The
ews
If it happened, it’s news to us
No.4VoL107
Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, April 4,2012
$14 million wastewater plant clears hurdle
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
After years of development, Hoke County’s
wastewater treatment plant cleared a hurdle
this week as a United States Department
of Agriculture official announced available
funding for the $14 million facility.
Steve Smith with the USDA Rural Develop
ment Center’s regional office presented com
missioners with an overview of the proposed
terms and conditions for the funding during
the board meeting Monday. A $10.7 million
loan and $2 million grant from the USDA
would join a zero-percent interest $1.6 million
loan from Lumbee River EMC to back the
project. The larger loan will have at maximum
a 2.75 percent interest rate, down from the
3.25 percent interest rate officials expected
just a month ago. If the rate drops even lower
between now and when the paperwork is
signed, the county will get the benefit of the
lower rate, officials said.
Officials aren’t sure yet how much the
county will have to pay each year for the debt
service on the loans, but the lower interest
rate on the largest loan will save the county
taxpayers a lot of money over the repayment
period. County Manager Tim Johnson said.
Additionally, the $2 million grant is more
than twice the amount the county originally
(See WASTEWATER, page 8A)
911 recording
shows honor
of murder
Child: Areyou going to die?’
Mom: lam!
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
The man accused of fatally
shooting a couple in front
of children last month will
face ad-
in court.
Brown was pronounced
dead on arriving at Cape
Fear Valley Medical Center
and Mook died the next day
after undergoing emergency
surgery.
ditional
charges,
law en
force -
m e n t
officials
said.
John
Oliver
Hill Jr.,
48, was
charged
with two counts of first-
degree murder in the shooting
deaths of Tommy Charles
Brown and Thalia Mook of
110 TC Jones Road. Wit
nesses told investigators that
Hill walked across the street
from his home on Philippi
Church Road onto the fam
ily’s property and shot Brown
from behind and then shot
Mook when she came out of
the house onto the front porch,
according to an affidavit filed
Brown and Mook
his Week
Soldier gets second
Purple Heart
page 8 A
Police chief
sworn in
page4A
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 5B
Deaths 3 A
Editorials 2A
Legals 3-4B
Sports 7A
Worship 2B
We’re on the web at
www.thenews-joumal.com
Readby4,500 each week
s a 1
more
charg
es are
p e n d -
ing in
the case
against
Hill.
Hill is set
to appear in court April 11,
according to a courthouse
schedule.
The Hoke County Emer
gency Communications
Center last week released
a recording of a 911 call.
In part of the recording, a
child screams repeatedly
for his mother. At one point
the child asked his mother
if she was going to die, and
she replied, “I am.”
Documents filed at the
Hoke County Courthouse
(See MURDER, page 6A)
Thousands braved the carnival
rides at the first ever Hokee
Pokee barbecue contest. Left,
Morris Locklear tries to win his
daughter a stuffed toy.
Carnival well-received by diousands
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
The first annual Hokee Pokee Barbecue Festival and Car
nival faced a spring downpour Saturday but crowds turned
out in full force for the weekend after the skies cleared.
Organizers estimated between 15,000 and 17,000 people
stopped by to try the barbecue, hop on a ride or carry a
tune on the karaoke stage during the event that ran from
Wednesday through Sunday.
“It was very successful, we had big crowds of people that
enjoyed particularly the barbecue cook-off competition,”
festival director Hubert Bullard said. “It was dampened
a little bit by weather Saturday morning but we sold a lot
of barbecue to a lot of hungry people, and they said it was
some of the best barbecue they’ve ever eaten.”
The competition judges also praised the event for being
(See CARNIVAL, page 6A)
Hoke’s homeless efforts may get $52,000
Hoke County’s homeless
efforts may have attracted
more than $50,000 in aid.
After participating for the
first time in North Carolina’s
Point-in-Time count of the
homeless, Hoke County Co
joined four other counties in
a program called Balance of
State, thus qualifying HC-
CAH for state funding. This
year Hoke County helping
groups may receive more than
$52,000.
same umbrella as Anson,
Richmond, Moore and Mont
gomery counties. AHRMM,
as the five-county group is
called, met recently at the
Hoke County Public Library.
Emila Sutton, head of the
of Care, outlined three “As,”
keys to ending homelessness,
as affordable housing, appro
priate services and adequate
income. The ultimate goal is
to go from managing home
lessness to ending homeless-
alition Against Homelessness Hoke is now under the Balance of State Continuum ness.
HCCAH’s immediate goal
is a transition home for
women and children. The
state stipulates that the state
money cannot be spent to
build a dwelling for housing
the homeless.
(See HOMELESS, page 8A)
New banquet will honor Hoke sheriff’s deputies
By Catharin Shepard
will receive awards for their Office.
Staff writer
Hoke County law en
forcement officers, detention
officers and some civilians
service to the community
this month at the county’s
inaugural law enforcement
awards banquet, presented
by the Hoke County Sheriff’s
The event, set for April
20 and hosted by Gilbert
Baez, will present awards
for meritorious conduct,
longevity, lifesaving actions
and others, including an Of
ficer of the Year award. The
banquet is open to the public
and tickets are available for
$25 per person by contact
ing the Sheriff’s Office. The
awards presentation will take
place at 6:30 p.m. at the Mat
thew Rouse Jr. Community
Resource Center on Pittman
Grove Church Road.
(See BANQUET, page 8A)
By Ken MacDonald
You’re a high school administrator, and you arrive to
work Monday morning at O-dark-30, and there before
you are thousands of foam cups and plates arranged
neatly on tthe grounds and steps and walls of your
school. Then you remember—^yesterday was April
Fool’s Day.
Vandalism or harmless prank?
It’s a debate that surfaces from time to time, like
(See OTHER STUEE, page 5A)
Maybe the best April Fool’s joke to plague a Hoke County school ever.The senior miscreants
are “doing the time” now for it, having been “sentenced” to chores and in-school suspension.