V0L2.N0.10
Local Men Join Search ji
; For Missing Parachutist!
-at
The search continues for
Laura Jane Watson, who disap
peared in the waters of the
Nolichucky River in Tennessee
following a parachute jump on „
Trout Season
Opens Soon
The traditional opening of
the mountain trout season in
North Carolina has been moved
one day forward from Sunday,
April 1, 1973, to Saturday,
March 31, by the North Caro
lina Wildlife Resources Com
mission. The action came af
ter complaints were received
that opening the season on Sun
day would cause some sports -
men to miss the traditional
opening day festivities. Some
also complained that the Sun
day opening left only one day
of fishing in the weekend.
"Opening day of the trout
season is an important observ
ance to some 70,000 trout fish
ermen, and we certainly had
no intention of creatingprob -
lems for anyone, " said a Com
mission spokesman. ’We’re
happy to be able to make the
change."
The Wildlife Commission,
in a regular monthly meeting
in Raleigh February 23, also
approved the 1973 trout stock
ing plan and set boating safety
regulations for several localitie&
Under the stocking plan,
trout will be stocked in some
1, 600 miles of designated pub
lic mountain trout waters where
bait fishing is permitted.
A series of nine public
hearings were slated across the
state to present proposed chan
ges for the 1973-74 hunting
regulations. The proposed
changes will be publicized in
late March, and sportsmen are
urged to attend the meetings to
hear the proposals and present
their suggestions and opinions.
The public hearings are slated
as follows: 7:30 p. m. on all
dates and places stated below.
April 9, Edenton, Courthouse;
April 10, New Bern, Cjty Hall;
April 11, Rocky Mount, City
Court Room;
April 12, Elizabethton, Courthouse;
April 13, Graham, Courthouse;
April 16, Albemarle, Courttouse;
April 17, Yadkinville,Courthse;
April 18, Morganton, Western
Piedmont Com. College;
April 19, Sylva, Courthouse.
BBS Warns
Os Fraud
A spokesman for the Better
Business Bureau has warned
local citizens to beware of a
fraudulent termite control out
fit which has been working in
this area. There has been at
least one Yancey home visited
and the Better Business Bureau
should be consulted with the
company's credentials before
a termite control man is en
gaged to work in,your home.
THE YANCEY JOURNAL
February 5. Last Sunday, ten
men from Yancey County join
ed the search efforts.
The twenty-year-old daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Wat
son of Spruce Pine was making
her first jump as a member of
the East Tennessee State Uni -
versity Parachute Jump Club
_ when she landed in the river
300 yards from her intended
target.
It was at first thought that
Miss Watson was in no trouble,
although she had missed her
target ans was standing in waist
deep water. Other club mem
bers and witnesses reported that
her parachute filled with water
and she was swept over some
rapids.
Since that time, repeated
searches by boat, ground and
air have been made along the
river but these efforts have been
fruitless.
The search is being con
centrated from the spot, 5 where
Miss Wafson landed along se
veral miles of river to a dam
where the Nolichucky ends.
The Nolichucky River is parti
cularly rough and muddy at
this time of year, contributing
to the difficulty of the search.
Child Care
Survey Set
Mr. Charlie Hensley, Draw
er 218, Burnsville, has been
named Yancey County chair -
man for a statewide survey of
child-care facilities.
The survey is being conduc
ed by the Learning Institute of
North Carolina with the assis -
tance of volunteers across the
state.
Dr. Richard S, Ray, exe -
cutive director of "LENC", sajd
the survey "reflects a growing
concern in our state about care
for preschool children. We know
that the preschool years are
among the most important in
terms of personal and intellec -
tual growth. "
Conducted on a county-by
county basis by volunteers re
cruited by county chairmen, the
survey will cover nurseries,
kindergartens, day- care c en
ters, and Head Start programs,
as well as individuals running
small day-care or babysitting
operations in their homes.
Questions will cover present
and maximum enrollment, oper
ating costs, enrollment policies
educational and health require
ments for staff members, parent
involvement, and use of servi
ces provided by public agencies.
Information gathered will
remqln confidential, and indi -
vidual child- care facilities will
not be identified in the final
report. Ray said the LINC stu
dy is the first of its kind in the
nation, and will provide valua
ble information on a statewide
basis for those who want to ex
pand and improve child - care
services.
The local survey will begin
in mid March, Ray said, and
will be completed by April 1.
A final report on the statewide
survey will be published in May.
RHHn oflsrilihiHOlHH I ■
Search Crew Inspects Wreckage Os Cessna Skyhawk After Crash Claimed Three Lives
FFA Continues Investigation To Find
Cause Os Plane Crash In Lost Cove
Investigations are still th*-
derway to determine the cause
of a plane crash Tuesday night,
February 27 which killed three
Kingsport, Tenn. residents.
The Mountain Wilderness
Civil Air Patrol Squadron was
into action at 9:00 p. m.
by Sheriff Kermit Banks, fol
lowing a phone call he receiv
ed from Grant Ward, the only
resident of the rugged, almost
inaccessible Lost Cove section
of Yancey County.
Ward reported that he heard
a plane circling over his home
at a very low altitude, then
heard it crash some distance
from his house. Ward then ran
three miles to a phone to re
port the crash.
A search crew of CAP mem
bers, the Yancey and Mitchell
County Sheriff Departments,and
the Yancey County Radio Pat
rol entered the isolated Lost
Cove section by use of a rail -
road vehicle which Sheriff Ihnks
Microfilming Will Preserve Valuable Records
As Phase II Os Local Records Program Proceeds
A representative of the
Office of Archives and History
has returned to Yancey County
to begin microfilming perman
ently valuable public records
created since the last micro -
filming visit to the county. This
phase of the local records prog
ram is a continuing one.
The initial phase of the pro
gram consisted of inventorying
the public records in the various
county offices and of repairing
as necessary and microfilming
for security those records classi
fied as permanently valuable. .
This phase of the program,\vhich
began in 1959, has e n
Completed in awJffforth Caro
lina's counties.
Security microfilm negatives
0 3vtHtvilu *76e li&Kceu Record
THURSDAY, MARCH 8,1973
had requested from the Clinch
field Railroad in Erwin, Tenn.
The party reached Lost Cove
about 11:30 p.m. and after
searching along the river and
some of the gorge area, were
forced to abandon the search un
til morning because of a heavy
fog that had descended over the
treacherous terrain.
It was determined that an
air search would be the quickest
means of locating the wreckage.
Ground search crews entered the
Cove at daylight so the search
ing aircraft could lead them to
the site once the wreckage was
spotted. Civil Air Patrol
planes were in the air by 7:15
am. but heavy fog kept them
exit of the Lost Cove area until
9:00 a. m.
At approximately 9:30 a. m.
a CAP aircraft piloted by Ist Lt.
Ray Miller and CWO Kenneth
Laughrun spotted the wreckage.
It was approximately 2:00 p. m.
before the ground crews made
of permanently valuable reccrds
of all counties have been stored
in the underground vault in the
Archives and History- State Lib
rary Building in Raleigh. In the
event of loss of original records,
copies can be made and supplied
at nominal cost.
Many of the counties have
suffered serious losses of records
as a result of fire and other
causes. For years, the late Dr.
Christopher Crittenden, former
Director of the State Pepartmait
of Archives and History ( now
Office of Archives and History)
and Dr. H.G. Jones, State Ar
chivist, then Director, and now
State Historian and Administra-
considered possible methods
their way through the rough,
wooded area to the crash site.
Upon reaching the wreckage
the ground crew had to use axes
to cut away part of the fuselage
to gain access to the section of
the single engine Cessna 172
Skyhawk where the three bodies
were located.
The crash victims were car
ried almost a mile to a jeep,
then were taken across the river
by boat to an accessible road
on the Mitchell County side of
the river. From there the bod
ies were transported toHolcorrte
Brothers Funeral Home in Burns
ville.
The three were later iden
tified as Michael Edward
Keeter, 27, the pilot; James
Edward Blakely, 25; and Anna
Lou Phillips, 20, all of Kings
port, Tennessee.
According to Banks, the
plane which crashed into Lost
Cove belonged to an Elizabeth
ton, Tenn. Flying Club. It
of providing security for essen
tial records in the counties.
They eventually devised the
plan of microfilming the re -
cords for security. State and
county officials endorsed the
idea and the 1959 General As
sembly enacted legislation
which authorized and directed
the department to proceed with
the program. The work is un
der the supervision of Frank D.
Gatton, Chief, Local Records
Section.
The department extends an
invitation to the churches in
the county and surrounding areas
to take advantage of this oppor
tunity to provide security for
their records by bringing them
to file courthouse for microfilm-
had departed Dublin, Georgia
at 4:30 p. m. Tuesday for the
Tri-Cities Airport in East Tenn
essee, where it was due to ar
rive at 8:00 p. m.
In a communication with
Tri-Cities Airport, the pilot
reported problems with ice
forming on the aircraft, but did
not indicate an emergency sit
uation. According to an air -
part spokesman, the pilot's last
communication indicated that
he was descending, flying Visu
al Flight Conditions, and pro
ceeding to Tri-Cities Airpot.
A Federal Aviation Admin
istration spokesman said the
cause of the crash has not been
determined and that the inves
tigation will probably take sev
eral weeks. The FAA, which
is in charge of the investiga -
tion, ordered autopsy examina
tions of the three bodies to de
termine whether drugs,alcohol
or other factors might have
been involved in the crash.
ing. Minutes, registers, and
other records of permanent va
lue will be microfilmed and the
film will be stored in the State
Archives. This service is pro
vided without cost to the chur
c hes involved. As in the case
of county records, copies of
church records can be provided
at small cost in the event <f
loss of original records. Chur -
ches wishing to take advantage
of this service should contact
Mr. Harold Stroud in the office
of the register of deeds not la
ter than March 16 and arrange
a convenient time for the work
to be done.
Minutes of governing bodies
of municipalities in the county
will also be microfilmed.
Tax Break For Employers !
Hiring Under WIN Program |
Employers hiring welfare
recipients under the federal
state Work Incentive Program
(WIN) can now claim 20 per
cent tax credit on wages paid
these workers during their first
year of employment, the Em
ployment Security Commission
here announced today.
Manager Davis M. Nichols
said the tax credit encourages
employeis to hire or place in
on-the-job training persons re
ceiving Aid to Families with
Dependent Children (AFDC)
grants after they have been re
gistered for participation in WIN.
Called the "job develop -
ment" tax credit, the new re
gulations are related to the Tal
madge Amendments of the So
cial Security Act which requirs
all adults over 16 receiving
AFDC payments to register for
WIN to to continue
to receive benefits.
Mr. Nichols explained that
there are exemptions. If the
welfare recipient is not in an
exempt category, however, the
individual must accept work
or training when offered or lose
part of his welfare grant.
In North Carolina, the De
partment of Social Services
determines which AFDC recip
ients are exempt from the prog-
★ ★ ★
Mayor Issues Proclamation
"HIRE AN OLDER WORKER WEEK--MARCH 11-17"
WHEREAS: the number of Americans age forty-five and
over comprise a segment of our population which is growing
at an accelerated rate as the miracles of modem medicine
contribute to increased life expectancy; and
WHEREAS: our country, although mere blessed with abun
dance than any other cannot afford to be wasteful of its re
sources if.it is to realize its fullest potential.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, James A. Anglin, Mayor of Burns
ville, N.C., do hereby designate the week of March 11-17,
1973 as "Hire An Older Worker Week", and urge all public
and private employeis to consider the employment of oldei
workers for their creative participation, skills, experience,
and service in the past, and which can still be utilized and
placed in a number of jobs in today's changing and expand
ing labor markets, and to help them realize a wider range
of meaningful opportunities in enjoyment of health, love,
and a life of dignity, by finding ways to employ the skills
and wisdom that so many of our older Americans possess and
long to share. Let us make this week outstanding in our con
tinued efforts to keep in the mainstream of our civic, state
and national life those senior workers and citizens who have
lived so long and contributed so much!
In witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and
caused the Seal of the City of Burnsville to be affixed
this sth day of March, nineteen hundred seventy-three.
James A. Anglin, Mayor
| Community Events |
There will be a Barbecue
Supper Friday, March 9th from
5*30 to B*oo p. m. at East Yan- '
cey High School. The Supper
is sponsored by the PTA.
Tickets are being sold by ■
students and members of the
PTA. Children under 12 will
be $1.50; Adults, $2.00.
The menu will include
barbecued ham, scalloped po
tatoes, green beans, green
peas, creamed corn, tossed and
congealed salad, pickles, rad
ishes, celery, hot rolls, butter,
calces, pies, tea and coffee.
10*
ram, then registers all the non
exempt persons and any volun
teers with local offices of the
' Employment Security Commis
sion.
"We’ll try to find jots for
them or on- the- job training
opportunities, " reports the ESC
Manager, "to equip them with _
the necessary skills to retain
permanent employment. Near
ly all registrants will be women"
County Social Services of
ficers are completing WIN re
gistrations. After interviewing
individuals, and providing day
care, and other services if
needed, the county office cer
tifies that the Welfare recipi -
ent is available for referral to
work or training.
Businessmen interested in
hiring WIN participants should
contact their local State Em
ployment Office, reports Mr.
N ichols. The office will refer
available WIN participants and
will provide the employer with
a Labor Department certifica -
don that the individuals were
enrolled in the Work Incentive
Program. This statement is re
quired by the Internal Revenue
Service to substantiate employ
ers' claims far tax credit on
their IRS returns.
Take out orders will also
be available.
The East Yancey Physical
Education Department will fur
nish entertainment in the gym
after dinner for those interested*
. ¥
West Burnsville Church of
God will begin a Revival on
Sunday morning, March 11- IQ.
au
eial singers are invited to at
tend. Pastor Kermit Kennedy