Newspapers / The Yancey Journal (Burnsville, … / March 25, 1971, edition 1 / Page 3
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We believe that every par ent in the county will agree with Judge Holshouaer's remark that a bad situation seems to exist when a school bus in volved in an accident is found to have been operating with five defects in its safety equip ment. When a startling and dis turbing piece of information like this breaks into the news, the scene is set for the spread ing of rumor, exaggeration and accusation. In the Yancey When a startling and dis turbing piece of information like this breaks into the news, the scene is set for the spread ing of rumor, exaggeration and accusation. In the Yancey Record's efforts to get at the facts regarding our bus main tenance we have encounter e d much of what may be no more than loose talk, and frankly we don't know just what to be lieve. We have, in ora news gathering efforts talked to highway patrolmen, sc ho ol principals, parents of the dri vers of busses, and numerous others. We have encountered a widespread belief that the main tenance of our school busses has not been very good, and that perhaps only luck has spa red us from having some very seri ous accident. The highwaypa tromen who in their profession al duties see much of the busses, are particularly aware of the frequent defects in such safety items as turn signals,brake and tail lights. One thing can be stated very definitely from our investiga - tion —that all the provisions of the school law governing the inspection of busses have not | DEAR MR. PUBLISHER, | | PARSON JONES j Dear Mr. Publisher: I been reading a hole lot about these airplanes being hi jacked. Something like that really makes a fella think. Leastwise, it did me. First off it made me wonder hew come they use the word "jack". Jack shore must have been awful important to have had so many things named after him. There's car jack, money jack, steeple jack, lumber jack, jack knife, jack rocks, and hi jack. Course there's also an animal that goes by that name. If this fella was so impor - tant, how come we don't say "holy-jack" instead of 'holy-joe? Another thing this hi-jacking business made me think about was that railroads may not go outa business after all. At least a train is on a track and some nut can't order it to take off through a wheat field to Cuba. I look for more and more peo ple to travel the slow but sure method. All this news about hi-jacking also reminded me of some thing Jesus one time said, "Broad is the way that leads to destruction, but narrow is the way that leads to life." He was saying that following God's way is more like traveling on a train where the track is laid out. A fella ain't apt to con fused and go wandering off in the wrong direction. The way of the world is wide open like the sky and it's awful easy for somebody to take you off course. The Devil can get you and hold you for ransom out there in the hot desert. Mr. Publisher, that's enough hairraising stories for now. I've got to go ww rk in my shop for a while. I'm working on a machine that will bring people together without traveling. If I ever get it done Pm gonna call it a telephone. It'll be a tough job for a jack-leg, but I'll keep trying. Remember sir, truth is stranger than fiction. May all your progress be in a forward direction. Parson Jones Editorially Speaking: been complied with. ft can likewise be stated that a widespread suspicion exists that the school main ten a n c e garage is governed by a some what lax and easygoing atmos phere. In tliis connection, we think it possibly significant that the maintenance garage seems to be associated in the public mind with horseshoe pitching during periiaps overlong lunch hoxus. The story, for exam - pie, has had widespread cir culation in the county that Superintendent Wilson, on an inspection of the garage, or dered that the horseshoes be taken home. Mr. Wilson, although he re calls ordering a major clean-up of the garage shortly after com ing here, denies that he ever issued the horseshoe order. But this may be one of those occa sional instances of a myth, which though not founded on literal fact, nevertheless casts an illuminating light on a real situation. ★ ' ★ ★ According to the news story in last S aturday's Ashe ville Citizen, our colorful attorney, Bill Atkins has used a surprising criterion for judging the com - petence of Yancey County's new Director of Social Services, Randall Peacock. The latter, it seems admitted in a Raleigh hearing that he did not know the number of townships in Ym cey County, whereupon Atkins declared him unqualified to hold his job. We take quite the opposite view of this matter. As we see it, Peacock's ignorance of the township set-up is really in his favor. It gives a strong indication that he has no in terest in messing around in Yancey County'*- politics. For what, after all, is a township? Nothing more nor less than an arbitrary dirtric - ting device to facilitate the voting process—the registratiai of voters, the setting up of polling places, thecountingof ballots, etc. In other words, it's all very closely tied in with politics, and if it were not for voting and politics, probably none of us would know a thing about townships. Now for Bill Atkins, with his intense interest in political matters, we fully understand Letter To The Editor Dear Editor: We the undersigned Yancey County Jaycees are aware of and have often been,ourselves, critical of the County's Efepart ment of Social Services. How ever, despite the present tur moil we have discovered a change for the. betterment of the entire County. Efforts have been underta - ken to make known just what the department does. What it can do for each and every ci tizen is made more clear by the department's advertise - ments on the radio and in the Yancey Record. This is clearly demonstrated in the depart - ment's drive to make the pub lic aware of its responsibility regarding the children of the County and child abuse and neglect. Many of us know that the department has put in many long hours to improve the foster home care that we, the County's citizens, can pro vide our children. The depart ment has worked in coopera - tion with a group of Yancey County citizens to make Girls Haven a Reality. These are only a few ac complishments made by the department in the past few months. All of these are due in part to the hard work of Randall J. Peacock, the Di - rector of the Department. To him we say thanks for working to make Yancey County a better place to live. Keep up the fine work. Sincerely, Charlie M» Hens ley, Donald N. Banks, Jerry Holcombe, Gene Higgins,Jer ry Laws, Daniel Buchananjoe Gillespie, Billy R. Edge, Jap Phillips, Phillip Wilson,Bobby McAllister, Charles P. Ran dolph. ★. Dear Editor: I have had several occasions to observe work done by our THE YANCEY RECORD how the township set-up looms large as a matter of interest and importance—that's where the votes come from and get counted. But to a new Wel fare Director, tending to the business of running an dtficieit department—well, we think there are an awful lot of more important matters to be con - oemed with. As for ourselves,this amus ing episode has now definitely imprinted on our mind that there are eleven townships in the county. From now on,per haps to our dying day, we shall carry about this useless bit of information, regarding which we couldn't care less, ft all reminds us of an old friend, who, years after he had studied foreign languag es, brag ged proudly of the fact that he still remembered the German word for cranberries. Social Services Department over the past year—particular ly at the Child Develop m e n t Center. I have been very im pressed with Mr. Randall Pea cock's leadership, capabilities and dedication. I feel that we in Yancey County are very fortunate to have such a man heading our Social Services Department. Doris Hunter ★ To Mr. Luther B. Thigpen, Editor, Asheville Citizen: Dear Mr. Thigpen: The insinuations about Ran dall Peacock in Jay article of March 20th are a product of incredible political malice, fantastic naivete, or sloppy, irresponsible reporting. Yancey County is fortunate to have a man of Mr. Peacock's caliber as director of the coun ty Department of Social Ser vices. We support our direc tor one hundred per cent and think Mr. Hensley owes him a public apology. Sincerely, The Staff Yancey County Department ofSocial Services .. an adventure in listening” ] jw) NGHTINGALE —Jj/RADIO PROGRAM Monday thru Friday/ 7:25 AM & 5:25 PM/ WKYK Presented by J^.QOUHTY j MOBILE HOMES MARCH 25, 1971 J ; jfwiNTER. is j HERE I / Painting done, j I inside or out-| , /IJA LJ [A side... *ll I V \ Billy Mfcftjtars I ii r) 682-2445 for 1 | reC j j Paid ; any drug bills : lately? • • If you have you are already ! well aware of the high cost • of modern medicine. • • If you haven't, consider • yourself lucky. But don’t • press your luck. Doctor I and drug bills are continu • ing to rise. And you or a • member of your family • could be stuck with them • overnight. • l I can help you select a • Metropolitan Life plan that • will help pay for your doc • tor and drug bills. Doesn't l it make sense to call me • for detail? • • : John 0. Silvers l 168 Merrimon Avenue, I P.O. Box 2021 • Asheville. N.C. 28803 • Off.: 253-9333 ! cs i Metropolitan Life • New York. N Y • • We sell life insurance. I But our business is life. • ! I would like, without obliga • tion, more information on • the Metropolitan Plan sea • tured above. • • Name • Address- • City. J State Zip . • (Mail to address above) *•••••••••••••••••••••••• PAGE 3
The Yancey Journal (Burnsville, N.C.)
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March 25, 1971, edition 1
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