The
ews
I ourncl
Hoke County’s newspaper since 1905
N0.41V01108
Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, December 18,2013
Ethanol plant sale possible by March
Owners say $100 million plant may go for less than $15 million, seek tax break
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
The plant, under construction in 2010.
A potential buyer could purchase the
former Clean Burn Fuels ethanol plant
next year for a fraction of the cost it
took to build it.
A buyer might close on the ethanol
plant by March 2014, likely at a price
of $15 million or less, according to
representatives with plant owner CBF
Holdings LLC. Attorney Sandy Sands
and holding company general man
ager Joel Britt revealed the news of
the potential sale Monday night while
speaking with the Hoke County Board
of Commissioners about the ethanol
plant’s assessed tax value.
“We are working with a buyer, and
we feel like it’s a very good group.
They’re going to be a great neighbor
for Hoke County. That purchase price
is somewhere south of $15 million,”
Britt said.
Sands also commented on the pos
sibility of selling the plant.
“We hope and (are) keeping our
fingers crossed that there may be the
possibility to have somebody else relo
cated in that facility and I am at liberty
to say that the sale price on that would
be somewhere south of $15 million,”
he said.
The ethanol plant cost over $100
million to build and operated for just
a few months before it shut down in
March 2011. Clean Burn Fuels de
clared bankruptcy in April 2011.
The plant went into foreclosure and
in August 2011 sold at auction to the
major lien holder for $34.5 million.
{See ETHANOL, page 6A)
Rockin’ Runners
Runners clashed down Magnolia Street Saturday morning for the Rockfish Hoke Elementary 5K “Rockin’ Raven Run” race.
Hundreds of students, their family members, teachers and other participants turned out to race through downtown Raeford,
many pushing strollers or jogging along with their dogs.The event was sponsored by the Ravens on the Run running club
at the elementary school. (Catharin Shepard photo)
2 found hiding
in yard, arrested
McLean
Parker
Deputies with the Hoke
County Sheriff’s Office
arrested two men last week
on burglary charges.
Investigators were
called to a breaking and
entering in progress on the
100 block of Seagull Drive.
A caller told a 911 dispatcher that she could see two men
breaking into the house of her neighbor, Gwendolyn Jones.
Deputies were able to speak with the caller, who reported
that the two suspects were hiding in her backyard and also
gave a physical description of the suspects.
Officers arrested Trevonte Parker, 17, and Keshandre M.
McLean, 19, no addresses provided, on charges of second-
degree burglary, according to a press release from the
Sheriff’s Office.
Both suspects were held in the Hoke County Detention
Center under $5,000 secured bonds.
School board elects officers
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
The Hoke County Board of Education named its new
officers for 2014 and recognized local students and a
coach for their achievements.
The board members unanimously elected Irish Pickett
to serve another one-year term as the chairwoman of the
board. The board also selected member Barbara Buie to
serve a one-year term as the vice chairwoman. The board;
select their new officers every year in December.
The school board recognized eight children in Hoke
schools who participated and won awards in the Farm
(See SCHOOL BOARD, page 4A)
This Week
Trekkers reach
South Pole
Page IB
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 5B
Deaths 3 A
Editorials 2A
Legals 4B
Sports 5 A
Worship 2B
East sewer system gets needed grant infusion
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Hoke County will receive
even more grant money
than anticipated to pay for
the long-planned waste-
water treatment plant, the
United States Department
of Agriculture announced
last week.
With the addition of a
$2.5 million grant from the
USDA’s Water and Waste
Disposal Loan and Grant
Program, the county will
now receive a total of $4.5
million in grant funding to
help pay for the $18 million
treatment plant system.
“The good news is we
got $4.5 million in grants,”
County Manager Tim John
son said.
The additional funding is
a good thing for the county
because the bids came in
higher than expected and
left officials looking for
more money to cover the
cost, he said.
“Originally it looked like
we were going to get $2
million in grants on that,
so when the bids came in
higher than what we were
given to believe they were
going to be from the engi
neer groups, we had to
(See GRANTS, page 4A)
By Ken MacDonald
On this Christmas trip to Mexico, I was in the Dallas
airport trying to unfold these long legs from the seemingly
permanent sitting position they were in. Curious by nature,
I followed a corridor from the terminal and walked, ex
pecting I’d soon hit a dead end. But no, it snaked this way
and that, stretching at least a mile until it deposited me
into C terminal. But what’s this? A Christmas fantasy land
had been constructed, like a scene from the Wizard of Oz,
but at Christmas. And there were dozens of people dressed
as elves lined up at the gate, forming two parallel lines like
a big welcome party. Then they began hooping and holler
ing and ringing gongs and blowing whistles, and children
emerged from the gate, a little timid, but all smiles. I sat
down to watch the spectacle and used my phone to look up
“Snowball Express,” the name emblazoned on the elves’
t-shirts.
(See OTHER STULL, page 6A)
Veteran of the Year
George Balch (with plaque) was awarded the first annual Veteran of the Year by Hoke County
Commissioners at Monday night’s meeting. With him (left to right) are Willie McCaskilfVFVV
Post 10, and commissioners Bobby Wright, Ellen McNeill, Jean Powell, Tony Hunt and James
Leach. (Photo by Hal Nunn)