?? The News
Ifgfffjjf; SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY S I
Vol. 84 No. 8 PUBLISHED WEEKLY )N THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL, N C WEDNESDAY, February 22, 1984 25c
Edmisten: Education
Will Be Top Priority
- ^ ? ' M ~ ?
Improvements in North Carolina elementary
schools will be Rufus Edmis ten's top priority as
governor. Hie state Attorney General made the
pledge during a campaign swing through
Asheville last weekend.
In an interview with The News Record, Ed
misten said, "Education has got to be our top
priority in the coming years. I believe that the
time has come for a return to basics in our
schools. Our university system is in good shape.
It's time we concentrated on our youngsters.
The most important part of our educational
system is the elementary schools, grades K
through eight. If a child hasn't developed the
necessary skills in those grades, you've lost
them."
A former third-grade schoolteacher, Ed
misten said he would urge the schools to focus
attention on developing students' communica
tion skills. 'It's terrible to see kids coming out of
high school who can't even write a complete
sentence. I'd like to see the schools get back to
requiring the kids to diagram sentences. I'm
probably the only candidate running for gover
nor who has called for a return to diagramming
sentences."
Edmisten said that he would not propose any
new taxes to pay for improvements in educa
( Continued on Page 8)
RUFUS EDMISTEN
Pop Story
A 60- Year Love Affair With Madison County
? : : . ' \ . * -1
POP STORY
Governor's Education Commission
To Recommend A Return To Basics
By BOB HURLEY
The Greeneville Sun
He has no children, but just
about every man, woman and
child in Western North
Carolina calls him Pop.
Go to Marshall or to
anywhere in Madison County,
from the most secluded creek
to the highest mountain top
over there, and you'll find so
meone who knows all about
Pap. You jion't have to ask for
James I. Story. Pop is ail you
need.
Pop Story started
newspapering in 1924 when he
was 12 years old. The ink not
only got into his blood, it took
over his heart. He fell head
over-heels in love with it. He
was the newspaper industry's
sole representative In
Madison County for ages until
his retirement from it a few
years ago.
Pop's a printer now, am old
time printer. His trade died a
generation or so ago, or the
way he does it died. But Pop
didn't participate in the
funeral. He was too busy prin
ting the old-time way.
So, he just kept on spreading
ink, making signs and posters
and letterheads and
everything else in the world of
words, doing it with hand-set
type, antiquated type-settting
machines, ancient presses and
doing everything else there is
to do as a one-man show.
The real story of Pop is
another about love. Everyone
loves a love story and
everyone loves Pop, from the
governor to the kids in the
mountains of this high country
place.
His work was a lot like a
tight-rope situation. As head
of the newspaper in a county
overzealous politicians for
many years. Pop maintained
his position on the sunny,
positive side of the street.
While other newspapers and
magazines sent teams of
reporters and photographers
to Madison to sensationalize
many stories. Pop took a non
partisan stand in politics and
stuck to reporting the facts as
objectively as he knew how.
Besides, moonshine and
politicians are not the stuff
that love stories are made of.
Love stories are about people
who love other people and love
stories are also about people
who love places. That make
Pop Story's love story a dou
ble whammy because he loves
these Madison County people
and he loves these Madison
County places.
The love affair started when
H.L. Story, Pop's pop, bought
The News Record and moved
(Continued on Page 4
By TODD COHEN
The News and Observer
North Carolina public school
students would receive more
instruction in the baste skills
?of reading, writing and math
? and in how to apply those
skills ? under curriculum
changes tentatively endorsed
last week by a state com
mission, memben of the
< onmnsMon and tts staff say.
The curriculum plan, en
dorsed Tuesday by Gov.
James B. Hunt Jr.'s Com
mission on Education for
in North Carolina who have
not mastered reading, reading
comprehension, math com
putation skills and science
skills at a sufficient level to
successfully participate in
society and life in the future,"
Robinson said.
"The expectation that those
(basic) skills are universally
taught is adding that the
currant curriculum is "more
or tea a suggested guide. We
need to have a more specific
(required) curriculum." The
commission Tuesday ten
expected of students in all
courses and subjects offered
in the public schools.
Currently, the State Board
of Education suggests ? but
does not require ? a
curriculum to be taught in Tar
Heel schools for all grades
from kinder gareten through
high school.
For example, the
curriculum for reading in
struction suggests that a
student in kindergarten
through third grade learn to
"use resources." It suggests
that a teacher measure a
student's skill in using
resources by how well the
curriculum, as proposed by
the Hunt commission, all
teachers could be required to
use the lesson.
Roy H. Forbes, director of
the Bunt commission staff,
said the public schools have
improved the instruction in
basic skills and noted that
many teachers already
successfully teach students
how to apply those skill*
But he said the lack of a
uniform curriculum detailing
the instruction required in
measured by new tests that
would be required for
promotion from grades three,
six and nine.
The tests would identify
strengths and weaknesses of
students and teachers ? and
hold teachers more ac
countable for the caliber of
their teaching, commission
members said.
"We need to build in a
system at accountability to
see that it's taught," Robinson
said.
Brace Stewart, provost of
Guilford College and a
commission member, said the
of instruction across the
state," said Donald D. Jones,
superintendent of the
Asheville City Schools in
Buncombe County and a
commission member.
"What we're talking about,"
said Howard Maniloff, apodal
assistant for policy
development to the state
superintendent of public in
struction, "is making sure
that there's a core of com
petencies that every kid in
North Carolina has an op
portunity to learn, regardless
of where the kid happens to go
to school."
Maniloff noted that the N. C.
Department of Public In
Ackley
Found
Guilty
Richard James Ackley was
convicted in Madison County
Superior Court last week on
three counts of damage to pro
perty and two counts of break
ing and entering.
Judge William H. Helms, Jr.
sentenced Ackley to two years
in jail for the misdemeanor
breaking and entering convic
tions and one year for the
damage to property charge.
The sentences are to be served
consecutively.
In addition to the prison
sentence, Ackley was ordered
to pay $160 in restitution to the
owners of the homes in the
Spring Creek section which he
was convicted of illegally
entering.
The court recommended
that Ackley be eligible for
work release and gave him
credit for 125 days he spent in
the Madison County jail while
awaiting trial.
Following the Ackley trial,
the court heard testimony in a
case involving Joel Edwards.
As a result of plea bargaining
in the case, Edwards, who was
originally charged with the
sale of a controlled substance,
was allowed to enter a guilty
plea to a misdemeanor charge
of possession of drug
paraphanalia.
The court gave Edwards a
six-month suspended jail
sentence and ordered the
17-year old to serve two years
unsupervised probation. In ad
dition to the suspended
sentence. Edwards was fined
$50 and ordered to pay (400 for
the services of his court -
appointed attorney. He was
also ordered to attend Alcohol
and Drug Education school
and pay the school's $100 tui
tion fee. He was also ordered
to complete high school and
not to enter property of the
Madison County school
system without permission.
In the only other trial heard
during last week's special.ses
sion, a jury found Jospeh Ross
Chandler not guilty of charges
of discharging a firearm into
an occupied vehicle and
<lamage to property.
W'Ville Puts
CP&L
Request
On Hold
Weaverville officials put a
right of way request from
Carolina Power and Light Co.
(CP&L) on hold at their
monthly meeting Monday
night. The utility has
requested a right of way
through town property south
of Weaverville where the town
has a well and filtering
station.
CP&L has asked for a right
of way on a 200-foot section of
town property located off
Terrace Lane. The right of
way is needed for the utility to
provide service to customers
on property adjacent to the
town'slot.
Mayor Lawrence Sprinkle
said, "When you give them the
right of way, for all practical
purposes, you're giving the
land away." Although there
was no objection to the
request, several members of
the town council asked if the
utility could use an un
derground right of way in
stead of constructing power
poles across the town land.
Councilman Glenn Brank
suggested the utility consider
the underground right of way
and the board deferred a
decision on tbe request.
Jerry Gordon came before
the board asking for
clarification of the status of
the road on which he lives.
Gordon showed board
members a county tax plat o f
hi ittll -1 ? . J
nis property on wucnrood
Park. He told the council.
The right of way on Wild
wood Park where Gordon's
home is located is 30 feet wide.
The council told him that the
town no longer accepts streets
with less than a 40-foot right of
way. In order to be accepted
as a town road, current town
policy calls for the property
owner to build the road to
meet state specifications and
deed the right of way over to
the town. In return, the town
will then accept responsibility
for maintaining the street.
The council said they will
study Wildwood Park to
determine what steps Gordon
and the other four
homeowners on the road will
have to take.
The council will also be
studying a thoroughfare plan
prepared by the state
Department of Tran
sportation. Larry Sprinkle
told the council that Larry
Goode of the state DOT office
in Raleigh will attend the
March meeting of the board to
discuss the plan.
The council also discussed
water and sewer projects
during Monday night's
session. In old business, town
manager Larry Sprinkle
reported that the town's policy
for sewer line connections
were in line with other WNC
communities and recom