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The Hoke County News - Established 1928 The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
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Around
Town
BY SAMC MORRIS
The golf tournament at Arabia Golf
Course was completed last Sunday and
the winners were C. D. and Bobby
Bounds. Play was interrupted on
Saturday for about 45 minutes due to
the rain.
Raz Autry said after the tournament
that he was resigning as chairman of the
tournament committee. It seems that
?other people in the county, besides this
writer, are blaming him for the rainfall.
Raz said that Sheriff Dave Barrington
told him this last week.
I will say that Raz and Joe Upchurch
have done an outstanding job with the
tournaments at Arabia for the past five
years. Thanks.
All kidding aside as far as the rain is
concerned, but in my fifty odd years
living in Hoke County I don't believe I
can remember it raining for so many
days in one month. The chart next week
will tell us for sure, but it seems to me it
lias rained some for every day but three.
So, the chart must show somewhere
around 10 inches for August and as this
is being written Tuesday morning, the
weatherman says 40 percent chance for
today.
The football season is upon us once
? again and the first game will be played
i at Hoke High Stadium on Friday night,
September 6, at 8:00 o'clock. Red
Springs will try out the Bucks in the
first game of 1974.
This year for the first time in many
years season tickets are being sold. You
can sve right much money by buying a
season ticket. Even if you don't care
that much about football this is one of
the few things you can save money on
these days. So, buy your ticket this
week and be a Booster of the Bucks.
The curb and gutter work that is
being done in Raeford will help the
looks of the city when completed. It
will also aid in stopping washouts on the
streets and yards.
At the rale the city is going with
thi se projects, it will not be long before
all streets will be curbed, guttered and
paved.
^ The bids on the county office
building were a surprise to most of the
citizens of Hoke County. I agreed with
the county manager that the slow down
in construction work had a lot to do
with it. This is not a good sign for times,
but it was good news to the county
commissioners.
School opened Monday and from all
renorts everything was in smooth
working order. This just goes to show
what planning will do to get things to
run right.
Lion Charlie Daniels of the Raeford
Club reports that the broom sale held
Monday night was very successful. He
said that over $900 worth of brooms
were sold and that he personally called
on over 30 persons and only one turned
him down.
The club wishes to thank the people
#of Raeford for the cooperation in this
'project.
SCHOOL DA YS - Monday marked the beginning of school days for Hoke County children and this group of first graders
arriving at Mclauchlin Elementary exhibited emotions ranging from vague anxiety to terror. Brightly colored name tags were
affixed to each student to eliminate confusion over assigned rooms.
Buses Rolled Monday
Taking Kids To Class
As perennial as leaves in autumn and
yet new each year....the ritual of
opening day at school.
Buses rolled Monday morning, taking
students to a half day of orientation at
the seven Hoke County schools.
And things went smoothly, according
to school superintendent Raz Autry.
"It was just real smooth," Autry said.
"Easiest opening day in quite awhile."
Allen Edwards, principal at Hoke
High, echoed the feeling.
"I'd say opening day was real
smooth. We had very few problems."
Buses to. Hoke High ran with few
hitches, Edwards said. A dead battery
delayed one bus and another bus was
ahead of schedule.
The enrollment figures held few
surprises also, Autry said.
Total county enrollment on the
second day of school was 4,532, Autry
said. This was slightly lower than the
4,850 reported on opening day last
year. However, according to figures
compiled by the N.C. Association of
Educators, first grade enrollments have
declined steadily in the state during the
past decade.
Enrollment figures for the schools
were South Hoke, 575; Scurlock, 546;
West Hoke, 377; Raeford Elementaty,
400; McLauchlin. 353; Upchurch 909
and Hoke High, 1373.
Attendance for the high school was
some hundred students lower than
expected. Autry said. He said harvest
conditions might account for the loss.
Enrollment at McLauchlin was higher
this year, he said, because two more
kindergarten classes were added this
year. The kindergarten enrollment
increased from 292 to 350 students.
After classes this week, the schools
will close Monday lor Labor Day.
Bank Re-Opens
With Safety Glass
Lquipped with hullct-rcsisiant glass,
the Sunset Branch of tlie Bank of
Raeford re-opened Monday morning.
It has been closed the past two years
following a holdup there June 21. Il)72,
which netted the robber S5/W9. The
holdup man was not apprehended.
New tellers at the branch are
protected from the walk-in lobby by
panels of bullet-resistant glass. A locked
steel door provides the only access from
the lobby into the tellers* compartment.
Money is passed between the two
compartments in sliding drawers similar
to those at the drive-in windows.
The drive-in windows are also
protected with the reinforced glass.
"1 feci pretty sate with the new
glass." said Mrs. Sarah Maxwell, who
was one of the two tellers at the bank
when it was robbed. "I don't think I
could work out here again if I didn't
feel safe."
Senior Citizens
Raclord Senior Citizens friendship
Club will meet Sept. 3 at 2:30 p.m. at
Kaclord United Methodist Church.
James C. Lentz will talk about the
book containing anecdotes and history
which he has written about Hoke
County.
Area Incidents
Lawmen Link Auto Thefts, Break-in
i ny ana county law enforcement
officers arc seeking an escapee from
McCain for questioning in connection
with a break - in and two auto thefts.
A break ? in sometime during the
weekend was reported to the sheriffs
department by Hugh Currie. A window
at the lumber yard office in the
Timberland section had been forced
open and the keys to a 1966 truck and
trailer were taken according to the
report. The truck was reported missing.
The truck and trailer were found
Monday parked beside Conoly's service
station.
In the meantime. Harry Lee Scurlock
of Raeford Hotel Monday reported to
city police that his 1966 automobile
had been stolen during the night. The
car was found on Veda Street in
Kayettcvillc and turned over to the
Cumberland County sheriff's
department.
In other incidents reported during the
week to city and county law
enforcement officers, city police
investigated a complaint that children
were damaging the swings at the new
Robins Heights park. No further action
was taken.
A larceny charge was placed against
Malinda G. Leggett, 19, of Rt. I,
Raeford. She is accused of taking a yard
of fabric from Mack's on Saturday.
A six ? year - old boy was struck
Monday at I 40 p.m. on Main Street
when he darted from between parked
cars into the path of traffic. Gary
Stevens was treated for bruises at
Raeford Medical Center. The driver.
Joseph McNair, of Rt. 3, Raeford, was
not charged.
A '67 car was destroyed and three
passengers received minor injuries early
Sunday morning when the car driven by
See AREA INCIDENTS. Page IS
Dot Adds Two To Staff
Two new staff members were added
to the Department of Social Services
last week, director Ben Niblock
announced. They are Mrs. Dayna Pate
and Robert Matthews.
Mrs. Pate, a native of Atlanta, is a
case worker with the Aid to Families
with Dependent Children program. She
is a graduate of Wake Forest, and prior
to joining the social services
department, worked in the insurance
field. She is replacing Mrs. Jane Miller,
who retired.
Mrs. Pale and her husband. Warren,
live with their twin sons in Raeford.
Matthews, assigned as eligibility
specialist, joins the staff from the
Craven County Department of Social
Services.
Formerly from Mississippi, Matthews
retired from the Army in 1971 after 28
years of service and graduated from
Campbell College following year.
He lives with his wife and teenaged
daughter in Fayettcvillc.
Items Needed
Early For N-J
The News-Journal office will
be closed Monday for Labor
Day.
News items and advertising
should reach the office as soon
as possible for inclusion in the
Sept. S edition.
Council
Accepts Bid
Bids for water storage tank
reconditioning were opened Thursday
by the city council in a special meeting
and the contract was awarded Tuesday
night at a special meeting before the
public hearing.
tight firms bid on the project to
recondition the city's two water storage
tanks.
Low bid was received from Lee &
Osborne Industrial Painting Company.
Brooklawn. N. J., who offered to
complete the work in 75 days for
S29.2I0.
Other bids were Bease-Johnson Co.,
McMurry, Pa., 90 days, S29.842; Steel
Tank Service Company, Waxhaw, N. C\,
180 days, 552,621; Charlotte Tank
Lining Co., Mt. Pleasant, N. C., 270
days. S50.518: W. H. Camp, Inc.,
Chattanooga. Tenn., 120 days, S45.365;
R. Skip Bryan Utilities Services,
Madison, N.C., 90 days, S45.750:
Inter-State Contracting and Coating Co.,
Inc., Zelienople, Pa., 150 days, S44.900
and Burn and Bullard, Raleigh. 120
days, S59.200.
The low bid from the New Jersey
firm was accepted. Total cost of the
project is budgeted at 533.000.
Reporter
Joins N-J
Marty Vega has joined the stall of
The News-Journal as a
reporter-photographer.
Mrs. Vega is a native of Oetroit and
attended the University of Denver
where she studied broadcast journalism.
Prior to coming to North Carolina,
she worked in the .Washington, D.C. area
from 1970. primarily in the field of
retail security.
Mrs. Vega lives with her husband and
four cats in Fayettevtlle.
Holiday Alters
Meeting Dates
Labor Day holiday will alter the
schedule for the regular county
meetings for September.
The board of county commissioners
will meet Tuesday. Sept. 3. at 9 a.m. at
the board of education conference
room.
The city council and the board of
education will both meet the second
Monday of the month on Sept. 9. The
city council will meet at 7:30 p.m. in
the municipal building and the school
board will meet at 7:30 at the board of
education building.
The county commissioners will hold a
public hearing on the school bonds
Sept. 9 at 8 p.m.
Citizens Growl
Over Leash Law
Proposals lo rezone an area on Business 401 from residential to commercial usage
prompted protest Tuesday night at part one of a joint public hearing and a
proposed city leash law drew spirited debate in the second half.
The crowd was estimated at 35 for the zoning hearing and giew to about 70 for
the leash law.
In the second half of the evening. Mayor John K. McNeill opened the leash law
discussion by asking city attorney Palmer Willcox lo read the proposed ordinance.
Then he divided the discussion into those who favored the law and those who
opposed.
The crowd appeared evenly divided. Among those who spoke in favor of the law
were Mr. and Mrs. James T. Wilkerson II, who initiated the petition to adopt a leash
law; Leo Ldwards and Linn Webb. They cited dog bites, scattered garbage, dog
packs and fights as reasons for the law. But one of the most emotional spokesman
was the Rev. P. O. Lee.
He favored the leash law, he said "because I love my dogs and therefore I keep
them confined.
"1 love my neighbors and respect my neighbors and so I keep my dogs confined.
That's the first reason I want the law.
4The second reason is this: See this stick? I don't dare walk uptown unless I keep
this stick. When a man reaches 78 years old he has a perfect light lo walk uptown
without fighting dogs," he said. Lee said on a recent trip he had fought off foui
dogs going to town and five dogs returning.
"And for the third reason," he said, "I recently lost my wife, and she was the
dearest thing to me on this earth. I walk every day lo the graveyard and I can't
stand to have dogs lying on my wife's grave and scratching on my wife's grave. No
sooner than 1 put down flowers - artificial flowers - than some dog has scattered
them about.
"I don't think the city should allow dogs to run wild where they can scratch and
lie on my wife's grave."
Glen Langdon, opposing the law, said he realized that some dogs caused trouble
and that he had been bitten. However, he said, he had had two bikes stolen from his
home while his dogs were confined. His wife, he said, preferred to have the dogs
around the carport for protection.
"I think we have enough laws now." Langdon said. "I don't want to be punished
because there are 50 dogs in town whose owners don't care enough to keep them
home."
Gary Atkinson strongly opposed the law. "I hadn't thought much about the
leash law until the other day," he said. "But my little girl was coming home and
four boys got after her. I don't know what would have happened if it hadn't been
for our dog."
Hubert Cameron spoke several times against the law. He urged that dogs be
allowed to run free unless they caused trouble. Those dogs should be requested to
be confined, he said.
"Confining a dog is the way to make a mean dog," he said.
Lockey McDonald said his was a plea for moderation. Citi/ens have a right to
walk the streets without being bitten, he said. But he would hale for a child to lose
the experience of growing up with a dog because of a leash law.
The meeting was orderly and ended promptly at p.m. by the mayor.
The first part of the two-houi hearing was devoted to proposed changes in the
zoning oidiuance. This was the second hearing held on the subject by the planning
board and was scheduled alter revisions were made to allow lor limited mobile
home parking.
The proposed change of an area to R-6 zoning, which would allow mobile homes
on single lots, drew approval from the approximately 35 poisons attending the
zoning hearing.
The R-6 area proposed will be located within the one-mile jurisdiction from
Rockfish Creek, north of U.S. 401 bv-pass to the Burlington area.
Jim kier of the state Department of Natural and Economic Resources, explained
that mobile homes would have to be tied down to be considered permanent
structures and that the lot size would have to conform to a minimum size of 7500
square I'cet, or 75 by 100 feet.
The second proposed change, to rezone an area along Business 401 front
residential to commercial usage, sparked protests from several lesidents of Reaves
Street.
"This is a residential area, and we don't want it commercial." said Mrs. Daniel A.
Hendrix. "We don't have much traffic on our street and we have little children
playing around."
NeQI McLadyen defended the proposed change, saying that the character of the
property along the highway was not residential since the Armory, the health
department and the turkey plant were all located in that area.
Hendrix asked what further means of protest were available and indicated that he
intended to continue to fight any change in zoning.
Kier also outlined several ordinance and land development projects his
department has completed for the planning board.
Monday, Labor Day
All government offices in the city and A check of area businesses indicated
county will be closed Monday, Sept. 2, most major stores will be closed on
in observance of the Labor Day holiday. Monday. Daniel Devjne. Merchant's
Schools will not hold classes. Association president, said. A lew plan
Banks will close on Monday. There to remain open,
will he no mail delivery or pickups
within the county, but the Post Office The ABC store will not open
will be open for box users. Monday.
Watson Is Named
To Head McC.ain
John C. Watson. Jr.. has been
appointed administrator of McCain
Hospital, the 300-bed pulmonary
disease hospital in Moke County, it was
announced this week by J. S. Lennon.
administrator of the North Carolina
Specialty Hospital System.
The Charlotte native has held
administrative positions at Bladen
County Hospital in Lli/abethtown;
L.enoir Memorial Hospital, Kinston.and
Union Memorial at Monroe. He is a
member of the Board of Trustees of the
North Carolina Hospital Association and
the American College of Hospital
Administ rators.
In addition, Watson served on the
Mecklcnburg-lJnion Health and Hospital
Council, was a member of a 1969 Task
Force on Linking Health Facilities of
the Governor's Advisory Council on
Comprehensive Health Planning and the
executive committee of the Piedmont
Carolinas Blood Center from 1969 to
1971. He served in the United Stales
Navy 1942-1946.
A 1936 graduate of Duke University,
Watson is married to the former
Llizabeth Flemming of Sumter, S.C.,
who is now teaching 8th and 9th grade
science in the Pinehurst Middle School.
The Watsons have three children, two
sons, both of whom are also Duke
graduates, one presently in his second
year in the Univeisity of lennessce Uw
School, the other in Graduate School of
Psychology. Syracuse University, and a
daughter, a !l>74 graduate of Meredith
College.
Watson has filled the position
formerly held by Ralph I . Dodge,
administrator at McCain, who recently
retired alter serving there almost twenty
years.