The News-Journal
The Hoke County News - Established 1928 ^ The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
?
Volume LXXVI Number 24 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA $10 PER YEAR 25 CENTS Thursday, October 4, 1984
Cabarrus County
man hired as Hoke manager
Few things need to be changed about the
manner in which Hoke County is being fiscal
ly run. However, the man named Tuesday
night to head up the county government says
he will work to improve communication.
Cabarrus County Parks and Recreation
Department Director William K. Cowan,
who was named Tuesday night by the Hoke
County Commissioners to replace former
County Manager.James Martin, says he is go
ing to examine the county's communication
network and will meet with department heads
"as soon as possible."
The 32-year-old Winsor native will take
over the reins of the county on November 1 ,
Commission Chairman John Balfour said
Tuesday.
Cowan will be paid an annual salary of
$28,500 and will be given a travel allowance
of $2,000.
In Cabarrus County, which has a popula
tion of about 90,000, Cowan is credited with
turning around a dying recreation depart
ment and making it one of the most viable in
the state.
During 1980, Cowan received a national
parks and recreation award for his ac
complishments.
Cowan is married to the former Teresa
Oliver and they have one son, Jonathan.
Mrs. Cowan is a teacher and under con
tract for the current year in Cabarrus Coun
ty, but the family will be moving to Hoke
County around Christmas time from their
home in Concord, Balfour said.
Cowan, who has a B.S. Degree from East
Carolina University in Parks Management,
has served in Cabarrus for eight years.
One of his top priorities will be to review
the county manager's role as controller of
department heads to make sure that all areas
of the county government are being run as ef
ficiently and as effectively as possible, Cowan
said.
In addition, Cowan said he would also
I " ~
meet with appointed committee members and
with elected officials.
The existing management system is running
"pretty well" and there is no pressing need to
change anything, the new manager said.
Cowan was in the county last Wednesday
and on Sunday, and has toured the area with
his wife.
In addition to the recitation award, Cowan
was appointed to the North Carolina Out
door Policy Panel by Governor Jim Hunt in
1982, and he is serving as the treasurer of the
Cabarrus Arts Council Inc.
Cowan has also served as a guest lecturer to
the local Cabarrus area Council of Govern
ments on budgets.
Grades combined at Scurlock
to accommodate more students
By Ed Miller
"The gain of a teacher" and
lack of space has caused school of
ficials to rework classes and to
shift students at Scurlock School,
Superintendent Robert Nelson
said.
Because of the overcrowding,
teachers are now instructing two
grades in one classroom;
The system is a throwback to the
JSC?*
J*
The state has given the school
system 'another teacher for
Scurlock as the result of "10-day
adjustments" in enrollments,
Nelson said.
However, the school did not
have an available classroom.
EverVyWf JWfiiumwrr
measured for the first 10 days of
classes, and if more or fewer
students than are anticipated show
up for school, the state adjusts
teacher allotments accordingly,
said Nelson.
Every space was in use, Nelson
said.
There have also been some
changes made by combining two
grades in one class.
This combination class is taught
much in the same fashion as the
old one room schools were. Nelson
said.
While one grade level is getting
direct instruction, the other is
working on assigned material, said
Nelson.
There are four .combination
According to Nelson, the grades
are being put together to keep class
sizes within state regulations.
By law, grades K-3 can only
have 26 students. Grades 4-6 can
have 29 and grades 7 and up can
have 33, Nelson said.
"Tri terrris of dlfntulttw caused Vf"
the combination classes, Nelson
said: "I suspect that it causes more
problems for teachers than for
students."
The teachers have to prepare
lessons for two grade levels as well
as having to contend with two
totally different levels of achiev
ment, Nelson said.
Nelson could only think of one
case in his 17 years as a superinten
dent that there have been no
10-day adjustments.
According to Nelson, there are
still new students coming into the
school almost everyday, and that
has had an effect on the first
10-day totals.
The transient nature of some of
the population in that area has
g^MSSdjnany^ of jthe adjustments . .
ttcrpating.. numbers ?>f students,
said NebOnf
The state looks at the 10-day
figure and adjusts, he said.
After the first 10 days, the coun
ty gained 3.5 new teachers because "
of adjustments, said Nelson.
Contending with adjustments
antf-fl*!1 itWUUiiiUm-omipamry
regulations has caused many
changes at Scurlock.
There should be no permanent
damage to students because of the
changes, he said.
There will be a one or two-day
adjustment period for students,
but "normality" should return
after that, the superintendent said.
Main Street accident
A three<ar wreck at the Main Street, Donaldson
? Avenue 'Intersection Tuesday afternoon lesufretfbt
four people being only slightly injured, according to
Raeford Police Chief Leonard Wiggins. Carry
Wood, of Raeford, was driving his 1980 Fiat (center)
west on Donaldson Avenue. He stopped at the sign
crossing Main, but failed to see an oncoming car
heading south on Main Street. When he pulled into
the road, he was hit in the right side by a Volkswagon
being driven by Elizabeth Baker. Wood's car then
flew into the air, rolled over and hit Louise Sessoms
who was sitting at the stop sign on West Donaldson
- waiting tu g&i*3i: Sessornx wter driving a 1984 Pon
tiac fright), Wiggins said. Wood was charged with a
safe movement violation, said the chief. Damage to
the Wood car was reported at $3,200. Baker's car
reportedly had about $1,700 in damage, and the
Sessoms car had about $175-200 damage, Wiggins
said. The drivers and passengers of both the Wood
and Baker vehicles were slightly injured, but none
were believed to have entered the hospital, Wiggins
cni/i
Creek water flooding
crushed Raeford sewer line
By Ed Miller
Thousands of gallons of ground
water and sand are pouring into
the Raeford sewer system through
a crushed pipe which runs under
Rockfish Creek, members of the
Raeford City Council were told
Monday night.
A recent television camera in
spection of an 18-inch sewer line in
Raeford has shown that about 800
feet of that line is crushed allowing
creek and ground water to pour in,
City Manager Tom Phillips said.
The line will be closed, he said.
Around Town
By San Morris
There was a good rain Sunday
night and it would seem that soy
beans should not need any more
before harvesting. Now the reason
I make this statement is that a
retired farmer told me this on
Monday morning. The day (Mon
day) is now sunny as this is being
written.
I can't say as much for last
Saturday. While sitting in the foot
ball stadium at Chapel Hill, the
wind chill factor was in the forties
and there was a light mist falling
during most of the game. It could
h^ve been worse if Kansas had
defeated the Tar Heels.
The forecast it for the
temperatures to get near 80 by the
end of the week. It seems now that
we go from summer into winter
and don't have any nice fall
weather.
? ? ?
Maybe you have noticed that I
haven't mentioned anything about
the weather coming from Robert
Gatlin, observer for Hoke County
for the National Weather Service.
To thoee that don't know, Robert
(See AROUND, page II)
The line, that starts at Prospect
Avenue and runs to the sewer
plant, has a 24-inch line running
parallel to it that will have to ser
vice the area until the crushed line
can be replaced, Phillips said.
According to Phillips, he knew
something was wrong with the line
because the sewer plant was
treating more water than the water
department was pumping.
Another 200 feet of the line can
be repaired by the city, Phillips
said.
The 18-inch line will be out of
service until at least next year when
money can be budgeted for the
replacement.
Phillips stressed that use of the
24-inch line for the whole area can
only be a temporary condition
because if more line is needed,
there is nothing to fall back on.
The replacement of the 18-inch
line must be a "high priority" item
for next year, Phillips said.
According to estimates from
contractors, it will cost between
$40,000 and $60,000 to replace the
pipe, Phillips said.
Much of the line is below the
water table and a section of it runs
under a creek so a lot of extra
water and sand has been getting in
to the system, said the Manager.
Three or four dump truck loads
of sand has had to be removed
from one section of the pipe,
Phillips said adding that this sand
has also been ruining pumps at the
sewer plant.
The seriousness of the line's con
dition was realized recently when
video tape cameras were put into
the line and the inside was actually
Visit from the candidate
In his second trip to Hoke County, gubernatorial
candidal* Rufut Edmisten attended a " pig
pkkin ' " fund raiser at the home of Hoke
Representative Danny DeVane, Tuesday. Officials
at the noon gathering say that about $5,00$ was
raised. At the fund raiser, Edmisten said small
counties like Hoke are the reason for his success.
People keep saying t will win on coat tails but /
have coat tads of my own. The working men and
women of this state are my coal tails, " he mid. "/
plan to treat Hoke County fetrjy* I will be a gaver
nor for the whole state, " he said. Edmlsten said he
plans to build the ' infrastructure ' ' of small coun
ties so they win be able to attract industry. Improv
ing roads, schools, water and sewer systems will all
help in getting counties like Hoke the Industry they
badly need, said Edmlsten. "I'm going to be look
ing at places tike Hoke County that don *t have a
fouriane highway he said. Edmlsten said he
beUeved In fairness to all people in all parts of the
state, "The mechanic is Just as Important as the
wmkhlest mm In the state. "
filmed.
"It was a real gutter movie,"
Mayor John K. McNeill said.
The video tape is on record in
the City Manager's office.
TV hike axed
After a lengthy discussion,
council members voted to deny a
rate increase requested by the city's
cable television franchise holder
Alert Cablevision.
Alert is changing its basic chan
nel line-up and wanted an increase
in its basic service from $8.60 to
$10, Alert area manager Harrison
Daniels said.
To be added to the basic service
is the Christian Broadcasting Net
work (CBN) and Channel 18 from
Charlotte, Daniels said.
The basic service will no longer
include ESPN, the sports station
or the CNN new station.
Those channels will be offered,
but subscribers will have to pay for
an "expanded service" to get
them, Daniels said.
However, along with those two
(See CABLE, page 11)
Ambulance sponsorship
moving to Moore County
By Ed Miller
A shift in ambulance sponsor
ship, which is designed to improve
the services, was given a green light
by members of the Hoke County
Commission Monday.
As a result of the commission's
action, the Hoke County Am
bulance Service, which has been
backed by Cape Fear Valley
Medical Center, is changing spon
sorship to Moore County
Memorial Hospital.
The switch will improve com
munications with all area
hospitals. Commission Chairman
John Balfour said.
"I feel this can only improve ser
vice," Balfour said.
This is only the first step in get
ting the sponsorship changed, ac
cording to State Office of
Emergency Medical Service
(OEMS) Area Supervisor Fred
Hardy.
Moore County must now submit
a request to the state OEMS. The
hospital must then be evaluated
anda determination made whether
the facility is eligible to sponsor an
ambulance service. Hardy said,
adding, however, that Moore has
been approved earlier for other
services.
The request will then be examin
ed by the OEMS Board for Hoke
approval purposes, Hardy said.
"We've already reviewed the
proposals. I have looked at it, and
I don't see any problems," Hardy
said.
In previous operations with
Cape Fear, ambulance drivers
could communicate by radio only
with doctors at Cape Fear, even if
patients were en route to Moore
Memorial.
Under the new sponsorship,
drivers can talk to Moore
Memorial, Cape Fear and all other
area hospitals, Hardy said.
Raises denied
In a matter pending from the
last commission meeting, board
member* voted to deny raises for
county deputies which had been re
quested by Sheriff Dave Barr
ington.
Included in the motion was a
recommendation that all budgeted
salary money not used, be set aside
for possible use as merit pay raises
during the next fiscal year.
(See DEPUTY, pace 10)