Economic developer
will help leadership
Although they got off to a slow start, members of the industrial
development board seem to be moving with haste to get Hoke
County on the way to competing for new businesses.
The road to landing new employers for Hoke County will be
long, and it is heartening that after yean of wasted time, action is
finally being taken by the recently formed development board.
In the next 30 days the board could interview, select and hire an
economic developer, whose job it will be to lead this county in its
search for new employers.
It will not only be the responsibility of the developer to land new
industries, but it will also be that person's duty to work toward an
improved economic climate in the county.
The job will involve developing ways to improve income for ex
isting merchants, as well as finding new businesses, in order to make
this county more attractive to firms seeking locations for plants.
However, just because we will have a new recruiter at work in the
next few weeks, Hoke County taxpayers should not anticipate an
economic bonanza over night.
Once an active industrial development unit is in place and after an
intense and expensive marketing effort is launched, Hoke County
will be doing well to gain a new firm within four years.
Even though the costs of the recruiting effort will probably run
more than $90,000 each year, annual taxes from one medium in
dustry or one strip shopping center would pay for several years of
the development campaign.
If as a result of his efforts this county is able to attract new
residents because we are finally tackling issues like better highways,
improved telephone communication, countywide zoning and
upgraded schools, then the recruiter will be earning his salary, no
matter how long it takes to land an industry.
In short it will be the task of the recruiter to be a professional
leader and to inspire other leaders in the community to get this
county moving uphill again.
We join other Hoke County taxpayers in looking forward to the
economic developer getting started on the job.
Turkey festival will
help build Hoke County
The first annual North Carolina Turkey Festival, scheduled for
Raeford next September, could do a great deal to enhance this
county's image and standing among others in the stale, but to be
successful, the event needs widespread support from the local com
munity.
Organizers hope to draw not only statewide, but national atten
tion to Hoke County with the festival.
Plans are to seek assistance from the state Department of
Agriculture and the national Poultry Federation, and bring to Hoke
County a day of good food, fun and music, and to promote an in
dustry that is vital to this community and to North Carolina.
The festival is being sponsored by the North Carolina Turkey
Festival Inc., formerly the Hoke Heritage Hobnob Inc., in conjunc
tion with the Raeford-Hoke Chamber of Commerce.
Hoke County is lucky to have an opportunity to hold a festival
with statewide significance and with a little help from a lot of
residents, it can be a success.
With help, this festival can uplift the spirits of Hoke County and
can aid in improving the quality of life for everyone who lives here.
We support the first annual North Carolina Turkey Festival, and
encourage those who want to become involved to call Elizabeth
Burgess at the Hoke County Library.
Hoke County needs the Turkey Festival, and the festival needs all
the help it can get.
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f\fler ft fly yearg they re gonna
take us c/oujn. Fifty years of
Snou. sleet,rj(n, pigeons. Do
yd think they 11 nr/sS u s Joe '
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Martin should make good governor
We listened closely to the In
augural address of Governor
James G. Martin, January 5.
We thought he made a pretty
solid address, and will likely make
a good governor.
Everything will not go his way,
but he will get along. He has been
in government long enough to
know not to get upset if everything
doesn't go his way.
We listened closely to his talk,
and think he will keep things on
the road.
His father was a Presbyterian
minister. Govenor Martin has serv
ed as a county commissioner in
Mecklenburg County, also in Con
gress for ten years or more. He will
not get the "big head" as too often
some politicians do. He was born
in Savannah, Georgia, Dec. 11,
1935, making him 49 years of age.
If he conducts himself well as we
predict, he will, in four or eight
2
People and Issues
years, have a good chance for the
U.S. Senate.
Right now, we have gone pretty
high with the Presbyterian layman,
but he has a good background and
might well paddle upstream better
than the average.
LONGER... People are living
longer today than ever before. As a
matter of fact, life expectancy has
increased from 48 years in 1900 to
73 years in 1984. Today 25 million
Americans?1 1 percent of the
population-are living to be 65 or
older. It is estimated that by the
year 2000 this group will reach 52
million, or 18 percent of the
population. One half, we read will
be 75 years or older.
LEGISLATIVE OUTLOOK ...
President Reagan isn't running for
re-election and his upcoming
budget, to reach Congress late in
the month, will call for cuts in
farm subsidies, medicare
payments, defense cuts and a
freeze on federal spending in many
areas.
The skyrocketing cost of sub
sidizing U.S. farmers producing
more food than the nation can
consume or sell abroad must be
brought under contol. It is many
times what it was ten years ago and
billions can be saved here. A presi
dent not up for election can more
easily state the case; farmers in
many areas are already hard
pressed.
Hoke County's worth a listen
Walking to church on Sunday
morning is good for the soul ? in
more than one way. It's good that
one is going to church, the exercise
is nice, but there is much more to
enjoy.
My walk to church is short, but I
pass another church on my way. In
Raeford, this is very easy to do
since several of our churches are in
a small area. I may be early or late,
but there are always folks to greet,
friendly smiles and waves.
Sunday morning is a quiet time
in our town. There is no rushing
traffic, no mechanical noise. A lit
tle music may drift from the chur
ches, but the birds provide most of
the sound. I don't recognize the
songs of specific birds, but that
doesn't hinder my appreciation.
The town truly is a bird sanctuary.
I had these paragraphs down. I
wasTeaHy ready Wflaten this Sun
day. This week not a single self
respecting bird made a single
sound.
The temperature had dropped
into the 30s. An icy little rain had
begun to fall. The wind bit at my
ear lobes. I wasted no moments
chit chatting. I got one booming
"Good mornin'!" and two quick
waves.
The observations I make in the
colums I write are usually based in
my love for this town and the
quality of our lives here. In times
when Americans are thought to
have "lost control" of their lives,
we in Hoke County have many ad
vantages.
Chief among them is the sense of
family that people seem to feel. I
know that may sound as if I've
gone way out on a limb. Let me ex
plain.
Have you read in The News
Journal how much Hoke Coun
tians helped each other during
Christmas? SHARE YOUR
CHRISTMAS was almost over
whelmed by the generosity of its
doners. Jaycees and their sister
organization concentrated on
delights for children. Kiwanians
gave generous checks to SHARE
YOUR CHRISTMAS and helped
Kay
Thomas
Looking On
Sandhills Youth Center. Cakes
were baked and gifts collected for
men in prison. Every church and
civic organization reached out.
All of this goodness proves to
me that people do not shy away
from working to meet needs. I
believe that the same willingness to
work and the same concern for
each other can find outlets year
round.
There is going to be a Turkey
Festival. We are going to celebrate.
Our Chamber of Commerce is get
ting moving. It will have a
membership drive. A* -group is
looking at our community college
offerings. These folks are ready to
see higher education strengthened.
My reader may be saying "No
one called me" about these pro
jects. Here is where each one of us
has the special advantage of our
small community. Many of us
know at least one elected official
or community "mover and
shaker" personally. A couple of
telephone calls to friends saying
"Let me bdp" can enable anyone
to contribute.
Some citizens will be appointed
to a planning board. Others will
hdp the Girl Scouts sell cookies.
Neither job is more noble. Every
contribution to the life of our com
munity ensures that we are "in
control" here and we're heading
toward some fine goals.
This all does relate to those birds
I began by telling you about. If we
take advantage of our smaller size,
if we are in touch with people who
share our life here, if we take some
time for listening, we will tense the
true assets of Hoke County. Any
project which is then planned will
come from a strong position. Our
life here will demand that we pro
tect and enhance it.
? ? 1 ?
Letters Foley
Lcttm to the editor are encouraged aod
welcomed. Writer* should keep letters
as short as possible. Names, addresses
and telephone numbers should be in
cluded mid all letters must be signed.
Names will be printed; however, other
information will be kept confidential.
We reserve the right to edit letters for
good taste and brevity. Letters showtd
be received by The News-Jomnml by
noon on the Mooday of the publication
week.
The News-Journal
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Kacfortf, N.C. 2S37t
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la Cowty Per Vw-SMJI 6 MmUm? SS.M
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LOUIS H. FOGLEMAN, JR PabUsher
WARREN N.JOHNSTON Editor
HENRY L. BLUE Production Svpcrrkor
MRS. PAUL DICKSON Society Editor
SAM C. MORRIS Coatribatiaf Editor
ANN N. WEBB AdvertWag Representative
Scf4 Omi fof |* ii Kacf*rd, N.C.
(usps:
Cold weather up for debate among locals
The debate is finally over. Now we can end the speculation. It was
the coldest we have ever been, the weatherman said on the 6 p.m.
news Monday night.
Once the temperatures started dropping the night before, 1 set up
a constant vigil at our thermometer.
"I don't want to miss this," I told my wife, noting that I had
always wanted to be part of a record.
A lot of record-breaking things have taken place during my life,
but I had little, if any, part in them. "This cold wave will give us a
real sense of participation," I said.
There were things like the first moon landing, construction of the
smallest computer and the measuring of the world's largest nose,
which all have taken place in the last few years.
I saw the moon walk on television, although some believe it was
staged in Hollywood, and 1 read about the computer in the
newspaper. I was even invited to a reception to meet the nose, but I
could not go because 1 had a cold.
Now we would finally be part of a record, and we would be able
to dearly define whea It was the coldest we have ever been.
'*1 believe we have made It/' I said to my wife as I checked our
thermometer outside the back door. It was about 11 p.m. Sunday.
J couldn't be sure, though. My wife had bought the thermometer
from oae of thoae tourist places aloof Interstate 95, and the instru
mut was Intended to 90 to Florida. It did not have numbers below
a*
"It's inside the red ball at the7 bottom. it's the coldest we have
ever been," 1 said, trying to be more accurate about the reading.
The weather service confirmed that records had been broken all
over, including the Sandhills of North Carolina. There was no
chance of temperatures "moderating" until the next day, they said.
"Well, we've seen the record, and we've broken it," I said brave
ly as I stood outside shivering.
It was good to know that we could finally tell future generations,
"I was there when it was the coldest it ever was."
However, somehow I did not seem to be the coldest I had ever
been, even after I walked to work the next morning in minus 7*
weather.
"A year ago Christmas was adder," I said, as a few of us sat
around debating the temperature over coffee.
"That's when I was the coldest 1 have ever been."
Of course. everyone else also seemed to think they too had been
colder at other times, and some at the table wanted to call the
weatherman and teU him so.
Warren Johnston
The Puppy Papers
But what could we say? A record cold had been declared. The
debate was over.
"They can't trick me. I've been colder in June," one fellow said.
"Heck, I was so cold one time that my earlobes fell off," another
at the table said.
When we pointed out his earlobes seemed to be intact, he assured
us that it took long hours of plastic surgery to rebuild them out of
small pieces taken from his hip.
Last year when the cold hit during Christmas, the little bowl man,
who keeps things dean, was stuck for three days in the back of one :
of our frozen toilets, and all of our house plants froze.
We left the plants, who never spoke to us again, hanging around
for several months afterwards, just as a reminder that life promised
to be more pleasant if we installed heat.
This year we had a furnace, but that was no excuse.
All of us at the table were convinced it was a Republican ploy to
create an excuse to call off the inaugural parade in Washington
D.C.
"You'll never confines me that thfa was the coldest I ever was,"
MM
We voted to write our weatherman and to conplatat .end
everybody had another cup of coffee. After all, it was really too
cold to go to wort.