THEYANCEYRECORD
V0L.35, NO.IO
. Hu l i V' I.* * «
Otway Baras viewed last week’s snowstorm sad its aftermath of sparkling white with
aplomb, bat some Yancey Coontians who had hoped that Spring had arrived were dis
mayed to find themselves in a world suddenly cold and white again. Probably the
least disturbed by the complete absence of any signs of early spring were the school
children who didn’t seem to mind school closing one little bit!
District Lions Designate March As
'"Eye Bank Month* In Western NC
The forty-one Lions Clubs
of District 31-B, Lions Inter -
national, have designated the
month of March as "Eye Bank
Month" throughout the eleVen
western North Carolina coun -
ties comprising District 31 -R,
The Lions will concentrate lo
cal efforts upon publicizing the
North Carolina Eye Bank pro
gram and upon securing eye
pledges from local citizens
wishing to donate eye tissue
after death.
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{Yancey Record Publisher!
I Starts New Publication I
Ed Yuziuk, owner-publisher
of The Yancey Record, has
teamed up with a former staff
writer for the Sanford Herald,
Tom Martin, to give the peo -
pie in and around Bakosville
their own local newspaper.
The Mitchell Ledger's first
edition was published and dis
tributed last Thursday and both
men were very optimistic
about its reception. "The peo
ple in Bakeisville, Relief and
surrounding areas are giving
The Mitchell Ledger their
wholehearted support," stated
Ed. "They want theirownnews
paper—one that will reflect
Mr. Doyce G.McClure, Pre
sident of the Burnsville Lions
Club has announced that his
club will cooperate in this ef
fort and that Bayard T. Howell,
member of the local club, will
oe the local project chairman.
The North Carolina Eye
Bank, located in Winston- Sa -
lem, was established via Gen
eral Statute 90-216 in 1951.
Since that time hundreds of
successful corneal transplants
have been completed. Cur
their accomplishments and their
needs and give them news per
tinent to their section of Mitch
ell County. The Mitchell Led
ger is entirely devoted to this
purpose."
Tom Martin, editor of the
newspaper, is a native of Li -
berty, N.C. After serving as
Army medic in Germany for
three years, he attended the
University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, graduating in 1970
with aBA in English. Tom is
living in Bakersville. "What I
know of this area and these peo
ple I like," he says. "I look
forward to making my home herd'
THURSDAY, MARCH 11,1971
rently the North Carolina Eye
Bank has more than 81,000
wills on file from indivi d u als
wishing to donate their eyes
for Eye Bank use. Any indi -
vidual 18 or older may exe
cute an eye will. Local Lions
members have the necessary
forms and are glad to assist
anyone in completing the
pledge.
The North Carolina facility
now operates as The North Ca
rolina Eye S Human Tissue Bank
Inc. The change in name and
total function was made possi
ble through 1969 legislative ac
tion after an indication of a
coming need for other tissue
for transplants.
The purpose of an Eye Bank
is to act as a clearing house
between the persons needing
comeal surgery and the person
who have willed their eyes to
be used for surgery or research.
This liaison service is most
important as the eyes must be
removed within four hours af
ter the donor's death and the
surgeon must, if possible, do
the surgery within 48 hours af
ter the donor's death.
Locally, any person or or
ganization wishing additional
information concerning the
North Carolina Eye Bank pro -
gram or wishing to donate eye
tissue after death should con
tact a member of the Bums -
ville Lions Club.
NC Teacher Benefits, Tax
Issue On House Agenda
By Ernest B. Messer
House of Representatives
This should have been a
session of the General Assem
bly in which taxes were not an
issue. But tax bills have been
introduced to do just abo ut
everything that can be done to
the tax system.
Bills have been introduce d
to do the following: to repeal
the soft drink tax; to increase
the soft drink tax to two cents;
to repeal the tobacco tax; to
Girl Scout
Week Feted
Girl Scouts all over the
country are celebrating Girl
Scout Week, March 7-13, and
the troops in Yancey Co u nty
are no exception. Special
activities have been plan ned
within each troop to commem
orate this event, and in some
instances two or more troops
in this County are banding to
gether to celebrate.
Girl Scout Sunday , March
7, brought many girls to the
First Baptist Church to worship
as a group. They will come
together again for worship at
the Higgins Memorial United
Methodist Church on S unday,
March 14,
Girl Scouts of America is
an organization which is takipg
the lead in involving young
people in many self - directed,
self-planned projects. Some
endeavors are directly related
to the quality of our country
physical environment; others
concern the interrelationships
of people, and youth partici
pation in planning and deci -
sion making.
This concept of responsible
citizenship and service with
others has always been abasic
one in Girl Scouting. Todays
Girl Scouts are involved in
projects to help close thegap6
separating economic, racial,
cultural and age groups .Across
the country, girls and adults
from urban, suburban,and rur
al areas are working in partner
ship with national and local
community groups toward these
goals.
During this Girl Scout Wee
marking the organizations's9ti
birthday, we extend our thanks
ind congratulations to the near
ly 4 million girls, men and wo
men in Girl Scouting.
double the tobacco tax; to in
crease income taxes; and, to
repeal two cents of the gas tax.
The tax issue is becoming
so confused that it is my opt
ion that taxes will remain ap
proximately as they are.
.Tie Appropriations Com
mittee heard the last requests
for supplementary funds this
week. State appropriations
that have been requested be
yond the recommended 4. 3
billion budget amount to more
than $600,000,000.
Teachers are working hard
for a pay raise that will in
crease their pay scale to the
national average. T..e only
problem is that, at present,
no one knows where to get the
$140,000,000 that would be
required to make this increase.
State Superintendent Craig
Phillips requested $219,000,000
in extra funds from the Appro
priations Committee, to be
used, among other things, to
increase the teacher work year
to ten months.
There seems to be consid -
erable sentiment here in the
General Assembly to give moe
consideration to fringe benefits
for teachers.
The local option sales tax
bill should pass this week. It
contains two major provisions.
1. That County Commis -
s tone is may levy the tax on
their own motion, without a
vote of the people. This pro
vision was necessary to permit
the counties that have already
approved the tax to levy it
again.
2. That the question of le
vying the tax may be submit -
ted to a vote of the people.
" Liquor-by-the-drink" is
die big issue this week and will
continue to be so for several
more days.
The bill putting Ya,ncey
County back under the prima
ry election law has passed both
houses. Next year, all local
candidates will have to be no
minated in the primary rather
than in a convention.
There have been questions
raised about the cost of the pri
mary. The only extra cost in
volved will be that connected
with printing ballots.
All voting places must be
maimed and operated now so
that votes can select nominees
for state and regional offices.
No extra personnel should be
required to permit local candi
dates to be Included on thebal
bt.
104