." The federal investigation in Madison and Transylvania counties vestigations. "I expect some indictments," he said. "I don't know, though, how far along they (federal officials) have gotten with the records, because they've not contacted any of us about those records." Federal agents last year in vestigated voting records at Hot Spr ings, Powell said. "They could have something besides the formal records, like allegations," he said. "They've been very tight-lipped about the whole thing." Brewer said he could not legally reveal what a federal grand jury was examining, but he did My that local election officials are free to discuss subpoenaed rerordi. "We do have some complaints from the 1986 election, but 1 cannot name what counties," Brewer said. Yancey County elections are also under federal investigation, and three Yancey Democrats have already been indicted on vote fraud charges stemming from the 1962 elec tion. Brewer has said he would seek at least one more indictment in Yancey County this week. When the SBI agents complete their investigation, they will file a report with 24th Judicial District Attorney Tom Rusher, who along with Powell requested the investigation. Fight Brews Over Home For Retarded By ANNK KITt llKI.I. Staff Writer Nearly 70 Weaverville area residents met Monday evening to plan opposition strategy to a Blue Ridge Mental Health proposal for an nexation of a site for a facility for the mentally retarded. A public hearing on the issue is scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m. Residents cited safelv concerns atiii Ueciiriing property values as their primary reasons for opposition Tine community meeting was organized in response to Blue Ridge Mental Health's proposal for annexa tion of a two-acre tract along Reems Creek and Dogwood Drive so that town sewer and water service would be available to a planned in termediate care facility for the retarded. The proposal was brought before the Weaverville Town Council on Nov. 17. Blue Ridge Mental Health Director Larry Thompson attended the meeting to address questions and concerns of the group. Thompson said there is a need for this type of long range residential facility in north Buncombe County. The proposed pro ject came in response to parents of mentally retarded who are worried about their children's housing when the family can no longer care for them. Area residents near the proposed site said that although residential housing for the menially retarded may help the handicapped, if the an nexation is approved, the town will be handicapping area homeowners. "We've worked hard for what we have and this will destroy everything we've built." said one man. "This type of facility will lower our property values," said another man, "Don't let anyone tell it won't." One woman characterized her at titude about the facility as a moral dilemma. "On the one hand the retarded need a residential setting, but on the other. 1 have to think about getting uiJ we can out of our home. " Along with concerns over properly values was concern for the safety of the area residents. One community member asked Thompson if he could guarantee that no facility residents would be wandering off the grounds Thompson said he could not guarantee that, but said the residents would be fully supervised 24 hours a day. Many of the area residents agreed with the need for this type of facility, but questioned the Dogwood site as the best location. "There must 100 children in this area alone. We have to worry about their safely first. They are our priori ty." said one man. Another woman added, "I've got two children and I don't want you there." Community organizers suggested the best way to let the town council know how they feel would be to con tact as many area townspeople as possible and have them come to the public hearing. Petitions are being -Continued on back page SBI Investigates Suspected Arson By BILL STUDENC Editor State investigators have been call ed in to determine if arson is to blame for a Saturday night fire that destroyed a trailer owned by the parents of a child involved in a Madison County sexual abuse case. Arson is suspected in the blaze at a Mashburn Hill Road mobile home because no one was living in the trailer at the time, and because there was no electricity at the home, authorities said. "The people said that no one had lived in the trailer for two or three months ami that all the power was cut off," said Jimmy Ramsey, Marshall fire cUaf. "If there's no one living there and no power, something had to injured in the fire, destroyed the trailer," F"ir? officials My the fir? took About - S3 i-l - ? . _ . . . ,ii vestigation to determine if arson was the cause of the blaze. Arson investigator Steve G. Reed visited the scene of the Are Sunday morning, gathering debris samples and other physical evidence, said BUI Matthews, assistant director of the SBI's ffice in Asheville. That evidence is now being analyz ed at a SBI laboratory, Matthews said. "We are still investigating and in Jet-viewing, " he said. "It should be two or three weeks before we know for sure (if arson was involved in the Are)." Reed was scheduled to meet with new Madison County Sheriff Dedrick Brown on Wednesday to discuss the case, Brown said. The Burgesses' young daughter is one of seven children allegedly molested while en route from a Madison County day care center earlier this year. According to reports, the Burgess family had received several indirect threats to stop asking authorities for an investigation of the alleged in cidents. The Burgess trailer is located bet ween mobile homes owned by two uncles of the Marshall man charged with first-degree sexual offense and taking incident liberties with minora. -ConUaaed ea back page Meeting To Address Landfill By BILL STUDKNC | A group of Madison Count; residents will meet Monday with local and regional officials to discuss what to do about the county's landfill, which is rapidly approaching capaci ty. The meeting, to babaldatT^jn. in Y-iJ& ' ? be at capacity by April, Brown told the commlia toners State officials have turned down spvpral ~ppac in (hp rnitnhi 'irlrrtfiH a> potential landfill sites, lie said. "It '< may bo roal difficult to And a site the state will approve ' Larry Leake, county attorney, pointed out to the comraiasiooara that ar i by law t operate landfills ire. ^Wc?u*00 She verge of I a landfill," said *ppe chalrma n of tbt !x?ard c Uwt,i : ?oy room for
The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 4, 1986, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75