Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / Feb. 7, 1985, edition 1 / Page 2
Part of The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
School redistricting is countywide effort Members of the Board of Education are considering a proposal to redistrict Hoke County's schools and to change the structure of the system. Redistributing student populations is tricky business, and to im plement the plan will require tough skins and a firm resolve on the part of the board members. However, once the feathers have settled and the plan is working, Hoke County should have a better school system. Under the preliminary plan now being considered, district lines would be redrawn to increase the student populations of West Hoke and South Hoke elementary schools. Both schools are dropping in enrollment, while the county's other two elementary schools, Scurlock and McLauchlin, are overflow ing. A redrawing of the attendance lines would correct the over crowding, and could ease some of the pressure to construct new classrooms. In addition, both South and West Hoke are teetering dangerously close to being either all black or all Indian. Unless the school board comes up with a plan to include more white students at the schools, the U.S. Justice Department could intervene and force more racially balanced attendance. Other southern school systems, which have failed to address racial imbalance, have found the Justice Department's attendance lines to be racially sound, but not always the best solution for im proving the quality of education. After the Justice Department stepped in, many of those other school systems also discovered they were left, not only with a stringent bussing plan, but also with a stigma which tarnished an otherwise good reputations and which marred industrial recruiting efforts. Hoke County does not need the Justice Department to dictate school attendance lines, and we commend the board members for showing their leadership and moving to insure that every student enrolled has an equally sound education. Once the plan is developed by the administrators and im plemented in July, it will take hard work on the part of all parents, teachers and students to make it successful. County needs backing from state lawmakers North Carolina Legislators, who got started on a new session this week, are going to have their hands filled with the financial prob lems of trying to balance a proposed $16.8 billion state budget with Governor Jim Martin's suggested $443.5 million tax cut plan, while at the same time trying to juggle a better educational system, im proved highways and higher quality of life. The act will be a tough one, and for a change, leaders in Hoke County are trying not to ease the burden on the local Legislative Delegation. This county desperately needs financial assistance from the state if the local economy and living conditions are going to improve. Unlike past years, Hoke leaders are asking for help this session. Raeford and Hoke County elected officials met with Rep. Sidney ' Locks, Rep. Pete Hasty, Rep. Danny DeVane and Sen. David ParneU on Saturday at a Raeford-Hoke Chamber of Commerce sponsored breakfast to express appreciation for past support and to let the solons know that, like the other counties in their district, we also have our palms out. Currently on the Hoke County request list for funds are such items as the courthouse, the new Chamber depot, the North Carolina Turkey Festival and possibly a college satellite. In addition, this county is looking for aid with capital im- , provements for the schools, support on widening US 401 and back ing to establish better telephone communications. Hoke County needs the support and bargaining efforts of the local delegation if we are going to pull ourselves up beyond the poverty level. We salute this county's leadership for finally realizing the state is not going to help us unless we ask. However, we also hope the local leaders are pragmatic enough to know state funds will only be a partial answer to our problems. The real solutions must come from inside the county. i ?? ini A5ACRED Low interest rates could spark real national economic recovery The Reagan administration has apparently decided that the way to bring the deficit down is by reduc ing spending; not by raising taxes. A lot of people think it would be easier to just raise taxes, or take some combination of spending reductions and tax increases. No doubt, it would be a lot less painful for a majority of Americans if the government would just reduce its presence in our lives. But it boils down to the question of how much government you want and how much government you're willing to pay for. The farmers and ranchers of this country have been under some pretty bad economic conditions for quite a long time now. Seems they are the first to suffer from a reces sion and the last to recover from it. But Robert Delano, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, said it very well in a re cent speech. He said that a five percent reduction in interest rates would do more for farmers than all the farm programs ever written. That's a catchy way of saying that the first priority for agriculture ? as well as just about every other industry -- should be to get this country back on a sound financial basis. ..cut the deficit and balance the budget. Then a lot of those other problems, like high in terest rates, will fall into place. It sounds simple. Almost too simple. But just think how much business would be stimulated if money could be borrowed at in terest rates half as high as they are today. That would be real economic recovery. Turkey festival needs workers Let's talk turkey. I understand that poultry pro duction is now North Carolina's leading agricultural crop. Or is it that North Carolina leads the na tion in poultry production? Could it be that North Carolina has more turkeys per capita than any other state? Is it A), B), C), or ALL OF THE ABOVE? One fact I have for certain: Hoke County will celebrate its leadership in turkey production in a festival on September 21. Who, you may ask, is putting on this to do? The answer is: we are. Every red-blooded Hoke Countain, or blue-blooded or whatever, is need ed. Last Spring Hoke County had a Hoke Heritage Hob Nob. It was wonderful. There were concerts, crafts displays, artists, poets, pot ters, a mime, a big supper at Hoke High, and a great afternoon per formance by the Embers. Plenty of people worked really hard. Many of these workers were school peo ple. Many of the activities were aimed toward school children. The Hob Nob celebrated history and the arts. It started people thinking about how talented and smart folks in Hoke County are. They realized that from this Hob Nob idea could come an annual festival that could celebrate the special life here. At some point, the Turkey Festival was born. There is a Turkey Festival, Inc. There is a little seed money. There are a few people ready to work hard. There is just enough time to get some good ideas rolling and be ready in September. ' The House of Raeford is getting involved. The N.C. Department of Agriculture will help. The N.C. Poultry Producers are planning. Hoke County has facilities which hatch turkeys, raise turkeys, pro cess turkeys, and cook turkeys. Of course, we have a population that m ~toy~ ^ Thomas Looking On cats plenty of turkey. We have many folks ready to have a Turkey Festival. What all are we going to do? Well, remember that Hob Nob? We had a lot of fun then, so we will do some of the same things. We don't want an exact repeat of last year, but there will be music, food, artists and craftsmen. The plans are to get more people in volved in producing this ex travaganza and bring in more peo ple to share the celebration. Sorer activities will- take more than a day. A turkey cooking con test will be held. There will be some display of Hoke crafts. A photography contest is scheduled and the entries will be displayed. On September 21 there will be performances all day downtown. There will be booths for crafts men. There will be food booths. There are plans for a street dance, < It sounds so exciting. You're probably looking forward to it already. Well, stop right here and visualize yourself in the midst of all this. Someone must invite per formers. Someone must get a place ready. Someone must sell food. Someone must help get the depot refurbished and ready to be haul quarters. That someone may be you. 4 If you want to talk to a knowledgeable person, if you have a good idea to share, if you're ready to volunteer, here's what you should do. Contact either Liz Burgess at the Hoke Public Library or Beverly Pasternak at the Raeford-Hoke Chamber of Commerce. The preparation will be such fun that you will want to get on the * band wagon early. " The News-Journal ^ Tbantfay kj II* w- B**?< An*,, F.O. Box 559 Racfort. N.C. XOH _i la la Coaaty Per Year? $1?.M ? MoaOa? U.M Oat of Coaaty Pw Year? S12.M t Moatte? S4.M LOUIS H. FOGLEMAN, JR PvbUtber WARREN N. JOHNSTON Editor HENRY L. BLUE Production Supervisor MRS. PAUL DICKSON Society Editor SAM C. MORRIS Coatribatiag Editor ANN N. WEBB Advertising RefweseaUtive Secoad dam Postafc at Harford, N.C. (USPS 3SS-2M) Raleigh Republicans living high on the hog The Hoke County Culture Club went off to Raleigh a week or so ago to see how the Republicans were settling into the Capital City. The GOPIES, as they are known to the news media, had been mandated after the November election to leave small towns all over North Carolina and move to Raleigh, just so they could be at hand, if the new Governor needed them. As a result, thtfre are GOPIES everywhere. In the old days one used to only see them on the golf courses or in beauty parlors, but now they are in every nook and cranny. However, we did notice right off that there are fewer cars on the streets of Raleigh and in the parking lots than there were under the previous Democratic administration. "It's only logical," Sadie Louise said, noting that it was a physical impossibility to get as many land yachts on the road as it is Volkswagens. Our first stop was the shopping mall which looked a lot like a hugit medieval bazaar one might see in a movie. There was a bunch down there at the shopping mall hustling back and forth, taking armfuls of packages to their cruisers parked out in the lot. Inside, vendors were shouting, yelling and charging high prices. Republicans were running around buying everything in sight as if the end of good times was coming and they were going to have to blame the downfdi on the Democrat*. We did not know what to make of k, and Sadie Louise was so overcome that she had to down or swoon. To make things worse, the whole mall was covered with a photographic display 6f newcomers and prominent GOPIE "moms and shaken" relaxing in their yards. B||kaap?4iM:<<Know Your New Party Neighbors." nPjJThe Puppy Papers Warren Johnston I spotted one picture of a scantily clad blonde holding forth on a fur rug, and thought we should follow up on the suggestion ori the banner and take the old Bluebird over to her house. My wife pointed out that we were not Republicans and probably would not be well received, so we didn't go. After 10 minutes in the mall, we were exhausted and repaired to the place of our night's lodging in the home of some friends. Unfortunately our hosts have been plagued by a limited social life these last few months in Raleigh because of their mixed marriage. He is a Republican, and she still hangs on to the party of her proper upbringing. During the afternoon, we had a wonderful time. The women's committee of the chib visited the art museum, while a group of Republicans and the Culture Clubmen had a few beers, belched and watched the new Raleigh cable television, which came on the air the day of the inauguration. It was all sports, except for re-runs of Dynasty and Dallas. "Don't you ever want to watch things like the news or an occa sional episode of MASH?" I asked after the third basketball game and the second round of the Luscious Palms Classic. "Not as long as there's a good ball game on," the Republicans said in unison. v That night we went to a comedy club, where we were greeted by a long line of disenfranchised Democrats, who were trying to get in side for a laugh. "This a Democratic establishment. You must wait in line to get tickets," they shouted when they spotted the GOPIES in our group. Of course, we had reservations, and with the help of the police were able to bull our way through the door. As we found our seats, we could hear the angry chants of the unruly mob, who were still waiting outside in the cold for a laugh. The show was pretty good. There were lots of jokes about Nancy Reagan wearing tweed underwear, which some of us did not under stand, but others in the group thought were hilariously funny. To top the evening off we had dinner at a fancy restaurant in a downtown hotel. When the waiter found out there were GOPIES among us, he in sisted on bringing $100 bottles of wine to the table. We were able to fend off the sales attack, but only after Sadie Louise showed him the autographed snapshot of Adlai Stevenson she carried in her wallet. Prom then on the meal went downhill, and by the time the mgin course was served, we had all concluded that the food was so poor we would not even have served it to the crowd outside the comedy club. Despite the overbearing waiter, the lousy food and the check, which to settle would require new mortgages on all our hosnsa, we had a pleasant visit. > ~f\:. On the drive back to Hoke County the neat day, we decided it had been an interesting experience to see how real Republicans live in Raleigh, even if they did act funny.
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 7, 1985, edition 1
2
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75