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VOL. XXXXV NO. 29 USPS 182-800 KENANSVILLE. NC 28349 JULY 22, 1982 16 PAGES THIS WEEK 10CENTS PLUS TAX
putties Appointed Kenansville Mayor
Don Suttles has been ap
pointed mayor by the Town
Board to succeed the late
Cfelyn M. Hall. Mrs. Hall
<oKl unexpectedly in May.
Commissioner Jimmy
Johnson moved at' the
board's meeting last week
that Suttles be named. John
son's motion was seconded
by Commissioner Ronnie
Bo stic.
Suttles ran second to Mrs.
Hall in the November 1981
mayoral election. The term
Ml expire in 1985.
buttles is employed by the
Duplin County Sheriffs De
partment as a jailer. He has
been a member of ihe Ke
nansville Alcoholic Beverage
Control Board, from which
he will resign to avoid hold
ing two public service posi
tions at the same time.
Commissioner William
Fennell asked Suttles if he
would have the necessary
re for the post. Suttles said
would have time during
the days because he works
part of his schedule at night.
| The board unanimously
? approved a resolution prais
i ing Mrs. Hall, the town's
[ first woman mayor, and pre
sented a copy to her hus
band, John Hall.
In other business, Glenn
Thomas Braswell, 36, was
appointed to the police force
effective Aug. 2. His starting
salary will be just over
$10,000. Braswell now it a
security officer at Duplin
General Hospital.
NEW MAYOR OF KENANSVILLE - Jimmy Johnson gives the oath of office to Don Suttles
* Fish Kill in Southern Duplin
County Is Believed To Be Natural
A fish kill reported in
f|der Branch and Maxwell
reek near Register in
southern Duplin County last
Tuesday appears to have
been due to lack of dissolved
oxygen in the water, ac
cording to Robert Jamieson
of the N.C. Department of
Natural Resources and Com
munity Development at
Wrightsville Beach.
About 100 fish, mostly
fHtfish, eels and perch ap
peared to have died in the
creek and branch between
the Maxwell Creek bridges
on N.C. 11 and State Road
1141 about six miles south of
Kenansville. The branch
meets the creek about a mile
east of N.C. 11.
He said the investigation
indicated the oxygen prob
lcm was caused by natural
conditions at the time. Steve
Long and Bob Cochrane of
his department investigated
the stream after State Wild
life Resources Commission
biologist James Borawa re
ported the incident. Borawa
said the kill probably occured
on Sunday or early Monday.
"They took water samples
?nd found the amount of
dissolved oxygen to be low,"
Jamieson said. "Our investi
gation showed no evidence of
industrial discharge in the
area." he added.
Samples are being checked
for coliform bacteria, nutri
ents and biochemical oxygen
demand, but results won't be
available until next month,
he added.
Jamieson and Borawa said
high temperatures and a
shower can throw a "slug"
of organic matter into these
small streams, causing a
sharp reduction in dissolved
oxygen as it is absorbed by
the rotting matter. Addi
tional showers will improve
the situation, they noted, by
increasing the water flow in
relation to the amount of
organic matter.
Jamieson said the water
condition improved later in
the week with the numerous
showers that fell between
early in the week and Friday.
Borawa, who made a pre
liminary investigation before
calling the NRCD people,
said he found the stream flow
"sluggish" and the water
filled with algae. He said
algae absorbs oxygen from
the water at night although
during the day they return
oxygen to the water.
Flow of water in the
swamp streams in flat Duplin
County is normally show and
the water becomes warm in
summer. Borawa said the
warm water can hold less
oxygen than colder water.
Jamieson said fish kills are
reported most often in July
and August. Net breakage
caused four fish kills in
Carteret and New Hanover *
counties this month. The
Department received a call
about a fish kill in columbus
County but it was never
Ideated.
Jamieson urged anyone
spotting a fish kill to call
NRCD at 256-4161. The
office is the former Babies
Hospital building at
Wrightsville Beach.
* Onslow Man Sentenced
Alton Earl Warren, 56, of
Westwood Trailer Park in
' Jacksonville, was sentenced
' "to six years in prison after
being convicted of voluntary
manslaughter Wednesday in
Duplin County Superior
*
Court.
Warren was charged with
killing Dorothy Emma Kil
patrick Peterson of Teachey
between 7 and 8 p.m. Jan. 28
in her mobile home on Calico
Bay Road between Wallace
and Teachey.
She was shot in the head,
according to Duplin County
Deputy Alfred Basden.
Judge Frank Brown of
Tarboro presided.
The maximum penalty for
the charge is 20 years.
Warren was jailed Jan. 29.
He could be freed on parole
in less than three years.
Assistant District Attorney
Dewey Hudson said.
Tobacco Bill Contains No'Overnight
Answers' For Duplin Growers
By Sharon Overton
^ Staff Writer
The amended tobacco bill
which passed in the Senate
last Wednesday will provide
"no overnight answers" for
Duplin tobacco farmers, ac
cording to agriculture autho
rities.
The No Net Cost Tobacco
Program Act was approved
in the House on June 21,
backed strongly by North
^Carolina Congressmen
Charlie Rose and Charles
Whitley. Its major provisions
include the sale of tobacco
allotments, elimination of fall
leasing, a 3-cent per pound
assessment on market
tobacco to establish a No
Loss Fund and authorization
for the U.S. Secretary of
Agriculture to adjust price
support rates for grades in
^excess supply.
? the bill was proposed this
session ai an effort to main
tain the ailing federal
tobacco program by making
it virtually cost-free to the
taxpayer. David English, of
the Agricultural Stabilization
and Conservation Service in
Kenansville, said the agri
cultural community here had
"mixed feelings" about the
bill.
"Most agreed that some
action had to be taken to save
the program," said English.
"By and large, the fanners
have been very cooperative
with it."
Agricultural Extension
Agent J. Michael Moore tells
fanners not to look for "short
term answers" to their "long
term problems."
"There is no provision in
the hill for a ceiling an lease
rates," said Mpore, "and
nothing to alleviate high
production costs. Although
the bill will allow farmers to
be closer to their actual
production rates. I don't
think there will be a flood of
people buying or selling
poundage."
English believes that re
establishing quotas and al
lotments every five years will
tend to make the tobacco
more stable. The present
quotas have not been
changed since they were set
over 20 years ago.
"Over 60 percent of the
allotment holders in Duplin
County don't actually grow
tobacco; they lease their
acreage," said English.
"The provision which sepa
rates allotments and pound
age for sale purposes will
tend to drive unactive hold
ers out of the industry. I
think we'll see a lot of sales
from people who are too old
to farm or who need the
money to pay oft debts. This
will finally put allotments
back into the hands of those
actually growing tobacco."
Moore said he had heard
speculation that the separa
tion of land and poundage
may have a detrimental
effect on land values. Allot
ment holders might be un
willing to sell their shares for
fear that their property will
be worth less without them.
Both Moore and English
agreed that the unstable
nature of the tobacco pro
gram may prevent many
farmers from borrowing
money to purchase allot
ments. Likewise, financial
institutions may be hesitant
to lend for such purchases.
Although the bill still re
quired the President's sig
nature Monday morning, the
ASCS has been instructed to
begin signing up farmers for
the 3-cent deduction agree
ment. Tobacco markets in
eastern North Carolina
should open as scheduled
this Tuesday, July 27th.
Two Duplin Schools
Get New Principals
Two schools in Duplin
'ounty have new principals,
oth appointed by the Board
f Education during a called
necting Thursday.
Harold M. Brewer was
ippointed principal of Wal
ice-Rose Hill High School
nd Tommy Benson will be
ome principal of North
Juplin Junior High.
Brewer succeeds Charles
ilemenda. who resigned in
lune to become superinten
lent of the Madison-Moyden
ichool system in Rockingham
County. Brewer will take
over the position July 26.
Brewer has been principal
of North Moore County High
School in Robbins since 1977.
A native of Laurinburg. he
graduated from Pembroke
State University and took
advanced work at Appala
chian State University. He
received an education spe
cialist degree from the Uni
versity of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill.
Bensor who assumed the
junior high post Monday, is a
Duplin County native. He
graduated from the Univer
sity of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, where he was a
member of Phi Beta Kappa,
and took advanced w^rk at
East Carolina University in
Greenville.
Benson began teaching at
North Edgecombe High
School in Tarboro. He later
taught at Phillips School in
Battleboro. In 1974, he came
to Warsaw High School as a
language and social studies
teacher.
He will succeed Johnny
Williams, who was appointed
principal of North Duplin
High School earlier to suc
ceed Jake Atkinson, who
retired.
The board also named Dr.
Austin Carter as community
schools coordinator. He will
retain his position as director
of the three-tier vocational
education program. Former
coordinator Rick Sommers
resigned at the end of the
last school year.
Warsaw To Apply For Street,
Drainage Improvements
B> Sharon Overton
Staff Writer
Apparently most Warsaw
citizens are leaving the deci
sion up to the town board.
With only four people
present Monday night to
express their views on the
community block grant appli
cation. the Warsaw a>mmis
sioners have decided to. leave,
housing rehabilitation out of
the 1982 application and
focus on drainage and street
repairs.
The public hearing last
week was the first of two
which are required for sub
mission of a block grant
application Woody Brinson
of McDavid Assoc.. in
Kenansville, the firm
handling Warsaw's applica
tion. said Monday's meeting
was to gain citizen's input on
whether or not the town
should submit an application
and, if so, what areas should
be considered for funding.
Three Warsaw residents.
Lester Jones of Jordan St.,
Kenneth Morrisey of CpHsgo
St. and Hen'rs D'. Smith of rtt.'
1. told Bfinson that they
would like to see housing
rehabilitation included in the
application. Neale Turling
ton. director of the Warsaw
Recreation Department,
recommended that the town
allocate some funds for
revitablizing a small park
area near Lucv St.
After Brinson submitted
his report to the town board
which met after the public
hearing. Commissioner
Walter Foster moved to in
struct the McDavid firm to
apply to funds to work on
drainage and street repair
instead of housing rehabili
tation The target sea is to
include region* or. the west
side of town between Hill.
Prospect and Bay streets.
The board unanimously ap
proved the motion.
Warsaw has received
funding for community block
grants for three of the past
four years, in 1978. the town
received $500,000 for water
improvements. In 1980. over
40 homes on Highway 117 in
Warsaw were marked for
rehabilitation or demolition
when the town was awarded
a $415 grant. Contracts are
still being let at this time for
the $488,000 1981 block
grant which includes 85 per
cent housing rehabilitation
and IS percent street and
drain* ge-rcpmis.
Citizens can get informa
tion on the 1982 block grant
application at a second
meeting on July 22. The
finished application will be
sent to the Department of
Natural Resources and Com
munity Development for
consideration by July 30.
Warsaw Town Board Meets
Citizen Proposes Historical Commission
By Sharon Overton
Staff Writer
A Warsaw resident con
cerned over the recent loss of
the Warsaw depot has pro
posed that the town establish
a historical commission to
help "save Warsaw's heri
tage."
Phyllis Ellenberg ap
peared before the town board
last week saying that she
represented several other
citizens who "didn't want to
see Warsaw's historical
structures destroyed." She
stated that several old homes
in the town meet the re
quirements for listing in the
historical register. According
to Mrs. Ellenberg, homes
over 40 years old are eligible
for the register and owners
can receive considerable tax
breaks for their restoration.
Mrs. Ellenberg added that
the commission could serve
as an advisory body as well,
encouraging residents to
purchase old homes and
make them "eye-pleasing"
additions to the community.
Noting that a simitar com
mission had failed in the
past. Mayor Sam Godwin
advised Mrs. Ellenberg to
find a group of interested
citizens and report back to
the board at the August
meeting.
J.H. Hines also appeared
before the board asking that
he be allowed to add 13 new
lots to his mobile home park
on Pinecrest Drive. He told
the commissioners that the
lots facing Pinecrest would
be asthetically pleasing, with
larger lots and the units
turned broadside.
The board voted on a mo
tion by Commissioner Frank
Steed to go along with the
Planning Board's decision
and allow Hines to make the
additions.
The board later approved a
request by Hines that water
and sewer lines be hooked up
individually to each home.
The town of Warsaw may
soon be involved in expand
ing its own limits.
Commissioners heard a
report bv town attorney Gar
rett Ludlum Monday night on
the procedures for annexing
32 tracts outside of the town
including the Hill St. Exten
sion and King's Court areas.
Ludlum advised the board
that annexation could not be
accomplished on such a large
area of land by board action
alone. He recommended
taking the annexation in
several steps, the first of
which would be to bring in
Warsaw Development by
voluntary petition.
The town expects to add
$50,000 to the tax base
through annexation of these
areas which have a combined
valuation of $344,000.
Warsaw residents who
raise small animals in cages
or pens may be subject to
strictet regulations soon.
After considering a com
plaint from a citizen abou the
smell of his neighbor's rabbit
pen. the Warsaw Town
Board asked Ludlum to draw
?p a new ordinance regulat
ing pens in the city limits.
The town presently has an
ordinance on the books which
forbids raising chickens,
ponies, cows or hogs inside
the city.
In further action, commis
sioners rejected a request by
Beasley Broadcast Co. to
allow them to assigp the
Warsaw franchise as col
lateral on a loan.
Beasley is currently in
stalling cable television in
the Warsaw area and is
trying to obtain the loan to
finance construction there.
By allowing the franchise to
be used as collateral, War
saw's cable T.V. system
could conceivably become
the property of Branch
Banking and Trust of Golds
boro if Beasley were to
default. i
Warsaw commissioners
stated that they felt the
arrangement would have
been acceptable if the loan
had been anticipated sooner
Board members also voted
to reappoint Alfred Herring
: I ? .
as finance officer and tax
collector.
At the request of Police
Chief R.P Wood, the board
went into executive session
at p.m. to discuss
personnel matters.
? - _ . ? mm
Rose Hill Adopts World s
Largest' Frying Pan
The town of Rose Hill
became owner of what is
called "the word's largest
frying pan" last week on
Tuesday night.
The huge pan. actually in
eight sections joined
together, has been the
centerpiece of poultry pro
motions and jubilees since
1963.
Promised removal of the
centerpiece to Kenansville
for the first Duplin County
agricultural fair in 60 years,
prompted the action.
For several years the pan
has rested under a gazebo on
a lot adjacent to the Rose
Manor shopping center south
of Rose Hill. Previously it
was located on the town
park, the fornjfer Rose Hill
school campus.
Tuesday night. Dennis
Ramsey offered the pan to
the town if it would provide a
suitable location. The board
of commissioners accepted
the pan during its regular
July meeting. The board
plans to provide a permanent
site for the pan in the town
park beside U.S. 117.
Formal ownership of the
pan has never been estab
lished. Ramsey's former
company, Ramsey Feed Co..
built the pan in 1963. Ram
sey, now retired, told the
board. "There's no deed or
bill of sale on the pan, but I
think I have as much to say
about it as anyone. . .ft needs
to be property of the most
.-.table group in town and the
town governments appear to
DC lUill .
Initially employees of the
company cooked chicken in
the pan and used the pan in
promoting both the broiler
industry and the town. The
company was a pioneer in
development of the area
broiler industry.
Ramsey explained. "I'm
displeased with its leaving
town. It's only left town once
and that was to White Lake
for a blueberry festival. At
that time we were promoting
our own Rose Hill Jubilee
and poultry products."
He noted that the Rose Hill
Jaycees had taken an interest
in the pan and the poultry
festival, the name of which ,
was changed from Rose Hill
Poultry Jubilee to the North
Carolina Poultry Jubilee.
While saying he disliked
the idea of the pan's .being
? moved, he said to prevent
the pan being taken to the
county fair would hurt those
people as the Jayceef had
promised the Duplin Agri
business Council, sponsor of
the fair, use of the pan.
Current planning calls for
combining this year's poultry,
festival with the county faff
in October.
Ramsey said the Jaycees.
have been producing the
jubilee in Rose Hill with
other clubs.
The pan, 15 feet across, Is
made of '/<-inch steel, h cad
fry 265 chickens at one time.
The pan requires -140 gallon 1
of cooking oil and eight sets
of tobacco burnen for gat
ing.