18 Mar 1963
Page 1
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Newspaper
Raleigh Register
Location
Beckley, West Virginia, United States of America
Date
Mar 18, 1963
Page
1
President Kennedy arrived in Costa Rica to praise hemispheric cooperation and economic progress. He was greeted by Costa Rican President Orlich and leaders from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama as thousands cheered at La Sabana Airport.
As President Kennedy met with six Central American presidents in San Jose the group split over Cuba. Guatemala and Nicaragua pressed for a firm OAS focus while Kennedy urged restraint and pushed economic integration. Costa Rica prepared for the visit amid massive public displays and festive mood.
Police and officials planned to tear apart a chimney to determine if carbon monoxide from a furnace caused the death of Nelson Don Zephier and his eight family members. The victims, all in nightclothes, included Alberta Zephier and seven children aged 1 to 8. Pathologists ruled asphyxiation and the scene showed a neat five room home with sealed doors and windows.
New Orleans reports the death in a nursing home of Lizzie Miles a famed blues shouter linked to Bessie Smith era. Souchon of the New Orleans Jazz Club recalls her blend of English and Creole and notes her peak work with Armstrong Morton Oliver Piron and other greats.
Sprinkles and cooler air across the state with variable clouds. Highs range from 48 in the north to 82 in the south portion, with lows from 42 to 83. Tuesday brings more clouds and light rain south rising north, temps near normal then warmer later in the week. Rain totals about three quarters of an inch, mainly Tuesday and Thursday. Beckley and Oak Hill reports show highs near 70s, lows near 40s. Greenbrier River running 5 ft above normal, muddy. Lake 72 ft, muddy, rising with 5 gates open. New gauge at Hinton 7.3 ft.
In Havana Premier Fidel Castro denounces the U S sponsored Alliance for Progress as frightful misery for Latin America and warns imperialism threatens the region while praising Cuba's progress and unity with the socialist bloc. He spoke on radio television before Kennedy's Costa Rica visit and condemned Cuban refugees and Venezuela's Betancourt regime.
A 22 month old girl Angela Sue Koontz drowned after falling headfirst into a stone crock with six inches of water at her grandparents home in Kenna. The child, daughter of Mr and Mrs Osher Koontz, was found dead about ten minutes after disappearing while playing.
Floodwaters from Laurel Creek damaged Piney Dale Regular Baptist Church in Jonben, forcing cancellation of Sunday School and worship. Pastor Ray Sears seeks regional church aid to build a stone wall and fill the new washout as only two active members remain able to work. The basement and furnace suffered but insurance covers the furnace. local mines and residents affected Win, with broader river flooding noted in Piney River area.
United Press International quotes President Kennedy sending a friendly note to a 10 year old about leprechauns. The reply emphasizes that all people should live in peace and friendship.
Six people died in a weekend of crashes across West Virginia lifting the year to date toll to 61. Teenagers among the dead include 14 year old Roger Dale Lucas in Lincoln County after a go cart wreck on Route 19. Two brothers, Dennis M. Friend 17 and Dale 15, both of Chapel, and Roy Lee Patterson 17 of Cottageville also perished in Saturday incidents.
The U S government moves toward licensing two measles vaccines with immediate effect after final manufacturing standards publish in the Federal Register. Health official notes no rush unlike polio vaccines, but warns measles can be serious with encephalitis or pneumonia risks. Dr John Enders and Dr Thomas Peebles are credited with the vaccine strain discovery.
The remark notes that some people react as though a summit conference is imminent, implying heightened tension or excitement. It uses a humorous, observational tone to describe reactions to looming high-stakes meetings or negotiations.
UPI report from Cape Canaveral says the United States will likely delay the first orbital rendezvous of a manned capsule with an unmanned target until 1965 as Gemini aims to carry two astronauts on initial flights in mid 1964. The plan envisions an unmanned Agena-D preceding a manned Gemini docking attempt. The Soviets earlier came within four miles of a similar link, signaling competition in early space stations development.
Rescue teams seek 41 bodies feared dead after a Bolivian Airlines DC6 crash on a 14500 foot Andean peak in southern Peru. Two US Air Force helicopters joined the operation, flown in by C130 from Panama, amid rainy weather and no signs of life. American passengers identified as Leon A. Bornstein and Robert McCormack.
Sabin Oral Polio Vaccine distributed at clinics across Kanawha and Monongalia Counties. About 184,012 people received the vaccine at 53 clinics in Kanawha County and 37,584 at 33 clinics in Monongalia County, with Kanawha's share praised as a great community effort and Monongalia aiming for 75 percent turnout.
The Soviet Presidium debates a proposed Sino Soviet summit to heal Communist rift. Some members favor accepting Mao Tze-tung’s invitation to Khrushchev for talks in Peking while Khrushchev seems hesitant. Public debate raises Moscow concerns over domestic and international impact.
Morgantown UPI reports Harold Neely Republican candidate for governor in 1960 is hospitalized at University Medical Center for his second heart attack in two years. Hospital officials say the attack is slight but treated as serious as a precaution. Neely teaches political science at West Virginia University.
A U S Army Corps of Engineers survey team will arrive in Raleigh County Wednesday morning to inspect flood damage. County officials urge reports of damage from Beaver to Beckley to help plan the tour and identify properties and impairment details for claims guidance.
Sherwood Glutz nominates Maby song as southern West Virginia official theme. He cites high waters as a reminder of a home talent show singer who insists on an encore even if the audience would rather skip it.
Sunday rain caused Besoco to be blocked by flood waters all day with the road reopening Monday. Route 3 at Montcoal faced high water threatening closure. Marsh Fork of Coal River crested with only inches of water on the road. Bridges on Secondary Route 35 at Amigo and other spans damaged by prior floods delayed work. Routes 19 to 21 near Spanishburg were blocked briefly. flagmen warned motorists toward Princeton and Bluefield. Spanishburg High School closed. Raleigh County schools mostly open except East Killivan Elementary.
A preliminary report from the Beckley West Virginia Department of Mines cites a defective air compressor at The New River Company Oakwood mine in Carlisle as the cause of a blast last Wednesday. Inspector Jay Philpott says rupture and ignition of coal dust and oil vapors from the poorly repaired compressor produced a weak explosion traveling about 400 feet. Peach Jackson, nearby, suffered first and second degree injuries.
Pope John XXII, 81, stumbled on the seventh step of his throne during a mass audience in Clementine Hall. He was helped to his feet by aides and was not injured. The fall occurred as pilgrims from Bergamo watched, and the pontiff appeared unshaken afterward.
A New Hampshire driver who steered her car into a river was among about 3,300 people who failed driving tests last year, state police reported. The woman and her passengers swam to shore.
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