The
ews
IH
J ournal
Hoke County^s newspaper since 1905
No.50Vol.110
Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, February 17,2016
211 road work to begin in couple weeks
One lane closing at a time between Raeford and Aberdeen, DOT says
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Not a good sign.
Drivers can expect delays on N.C. 211 be
tween Aberdeen and Raeford over the next sev
eral months as work gets underway on patching
and then repaving the road.
Barnhill Contracting will start work on the
project soon, according to project engineer John
Ollinger of the North Carolina Department of
Transportation.
“They plan to start patching with some full
depth patching in the next week or two, depend
ing on the weather of course, and (will) start
paving around March 15, which is our seasonal
limitation for paving,” he said.
The entire project should take about one-and-
a-half to two months to complete, but that also
depends on the weather, Ollinger said. The state
doesn’t allow paving work to begin until March
15 each year because the asphalt won’t set cor
rectly in cold temperatures, and if Hoke gets a
wet spring, it could take more time for workers
to complete the project.
“If we get a lot of rain, it could go longer,”
Ollinger said.
The patching process involves digging out
broken sections of road to replace them, and the
repaving process will put a new, smooth surface
{See PAVING, page 10)
Candidates Debate
Bottom; Candidates for Hoke County Commission Bobby Wright (left to right), James Leach, and Joe Alston listen as
Lonnie Baldwin make his case. Top: James Allen (left), candidate for Hoke-Scotland District Attorney, listens as incumbent
Kristy Newton makes hers.The Raeford-Hoke Chamber of Commerce and News-journal-sponsored debate drew a large
crowd last night to the Senior Room of the Old Armory. Look for a story in next week’s paper. (Ken MacDonald photos)
Drilling shows
no gas, oil here
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Samples of rock taken
from Hoke County last
May show the ground here
doesn’t have any oil or
natural gas resources worth
pursuing, according to state
geologists.
The North Carolina
Geological Survey drilled
samples from state-owned
land in Hoke, Cumberland
and Scotland counties last
year in an attempt to map
out possible resources.
Given the results of the
testing, if North Carolina
does pursue fracking in the
future, Hoke and surround
ing counties won’t be on
the list of possible sites.
The drill sites included
the Department of Trans
portation yard off of
Turnpike Road in Raeford,
at the State Highway Patrol
headquarters in Scotland
County and near a Wildlife
Commission Resources
facility in Cumberland
County.
(See DRILLING, page 6)
County budget talks
waiting on audit
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
The Hoke County Board
of Commissioners is pre
paring to move into a new
budget season, but are still
awaiting the arrival of the
official audit.
The audit is complete
but is still in the hands of
the Local Government
Commission, according to
County Manager Letitia
Edens. The commissioners
had the audit presentation
scheduled for their first
meeting earlier this month,
but by Monday night, the
report still hadn’t been
returned to the county. The
audit presentation will be
held at an upcoming meet
ing, but the date is not yet
set.
(See BUDGET, page 10)
This Week
Local talent featured
Students face
one make-up day
Page 4
in ‘Piano Keys’ show
Browsing the Files 2
Classifieds 9
Deaths 6
Editorials 3
Police blotter 10
Look for
this symbol
to find stores
that sell The
News-Journal
Local producer Michele
Johnson will hold a fashion
show next week featuring
homegrown talent as well
as collections from design
ers including NediA Col
lection, Renaldo’s, Elegant
Evenings and more.
“Piano Keys,” a show
presented by Johnson’s Po-
rodax Praductions, Eash-
ionCon Runway Show, will
be held from 7-10 p.m. Sat
urday, Eebruary 27 at the
National Guard Armory at
305 Teal Drive in Raeford.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Hoke County designers
Nachele Johnson of Crystal
Einish and Julionne John
son of Recycled Integrated
Possibilities (RIP) Designs
Incorporated will show
case their work during the
show.
(See FASHION, page 6)
Participants in the “Piano Keys” FashionCon Runway Show. (Contributed photo)
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Family says woman, child are missing
Sheriff says there’s no indication of foul play
By Ken MacDonald
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Like many folks around here, I have pleasant memories
of Camp Monroe—the fresh tea and homemade rolls at
dinner, the sweet sight of girls, and the refreshing breeze
of an approaching thunderstorm before it blows your head
off with lightning strikes to pine trees. Oops... I digress.
I was a camper there in my formative years and came
to love this 300-acre what-was-then Presbyterian rustic
spot near Laurel Hill. I signed the Big Book of Campers
that resided in the doorway of the dining hall; I swam in
(See OTHER STUFF, page 4)
The family of a woman and young child report
ed them missing from their home in Hoke County
last week, but authorities believe the woman chose
to leave and is not in any danger.
Eamily members said they have not seen or
heard from Lakiay Monique Arevalo, 33, and her
son, Noah Daniel Arevalo-Rodriguez, 3, since
Monday, Eebruary 8. Arevalo does not have a car
and left behind her two-year-old son who is staying
(See MISSING, page 10)
Lakiay Monique Arevalo and Noah