CMYK Aycock Elementary in azalea project
Death of missing Fla. girl a homicide
Webb soccer defeats Northern
Community News, Page 6A
Public Records, Page 7A
Sports, Page 1B FRIDAY, October 23, 2009
Volume XCV, No. 248
(252) 436-2700
www.hendersondispatch.com
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New group aims to keep truants out of court By AL WHELESS Daily Dispatch Writer
Organized to keep school truancy problems from becoming court cases, the Judicial Attendance Council held its first meeting Friday to deal with issues facing parents and their children. The session took place early in the morning in a conference room at the Henry A. Dennis Building on Garnett Street so District Court Judge Quon
Private garbage pick up?
Students in trouble will find assistance to stay in school
Bridges would be able to get to work on time. Besides Bridges and District Court Judge John Henry Banks, who rotate attending the twice-a-month meetings, the other members of the Council include: • A social worker and a nurse employed by Vance County Schools. • A minister. • One or more court counsel-
ors with the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. • Representatives of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, the Henderson Police Department and Five-County Mental Health. “We try to do two to three
hearings at a session, depending on how many referrals we get,” Bridges said Tuesday during an interview at his office in the court house. He explained that they can come from officials with the school system, as well as the Department of Social Services. Violation of the Compulsory Attendance Law of North Carolina carries a penalty of up to 120
days in jail for parents who are convicted of the misdemeanor. Bridges said the purpose of the Council is to “put on the table what the problem is so that the agencies involved can offer their services.” If medical or psychological problems need to be addressed, there is help available for students and their family members through resources such as school nurses or Five-County Men-
Embers heat up final ‘Meet’
Report expected at Council meeting
Please see GARBAGE, page 3A
Index Our Hometown . . . . . 2A Business & Farm. . . . 5A Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . 8A Light Side . . . . . . . . 11A Sports. . . . . . . . . . 1-5B Comics . . . . . . . . . . . 6B Classifieds. . . . . . . 7-9B
Weather Today Cloudy
High: 72 Low: 57
Saturday T-storms High: 73 Low: 57
Details, 3A
Deaths Clinton, Md. Annie M. Bullock, 75 Henderson Sandy Glover Jr., 59 Alvela C. McKnight, 80 Juanita W. Shearin, 66 Warren County David Perry, 43 James Porter, 68
Obituaries, 4A
Beacon Light, again Griffin to ask council OK for code compliance
By WILLIAM F. WEST Daily Dispatch Writer
The subject of privatizing the municipal sanitation service is on the agenda for a Monday evening work session of the City Council. The matter will be brought forward after the 6 p.m. council meeting, with the work session agenda saying a report on privatization of waste pickup will be given by Assistant City Manager Frank Frazier and Public Works Director Linda Leyen. Details about the report will be distributed at the work session. The council, at the twoday annual municipal government retreat in early March, gave marching orders to city departments that included studying possible means for having
Please see TRUANTS, page 4A
By WILLIAM F. WEST Daily Dispatch Writer
City Manager Ray Griffin is going to recommended that the City Council vote Monday evening to acknowledge there are no Daily Dispatch/ASHLEY STEVEN AYSCUE more stays of a demolition ordinance regarding the Members of the Embers perform to hundreds at the final Meet Me in the Street event in downtown Henderson Thursday afterdilapidated former Beacon noon. The event was sponsored by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce. Light apartment complex. And Griffin is going to call on the council to affirm City Code Compliance Director Corey Williams’ authority to do what is necessary to bring the property in line with municipal regulations. Griffin told the Dispatch during a trade mission in who argued a state law The governor’s office By MARTHA WAGGONER late Thursday afternoon China so she could make from the 1970s defined a claims that inmates senAssociated Press Writer that the property owner, a judgment about the life sentence as 80 years. tenced before the state’s Sharif Abdelhalim, is Time-off credits allowed Fair Sentencing Act went RALEIGH — In the face legal quandary, argued saying demolition of the in a statement that she some like Bowden to get into effect in 1981 should of outrage from victims buildings of the U.S. doesn’t believe the Cora day-for-a-day for good not have qualified for the and their Department of Housing rection Department had behavior, and 20 inmates good conduct credits offamilies, and Urban Development the legislative authority qualified for release. fered under that law. North Caroli(HUD) sponsored property to apply credits to inmates The Democratic govAttorney General Roy na’s governor would have to be approved who are in for life. Her ernor said there was a Cooper said his office on Thursday by HUD. At the same time, administration planned to real question whether the advised the Correction challenged deny the prisoners those legislators intended for Department “that no pris- Griffin told the Dispatch a quarterHUD requires that propercredits, preventing their the prisons agency to have oners have to be released century-old ties HUD owns or suprelease until the issue was that kind of authority. until further direction policy on Perdue ports not only meet HUD resolved in the courts. “I do not believe they from the courts.” prison good requirements, but the did, and my legal counsel The potential release conduct credits, saying she They had been scheduled requirements of the local for release next week. agrees,” she said. “This appalled victims, in would not free a group of communities. The North Carolina raises the very real quespart because most of the violent inmates who were And Griffin said if the Supreme Court ruled tion that these inmates inmates would be freed sentenced to life in prison. council, which will meet at earlier this month in favor should not be eligible for Gov. Beverly Perdue, 6 p.m., approves the recomP lease see GOVERNOR, page 4A of prisoner Bobby Bowden, early release.” awakened from sleep mendation, then Williams would have two options: One being to order the demolition, the other being to order repairs. “We’re not telling Corey which path to choose,” company, Wallace C & JP By DAVID IRVINE Griffin emphasized. “The Productions. Daily Dispatch Writer key thing is we want the The CD highlights property in compliance.” songs written and perHenderson’s own The low-income complex, formed by young Henderentertainment entreprewhich dates to 1973 and is son musicians, Tiffany neur, Wallace Cheek, is located at 318 Boddie St. Bullock, Antwon Daniels expanding into televion the southeast side of the and Desmond Gill. sion. The former disk city, was closed in 2006 at Youth is the hallmark jockey and current music the request of the previous of the company and its producer will initiate council after the property products. Cheek, 21, a monthly TV show on had become notorious for Channel 24 this Saturday is a 2006 graduate of crime and unsanitary Northern Vance High at 4 p.m. conditions. The previous The series will be aired School. Perry, 19, lives in council wanted Beacon on the second Saturday of Durham. Light redeveloped with Cheek and Perry also each month. single-family homes. produce a magazine, “Tha Cheek says the first Daily Dispatch/ASHLEY STEVEN AYSCUE Abdelhalim acquired the Hood Times,” which cashow will feature the property for $54,000 in a ters to readers interested Wallace Cheek’s career is booming as the local entertainartists who appeared 2007 foreclosure sale. in the modern music with him on the CD he ment entrepreneur expands into television. A majority of the present scene. produced and released council in August stood midnight on Friday and In another engagement week end on WZFX Foxy this summer. He and firm in moving ahead 99.1 FM out of Whiteville. continue until 3 a.m. on Jonathan Perry produced on his busy calendar, Saturday. His stint will begin at Cheek will appear this the album through their
Governor won’t free violent criminals 20 inmates to be released next Thursday under a 1970s state law
Entertainer expanding into television
Please see BEACON, page 3A