THE YANCEY JOURNAL
'pvuKexlty 1U TZecvict
VOL.I, N 0.35
DISTRICT 31A
N.r. ASSOC iATIOS FOR 1 HI BUND
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Johnny McLain And Bob Thomas Inspect Eye Screening Van Which Will Be In Yancey
Burnsville Lions Club Sponsoring
Mobile Eye Screening Van For Yancey
The Burnsville Lions Club is
sponsoring a Mobile Eye Screen
ing Van for Yancey County.
The van will be in the county
from November 30 through De
cember 8. It is fully equipped
and there will be a trained nurse
on hand to check the eyes of
all pre-school children between
tiie ages of 3 and 6 years. All
kindergarten children will be
included in this group.
According to medical auth -
orities, blindness resulting from
pathological disorders could be
cut in half within a few years if
all children between the ages
of one and ten years could re
ceive corrective care bes ore
their problems get out of hand.
Through the lions Eye Screen -
ing Program many of these de
fects can be found in time to
n. prevent possible eye damage.ln
1971 over 5000 children in Wes
tern North Carolina were screen
ed by the Lion Eye Van and over
500 were found to have eye de
fects. Many of these youngsters
were saved from serious visual
impairments or blindness.
The lions Club in coopera -
tion with the Department of
Social Services, the County
Health Department and the
Board of Education is striving to
get as many children as possible
checked for eye defects. They
urge everyone with pre - school
aged children to bring them to
the eye van for examination.
These examinations are free of
charge., If you do not have
transportation to bring -jour child,
call either the school where
the van is stationed or call 682-
2567 and a Lions Club member
will pick you up.
The schedule of the Eye Van
Open a 9.00
The following Burnsville mer
chants have announced ‘that
their stores will be open week
days and Saturdays until 9too
p.m. from now through the
Christmas holidayst Edward's
‘Variety, Town & Country Shoe
Store, Anglin G Westall,David's
limited, Ginny-lisa Shop, Fa
ble Vestes.
is as follows: Thursday,Novem
ber 3Q 9:00 a. m. till 4:00 p.m.
Bald Creek School; Friday, De
cember 1 from 9:00 a. m. till
4:00 p. m. Burnsville School;
Monday, December 4 from 9:00
a, m. until 1200 noon—also at
Burnsville School, then from
100 p.m. until 400 p.m. at
the Pensaoola School; Tuesday,
Ben Franklin Family Store
Sets Opening For March
A new, modem Ben Frank
lin Family Center store will be
opened in Banls Family Square,
This shopping center is located
at U. S, Hwy #I9E and Ferguson
Hill Road in Burnsville. This
location was selected by the
Ben Franklin organization, a
nationwide group of retail stores.
These stores are franchised to
independent owner-operators
and there are over 2,000 stores
in the group.
This store will be operated
by the Crest Stores Company
with headquarters in Charlotte,
North Carolina. The company
has fifteen stores in North Caro
lina, South Carolina and Vir -
ginia operating under a fran -
chise from Ben Franklin.
Nearby stores are located in
Hosiery Mill
Won’t Close
In order to clarify what
seems to be a misunderstanding
about Burnsville Hosiery Mills,
Inc. , die closing only pertains
.to the panty hose division of
Glen Raven Mills and has no
thing to do with Burnsville Hos
iery Mills. Mr. Ellis operated
a panty hose sewing division
in about 1/3 of the floor space
in Burnsville Hosiery Mills
building. This space will now
be utilized in another operation
which will be announced later.
December 5 from 900 a. m.till
400 p.m. at MicavilleSchool;
Wednesday, December 6 from ,
900 a.m. to 400 p.m.at South
Toe School; Thursday, Decem
ber 7 from 900 a.m. to 400
p. m. at Clearmont School and
on Friday, December'B from
900 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Bee
Log School.
Asheville, Boone, Lenoir, Con
over, Lincolnton and Wythe -
ville, Virginia. Plans call for
a grand opening of the new
store sometime around March
15, 1973.
Family Center stores are
20,000 square feet or more in
size and there will be avail
able an extensive assortment of
merchandise in fashion goods
for men, women and children,
lingerie, domestics, notions
and fabrics. Pet supplies, sta
tionery, toiletries, toys and
other lines are also carried
in good assortment. The store
will feature sporting goods, au
tomotive supplies and for the
women, an extensive hobby
and homecrafts department.
The store will be of most
modem design with plea sing
lighting, up to date decor on
the walls and will include car
peting in the wearables depart
ments and wHI have all-metal
fixtures throughout the store.
To enable the company to
better service its customers, it
has recently installed an elec
tronic computerized reordering
system so that the needs of the
people in the area can be
quickly converted into action.
The shopping center will
maintain an adequate parking
lot and some of the stores in
the center including the Ben
Franklin store will be open
(Cont'd on page 2)
*
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1972
Trial Held In Yancey Courthouse For Florida Youths
Charged With Disorderly Conduct At Campground
By Jody Higgins
Prosecuting attorney, SoH -
citor Tom Rusher, rested tie
state's case Monday against 24
Florida youth charged with dis
orderly conduct in a July 3 dis
turbance at Black Mcruntah
Campground.
Four of the youths charged
failed to appear.
The 20 youths who appalled
were part of a group arrest*dby
Yancey County Sheriff Kefnit
Banks and his deputies. The
incident left one of the C lac
water, Florida youths dead}
from what was termed the Ac
cidental" discharging of a Shot
gun by one of the officers. |
On Monday, the charges tare
dismissed against 11 of the I*
youths when Superior Cotot
Judge Robert Gashp&ed thpt
the state faileiFfo establish lifc
the youths were directly invA>
ed with violating the law.
As court continued Tuesday
morning, charges were dismiss
ed against three more of the
youths, while Judge
motions to dismisstpharges
1 against the other six'defendants.
Defense attorney Alvin Cham
bers had requested Monday that
* charges be dismissed against all
1 24 defendants.
After the judge's rulings Tubs
day, the defense presented their
case, calling several of the
youths to the witness stand. The
youths disagreed with most of
the state's testimony, charging
that they were "kicked and
shoved around "by the law offi
cers and that Banks was not
wearing a uniform and did not
identify himself to them as the
sheriff. They also contended
that they had not been loud or
profane and did not attack the
arresting officers. The witnesses
admitted drinking beer and
liquor. One witness told the
court that one of the youths in
their group had passed out.
National Forest Service em
ployees testified that the group
had been asked to move from a
"no camping" area in Black
Mountain Campground on July
2, and had set up camp in Briar
Bottom, another area of the
campground.
Blaine Ray of the National
Forest Service testifiedthat he
observed a post from a no camp
ing sign from the area, burning
in the youth's campfire at the
Late Bulletin
Late Tuesday evening, the
defense rested their case in the
trial for the remaining six
youths charged with disorderly
conduct in an incident at Black
Mountain Campground July 3.
Judge Robert Gash entered a
judgement of not guilty for
four of the youths. Two other
defendants, David Satterwhite
and Kevin Shea, were con
victed on a disorderly conduct
charge. Satterwhite was re
quired to pay a fine and court
cost totaling SIOO. Shea was
required to pay a. fine of $25
plus court cost.
first campsite.
Two state witnesses, Ronnie
Hoyle of Valdese and William
Burt of Charlotte were camping
in the Briar Bottom area onjuly
3 and testified that they heard
loud noise, music, and fir e
works from the area of the
Clearwater groups' campsite.
Hoyle told the court that he
and his family had been com
ing to the campground for years
and had never been bothered.
He claimed’ that the noise dis
turbed his wife and children
and kept him awake until al
most midnight.
Tr 1 v'
1 j ' "’S *' ’ ■ .
Vandals Destroy Signs
Tuesday, November 21, the Pensacola 4-H'ers put up a
sign which they had finally obtained after months of planning
and activities. The club had chosen the 4-H "Welcome Sign"
as their club project early this year. The sign was up for less
than a week. According to Pat Guyer of the Extension Service,
' this sign was one of the ones tom down by vandals sometime
during the early hours before dawn on Friday. Vandals also
destroyed other signs, both public and private, at this time.
The Sheriff’s Department was notified of this incident,
Ballot Handling Challenge
_ Ends In Voluntary Non-Suit
The challenge of the TSwcey
County Board of Elections Chair
man, Mary Ohle, on her hand
ling of the absentee ballots in
the November 7 general elec -
tion ended in a voluntary non -
suit.
Superior Court Judge Sam J.
Ervin 111 ruled Monday, Novem
" ber 20 that Mb. Ohle had the
absentee ballots at
election headquarters at 7530
p. m. November 7 with both a
Democrat and Republican mem
ber of the Elections Board pre
sent.
Steven Boone, chairman of
; the Yancey County Republican
Party had challenged Mn.Ohle 's
refusal to number the absentee
[ ballots and contended that some
of the ballots were not received
until after the deadline and that
others were voted by persons not
State's witness Sheriff Ker
in it Banks testified that he and
seven armed deputies were
called to the campground after
three complaints after 10: 30
p. m. on the evening of July 3.
According to Banks, Forest Ser
vice employees complained
that the youths were disturbing
the other campers.
Banks told the court that he
smelled burning marijuana as
he and his deputies approached
the campsite. He said that
upon identifying himself as the
sheriff to a small group near
the campfire, he and the other
qualified to cast ballots.
The absentee ballots were
counted as ordered by the court
by Mis. Ohle, and Board o f
Elections members, Dean
Chrisawn and Lloyd Miller.
Out of the 284 ballots coun
ted, only two were challenged.
There were no charges that bal
lots had been falsely obtained.
Seven were rejected because of
minor technicalities, three
lacked visible notary seals and
four had used a postmaster in
stead of a notary seal.
Arnold Higgins, Clerk of
Court, reported that Boone took
a voluntary non-suit in the case.
The question of not numbering
the ballots, he said, presum -
ably was discussed in the Cham
ber and was not a part of the
record of Ervin's decision.
*
officers were cursed by one girl,
then several other members of
the group. Banks said he also
noted that the area was scat -
tered with beer cans and liquor
bottles, and that the youths
were drunk. He described the
group as "very profane. "
At this point, said Banks, he
placed a group of 8 to 10 youths
around the fire under arrest for
drunk and disorderly conduct.
The Sheriff said one of the
group attacked him, ripping
his shirt and hitting him on the
jaw. He said jnost of the other
youths were scattered around
★- ★ ★
Marijuana Gases End With
Total Fine Os $13,750.00
Four separate marijuana
cases involving seven persons
were heard November 22 by
Superior Court Judge Sam J.
Ervin EH and resulted in a total
fine of $13,750.00.
Four of the seven entered a
plea of nolo contendre(no con
test) and all were charged with
the felony of manufacturing
marijuana and were fined the
sum of $2500.00 and court cost
and were placed on five - year
probation. Those charged were
Garret Whitney, 22, of Provi -
dence, R.1.; James Sikking,
22, of Northfield, Illinois; Kath
erine Warren, 20, of Cumma -
quid, Massachusetts and Rich
ard B. Studley, 22,0 f Hingham,
Massachusetts.
In another case, Edwards J.
Hayes, 30, of Ithaca, N.Y.
was also charged with the felo
ny of manufacturing marijuana.
He was also fined $2500.00 and
court cost and placed on five
j Special Course Slated I
I For Driver education |
Many people experience ner
vous moments in their life,such
as those times when they await
the diagnosis from a doctor,
visit the dentist, or face the
examination for the renewal of
driver license. The Driver
Education Division of the De
partment of Motor Vehicles has
scheduled a special course de
signed to reduce any fear or
drea'. for those people facing
the driver license renewal pro
cess.
Driver Education Represen -
tative Bob L, Thomas of Burns
ville said the special course
will be conducted on Monday,
December 4 and Monday, De
cember 11 at the Yancey Coun
ty Courthouse in Burnsville.
The time of the course will be
from 7soo p.m. to 900 p. m.
Mr. Thomas said the course
will consist of two hours of fn
' struction on each of the two
nights. The •course will be pro
vided at no coat to the indlvi -
IO c
the campsite, some in sleeping
bags and tents.
Several times in Monday's
testimony, state's witnesses ask
ed to point out the defendants
had difficulty identifying vh e
long-haired youths as boys or
girls. Eleven of those arrested
were females.
At one point in the trial,
Judge Robert Gash interrupted
the questioning of a state wit
ness to irately scold a young
man seated in the area of the
defendants for distracting him
(the judge) and die court with
gestures and snickering.
;-V
--years probation.
Peter Stevens, 26, of .Awstin,
Texas and Route 4, Burnsville,
pleaded guilty to possession of
marijuana and possession of
marijuana with intent to distri
bute and was fined $500.00 and
court cost and was placed on
probation of five years duration.
Demi is Williams, 22, of Rt.
4, Burnsville pleaded guilty to
simple possession of marijuana
and possession with intent to
distribute. He was fined $750.
and court cost and was placed
on probation.
According to Sheriff Kermit
Banks, these arrests were the
result of an intensive effort by
state and local law enforcement
officials to curb the widespread
manufacturing of marijuana in
the county.
Banls said that the total fine
of $13,750.00 will go to the
Yancey County School Fund.
dual, he said, and attendance
is voluntary.
"The Refresher Course is de
signed for individuals who feel
the need to refresh their know
ledge of traffic law and im
prove the it comprehension of
all facets of safe driving. Spe
cific information about ibw traf
fic laws and the new uniform
signs and highway markings
that are being adopted by the
state is included in the course."
"The course is designed to
build confidence hr drivers with
experience but who become ap
prehensive about taking the teat.
Similar courses have bear pre
sented already in some areas of
North Carolina and the response
has been very enthusiastic" ft aid
Persons desiring to enpM
in the special refresher coctfLo j
... ;
Room on first floor in thecourt-
House at /suu p.m. on Monday,