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V0L.34, N 0.35
Yancey’s Prospects Good For Federal Grants
To Aid School, Hospital, Water System
By Bob Helmle
Following several years of
disappointment in obtaining
financial grants under the var
ious Federal assistance pro
grams, Yancey County's pros
pects for obtaining substantial
financial aid appear much
brighter than heretofore.
The Town of Burnsville will
receive SIIO,OOO Federal as
sistance, if the town's citizens
vote in favor of issuing bonds
to pay tire balance of cost of
needed water system improve
ments.
Police Hove
Busy Week
Reports indicating an active
week for the Burnsville Police
Department were received on
Tuesday of this week. Among
the more serious police reports
is that of attempted assault
on a Burnsville woman. The
report reads that someone came
into the woman's house be -
tween 8:30 and 9:00 A.M. on
Wednesday, August 19th. The
assailant, according to her
statement, shoved her down
over a chair causing body in
jury and head injury, bruising
her arms. She said she got up
and ran for the front door and
the man ran out the back way.
The woman described the
attacker as wearing tan looking
clothes with the pants legs roll
ed up or cut off. She said he
had blond hair, age approxi -
mately 23, height about 5 ft.
6 inches and weight abort 145.
She also remarked that he had
a funny smelling odor about
his body and clothing. She
didn't report the alleged at
tack immediately for fear of
danger to herself or children.
At 12:30 a.m. last Satur -
day a case of lemons was found
on the town square by police
men. On checking, the police
found the outside cold storage
locker broken into atthe Ray
Brothers Food Center.
About 1:00 a.m. Saturday,
during regular rounds, Bums -
ville Patrolman J ames Aubrey
found that someone had bio -
ken into the Burnsville Elemen
tary School. After checking
this out and making his report,
he called the Micaville School
(about 9:00 a.m.) to check
(Corit'd on page 5)
Landrum Wilson, Comity
Superintendent of Schools has
received word that the Appa
lachian Regional Commission
is allocating $280,000 for the
construction and equipment of
vocational education facilities
for the Yancey County High
Schools. This grant is contin
gent on the County putting up
twenty percent of the cost of
the project.
Another good prospect for
a sizeable Federal grant is in
the construction of a new Yan
cey County Hospital, now in
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Connie Lemer, Miss North Carolina, Visits Classroom With Principle Bernie Deyton
Miss North Carolina At South Toe School
On Monday afternoon, Au
gust 24, Miss Connie Lemer,
the present Miss North Caro
lina from Asheville came to
South Toe School for a brief
visit. Accomp trying Miss Lo
ner was her mother, along with
Mme. Lili Krais and Ms. Fer
gus Pop>e. On hand to greet
the pserty when they arrived at
South Toe School wereMsßer
nie Deyton, principal; Mr.
Clarence Greene from the Tri-
County News, and Mr. Ashton
Chapman, news correspondent
for the three-county area.
After greetings were ex
changed, Miss North Caiolinf,
along with other members of
the group, made a tour of tlpa.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 1970
the planning and study stage.
The establishment of a
new tri-county technical in
stitute for Avery, Mitchell
and Yancey Counties now ap
pears almost a certainty. Sub
stantial Federal grant aid is
confidently expected to help
with the construction of the
facilities. Although tin school
will be located in Mitchell
County, the benefits will be
shared by the three counties.
The vocational education
project involving the $280,000
grant is simply one part of the
school, during which time each
classroom was visited and in
formal chats were held with
the students. While in Miss
Caroline Deyton's fourth grade
room, Miss Lemer recommen
ded TOE LITTLE PRINCE by
Antoine de Saint Exupiery as
an excellent book to be read
aloud to them. In another
classroom, Miss Lemer com
mented that the students had
made a beginning toward at
taining success and that it is
impxntant to keep a smile.
After jpfng through the
school building, the party as
sembled in the auditorium to
see dances performed by Mrs.
Chrlsawn's Clogging Group,
overall county program for new
school facilities. This program
is now under intense study by
the Yancey County school offi
cials. The numerous problem
involved will be aired at the
school board meeting to be
held on Friday, August 28, at
8:00 p. m. at the school head
quarters office over the Burns
ville Post Office. The meetirg
is open to the public.
It s eems highly proba b1 e
that in working out the scho o 1
program, advantage can be
taken of the Appalachian Com
Mrs. Bille Jo Deyton's Folk
Dance Team, and Mb. Caro
line Deyton's Smooth Square
Dancers. All the visitors were
quite enthusiastic about the
dancing and were delimited to
see the performers in action.
At one pwint during the visit,
the beautiful Miss North Caro
lina was seen clogging right
along with the group.
The school was honored to
be visited by the reigning beau
ty of North Carolina. All those
who saw her wae impressed
with her charm and friendlinaa
Truly, Monday, Aogurt 24,was
a significant day for everyone
at South Toe School!
mission grant.
A criticism frequently le
veled at the Federal aid pro -
grams is that those towns and
counties which need the h e lp
the most, somehow manage to
get the least grant aid. An
illustration of this fact is here
at hand in Western North Caro
lina. The 1970 census shows
that the two counties sufferiig
the greatest population loss in
the past decade were Madism
and Yancey. Population loss
is practically synonymous with
economic stagnation and need
of aid. Yet these two countis
are precisely the two which
have received the least help
from the Federal Economic
Development Administration.
To remedy this shortcom -
ing of the aid programs, the
Federal agencies are promo -
ting the formation of local re
gional organizations, racli to
consist of several counties:
Through such organization it
is hoped that much meded aid
can be given the more back
ward counties, and the Fede
ral grants distributed more
equitably.
An imppoitant regional
agency in this category to
which Yancey County belongs
is the Mountain Scenic Plan -
ning and Economic Develop -
merit Commission. This is a
Federally subsidized agency,
with headquarters in New land,
which renders important as- ‘
sistance in the grant program
to the four counties, Yancey,
Mitchell, Avery and Wataugp.
Each county is represented
on this agency by five com
missioners, aprpxrinted by the
several county boards of com
missioners. Yancey County
is now represented on the
Mountain Scenic Commissicn
by James Ray, Phillip Thoma%
Claude Vess, Earl Young and
Robert Helmle. Bill Wilkins
of Avery County is the newly
elected chairman, and Bob
Helmle is the vice-chairman.
Mrs. Ruth Johnson is the Com
mission Director.
The commission's primary
objective is to promote eco -
nomic development and regio
nal planning. Working with
the Appalachian Regional Cbm
mteion it aims toward the im
provement of roads, school
facilities both vocational and
technical, improvement of
water and sewer systems, im
proved hospital and library fa
cilities and provision of recrea
tional
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