PROGRESS SENTINEL
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^ VOL. XXXXVNO. 19 USPS 162 860 KENANSVILLE, NC 28349 MAY 7, 1981 20 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
# NEW JAYCEE OFFICERS - The Warsaw Jayeees
inducted their new officers at their awards and installation
banquet on April 30 at Carson's Restaurant in Warsaw.
The new officers are as follows: pictured - back (left to
right) Bill Costin Jr. - Interior Vice president. Fd Holt -
treasurer, David Rouse - State Director, Bill Holt -
Secretary, Joel Smith - Director. Front - Dennis Perry -
President. Not pictured: Exterior Vice-President - Tracy
Johnson, and Directors - Gilbert Johnson, Frankie Steed
Jr., Tim Sandlin and A1 Brown.
LIFETIME MEMBERS - During the Jaycee
banquet on April 30, Dwight Smith and Billy
Knowles were elected lifetime members of
^ the Jaycees. They are pictured above with
1980 President David Rouse. The election of
Knowles and Smith brings the number of
lifetime members to eight. The others
include: Frank Steed Sr., Colon Quinn,
George West. Gerald Quinn. Brooks Boyette
and Craven Brewer. Connie Price of
Fremont, regional Jaycee director, was the
featured speaker for the evening.
DUPLIN COUNTY FARM BUREAU
WOMEN'S COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
LENA EDWARDS is shown with Safety
i
Council President W.M. Garmon, left, and
Elmer Burt, secretary-treasurer of the N.C.
Farm Bureau Federation.
t -?
Duplin Farm Bureau
Women Win Top Award
P The Duplin County Farm
Bureau Women's Committee
has won a top award from the
N.C. Safety Council. The
award was presented during
special ceremonies at the
annual awards luncheon
April 24.
The committee was cited
for the year-long contest they
sponsored for all 4-H
members in the county. The
ft club awarded three prizes in
October to the clubs which
had conducted the best
safety program during the
year, lite club also continued
their promotion of railroad
safety, safety against theft,
pesticide safety and home
safety.
The NCSC presents 19
awards annually through its
home and community safety
awards program. The N.C.
Farm Bureau sponsors the
award, which was a com
munity group award.
The council is an incor
porated, non-profit organi
zation created in 1%0 by a
group of community leaders. |
physicians and representa- ?
tives of public agencies to ]
promote safety programs and |
activities. The council's ac
tivities are financed by dues <
through individual, group
and agency memberships. >
il#:
A
Jernigan
Murder
Top
Priority
Duplin County Sheriff El
wood Revelle Tuesflav stated
the two-peek old TnuriteeW
Inez Jernigan. a prtrMpfan
? Duptin County woman, is
foremost in the department's
activities.
Revelle stated. "We have
to investigate every lead or
clue, no matter how small. It
is time-consuming, but to be
certain, we must be tho
rough. This murder was a
brutal and senseless act. and
when we make an arrest, we
want to be certain and not
have all our work fail because
of a legal technicality."
When asked if an arrest
would be made soon, Revelle
said. "We have eliminated
some with voluntary tie
detector tests, and our
suspect list is narrowing.
When we feel we have a
case, we will present it to the
grand jury. But just when.
I cannot say."
Mrs. Jernigan was found
beaten and stabbed to death
in her home north of
Kenansville two weeks ago.
Inez Jernigan. 53. who
lived on N.C. II about three
miles north of Kenansville.
owned Jernigan Tractor Co.
in Kenansville.
Tax Valuation
Duplin County's assessed
property valuation for 1981
will increase $24,585,239
over 1980. Tax Supervisor
Frank Moore reported to the
county board of commis
sioners Monday.
He said the total valuation
for tax purposes this year will
be $637,556,678.
At the present 70 cents per
$100 tax rate, the increase
would bring in $172,000
more than the $4.3 million of
1980. he reported.
The assessed value of
public utilities (railroads, bus
companies, power com
panies, telephone com
panies) is $30,015,011, up
$874,223 from 1980.
Moore said $1,300,000 at
tributed to Seaboard Coast
Line is in litigation. He said
that valuation would bring in
$9,100.
One person appeared be
fore the board of equalization
and review to protest the
$27,580 valuation of a
70-acre farm. Sarah M. Lloyd
said a 30-acre pond on the
Farm was valued too high at
$390 per acre.
The board found there is a
-egulation requiring ponds to
je valued at the value per
tcre of the lowest value
?leared land on the farm.
The board took the protest
inder advisement.
'
I . ?
Area Vegetables Are
Suffering From Weather
Lack of rain will reduce
vegetable crop quantity and
quality in Duplin. Sampson.
Wayne and Johnston
counties this spring.
Since the area is a major
vegetable supplier in season,
this could result in higher
consumer prices.
Tobacco, corn and s-jybeah
crops must have rain within
10 days or they will be
seriously damaged.
The high wind and dry, hot
weather has already
damaged some of the pepper
and tobacco crops, according
to agricultural agents. They
indicated many acres of
tobacco and pepper will have
to be reset. Vegetable crops,
especially green pepper,
provide $15 to $20 million
gross return a year fo
farmers of these counties in
good years.
Elton McGowan of Bow
dens said the water table is
so low "we need two inches
of soaking rain in the next 10
days. If we get that, we still
can come in with a pretty
good crop."
He said his early-planted
cucumbers are up about an
inch, but the late-planted
cucumbers have not come
up. McGowan plans about
200 acres of pepper and 300
acres of cucumbers. He sells
some vegetables on the fresh
market, but most on contract
with processors.
"My dad used to say dry
weather will scare you to
death, but wet weather will
kill you," he said, noting
rain does come in time to
rescue the crop in most
years.
The dry weather also
creates a tillage porblem as
the herbicides have not
worked into the ground to kill
weeds. The weeds are as tall
as the corn. Cultivation at
this time would further dr;
the soil.
Snodie Wilson, agricul
tural agent, said, "If rair
comes soon, cucumbers car
be replanted. The trouble
with pepper is you have tc
have the plants and the plant
beds will be done for if we
don't get rain right sewn."
Walter Rouse of Warsaw
has 125 acres of early cu
cumbers. "We have a pretty
good stand, but must have
rain if the crop is to make
anything."
He leases most of the farm
to a Sampson County peppei
grower whose pepper fields
will have to be reset.
Harold Precythe of Faison.
owner of Southern Produce
Co. and an associate of the
Faison produce market, said,
"This dryness is really
taking a toll on vegetables.
Vegetables are made up
largely of water and you've
: got to have rain to make good
vegetables. Some of the
farmers are holding back on
planting, waiting for mois
ture. It hasn't rained enough
in the county to put out a
cigarette. To have a normal
season, we must have rain
soon."
The Faison market usually
opens about May 23-25. In
recent years. $5 million to
$10 million worth of vege
tables have moved through
the Faion market and nearby
country points annually.
Precythe warned that late
production from replantings
will run into marketings from
northern growers in Dela
ware. Maryland. Virginia
and New Jersey and the
oversupply will cut prices.
"If the state applies higher
fees and gasoline taxes to
trucks, truck rates will have
to be increased," Precythe
also observed.
Funds For Watershed Projects
Seem Less Certain
m ^
State funding of the Lime
stone and Muddy Creek
small watershed projects ap
pears less certain than a few
months ago, according to
Kenneth Futreal, Duplin
County soil conservationist.
"It's all according to
whether the legislature puts
some money into the small
watershed fund," he added.
"If the money is put into the
fund. Duplin County will get
some of it, maybe not the
whole $409,000 requested
from the state for the project,
but some of it.
The total cost of both
projects is estimated at $3.8
million. Of the tojal, the local
share would' be $730,000,
Duplin County is asking the
state for a portion of this
fund amounting to $409,000.
Futreal said, "The legisla
ture is talking 'cut,' and we
don't have any assurance it
will be available."
Futreal said the county has
enough money on hand to
start the projects. If the state
grants the full $409,000. the
work can be done in three
years. If smaller amounts are
granted by the state, the
work could take up to six
years.
The pro'e.-ts stand to lose [_
their federal hacking if state
and local funding is not c<
provided. A
Futreal said the survey of ri
the projects has been com- p|
pleted and engineers are
working up the designs. The hi
first work would be to clear a|
and snag channels and dig pi
pilot channels through about ei
eight miles 'in each of the ?
projects. This initial phase d<
would be from N.C. 41 to c)
Northeast Cape Fear River fj|
near Hallsville on the Muddy n(
Creek and from N.C. 24 to f]<
the Northeast Cape Fear jn
River near Chinquapin on the
invsto e/Creek project.
Machinery to do the work
juld be in place by July or
ugust if the financial ar
ingements can be com
leted, Futreal said.
Land use measures are
ng established by farmers
ong the stream channels to
revent or reduce future soil '
rosion into the streams,
rosion of farm land and
:bris from nearly 300 years
logging operations have ;
lied the channels, blocking -
trmal drainage and causing
x>ding of fields and forests
the area.
.
James Sprunt Forums Examine
Liberal And Conservative Views;
U.S. Foreign Policy
How docs the Soviet Union
see the U.S.?
Can the U.S. be truly
independent of other
nations?
How do liberals and con
servatives propose to solve
America's problems?
The remaining forums of
the James Sprunt Technical
College forum series,
"America: Where Is It
Going?" will explore these
questions. Forums will be
held May 7, 12. 14 and are
free and open to the public.
The forums will be held in
the Hoffler building audi
torium on the campus of
James Sprunt from 7:30-9
p.m. James Sprunt is spon
soring the series with the
assistance of a gran^ from the
N.C. Humanities Cokimittee,
a program of the National
Endowment for the Humani
ties.
On Thursday. May 7, Dr.
Claude H. Farrell, an econo
mist at UNC-Wilmington,
and Lewis Pitts Jr., a lawyer
active in energy issues, will
examine the role energy
plays in America's future.
Pitts will speak on the topic,
"Nuclear Energy Causes
More Problems Than It
Solves" and Dr. Farrell will
speak on the topic, "Energy
and Prosperity."
On Tuesday. May 12. Dr.
E. Willis Brooks, historian at
UNC-Chapel Hill and Dr.
Dean A. Minix. a political
scientist at Campbell Uni
versity, will examine Ameri
ca's role in a Changing world.
T
Dr. Brooks will speak on the
topic, "The United States J
and the Soviet Union: How
They View Each Other," and j
Dr. Minix will speak on
"Spiderwebs and World
Politics: The United States in j
an Interdependent World."
On Thursday, May 14, Dr.
Lawrence Goodwyn. his
torian at Duke University,
and Dr. Joel Schwartz, a
political scientist at
UNC-Chapel Hill, will ex
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TO SPEAK AT MAY 12TH j
SESSION - Dean A. Minix of |
Campbell University will be
featured with Dr. E. Willis
Brooks at the third meeting ,
of the James Sprunt Techni
cal College forum series
"America: Wh<;re Is It |
Going?" Dr. Minix and Dr. <
Brooks will examine the ]
topic, "America's Role In A
Changing World." I
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plore the topic, "Liberal and
Conservative Visions of
America: Past, Present and
Future." Dr. Goodwyn will
speak on "The Life and
rimes of American Liberal
sm ? Triumphs and Fail
ures." Dr. Schwartz will
speak on "Conservatism:
America's Salvation?"
At each forum members of
the audience are invited to
pose questions to the
speakers or offer comments.
Rotary Student
Of The Month
Gerald Barden has been |
selected as the April Student I
of the month by the Warsaw- J
Kenansville Rotary Club. I
Barden. a James Kenan ?
senior, ranks sixth in his ,
class. Some of his activities i
include serving as secretary '
for the Future Farmers of I
America, 4-H president, J
class treasurer and he is an
annual staff member.
During his junior year,
Barden attended the Blair
Summer School for Journa
lism and won a SI,000
scholarship. He was an East
Carolina University regional
mathematics contest partici
pant. attended N.C. State
Minority Day, and was first
runner-up at the EMC
Washington Youth Tour.
Barden served as a mar
shal, is a member of Who's
Who, and is president of the
National Honor Society.
A member of the NAACP, *
Barden is the junior choir
?MH as aaarec ?*
Gerald Barden
president and musician at
First Baptist Church of Ke
nansville. The son of Mrs.
Mberta Barden of
Kenansviiie, Barden plans to
pursue a degree in a henHh
?elated field at either UNC
Zhapel Hill or Virginia