———w^—i^————_ 15 cents per copy
Four youths charged with
slaying of JEC employee
by Du Ward
Two youths have been
charged with first degree
murder, and another two were
expected to be charged with
murder Tuesday, in con
nection with the bludgeoning
death of a cottage parent
supervisor at the Juvenile
Evaluation Center (JEC) in
Swannanoa August 21.
Michael Tilley, 16, of King,
and David Wooten, 17, of
Dallas, both residents at the
JEC, were both charged as
adults shortly after Larry
Buchanan, 37, of RL 1 Black
Mountain, died of injuries he
received when he was beaten
with a metal bedpost
Despite intensive surgery at
Memorial Mission Hospital,
Buchanan died IS hours after
he received skull fractures in
the beating.
Two other youths, aged 14
and 15, also boys, were ex
pected to be tried as adults in
the case. As of Tuesday, they
were charged as juveniles
with assault with a deadly
weapon with intent to kill.
Don Pagett, director of the
JEC, said that it is possible
only one of the youths may
have attacked Buchanan. The
youths gave conflicting stories
of what occurred Monday
morning, he said.
I According to Pagett, “thetr
aarfapparently was to assault
a staff member, steal Ms keys,
and let other students out."
There are 210 juveniles
detained at the JEC.
When Buchanan entered
Greenville Cottage around 1
a m., one to four of the boys
attacked him with a metal
bedpost, Padgett said.
When they realized that they
had hurt the supervisor worse
than intended, the boys
decided not to run, he said.
One of them, Pagett said,
called another cottage parent
for help.
“It was a random and
senseless attack,"Pagett said.
“Larry was well-liked here. I
think it would have been
anyone who was alone in the
cottage at the time.”
Buchanan, who was
married and had one
daughter, had worked at the
JEC since 1970. He had been a
supervisor for four years.
Buncombe County Sheriff's
Police, who are investigating
the incident with the SBI, said
adult warrants were expected
to be filed against the two
younger boys.
All are being held without
bond at the county jail.
Good start seen for school year
by Dan Ward
If local school principals aee
the school year starting with
less capital improvements
budgeted than needed, they all
agree that their operating
budgets are as good as they
had hoped.
Black Mountain Primary
School Principal Jerry Green
capsulized Principal’ s
opinions by saying, “We feel
like we kept pace with what
we had going, but we weren’t
able to start anything new.’ ’
Green said 620 to 625
students were expected to be
registered by Labor Day, a
few more than last year.
Black Mountain Primary
School fared well in new
personnel, adding a
education teacher, a Tide I
reading teacher and, for half a
day, a gifted student teacher.
In addition, Green said,
“every kid now should have a
reading workbook, which in
the past they haven’t had.”
Swannanoa School Principal
Bill Williams said his school
fared well, having been
budgeted $125,000 for equip
ment to be used in the new
building to be completed in
May, 1979. That building, to
be used for grades Kin
dergarten through 5, will
accomodate 850 to 900
students.
Although the school will
have about 100 less students
this year, with about 1150, it
has gained a teacher,
Williams said. A career
education teacher for die
upper grades began duties
this week.
“We got off to a smooth
opening and look forward to a
real good year,"Williams said.
Gene Dellinger at Black
Mountain Grammar School
said that only minor im
provements have , been
scneauitvi for the school
building, in compliance with
Grand Jury recommendation*
last year to remove fire
hazards. V.
He said the school board has
budgeted money for
remodeling the stairwells,
providing lighted exit signs,
and installing an alternate
lighting system in compliance
with recommendations. He
added, however, that he will
meet with school officials in
September to discuss building
needs.
Enrollment has held about
evtn, at 578, at the Grammar
School. One additional
teacher, Carol Patton, has
begun working half a day at
the school as a resource
teacher, Dellinger said.
Betty Budd, principal of
Carver, appeared to be as
happy about the current at
titude toward Carver as with
this year’s budget.
“Because we are a success
and no longer an experiment,
we are getting a lot»of support
from die school board,’ ’ she
said.
Improvements include $1000
worth of permanent
playground equipment and the
addition of a primary reading
aide, Beverly Link. Ms. Budd
said that 80 students are now
registered at Carver, com
pared to 75 at the end of last
year.
She said that plans for the
year include workshops in life
skills for students , parents
and the public and training
sessions with parent volun
teers.
Ms. Budd said that the
schools owe a debt to a new
School Superintendent An
drew Miller for his hard-nosed
dealing with the County
Commissioners in obtaining
funding for this school year.
Although Owen High School
has no additional teaching
positions this year, funds have
been appropriated for over
$6,000 worth of renovations of
the health occupations
facilities. The baseball field
will also have lighting before
spring, according to Principal
Charles Lytle.
Lytle added that one of the
rflore significant changes this
year will be a result of state
required competance testing.
“We’ re gbing to expect
students to attend school
better than they ever had, and
we expect parents to support
the program,’’he said.
About 1015 students will be
enrolled at Owen this year.
Lytle said.
A full moon rises over the mountains. (Dan Ward)
Two arrested, car hits store
Two Black Mountain youths
were arrested in unrelated t
incidents by Black MountaiB
Police August 17. ,
James Edward Becker, 17,
was charged with carrying a
concealed weapon, possession
of marijuaiurand public drank
that evening, according to
police.
I^ater, police arrested
Thomas Goodman, 16, at his
home and charged him with
embezzlement of ap
proximately $240 from the
Arcade on State Street over a
period of weeks.
Police responded to three
accidents last week, including
Owen in ’78-—inexperience vs enthusiasm
by Du Ward
When conference coaches
pick a team made up mostly of
sophomores to be number
three in the football finals, it
means that ' they see
something other than ex
perience and size counting in
winning games.
One of the factors they are
considering is Owen coach
Denny Hicks and his staff,
Coach Denny Hicks—
who pushed a relatively small
team to a conference title last
year. Hicks doesn’t see his
young team as underrated —
in fact he sees an opportunity
to buck for another first
place.
“We know we’ve got good
athletes — good size, good
speed, good strength. If we
don’t play like sophomores or
a bunch of seniors who
have it made, we can beat
anybody,’’he said.
With only nine seniors, eight
juniors, and an overwhelming
19 sophomores playing varsity
this year, it will be difficult to
fill the gap created by the
graduation of 18 players last
year.
“I think we’ve got poten
tially a better ball club, "Hicks
said. “We’ re gonna have
enthusiasm, we’ve had con
stant Improvement, and we’ve
got a terrific (freshman)
football program here,’ ’ he
said. Sophomore varsity
players are veterans of an
undefeated 1977 freshman
team.
Beyond that, Hicks said,
“we have the best overall
speed in the backfield we’ve
ever had since I came here.”
Hicks is extremely reluctant
to point fingers when talking
about team strength and weak
points. He cautiously prefers
speaking in general terms.
“If we have an overall
weakness, it would have to be
inexperience. If we have a
single weakness, in the past it
has been patting points on the
board,” he said.
Because of that, extra at
tention has been put on
training for offense. He said
the coaches have also shifted
some players around to make
for a more aggressive offense.
The new Owen varsity,
which Hicks said has been
doing great in practice, will
get a test of its strength in the
season opener against Enka,
rated fourth in the Big MAC,
at home September 1.
This year’s starting team
will include Brad Levine at
quarterback, Donald Reese at
fullback and L.A. Boyd and
Dino Griffith alternating at
tailback. Bobby Wilson and
Desmond Owens will start as
receivers. Mike Longmire,Tim
Wilson, Jeff Haney, Wayne
Padgett and Jack Ramsey are
prospects for backs or ends.
Starting on the line will be
Tim Raines, George Blake,
Gary Boyce, Greg Buckner,
Keith Duncan and Wayne
Reese. Dwayne Lynch is a
prospect for tight end.
Even with a handfull of good
seniors in key positions, Hicks
noted that the team is only as
strong as its weakest link.
“We’re looking for steady
improvement with every
game, "he said. “That's where
our salvation is.”
‘...steady improvement will be our salvation.”
one involving a car and a
motorcycle. Phillip Gordon
Thantham, 24, and Colleen
Reese, 19, both of Black
Mountain, were injured in that
accident
In another accident, a car
Ariytm hv Man V'HV-rw
crashed into the front of
Burton'8 Store, causing $10,000
damage to the building and
$300 damage to the car August
20.
Mrs. Phillips reportedly put
the oar into a Aoevard gear
rather ttmn Hjp
mistake. She was unharmed,
and was charged with reckless
driving, police said.
Police received 279 calls,
issued six citations, and in
vestigated thefts of two
bicycles and a CB radio last
KCIAK P»0H*!S |
COISWTIMOf '
alcohw.Sc mim I
OH PKHISCS I
Burton’s Package Store experienced extra ventilation last week when the
car driven by a Black Mountain woman crashed through the door, (see
related story) (Gary Sorrels)
Chlorine poisoning injures
Blue Ridge employee
An employee of Blue Ridge
Assembly suffered poisoning
from noxious chlorine gas
August 17 when a valve on a
tank used to chlorinate the
assembly’s pool broke.
According to Black
Mountain Fire Chief Gary
Bartlett,' ‘ott Washburn was
taken to Memorial Mission
Hospital wit1, minor injuries
after the valve on a chlorine
tank broke when Washburn
was attempting to attach it to
a chlorinating apparatus.
Washburn kicked the tank into
a pit and suffered poisoning
shortly afterward. He was
taken to the hospital in a
private car while firemen
wearing air tanks pumped the
remaining chlorine into the
pool.
“It was a wonder the tank
didn't explode, "Bartlett said.
One engine, a rescue truck
and 11 men were involved in
that incident.
A grease fire at the Dennis
Pressley residence at 377
Avena Road caused an
estimated $300 damage to a
stove, cabinets and paint on
August 19. One engine and 15
men responded.
Another grease fire at the
Taylor Apartments caused $25
damage the morning of
August 18. Two engines and 10
men responded.
Black Mountain firemen
also responded to two alarms
caused by short circuits in the
alarm system at Highland
Farms on August IS.
The Fire Department
ambulance made one
emergency run last week.
The Buncombe County am*
buiance made two emergency,
12 routine, and three unneeded
runs last week.
Watch next week for the
1978 Owen football special
in the
Black Mountain News
i