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PROGRESS SENTINEL
^L.XXXXVN0 44 USPS 162 860 KENANSVILLE NC 28349 OCTOBER 29. 1981 f 20 PAGES THIS WEfeK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
* Wilkins Take Oath On School Board
Duplin School Board
? Installs First Black
1
The Duplin County Board
of Education installed its first
. black member in board his- j
t or,y last week. Ridd~km
Wflkins. a retired agricul
tural extension agent, was
^appointed to fill a bacancy on
^pc board.
Wilkins had previously run
unsuccessfully for a position
on the board and was de
feated by James Strickland, a
current board member.
Wilkins was nominated by
the Democratic Party execu
tive committee to replace
Patricia Broadrick who re
signed to move with her
husband to North Dakota. .
*tlkins will serve the rc
aining three years of her
term.
The board also elected
board member Joe Swinson
as vice chairman, a position
previously held by Mrs.
Broadrick.
The board quickly gave
Wilkins some work to do.
assigning him to a committee
with Supt. t. S. <iuy and
board attorney Hubert
I'hillips to study the problem
of* <t'1?setMS- *b? Utto.>
county schools but whose
parents or guardians live
outside the county.
State legislation allows the
county schools to charge a
fee for students whose
parents live outside the
county. Under an agreement
with surrounding counties.
Duplin docs not charge the
fees for students living in
those nearby counties and
attending Duplin schools.
The board has a problem,
however, with about 295
students whose parents or
guardians live outside the
state. Most of those students
are living with relatives in
Duplin County.
School officials have de
cided that if a fee is to be
charged, it should be $218
per student, the amount of
school money the county
spends for each student en
rolled.
Guy, however, told, the
board he thinks many of the
relatives of these studenti*
will be unable to pay the S2W
bccause-of limited incomes.
Many of the relatives, he
said, receive some type of
government assistance.
The committee was ap
pointed to study whether to
charge the fee for the stu
dents. how to collect the fees
and other alternatives.
Potentially, failure to pay
the fees could lead to ex
pulsion of the students, but
Guy indicated that option
would be difficult, since ex
pelling large numbers of
students might lead to re
ductions in the number of
teaching positions.
Swinson said he did not
like the prospect of massive
expulsions, either.
"When we go this route, it
looks like you're punishing
the child and the grand
parent," Swinson said.
In other action, the board
made some shifts in per-,
. sonnel. y*
Assistant Superintendent
Alice Scott, who is now
vocational director, will be
shifted to assistant super
intendent in charge of per
sonnel at a salary of S28.000
per year.
Robert C. Tart, presently
assistant principal at East
Duplin High School, was
named to replace her as
vocational director at a salary
of $20,000 per year.
Tart will remain at his
present job until a replace
ment can be found.
Guy also told the board he
plans to ask for two new
teaching positions.
The board also decided to
change its meeting time from
8 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. be
ginning at its next meeting
on Nov. 3.
Cuts In Duplin Social
Services Programs
Of the 2,000 households
Receiving foodstamps in
Duplin County, under the
new rules, 12 of those
families will be terminated
and 287 will receive cuts,
according to Social Services
Director Millie Brown.
The foodstamD oroeram in
Duplin County during
September cost $217,266 and
under the new rules about
^$3,000 will be cut. which is
flbss than two percent. Mrs.
Brown stated that of the 287
to be receiving fewer
foodstamp dollars, "some
are as low as $4 and as high
as $27. They will average
about $5 each. We were not
cut as bad as we were think
ing we would be. Two per
cent is a lot better than the
15% we were first told." The
i.oow include 5.965
people.
Aid to Families with
Dependent Children (AFDC)
in Duplin County has 675
cases, of which 64 cases will
be terminated under the new
rules. Those being termi
nated are some of the step
parents and others whose
wages no 'onger aiiow them
to qualify. Previouslv ipcome
of step-parents was not
taken into consideration.
Another new rule states no
child will be eligible for
AFDC after their 18th birth
day unless they are in school
and will graduate prior to
their 19th birthday. Pre
viously children 19 and 20
years old still in school were
considered qualified. Also,
there are 40 cases "set
aside" that will be looked at
in December. The "set
aside" or "30 and one-third
disregard" concerns working
parents receiving AFDC. As
an example, a working
mother who makes $380 per
month and has a small child
in day care. If she were
making $381 a month, she
would not be qualified. $381
is the cut-off amount for a
family of two. Paying a
maximum of $160 for child
care and $75 for uniforms,
etc.. will make her eligible
for $00 from AFDC for four
months. If she continues to
work, she will receive no
AFDC payments. She cannot
be .eligible for 12 months
after the termination date. If
she has no income at all. the
most she could receive would
be $167.
Under both examples of
working or non-working, the
mother and child would also
be eligible for foodstamps
(working, just a few) as well
as Medicaid.
The AFDC budget in
Duplin County is 51.388,000
for 1981-82. Savings under
the new rules would amount
to 5114.312. The AFDC
funds are made ap of 16%
county taxes 67% federal,
and 17% state taxes. (It
should be noted these figures
in no wav take into con
sideration payments such as
child Support made by either
parent) Nor do the new rules
lighten any responsibility of
a parent to support his or her
offspring. Disappearing
parents will still be tracked
down under the -I-D program
and made to support their
children.
Millon Dollar Housing Project For Wallace
Plans were disclosed
Thursday night in Wallace
for a town house complex to
be built in the northeast
section of town on Murray
Street, one block east of the
feailtoad. Mrs. Elaine
Johnson of R.C.A. Realty
will be the exclusive sales
agent. The units will be in
clusters of eight, all slightly
different in frontal appear
ance.
The price is expected to
begin at *38,000. Forty one
and two bedroom units are
planned. Local financing will
be available.
?us <> aiiace town board
gave approval to the concept
providing the town attorney,
Richard Burrows savs all is
O.K. A special use permit is
needed for variance from the
town ordinances which do
not allow multi-family dwell
ings in a residential area.
i v'
The Wallace planning board
also endorsed the concept. A
public hearing on the matter
wiil be announced later.
The concept is similar to a
condominium with the excep
tion that each unit is indi
vidually owned. In oondos,
no one person owns any one
oart *? It fa mutually owned
(J
Jury Indicts Mt Olive
Minister For Murder
A grand jury returned a
first-degree murder indict
ment Monday against the
Rev, C. Sheldon Howard in
connection with the April 21
beating and stabbing death
of Inez Quinn Jernigan.
Arraignment has not been
set. but is expected to be
held sometime this week,
said a spokesman for the
district attorney's office.
Howard's attorneys. Doug
Conners and E. C. Thomp
son. are expected to ask for a
change of venue to move the
trial out of Duplin County
because of pre-trial publicity.
Hovsrrt 44 n-?stor of
Northeast Original Erec Will
Baptist Church near Mount
Olive, has twice been denied
bail and is being held in the
Duplin County Jail.
Evidence presented at a
probable cause hearing Oct.
7 indicated that a $20,000
loan made bv Mrs. Jcrniitan.
53. to Howard would figure
prominently in the state's
case against Howard.
Judge Stephen M. Wil
liamson at that hearing ruled
the state's case was suffi
cient to present to a grand
jury.
Three relatives of Mrs.
Jcrnigan. a Duplin County
business and civic leader,
said at the hearing that they
were not aware of the loan
until after her death. They
also testified that Howard
told them the day of Mrs.
Jernigan's bod> was found.
April 22 in her Kenansville
home, that he had repaid the
loan in cash about a month
before, but did not have a
receipt.
Obie Allen of Wilson, the
suspect's brother-in-law .
testified that Howard asked
him after the slaying to say
that he had lent Howard
$20.(XK) to repay Mrs. Jerni
Han.
Allen said that was what
he originally told investi
gators. but he changed his
story after his attorney ad
vised him to tell the truth.
Mrs. Jernigan's estate has
tiled a lawsuit seeking to
recover the $20,000 plus
interest front Howard,
claiming the loan was made
in December 1179.
Howard as said in docu
ments tiled in the suit that he
paid Mrs. Jernigan $23,000
on the evening of April 21.
using money he borrowed
from his brother-in-law.
60th Annual Veterans
Day Celebration
The 60th annual Veterans'
Celebration, with a full sche
duled week of events with
the parade to highlight the
affair, is scheduled for Nov.
9-15 in.Warsaw.
The Veterans' Celebration
f* >Warsaw is the oldest
~V*rteraris' Celebration in
America. This year's
celebration will be honoring
J.J. Armstong. who was at
Pearl Harbor Dec. 7. 1941.
Monday night starts the
week off with the opening of
a carnival which will remain
open through Nov. 14. On
schedule for Wednesday are
the Veterans' Day Super
Bowl Game of Midget
League Football, with the
First game slated for b p.m.
Saturday's events begin
with the parade at II a.m.
Dennis Kogers, columnist for
the Raleigh News and Ob
server. will serve as marshal.
Appearing in the parade
will b" local and professional
floats. Miss Duplin County
1981 Julia Spiccr. Miss North
Carolina 1981 Lvnn
Williford.
There are scheduled to be
over 100 units in this year's
parade, including several
high school bands and 60-75
clowns.
Arnold Jones of Warsaw .
National (iuard Battalion
Commander of the Wilming
ton district, will be recog
nized during Saturday's
events.
A batbccue dinner will
immediately follow- the
parade at the fire station.
An-I'y .im J2:30-1 p.m. there
will be a gospel sing at the
fire station.
The Buck Swamp Kickin'
Cloggcrs will perform at the
fire station from two until
three o'clock.
There will be a National
Guard static display all day
Saturday behind Hardees.
Also throughout the day
there will be a sidewalk sale
on Front Street.
Saturday night the Jaycees
are sponsoring a dance at the
Armors in Warwaw with- a
live band. Admission is $5
per person. Tickets will be
available at the door And at
N p.tti in the Kccrcatmn
Building. ..here will be a
square dance.
The public is invited to a
Gospel Sing at 7:T0 p.m. at
KenansviUe Elementary
School.
The annual Veterans Cele
bration is sponsored by the
Warsaw Chamber of Com
merce and the Jaycees.
Warsaw
Pedestrian
Killed By Car
Bennie F. Armstrong. 28.
of Warsaw, was struck by an
killed by one of two cars
racing Friday night on North
Front Street in Warsaw.
According to Warsaw police,
Armstrong was apparently
walking toward downtown
Warsaw from his home north
of Warsaw. He and two
females, Darlene Futrell and
Glenda Spell, were walking
along Front Street beside the
pavement, about 7:15 p.m.
Friday night, when a 1976
Pontiac TransAnt traveling in
the passing lane, south
bound. struck Armstrong
from behind and hM.rled the
body through the air 93 feet
and six inches from the
impact. Armstrong was dead
at the scene.
Anthony Earl Carlton. 27.
of P.O. Box 82. Bowdens,
was charged w ith involuntary
manslaughter, willful
competition (racing) and
driving under the influence
of alcohol. He is being held
in the Duplin Count) jail in
Kenansville under $5,700
bond.
The second racing car has
not been identified. /i
Hardison
Appointed
Lt. Governor Jimmy Green
announced the appointment
of Senator Harold W. Hardi
son of Deep Run to a
two-year term of
membership on the newly
established join legislative
committee to review federal
block grant funds. Senator
Royall is the co-chairman of
the committee. The term will
?1 lAOt
knowi.es accepts scholarship
Robert Know les Jr. of Wallace is pictured as
he accepts the J. Preston Linn and Grace
Shulcnburgcr Linn Scholarship from
Margaret L. Lent/. The scholarship is
awarded annually to a James Spurnt
Technical College student enrolled full-time
in a vocational program. Margaret Linn
Lent/ founded the award through the JSTC
scholarship committee in memory of her
parents. Grace and Preston Linn.
Knowles Receives
Linn Scholarship
The James Spurnt Tech
nical College scholarship
committee announce the
selection of JSTC student
Robert L. Knowles Jr. as the
1981-82 recipient of the J.
Preston Linn and Grace
Shulenburger Linn Scholar
ship.
The scholarship is given to
pay tuition and help defray
the costs of books and sup
plies during the school year.
Qualifying students must be
enrolled full-time or entering
a full-tfme vocational
program at JSTC and display
an academic excellence and a
financial need. Preference is
designated to Duplin County
residents, but any JSTC stu
dent may apply.
Knowles is a full-time stu
dent in the electyrical in
stallation and maintenance
program. He and his wife,
Diane, reside in Wallace, He
is a 1974 graduate of Wal
lace-Rose Hill High School
and the son of Mr. and Mrs.
Robert L. Knowles Sr. of
Wallace.
Knowles is the second
recipient of the Linn Scholar
ship. The first presentation
of the award was made in
1WS0. lhe scholarship was
established by Margaret L.
Lcntz in memory of her
parents. Mr. Linn was a
pioneer in the early North
Carolina textile industry and
a founder of the Linn and
Corriher Mills. He and nis
wife were very interested in
the education of young
people, and in honor of his
work in establishing Catawba
College in Salisbury, the
library was named in his
memory. The scholarship is
awarded annually Ijy the
scholarship committee just
prior to. or during the fall
quarter of each school vear.