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PROGRESS SENTINEL
VOL. XXXXVI11 NO. 24 USPS 162-860 KENANSV1LLE. NC 28349 JUNE 13. 1985 lb PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
Shadow Program
^ Mary Gardner, accounting major at James Sprunt Technical College, spent a
day at a seminar on computerized accounting as part of a "Shadow Program"
sponsored by the Kenansville-Warsaw Rotary Club. The shadow program
puts students in the field, working with a professional in their career major,
to give them a first-hand look at what their career will be like. Ms. Gardner's
experience enhanced her ability to apply her classroom accounting and
computer training to real-life application. The seminar she attended was
sponsored by Quinn Company tor their retail grocers on the use of computers
tof inventory and.Recounting applications. Ms. Gardner (above) gets
instruction at the seminar*'froni Bob Brunbwe, comptroller of Quinn
Company.
' JSTC Achieves 100%
Pass Rate On State
Nursing Exam
.>aiiies iprunt Technical College
) was one of eight institutions in the
North Carolina community college
system to post a 100 percent passing
rate for registered nursing students
who took the state board of nursing
licensure examination this past
February.
According to Dr. Vercie M.
Hardee, coordinator of health occu
pation programs for the Department
of Community Colleges, graduates
from community and technical col
t lege programs are continuing to
' achieve higher and higher passing
scores on the licensure exams. "I
believe this is related to improve
ment in nursing curriculum and
competency expectations of the
graduates." said Hardee.
The associate degree nursing pro
gram is a two-year curriculum. After
graduation, students must pass the
licensure examination to be licensed
as registered nurses.
A total of 194 students took the
exam in February, and 182, or 93.8
percent, passed it. These scores
slightly surpassed the 92.8 pass rate
for students taking the examination
last July.
The community college system
produces most of the two-year
associate degree nurses and licensed
practical nurses in North Carolina.
Cold Pizza
Results In Jail
I The law caught up with a man
accused of selling fake jewelry when
he refused to pay for delivery of a
cold pizza.
The pizza was delivered to Craig
Coligny Gore, 38, at the Ramada Inn
in New Bern. A motel employee paid
for the pizza, then sent it to Gore's
room. After Gore refused to reim
burse the employee, saying the pizza
was cold, a warrant was issued for
his arrest on a charge of defrauding
I an innkeeper.
A routine check by New Bern
police with the Police Information
Network showed outstanding war
rants against Gore from the Warsaw
Police Deparment on charges of false
pretense, said Sgt. Gary Cook, a
detective with the WPD.
Gore, who has Georgia plates on
his 1982 Lincoln Continental and
addresses in Fayetteville and
Columbia, S.C., was changed in
November 1984 with eight counts of
false pretense. He is accused of
setting up a costume jewelry table at
several schools in Duplin County and
telling teachers his merchandise was
14-karat sold, Cook said.
He said cheap watches designed to
look like, and represented as," Roles
watches, were offered for $100. That
would be a substantial discount trotri
the price of a bottom-of-the-line
Roles, which sells for a minimum of
$795, according to Bilf Zimmer "ot
Reed's Jewelers in Wilmington. The
counterfeit watches were worth
about $15, Cook estimated.
Gore told his customers he was
" selling the watches cheaply because
h|s company, Jewelry International
in Columbia. S.C., was getting rid of
merchandise left over at the end of
the year. Cook said.
Cook said Gore had "a right good
bit of change on him" when ar-ested
? about $1,600. Although Gore was
released from jail on an $8,000 bond.
Cook said, he believes Gore will
show up for his court appearances
because Gore's bondsman has his
Lincoln.
Each false pretense charge carries
a maximum sentence of 1U years.
Defrauding an innkeeper is a six
month misdemeanor.
Faison Approves Budget,
Tax Rate Unchanged
Faison Town Commissioners
adopted the 1985-86 fiscal budget
June 5 during the regular meeting of
the board. No changes were levied
on the town tax rate or water and
sewer fees.
Citizens of Faison will continue to
pay 57 cents per $100 evaluation as
town taxes for the upcoming year.
Faison Commissioners approved a
$195,783 budget for 1985-86 which
begins July 1.
Town citizen Ted Bailey appeared
before the Commissioners last week.
Bailey was among the more than 30
citizens appearing before the Board
two months earlier in support of an
entire town face-lift in conjunction
with the merchants which had
formed a 1-a is on Kw.. g Com
mission. Bailey thanked Board
members for the town's cooperation
in clean-up and repair efforts of the
local citizens.
David Miller appeared before the
Board requesting a privilege license
to operate a taxi business in the town
of Faison. No action was taken by the
Board on the request since Miller
was appearing on behalf of the taxi
operator.
A request to open a poolroom in
Faison was granted Raven Foss. He
appeared before the Board and
stated plans to open immediately. No
pool or game room has been in
operating in downtown Faison
during the last eight months.
Decreased Enrollment And Repairs
May Result In Move To High School
North Duplin school district
seventh and eighth graders may
move from a junior high school west
of Faison to the North Duplin High
School campus near Calypso in
September.
The Duplin County Board of
Education tentatively agreed to the
move Tuesday night because of
decreasing enrollment and the need
for extensive repairs to the junior
high building, the former P.W.
Moore School.
A public hearing on the proposed
move will be held at 8 p.m. June 18
in the North Duplin High School
library. The board will make its
decision after the hearing.
Supt. L.S. Guy told the board that
'164 pupils ? 77 in the seventh and
87 in the eighth grades ? would be
involved. The building can accom
modate 350.
School authorities project a con
tinued decline in enrollment in the
district. Kindergartens in district
schools had 43 pupils last year. In
seven years, therefore, 43 pupils
would be enrolled in seventh grade if
every child remained in school in the
district and no additional students
moved in. The eighth grade would
have 45 students in seven years.
The building needs a new roof,
which would cost about $38,000, and
new pipes in the steam heating
system. Repairs for short-term use
would cost about $3,500, Guy said.
Guy acknowledged that having
seventh and eighth graders on the
same grounds as high school stu
dents "is not the best situation to
have." He said breaks can be
scheduled so the junior high and the
upper grades will not be out of
classes at the same time.
The school system bought two
mobile classrooms from Red Springs
last winter. These 14- by 70-foot
units will be moved to the North
Duplin campus to house the seventh
and eighth graders.
In other action the board approved
summer programs, including these:
? Remedial classes at James
Kenan High School starting June 17.
Tuition will be $50, $10 higher than
last year. Last year 205 students
enrolled in a similar program.
? A three-week science, mathe
matics and computer enrichment
program for eighth and ninth
graders, starting June 24. Tentative
sites are Wallace-Rose Hill and East
Duplin high schools. Guy said 40
students have qualified bv com
pleting an algebra course and
achieving a score of 87 percent or
higher on the California Achieve
ment Test.
The remedial and enrichment
classes will meet three hours a day,
five days a week.
? Computer camp for seventh
and eighth graders at four sites ?
starting July 8 at James Kenan, July
12 at North Duplin. July 15 at East
Duplin and July 19 at Wallace-Rose
Hill. Admission will be free. Duplin
County industries and businesses
contributed $5,500 to finance the
program.
? Computer sch?H>l July 8, 12, 15
and 19 for fourth through sixth
graders of Warsaw and Kenansville
Elementary schools.
The board scheduled for 10 a.m.
July 13 the auction of a 1.393
square-foot house built by Wallace
Rose Hill high school vocational
classes.
Kenansville Hopes To
Hold The Line On Taxes
Kenansville's tax, water, sewer
and trash collection rates will remain
unchanged in the next fiscal year,
according to the new budget pre
sented to the Board of Commis
sioners last week.
The board set the annual budget
hearing for 7:30 p.m. July 1 at the
town hall.
Town Clerk Mary Ann Jenkins
compiled the proposed budget from
discussions by the board in the
previous month.
The proposal calls for general fund
expenditures of $217,687 with a tax
rate of 69 cents per $100 assessed
valuation. Water and sewer rates
have haen the same sine. 1981 .jp - ?
Included in the new budget is a
$24,000 payment for a new town hall,
the first to be owned by the town.
Kenansville bought the former
Federal Land Bank building on
Routledge Street last year and
converted it into the town hall. Town
offices had been in the fire station
since 1971. Before then, the town
government had operated from the
back of Holmes' Jewelry Store.
The proposed budget shows no
increase in the town's tax base ? the
amount of property that is taxed ?
because tax-exempt governmental
agencies bought three buildings.
The town bought the former
Federal Land Bank building, the
state bought the former Coastal
Production Credit Building and
Duplin County bought the former
combined Federal Land Bank-PCA
farm credit services building.
Jenkins said the sanitation de
partment revenue should show a
slight increase from the current
$21,63.' because a Hardee's restau
rant will open next month and two
residences will be added to the
route.
The budget proposal calls for the
five town board members to get a
pay increase from $25 to $50 per
month and for the mayor to receive
an increase from $50 to $60 per
month. The total increases would
cost the town $1.620 yearly.
The town clerk would receive a 12
percent pay increase and other
employees, 10 percent. Pay of the
seven town employees would in
crease from $79,001 in the current
fiscal year to "$87.136. Each
town department head would receive
$200 in Christmas bonuses and each
employee, $100.
Water and sewer department
revenue is estimated at $100,768. A
debt payment of $35,980 will come
out of the water and sewer fund.
Proposed general fund expendi
tures are $62,925 for administration;
$46,432 for police; $12,700 for fire
department; $57,375 for streets;
533,400 for sanitation; $3,705 for
parks and recreation; and $750 for
cemetery upkeep.
The fire department fund would be
$600 higher than for the current year
with $8,500 for operating expense,
$2,100 for firefighters' retirement
and $2,100 for capital outlay.
Income sources include $87,172
from current year property taxes and
$2,500 from prior year property
taxes, $21,166 from sales tax,
$21,636 from sanitation fees,
$31,400 from franchise taxes,
$11,000 from interest on invest
ments, $21,636 from sanitation fees
and $46,874 from miscellaneous
sources.
The board will send a delegation to
the next Duplin County Commis
sioners' meeting to present the
county with $3,500 for its general
fund and $1,000 for its drainage fund
from Kenansville Alcoholic Beverage
"Control store profits. The town
received $5,000 for its general fund
and $500 for its law enforcement
fund from ABC profits.
The ABC store has given the
county $9,166 for the drainage fund
since the store began operation.
Board members contend the town
receives little or no benefit from the
funds.
The t *rd a?rv,&u ?? ha. t'^a -h
iree Street between N.C. 24 and
N.C. 50 near the elementary school
graded at the request of Earl Hardy,
who said: "If you can't pave it, at
least put the blade to it. I've seen
fifth middles in tobacco fields in
smoother shape than this street."
The board endorsed the concept of
a county exposition center involving
the former Kcnansville Elementary
School grounds and the auditorium
and amphitheatre grounds. Roy
Houston and Lois Britt, spokesmen
for the Duplin Agribusiness Council,
presented the plan, which calls for a
100-bv-200-foot building for livestock
and oiher shows.
Williams Found
Guilty In Fire Case
Melvin Guy Williams, n, was
found guilty Monday in Duplin
County Superior Court of three
charges in connection with the
burning of his house in 1979.
Williams was convicted of fraudu
lently setting Are to a dwelling,
conspiracy to set fire-?to a dwelling
and making a false statement to
collect insurance.
The jury, made up of Onslow
County residents who were bused to
Kenansville from Jacksonville each
day of the trial, returned the verdict
at about 5:15 p.m. The jury began its
deliberations at 2:30 p.m. Monday.
It returned at 5 p.m. to ask Judge
Mary McLaughlin Pope for 'an
explanation of the charge of fraudu
lently burning a house. The jury
retired for a few minutes before
returning with the verdict.
As the verdict was read, Williams
began sobbing louoiy. While the jury
was polled individually, Williams
was removed from the courtroom
because of his uncontrollable
sobbing.
Judge Pope was to hear motions
and sentence Williams at 11 a.m.
Tuesday. The maximum sentence for
the charge of fraudulently setting
fire to a house is 10 years in prison.
Defense lawyer John Martin of
Kinston, in summation Monday
morning, contended the state's key
witness, Paul C. Osik, 27, lied on the
witness stand last week. Osik
pleaded guilty June 3 to fraudulently
burning a dwelling and conspiring to
burn a dwelling. He testified he set
the fire Oct. 3, 1979, at the request of
Williams. Osik testified he had been
paid $2,000 to set the fire. He was
serving time on a previous conviction
of livestock larceny. He said he had
been told, as part of a plea bargain.
>'*ui lus iicw sentence would run
concurrently with the sentence he is
serving.
The prosecutor, Assistant District
Attorney Leonard Thagard, insisted
in his closing argument that Wil
liams should be treated no differ
ently than Osik even through Wil
liams had been involved in Duplin
County Democratic politics. He is a
former county party chairman.
Thagard said Williams could have
sold the house for $31,000, but
burned it to get $43,490 from
insurance and later sold the lot for
$4,000. He contended Williams
made $16,000 more by burning the
house than he could have by selling
it.
The house was in northern Duplin
County about two miles from Pink
Hill and the Duplin-Lenoir county
line. w j
The trial began June 3.
UNC-W Scholarships
Awarded
The following area students have
received Minority Achievement
Award Scholarships to attend the
University of North Carolina at
Wilmington:
Carol Jones of Kenansville,
Kirshna Jones of Jacksonville,
Sherrv Judge of Beulaville, Jestina
Shannon of Warsaw.
Beulaville Board Approves
Pay Increase For Employees
Beulaville Commisioners passed
the 1985-86 fiscal budget which
called for no tax increase and the
board voted a five percent salary
increase for town employees.
The board held two public hear
ings prior to the regular June
meeting last week. The hearings on
the proposed 1985-86 budget and
revenue sharing funds were held but
lacked public attendance.
Later during the regular meeting.
Beulaville Commissioners passed
the proposed budget. The tax rate
remains at 60 cents and water and
sewer fees are unchanged from the
current fiscal year.
Commissioners unanimously
agreed not to respond to a request
from Charles Blanchard, assistant
principal at Wallace Elementary
School. In a letter to the town board.
Blanchard had requested Commis
sioners adopt a resolution to support
complete funding of the proposed
Duplin Board of Education budget by
the county. To completely fund the
requests by the Board of Education,
Beulavillc Mayor Wilbur Hussey
said, a 10 cent tax increase would be
necessary.
'The county commissioners are
elected and in a better position to
know where the money is needed
than we are," Commissioner Elvis
Sumner said. "I'm not in favor of
trying to tell the county how to spend
their money." The towns of Wallace
?>nd Greenevers have agreed to pass
the requested resolution.
The town will be getting a new
lighting system. The board approved
the street lighting change which is
expected to yield 20 percent more
light in the town at a cost of S50 less
each month. The proposal calls for
the installation of 17 new street
lights and two size lamps; smaller
bulbs yielding as much light as the
current fixtures and larger bulbs
along NC 24 and NC 41. The town
currently has 120 street lights. The
new system will change the current
mercury vapor fixtures to the more
energy efficient sodium lights.
A bill by town employee Morris
Strickland was rejected by Beulaville
Commissioners. Strickland had sub
mitted a bill for 32 hours to the Board'
for time spent operating the town's
backhoe. However, the Board reject
ed the bill because Strickland has
been working independent of the
town and under contract with Duplin
County to install a water line. The
town was also paid a rental fee for
use of the backhoe by the county. In
past circumstances, when the town
rented the backhoe the employee
operating the tractor had been com
pensated for his time.
Commissioners agreed unani
mously to advertise the town
auditor's contract for the upcoming
budget year. The contract is cur
rently with Doug Clark of Kenans
ville.
A motion to have the town
perimeter surveyed was unani
mously passed by the Board. Also,
included was surveying and estab
lishing markers for the extraterri
torial zone extending approximately
one mile behond the city limits.
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