Robesonian (Newspaper) - January 13, 1998, Lumberton, North Carolina Tuesday January 131998 CBS is back In the pro football game IB THE ROBESONIAN Serving Robeson County Since 1870 Volume No 317 Pages 12 1998 Newspaper Holdings Inc All Rights Reserved 35 Cents Daily 75 Cents Sunday High energy Electric bills may get charged up Byers Byers Staff writer LUMBERTON Residents could soon be paying more to keep their lights on Members of the City Council were told Monday night that the city n losing money on its sale of electricity But the council did not take any action Lumberton is a member of the Southeast ern North Carolina Power Agency an elec coop that buys power wholesale from electric companies The individual members then sell power to customers at retail rates Wendy Stephenson a spokesman for Electricities which works with the coop said Lumberton has the lowest electrical rates among 32 members of the coop Wholesale rates have increased over the Wendy Stephenson a spokesman for Electricities predicted the city would lose mil lion this fiscal year if rates were not increased She said the city needs to raise rates an aver age of about 6 percent to break even She recommended an 8 percent increase for residen tial customers and a 5 percent increase for commercial and industrial customers An 8 per cent increase for residential customers would mean a would increase to years Stephenson said but Lumberton has kept electric rates stable during that time Last year the city charged residential customers 89 cents per kilowatt hour used Stephenson said that is 15 percent lower than the state average of 105 cents per kilo watt hour She said commer cial and industrial rates were about 14 per cent below the state average Stephenson predicted the city would lose 12 million this fiscal year if rates were not increased She said the city needs to raise rates an average of about 6 percent to break even She recommended an 8 percent increase Report Violence down in schools The number of report ed incidents of violence in Robeson County schools dropped by more than 6 percent dur ing the 199697 school year From staff and wire reports LUMBERTON Reported in of violence in Robeson County Public Schools declined during the 199697 compared with the previous year according to a state report released Monday There were 268 reported inci dents during the last school year There were 287 reported incidents during the 199596 school year Thats a decline of more than 6 per cent Interim schools Superintendent Barry Harding could not be reached for comment this morning State of were also unavailable The state Board of Education was sched uled to consider the annual violence report today at its meeting in Asheville Statewide there were 2720 re ports of drugs down from 2753 2690 weapons incidents down from 2751 and 1375 assaults on school employees down from 1443 The overall decline in violent acts is the first since the state began keeping records four years ago The annual violence report is prepared by the state Board of Education There were 8141 reported inci dents at North Carolina public schools during the last school year compared to 8173 the previous year Schools are required to report in of assault resulting in a seri injury assault on school person nel armed robbery and robbery as sault involving a weapon indecent liberties with a minor kidnapping possession of a weapon or con trolled substance rape sexual as sault sexual offense and murders The report does not include other violent acts like vandalism or stu dent fights that do not result in seri injuries Elsie Leak the director of the de school improvement di vision said higher numbers of re ported incidents in some districts do not necessarily indicate more vio lent schools Please see SCHOOLS Page for residential customers and a 5 percent in crease for commercial and industrial cus tomers An 8 percent increase for residential cus tomers would mean a would in crease to Stephenson said Lumberton has not sig increased its rates since 1990 when residential rates increased 3 percent commercial rates rose by 8 percent and in rates went up 5 percent Council members voted unanimously to wait before taking any action That meeting is scheduled for Jan 26 The council also heard about the citys fi nances from John Masters an accountant with S Preston Douglas Associates He said an audit shows that the city has im proved its financial situation Lumberton raised its General Fund re serve more than 5700000 during the last fis cal year from about to City Manager Rob Kites said the city needs to raise the reserve about more Please see CITY Page Funeral for an angel Connie Chavis the mother of Brittany Lynn Locklear is helped out of the school following Mondays service At right the Rev Tony Hunt points skyward during his eulogy Thousands turn out to say goodbye to slain Staff writer RAEFORD After the small white coffins lid was closed a bouquet of pink and white roses was placed on top and a soft voice began singing Jesus has a rock ing chair So began the fu neral for Hoke Coun tys littlest angel on Monday afternoon when more than 700 people of many races filled the auditorium of JW Turlington School to mourn for and say their good byes to Brittany Lynn Lock lear The ner was kidnapped Wednesday morning as she waited for a school bus in front of her home in rural loke County Witnesses say she was taken by a man driving a brown pickup truck After more than 500 people joined in the search for Brittany her body was found Thursday in a drainage ditch about three miles from her home Officials say she had een molested BRITTANY A mourner holds a stuffed teddy bear with a heart that reads I Love You The bears were handed out to teachers at West Hoke Elementary where Brittany at tended school Staff photos by Landis Her coffin rested amongst a sea of flow ers and stuffed bears Members of the audi ence wailed dabbed at their eyes with tis sue and rested their heads on their neigh bors as George Marston the principal at West Hoke Elementary where Brittany was the youngest student read a poem about the little girl He spoke of a child who was full of laughter and and was always eager to hug her teachers Brittany was a little ray of sunshine on a cloudy day said Marston She touched so many hearts in just six months Our loss is heavens gain A group of teachers and a few students Please see FUNERAL Page Sheriff Killer should receive maximum penalty RAEFORD AP Hoke County authorities searched for the killer of a giri even during her emotional funeral service in a packed school au We were looking at the crowd Sheriff Wayne Byrd said Monday after the service that in cluded an invocation from the minister that God would reveal the killer of Brittany Lynn Locklear Byrd said he asked television stations for copies of videotape shot at the funeral attended by more than 700 people and at a Sunday wake attended by about 4000 JW Turlington Auditorium The guy might be standing around Byrd said Already investigators have interviewed drivers of three brown trucks but released them Witnesses said a man in a brown truck snatched Brittany from the side of rural Gainey Road where she waited for her school bus last Wednesday Her body was found in a ditch about three miles Please see SHERIFF Page Commissioner Herndon not ready to step down Scott Staff writer LUMBERTON County Commissioner Luther Hern don will seek a sixth term as the representa tive of District Herndon was the only person to file for office Monday at the county Board of Elections office District X includes Parkton Lum ber Bridge Rennert St Pauls West HERNDON and portions of East Red Springs Shannon and Wisharts Herndon is vice chairman of the Board of Commissioners He is chairman of the Public Works Com and serves on the Department of Social Services hoard of directors and the board ot directors of South Please see Page Classified Mostly with chance of showers High in the mid 60s 60 43 ss tar Mondays high temp low This at Deaths Editorial Health Lumber River Level Trend Sunrise tomorrow Sunset None Sports Weather IB lalling s 1 Llla Simmons Violet hml lranklin Hunl Ark 1 rank Smith lobee 1 Si Pauls Leadership changes expected for DOT Gov Hunt is expected to name Commerce Sec Norris Tolson to replace Garland Garrett as head of the Depart ment of Transportation RALEIGH AP A top House Republican scheduled a news con today to discuss controver sies at the Department of Trans as did Gov Jim Hum ho is expected to name a new lead er tor the agency House Majority leader leo and i likely iOP candidate tor governor in 2000 said he would present his rec for he Board ot Transportation UK de creasing political on de decisions Later in the day Hunt is expected to name Commerce Secretary Norris Tolson as his new Transportation Secretary replacing Garland Gar rett Slate Auditor Ralph Campbell meanwhile told a legislative com Monday that an outside audit ing firm could begin looking at DOT as early as mid 1 Campbell appearing before the Joint I Commission on Please sec HOT Page SA
