Herald/Times
Carolinas
have good
Y2K start
Call it Tar Heel horse sense or
technological mastery, but
North Carolina is one of the
pack leaders when it comes to
having its state government
computers Y2K ready. Ranked
10th nationally in the percent-
age of state computer system
compliance, the Old North State
is leagues ahead of neighbor
South Carolina who comes in
22nd out of the 50 states.
In North Carolina, the task of
overseeing Y2k compliance for
state computers falls on the
Commerce Department. Part of
the Commerce Department's
task included contingency plans
just in case something doesn't
pan out the way it's supposed
to.
In terms of money spent to
assure state computer Y2K
readiness, North Carolina has
earmarked $125 million for the
job. South Carolina has set aside
$33 million. So far, North
Carolina has 75 percent of its
state computers Y2K compliant.
South Carolina has 55 percent.
In both North and South
Carolina, the top priority has
been given to computer systems
directly involved in delivering
government services and col-
lecting revenue. In North
Carolina there are over 1,200
such systems, and 91 percent
have been checked for Y2K
bugs and repaired. South
Carolina's numbers crunch out
to 681 critical systems with 81
percent repaired.
One of the most important
state computer systems in both
North and South Carolina are
those related to the state
Revenue Departments. The
South Carolina Department of
Revenue has 600 separate com-
puter programs. These systems
had already undergone a re-
design during 1986-1994, so the
Revenue Department was
ahead of the game in that re-
spect. Revenue Department of-
ficials are waiting however, un-
til the legislature adjourns in
June to test the income tax pro-
grams, just in case some tax
laws are rewritten.
All in all, North nd South
Carolina are doing a lot better
than many state in their com-
puter compliance. Out of 33
states reporting, Alabama came
in last with just 27 percent of its
state government computer sys-
tems Y2K converted and put
back into service.
- and for its efficiency.
first time in 20 years.
way we did it.
the General Assembly.
cal cost.
Assembly
was committed
to education
The General Assembly session that ad-
journed Wednesday should be remembered
for its commitment to children and education
The 102 working days for the House was
the fewest since 1973. In addition, lawmakers
passed a two-year budget before July 1 for the
Andy
Dedmon
NCO State
Representative
We went to Raleigh, kept our commitments to raise teacher
pay and make Smart Start available to more children and ad-
journed. I am very proud of what we accomplished - and the
The budget followed through on a pledge to raise teachers to
the national average salary by next year. Teachers received a 7.5
percent pay raise this year, the third step in the four-year plan.
Smart Start got a $58 million boost in the budget, and commu-
nity colleges got their best budget in decades.
Lawmakers also agreed on a plan to make refunds to those
who paid the intangibles tax without protesting and approved a
distribution formula for North Carolina’s $4.6 billion share of
the national tobacco settlement.
In addition to raising teacher pay, the General Assembly ap-
proved several bills designed to make schools safer. One of the
measures makes parents liable if their child makes a bomb
threat at school. Parents are liable for up to $25,000 for bomb
threats and up to $50,000 if a bomb actually explodes at school.
A bill to crack down on repeat drunken drivers also passed
On the environmental front, the legislature passed the state’s
first major piece of air quality legislation and a clean water bill.
One disappointment was the lack of a bond package to help
universities and community colleges catch up on their construc-
tion and renovation needs. Both the House and Senate passed
bond bills, but the two reached an impasse on a referendum. A
majority of the House insisted that people have to vote.
On the local front, I am very proud of the fact that we were
able to save the Cleveland County Correctional Unit and those
very important jobs. I also was glad to be able to obtain funding
for the merger of the Cleveland Center and the Gaston/ Lincoln
Mental Health Authority. I am hopeful that this will provide
continuation of good mental health services at a more economi-
Overall, the session was a successful one. We showed that the
General Assembly can go to Raleigh, take care of business and
adjourn at a reasonable time.
Basketball stars Otis Cole, right, of Kings Mountain and 7-foot-4 Tommy Burleson, left, of Avery County meet with the officials at
center court prior to the Bi-Conference tournament game at KMHS in 1970. Both Cole and Burleson went on to star for major
college teams - Cole at Florida State and Burleson at N.C. State.
Growth good,
but it needs
to be controlled
A recent trip to the other side of Mint Hill Aan
below Charlotte gave me another case of the
“urban sprawl willies.” Having grown up Hodge
in Charlotte, I was one of those who wit-
nessed that town’s explosive growth from a (FF
smallish city to a sprawling megopolis de- Staff Writer
termined to devour everything in its path.
Once urban sprawl gets going; it’s like atomic kudzu-
there's no stopping it. Once upon a time, Gastonia, Charlotte,
Matthews, Indian Trail, and Monroe were distinct entities
with areas of open land between them. Now, that stretch of
U.S. 74 is just one gigantic strip mall.
Anyone who lives in or visits Gastonia is familiar with the
new development that has taken place on Franklin Blvd. over
the last couple of years. Where once a person had to go to
Charlotte to shop or dine out, now there are restaurants sell-
ing everything from fried alligator to designer jeans along
Franklin. Don’t even mention how traffic on Franklin has ex-
ploded in volume, not just on weekends but during the week-
day too.
Now, growth is not all bad, it certainly beats the alternative
that many cities up North have see in what is now called the
“rust belt” of our nation. The challenge that planners, devel-
opers, and citizens have got to work out is how to control
growth before it becomes like Frankenstein and controls those
who made it.
Kings Mountain is situated right in the crosshairs of urban
growth between Shelby and Gastonia. From where I sit, it’s
possible to be in the heart of either of these towns in less than
ten minutes. This situation reminds me of that line from the
poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade” that goes..”cannons
to the left of me, cannons to the right..”
Rather than sitting still and being caught in an enfilade fire,
Kings Mountain looks ready to annex some land and take
control of its own fate. With thoughtful consideration given to
both developers and property owners, this annexation can be
done in a way that allows growth, but keeps it managed so
that it doesn’t swallow up the quality of life that makes Kings
Mountain such a good place to live and work.
I believe that the leaders and planners of Kings Mountain
are intelligent, far-sighted folks who will address the issue of
urban sprawl correctly. If they drop the ball, however, the citi-
zens of this are will one day end up feeling like Jonah did
when he got a his first whiff of the whale’s bad breath.
ry
Lub
we
Editor: Gary Stewart 739-7496
July 29, 1999 Section A, Page 4
YOUR VIEW
Illiteracy
is everyonels
problem
To the editor:
~The problem of illiteracy di-
rectly affects 27 million
American illiterate adults. But it
indirectly affects all other
Americans. You may think tat,
because you can read this, ijijt-
eracy is no problem for you;
You need to think again. 2
Illiteracy lowers businesgpro-
ductivity. Illiterates may note
able to learn enough to know
the difference between low and
high quality. During training,
everything must be explained j
orally to illiterates. These costs
are passed along to the con-
sumers - us. Fa
Illiterate workers are prone to
have accidents because they,
cannot read. Literate people ¢an
be hurt by the accidents.
Illiterates who cause accidents
are more likely to draw work-
er’s compensation and othegrin-
surance benefits, sometimes in-
volving lawsuits. Insurance.
rates are based on averages, and
ultimately we all pay higher in-
surance because of accidents re-
sulting from illiteracy.
Illiteracy drives people into
low-paying jobs, unemploy-
ment, even welfare. Thus illiter-
acy weakens the tax base while
increasing the benefits paid.
The federal debt, over $5 tril=
lion, has party arisen from us-
productivity rooted in illitetacy.
The federal debt hurts eachof | |
us when we borrow moneygnd |
face high interest rates.
In turn the federal debt wors-
ens the illiteracy problem be- i
cause the government cannot
fund programs to attack illitera-
cy when so much is going into
welfare and other needs result-
ing from illiteracy.
Companies leave America to
go where the workers can read.
‘The jobs go too, Revenues de-
cline while the government's
bills continue. Companies are
especially reluctant to invest,
jobs in areas where illiteracy
and resulting problems are
ubiquitous.
Now is the time to stop illiter- |
acy. The Barbara Bush
Foundation for Family Literacy, ¢ :
Laubach Literacy Action, i
Literacy Volunteers of America
and other worthy programs:de-
serve our help. Inquire abot
literacy programs at your lécal |
library. We are all paying for il-
literacy. i
{ts
Tracey Efferson
Letter Policy
Keep your letters short, no'rmore i
than two pages double-spaced or
one page single-spaced. o
Handwritten letters are accepted,
but must be legible. — i
We will not publish letters from |
anonymous writers; names, ad--
dresses, and phone numbers must |
be included. We reserve the right to
edit letters for grammar, punctua-
tion, clarity, brevity and content.
Letters must be received no later
than 5 p.m. on Monday of the week
they are to be published. Mail let-
ters to The Editor, P.O. Box 769;
Kings Mountain, NC 28086 or fax
them to (704) 739-0611.
SIDEWALK
SURVEY
By ALAN I IODGE
[Ierald/ Times
What is
your favorite |
ho
summer
food or My favorite is a banana
pudding blizzard from Dairy
refreshment? queen.
Jennifer Foster
Administrative Assistant
ot hte CoE on JA. SA A ns ais ream
| like fried fish and cole
slaw in the summer.
Delilah Bess
Cook
My favorite summer food
is fried chicken and rice.
Hi
My favorite summer food is
a grilled steak and salad.
Lamont Jeffries
Ryshawn Gardner
Teachers Assistant
Student
The best summer food is‘a
tomato sandwich and a
glass of iced tea.
Ellis Noel
Video Producer
Kei
5%
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