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VOL. 4, NO. 51
IMm SB ■" 818 I JBIBEB^^B ■■' iißj iil<***%*-
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On Telephone Bills
Will Drop In January
Burnsville, North Caro
lina, December 1976-Good
news for New Year's-local
telephone users will have
some extra money thanks to a
drop in the federal excise tax
on telephone bills from 6 per
cent to 5 per cent January 1,
the Westco Telephone Com
pany announced today.
Telephone customers in
1977 will save approximately
$275 million at the lower rate,
compared they would
have paid had the tax
remained at 6 per cent,
according to estimates by the
U.S. Independent Telephone
Association. Some ssl million
of that amount will be saved
by customers of the indepen
dent telephone companies.
The association represents
the natipn's 1,600 non-Bell
System telephone companies
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New MTI Facility Ready v
From the appearance of things on Tuesday, December 14, when the above picture was taken,
it wouldn’t seem possible that Mayland Technical Institute was ready to begin classes in its new
facility. However, Dr. O.M. Blake, President, says everything is “go” for January 3, 1977.
All students will register on that date at the new campus, located at the Mitchell-Avery County
line on Hwy. 19-E. Much furniture and equipment will not be In their final place on January 3;
however, the Institution expects this to be only a minor Inconvenience and will proceed with
registration and begin classes on January 4.
All curriculum programs will be located on the new campus except Auto/Diesel Mechanics,
Cosmetology, and light Construction. These programs will remain in Spruce Pine in their present
facilities. Students registering for these programs will do so at the new campus.
Open house for the new campus and facOltles will be held when all furniture and equipment
are In place and landscaping Is complete. Even before open house, everyone Is cordially invited to
■ drop by the new campus and facilities for a vlstt Students, faculty, and staff are looking forward
to occupying the new campus and facilities.
serving almost 28 million
phones—one out of every five
in the nation.
Congress first imposed the
tax on telephone bills during
World War I as a “temporary
measure”. Although repealed
briefly after the war, it was
re instituted during the De
pression and at one time rates
were as high as 25 per cent on
long distance calls and 15 per
cent on local service. ,
Several years ago Con- J
gress acted to eliminate the
tax, which stood at 10 per cent
fcr almost 20 years. Now the
rate drops 1 per cent each
year until it is eliminated in
1982.
The tax has cost consum
ers billions of dollars and the
Independent Telephone Asso
ciation estimates the U.S.
Treasury will receive almost
BURNSVILLE, N.C. 28714
$2 billion from the levy in
1977.
On behalf of its customers
the telephone industry fought
the tax. calling it regressive
and citing the unfairness of
taxing a basic necessity-es
pecially for the poor and
elderly.
Mars Hill
ExpandsCEP
Mars Hill College’s Con
tinuing Education Program
(CEP) will expand its course
offerings in Burnsville begin
ning in January. Six courses
will be offered in three major
areas as well as basic classes
required for a degree.
Started in 1974, the CEP is
[Cont’d on page 2]
•10,000 !
Raised
A Benefit Gospel
Sing was held last
Sunday, December 19,
for Lisa Haney, who was
seriously injured in the
recent Yancey school
bus accident. When the
evening was over, more
than seven thousand
U u*,. dollars had been railed
for lisa. The North
Carolina Radio Patrol
had already raised some
1 two thousand dollars,
and with what other
agencies have collected
the total sum will be
well over ten thousand
dollars raised
Crooked
Pine Means
Harmony
If one word could explain
what Crooked Pine is about, it
would be harmony.
Crooked Pine stands for
three young musicians who
formed themselves into a
string band playing old time
music, music that reaches
back into the Appalachian
Mountains as far as anyone
can go, then reaches back
further into the mountains of
Scotland and Ireland where
the roots began. The tradi
tional Appalachian music of
the Crooked Pine String Band
features fiddle tunes, ballads,
dance tunes, traditional Irish
music, and a number of more
recently composed songs and
folk tales from the Southern
Highlands. Also appearing
with the Crooked Pine String
Band is Mary Hicks, a
performer, choreographer
and teacher of Modem dance.
The Crooked Pine String
Band-Dance Concert schedul
ed for Saturday evening,
January 8, 1977, at 7:30 p.m.
in the Harris High School
Auditorium in Spruce Pine
promises an evening of
refreshing Appalachian music
and dance. This concert is
sponsored by the Toe River
Arts Council of Mitchell and
Yancey County. Admission is
50c for children: adult tickets
are $2.50 if purchased prior to
the performance or $3.00 at
the door. These tickets may
be purchased from any Toe
River Arts Council Special
Projects Committee Member:
Susan Larson, Theresa Colet
ta, Anita Fox, Rosalind
Weaver, Susan Helps, Patti
McCall, Vohamie Johnson,
Elaine Reed, Dona Shore, and
Sandy Wiseman. For more
information contact Susan
Larson at 765-2652 or Theresa
Coletta at 682-2282.
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Christmas Dinner For Senior Citizens
The annual Christmas Dinner for Senior Citizens was held
at the nutrition feeding sight on Friday, December 17, where
hot lunches and workshops are held weekly. Anyone over 60 is
eligible for free lunch. Our special thanks to Izzie Cannon for
an outstanding job, and to all the other merchants who
School Board I
Schedules Meetings I
The Yancey County Board
of Education met on Monday
night, December 13, for an
organizational The
Board elected Kenneth Hun
ter to serve as its chairman,
and voted to continue to hold
its regular monthly meeting
on the first Monday night of
each month. The meeting
time was changed from 7:30
to 7:00 o’clock. State law
requires local boards of
education to meet four times
each year or more often if
A 4k
American Thread 3
Submits UF Check
Wade Bowman. Industrial
Relations Manager for the
American Thread Company •
Sevier Plant, has submitted to
the Yancey County United
Fund a check in the amount of
$585.88 from the company
and its employees living in the
Yancey County Area.
The Company received a
total pledge for the 1976-77
year of approximately $9,000.
and as in years past,
American Thread has made a
company contribution based
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1976
necessary. The Board feels fl
that monthly meetings are f
necessary in order to deal
with the many varied, and
often complex problems of the
school system.
The present Board mem
bers are Jerome R. Burns and if
Charles B. Gillespie, Jr. who a
have served two years of a I
four-year term and Garrett 1
Anglin, Kenneth Hunter and !
Thomas Robinson who are d
beginning a four-year term on '
the Board.
a—. _
il on the number of employees -
e from the four-county area of
• McDowell, Mitchell. Yancey
o Avery counties. j
d The Fund Drive was very (
'f successful and the employees’ (
y interest and support of the j
e United Fund Campaign is to (
be commended. p
a The American Thread j
7 Company and its Employees» i
I. from Yanccy County area are >2
t. glad to accept their responsi-. |
ability in the United Fund (
d program. #
i < .• y. ~.
donated, which without their support we could not have had
such a successful party. Birthdays were celebrated by Julia
Boone, Pearl Renfro and Mildred Gilley. Approximately 150
people attended and a good time was had by all.
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Traffic Safety News
Dr. Billy Graham (center), world renown evangelist,
discusses a script for a traffic safety commercial with Bob
Campbell |right|, Information Services Director for the North
Carolina Department of Transportation and Jimmy Morris*.
Director of Communications, North Carolina Baptist State
Convention. The action took place In Raleigh dmtng the
production of public service highway safety announcements
featuring Dr. Graham, a long time advocate of highway safety.
The TV and radio announcements, promoting the 55 mile pe,
iittur spt iiiiiii, were produced in cooperation with the N«C
15 c