Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / Sept. 26, 1985, edition 1 / Page 1
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The News -Journal The Hoke County News - Established 1928 The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905 Volume LXXV1I Number 23 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA $10 PER YEAR 25 CENTS Thursday, September 26, 1985 No vote in Fayetteville on EAS to be argued By Ed Miller A re-evaluation of a cost study, conducted by Carolina Telephone, shows that extended local telephone service (EAS) between Raeford and Fayetteville could be connected without an increase in rates for Cumberland County customers, a spokesman for North Carolina Utilities Commission Public Staff said Monday. If the re-evaluation holds up in arguments before the utilities com mission, then EAS could be established without a polling of Fayetteville customers. While Carolina Telephone's study calls for substantial increases in both Raeford and Fayetteville rates to cover costs incurred by connecting EAS, the public staff analysis eliminates some "un necessary" expenses and excludes a reimbursement for lost long distance toll revenue, spokesman Gene Clemmons said. Public staff members are ex pected to argue the analysis of the cost study during public hearings held in Raeford October 29 and in Raleigh on October 30. Carolina Telephone's study has shown even if lost toll revenues are included, the revenue needed to cover the costs of connecting EAS would be only $1.1 million, the Public Staff Communications Division Director said. However, the Tarboro firm is at tempting to put aside the study and to use a companywide costs "Matrix" to cover the expense of EAS. That system would generate $2.1 million or Si million more than their own cost study shows is needed. If toll revenues are excluded, the Carolina Telephone study pegs the cost at $495,000. The public staff believes the cost including the lost toll revenues would run about $250,000 annual ly when spread over a five-year period, Clemmons said. Once toll revenues were eliminated, the cost would drop to a level where no increases in Fayet teville rates would be needed. Under the plan, subscribers on the Raeford exchange would re main under the Matrix system and would face increases of $4.52 a month for residential customers and S10.78 for business, which would be within 49 cents of what Fayetteville customers pay. Earlier Matrix rates called for Fayetteville rates to go up $1.52 for residential customers and $2.91 for businesses, according to the study. Under a second plan which would exclude toll revenues lost by the company, $495,200 would be needed by the company to make up losses, the company says. Fayetteville rates would go up .11 cents for residential customers and .29 cents for business subscribers, according to the com pany. Upon examination of the study, Public Staff members have located certain costs in the study that they believe are not associated with granting EAS to Raeford. ?When using their numbers to come up with rate increases for both areas, Raeford rates would go up the same amount, but, with toll revenue losses, the company would only need about $250,000 to make up the difference, or an increase in Fayetteville of .42 cents, staff members say. When calculations were com pleted excluding toll losses, EAS would be free to Fayetteville subscribers, Public Staff members say. Even in the cost study for the Utilities Commission, the com pany recommended that the Matrix be used because it has been officially adopted in a precedent case over 10 years ago. According to Clemmons, the company wants to make a certain amount of revenue, and if EAS is granted under the Matrix, that amount will be realized. If the cost study is used, the company will not make as much money, according to Carolina . Telephone. Hoke County gathering More persons than live in Hoke County gathered in Raeford last week for the four-day first North Carolina Turkey Festival. Here music lovers listen to the sounds of Nantucket during Saturday 's per (Phoin h> (?raham Ni*rr*? formance. We take a look at the events of the festival in section B of today's News-Journal and throughout section A. Six vying for five city seats By Ed Miller When the polls open in November, six municipal residents, including five in cumbents, will be vying for the five seats up for grabs on the Raeford City Council. Piling for re-election to the city council were Joe Upchurch, Vardell Hedgpeth, Bob Gentry, Benny McLeod and Graham Clark, said Hoke County Board of Elections Supervisor Rose Sturgeon. Also filing for one of the offices was Earl McDuffie Jr., she said. Raeford Mayor John K. McNeill will be running for his ninth term in office. ' , Candidates will be running for office under a new system tnis year, according to a resolution passed by members of the city council in May of this year. The resolution says the top two vote getters in the November 3, 1985 electjon will have four-year terms in office. The three remaining election winners will have two-year terms, according to the resolution. Raeford City Council members passed the resolution in an effort to stagger office terms to eliminate the chance of the entire city council being voted out of office at the same time. City council members re-elected in future elections will serve four year terms, according to the resolution. Also in the resolution is a clause saying the mayor will also have* a four year term. Mayor McNeill, who is 65, is running unopposed in the election, said Sturgeon. Current members of the council have all been on the board at least four years. Clark, a veteran of the council, is 69 and has been a city coun cilman for 16 years. The 49-year-old McLeod has been on the council 14 years. McLeod was appointed to the council in 1971 to serve the re mainder of a term vacated by the death of J.B. McMillian. He has been re-elected ever since. Hedgpeth, the youngest member of the council at 42, has served four two-year terms as has the 44-year-old Gentry. Th.? newest member of the coun cil, Upchurch, is 58 and has been on the council four years. Earl McDuffie, 53, has twice before run for a councilman posi tion and lost. Owner of the Edinbourgh Restaurant in Raeford, McDuffie is running for the office for a number of reasons. "I'm interested in the city and what's going on," said McDuffie. "I've been in business here for four and one-half years and have lived here for 20 years," he said. McDuffie also thinks that the spirit of competition is healthy for an election. Thousands jam Hoke County for first NC Turkey Festival By Kd Miller What a time it was. Music, ceremony, food, sports, dancing, crafts and over 30,000 people combined to make the first North Carolina Turkey Festival a gobbling four-day success. The festival started on Wednes day morning promptly at 10:30. Hoke County Representative Daniel H. DeVane opened the festival by introducing the dignitaries on hand for the first day of the festival, and James A. Graham, North Carolina Commis sioner of Agriculture, delivered the "State of the Turkey Address." " Graham told spectators that the turkey industry in North Carolina was a "bright spot" in the agricultural future of the state. "I love turkey and all that goes with it, and I love my job as Com missioner of Agriculture and don't you forget it," said Graham. Graham also commented on his fondness for this area. "I love Raeford, and I love Hoke County," said the commis sioner. Miss North Carolina Joni Parker delivered welcoming remarks. Hoke County Commission Chairman John Balfour and Raeford Mayor John K. McNeill also addressed the crowd and the festival was on. The first event on the schedule was a cooking seminar on, what else, turkey, given by Louis Os teen. Osteen is an internationally known chef and owner of the Pawleys Island Inn in South Carolina. Osteen gave the crowd gathered at the Raeford Methodist Church a few simple lessons on how to use turkey as a substitute for veal in a variety of dishes. About 1,000 people wandered around the Hoke County Public Library Wednesday during the hours of entertainment. At 11 a.m., five contestants from across the state to see who could cook the finest turkey dishes in the land. Stoves, furnished by the Hoke County school system, lined the grounds of the Hoke County Library, as the contestants worked feverishly to prepare the winning dish. The outcome was fabulous. Sit ting on a table for all to see (and taste) were the final products which included turkey quiche, turkey lasagne mornay, turkey wings sweet and sour, turkey puffs and gingered turkey salad. Although the salad won, the other dishes sure looked good. . Frances Andrews, of Wilson, took home the $500 first prize. When the cooking contest was over, the entertainment began. Ft. Bragg offered its best for the festival which included the 82nd Airborne Concert Band and Chorus. The men's Chorus performed a number of tunes, some funny, others sad, but all without musical accompaniment. Their voices blended through "The Ballad of the Green Beret" and a song about a guy who jumped out of a plane with a faulty parachute. The concert band performed twice for spectators, once during the afternoon and again Wednes day night at the First Turkey Parade. Raeford Police Chief Leonard Wiggins estimated that about 10,000 people turned out for the parade. "It's the best parade I've ever seen in Raeford," a number of people said when it was over. Miss North Carolina Joni Parker and a host of other beauty queens rode in style down Raeford's Main Street Wednesday night. There were clowns from Dunn, who were happy and sad. Businesses and organizations from all over the county entered floats in the parade. Weary festivalers walked slowly to their cars at parade's end chat ting about what and who they had Discussing the festivities Raeford Mayor John K. McNeill (right) discusses the festivities with Laurinburg editor Sherry Matthews during Wednesday 's opening ac tivities of the first North Carolina Turkey Festival. McNeill has filed for another term as mayor and is unopposed in the upcoming city election. seen and wondering aloud if the rest of the festival was to compare to what had just gone on. That was the first day and the best was yet to come. The daylight hours of Thursday was for lovers of sports, especially lovers of tennis and golf. Every usable tennis court in Hoke County was filled with players as the Tujkey Tennis Tour nament got underway. There were tennis players galore at Deer Track Raquet Club and the McLauchlin Park tennis courts. Arabia Golf Club also had its share of action as 80 fans of the sport chased their little white golf balls all over the place. For those more atuned to calmer sports, the Turkey Bridge Tourna ment carried on at the Raeford Civic Center. By late afternoon, everyone was hungry. That's the way it seemed to those at the Turkey Stuffin' Thurs day night at the National Guard Armory. Over 1 ,200 people, or about half the entire Raeford population, were served at the dinner and, due to a lack of food, 300 people were turned away. Most of them were good-hearted about it because whether you ate or not, you were invited to a square dance after the meal. Going on at the same time was the Turkey Shoot. "Eat a bird, shoot a bird, win a bird," one happy resident com mented. Thursday closed as calmly as it had opened, but the hours in be tween.... Golfers and tennis players were out again Friday morning finding out who was the best of the best from the day before. After the two previous days, the daylight hours of Friday were restful for most. But, there were a handful of people running about like the pro verbial beheaded chicken. Most people in downtown (See THOUSANDS, page 16A) Around Town By Sam Morris The weather after being winter for a few days has turned back hot and it seems that cooler weather is coming again this weekend. There was some rain early Sunday morn ing, but it could only be called a trace. I would say that it was perfect for the Turkey Festival. ? # t The Turkey Festival was a suc cess and I haven't heard anything but nice comments about the event. The committees and all the volunteers did a fine job and words cannot express the thanks they should be given. After a crowd, estimated be tween 15,000 and 20,000 turned out Saturday, I think the clean-up crew did an outstanding job in having the city looking clean on (See AROUND, page ISA)
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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