wras better off in 1984
(Coachload from page 1)
. Th? fcnk of Raeford
wm conrtlered to be a
irfta for ? coilege satellite
br*ad>.-. V* wm given a
pert light by Sandhills College,
but an architectural study was
ordered. Tbe Southern Pines ar
chitects liter put a high price tag
on the renovations needed to make
the building suitable for classes.
The building was dropped as a
location for the school.
Lead and other hazardous waste
was removed from illegal dump
sites in Ashley Heights after tests
showed the area was still
dangerous.
About 4,000 persons crowded '
onto the grounds of Raeford Sand
and Gravel for the first of a series
of Mud Marathons.
Hoke officials defended a policy
which requires some employees to
live inside the county borders, and
noted that all but 17 of the 231
workers living elsewhere worked
for the school system.
A 20-member study committee
recommended that Turlington
School be closed and Upchurch
Junior High be renovated and ex
panded.
April
Although some wind caused
minor damage to a few rural
barns, Hoke County escaped the
ravages of the tornadoes which
destroyed Red Springs and other
communities in North and South
Carolina.
Thomas A. Phillips was hired to
take over as the Raeford City
Manager. The 39-year-old Phillips
had been the manager in Troy
After montHs of delays, an
agreement was finally reached be
tween the city and the county on
the future operation of the
tUeford-Hoke Airport. A commis
sion was appointed to oversee the
facility.
Members of the study committee
outlined a 10-year plan for
renovating school buildings, which
included a $2.5 million bond issue.
After holding out for a month
Raeford City Council members
agreed to renew a 60-year franchise
agreement with Carolina Power
and Light (CP&L).
May
Voter registration in the county
had increased by more than 600 for
the May primary elections. Local
incumbents were returned to office
during the May 8 balloting which
saw 49% of those registered
voting.
The beginnings of a Hoke Coun
ty community festival got off the
ground in May with the First An
nual Hoke Heritage Hobnob. One
nignlight of the event was a perfor
mance by the Embers.
Raeford businesses closed as
mourners turned out in large
numbers to attend the last rites of
Chamber of Commerce Director
Earl N. Fowler. The 55-year-old
Fowler died on May 5 of an ap
parent self-inflicted gunshot
wound.
Raeford Parachute School
operator Gene Paul Thacker was
S!rgm.with consP?ring to traffic
514 million in cocaine through the
Raeford Airport. The case, which
was brought by the State of
Honda, had not come to trial bv
year's end. 7
Friends raised a $250,000 bond,
and Thacker was released from
jail.
Members of the Hoke County
Board of Education submitted to
the county commission a 26.9V? in
crease in the school operating
budget.
The community was shocked to
learn the news that Hoke High
history teacher Robert Taylor was
under investigation for child por
nography shortly before he killed
himself.
Fund raising for the United Way
campaign fell behind and did not
meet an anticipated goal of
$26,000.
A Raeford man was arrested and
charged with killing his 33-year-old
wife with a shotgun. Charges
against Larry Donald McCain, 32,
were later dropped for lack of
evidence.
June
In ceremonies held June 8, 240
Hoke High seniors received di
plomas and listened to Dr. Robert
E. Leach deliver the graduation
address.
Members of the Hoke County
Commission voted to approve the
construction of a new park near
Burlington Mills. Although the
opening of the facility was
predicted for fall, the work had
not started by the end of the year.
A First Responder program was
tabled for the third time in June by
the commissioners and had not
been passed by the end of 1984.
Raeford City Councilmen voted
to raise the municipal tax rate by
one cent despite knowledge of
surplus unbudgeted revenues
which would be received from a
state one-half cent sales tax rebate.
After 19 years of public service,
Ellen Willis retired as a Hoke
County Extension Agent.
Leases at the Raeford-Hoke
County Airport were cancelled as
members of the newly formed Air
port Commission took charge of
the facility.
An apartment once owned by
Commissioner James Albert Huni
burned to the ground. The dwell
ing was not in a fire district, but
volunteers from seven departments
fought the blaze in 90? tempera
tures.
An interim budget was passed by
the county commission to meet a
June 30 deadline.
Wrapped in wire
This person seems to be trapped by down lines as he inspects tornado
damage near Flora Macdonald Acacemy in Red Springs. The storm which
devastated the community, and the helping hand given by thousands of
volunteers was one of the big stories of 1984.
JUDICIAL
SALE
MALLIE
KINLAW
LAND
REQUEST FOR SEALED BIDS
Bids To Be
Submitted To:
V^wWI M ? VWfWTIVT f 1 1 u ivt
Put Offke lai 177
ImM, Nartfe Cmdkm 2U7*
If: 12:9# I'dtck MM
Jmmtt IS, HIS
Tobacco Allotment
(1984) 3031 lbs.
58.39 acres
SEE SURVEY
i ?'?*?
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1*1
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13
Snow covered the streets of Raeford during. the early spring, but most of
the weather In 1984 for Hoke County was mild.
July
A new garbage ordinance was
approved by the county commis
sion. It was hoped that the new law
would help keep dumpsters clean
and cut cost of disposing of
unauthorized dumping.
Jump school owner Gene Paul
Thacker was arraigned in Florida
on charges of trafficking in co
caine.
Hoke County received $135,000
in state "pork barrel" funds
following the short legislative ses
sion.
The money would help with the
renovation of the courthouse,
which had not started by year's
end, and with several other pro
jects.
A $5.46 million budget was
finally approved by the county
commission in July. The new fund
ing included a Five cent tax rate
hike.
Work began on $1 19,000 in roof
repairs for county schools.
Board of Education members
announced that Hoke County
would attempt to be one of the
pioneer counties for a teacher
tenure program. The board also
adopted the largest budget in the
county school's history.
A nine-year-old Rockflsh girl,
Angela Christine Wright, was kill
ed and her mother and brother
seriously injured after the car in
whifch they were riding was hit
broadside by a truck.
James Martin resigned as county
manager to take a similar post in
Robeson County.
A local summer youth theatre
group daezled audiences with per
formances of "Broadway Our
Way."
August
Birds and marijuana Filled the
pages of August news.
County officials found pigeons,
roosting on the courthouse, unruf
fled by $700 bird repelling devices,
while local law enforcement of
ficers found a large quanity of
marijuana growing behind a
chicken coop.
Raeford attorney Phil Diehl
noted in a letter to the county com
mission that the courthouse did
not meet standards for access for
the handicapped. The county took
bids for the work to repair the
facility, but by year's end nothing
had been done.
A Red Springs area man was
charged after officers found 161
pounds of marijuana in his smoke
house, and Commissioner James
Albert Hunt was charged with
leading a Robeson County deputy
on a high speed chase.
The school board considered
buying property behind Upchurch
School, but no action was taken,
and both Raeford and the county
lost bids to gain state Community
Development funds.
A delegation of local residents
and officials met with Governor
James B. Hunt in an effort to get
state funds for the widening of US
Highway 401.
As the bells rang to open
another scho-ol year, ad
ministrators announced a plan to
help improve the county's CAT
scores.
September
When September got underway,
county Health Director Lloyd
Home resigned his post to accept a
position in Cumberland County.
Home had been under pressure to
move his residence to Hoke when
the resignation came.
A plan to form an industrial
recruiting group was announced
and approved by the county com
mission, the Raeford Council and
the Chamber of Commerce.
Raeford resident Robert Daniels
was injured in a Moore County ac
cident while riding in a Hoke
County Ambulance. Daniels died
in December.
Don Michael Woods was charg
ed with the killing of his wife. The
case did not come to trial in 1984.
Despite a bid by the Hoke Coun
ty Historical Society, the old Bank
of Raeford building was sold to
Bobby Carter by United Carolina
Bank. At year's end Carter had not
announced his plans for the struc
ture.
A New Bern man was killed in a
traffic accident on U.S. 401, and
efforts continued to get the road
widened.
A bid to gain higher wages for
deputies, which was launched by
Sheriff Dave Barrington, was put
on hold by the county commission.
James Alton Watkins, 26, was
sentenced to five years in jail for
scalding the arms of a three-year
old child.
The DSS board of directors
adopted new guidelines for foster
parents, and members of the Hoke
Historical Society aired plans to
establish an historic district in
Raeford.
October
The recreation director in
Cabarrus County was hired as the
new county manager. William
Cowan took over during the
month in the position vacated by
James Martin.
After 52 years on the local scene,
Hoke Auto announced that it was
closing its doors. The business is
for sale, but no takers had been
found in 1984.
As the November general elec
tion neared, county voter registra
tion continued to increase more
than 500 since the June primaries.
A turkey processinf plant,
which was announced for the
Goldsboro area, is expected to help
the local producing business in
Hoke County. Jobs would be
created and local growers would
have to increase production,
Tarheel Hatchery owner Wyatt
Upchurch said.
County Tax Supervisor Larry
Holt resigned his post. Holt was
also under pressure to move his
residence to the county.
An investigation of the Raeford
sewer system revealed that the city
was treating about 1 million
gallons more per day than it was
selling to water customers.
In a move to improve radio com
munications, Hoke County moved
its ambulance sponsorship from
Cape Fear Valley Hospital to
Moore Memorial Hospital.
Commissioner Hunt plead guilty
to reckless and careless driving
charges in Robeson County and
was fined $100.
A call was put out for needed
foster care parents by the Depart
ment of Social Services.
November
Former school teacher Shirley
Gibson and grocer Eddie McNeill
won seats on the Hoke County
Board of Education. Incumbent
Ruth McNair was defeated.
Commissioner Neil McPhatter's
home was destroyed by fire. The
dwelling was also in a non
protected area of the county.
A former Teacher of the Year,
Ethelyn Baker was fired after hear
ings before the school board.
Efforts to raise the rates charged
to cable television customers
received a setback after the
Raeford City Council rejected a
proposal from Alert Cablevision.
The rate hike had not been approv
ed despite other tries by the end of
the year.
Ft. Bragg commanding Gen.
James J. Lindsay announced his
support for the widening of US
Highway 401. The general wrote a
letter to state DOT Secretary
William R. Roberson endorsing a
four-lane stretch between Raeford
and the Cumberland County line.
Questions were raised by
residents of the Indian community
(See YEAR, .page 7)
FOOD SALE
We Specialize In
Fresh Cut Meats
LUTER
BARBECUE
169
11m. I
ROYAL
. SCOTT
MARGARINE
2/W
JENO
FROZEN
PIZZA
99<
PORK
NECKBONES
39* ?.
MERICO
BUTTER ME NOT
BISCUITS
9Vt oz. size
i/99"
BANNER BRAND
SAUSAGE
10 n. cm
21V 9
YELLOW
ONIONS
ik.k?59'
QLENDALE
SUGAR
si.h
99<
Mt 1 bat
?/S10|
GASOLINE
96.*
Unleaded 1.07?
We Accept
WIC VOUCHERS
FOOD STAMPS
HOURS: ? A.M. - 10 P.M.
SUM. 7:3? A.M. - It P.M. '
Prlcee Good Thru Jen. 12
Hardin Food Store
- ?? "?- -L&-- * 7 / ??* ?- m % ? :* ?* ?
RocfcfMl, N.C. tBmktm Rr? Station)