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PROGRESS SENTINEL
Wbl. XXXXV NO. 32 USPS 1A2-860
KENANSVILLE, NC 28349 AUGUST 6. 1981
I
16 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX |
Status Of Watershed
, Project In Limbo
The future financial status
of the Limestone and Muddy
Creek watershed projects in
eastern Duplin County re
mains uncertain following
the freezing of funds for all
watershed project start-ups
by the federal government.
Most of the construction
funds for the long-planned
projects would come from
^federal watershed appro
priations.
"From what I have been
able to find out, they're
holding back about $11 mil
lion in federal watershed
funds, frozen all watershed
start-ups and brought the
program to a standstill all
over the country," Kenneth
Futreal, Duplin County soil
conservationist, said last
Ap>ek.
^^"We're hoping to have all
the agreements ready for the
sponsors (of the two projects)
to sign in August so that as
soon as funds are turned
loose, we'll be ready to ask
for bids," Futreal added.
Sponsors are the Duplin
County Board of Commis
sioners, the county soil and
water conservation district
supervisors, and the Duplin
Watershed Commission,
composed of George Cowan,
chairman, Calvin Mercer and
Larrv Harper.
"By going ahead with the
formalization and printing of
agreements," Futreal said,
"we will be ready to jump
when and if funds are re
leased and it is our under
standing that when they are,
it will be on a first come, first
served basis. We want to be
ready."
The sponsors had hoped to
call for bids on the initial
construction phases of the
projects by September prior
to the fund freeze.
"We are able to proceed
with contracting with land
owners for the land treat
ment program on a cost
sharing basis," he added.
Adoption of land treatment
projects designed to prevent
erosion of soil into the stream
channels is an integral part
of the overall plan, Futreal
observed.
He said ir contracts
have been sig.ied and about
30 other landowners have
made applications. He esti
mated about 300 landowners
will need to adopt land
treatment projects.
Total cost of the twin
projects is estimated at about
$4.6 million, of which the
federal cash outlay would be
$1.2 million. Duplin County's
share of the cost is expected
to total about S800.000. Most
of the remainder of the cost
is in the value of land and
access rights provided free of
cost by landowners. The two
watersheds include about
30,000 acres of cropland in
approximately a 100,000-acre
area.
The projects will include
clearing debris from existing
streams and channels and
adding some drainage
canals. A 130-acre recreation
-area including a 65-acre lake
is also planned. .
Two hundred years of log
ging and farming operations
have blocked drainage chan
nels with forest debris and
soil eroded from fields, cre
ating severe water problems.
The projects have been in the
planning stages since 1969.
School For Migrant
. Children Nears End
/-? : :-x- i- *
A migrant children's six
week summer school session
with 71 enrolles closed at
North Duplin Elementary
School near Calypso Friday.
The students are children
of parents mostly fram Texas
ind Florid who have worked
in the area's cucumber and
pepper fields for the past two
Apnths.
Annie Jackson, program
supervisor of the federally
sponsored program, said
about 80 percent of the
children speak some English
but not enough to get along
without special help.
The program covered kin
dergarten through sixth
grade. It was financed by a
$37,000 federal grant.
The children have spent
six to eight hoon a day in the
schoo^. Principal emphasis
has beetton English, reading
and mathematics. They have
physical education, music,
art and crafts activities in
addition.
The Duplin school food
services program has
provided breakfast and
lunch.
This has been the first
summer program of its kind
in the county, although other
programs have been carried
out during th? regular school
terms when migrant workers
harvest sweet potatoes and
in the spring work in planting
the produce ctqfs.
The migrant schocl in
cludes a staff of ttrreeHull
time teachers, one full-time
teachers' aide, four part
time aides, two part-time bus
drivers, a records clerk, a
home school coordinator, a
director and a part-time
maid. Three members of the
staff speak Spanish.
Most of the students are
quartered in the.Faison
Calypso area.
The Employment Security
commission assists in locat
ing students, and the nearby
Goshen Medical Center
handles health problems.
Duplin, Sampson, John
ston and Wayne counties
have developed into a major
fresh market cucumber aw*
green pepper producing area
in the early summer. The
area also is one of the na
tion's principal sweet potato
growing regions.
While the migrant
workers usually move on
north after the pepper har
vest has been completed in
late July or early August,
they return in the fall for the
sweet potato harvest.
.High Temperatures
Take Toll On Area Poultry
Sustained high tempera
tures and humidity have
taken a toll on poultry in
Southeastern North Carolina,
^rcording to two Rose Hill
^bultry program operators.
Losses have been spread
across two months instead of
over a week as they were
three years ago when the
poultry industry suffered
heavy losses, the operators
said. The total loss during
this year's long period, of
high humidity and heat,
which started at the end of
May, probably equals that of
the earlier year, they said.
David Hoxie of Watson's
Poultry Co. of Rose Hill said
that some individual growers
have had severe problems.
"We had one grower who
had water pump problems
and lost 7,000 our of 2S.OOO
broilers before he could get
waier 10 mem. A powet
transformer blew out in
another house and the
grower lost 600 out of 10,000
birds."
Overall, Hoxie said, grow
ers have been faring reason
ably well.
Monday was the worst day
(a week ago), he said. Nu
merous growers lost 2 per
cent to 3 percent of their
birds from their older flocks.
Most houses average 12,500
broilers, he said.
Larry Swanda of Nash
Johnson & Sons said he didnt
believe the losses so far this
summer will have any effect
on the broiler market.
Poultrymen also pointed
out poultry does not eat as
well in hot weather as in
cooler periods and thus re
quires more time to put on
weight. This increases pro
duction costs.
JSTC BOARD MEMBERS TAKE OATH OF OFFICE -
Three members of the James Sprunt Board of Trustees
were sworn in prior to the July 23rd meeting. James F.
Strickland of Warsaw took the oath of office and will begin
ttp.ervipg his third consecutive term. Claven C. (Jack)
^Williams of Faison was sworn into his second term with
I the JSTC Board and Donna Jones of Rose Hill begins her
I first term. Both Williams and Strickland will fill eight-year
I ^
terms. Jones will fill the position as ex-officio board
member while serving as the James Sprunt Student
Government Association president. Pictured above, left to
right, Register of Duplin County Deeds Christine Williams
administers oaths of office to JSTC Board of Trustee
members Jack Williams, James Strickland and Donna
Jones. Strickland will also be serving as chairman of the
board. M|(; g- ?
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MARIJUANA. . .MARIJUANA. . .Sheriff s
deputies uprooted more marijuana. This
batch came from near Maxwell's Mill ? 109
stalks fully grown and cultivated. The tops
had been broken out to make the limbs
spread out causing more leaves. Sheriff
Elwood Revelle stated deputies are con
stantly pulling up plants here and there
Jfoout the county. "AU do nojK^iake the
newspapers," Revelle stated. "This time~of
the year there is more homegrown than
during the winter months. During the
off-season, it is imported and brought in
from other places. Our efforts here, locally,
are no more effective than those folks in
Wilmington. They discovered or captured
three boatloads recently and say they are
getting less than ten percent of the weed. 1
see no reason to think we are doing any
better. The 'oeal-grown stuff is jtot as strong
as that imported: however, a stronger strain
is being cuhivated. . .One with more THC,
The local marijuana is being sold for about
$250 a pou:.d, while the imported goes as
high as $40C. It takes about a double handful
of the drieO, ww d to make an ounce and ar.
ounce makjV -t ? ? 0 , igaarttes. . .The law
says under an bwicP^s a rmsdemtanor And
over an ounce is a felony. . .Selling of
manufacturing is a felony, regardless of the
amount. . .The use of marijuana is growing.
Youngsters are using it like we used to slip
around and drink beer. It is being accepted
more and more, but it is still against the law
to have it or use it."
Pictured, Deputy Glenn Jernigan.
THE LIBERTY CART'S POULTRY PER- i
FORMER - Miss 'Thang, is pictured with
Dick Jones oL, Channel 7 Television, and
David Thomas, THE LIBERTY CART PRO
DUCTION COORDINATOR. Miss Thang
made her television debut on Jones'
Almanac program during a segment featur
ing THE LIBERTY CART and historic
Kcnansville. For information about THE
LIBERTY CART, contact David Thomas,
P.O. Box 470, Kenansville, NC 28349 - (919)
196-0721.
(Liberty Cart photo by Kerry Maher
?? ?
Liberty Cart Chicken
Makes Television Debut
THE LIBERTY CART S
only poultry performer made
her television debut recently
when she aooeared on a
special segment of Dirt
Jones' Almanac program,
which featured THE
LIBERTY CART and historic
Kenansville. Despite a re
luctance to converse on the
program, "Miss Thang"
displayed remarkable stage
presence and managed to
maintain her composure in
spite of several comments
( made regarding her moral
terpitude.
"Miss Thang" is the suc
cessor to several other hens
who have performed in THE
LIBERTY CART. Betsy, last
year's animal actress, is
reportedly performing on a
nationwide tour, in a produc
tion which salutes the contri
% . ""'li
butions made by poultry to
the American stage. The tour
is being financed by the
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Corporation.
Although several of the
former fowl performers have
met untimely ends. "Miss
Thang" is confident that she
will survive the 1981 season
if the financial condition of
starving actors remains
stable.
Miss Thang performs as
an extra in the first act and
then unleashes her full range
of emotions and acting artis
try when she assumes the
role of Dominican Hen in Act
II. She rarely drops a line,
and her subtle flutters and
clucks have received rave
reviews from audiences and
critics alike.
Crash Victim
A 19-year-old Uuplin
County residem died Satur
day night from injuries re
ceived in an early morning
accident four miles south of
Goldsboro.
The victim, Leslie J.
London of Route 1, Warsaw,
was a passenger in the back
seat of a car driven by King
* *
Solomon Bowen Jr. ot Route
2, Warsaw.
Highway Patrol Trooper
Randy King said Bowen was
traveling south on U.S. 117
at 3:25 a.m. when the car
went on. of control and
skidded into the path of a
northbound vehicle.
It
Man
Killed In
Hit & Run
Troopers with the State
Highway Patrol were search
ing for a hit-and-run vehicle
that killed a 21-year-old
pedestrian near Kenansville
early Saturday morning.
William Elmer Miles 111,
21, of Route 4, Mount Olive,
was struck at about 4:50 a.m.
on Rural Paved Road 1004,
eight miles north of Kenans
ville, according to the patrol.
The victim apparently was
walking north in the south
bound lane and was struck by
a vehicle headed south, a
patrol spokesman said.
No description of the ve
hicle was available from the
patrol Saturday.
Middleton
To Resign
As
ECU Dean
Dr. David J. Middleton,
dean of East Carolina's
division of continuing edu
cation since it was estab
lished. ha? announced that
he will resign as dean ef
fective nest Jan. 1.
Although relinquishing his
deanship si'fer 19 years the
the univeru -y's chief ad
ministrator if continuing
education < d extension pro
f?ams. H' '4* "ten will re
main ci: division s faculty
as a tenured professor.
During his tenure as dean,
the continuing education
program as expanded into a
wide variety of credit and
non-credit programs
off-campus, reaching as
many as 20,000 people an
nually, including business
men, teachers, the military,
commercial fishermen and
others.
A native of Warsaw, ana
the son of Mrs. Carrie Mid
dleton, he received his un
dergraduate degree at Duke
University and earned the
master's and PhD degrees at
the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill.
From 1958 until 1962, he was
on the faculty and assistant
director of extension at Ap
palachian State University in
Boone.
He was named director of
extension at East Carolina in
1962, succeeding Dr. Ralph
Brimley. In 1967, when the
division of continuing educa
tion was established,
Middleton was appointed its
first dean.
Middleton has held nu
merous state, regional and
national offices in profes
sional organizations. In
cluded are chairman of the
Southern Region of the Na
tional University Continuing
Education Association
(NUCEA), a member of the
board of directors of NUCEA
for three years and president
and director of the Associa
tion of Continuing Profes
sional Education.
He also served on the
board of directors of the
United Cerebral Palsy of
I North Carolina from 1970 to
1980, and for the last 11
years has been on the board
of directors of the North
Carolina Rural Fund for De
velopment, a special project
for low-income rural fami
lies.
"Dr. Middleton has served
the University long and
well," said Dr. Robert H.
Maier, vice chancelor for
academic affairs.
"Under Dr. Middleton's -
leadership, for almost two
decades, the division of con
tinuing education has de
livered the University's aca
demic programs throughout
the region and even beyond.
In so doing, tens of thous
ands of students have been
given an opportunity for
higher education that other
wise they would not have
had. Dr. Middleton'* leader
ship has been chiefly re
sponsible for thr* accorff
plishment," Dr. Maier said.