The
ews
If it happened, it’s news to us
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Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, May 2,2012
County tax bills, records going online
Residents of east Hoke particularly want internet convenience, officials say
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Hoke residents will soon be able to pay their
property tax bills online or search a public
database of county property tax payments
from the last 10 years.
The county is moving to put the public
information online and is also setting up an
automated system that will allow residents
to pay their tax bills online with a credit or
debit card, tax collector Daphne Dudley said.
It’s just one new option and residents can
still come in to pay in person if they don’t
have internet access or don’t want to pay a
fee for paying online, she said. The county
is also automating its phone payment system
so residents paying property taxes over the
phone can expect a fee as well.
If paying with a Visa card, the fee for pay
ing online or through the phone is $2.95. If
it’s not a Visa card, the charge is 2.5 percent
of the total amount you’re paying, Dudley
said. Before the changes, the county paid
the fees to allow residents to pay with a card
over the phone.
Currently, there is no fee to pay with a card
inside the tax office but that could change too,
Dudley said. Paying with a check in person
avoids all of the credit card fees.
The county moved to offer an online pay
ment system because many residents, particu
larly in the eastern part of the county, frequently
asked about a way to pay property taxes with
out having to come to the tax office in Raeford.
(See TAX BILLS, page 8A)
Hunter
pleads in
shooting
Accident killed
soldier on trail
A man pleaded guilty last
month in the 2011 shooting
of a U.S. Army soldier on the
All-American Trail.
Allen Thompson of Moore
County pleaded guilty to
criminally negligent hunting
in the shooting death of Capt.
Jeremiah Sipes, 33, of Mon
tana. Thompson accidentally
shot Sipes while hunting on
the trail, according to court
documents. Thompson faces
up to 120 days in prison and
a fine of up to $250,000. The
sentencing hearing is set for
month.
Sipes was shot and killed
while running on the All-
American Trail on New
Year’s Day 2011. The trail is
closed to pedestrians each fall
into the first of the year for
hunting season. After Sipes’
death. Fort Bragg officials
posted larger, more easily vis
ible signs at the trail entrances
and exits to let guests know
whether the trail is open or
closed for pedestrians, bicy
clers, horseback riders and
others.
The Army Criminal In
vestigation Division handled
the case. The redacted report
of the investigation will be
available after Thompson is
sentenced, a CID representa
tive said.
Literaq^ Council
honors student
page 5 A
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 5B
Deaths 3 A
Editorials 2A
Legals 3-4B
Sports 7A
Worship 2B
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Above, Don Steed team members Allison Leis, Carol Lewis,
Linda Chapman and Tammy Kondzitch show the shirt sup
porting a first grade student and cancer victim:at left, walkers
pass luminarias. (Catharin Shepard photos)
Relay persists
for cancer cute
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
* -V
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u',
In the middle of a noisy
crowd at Raz Autry Stadium
and with loud music boom
ing from the main stage,
three women paused for a
private moment in front of
a tiny white paper bag.
Tychenna Williams,
clutching a bouquet of pink
flowers, knelt down on the
side of the walking track
to take a photo of the lumi-
naria bearing her mother’s
name, as sister Cicely Har
rington and cousin Larachel
McPhatter-Morrisey stood
together with her in quiet
support.
Shirley Harrington passed
away March 25,2012, and at
this year’s Relay for Life fun
draiser, her family gathered
for a special memorial in her
honor—and to give hope to
others who, like Harrington,
face a battle with the disease.
“My aunt Shirley had
cancer. Her type of cancer
was thyroid cancer, and
we lost her in about three
months’ time, which was
something that was very hard
for the family,” McPhatter-
Morrisey said.
(See RELAY, page 6A)
2,000 Girl Scouts
...from central and eastern North Carolina converged on
Five Points Horse Park over the weekend to celebrate the
organization’s 100th birthday.The girls took part in camp
ing, making crafts, performing in a talent show, and going
on nature hikes. (Catharin Shepard photos)
Soldier kiUed in Afghanistan
^ F V TTniteH SJtatpc Armv .Sltaff was nricrinallv from F.Hf'n Ffp
By Ken MacDonald
This week it’s time for another episode of We Do Science
So You Don’t Have To.
An app that is crazy popular, getting attention
from the likes of CNN, is Ugly Meter, which uses
the iPhone’s built-in camera to capture a photo of the
owner, then rates the person’s appearance on a scale of
1 to 10. Remember, this is the ugly meter, so a 10 is the
(See OTHER STUEE, page 5A)
United States Army Staff
Sgt. Brandon Eggleston, a
Special Forces soldier who
lived in Raeford, was killed in
Afghanistan last week.
Eggleston, 29, died April
26 in Ghazni province, Af
ghanistan as a result of injuries
sustained when his vehicle
drove over an improvised
explosive device. Eggleston
was originally from Eden. He
lived in Raeford with his wife
Karen and their two children.
Eggleston was assigned to
4th Battalion, 3rd Special Forc
es Group based at Fort Bragg,
according to the Department
of Defense. He graduated
from Morehead High School
in 2001 and earned a degree
(See SOEDIER, page 8A)
Mom sentenced
for child abuse
The mother and
grandmother of an in
fant burned by chemicals
used to make meth-
amphetamine were
found guilty on mul
tiple charges and sen-
(See ABUSE, page 8A)