Viewpoints
School decision
was correct one
Hoke County Commissioners have taken the
right approach to funding a proposed school
rehabilitation plan.
As requested by a citizen's study group who
recommended the plan, the commissioners have
earmarked an extra 20* of the county's portion
of the one-half cent sales tax to fund the school
improvements.
In addition, the commissioners wisely fended
off a proposal from the Hoke County Board of
Education to designate the funds for Ave years
and promised the money only on a one-year
review basis.
The rehabilitation plan calls for the extra sales
tax proceeds to be used to repay a $2.5 million
bond issue, which would fund the construction of
78 new classrooms in the county.
According to North Carolina law, the bond
issue is subject to public approval in a referen
dum. Had the commissioners followed the school
board's suggestion, the right of public approval
would have been moot.
With the money already in the budget, the costs
being paid by the taxpayers for the next five
years, the die would have been cast for the pro
gram and the referendum would have meant little
more than a rubber stamp.
Following the action taken by the county, the
decision on the future of the schools still remains
where it should be, in the hands of the voters.
Airport commission
moving on target
Members of the recently appointed Raeford
Hoke County Airport Commission have gotten
off to a flying start and appear to be on the way to
helping make this community a better place to
live. ?
Editorials
This county suffers from a lack of aggressive
leadership, and ii is heartening to see a group with
the initiative of the airport commission.
During their first "working" session, the com
mission members cancelled all prior leases at the
airport, condemned a eyesore hangar and are at
tempting to garner federal and state money for
taxiways.
By cancelling the leases, the commissioners are
now in a position to re-negotiate the use of the
airport on terms which will benefit not only the
facility, but the entire community.
Plans are also underway to clean up the existing
terminal. The building, which could serve as a
welcome center for pilots and visiting industry
hunters, now has broken windows, is kept locked
and 1s cluttered with random personal items.
Commission members have also given owners
of a disheveled hangar 60 days to remove the
structure from public property. In addition, plans
are underway to spruce up the entire airport
facility and make it a representative doorway to
the community.
During the session, the commissioners laid out (
plans to construct taxiways which would be fund
ed by combining federal and state grant money
with local dollars.
Pilots now using the airport must taxi airplanes
on the same runway as the one being used by air
craft which are taking off and landing. Commis
sion members say the situation is not a safe one
and is recognized as an improvement need worthy
of funding by the Federal Aviation Authority.
In the past, federal, state and local money has
been used at the Raeford-Hoke County Airport to
construct runways, provide lighting and make
other improvements. If the facility were to be
reconstructed today, the price tag would probably
be over $1 million.
Until the commission took over two weeks ago,
the airport has been operated only to benefit a
small group of county residents.
Now, it appears the facility will be operated for
all of Hoke County.
If the commission members keep their current
pace, it will not be long before the Raeford-Hoke
County Airport will serve as the million dollar
doorway to the community that the taxpayers
deserve.
Computers
starting
cottage
industries
By Lucien Coleman
My friend Mavis works as a cur
riculum specialist and program
designer for a large religious
publishing house. More and more,
nowadays, she takes work home
from the office. The reason? She
can do her work faster and more
efficiently on hec. personal com
puter.
"Sometimes," she was saying
recently, "it seems silly for me to
drive 36 miles a day commuting to
work, when, really, 1 could do my
writing better at home, then
transmit it by phone to the office."
Another friend, Albert, does
just that. Semi-retired, he is
presently writing a book on a con
tract basis. He writes copy on his
personal computer and sends it by
telephone line to the publisher.
There a manuscript assistant
proofreads his material, makes
editorial corrections, and sends a
copy back to him for final ap
proval.
A sports writer in Houston, who
also happens to be a nationally
syndicated cartoonist, does most
of his work at his house. Like the
others, he writes most of his copy
at a computer terminal in his
home, then sends it by wire to his
paper's newsroom.
Writers aren't the only stay-at
home workers today. More and
more employees in the thriving
"knowledge industry" are finding
it possible, even preferable, to
"telecommute" to work. Process
ing words, managing accounts,
maintaining mailing lists,
reseaching by way of information
networks and data banks, and even
high-level executive planning func
tions can be carried out at home,
where comfort is greater and
distractions are fewer.
The home computer is creating a
modern-day cottage industry.
This trend worries labor unions,
who find it difficult to organize at
home workers. Employers, too,
are skeptical. But the benefits are
many.! Consider the savings on
transportation alone.
And just think of being able to
go to work in your old grubby
jeans and a comfortable sweat
shirt. If this catches on, we might
not even need vacations.
Booze age hike needed
By BUI Hefaer
A movement to raise the
nation's drinking age to 21 it
becoming a bandwagon. Just a few
days ago, the U.S. House of
Representatives passed a bill that
would make it a law in every state
to set the drinking age at 21 years
of age. Right now, twenty-two
states limit drinking of all
alcoholic beverages to 21 or older.
Nine, including North Carolina,
have 21 as a minimum age for
drinking hard liquor but younger
persons can buy beer and unfor
tified wine. The rest of the states
have minimum drinking ages of
18, 19 or 20. .
Under this new bill, which still
must go through the Senate,
highway funds would be cut off
from the states that do not raise
their drinking age to 21.
I think the 21 year old minimum
drinking age makes sense. Too
many of our young people are dy
ing on the roads because of
drunken driving. Not only that,
but youngsters below 21 are simply
too young to be drinking.
According to the National
Highway Traffic Safety Ad
ministration young people 18 to 20
are more than twice as likely as
others to be in an alcohol related
accident. Another startling fact is
that 18 and 19 year olds make up
about 8ft of the drivers and 6ft of
miles driven, yet they make up a
whopping 17ft of alcohol
involved accidents.
It would be best if states were to
raise the drinking age to 21*
themselves, and they must be given
more of a chance, however, if they
still fail to do so. Congress should
do what it can to help solve this na
tional problem.
I believe that youth drinking is
growing to the point of becoming a
national epidemic.
Letters To The Editor
Center survives
on local gifts
To the Editor:
Without the help of the various
clubs, organizations, churches,
businesses, industries and private
individuals, Hoke County
children's Center would not be ser
ving special children as it has for a
decade.
The staff expresses gratitude to
each person who has continued to
provide physical therapy, speech
therapy and educational program
ming to our children. However, 1
wish to add two specific groups of
individuals to our Center's ad
vocate list.
Gratitude from Hoke County
Children's Center is extended to
the Raeford City Council and the
Hoke County Commissioners.
People in the City and County
should be proud to know that their
political representatives care about
the quality of life of individuals.
Sure our children could be locked
away in an institution and never be
given a real chance to be someone.
Your leaders want our special
children to have an extra edge on
life.
Because of the Center's man
datory relocation to another facili
ty, financial problems exist. This
condition will disappear as the
enrollment increases.
However, the summer months
will be difficult. Knowing this.
County officials volunteered free
legal counsel to demand insurance
payment on delinquent claims.
Raeford Councilmen appropriated
$1,000 to the center as local match
for a new van to transport the
children.
The gentlemen from both
governments listen to many worth
while requests; I do not envy their
responsibility of decision making.
Both groups have given assistance
when we need it most.
The Hoke County Association
for the Developmental Disabled
Board of Directors, staff, parents
and most of all the children of
Hoke County Children's Center
appreciate our local political
representatives sincere desire to
build a better tomorrow.
Anne H. Johnson,
Director
Hoke County
Children's Center
County should be
proud of graduates
To the Editor
I was privileged to be present
in ftirham on June 9 when two
residents of Hoke County, Lisa
Gillespie and Amy Schuchard
graduated from the North
Carolina School of Science and
Mathematics.
Coursework at the school,
which is the first of its kind in the
country, is widely known to be
very demanding. All North
Carolinians should be proud of
the accomplishments of these
graduates and their classmates.
The business community has
long recognized that continued
growth and development in our
state will only be possible if it is
undergirded by a strong educa
tional system.
This must include not only
specialized schools like the School
for Science and Math, but strong
local school systems that enjoy
the active support of the entire
community. Our state and nation
will be inadequately prepared to
face the challenges of tomorrow
unless we all give strong support
to our schools today.
The North Carolina School of
Science and Mathematics is an ex
cellent example of what a
business Educational partnership
can accomplish. The Business
Committee for Math/Science
Education urges all businessper
sons to become involved in active
ly supporting education. It's the
key to our future.
Sincerely,
Bland Worley
Doby still
in business
To the Editor
I understand there are rumors
circulating that I am no longer in
business.
Doby Funeral Home is still do
ing business and will continue to
do business as long as the Lord is
willing.
Whoever is curculating these
rumors should contact me and
Find out the truth.
There are some people who
would like to see us out of
business.
Some people are getting the
wrong impression about the news
article in the newspaper last week
that the persons whose names ap
peared in the paper would be paid
$7,133.39.
This is not true. One of the per
sons named was refunded their
premium in December, 1983
because medical information was
not sent to the company by the
doctor at the prescribed time.
(See DOBY, page 3 A)
The News-Journal
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Summer afternoons are ripe
for parsley and stealing apples
By Warren Johnston
The evening was cool for summertime. The oppressive humidity
had cleared. It seemed tike a good time to work in the garden.
"There's a lot of work to be done in the garden," I told Calhoun,
as I got my hoe out of the died.
I knew Calhoun didn't care much for gardening. My plot was
outside his domain, and besides, he had grown accustomed to sleep
ing in the shade of the high weeds which were growing among my
cucumbers. Their shadows drifted across his fence and created a
cool S{KX.
"There's a lot of work to be done in the garden," I told the caA,
who was eyeing a hovering dragonfly.
In addition to the weeding, there was the replanting. It was past
the date to replace the onions and the spinach. For too long, I had
used the excuse of the heat to avoid having to rework the rows.
There was also the question of what to replant. I had spent three
weeks worrying about which vegetables would survive, if planted in
late May. Now, it was late June, and it was too late for anything
j practical, except soybeans. .
The Puppy Papers
I wasn't sure of the soybean market, so I had ruled out planting
the two five-foot rows with the "food of the future."
"I think I'll plant parsley," I told the cat, as we walked to the
garden.
Sure, 1 had already planted three rows of the green herb, but
parsley is high in iron and good for the breath, I said to my wife
earlier. She had become fed up with my gardening antics and had
refused to discuss the replanting.
"When all this comes in, don't ask me to help you give away
three tons of parsley to the neighbors," she had said, washing her
hands of the whole affair.
The cat liked gardening. She enjoyed relaxing in the cool fresh
sofl which had recently been replanted with panley, and she liked
chasing the grasshoppers that fled as I pulled handfuls of weeds
from the stringing zucchini.
On the most recent venture, I was using my perfected method of
hand and hot weed paHtag, and the cat was waiting for a winged
quarry to be flushed from the underbrush, when I noticed a youth
slipping around Billy Jones' apple tree.
He didn't tec me. I watched leaning on my hoe, like the farmer 1
had seen in a late-night version of the "Grapes of Wrath."
The nicely drcmed boy, who was probably about eight years old,
selected a plump green apple and stealthily plucked it from the tree.
I didn't stop him. II wasn't any big deal. Even the police might
have looked the other way. Boys have been stealing apples and plug
ging watermelons since the Garden of Eden. As long as he doesn't
do it after he reaches the age of 12, it's accepted thievery.
"It's sort of Hke fudging on the IRS, or lying in politics," I told
the cat. "As long as you don't get caught, it's OK."
I wanted to ten the boy that it was wrong and about the IRS, but
he was long gone with his purloined spoils, back to the world of the
"innocent" and down the street.
"I hope he knows he was wrong, and I hope Billy Tones doesi/F
catch him,'* I said to the cat, as 1 turned back to my weeding. \
The son was dropping. The air was cooling. There was a lot ofx
work to be done in the gnrden, and there was parsley to plant. I
couldn't be woiried about boys and ?