THE YANCEY JOURNAL
- I * , . '
VOL.I, N 0.6
Only One-Third Voter Turnout
For Yancey Primary Election
Approximately one-third of
the registered voters in Yancey
County turned out to vote in
Saturday's primary election.
H&e S*Ut<vu O DeA&
By Carolyn Yuziuk
In the Democratic Primary, May 6, Yancey Countians
gave their vote of confidence to the incumbent members of
the Board of Education. Some did this directly by voting for
the present School Board; some did it indirectly by not com
ing to to vote. An estimated 66% of the registered
voters in Yancey County at-all in this very im
portant Primary election.
Nomination of any one candidate—or even two—from the
incumbent school board would have signified, perhaps, that
these particular persons had done an outstanding job for the
schools in Yancey County. Voting in of the whole Board has
a much more ominous significance. It shows that Yancey
Countians are afraid of change, are against progress, and are
satisfied with a school board which—as a whole--has shown
itself to be extremely reluctant to make decisions or take
decisive action for the betterment of schools in this county.
An example of this is the Burnsville Elementary School situ
ation which deteriorated to a point where the school would
not be allowed to open, before the Board finally saw fit to
attend to the most basic housing needs of the students. And
how many other schools in Yancey County are still operating
under the most primitive conditions? v
The apathy of many Yancey Countians regarding educa -
tion is apparent—as is tlieir ignorance of what sets our school
system apart from other school systems throughout North
Carolina.
In future issues of The Yancey Journal we will print statis
tics and facts, relative to our schools here in Yancey County,
which are mostly shocking and unpleasant. Our purpose will
be to try to get,across to the people of Yancey County the
urgent need for change and progress in our schools and the
vital responsibility each parent must feel to work for better
education for our children.
In addition, we will attempt to publish statements from
each candidate fbrtihe Yancey County Board of Education so
that voters in November will know exactly what the inten -
tions of these men are—who will hold in their hands the fu
ture of education in Yancey County.
Should a
newspaper speak out
on controversial subjects?
Our answer is “Yes.”
A newspaper is a privately-owned
institution but it is oriented to the
. public. Regardless of the private
ownership any American newspaper has
a public responsibility. The respon
sibility includes the preachment of the
American concepts, the right of the
individual, honesty in government,
dedication to ihe interests of all the
people and the sponsorship of those
things which are to the good of the
people as a whole.
A NEWSPAPER HAS the obligation
to seek to make its community a better
place in which to live. Thus it is im
possible to avoid controversial issues.
The newspaper must encourage the
things that are in the interest of the city,
county, state and nation and conversely
oppose those things which curtail these
interests.
Despite the fact that a newspaper may
be privately owned it should not uphold
those things which exclusively serve its
own interests. For example, a newspaper
which opposes the aroused passions of
the people in time of stress which will
find that it can make itself momentary
< unpopular through such opposition.
When obstructionists seek to obstruct
progress it follows that the promotion of
progress creates the disenchantment of
the obstructionists.
But there is a rewarding fact con>
cerning this matter of controversy. It is
generally recognized that a newspaper
cannot promote the best interests of the
people of this country through a policy
of conformity. Conformity is the easy
way for the moment but it does not
Yancey County Democrats
gave former North Caiolina-
Govemor T erry San ford 1146
votes, over Alabama Governor
*
I
command respect in the long run. With
time even the conformists recognize that
the spineless acceptance of conformity is
shortsighted, even wicked.
A RESPECTED NEWSPAPER
usually is one that is willing to par- __
ticipate in controversy with the will to
see the best interests of the city or county
upheld. The great newspapers of the
nation are the ones which are forth-right
editorially. The newspapers which
meekly go along with any proposition
with the purpose of offending no one
usually are regarded as weak
newspapers.
Someone could ask, “What about the
newspapers which have no commanding
editorial policy but which make big
profits from their large volume of ad
vertising?,” There are some American
newspaper organizations in this
category. But actually they are profit
making organizations, not respected
newspapers as such.
There are no great newspapers in Red
China, Castro’s Cuba or in the Soviet
Union. The proof of this charge is easy.
The basic concept of newspapers in
totalitarian countries is not to inform the
people. Freedom of information is not
the goal in these countries. But in
America the purpose of newspapers -
must be to keep the people informed and
to provide some editorial guidance. No
newspaper can do this if its staff is
unwilling to: (1) Become involved in
controversy... (2) Offend someone if it is
necessary; (51 Refuse to use the editorial
and news pages to serve personal goals
for, privileged interests.
—Sturgis (Mich.) Journal
■ 7' ' t-'
ruTAnruxririnnf
George Wallace's 586. Sena
tor Edmund Muskie received
103 votes; Sen. Henry Jaclson,
34; and Congresswoman Shirley
Chisholfn, 27. Yancey Repub
licans gave President Richard
Nixon 600 votes and Sen. Paul
McCloskey 9 votes.
In the Democratic Senatori
al race, Senator Everett Jordan
carried the county with 939
(Cont'd on page 3)
Festival
Planned
Something will be cooking
in Burnsville on May 13—and
the aroma may last longer
than some people would care
to have it around.
The Yancey C-ountyJaycees
are planning a Ramp Festival
Saturday from 10:00 'till 8:00
in the lot below Banks Gulf
Station.
The Jaycees have 12 bush
els of the odoriferous motin -
tain vegetable and will pro -
vide everything to go with
the ramp—including country
music and combread.
The menu will consist of
baked bean , combread, pota
toes, coffee, tea, and Pepsi.
Music will be provided by lo
cal country and western groups
am! will begin around noon.
Everyone is invited to at
tend the Ramp Festival— at
your own risk. The Jaycees
will not be responsible for con
sequences suffered by anyone
who partakes of the ramps.
tedtf 'tyctM.ceif ’Rtavui
, THURSDAY, MAY 11,1972
Hkfi Swal
m K
Mayor Jim Anglin And Mrs. Ernest Briggs Launch Clean Sweep Campaign
Forty Dumpsters Arrive For Yancey;
To Reach Bump Locations By May 19
1 ...
Last week a total of eight!
dumpsters arrived for Mitchell
and Yancey comities. Fortyj
of these dumpsters will be I
placed in Yancey County
and forty will be placed i n
Mitchell County. These dump
sters will be serviced twice '
weekly by a collection truck
with a twenty-five cubic yard
packer bed. This truck arriv
ed on Monday, May Bth and
is now in the process of being
tagged and insured. The dump
sters will be placed in the
counties by May 19, 1972 and
$5 Million Hospital Plan
Announced By Chairman
A five million dollar ex
pansion and improvement jro
ject at Spruce Pine aid
Yancey Hospitals which will
include the construction of a
three floor addition, fifty
eight new beds, a four bed In
tensive-Coronary Care Unit
and new supporting facilities,
plus a new Extended Care hos
pital to be built in Burnsville,
was announced today by Mr.
Milton Burleson, Chairman and
Mr. James Anglin, Vice-Chair
man of the Blue Ridge Hospi
tal System.
The project which will
bring the total capacity of
the Spruce Pine Hospital to
108 beds, and will provide on
a new 12-acre site, a 60 bed
health facility in Burnsville
will be financed by anticipa -
ted Hill-Burton grants, the
Appalachian Regional Com -
mission, Duke Endowment and
other interested grantees with
the remaining amount of
$1,000,000 to be raised local
ly in Mitchell, Yancey and
other counties in the hospitals'
service area through a public
subscription campaign.
Plans for the building cam
paign and appointments of
campaign organization leaders
will be announced in the rear
future. The new Spruce Pine
Hospital three floor, 58 bed
addition, will be constructed
on the southwest side of the
existing building and the other
supporting units on the north
east side. The expansion
phase will include the Emer -
gency Room, Operating
Laboratory, X-Ray department
and Obstetrical Service area.
Renovation and modernization
located at sites so as to serve
the maximum number of hou
ses with the number we now
have.
This action is part of a fed
eral program designed to im
prove solid waste collection
and disposal in a six - county
area. The dumpster program
is financed in the amount of
80% federal fluids and only 20%
local matching funds. It is felt
that it is a great step forward
in cleaning up off streams,
roadsides and back yards.
When these dumpsters are
of the Physical Therapy, Inha
lation Therapy, Dietary, Medi
cal Records and Administra -
tive departments will be
implemented as part of the
overall construction and expan
sion program far vital services.
Mr. James Anglin stated
that a new 12-acre site already
purchased in Burnsville, North
Carolina, will be the loeadea
of the Extended Care facility
which will include 50 Extended
Care beds and 10 Acute Care
beds plus an Emergency Room,
Laboratory and X-ray depart -
ments.
Mr. Burleson said that the
(Cont'd on pege 3)
Blue Ridge Hospital System Extended Care Facility Planned For Burnsville
« a •
set there will no longer be any
reason for any person to dump
along the roadside or in our
streams. Everyone is offered
four methods of refuse aid gar
bage disposal. They are: i*e
of collection service through
a private garbage collector,
use of City pick-up service,
use of a dumpster, or use of
the sanitary landfill located
on the Boone ford road. Open
and indiscriminate trash dump
ing will no longer be tolerated
The highways will be patroll -
(Cont'd on page 3)
airman, .
■Mr , -g' ~
I■ 1 1 ■I I I -7. 7I I 1 1 '7 . ' I
Mnf fK
Spruce Pine Community Hospital View Projects Expansion And Improvements
County lliged To
Join Clean Sweep
The Ymcey Gounty "Clean
Sweep" Committee met Mon
day at 4too p. m. at the court
house. Mrs. Ernest Briggs,the
county coordinator of Gover -
nor Bob Scott's statewide anti
litter campaign, told Mayer
Jim Anglin and representatives
of the various citizens groups
and civic clubs, that the total
county population must be
come involved in giving our
area a Clean Sweep in '72.
Governor Scott has proclaim
ed May as anti-litter month.
Scott's Beautification Commit
tee, made up of a representa
tive from each county, i s
promoting the beginning of a
"Clean Sweep" for North Caro
lina in the month of May.
At the Monday meeting,
Mrs. Ifciggs appointed officers
for the Clean Sweep Commit
tee. Herb Allen will serve
as chairman, Pat Guyer will
be vice- chairman and Jody
Higgins and Joe Denny - will
serve as secretaries to the
committee.
The theme of the project,
Mrs. Briggs said, is to "make
peace with nature by pledging
to clean up our own homes,
grounds and businesses, and to
help in whatever way we can
to sweep clean all people-made
pollution. "
The purpose of the meet -
ing was to get everybody in
volved in cleaning up Yancey
I 0«
County. Mrs. Briggs told the
committee that the program
was not a replacement for the
efforts that have already been
made in the county b y the
Scouts, the schools, the Army*
Reserve, and by many other !
organizations and individuals.
"Clean Sweep" will simply
lend a helping hand to those I
already involved.
Keith Masters, Sanitarian
with the Health Department,
told the committee that qew
dumpsters should be located
throughout the county within
the next two weeks. He stress
ed that the sanitary landfill is
open. 5 1/2 days a week for
and Mitchell County
Masters also announced that
on July 5, a special truck fipm
the TVA will be available to!
our area for collecting junk
automobiles.
The committee agreed on
May 22 as a county-wide clean
up day. Each community must
(Cont'd on page 3)
FT A To Meet
The East Yancey* PTA will
meet Monday, May 15, at
7t30 p. m. in the school gym.
A Fashion Show will be pre -
sen ted by the Home Economic*
Sewing Class and new officers
will be elected far next year.
Please plan to attend.