A report on the 1997 long session
of the General Assembly from Rep.
Ron Sutton, District 85
Another issue that is of importance
especially in Southeastern
Js'orth Carolina is that of dealing
Is ith the swine or hog industry For
several years the growth in the hog
industry has been significant in
pur region On sev eral occasions I
lave stressed to groups representng
the industrv and their oppoi<nts.
that a compromise should
>f worked out bv the groups rather
lian waiting for stale of federal
cstriclivc legislation. 1 understand
tk.do most people that al I the w atcr
nipblcms in eastern North Caroilina
and its rivers arc not caused bv
'hog farmers, however, they arc the
itnost visible.
;; Aftcrmuchlobbying.dcbalcand
{discussions compromise legislation
w as passed with a moratorium
[on new or expanding large units
bind establishing local county zoning
authorization. Distanceset back
restrictions were also included.
In addition research is ongoing
to try and reduce or alleviate the
bdor and water waste products.
jAlsO the issue of water pollution
istale wide is part of an ongoing
'study. It is interesting to mote that
|thc so called hog bill regulates
Snore than the hog industry and
[places limits of how much nitrogen
and phosphorous can be dis!i
. '
charged inioourri\crs;md streams
by waste water treatment plants
On a related note, a SI billion
Clean Water Bond Referendum
stalled in the closing days of the
session but is still alive for consideration
in the 1998 short session
In the area oflawsalTccling our
youth, we passed several bills. One
in particular makes it easier to
prosecute store clerks who sells
tobacco products to minors It also
allows the minor buyer to be
charged However, it docs reduce
the penalty to both the buyer and
seller and even allows the district
attorney to use deferred prosecution
in first offense eases These
procedures were worked out as a
compromise between the House
Senate but in my opinion weakened
the law to the point that I
could no longer support it.
One area that w ill have a major
impact on our youth is that of the
Graduated Driv ers License. It is in
response to the high rate of auto
accidents by drivers under the age
of 18. Without going into every
detail ofthe new law that goes into
effect on December 1st. 1997. it is
my view that, our streets should be
made safcrby this new law. Clearly,
it will be a tremendous inconvenience
to out young people as they
learn todrive. Basically. it requires
a permit with stringent supcrxision
for one year after initial application
beginningat age 15 or upon
initial application at any age under
18 Then there is a*si\ month upgraded
period with more relaxed
procedures Finally a third lc\cl
allows young drivers under age 18
to drive without accompaniment
in the vehicle Two important
things young drivers should remember
arc that while driving between
the age of 15 and 18. all
passengers must be in car seats or
scat belts and any violation forces
the young driver to go back to
square one. the limited driving
permit available to 15 year^flcJs
Obviously the purpose of the bill is
to reduce the number of accidents
and deaths on our highways not as
a punishment against our youth
We enacted significant changes
in the day care program for young
childrcn'lo raise the quality ofccntcrs
and make them safer. Also
judges now have more lee-way in
handling abused children No
longer will judges be required to
reunite troubled families but can
now use more flexibility in dealing
with these critical circumstances
involving abused youth
jjClose Up seeks Native American
| instructors to work with high
school students in Washineton. DC
ii
|i Washington, D.C.?The Close
i! Up Foundation of Washington.
I! D C.isactivcly scckingavaricty of
I! individuals, including Native
;; Americans and minorities, to work
ii with high school students in the
I! nation's capital for a series of week
^kmg government studies programs
V Successful candidates for the
3jx>silion nlust possess leadership
Skills and a college degree in poalitical
science. American history,
^international relations, education,
vor other related field They also
snccd a knowledge of the political
^process. a desire to w ork with high
^school students and the ability to
jwvork long hours. Several do/.cn
^individuals will be hired for ihc
^positions which run from January
5lh rough June 1998. ? f
T^?iP(Vd instructors vvtfl be rc5spoi1Simc
for leading grdups or IX*22
students through a curriculum
Jlhat includes daily discussions.
Jcurrcnt events seminars, study visits
to historical sites in the Wash- Singlon
area, and workshops on
^Capitol Hill. Instructors will be
{with the students for the majority
{of the students week long stay iii
* the nation's capital,
v
5 "We offer the students the opIportunity
to see Washington as a
Jiving city by taking them into the
{buildings they often see only on
!
V/ '
television and providing them an
opportunity to question law-and
policy-makers they may only read
aboui. Through the experience we
have found that the students return
home with an interest in both national
andcommunity affairs They
want to become involved." said
Tom Mangclsdorf of the human
resources department at the Close
Up Foundation.
Mangclsdorf said that one of
the main goals of the program is to
show student s that each person ca n
have an impact in the community.
Native students from public and
private high schools, including
approximately 40 Bureau of Indian
AITairs Schools, have again
been invited to participate this y car
The Close Up Foundation is a \
noil profjj.jipn part is;>n $rupny;*
lion that providbs first hanabppor- :
tunnies to learn about the democratic
process and the role of the
individual Since 1970 nearly
470.00 (including an estimated
8.000 Native American Alaska
Native) students, teachers and others
have taken part in Close Up
Washington programs
For additional information contact
Thomas Mangclsdorf.% Close
Up Foundation: 44 Canal Center
Pla/a: Alexandria, Virginia Resumes
mavbc faxed to 703-7060000
Alcohol Kills!
Choose a Better Path
CHOOSE TRADITION NOT ADDICTION
Know the consequences ot alcohol and drug abuse
A message from United National Indian Tribal Youth
NEW DAYCARE
NOW OPEN
SA TURDA Y NIGHTS 6:00-10:00 P.M.
MONDA Y-FRIDA Y 6:30 A.M.-5:SO P.M.
Call Doris or Mitchell "Bosco" Lock/ear
at
SUA&rtlXgE
LEJVM&A& CEtyVER
910-521-1600 910-521-2294
8467 Deep Branch Rd.
Pembroke, N.Q
Ill tlii* vtnrli! vtliul maltrr* i*
not to ktiov* maiikiiiil. Init to l>?*
*mart?*r on tin* *|?ot than hi*
%?ho *taml* hrfort* n*.
?(iot'tlic
'? *
lltmiaii |?a**ion* art* i|iiih* a*
*trunjil\ agitated hy *mall inlrri**t*
a* l?\ ^rcat our*.
?Ilonori* <lr llal/.ai*
A camel needs little water
because it sweats very little and
keeps most of the water that is in
its body.
I'll*- iiKi-l I>?-n?11ift11 tiling hican
c\|icricnrc i? llic utynlcriou?.
It U llic Miurcc of all true
art ami -cicm c.
? VIImtI KiiiKleiu
*" 'V
* ?
I.ilc i? a ureal ImmUr of little
lliiiiU>.
?Oliver \\ emlell Ilolnic*. Jr.
Vole
Oct. 7, 1997
RE ELECT
AMBROSE
LOCKLEAR, JR.
Lumbee River Elect.
Membership Corp.
District #5
Board Of Directors
LJNC-P Performing Arts Center
Registration 6:00 PM-8:00 PM
Your Vote Will Be Greatly Appreciated!
A Vote of Confidence
Carson Lowry practices at his home in front of a portrait of Bill Monroe.
Pre&s photo by Olenn Fawcett
Bluegrass musician owes credit
to Acuff and $1.20 to Boy Scouts
By Sandra Knlpe
Entertainment reporter
Roy Acuff is the reason Carson
Lowry was kicked out of the Boy
Scouts in Robeson County, N.C.
"My Scout dues were 10 cents a
month, and I was a year behind and
my Scout master said I needed to
pay up. My mother gave me $1.20 to
pay my dues, but before I went to the
Scout meeting, I went to town where
my friend's dad ran what I guess
you'd call a cabaret. I put all the
money in the jukebox and played
'Wabash Cannonball' over and over.
Then I was afraid to go back to the
Scout meeting.
"I told that story to Roy Acuff
and he got the biggest kick out of
that," said Lowry, who has a million
such stories born of 50 years of
"Country Bluegrass Pickin' and
Singin' /
He'll celebrate the anniversary
with a concert/fund-raiser from 2 to
5 p.m. Sunday at the Weather Rock
Corral near Warrenton, Ind.
He usually plays for free, but
proceeds from the 50th anniversary
concert will go to the International
Bluegrass Museum in Owensboro,
Ky., where he is frequent volunteer
at Fan Fests and other events. The
museum "needs the money," he
says, so he's charging $5 for adults
(with children still admitted free).
Besides Acuff, Lowry has met a
number of country and bluegrass
musicians who were his boyhood
idols ? including the late Bill Monroe,
whom he first met as a boy in
North Carolina before Acuff got
him kicked out of the Boy Scouts.
"I parked his car for him before a
concert and asked if he'd sing 'I
Traced Her Little Footprints in the
Snow.' Fifty-two years later, he sang
it for me again (at the International
Bluegrass Music Association
Awards in Owensboro)."
Lowry also has done some picking
with Charlie Pride and "Mr.
Banjo" Buck Trent. Grandpa Jones
was "one of the nicest fellows" he
ever met, but, if he had to pick a
favorite, he said it would be Doc
Watson.
"He's been blind all his life, and
he's one of the best flat-top guitar
pickers there ever was," said Lowry,
who plays the guitar, fiddle, mandolin
and harmonica.
Lowry, 67, was 17 when he took
his first guitar lesson in Chicago,
where he went to find work.
"I had fooled around a little with
the guitar before, but I didn't know
the chords. I was walking down the
street and saw this sign that said
'Guitar Lessons.' This Italian fellow
Save me three lessons and told me I
idn't need to know any more. Of
course, I've picked up a lot on my
own since then. 1 guess you could say
I have a degree in hard knocks," said
Lowry with a laugh.
Today, Lowry is a church-going
husband, father and grandfather
with a pacemaker who plays nursing
homes, day care centers and vacation
Bible school classes. He has a
regular admission-free first-Sun
day-of-the-month "singin' and
pickin'" at either the C.K. Newsome
Community Center or the Weather
Rock Corral, where he often is
joined by other country, bluegrass
and gospel performers. He also
plays for the Evansville State Hospital's
annual fish fry, the Salvation
Army and Red Cross blood drives.
In his wild and wooly younger
days, he played in less wholesome
places in Chicago and Calumet City,
111., which he says was "a wild, mean
place back in the '50s." .
As for Chicago, he says he
couldn't walk down the street carrying
his guitar without someone yelling
"Hey, hillbilly. Do you still think
you're steppin' in cow patties?"
"This was before Elvis and it
took a lot of nerve to carry a guitar
on the streets of Chicago," he said.
"Anybody who came from outside
Chicago was a hillbilly. A bunch
of us lived in this rooming house and
there was this one boy from Oklahoma
who was homesick, so, after
work, he'd go to this tavern and play
Eddie Arnold's 'Cattle Call' over
and over, which annoyed the locals
who couldn't play their music. So
they beat him up and sent word to
the rooming house that we'd better
not come over to that tavern."
Of course, the "hillbillies" ?
who hailed from Mississippi, Arkansas,
Virginia. Georgia. Kentucky
and the C'arolinas as well as Oklahoma
? went to the tavern in force and
were met by an even larger show of
force. As Lowry tells the story, the
"hillbillies" won.
"My wife, Rosemary, was the
best thing that ever happened to me.
I was a tumblin' tumbleweed till
then. I went through so many jobs,"
said Lowry, a now-retired railroad
worker who followed another girl to
Evansville. Rosemary came into his
life after his original girlfriend saw
him at the Camel Bar with another
girl and hit him over the head with a
Coca-Cola bottle, he said.
I
__________________________
"This Italian fellow
gave me three (guitar)
lessons and told me I
didn't need to know any
more. Of course, I've
picked up a lot on my
own since then. I guess
you could say I have a
degree in hard knocks."
Carson Lowry
bluegrass musician