CMYK Quake aid to Haiti snarled
Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances Crossroads boys, girls lose to Lighthouse
Earthquake in Haiti, Page 9A
Tri-County, Page 10A
Sports, Page 1B FRIDAY, January 15, 2010
Volume XCVI, No. 13
(252) 436-2700
Arrest in vehicle break-ins By DISPATCH STAFF
A 39-year-old Henderson man was arrested Wednesday night by Henderson police in connection with vehicle break-ins. Police said the man, John Howard Ellington of 705 Gun Club Road, was charged with: • Two counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle. • Larceny. • Possession of stolen goods. • Failure to stop for blue light and siren. • Felony speeding to Ellington elude arrest. The arrest followed a report that a breaking and entering of a vehicle was in progress in the Walmart parking lot, police said. Moments after the report, an investigator observed a suspect looking into a vehicle. The suspect jumped into a vehicle and fled when the investigator approached, police said. Officers pursued the vehicle onto North Cooper Drive. The suspect was apprehended after trying to get out of the vehicle and run, police said. Ellington is being held in the Vance County jail in lieu of $100,000 bond pending a Jan. 25 court appearance. Police said a crime analysis led to an increased presence in the area by members of the Criminal Investigations Division. The analysis indicated the type of crimes and the days and times crimes had occurred.
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Two RR crossings to remain open Closings would jeopardize emergency services By WILLIAM F. WEST Daily Dispatch Writer
Local and state officials agreed that the Harris and St. Matthews streets railroad crossings would remain open for the time being. The officials met Wednesday at City Hall as a follow up to a public workshop held Nov. 17, also at City Hall, in connection with a traffic safety study of low-volume and redundant crossings. Nancy Horne, the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) project manager for the study, said the next step is to get on the City Council agenda and ask
the council to conduct a public hearing. Horne said the council would work with NCDOT on what Henderson will agree to accept, with the council to approve a resolution adopting the study. During the Wednesday session, the local officials, namely Fire Chief Danny Wilkerson, said closing the Harris crossing, which is at the edge of unincorporated North Henderson, would affect the response time of Vance County Fire & Ambulance. And Wilkerson noted his dePlease see RAILROAD, page 4A
Daily Dispatch/WILLIAM F. WEST
Local and state officials have agreed to keep the St. Matthews Street railroad crossing open for the time being. State officials who are conducting a traffic safety study will look into upgrades at the location, namely cutting nearby trees to improve visibility for motorists.
Shelter welcomes first guests today
Send comments to news@ hendersondispatch.com.
Daily Dispatch/ASHLEY STEVEN AYSCUE
Volunteers from Maria Parham Medical Center, from left, Mary Ellen Seyer, head of housekeeping and laundry, Ed Allen and Evia Terry organize bedding and linens Thursday morning inside the men’s homeless shelter in the basement of First Presbyterian Church. The shelter will open its doors for the first time today at 5:30 p.m.
Index Our Hometown . . . . . 2A Business & Farm. . . . 5A Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . 8A Light Side . . . . . . . . 11A Sports. . . . . . . . . . 1-4B Comics . . . . . . . . . . . 5B Classifieds. . . . . . . 6-7B
Weather
Forum helps VGCC chart future Police warn College, community leaders looking five years into future By AL WHELESS Daily Dispatch Writer
Today Mostly sunny
High: 59 Low: 31
Saturday Mostly sunny
High: 54 Low: 38
Details, 3A
Deaths East Orange, N.J. Trelina Covington, 38 Henderson Clifton Burwell, 50 Julia L. Hansard, 83 Oxford James G. Burnette Alice E. Humphries, 76 Warrenton Emma L. Alston, 65 Willie J. Richardson, 97
Obituaries, 4A
Dozens of community leaders and educators broke into four groups Thursday to help VanceGranville Community College develop a strategic plan or mission covering the next five years. The two-hour community forum took place in the Civic Center on the Vance campus. It will soon be followed by similar meetings to get input from community residents and VGCC employees on the school’s campuses in Warren, Granville and Franklin counties.
The facilitator for all four parts of the information-gathering process involving the public will be Kathy Baker Smith. She recently retired as vicepresident for Educational Support Services at Guilford Technical Community College. Smith said Thursday that she will also serve as the facilitator when Vance-Granville’s Internal Planning Council discusses all of the suggestions generated at the four sessions. The resulting, proposed plan will be presented to the community college’s Board Of Trustees for approval at its meeting in March.
Led by Timmy Baines, executive director of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments, the Global Awareness and Competitiveness group had two questions to ponder on Thursday. The first was: “As our world markets and economy become more interdependent and competitive, what educational programs and services does VGCC need to provide for existing business and industry to remain competitive and survive in the global marketplace? The group’s observations Please see VGCC, page 3A
Brummitt reappointed to airport board By WILLIAM F. WEST Daily Dispatch Writer
OXFORD — Mayor Al Woodlief told the City Commission there was no need to decide on his suggestion to appoint City Manager Mark Donham to the airport authority board. Woodlief said his understanding was that Oxford’s longtime representative on the board, Jimmy Brummitt, wanted to continue serving. The commission, which met Tuesday, quickly
voted in favor of reappointing Brummitt. Brummitt was first appointed to the board in 1995 and his twoyear term expired in July. Donham told the newspaper Jan. 4 that Brummitt requested to be replaced. When the newspaper asked Donham why Brummitt wanted out, Donham replied, “He’s got a lot of other responsibilities.” The commission on Tuesday additionally agreed to Woodlief’s request to make Donham
a non-voting representative on the board because of Donham’s experience and because Donham attends board meetings. Donham was hired as Oxford’s manager in May 2008 after having been assistant manager of Monroe, which is southeast of Charlotte. While working for Monroe, Donham’s job included directing airport operations. The Airport Authority dates back to 1966 and Oxford, GranPlease see BRUMMITT, page 4A
of identity theft, scams By AL WHELESS Daily Dispatch Writer
Henderson police are alerting local residents to reports from other areas about telephone scams and identity-theft frauds. According to Lt. Irvin Robinson, the department’s Crime Prevention officer, the crimes are connected with credit and debit cards issued by Visa and MasterCard. The scams are usually conducted by thieves calling a cardholder, according to Robinson. Having obtained the cardholder’s account number by some other means, he said, the caller impersonates a security employee of the credit card company. Robinson explained that the purpose is to get additional security numbers and information from the card-holder in order to illegally use their credit account. “Just as the Internet and other technologies have greatly expanded the possibilities for making credit card purchases without the need to physically present a card to the seller,” Robinson said, “so have they created additional Please see POLICE, page 4A