SPORTS: Falcons’ soccer squad shut out on senior night • Page 1B
The Sanford Herald WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2010
SANFORDHERALD.COM • 50 CENTS
SANLEE MIDDLE SCHOOL
STUDENT HAD GUN, KNIVES ON BUS
ELECTION 2010 COMMISSIONERS DISTRICT 2
Sixth grader’s unloaded weapon confiscated before student reached school By ALEXA MILAN amilan@sanfordherald.com
SANFORD — A sixth-grade student at SanLee Middle School was charged Tuesday with bringing an unloaded handgun and two pocket knives to school, according to a report from Lee County
Schools. The student, an unnamed 11-year-old male, faces juvenile petitions for one count of felony possession of a firearm on campus and three counts of misdemeanor possession of a weapon on campus. “Administration and staff at SanLee Middle School followed our emergency pro-
CRIME
cedures and enacted them immediately,” said Jeff Moss, superintendent of Lee County Schools. “At no point was the weapon actually on the campus.” Another student discovered the boy had the weapons on the school bus and reported
See Student, Page 12A
“The student was contained and not in the mix of students at any time during the day. The staff did an outstanding job following emergency procedures.”
AMY DALRYMPLE
— JEFF MOSS — Lee County Superintendent
GRACE CHAPEL CHURCH TURNS 125
CHARLIE PARKS
Man accused of aiding runaway N.Y. girl, 14
Dalyrmple’s hope is to bring stability to Lee’s second district By BILLY BALL bball@sanfordherald.com
By BILLY BALL bball@sanfordherald.com
SANFORD — Lee County investigators say they have arrested a local man who is accused of having sex with a 14-year-old New York girl that he aided in running away from home this weekend. Deputies said the man, 48-year-old William Herbert Schliebener of 825 Walker Road in Sanford, met the New York teenager on the Internet a month ago and struck up a friendSchliebener ship. Schliebener agreed to help the girl run away from home and he picked her up at her New York residence early Saturday before driving back to Sanford, investigators
See Runaway, Page 12A
HERALD ELECTION FORUM IS THURSDAY
Candidates for Lee County Board of Commissioner, U. S. Congress and N. C. House of Representatives have been invited to The Herald’s candidates forum, scheduled for Thursday at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center. The public is invited to the event, which will take place in the small auditorium at the civic center beginning with a catered reception at 5:45 p.m. The forum is scheduled to begin at 6:45. No admission will be charged, but attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable food staple or a canned good as a donation for The Salvation Army’s local food pantry for entry into the forum. The format for the forum will include questions submitted by Herald readers. To submit a question, e-mail it to news@ sanfordherald.com.
Vol. 80, No. 232 Serving Lee, Chatham, Harnett and Moore counties in the heart of North Carolina
WESLEY BEESON / The Sanford Herald
Senior Pastor Rudy Holland stands inside the sanctuary of Grace Chapel Church on Tuesday afternoon. This month marks the 125th anniversary of the church.
BELIEVE IT
Much has changed about Grace Chapel in its 125 years, but not its one major belief: ‘The Bible is the word of God’ By JENNIFER GENTILE jgentile@sanfordherald.com
P
ersonalities and styles of ministry have come and gone, cultural shifts have made their mark, but Grace Chapel Church has held to one constant throughout its history. “The strength of our church has always been, and still is, our belief that the Bible is the word of God,” said Senior Pastor Rudy Holland, who has served at Grace since 1998. The church is reflecting on its origins this month as it celebrates its 125th year as a body of believers. Grace had a roll of only 33 charter members when it was founded in 1885, and it has since grown into a congregation of more than 1,000 members. “We’re an aggressive, evangelistic church whose ministry is certainly Bible-
HAPPENING TODAY The Central Carolina Hospital Auxiliary’s fall sale featuring mums, pumpkins, flowers and plants, courtesy of the Plant Factory, will run from 8 a.m. through 4 p.m. outside the CCH visitors lobby entrance. Proceeds support CCH Auxiliary projects. CALENDAR, PAGE 2A
SANFORD — When Amy Dalrymple assumed the District 2 seat in a special election for the Lee County Board of Commissioners two years ago, the seat had been riddled with turnover. Past district representatives had come and gone before their terms were up, controversial replacements were named, and local Republicans struggled to push their candidate of choice. Dalrymple, a Democrat, ended up winning the vacant seat for two years in a specially called race in 2008, and now she’s trying to solidify her hold and earn a full four-year term with a second victory. A Lee County native who lives with her husband and
See Dalrymple, Page 6A
Parks says he represents the change needed on county board By BILLY BALL bball@sanfordherald.com
early 1880s met for worship in a tiny schoolhouse a quarter mile west of Tramway — which meant spending most of the day traveling by horse and wagon. Members recognized the need for their own church building, and they invited Rev. D.F. Jones to name the
SANFORD — Charlie Parks thinks Lee County commissioners could do a better job. Asked to give a letter grade for the current panel, the GOP candidate for the District 2 seat on the Board of Commissioners handed out a “C-minus.” His opponent, Lee Commissioner Amy Dalrymple, gave the board an “A.” Nevermind that, Parks thinks locals are fed up with operations in Lee County government. “Tax money is being spent without any real oversight,” he said. “I think people are tired of seeing that.” Parks, the son of a Texas sharecropper and a longtime air traffic coordinator for the
See Grace, Page 12A
See Parks, Page 6A
The large structure that is Grace Chapel Church is easily seen driving along U.S. 1 in Lee County. centered,” Holland said, “but we also have a great desire to serve the community with a variety of activities and outreaches.” Grace’s founding was made possible by J.A. Willett’s private donation of 1.5 acres — at a time when the going rate for land was 50 cents per acre. Families who lived in the neighborhood in the
High: 72 Low: 46
INDEX
More Weather, Page 12A
OBITUARIES Sanford: Rev. Burton Sherrod Broadway: Doris White Cameron: Neil Cameron, 90 Pinehurst: Merlie Shinn, 92 Pittsboro: Cody Harris,
R.V. HIGHT No matter what happens in life, weather will be a big part of your experience
Page 4A
Abby, Graham, Bridge, Sudoku............................. 6B Classifieds ....................... 9B Comics, Crosswords.......... 7B Community calendar .......... 2A Horoscope ........................ 6B Obituaries......................... 5A Opinion ............................ 4A Scoreboard ....................... 4B