Newspapers / The Duplin Times (Warsaw, … / Nov. 26, 1981, edition 1 / Page 1
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-^^V ? \ Ikq^niK ftm^ PROGRESS SENTINEL VOL. XXXXV NO. 48 USPS 162-860 KENANSVILLE. NC 28349 . NOVEMBER 26, 1981 16 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX I GETTING IT ALL BACK FROM ROASTEE HARDISON Top photo, Jim Graham. Nurham Warwick and W.E. Craft, roasters at the Hardison Roast. Jim gets up to make ' a talk, he just mumbles. . .Says Senator Hardison. "You don't know what he has said. You have to call on one of his aides to interpret. .. .Pot Craft.. .His wife Anne saved his life. . .You know he believes in signs. . .He saw one one time that said. "Drink Canada Dry.". . .Thank goodness Anne explained it to him. . .Hardison said Nurham Warwick was feeding his pigs by holding them up to the apple tree ? one at a time. A neighbor, thinking he would hint to Warwick it would be easier to pull the apples from the tree and feed them to the pigs, said to Nurham, "Isn't that time consuming to feed pigs that way. . .Nurham replied, "What is time to a pig?". . .In the bottom picture is George Harper, N.C. Department of Transportation; Benny Wilson of Quinn Company, and Senator Hardison. The Hardison Roast was sponsored by the Kenansville Jaycees to raise money for the North Carolina Cystic Fibrosis and Leukemia Foundation. ? Pastor Pleads Guilty In Murder Of Inez Jernigan The Rev. Sheldon Howard of Mount Olive pleaded guilty in Kenansville J Tuesday to second-degree murder in the brutal death last April of Inez Quinn Jernigan, S3. The prominent Duplin County businesswoman and civic leader was found dead in her home north of Kenansville April 22. An autopsy showed Mrs. Jernigan, owner and manager of Jernigan Tractor ^ Co. of Kenansville, died the ? previous day of blows to the head and stab wounds to the throat. Howard, who was opce ^er pastor, was charged with first-degree murder in the case. Howard, 44, entered a guilty plea to the lesser charge after a plea-bargain was reached between his attorneys. Doug Connors of Mount Olive and E.C. ? Thompson III of Warsaw, and Duplin District Attorney William Andrews. The penalty for a second degree murder conviction is two years to life in prison. If a defendant is sentenced to life imprisonment, parole becomes possible in 20 years. Andrews said he plans to ^ ask for life imprisonment He ? said there was sufficient evidence for a jury to convict Howard of first-degree murder but that did not mean he would have faced execu tion. Thompson submitted the plea during an arraignment hearing for Howard in a special session of Duplin County Superior Court. Superior Court Judge Henry L. Stevens III delayed sentencing pending a mental examination of Howard at Dorothy Dix Hospital in Raleigh. Court officials said sen tencing will take place in late December or early January at the earliest. Howard has been in Duplin County jail since his arrest Oct. 2. Stevens asked Howard if he understood the conse quences of his plea, and Howard replied that he did. Reviewing evidence from an earlier probable cause hearing, District Attorney Andrews said Mrs. Jernigan was beaten with a wooden kitchen chair and stabbed in the throat. He said the investigators found a hair on a pi ace mat covering her head that laboratory analysis showed, was consistent with hair from Howard's head. Andrews cited evidence which indicated a 120,000 loan made by Mrs. Jernigan to Howard figured promi nently in the state's case against Howard. Her estate has filed suit seeking to recover the money and interest, but a date for the civil case has not been set. Howard claimed he repaid the loan in cash, but did not have a receipt. Friends of the Baptist minister formed a defense fund to help Howard meet expenses, and sent letters to churches saying contribu tions to Howard's defense fund would be welcome. A letter distributed and signed by the Rev. L.B. Woodall Jr. of Princeton estimated the cost of de fending Howard would ex ceed $100,000. Woodall said after Tues day's hearing that he and other friends of Howard's were "sorry," but not par ticularly surprised by the plea. "The state had "a strong case, though it was mostly circumstantial," Woodall* said. "We knew about some of the evidence, but of course f we couldn't say anything." Despite the apparent doubts on the part of How ard's supporters, Woodall said his friends still "wanted him to have an adequate defense." "If you've ever been in volved in a lawsuit, you know how expensive it can be," Woodall said. Howard was pastor of the Northeast Original Free Will Baptist Church in Mount Olive, and a former pastor of Pearsall Chapel Church near Kenansville, where Mrs. Jernigan attended church. The church board Thurs day night accepted a letter of resignation submitted by Howard. He also is a former professor of religion at Mount Olive College. Defense attorney Thomp son commented, "The plea is consistent with the truth of the case We received full cooperation of the state law enforcement agencies during our investigation. They made the system work. We think justice will be done." Thompson said previous examinations of Howard . indicated a mental problem that should be considered by the judge in sentencing Howard. Duplin County Sheriff El wood Revelle said he was satisfied with the second degree murder conviction. Revelle notied that no one had been put to death in North Carolina after a first degree murder conviction since Theodore Boykin of Duplin County was executed in 1961. ' # ? Duplin Schools Approve Changes In Heating Alterations to the old Kenansville school's heating system to permit the heating of portions of the building instead of the entire struc ture were approved by the Duplin County Board of Education Tuesday night of last week. Cost of the project was estimated at about $4,000 for materials and space heaters and $1,200 for labor. The project calls for in stalling 30 cut-off valves in the steam lines. When com pleted, the project will permit heating of the first floor only. If only one or two rooms are to be used, gas space heaters will be installed so heating can be limited to the area in use. Last year, heating the build ing cost $7,933.66. The board estimated the alterations will save 30 to 40 percent of the heating cost over a year. Money for the project will come from the contingency fund county tax appropria tions. The board established a $20 fee for use of the auditorium if it is heated and $15 if it is not. The fee for use of one room in the building will be $10. In addition to the room fees, a custodial fee of $6 per hour will be charged. The building was abandoned for classroom purposes when the new Kenansville Ele mentary School opened two years ago. The old building had been condemned by the Kenans ville fire department as un safe for occupancy by chil dren. In other business, the board adopted a policy of charging from S'l to $208 for each child non-domiciled in Duplin County. An estimated SO to 100 non-domiciled children are attending local schools. Duplin residents pay $208 per pupil in school taxes. Riddick Wilkins, a new board member, said the state had permitted the domicile charge when it appeared federal impact money for out-of-district students would be cut off. However, he noted, the county is receiving $25,000 in impact money this year. "If the full charge of $208 is made, it will force students out of school," he added. Sandra Worsley of Wallace and Albert Brown of Rose Hill were named to the Charity Middle School advi sory board. The board's only meeting next month will be on Dec. 1. Duplin Airport Plans Ok'J The Duplin County Airport Commission was authorized last week to accept low bids totaling $145,400.75 for ex tension of the P.B. Raiford Airport runway west of Kenansville. The county board of com missioners unanimously ap proved the authorization resolution following discus sion of the project by airport commission chairman Bennie Wilson. The resolution called for some changes in the erosion .'ontrol and paving plans to ,4 'ld the t,oi3i project cost, including engineering fees, to $156,000. Wilson said if the contracts can be signed, work would begin immediately. He said work could be completed by Christmas. Blaylock Construction Co. of Lillington was the low bidder 'on the general con struction contract at $130,180. Low bidder for the elec trical contract was Barnes and Powell Electric Co. of Elm City at $15,220.75. The runway will be leng thened 1,100 feet ? from 3,700 to 4,800 feet. The extended runway will be long enough for medium-sized jet planes to land and take off safely. The project is being fi nanced by a $50,000 county appropriation, $31,000 in donations from area indis tries and $81,000 in a state grant. Wilson said 17 firms bid on the project. "They must be hungry," he told the board. In other business, Robert Swain submitted his resig nation as county extension livestock specialist, effective Nov, 30. Swain will become extension swine specialist for southeastern N'>rth Carolina December I. David Underhill. mosquito control program director, re ported a backhoc was dam aged by a fire that started in the electrical system. Re pairs to the $90,000 machine will cost between $10,000 and $18,000. depending on extent of damage discovered as the machine is disman tiy. Underbill said 4wb.'e thii mach.nc Was vaidl-d at $90,000 prior to the Fire, a new machine would cost $147,000. The board reappointed Commissioner Allen Nether cutt to the Duplin County Hospital board. It also re appointed Garland King, Milford Quinn and C.W. Surratt to the industrial de velopment board. George Cowan was reappointed to the county soil and water district board of supervisors. A contract with Dr. Corbett L. Quinn for $3?' per week was approved. C "inn will be the contractu al medical director for the county health department. By a 3-2 vote, the board appointed Dr. Steve Griffith of Warsaw to the county health hoard to succeed Or Q.arv tr. rick who has ..loved lW>i? the county. Voting for Griffith were com missioners Calvin Turner, W.J. Costin and Nethercutt. Voting against the appoint ment were Commissioners D.J. Fussell and Franklin Williams. Pate Receives Dameron Award Carl D. Pate Jr. Carl D. Pate Jr. (Danny), son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl D. Pate Sr. of Beulaville. who is a senior at the University of North Carolina school of medicine, has been selected as the recipient of the Frank Dameron Award. This award was estab lished by the UNC school of medicine Class of 1975 in memory of their classmate iif recognition both of his achievements as a medical student and of his com mitment to return to his hometown in a medically deprived area to practice medicine. The award is given to a member of the fourth year class who is a student in good standing and commited to practicing primary care medicine at the end of his training in a rural or medi cally deprived area of the state. Selection is by class ballot. Dean's office, and president of the Whitehead Society. Danny will finish his < medical school studies next spring and will begin post graduate residency training in family medicine. His plans are to return to his home area to practice when he com pletes his residency. He is a 1974 graduate of East Duplin High School and did his undergraduate studies at UNC-CH, receiving his B.A. degree in 1978. He is the grandson of Mrs. Phoebe Pate of Beulaville, and Mrs. Ruby R. Brinkley of Teachey and the late Ben F. Brinkley Sr. Tax Credit Employers, did you know that by hiring extended day school students you can get a major tax break? Through the Revenue Act of 1978, the federal govern ment is offering just that kind of opportunity. For more information, call Joreka Allen, Eddie Hatch or W.T. Stokes at 296-1818 at Ex tended Day School in Kenansville. <jM?? wm Duplin High On Farm List In USA Duplin County ranked 49th among counties throughout the United States in gross farm income, according to the 1978 census of agricul ture, the U.S. Department Of Commerce reported Thurs day. The only North Carolina county ranked among the top 100 of the nation in this category, Duplin increased its standing from 62nd in 1974 to 49th in 1978. The census reported the county's gross farm income at $173,125 million. The county has been ranked among the top 100 since the late 1960s with income from poultry the primary factor. The county's gross farm income continued to rise in the years after 1978, reach ing an estimated $238.7 mil lion last year. Thanksgfving Service There will be a Thanks giving Worship Service at 9 a.m. Thanksgiving Day at the United Methodist Church in Warsaw, according to the pastor. Rev. Jimmy Creech. ? * Outside of Wisconsin and Illinois, only 10 counties east of the Mississippi River ranked among the top 100. Six of these were in Florida, two in Pennsylvania and one in Virginia. Twenty-one of the leading counties ? including Fresno, the national leader ? were in California, 13 in Texas, nine in Iowa, eight in Illinois and seven in Kansas. California, Iowa. Illinois and Texas are the top four states in gross farm income virtually every year. The Duplin County exten sion service estimated that poultry brought a gross re turn of $120.2 million in 1980, an. increase of about $35 million from 1978. The county's swine industry grossed S27.8 million in 1980 about the same as two years earlier because of depressed prices. Duplin is among the top poultry producing counties of the nation with turkeys as the leading factor. Last year the county's turkey crop totaled 10.7 million birds and grossed $69.9 million, com* pared with about $40 million in 19T|B. In 1980 broilers grossed $34.77 million, turkey- and chicken-hatching eggs $11 million and market eggs $3.15 million. The county's 1980 turkey crop was just under half the 23 million turkeys produced in North Carolina. In addition to its bur geoning poultry industry, Duplin remains a major tobacco producer, ranking 10th or 11th lb the state in most years. Last year its tobacco crop grossed $39.6 million. The tobacco income is limited by production quotas designed to keep the nation's crop in line with supply. Tobacco demand has been limited in recent years. The county's poultry de velopment began in the middle 1950s. By the mid 1960s gross income from poultry topped that from tobacco. The nation's appetite for poultry has increased sharply in the last decade and ex ports of poultry meat, par ticularly turkey, have risen, largely through marketing innovations such as sailing turkey parts, turkey^ ham, turkey rolls and chieqpn hot dogs.
The Duplin Times (Warsaw, N.C.)
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Nov. 26, 1981, edition 1
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