CMYK Most of N.J. church follows pastor to Charlotte
GROWING, EXPANDING ...
Local & State, Page 4A
7 found slain at Ga. mobile home; 2 injured Nation, Page 10A
Buffaloe competes in Japan karate tournament Sports, Page 1B
Weight loss — finding a plan that measures up
Working together!
Showcase, Page 1C
The Progress Edition 2009 Inside Today
A housing investment she can take to the bank
VGCC’s 40th Anniversary Special Section Inside Today
Real Estate, Page 1D
SUNDAY, August 30, 2009
Volume XCV, No. 203
(252) 436-2700
www.hendersondispatch.com
$1.25
Arrest in Truck and tractor pull draws a crowd Jobless shooting rates dip incident slightly By WILLIAM F. WEST Daily Dispatch Writer
OXFORD — An 18-yearold man wanted in connection with an Aug. 13 early afternoon shooting along Peace Street was jailed earlier last week in lieu of $85,000 bond, Oxford police said. Tevon Jones is accused of Jones felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, felony possession of a weapon of mass destruction, felony discharging a weapon into occupied property and misdemeanor discharging a firearm in the city limits. Jones, of 4166 Arthur Currin Road, was booked after he turned himself in on Monday. Please see SHOOTING, page 4A
Index Our Hometown . . . . . 2A Business & Farm. . . . 5A Opinion . . . . . . . . . . 12A Sports. . . . . . . . . . 1-8B Showcase. . . . . . . . . 1C Celebrate. . . . . . . . 2-4C Books & Leisure . . . . 5C. Light Side . . . . . . . 6-7C A to Z Kids. . . . . . . . . 8C Real Estate . . . . . . 1-2D Classifieds. . . . . . . 3-5D
Weather Today T-storm High: 89 Low: 61
Monday
Numbers for July decline by tenths From STAFF REPORTS
Daily Dispatch/EARL KING
Vance County Fire & Rescue’s third annual National Truck & Tractor pull drew a crowd Friday and Saturday at the fairgournds. The event was sanctioned by the United Pullers of the Carolinas and the National Tractor Pullers Association. Above, Barrett Flowe of Midland takes a turn. At right, Lynn Trueblood of Belvedere prepares for a tug.
Rec chairman wants to brainstorm How can those 13 and older be brought into structured programs? By WILLIAM F. WEST Daily Dispatch Writer
OXFORD — City Commission Recreation Chairman Steve Powell called for a brainstorming session in which handpicked persons and anyone else who wants to bring something to table will figure out ways to engage those ages 13 and above to get involved in recreation. Although the time, date and location are not set, Powell’s request signaled a response is
coming from Oxford’s government in the aftermath of disorders at the municipal basketball court along Belle Street. During a 50-minute committee meeting on Friday morning, Powell started off by saying, “I think we need pro-active, structured activities that address the needs of a population that we’ve talked about for at least a year and a half that is not engaged in structured recreational activities.” Powell said he wants to make the basketball court a focal point,
but go beyond basketball, show the city cares and create a sense of community ownership of recreational facilities. Committee member Bob Shope was quick to state his belief in the first step being parental involvement. “That’s who we need to go to,” Shope said. While Powell, who is an educator, agreed, he noted he does parent training and noted many today do not know how to be Please see BRAINSTORM, page 3A
Voluntary manslaughter charged in Stem shooting
Breezy
High: 70 Low: 58
Details, 3A
Deaths Henderson Willie R. Jones Oxford Lillian R. Cash, 86 Zev Greenwald, 63 Rebecca L. O’Briant, 77
Obituaries, 4A
By WILLIAM F. WEST Daily Dispatch Writer
OXFORD — A 30-year-old man is being held on $50,000 bond on a charge of voluntary manslaughter resulting from the Aug. 20 fatal shooting of Jimmy Champion. Ottis Perry was booked on Friday evening after he turned himself in at the Granville County Sheriff’s Department after being contacted at his home, Sheriff Brin Wilkins said. Wilkins has said that Champion and Perry were neighbors and that Perry was upset with Champion about a dog in Perry’s
yard off Little Pond Road east of Stem. Emergency 911 received the call at 6:54 p.m. Aug. 20. Little Pond is just off Sanders Road and near the Interstate 85 overpass of Sanders. Champion, 62, died at Durham Regional Hospital as a result of being struck by a discharge from a handgun, Wilkins has said. Perry was detained in connection with the incident and was released, with charges pending on the outcome of the investigation. A court date for Perry is set Sept. 9, according to the booking sheet.
Voluntary manslaughter is defined as the killing of a human being in which the offender had no prior intent to kill and acted in the “heat of passion” as a result of having been provoked by the deceased. The arrest of Perry additionally makes this the county’s first homicide since Wilkins at the start of July replaced retiring Sheriff David Smith and the first homicide in the sheriff’s department’s jurisdiction since Sept. 22, 2007, when Michael Shavone Daniel shot Ikeame Terry in the Please see STEM, page 4A
Unemployment rates dropped in 59 counties — including Vance, Granville and Warren — in July, according to statistics released Friday by the state’s Employment Security Commission. “Employment growth was modest in many of our counties in July,” said ESC Chairman Moses Carey Jr. “The coastal counties traditionally experience rate decreases due to tourism and the need for summer workers. The rest of the state has not had as much summer hiring compared to previous years, but there was enough to drop the rates in more than half of the state’s 100 counties.” Statewide the jobless rate was 11.1 percent in July and unchanged from the previous month. Nationally, the unemployment statistics were 9.4 percent for July and 9.5 percent for June. The rates in Vance, Granville and Warren all dropped but only by tenths. In Vance the July rate dropped to 13.9 percent from 14.4 percent. The rate means that of the Please see JOBLESS, page 3A
VGCC planning 40th celebration From STAFF REPORTS
Vance-Granville Community College is showing off its age with plans to celebrate 40 years of service. From student appreciation days to an anniversary ball to a “Festival for the 40th,” activities will highlight the remarkable growth of the institution that now serves Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties. Student appreciation days are planned for Friday, Sept. 4, on the Main Campus in Vance; Wednesday, Sept. 16, on the South Campus between Butner and Creedmoor; and Wednesday, Sept. 30, on the Franklin County Campus near Louisburg. The ball is set for Saturday, Oct. 3, and the festival for Saturday, Oct. 10. Those and other activities and the history of VGCC appear in today’s Dispatch in a special section. Send comments to news@hendersondispatch.com.