Library should remain
open for public use
A plan to take the most heavily used meeting room in Hoke
County away from local residents for more than eight months while
the courthouse is being remodeled is a poor one and should be
scrapped.
Members of the Hoke County Commission are expected to vote
next week on whether or not to use the conference room at the
library to house the Register of Deeds office during the courthouse
construction period. We encourage the elected officials to find an
alternative location.
Removing the conference room from public use would rip the
heart out of the Hoke County Library's ability to be part of the
community and to continue to serve as a focal point for local ac
tivities.
The loss of the room would not only inhibit the cultural gains cur
rently being made in this county, but the move could also jeopardize
the progressive spirit of the community.
More than 1,000 residents a month, who are currently using the
room for meetings and gatherings, would be disenfranchised by the
closing of the facility.
In addition, the library would not be part of Hoke County's Dia
mond Jubilee celebration scheduled for May and could be lost from
use by the second annual North Carolina Turkey Festival.
During last September's festival, the library was a critical part in
the opening ceremonies and the North Carolina Turkey Cooking
Contest. The facility also served as a backdrop for Saturday's
musical performances. Without the conference room, the building
could not have played as valued a role.
In the coming monthsTthis county also has the opportunity for
musical performances, special readings and film festivals, however,
without the support of the library and the use of the conference
room, the chances of the events becoming a reality are almost non
existent.
The conference room at the library is not a good location for the
Register of Deeds and should be dropped from consideration.
If the Hoke County Commissioners are concerned about the cost
of renting, we recommend .using the Raeford City Council
Chambers as an alternative location. That hall is only used by a
handful of county residents, who would have to sacrifice little more
than territorial pride to move their monthly meeting to the county
office building.
The Register of Deeds does not generate many customer^ and
City Hall functions would not be disturbed by th?4fifttfa tem
porary tenant.
It is hoped when the final decision is reached, the commissioners
will have voted against the use of the library and in favor of the
residents of Hoke County.
Programs start holidays
There are two events planned for this week, which need the sup
port of the entire community.
Both are free and both are designed to bring Hoke County
together in the spirit of the holiday season.
On Wednesday, county residents are encouraged to attend a com
munity religious Thanksgiving Service, which is being sponsored by
the Hoke County Ministerial Association.
? The rervice will be held at the First Baptist Church in Raeford
and will begin at 7:30 p.m.
On Sunday at 5 p.m., the Christmas lights will be turned on in
Raeford during a community caroling and tree lighting event.
The Downtown Revitalization Commission and the Raeford
Hoke Chamber of Commerce are combining efforts to decorate a
large white pine tree between the Raeford United Methodist Church
and the Hoke County Courthouse.
The tree, along with the other lights in town will be lighted at the
conclusion of the Christmas singing.
We commend the groups responsible for organizing both events.
All county residents are encouraged to attend and to get into the
Hoke County holiday spirit.
Happy Thanksgiving
The News-Journal
Published Every Thursday by .
Dickson Prw, Iik., Paul Dickson. Pres. JFCKA. )
1 19 W. Elwood Avenue, P.O. Box 550
Raeford. N.C. M37*
Subscription Rales In Advance
la County Per Year? $10 00 6 Month* $5.90
Out of County Per Year ? $12.00 6 Months? $6.00
LOUIS H. FOGLEMAN. JR
WARREN N. JOHNSTON Editor
RON ANDERSON Editorial Asaiatant
HENRY L. BLUE Production Su??ntaar
SAM C. MORRIS
ANN N-'WEM
PAMTREDF.RICK
AdvertMnt Rtprmrtath*
Second Class Post age at Raeford, N.C.
M V. JLs"'' CUSPS 3M-2M)
MINUTES FROM THE MEETING- M,
Our la si meeting was held' inside
the Hoke County Library, before
the Register of Deeds moved in ..."
'Pork Barrel' due for reform
RALEIGH -- The 1985 pork
barrel spending bill probably did
more to hurt the public image of
the legislature than any other
General Assembly undertaking this
year.
The bill was drafted in private
by powerful legislators, then
forced down their throats of their
willing lambs. It was blatantly par
tisan and politically punitive. Most
Republicans didn't get their pro
jects funded and the one Democrat
who'd opposed the leadership was
also cut off.
To top things off, the bill con
tained funds for several fire
departments which didn't exist, for
the lodge of one legislator's father
arid a -Mhool riitt-ijy the Black
"Muslin?, ft becafflT a public rela-'
tions disaster.
So now the Senate is trying to
change the process under which the
pork barrel, or "special appropria
tions," bill is handled.
A good argument can be made
for keeping the pork barrel. Each
legislator, in theory, designates an
equal share of money that is ap
propriated for worthwhile projects
back in his district. For example,
rural fire departments, a local
history musuem, a rape crisis
center.
A senate committee studying the
appropriations process apparently
wants to recommend reforms that
will allow the legislature to con
tinue to fund the pork barrel. It
recently worked its way through a
series of problems with the current
process and bandied about some
solutions.
One complaint is that the pork
barrel bill comes out of nowhere.
Legislators file requests for fund
ing for special products and a
Watching
By Paul T.
O'Connor
leadership committee decides, in
private, where the money goes.
Their package is then presented to
the Appropriations Committee as
a fait accompli.
Sen. Harold Hardison,
D-Lenoir, said return to the system
in effect before 1983 would help
here. Legislators should have to
file individual bills for special pro
jects. Those bills should then move
through the Appropriations Com
mittee individually. Only if they
pass comittee, Hardison said,
should they be considered for in
clusion in a package.
The pork barrel bill also con
tained numerous examples of
duplicate appropriations. One
volunteer fire department, for ex
ample, might have gotton four
5500 appropriations, one from
each of four legislators represen
ting its area. Sen. Marvin Ward,
D-Forsyth, suggested that a pro
cedure be established to combine
such requests before the requests
are made to reduce duplication.
Gov. Jim Martin complained
that some of the money appeared
headed for non public purposes.
Senators said that if each ap
propriation were studied first in a
committee, that would be unlikely
to happen next time. Sen. David
Parnell, D-Robeson, added that it
might be a good idea to go back to
the procedure of appropriating
pork barrel funds through state
departments. It would be up to
that agency to make sure the
money was going for a legitimate
public purpose.
Other ideas are floating around
concerning the pork barrel bill.
There are those who want it
eliminated altogether. If a
legislator thinks a local project
deserves state money, then a
special bill ought to be filed and
have to fight for state dollars like
every other budget bill that is filed.
Since some of these appropria
tions fall into categories, like
grants to fire departments, some
legislators have expressed interest
in creating new grants programs
for local museums, fire depart
ments, rape crisis centers. It would
be a fairer way to approach fund
ing,' they say.'- ! '?
There's lots
to celebrate at
Thanksgiving
by W.B. Jenkins
N.C. Farm Bureau Federation
With all the current media atten
tion on tough times down on the
farm, consumers could be worry
ing about whether their next meal
might have to be imported. And,
since much of our Thanksgiving
Day focus is on celebrating the
bounty made possible by an effi
cient, productive American
agriculture, some are probably
asking the question: what do we
have to be thankful for this year?
Thankfully, our Thanksgiving
holiday prompts us to seriously
ponder that question. When we
do, we can usually come up with a
pretty lengthy list -- and 1985 is no
exception.
For example, we can be thankful
that despite economical problems
and a not always sympathetic
Mother Nature, American farmers
have produced abundant crops and
ample supplies of meat and dairy
products.
We can be thankful that unlike
some other countries, we don't
have to worry about whether there
will be enough food to go around.
We can be thankful that for the
past few years, food prices have
actually been below the rate of in
flation.
We can be thankful for the
millions of city jobs created by
production agriculture, and for the
contribution the agricultural in
dustry makes to the economic
strength of our state and nation.
In North Carolina especially, we
can be thankful that we can
prepare a delicious, nutritious
Thanksgiving meal from products
grown within the borders of our
own state. Few other states can
make that claim.
So, while nobody will deny that
there are tough times down on the
farm, few have any real doubts
that the industry will survive and
keep on supplying us with the best
food supply in the world. And for
that, we can be truly thankful.
Football, turkey were T-Day tradition
When 1 was growing up, I don't think I appreciated Thanksgiving
as much as I was supposed to. My three brothers weren't any better
about it either.
My mother would remind us every year we weren't thankful
enough.
"You're not thankful enough," she would say with a tear in her
eye, after we had eaten the Thanksgiving dinner she had carefully
prepared for three days and had only offered such laudatory
remarks as: "Hey, Mom, that was pretty good. Where's dessert?"
Shocked by her reproach, we rephrased our compliments.
"No, it was really pretty good," we would say, promising to ease
her burden by doing the dishes, as soon as we finished tossing a
football around in the front yard.
It was important in those days to get exercise after the big meal,
and we figured the dishes could wait.
"Oh you shouldn't have washed them," we would say, thankful
the kitchen had been cleaned during oflr two-hour game of catch.
Despite our cavalier attitude. Thanksgiving was an important
holiday around our house.
As in many homes, uncles, aunts and grandparents would gather
at our house for the traditional feast of turkey, dressing, cranberry
sauce, spinach casserole and pies for dessert.
My uncle would always bring his favorite rutabaga souffle, and
my grandmother would insist on having mincemeat pie.
Although we saw the our relations frequently, Thanksgiving was
the only time we were forced to eat their offerings. I was thankful I
only faced rutabagas and mincemeat once a year.
For many years, we would delay toning the football around the
yard and rush off to the Georgia-Georgia Tech freshman game after
the meal was over.
I|u.
r * Warren Johnston
"ft^The Puppy Papers
The annual Thanksgiving event was sponsored by the Shriners,
and proceeds went to help crippled children. "Strong legs run so
weak legs can walk," the slogan on the program said.
The game was pretty good and would draw crowds of around
50,000. It was a chance to see the previous year's high school stars
shine in their new college uniforms.
After the rules changed and colleges started playing freshmen on
the varsity squads, the game was discontinued. I have often
won'dered what happened to the crippled children.
The most remarkable thing about the game was the halftime
show.
What seemed to be thousands of Shriners would cover the field.
Some carried swords. Others had huge drums. Most wore a variety
of turbines and silk costumes. There were also hundreds of clowns.
I never knew exactly what a Shriner was, but I thought they must
live a pretty exciting life, particularly the ones in the tiny cars.
. After the game, it was back home for hot Ovaltine, a turkey sand
wich and the end of the Army-Navy game.
When I was growing up, there was a lot of turkey and football on
the holiday menu. ?!
In retrospect, those Thanksgivings were the sort of good times
which are difficult to recreate. I will always be thankful I got to en
j?y them, even if X did have to eat rutabagas and mincemeat. ~