' . , ? * J' v . PROGRESS SENTINEL ? * . VOL. XXXXVIN0.3 USPS 162-860 KENANSVILLE. NC 28.W ? JANUARY 20. 1W l. nightspot's location near a i residential area, told the i board: "It's time we got our l zoning ordinances up to date. We're just not doing our job. If there are things in ordi- I nances we don't like, we ] should change. It's foolish | for us to be sitting around I here with a 1952 ordinance. . ? .We have two problem places I in town and if our ordinances i were up-to-date, they would t not be in such locations." Blanchard said he wanted [he board to study the zoning irdinances wjth the idea of bring them up-to-date. He said he would bring the matter up at every board meeting until action was aken. In other action: ? Tom Davidson. a poard member, was ap pointed chairman of the planning board to succeed Kenneth Blanchard. who re signed the post due to tealth. The town board will tame a regular member of he planning board during its next meeting. ? Fire Chief Thomas Townsend gave his annual report and said 1982 had the lowest local fire loss in a long time. He credited installation of 350 smoke alarms in the city and a fire prevention education effort. Townsend reported the department answered 92 alarms in 1982. compared with 121 in 1981. Townsend estimated fire loss last year at 5207.485 compared w itn 5388,000 in the preceding year. He estimated the value of property saved in 198/ at 5826.915. just over half ihc 51.140.000 saved in |9V ( Cable TV Firm Gets More Time For Work At Rose Hill Univision Cable Television Co. of Riehlands has received a seven-week extension to complete installation of its system in Rose Hill. The Town Board approved a March 1 deadline last week. Univision general manager John Cochran said Wednes day that complications in arranging with utilities to hang cable TV wires delayed his company's work. "It was the first time for both of us and that made for delays in working out details." Coch ran said. "The utilities worked well with us. but it just took more time than expected." Customers will begin re ceiving television programs through the cable system late this month in Wallace, he said. The company has fran chises to serve several Duplin Count) towns and much of the county. Red Cross Chapter Meeting The midwinter meeting of the Duplin County Chapter of the American Red Cross w ill be held on Thursday after noon, Jan. 27 at 4 p.m. in the Fellowship hall of Grove Presbyterian Church in Kenansville. GOVERNOR JAMES HUNT and Keprt tentative Wendell Murphy are shown just alter landing at the Wallace Airport Tuesday of last wceV rhe pair (lew front Raleigh in the State helicopter Hunt was the guest = -mt: * .' speaker at tlie Wallace Chamber of Com mere banquet Pictured behind Murphy is (irah.oii Phillips, .who was part of the welcoming committee at the Wallace airport. Hunt Wants Drinking Age Raised, Opposes Gas Tax Gov. Jim Hunt called last week for raising the legal drinking age in North Caro lina but said he will oppose increasing the state's gaso line tax. despite an antici pated shortfall in the state's road building fund Increasing the legal mini mum age for drinking beer and wine from lb to If is one of Hunt's proposals to curb the incidence of drunken driving. It would create a new category of offense, "impaired driving.'' replac ing "driving under the influ ence of alcohol" or DL'I. In an address to the Chamber of Commerce in Wallace. Hunt said his pack age of anti-DUl legislation would be one of his major legislative priorities for Ifb3. "The main thing with young people, to prevent more deaths, is to get alcohol out of the high schools." Hunt saiu. "Young people under IK years old have no business drinking." The Governor's Crime Commission recommended raising to 21 the legal mini mum age for drinking beer and wine. The proposed "impaired driving" charge would bear varying penalties, depending on sijch factors as the driver's record and the se riousness of the offense. Hunt explained Hunt also said. "We in tend to cut out plea bar gaining." To reduce plea-bargaining he proposes mandatory sen tences ranging from seven days to two years for multiple offenses. Hunt will discuss his DUI proposals in a televised ad dress Jan. 24. Although North Carolina has insufficient highway funds to mate!, federal aid expected this year. Hunt said, he will not lead any attempt to bolster the high way lund. Primarily supports ed by the state's 121 < ecnts per-gallon motor fuel tax, it will be SbO million short of the amount needed to match federal aid in 1983, Hunt said his budget pro posal would not offer any solutions to the highway fund shortfall. Few legislators have shown any enthusiasm for additional transportation taxes after granting a 3-cent increase Hunt requested in 1981. One cent would raise about $30 million. "I will work with them ip developing some way of fi nancing road work," Hunt said, but, he added, "I will oppose any further state gasoltne tax increase." lie governor said *"? wants taxes on alcoho ? beverages increased to h' finance highway constructi as he proposed in 1981. ( Fussell Scholarship Awarded At JSTC In 1973, Mr. and Mrs. Morace Fussell of Rose Hill established the Elizabeth Gray Fussell Memorial Fund at James Sprunt Technical College in memory of their daughter. Elizebeth, who was a graduate of the JSTC commercial art program. This year for the first time jhe scholarship was awarded and shared by two students currently enrolled in the commercial art program. Pamela J. Pierce of Wal lace was one of the recipents. She is a member of the Art Club at JSTC and hopes to open her own studio some day. Darnell Whitfield of Warsaw is the other reci pient. He is interested in all types of sports and plans to pursue a career in com mercial art after graduation. The scholarship will assist these two young people pay their tuition and fees. Any one interested in making a contribution to the Elizabeth G. Fussell Scholarship Fund should contact Ms. Donna S. Thigpen. executive director of the James Sprunt Foun dation at JSTC. P.O. Box 398, Kenansville. NC 28349 or phone 296-1341. ext. 265. Tobacco Growers Face A Double Bind i Farmers are Finding tobacco leasing as difficult and cosfly as they had ex pected following sharp pro duction quota cuts and an )even sharper assessment fee increase. Because production is limited by acreage allot ments and poundage quotas, which owners may lease to growers, farmers looking for additional tobacco find they have to pay a double as sessment fee. according to Morris Kornegay of the Fatson area. Many other ^growers agree with his ob servation that they are having to pav the owners' seven cents a pound assess ment fee at the time they arrange a lease. Growers also will have to pay an assessment fee of seven cents a pound when hey sell their tobacco. The fee was established by the U.S. Department of Agricul ture to defray the cost of the * tobacco price-support and 'production-control program. It is paid to Flue-Cured Tobacco Cooperative Stabili zation Inc., which buys to bacco failing to receive prices in excess of the support levels. The assessment was in creased from three cents a pound last year to a basic seven cents a pound this ^y?ar. In addition, allotment "and quota owners leasing tobacco off their farms are supposed to pay seven cents a pound at the time the lease is executed. Farmers leasing the tobacco are. however, having to pay the extra seven cents "one way or the other." according to Kor negay. Duplin County Agricul tural Stabilization and Con servation Service Director David English said the ASCS office in Kenansville has been crowded most of the week with farmers wanting to least tobacco quotas. The ASCS operates the produc tion control side of the tobac co program. All tobacco pro duction quota leases or sales must be executed in the respective county offices. ELIZABETH G. FUSSELL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED Pictured above are Darnell Whitfield, left and Pamela J. Pierce, right, recipients of the aw.ard. Both students are currently enrolled in the commercial art program at James Sprunt Technical College. Tax Listing Duplin County tax list takers will be listing property for 1983 taxes in each town ship through Jun. 31. All persons who own real or personal property are re quired to list. Kenansville Area Chamber Of Commerce Annual Membership Meeting The 1983 Kenansville Area Chamber of Commerce annual membership meeting will be held on Friday, Jan. 28 at the Country Squire, and will feature State Rep resentative Wendell Murphy as its speaker. Murphy was recently inducted for his first term as a legislator repre senting Duplin and Jones counties. In addition to his legislative duties. Murphy is an executive with Murphy Farms, Inc. located in Rose Hill. Chamber president Carey Wrenn states that this will be an excellent opportunity for businesses and citizens of our area to listen to an excellent speaker who can give some insight into what we can expect from our legislature this year. Wrenn also said that an opportunity will be given to ask questions and share concerns with Duplin's state representa tive. In addition to hearing Murphy speak, those in at tendance will enjoy a steak dinner and hear Duplin's visiting artist. Leigh Howard Stevens. Stevens, a vibra phonist. is visiting Duplin County from Jan. 23-30 and is being sponsored by the Duplin County Arts Council. Wrenn stated that the newly - elected board mem bers will also be inducted. They are Amos Brinson, Charles Hughes, Mattie #Minshew and Charles Shaipi. I hey will serve as the Chamber's board of di rectors for 1983 along with four remaining directors. Doug Judge. Alice Rich. Tom Rouse and Kay Stroud. The' outgoing directors. Hilda Booth. Bill McKay, Alice Wortbington and Wrcnn will also be recognized. According to Wrenn, it will be a night of dining and entertainment, along with an informative session that he believes will benefit all citi zens of the area. The meet ing will be held in the Jester's Court at The Country Squire. It will start at 7 p.m. and the cost is $7.50 per person. Reserva tions must be made by Jan. 25 by calling Carolyn Hall at 29b-1827. 1 The 1983 officers of the Corn Growers Association of North Carolina arc pictured recently with Agriculture Commissioner .Jim Graham (second right), at the Annual Directors' Dinner at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh. They are (left to right) Fred Tate of Klizahethtown. treasurer; I^roy ?Jackson of Raleigh, secretary; Jack Williams of Faison, vice president; and Harold Cutler of Scotland Neck, president. The election of 1983 officers was held at the CGANC Annual State Meeting last month in Raleigh. The Corn Growers Association of North Carolina was established in 1978 to help fund corn research, promote corn export and to Increase yields. The CGANC is funded by a one-half cent per bushel assessment on corn sold for contgiercial use.