The News -Journal
Established 1928 ~
Hunt pleas
to driving
violations
Hoke County Commissioner
James Albert Hunt plead guilty to
careless and reckless driving and
was fined $100 Tuesday in
Robeson County District Court in
Red Springs.
Hunt, who was originally charg
ed with Ave counts of moving
violations, changed his plea from
not guilty to guilty of just the one
charge because he needed to "get
the case out of court and out of the
news," he said.
Hunt was alleged to have led
Robeson County Deputy Sheriff
Mitchell Norris on a high speed
chase through parts of Robeson
County.
Hunt maintained that he was
near Fayetteville and nowhere near
where the chase was to have occur
red.
The Vice-Chairman of the Hoke
County Commission was also
charged with speeding in excess of
100 miles per hour, failure to stop
for a blue light and siren, driving
left of center and a stop sign viola
tion.
Those charges were dropped by
Robeson Assistant District At
torney Bill Hough.
The car Hunt was driving was
not the color, make or model of ^
car Norris allegedly chased, "said ~
the commissioner.
Judge Charles G. McLean said
that both sides would have had
trouble presenting their cases if it
had gone to trial.
The case was delayed three times
because of witnesses or attorneys
not., showing up and although
Judge McLean had ordered the
trial to be held at 11:30 Tuesday
morning. District Attorney Hough
did not call the case until about
3:30 Tuesday afternoon.
MoT" ?) BtMy Jonri
A rare sight
This lone leaf floating on an Arabia area pond is a
rare sight these days. The way the trees have been
shedding their summer foliage lately, it is difficult
to find just one leaf to photograph.
F oster homes
critical here
A critical shortage of approved
foster care homes has developed in
Hoke County, and some children
now being taken into protective
custody are having to be housed in
surrounding counties, a
spokesman for the Department of
Social Services (DSS) said last
week.
Currently there are 26 children,
who have been removed from their
parents in Hoke County because of
sexual or physical abuse and plac
ed in foster homes, DSS Director
Ken Witherspoon said.
Two children, who were taken
into protective custody last week,
had to be housed in another county
because there was no adequate
space available in Hoke County,
Witherspoon said, adding that
because of recent publicity about
child abuse the number of local
cases is increasing.
"In the last 90 days, we have
had seven children taken into
custody," the DSS director said.
"It's almost a life and death
situation for the children when we
are looking for foster care. Other
counties help out a lot," he said.
County social workers hope
more qualified foster parents will
respond to a call being put out for
help.
"We need people waiting,
licensed and approved to be foster
parents," Witherspoon said. "The
shortage is critical."
On October 30, DSS staffers are
holding an open house from 4 to 6
p.m. for county residents in
terested in becoming foster
parents.
"We're hoping people will come
by and talk about foster care, and
then pick up an application,"
Foster Care Social Worker Linda
Cromartie said.
In November, DSS will hold a
group orientation session for those
persons interested in becoming
foster parents.
In order to qualify, applicants
must be between the ages of 25 and
55, and must have been married
for at least three years.
"There is a good two or three
month training period. Fire and
health inspections are conducted
on the homes," Cromartie said.
Workshop sessions are held.
Parents are assigned homework.
Round table discussions are con
ducted about children and how to
handle different situations that
might come up.
"Most of these children have
problems. We prepare the foster
parents to handle them," Cromar
tie said.
Subsidies of SI 65 per month are
paid to the foster parents for the
support of the child.
Most of the chldren who need
foster homes now in the county are
younger. Most fall in the age group
from infant to four years old.
Once a child is in the foster
home, efforts are made to hasten
the process of determining the fate
of the ward, Witherspoon said.
If the child can be returned to
..the natural parents, then that
determination is made as soon as
possible, he said.
"We give parents every chance
possible to regain custody. We give
them every right to fail," the DSS
Director said.
Parents are evaluated on a basis
of how the child was treated prior
to DSS custody, and how well they
(See FOSTER, page 3 A)
Raeford
conducting probe into
condition of sewer system
By Ed Miller
Raeford workers under the
direction of City Manager Tom
Phillips are conducting an exten
sive investigation into the condi
tion of the municipal sewer system
and hoping to eliminate trouble
spots.
Phillips is working now with
Asheboro Engineering firm
Moore, Gardner and Associates,
on getting a set of procedures for
the evaluation, he said Monday.
The Raeford system has been
under fire from the state Depart
ment of Natural Resources and
Community Development (NRCD)
for discharging high levels of
pollutants into Rock fish Creek.
In the past, the failure of local
industries to pre-treat discharges
has been blamed for the problem;
however, speculation is that large
amounts of ground water seeping
into the system through poorly
maintained pipes may also con
tribute to city treatment woes.
A moratorium on future in
dustrial development was recently
lifted by NRCD, but state officials
have warned the city sewer
discharges are still "just below"
the safe level.
City officials hope the evalua
tion will help narrow the search for
more than 1 million gallons a day
in extraneous water flowing into
the Raeford system.
"If we find that we are qualified
to do the evaluation, it will save
between $30,000 and S40.000 for
the city," Phillips said.
Although Phillips was uncertain
whether or not city personnel
would qualify for the evaluation,
he was already getting ready for an
inspection of the system.
Last week, the city's Utilities
Department was reorganized, said
Phillips.
Raeford now has a Utilities
Director, Jerry Jackson, that
answers directly to the City
Manager.
Formerly, there had been a
superintendent in charge of collec
tions and another in charge of
water pumps and the sewer plant,
Phillips said.
Those two superintendents were
governed by City Engineer Bill
Sellars.
By combining the two positions,
Sellars is now free to spend more
time with his other responsibilities
and to keep a close eye on some
street paving that will begin soon
in Raeford, said Phillips.
"This (reorganization) is not a
punishment for anyone," he said.
"It is a positive reorganization to
address a specific problem."
As a part of the new personnel
system, Phillips has created a two
man inspection team that will soon
begin looking into manholes all
around town to try and find trou
ble areas in the sewer system.
There has been a water flow
meter purchased by the city that
will immediately calculate the
amount of water flowing through a
manhole, Phillips said.
(See CITY, page 2A)
Around Town
By Sun Morris
Maybe the beach resorts reduced
prices too early this year. The
weather for the past two weeks has
been just like summer. It has been
more like baseball weather than
football weather in this section of
the country. Last week it was hard
to realize that a football game in
Denver was being played in the
snow.
I believe that we can expect to go
from summer into winter, without
any fall weather. The old folks
used to tell me years ago that a
bountiful nut crop meant a cold
winter ahead. "Hie pecan and
hickory trees are loaded this year.
So far, three limb* have broken on
my pecan tree. So according to this
sign, get prepared for the wont.
? ? * V '
I read the column "Looking
On" by Kay Thomas last week in
this paper and was prepared to
write a check to the Hoke
Historical Association, but
something stopped me. It was the
amount for which to write the
check to the association. Would
S10 be Just for me, or for me and
my wife?
After talking with Kay this
week, it seems that a $10 check
would cover a family. So if you are
interested ia Hoke County
History, send ? check to the
association. The address is: Hoke
Historical Association, P.O. Box
426. Raeford, NC, 21376.
(See AROUND, page 2A)
thof ky rmm f ndtrick
Helping with a loan
This witch outside the Raeford United Carolina Bank Main Street
branch might be offering customers a special potion to help obtain the
right loans. The way Interest rates have been dropping lately, the brew
could be working. The witch is actually part of the banks' Halloween
decoration.
Four injured in wreck
By Pan Frederick
Four passengers were injured in
a two-car accident Sunday after
noon on SR 1105, 6 miles east of
Raeford. ,
A 1977 Luv pick-up driven by
Jannette Jackson, Rt. 1, Shannon
was hit when a I960 Volvo driven
by Hattie Ferguson Kelts, Rt. 1,
Red Spring*, crossed the center
Une, the investigating officer said.
The passenger in the Jackson
car, Dorothy Mae Jackson and the
occupant in the Kells car, Joseph
Ellison, of Pktsboro were also in
jured.
State Trooper Benjamin Bun,
who investigated the accident said
Mrs. Kells was charged with driv
ing left of the center line.
Man nabbed for third break-in
By Ed Miller
A Raeford man, who was out of
jail on bond after being charged
less than 30 days ago with breaking
into two county businesses, was
back in custody Tuesday charged
with breaking into another local
firm.
Robin Wayne McVicker was
under $25,000 bond in Hoke
County Jail after being arrested
last Wednesday night as he alleged
ly attempted to elude officers at
the Hoke Concrete Works,
Raeford Police Chief Leonard
Wiggins said.
According to Wiggins, Raeford
Police Patrolman J.R, McNeill
was on patrol when he found a
break -in at the Concrete Works of
fice building.
While he was looking through
the building, two suspects ran
from the premises.
One of the suspects made a get
away; however, McVicker was
captured by McNeill a short
distance from the building, Wig
gins said.
McVicker, 18, has not yet iden
tified the other suspect, Wiggins
said.
Before last week's arrest,
McVicker was out of jail on
$10,000 bond after being arrested
and charged with taking part in a
breaking, entering and larceny at
the Universal Sporting Center and,
on another identical charge at The
Little Whale Restaurant, accord
, ing to previous reports.
There was a total of S8.888.20 in
guns, knives and ammunition
taken in the Universal robbery and
$1317.37 worth of food taken in
the restaurant break-in, according
to reports.
The other suspect in the Hoke
Concrete case was being sought by
the Raeford Police Department,
Wiggins said.
Jack Goodwin, 21, and John
(Yogi) Bradly Gordon were also
arrested in September along with
McVicker and charged with
allegedly taking part in the
business robberies.
No voter registration
needed for President
By Ed Miller
People who moved into Hoke
County before October 8 and have
never been registered to vote, can.
go to the Hoke County Board of
Elections and vote for president.
They can vote for president, but
that is til, said a Board of Elec
tions spokesperson Monday.
This is just one of three special
conditions under which non
registered persons can vote, said
Board of Elections representative
Caroline Shook.
A second special condition ap
plies to persons who gained their
citizenship to the United States the
day before the election.
Those persons can also go to the
Board of Elections and vote for
president only, Shook said.
They have to come in the day
before the election, she said.
A third and final special condi
tion applies to some military per
sonnel.
According to Shook, if a person
(See REGISTRATION, page 3A)
inside Today
Cando ce Cameron loves her
cattle . Today on page one B of
The New*- Journal, Conduce
end her father, BUI Cameron
tea how 9 hobby It potted
from father to daughter and
how feme may be whhbi the
grasp of a young Hoke County
resident, efter a little work.