PROGRESS SENTINEL
/PL. XXXXV NO. 19 USPS 182-880 KENANSVILLE. NC 28349 MAYS, 1980 12 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
RECOGNIZED IN CRIME BITER CONTEST
- The state-wide "Crime Biter' contest,
sponsored through Governor Jim Hunt's
efforts to reduce crime in North Carolina,
recognized Nan Williamson of Kenansville
and her dog Frisky. Nan entered a story
featuring her pet dog as a crime-fighter.
| Frisky had helped to catch a gas thief in a
neighbor's yard. The contest was part of the
fight against crime campaign which involved
school children, and was publicized in the
public school system. Nan is the daughter of
Judge and Mrs. Steve Williamson of
Kenansville. Nan and Frisky are both eleven
years of age. Frisky is a dalmatian.
Food Stamp Program In Jeopardy
Fate Depends On Congress
By Emily Killette
Households that receive
monthly allotments of food
stamps may face the reduc
tion or the complete cancel
lation of their coupons in
June, said Rebecca Lockamy,
Duplin County Food Stamp
Supervisor.
According to Lockamy, a
notice from the State
Department of Human Re
sources has informed Duplin
Social Services that unless
Congress appropriates addi
tional funds for the food
stamp program by May 15,
recipients of food coupons
will face a reduction in the
amount of stamps they
receive or a complete sus
pension of stamps effective
June 1.
"If stamps are reduced,"
Lockamy said, "then the
maximum allotment will be
reduced by the same per
centage in each household."
She added that the reduction
would be equal in each
household to avoid any one
group from bearing the com
plete burden of the loss of
food stamps. "For an
example, if the allotment in
one household is cut by 25%
then the allotment in every
household will be cut by
25%," she said.
"With the May stamps,
we included a notice ex
plaining that there is a great
possibility that the coupons
will be reduced or cancelled
for one or more months.
And. we encouraged families
to use the May stamps
wisely," Lockamy said.
In April, Lockamy said,
1,827 households received
food stamps worth $185,650.
The total number of persons
in Duplin receiving food
stamps was 5,562 and the
average household included
about three persons.
According to Lockamy, the
number of households re
ceiving stamps went down in
April, but the amount of
stamps increased. She at
tributed the increase to
larger households receiving
food coupons in April.
Lockamy added that the
number of persons receiving
food stamps has steadily
increased each month since
the program began in Julv of
1972. At the present time,
13.9% of Duplin's population
receives food stamps. In the
last year, $2,013,366 was
paid out in food stamps to
people in Duplin., she said,
and the average monthly
disbursements equalled
$167,780. In April of 1979,
the Duplin Social Services
Department issued $134,794
in food coupons, and by April
of 1980, the amount of
coupons issued equaled
$185,650. The yearly average
of households receiving food
coupons was 1,784.
After the Dup'in Social
Services Department is noti
fied of action taken by
Congress to appropriate
additional funds for the food
stamp program, Lockamy
said, Duplin households will
be notified. She added that
no household receiving food
coupons will lose their bene
fits without notification.
"The only alternative
these people will have if the
food stamp program is can
celed will be assistance
through volunteer groups
such as a church, because I
do not know of any govern
ment program which could
help them," Lockamy said.
Lockamy added, the new
fiscal year begins in July of
1980 and the program should
be back to normal. However,
she pointed out that the
notice from the State De
partment of Human Re
sources indicated that the
food stamp program faced a
cancellation or reduction of
benefits for one or months
effective June 1, 1980.
Included in the notice,
Lockamy said, was a state
ment which indicated that if
benefits were reduced and a
surplus of funds resulted, the
state would disburse the
surplus funds on an equal
basis to all households re
ceiving stamps. However,
she added, the reduced or
canceled stamps, if effective
in June, could not be applied
for after the program returns
to normal. And, any house
hold which feels their stamps
have been unfairly reduced,
when compared to similar
households, can request a
fair hearing, Lockamy said.
A fair hearing of the
complaint starts at the local
office, and if the problem is
not solved to the satisfaction
of all, the complaint is taken
to the state level for a final
decision.
Few Farmers Apply For
Snow Damage SBA Loans
A representative of the
) Small Business Administra
tion in Kenansville last week
to hand out low-interest
loans to poultry and livestock
farmers hurt by the March
snows, was surprised and
disturbed to find few persons
interested in what he had to
offer.
Although SBA would be
able to make 5 percent loans
to most of the affected
farmers, only 11 applications
k have been submitted and
only nine persons showed up
to get information during a
local visit last week, ac
cording to Hank Brinkley, a
member of SBA's loan ad
ministration division in
Charlotte. .
Brinkley said he is con
cerned that eligible fanners
either have confused SBA's
| program with that of FmHA
or have forgotten the task of
rebuilding their poultry and
livestock businesses under
the pressure of spring
planting.
Unlike FmHA loans, which
are based strictly on financial
need, Brinkley said, SBA
loans are based on the
amount of damage a farmer
sustained. Therefore, even a
farmer who has sufficient
v savings to repair the damage
" he suffered probably could
qualify for one of the ad
ministration's low-interest
loans, he said.
To qualify for a loan, a
farmer must only be able to
document the damage he
suffered, provide some sort
of acceptable collateral and
have sufficient means to pay,
off the loan, Brinkley said.
If a farmer is in doubt ?s to
whether he actually nee is a
loan, he should go ahead and
apply for it before the May 23
deadline, Brinkley said. Loan
approval takes approxi
mately five weeks, after
which time the farmer can
request a six-month exten
sion. Until the end of the
extension, the farmer does
not have to pay, interest on
the loan because he has not
) yet received the money, but
the funds are there at any
v
time he decides he wants
them, Brinkley said.
At the end of the first six
months, a farmer may
request a second six-month
extension, Brinkley said. He
still pays no interest until he
actually receives the amount
of the loan. If at any time he
decides he doesn't want the
loan after all, Brinkley said,
the farmer may cancel his
application with no penalty.
"We want to do every
thing we legally can do to
help," Brinkley said. But
anyone who does not apply
for a loan before the May 23
deadline will be ineligible for
this form of disaster assis
tance at a later date, he said.
Because of the low turnout
during his visit last week,
Brinkley said he doubts he
will return to Duplin County
again before the deadline.
But anyone who has ques
tions about the program or
who wants to get an appli
cation may call the SBA
toll-free at 1-800-532-0368.
First Annual Spring Arts And
Crafts And Music Festival
The James Kenan District
Band Booster's Gub is ex
tending an invitation to par
ticipate in the first annual
Spring Arts and Crafts Fair
and Music Festival to be held
May 10 from 12 noon until 5
p.m. at William R. Kenan,
Jr. Memorial Amphitheatre
in Kenansville.
Music by Duplin County
band students will sound out
from the stage of the
LIBERTY CART amphir
theatre. March, concert, pop
and stage band music will be
presented by elementary,
junior and senior high stu
dents from East Duplin,
North Duplin and James
Kenan school districts.
Opening the Liberty Cart
Festival of Band Music will
be beginning students of the
JK district. First on their
program will be "Proces
sional Grand March," "Fe
Fi-Fo-Fum," "Chester,"
"Aura Lee," and "Beautiful
Spring." Students from
E.E.Smith Jr. High will be
spotlighted in "Join The
Parade." Warsaw Jr. High
students will perform
"Castles in Spain." For
novelty, the students will
close with "Krazy Klock"
and "Safari."
The advanced band
members from JK district
have prepared "Bandology"
for their opening march.
Concert numbers are
"Chester," "Stage Wars"
and "Brass Movement."
New to this district is the
4
inclusion of stage band music
represented by "How Deep
Is Your Love" and "Feel
ings." The band students
have selected pop music
from a wide variety of sour
ces, The Beatles, television
themes, Latin American,
themes of love, and disco
music.
At 2:30, East Duplin, band
students will perform in the
amphitheatre opening with a
Fugue by Handel. Their pop
selections may range from
"Hogan's Heroes March,"
"Theme from Mork and
Mindy," "Cocacabana" and
"Theme from Rocky."
The North Duplin Band,
playing at 3:15, will open
with "Ringmaster," "Kalei
doscope" and "King Cotton
Marches." The Toy Sym
phony, using recorder in
strumei,,^, will serve as a
humorous look at classical
music. Pop selections to be
played include "Highlights
from the Broadway musical
Show Boat," and "Fifth of
Beethoven." On May 12, the
KD Elementary band stu
dents will perform their
spring concert at 7:30 in the
ND Elementary School. A
preview will be heard at the
LIBERTY CART Music
Festival.
The James Kenan Swing
Choir, under the direction of
Valorie McCoy, is in its
second year. They host the
JK annual Talent Show and
James Sprunt Technical
College Spring Festival.
?
Upon request they perform
for community activities.
This year the group has
expanded to add a new sound
of instrumentalists.
They will perform at the
Music Festival May 10 at
4:15 p.m. At this time they
will present only part of their
program.
You can see more of the
Swing Choir program at the
Junior High Spring Concert
May 22 at Kenan Memorial
Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.
Their entire performance
will be held at James Kenan
Spring Concert on Thursday,
May 29th. This program will
also be at Kenan Memorial
Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.
You are invited to come
out and see the 1980 Swing
Choir. They have a lot of new
moves and sounds.
Hot dogs, popcorn and
cold drinks will be sold.
Anyone may purchase a
space for $10 to display or
sell arts, crafts, baked goods
or other items. For additional
information, call 296-1984,
296-1364, 296-0221, and/or
293-7969.
You are urged to come to
the first annual Spring Arts
and Crafts Fair and Music
Festival at the Amphitheatre
on May 10 from 12-5 p.m. to
support the band students
and directors who have
worked hard throughout the
school year.
f
Play Ball
Magnolia Ball Park Opens
Play Ball! . . .The new
ballpark in Magnolia will be
ready for use by the end of
the week, said Mayor Melvin
Pope.
"The ballfteld is complete,
but most softball is played at
night, and the lights will
have to go up before the field
will be of much use," Pope
said. "We also have to build
some bleachers and place out
at the field."
According to Pope, the
lights will be installed by the
end of this week, but no
plans for the immediate use
of the field have been made.
He added that both Warsaw
and Wallace citizens have
inquired into the possibility
of using the field for a
softball tournament. And,
Pope said, once the ballpark
is complete, the co-ordina
tion of the recreational acti
vities on the field will be left
up to the town recreation
commission. However, Pope
said, he hopes the recreation
commission will be forming a
softball league for the
Magnolia area, as well as
other sports programs.
The construction of the
Magnolia recreation park
began over a year ago. Pope
said. The town received a
matching grant for $15,000
from the Bureau of Outdoor
Recreation, covering 50
percent of the total project
cost of $30,000. The project
included a softball field, but
not the lights for the field,
two tennis courts, and a
picnic area. Through a
$5,000 donation and funds
from the town. Pope said
lights for the Softball field
have been purchased. How
ever, because of the cost of
the lights, the town is unsure
whether it can afford to hire a
recreation director for the
new park.
"Since the ballfield will be
ready for use this week, and
if the field is used," Pope
said, "the town will need to
hire someone this summer to
look after the park and make
sure it does not get torn up."
Work on the set of two
tennis courts has just begun.
Pope said, and they are
expected to be finished by
the fall. While working on
the park, the mayor added,
the gym has been available
for rent by groups, and the
auditorium has been under
going renovations.
"The auditorium is 90
percent complete. We are in
the process of refinishing the
damaged seats, selecting
drapes for the windows, and
installing a heating system
and restrooms," Pope said.
"An auditorium commission
will be appointed soon to set
up guidelines for the public
use of the building, and they
will establish a rental rate for
the building."
The renovation of the old
Magnolia school auditorium
was made possible by a
federal grant paying 90 per
cent of the $35,000 needed
for repairs on the building.
Pope said. The remaining 10
percent of the cost was paid
by the town, he added.
a m
According to Pope, the audi
torium will seat about 500
people, and the town hopes
to be able to rent the building
and make only enough to pay
for its maintainance. Pope
estimates that the audito
rium will be ready for use in
June.
At the present time, no
organized recreational acti
vities are held in Magnolia,
but Pope said that with the
addition of the park he hopes
to see Softball, baseball,
tennis, volleyball, and
basketball leagues started
for the surrounding area. He
pointed out that a recreation
program in Magnolia would
not be for the purpose of
making money, but Pope
said that he hoped the pro
gram would at least break
even.
Child Killed
In Wreck
Two-year-old Tomike
Murphy of Route 1, Mag
nolia. was killed Saturday
night in a two-vehicle colli
sion on N.C. 11. just north of
Kenansville. Six other per
sons were injured in the
accident, which occured
when a car making a left turn
collided with a second car
and overturned, according to
a report by investigating
Hi way Patrol Trooper Billy
Floyd.
Teen Victim Of
Hit And Run Driver
A Mount Olive teen-ager
died early Saturday near
Beulavilie. the victim of a
hit-and-run driver.
The youth, identified as
Timothy Ray Dunn, 16, was
struck at approximately 4
a.m. on N.C. 41, approxi
mately 100 feet south of
where the highway intersects
with S.R. 1867. according the
the Highway Patrol.
The victim apparently was
walking along the side of the
road when ?he accident oc
curred. The patrol has no
description of the automobile
involved in the fatal incident,
however.
Election
Results
Next Week
amt x _ > t?j era
MAGNOLIA SOFTBALL FIELD - The softball field located
on Highway 117 next to the old Magnolia school
auditorium will be ready for night use by the end of the
week. The ballpark was financed by a matching grant from
the Bureay of Outdoor Recreation and the town ^f
Magnolia. In the background is the Magnolia school
auditorium which the town is also in the process of
restoring. Work on the building is expected to be complete
about June.
I