Cf. e - journal
The Hoke County Newt- Established 1928 The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
VOL. LXVl NO. 41 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA $4 PER YEAR 10c PER COPY THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 18,1971
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TOTAL LOSS - Fire believed to have started in the kitchen area destroyed the trailer home of Mr. and Mrs. Winston Locklear in
Greenwood Trailer Park last Thursday. ?
Property Losses Skyrocket
From Series Of Home Fires
Medicaid Funds
Are Nearly Gone
Medicaid funds for the county are
tearly exhausted with five months
emaining in the fiscal year.
As of Jan. 1, $3,428.89 remained in
he budget for Medicaid payments, Miss
idabel McDonald, Hoke County director
jf social services, announced. A total of
525,289 has been expended for medical
Fire Razes
T railer Home
A fire believed to have started on the
kitchen stove destroyed a trailer in
Greenwood Trailer Park Thursday
morning.
The Winston Locklear family was
asleep when fire swept through the
trailer. The parents escaped with their
three children, two boys and a girl ages 2,
3 and 6 but nothing from the home was
saved.
Firemen from the Reaford department
summoned by a neighbor, Mrs. Catherine
Jackson, arrived in time to save the rear
bedroom, but Chief J.D. McMillian said
that heat and smoke had ruined the
contents of the room. The family auto,
parked near the trailer, was also saved.
Volunteers Set
Heart Sunday
February 28
Heart Sunday will be held Feb. 28 as
Heart Fund volunteers call on their
neighbors for contributions to combat
diseases of the heart and blood vessels,
Mike Wood, public education chairman of
the Hoke County Heart Association,
announced.
Balloons will also be sold to benefit the
Heart Fund this Saturday by Miss Pat
Scott and the Upchurch School
cheerleaders, he said.
The state Heart Association estimated
that two Americans die every minute
from heart and blood vessel diseases.
Each day more than 2,700 persons die
and every year more than 600,000
persons perish of heart attacks. Another
200,000 die of stroke, the Heart
Association said.
Abernethy Talks
With Lawmakers
Donald D. Abernethy, county
superintendent of schools, is meeting this
week with the North Carolina
congressional delegation in Washington.
He is meeting Tuesday and Wednesday
with legislators as a member of the
federal relations committee of the
superintendent's division of the North
Carolina Association of Educators.
assistance through December. $28,711
was budgeted for Medicaid this year,
although two months from last fiscal year
were paid from that.
"We're getting in the same shape here
with Medicaid that some of the other
counties are in," T.B. Lester, county
manager, said. He estimated that the
county had a deficit of six or seven
thousand dollars already, as bills are being
paid two months behind the services.
Lester said there were some funds
already budgeted to social services that
probably could be transferred to the
Medicaid portion. Miss McDonald will
present a financial report to the social
services advisory board on Feb. 75.
The bills for February totaled $3,900.
Lester said, the highest monthly bill since
the program began in January, 1970. The
bill for last month was $2,900.
"January, February and March are
usually our most expensive months,"
Lester said.
A total of 995 persons are using the
Medicaid program in the county, Miss
McDonald said. Eligible for the program
are all persons who receive public
assistance and some residents who are
eligible for medical assistance only.
Additionally, many hundreds of
applications for the program have been
processed by the social services
department, Miss McDonald said,
however, the applicants did not qualify.
Lester pointed out that funds for the
entire portion of Medicaid were included
in the state budget.
"But, 1 understand that other welfare
costs, like payments for AFDC and old
age assistance, are going up. and I don't
know if the county will gain any
financially from the state paying all the
medical bills."
Some Medicaid funds will probably
have to be included in next years budget
anyway, Lester said, to make up the
deficit in this year's payments.
Plate Sale
Set Mar. 5
Puppy Creek Fire Department will
hold its 5th annual all - day barbeque
plate sale on March 5.
Deliveries will be made to the vicinity
of Raeford, Fayetteville and Ft. Bragg.
Puppy Creek usually sells about 1,500
plates at the fund - raising dinner.
For more information, call Pau'
Johnson at 875-2747.
Property losses have soared this year as
;n outbreak of home fires since Christmas
lave killed two persons and left at least
ix families homeless.
Fd McNeill, chief of the Hillcresl Fire
Department and president of the Hoke
Tounty Firemen's Association, blamed
ihe increase at least partly on the severe
;old weather.
"It's hard to say just why we've had so
many more fires this year than last." he
said. "But I think it is at least partly due
to the cold weather."
At least two recent fires in the Hillcrest
district began in the heating system, he
said. These were the fires at Upchureh
Turkey Farms and the Carl Virgil home.
J.D McMillian, chief of the Raeford
department, reported this week that
property loss from fires so far this year is
almost four limes the total for 1070.
Property losses in the Raeford district
due to fires in 1970 was approximately
S3,500, he said. Losses in the first six
weeks of 1971 are SI 2,250.
The Hillcrest district also reported a
sharp increase for 1971. Properly losses
last year were estimated at S23.900.This
included a cotton gin and a new trailer
home, McNeil! said, which increases the
value of the property loss considerably.
So far this year, losses have amounted to
S39.200. Included in this are three homes
that were totally destroyed and a
substantial loss at the turkey farm.
North Raeford fire district reported
$36,450 in properly loss last year. Large
losses included the Hunter Carroll home
and a tobacco barn belonging to Julian
Wright. Losses in January have totaled
S2.000. Johnny Baker, chief of North
Raeford department reported. A total of
53 alarms were answered last year in the
district, he said.
Rockfish Fire Department reported 16
fire calls for 1970-71 with losses
amounting to $9,500 in buildings and
Si2,000 in contents. Four homes have
been lost completely, Julian Barnes,
chief, reported and two have received
minor damage. One store was totally
destroyed. There were four woods fires
and three false alarms, he said.
Puppy C'rcek Fire Department reported
property losses of SI 5,000 for 1970.
Two elderly men, both of whom were
alone at the time of the fire, have died in
house fires this year. Preston McPhatter
and Will Baldwin both perished in fires
that completely destroyed their homes.
At least six other homes have been lost
completely since Dec. 30. These include
the Jacobs' and the Virgils' on Rockfish
road, the Bethea home in North Raeford,
the Wilkes home off 401-A and two
house trailers. At least one other home
_and one house trailer have been destroyed
by fire this winter
Baker commented that many of the
calls his department receives come too
late to save the home.
"We keep running into the problem of
people not knowing the number to call,
or calling the wrong place or something
like that," he said. "The firemen's
association here gave out telephone
stickers with the central number,
8754242 on it, but they haven't been as
effective as we had hoped."
Around T own
Bv SAM MORRIS
The hoke County Rescue Squad has
been deeded a lot on Adams Street near
the Armory where they will build a new
Rescue Squad building. The building will
cost approximately SI8,800 and to get
started they must have S2800, cash in
hand. They can get a loan of SI6,000
after they have the S2800.
The Rescue Squad receives money
from the Hoke County United Fund so
they can not go out and solicit from the
public. Of course they will have suppers
and other projects to raise this money,
but this will take a i?ng time.
We all know the fine work that these
men do in the county. They work for free
and are always on duty.
Now if anyone has a few dollars they
would like to contribute to a worthy
cause, now is the time to do it. The
contribution will be tax deductible and
would help get the building program
started.
Just make out your check to Hoke
County Rescue Building Fund and mai
to P.O. Box 3.17, Raeford, N.C.
Civil Court Holds
One Hour Session
District Civil Court held a one hour
session Monday and dismissed for the
term.
Judge D.B Herring opened court at 10
a.m.. heard four divorce cases and two
civil actions and closed the session at 11.
Action on two civil suits and two
divorces, calendared for this lerm. was
continued.
Absolute divorces were granted in the
following cases Charles R. Hill vs. Nancy
G. Hill; William N Mclnnis vs. Carolyn
Russell Mclnnis; Carolyn Douglas Walters
vs. Danny Jennings Walters and Judith
Carol Riley vs. Douglas Mitchell Riley.
Royce Stoenner and Aurelian's
Boutique. Inc. consented to pay S990.25
to Jonathan Logan, Inc. and the dress
firm agreed to dismiss the action.
A judgment b\ default was awarded to
GAF Corporation against Bryan Builders
Supply Inc.
Continued for the term were Xerox
Corporation vs. J.H. Wright and J.H.
Wright Realty Company; Mid ? South
Industries Division of Carter Miol
Engineering Company vs. Huntington
Distributors Inc. and Huntington
Manufacturing Company.
Also continued were Donald McLean
vs. Sahara Austin McLean and Mary
Helen Small vs. Herbert Small.
Superior Civil Session
r,nnv<*nfts Here March 1
It you want a ticket to the Jefferson -
Jackson Day dinner that will take place in
Rjleigh on March (>, come by the office
and leave $50 and you will have a first
class sej. v . .ve just a few left, so first
come will be first served.
Don't forget the piano concert at the
Civic Center tonight (Thursday) at seven
o'clock. It is sponsored by the Raeford
Kiwanis Club and the Chamtnade Music
Club. Betty Wishart of Lpmberton will
present the concert. She is the daughter
of Mrs. Hallie Freeman Wishart of
Lumberton and a granddaughter of Mrs.
W E. Freeman.
We have received a number of calls
inquiring about the engagement picture
last week of Kathleen Elizabeth Gamble.
She is the daughter of the late Lt. Col.
Louis Gamble who went to the army with
the local guard unit in 1940. Gamble was
the son of an army Colonel and he always
called Raeford his home. He left the local
unit and was accepted at West Point
where he graduated. He died of a brain
tumor a few years ago.
The Keys that were turned into the
office recently by John R. Davis are still
awaiting an owner. If you have lost a ring
of keys come by and look them over.
Mrs. A.A. Mclnnis, Rockfish
correspondent called this week and said
that she taught Staley Andrews in the
first grade at Rockfish. We wrote about
him in this column last week She said
that it was in a one room schoolhouse
and that Staley was a smart boy. We like
to receive calls like this as we know
people are reading the paper
Republicans
Meet Monday
Republican precinct meetings and the
county convention will be held Monday
night at the courthouie.
The precinct meetings will begin at
7:30 pan. and the county convention will
follow, Mr*. Edith Nixon, county GOP
chairman said.
Hoke County Superior Court opens a
civil session March 1 with 23 cases
calendared for trial. Judge Thomas D.
Cooper. Jr. will preside.
James C. Lentz vs Jack Haynes Lentz is
scheduled for trial Monday. The case
ended in a mistrial last March when the
jury failed to reach a verdict.
Also calendared for Monday are John
Dunk McNeill, administer of Mary Jane
McNeill Estate vs Preston and Lois Jean
Moore; Vilma L. Massey vs Bird Elias
Beardsley and Fred Brown vs.
Westinghouse Electric Corporation.
Cases scheduled for Tuesday include
Red Springs Supply Co. Inc. and Red
Springs Implement Co. vs. J.A. Roper,
Myrline Rogers Locklear vs Furman
Locklear; In the Matter of Elbert F.
Ramey vs a petition for writ of habeas
corpus; Walter T. Myers vs Whitney
Trading Corporation, Morton Shoe
Company and William E. Coffland.
Also scheduled Tuesday are G.B
Spence and Hallum Furniture Company
vs Lannie Hollingsworth; and Bank of
Raeford vs Frederick Nash Davis and
Mary Ann Davis.
Wednesday's calendar includes Mary
Elizabeth Parks b> N/F Alma Edwards vs
Clayton Eugene Parks; Raeford Lumber
Company, Inc. vs Julian H. Blue, Jr.;
Ruth McLean as N/F of Sandra J Leach
vs Jaohn A. Leach, Peoples National
Fund, Inc. vs Erbon Rae And Audrey
Maynor; Esse County Welfare Biard vs
Jimmy L McGregor; Ford Motor Credit
Company vs George Pittman and Nick
Easterling vs Ed Gibson.
Cases scheduled for trial Friday include
Larry Drake Saunders by N/F Albert
Saunders vs Glenn William Wood; Barbara
Jean Messissco vs Gary R Messissco;
Bobby A. Smith vs William Culp McNeill;
Lyndell J. Robertson vs J.T. Harris;
Frances P Branch vs Gene Nelson Land
and Dilmar Transport Company and
Hoke County vs Lonnie B. Locklear,
Margaret Locklear, Lacy Collier and
Carolina Model Homes Corporation.
Most of the cases scheduled for this
session date back to 1966. Thirteen of
the 23 cases originated in 1966. Three
cases each were put on the calendar in
1968 and 1969 and two cases each
originated in 1967 and 1970.
Forty ? seven persons were named to
the jury list for the March 1 session.
Prospective jurors are Jimmy Bullard,
Joe Lewis Moore, Joyce Ann Blackburn,
Mrs. Sadie Watson, John Bryan Cameron
Quincy M. Ray. Edward L. Cameron
Susie Blue Davis, Henry Lee Leak
Ronald E. Williams, Harold Dean Solmon
Kathleen M. Jones, Lee Manuel Jones
Sara Dees Conoly, Jessee R. Lee. W.L.
Roper. Mrs. Thomas D. Walker. Lacine
Bratcher, Queen Fster Patterson, Addie
Retha Cherry, William Hollingsworth,
David Latham, Mrs. H.D. Harrison, Jr.
and Georgia McDonald
Also selected are Novella Margaret
Barkley, J.H. Austin, Eugene Carpenter,
Irma Neal Gates, Martha Barrington
Upehurch, Ronald M. Huffman, Lyn
Locklear, William Graham, Betty Jo
Stephens, Maggie Caldwell McNeill, Mays
Taylor, Lula Jenkins, S.T. Fellows,
Roscoe Baxley, Jesse James Taylor, Jr.,
Mrs. T.C. Scarborough, Mrs. Winnie
Cameron, Clifton A. Bennett. Emily B.
Cameron, Gereline Riley Clifton,
Alexander McMillan, Frances VIcRae
Foster and John D. Black.
Fine Arts On Exhibit
Saturday At F estival
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CHAMPS - Paul Smith (leftI and Donald Plummet captured first place in the
conference wrestling tournament in Sanford Monday. Smith wrestles at 101 pounds
and is unbeaten this season. Plummet, a freshman, wrestles at 108 pounds
The fine arts will be spotlighted this
week as the Ract'ord Woman's Clubs
sponsors its annual Fine Arts Festival
Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the
Raeford United Methodist Church
fellowship hall.
Awards will be jjiven for literature,
public speaking, sewing, music, art, crafts
and photography. The entries will be
exhibited all day Saturday and the public
is invited to attend.
Entries will be accepted at the
fellowship hall Wednesday and Thursday
afternoon from I to 5.
The sewing competition will be held at
the church at 3:30 on Friday. Music
competition will be held Saturday at 2
p.m. in the Civic Center. The public is
invited to hear the contestants.
The art and craft categories are popular
exhibits each year. In art, prizes are
awarded for mixed media, portrait, water
color, graphic art, landscape or marine in
oil or acrylic, oil patting, child's portrait,
best over-all in exhibit, second and third.
The crafts include twenty-two
categories. These are: books, floral
arrangements, jewelry, metal craft,
textile, leather work, woodworking.
City Hires
Policeman
Jimmy Riley began work this week as a
city policeman. Chief of Police L.W.
Stanton announced.
Riley, 30, is the son of Mr. and Mrs
J.K. Riley. He is a Hoke County resident
and graduated from Hoke County High
School. Riley formerly operated a service
station on 401 By pass. He is married and
has one child.
weaving, needlework, crocheting,
needlepoint and petitpomt. crewel
embroidery, knitting, decoupage,
sculpture, pottery, ceramics, china
painting, mosaics, tole, holiday crafts and
miscellaneous.
Hoke 4-H'ers Will
Stage Program
Hoke County 4-H'ers will hold their
annual Achievement Program Thursday at
7 30 p.m. at the Racford Elementary
School Auditorium.
About 60 4 ? H members will receive
project awards. Talmadge Baker, former
assistant county agriculture extension
agent, will present certificates of
achievement to county project
champions.
Special awards to be presented include
the Key Awaid. the'I Dare You award,
the Home - Economics award and the
Agriculture award.
Delegates to the Citizenship
Shortcourse, held in the summer in
Washington, D C., will also be announced.
The awards to electric project winners
will be presented ,by Joe Sinclair,
agriculture engineer for Carolina Power
and Eight Company. Speaker for the
evening will be Bill Garmon, district 4-H
specialist, whose theme will be "To Make
The Best Better."
Junior Health King and Queen will be
crowned and the most outstanding boy
and girl for juniors and seniors will be
annouced. Junior winners will be
presented a scholarship to 4-H camp anc
the senior winners will go to 4-h
Congress. The most outstanding club wil
also be recognized.