The
ews
I ourncl
Hoke Count3^s newspaper since 1905
No.42Vol.108
Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, December 25,2013
Community forest now open, sort of
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
What may be the first com
munity forest in the southeastern
United States is now open to the
public, Hoke County Manager
Tim Johnson said.
The Hoke Community Forest, a
collaboration between the county
Parks and Recreation department
and the Conservation Fund, is still
closed off with gates but it’s now
okay to park on the roadside and
go walking on the trails, Johnson
said. The forest features more than
500 acres of relatively untouched
wilderness that will remain un
developed and open to the public
year-round.
Mikki Sager, vice president and
resourceful communities program
director for the Conservation
Fund, said the fund and the county
have been working closely to pre
pare the area for public use.
“We have been working with
the county to complete some trail
improvements and signage, hiking
trails, environment education, all
kinds of things,” she said.
Rockfish Creek runs through
part of the forest and the county
has worked to clear out brush in
several areas to make spaces along
the creek suitable for launching
canoes and kayaks. The creek is
not very wide or deep in some
areas of the forest but does have
{See FOREST, page 3A)
DJ Boykins (right) and his friend Shaniqua Blue thought it perfectly sane to spend two nights on a sidewalk to nab a pair of shoes. (Ken MacDonald photo)
Collector shoes bring out happy campers
Would you sleep on a sidewalk for two nights for a pair of sneakers?
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
The wait was until 8 a.m. Sat
urday, but the line of chairs set up
in front of Hibbett Sporting Goods
in Raeford had been there since 1
p.m. Thursday.
Eighteen people braved the
cold overnight Thursday, and sat
in place all day Friday and Friday
night, to have a chance to buy a
limited edition pair of Nike Air
Jordan XI Gamma Blue shoes that
had already sold out everywhere
else in North Carolina and in most
other places across the country.
The line of people, mostly col
lege students home on Christmas
break, bundled up in blankets to
have a chance to buy the special
shoes.
DJ Boykins was first in line,
along with friend Shaniqua Blue.
Boykins, a student at Fayetteville
Community College, and Blue, a
student at Bladen Community
(See SNEAKERS, page 4A)
This Week
Horse Park
leadership changes
Page IB
Food giveaway
helps dozens
Page IB
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 6B
Deaths 3 A
Editorials 2A
Legals 3-5B
Worship 2B
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Homeless advocate Beatty dies
Martha Beatty
The founder of the Hoke
County Coalition Against
Homelessness died last week
at the age of 58.
Martha Beatty, who
worked for many years in ser
vice to the community, passed
away in her office on Dickson
Street Friday afternoon after
suffering an apparent seizure.
Beatty founded the Coali
tion Against Homelessness
and dedicated her time to
helping those in need. As
director of the coalition, she
worked to improve the lives
of homeless individuals and
families in Hoke County. She
worked to create the annual
homelessness awareness expo.
which held its fifth annual
meeting earlier this year.
In her work for the home
less, Beatty often sought to
collect toiletries and food to
give to people in need. She
worked with homeless indi
viduals to help them improve
their living situations, and at
(See BEATTY, page 4A)
Christmas cheer
Hoke Sheriff Hubert Peterkin (left),and Raeford Police officers (above) provided some
cheer for young citizens last week. Police, who gave toys to some 40 children,got some
help from Citizen Police Academy members and Called Into Action.
Kidnapping
charges filed
Locklear
D e p u -
ties with the
Hoke Coun
ty Sheriff’s
Office ar
rested a
16-year-old
Saturday on
charges that
he allegedly kidnapped and
beat his girlfriend.
Officers arrested Bradley
Wayne Locklear, 16, of the
600 block of Cope Road in
Red Springs on charges of
felony second-degree kidnap
ping, common law robbery,
assault by strangulation and
misdemeanor assault with a
deadly weapon in the pres
ence of aminor, assault inflict
ing serious injury, child abuse
and assault by pointing a gun.
He was held without bond due
(See KIDNAPPING,
page 3A)
FakebeU
ringer charged
A woman
from Ra
eford was
arrested last
week for al
legedly im
personating
a Salvation
Army worker.
according to the Raeford Po
lice Department.
Officers arrested Annie
Francis King, 51, of the 400
block of Cumberland Avenue
in Raeford on a charge of
obtaining property by false
pretense.
Police said that King was
dressed in a Salvation Army
apron and was ringing a bell,
walking down Main Street
in Raeford around 3:45 p.m.
last Thursday. She had a box
(See RINGER, page 3A)
Grinch steals
decorations
At least one person in Hoke
County wasn’t feeling the
spirit of the season.
Several people in the county
have reported having outdoor
decorations stolen from their
property in the last week. One
family reported missing sev
eral outdoor extension cords
and possibly other items from
their large outdoor display on
the 2700block of South Duffie
Road. The reporting person
asked not to be named, but said
the situation was made worse
because his wife suffers from
multiple sclerosis and the light
display was something that
brought her joy.
Anyone with information
about the theft is asked to con
tact the Hoke County Sheriff’s
Office at 875-5111.