The
ews
IH
I ournal
Hoke County^s newspaper since 1905
No.47Vol.110
Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, January 27,2016
Candidate files, withdraws complaint
Accuses sheriff of violating election law at Civic League meeting, online
A
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
James Allen
Hubert Peterkin Kristy Newton
District Attorney candidate James
Allen filed and then withdrew a com
plaint against Hoke County Sheriff
Hubert Peterkin this week, claiming
that Peterkin was breaking the law
by campaigning for incumbent DA
Kristy Newton while on duty and call
ing into question some of the sheriff’s
alleged actions at a Civic League
meeting held earlier this month.
Peterkin denied the claims and al
leged that Allen’s complaint was based
on racial politics, an allegation that
Allen said is untrue.
The complaint, a five-page letter
sent by email to the Hoke and Scot
land County boards of elections and to
the state board of elections on Sunday,
was withdrawn Monday, according to
elections officials.
The letter stated that Peterkin at
tended a meeting of the Hoke County
Civic League, described by Allen as
“a community organization of minor
ity churches,” while wearing a cer
emonial sheriff’s badge affixed to
{See COMPLAINT, page 10)
Above:Trees blocked numerous roads in the area, including Club Pond Road. (Hal Nunn photo) Right: Mantise Andrews handles
salt at Raeford Hardware Store. (Catharin Shepard photo)
Ice man cometh and shutteth down county
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
More than 2,300 households in Hoke
County lost power at some point during
last week’s winter storm, but overall the
county fared well, according to emer
gency management officials.
Winter Storm Jonas (so-named by
The Weather Channel), which sparked
warnings throughout the mid-Atlantic
and Northeast, roared into North
Carolina Thursday night bringing sleet.
freezing rain and a dusting of snow.
Hoke was under a Winter Storm
Warning from Thursday until Saturday
due to the threat of ice accumulation.
Early forecasts suggested anywhere
from a quarter to three-quarters of an
inch of ice, depending on location. The
county then received about a half-inch
to an inch of snow, with some areas
in the northwest seeing the heaviest
snowfall.
The sun was out and temperatures
were warmer Saturday afternoon and
Sunday, although officials warned of
the potential for black ice on roadways
overnight.
Hoke schools first announced a
two-hour delay, then canceled classes
and activities Friday for students and
staff The school system has not made a
decision about a possible make-up day.
Students were back at school Monday.
Downed trees, tree branches falling
on power lines and car accidents were
the biggest problems in the county
(See STORM, page 4)
Finance
director
replaced
Mayo retires
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Hoke County Finance Officer Barry Mayo
resigned from his job last month and the
Board of Commissioners voted last week to
have Assistant Finance Officer Garvin Fer
guson serve as an interim replacement.
Mayo, who retired, according to county
human resources personnel, worked his last
day on December 31.
The county commission hired Mayo in
January 2014 to take over for Ferguson, who
was at that time serving as the county’s chief
finance officer.
The commissioners voted unanimously at
the board’s last meeting to approve Ferguson
as the interim finance officer.
The Local Government Commission had
requested that the county appoint an interim
director for the finance department, Fergu
son said.
Additionally, the commissioners pro
moted Latonya Benjamin to serve as Human
Resources Administrator I and are seeking
to fill an open Human Resources Technician
I position. The board also promoted Inspec
tions Department trainee Scotty Locklear to
Inspector II.
This Week
Five named to Hoke High Athletics HaU of Fame
350 attend
King banquet
Page 10
Browsing the Files 2
Classifieds 9
Deaths 4
Editorials 3
By Hal Nunn
Sports writer
Morrison
Woods
McKenzie
Pickett
Barnhil
The Hoke County High
School Hall of Fame
committee has announced
the fifth induction class
into the Athletics Hall of
Fame. The 2016 Hall of
Fame inductees are Walter
Barnhill, Marseill McK
enzie, Bruce Morrison,
Marco Pickett and Don M.
Woods. A banquet honor
ing them will be held on
February 5, 2016 beginning
at 5 p.m. at West Hoke
Middle School.
(See HALL OF FAME,
page 5)
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Textingy one, two, three
By Ken MacDonald
Follow
us on
Focebook
www.thenews-journal.com
www.raefordnj.com
What did we do before texting? My son, “Bus Boy,”
sent me a phone photo of himself cooking spaghetti on
his school bus’s cooking system. He and his wife say it’s
too cold in Apex to enjoy working on the project of re
furbishing the bus right now, but the work they’d already
done became useful when his house’s power went off in
the ice storm this weekend. The photo depicted what
(See OTHER STUFF, page 4)
Couple’s
house bums
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
This South Stewart St. house is a total loss. (MacDonald photo)
A local couple lost their
home and belongings in a
house fire last week, accord
ing to officials.
A house on South Stewart
Street in Raeford caught on
(See FIRE, page 10)
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