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The Hoke County News - Established 1928 tu u . r
The Hoke County Journal - Established lQfK
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Around
Town
BY SAM C. MORRIS
The long range weather prediction
that was made last year, about this
was going to be a cold winter is
holding true these days. We have
already had more cold weather this
year than was had in my estimation
all last winter.
The forecast for the remainder of
the week calls for the cold weather
tqkremain. Maybe the ground hog
will give us a break in February.
While on the weather, the editor,
Paul Dickson, says that it rains every
Wednesday except when the papers
oome out on Tuesday. Then it rains
on Tuesday.
We deliver the Fort Bragg paper
and Paul seems to think that the rain
comes the day that we print it.
Maybe some good weatherman could
explain the reason to him.
? ? ?
Clarence Lytch called last week
and informed me that his pickup
truck was damaged only SIS instead
of the estimate of $250 made by the
police and published in The
News-Journal. We regret the error
but in this day and time it is hard to
tell what anything will cost until you
have it fixed.
I am just glad that only the pickup
was damaged and that Mr. Lytch was
not hurt in any way.
I hope that the error didn't cause
him any bad moments.
Be sure to look at the weather
diarts by Robert Gatlin this week. It
will surprise you at the amount of
rain we had in 1975.
The average rainfall for this
county is around 50 to 54 indies per
,year. This year we had over 72
inches.
t The letter that was in this column
last week from Bill Williamson of
Hamlet has brought forth some
comments from former members
that were omitted from the list that
Bill remembered.
Carson Davis said that 65 men
were in the unit that went to Fort
Moultrie, S.C. in 1938. He also said
that he had a picture and names of
the battery. If I can get this from
Carson I will run it in the paper and
then everyone will be mentioned and
Bill Williamson can complete his list.
If anyone else can come through
with the 1938 camp group please
send it in.
Until next week, if the weather
doesn't freeze us up, keep the New
Year going in the right direction.
STAMP LICKING-Post office patrons were doing more stamp licking than
usual last Wednesday as new rates went into effect on first class mail. Many
people were caught short and supplies of three cent stamps ran out early.
Post Office Swamped
Raeford post office employees
were swamped with hordes of
stamp buyers last Wednesday, the
first day of the new 13 cent rate on
first class mail.
Eight thousand and seven hun
dred three cent stamps were sold
Wednesday and the supply ran out
by afternoon, James Currie re
ported.
"This is very unusual, in the
past, when there have been in
creases. it wasn't anything like
this," Currie said.
Most of the sales were in three
cent stamps, although sales of the
new 13 cent issue were also brisk
and they ran out.
The Raeford post office normally
requisitions stamps once a month,
but due to the crush last week
emergency requisitions for 1.000
stamps were put in. 10,000 three
cent stamps arrived here Friday
and by 5 P.M., only about 1,000
were left.
"We're just about out of the 13's.
but we're expecting 1,000 tomor
row," Currie said.
UF Goal
Nears Top
The United Fund has nearly
topped its goal with a $5,614.84
contribution from the Knit-Away
plant, according to treasurer Sam
C. Morris.
The total now stands at
$21,778.78, just $141 short of the
$21,920.61 target.
"I'm confident we will pass the
mark," UF co-chairman Gene
Carter said. "Anyone who has not
yet been contacted can turn in their
contribution either to me at the
Bank of Raeford, or by stopping by
the News-Journal," he said.
City, County Request
Phone Link Election
The city council followed the
action of county commissioners
Monday night and agreed to seek
an election among Raeford tele
phone subscribers which, if ap
proved. would link Raeford ex
change with the Fayetteville-Ft.
Bragg exchanges in extended area
telephone service.
The vote of the council, passed
unanimous, means only subscribers
here and in Fayetteville will be able
to choose by mailed ballots if they
want the changeover. The council
members did not actually give their
endorsement to the extended ser
vice, which will mean a rate
increase which could be a maxi
mum of S2.90 monthly, according
to J.H. (Buddy) Blue, Jr., backer of
the proposal.
The rate increase, which would
be set by the state utilities commis
sion, would go into effect im
mediately. although toll-free calls
between the cities would not start
for about two years. Blue said.
"Is it not true that they already
have the necessary equipment (to
begin service)?" councilman David
Lovette asked.
"I don't feel they do, because of
the increased volume of calls this
would bring, they say they will have
to add equipment to handle it."
Blue said.
The motion, made by council
man Benny McLeod. stated the
council was only "going on record
as favoring the vote".
After taking up a ten item
agenda, an executive session was
called to discuss applicants for the
vacant city manager position. May
or John K. McNeill, Jr. said before
the session the list of applicants was
nartowed to four.
After re opening the meeting to
the public, no announcement of a
decision on the applicants was
made. A motion made by Lovette,
which directs the new city manager
to hire a foreman for the city garage
and also a full-time fireman,
passed unanimously.
During the regular meeting, a
public hearing on the proposal to
return Knit-Away Dr. to control by
Knit-Away drew no comment and
the council unanimously approved
the formal abandonment.
Bill Bizzell. of Moore Gardner
and Associates, briefed members
on progress of the water treatment
complex and named Mar. 1 as date
for the system to be fully opera
tional.
Bizzell also advised the city to
explore the possibility of acquiring
a separate site at the landfill under
a lease agreement to use for
dumping liquid waste. Bizzell
claimed this could eliminate the
controversy over dumping the waste
into a sanitary landfill, which
comes under the regulations of the
Department of Human Resources,
Division of Health.
"The town of Robbins has a
See ELECTION, page 11
City Hall
Fights Back
The monthly record of
complaints to city hall on trash
and garbage pickups produced
a new twist on the old saying
"you can't fight city hall."
The December report listed
38 complaints by name and
address. Complaint number 23
was made Pec. 16 regarding
trash. The complaint? City
Hall, N. Main St.
Morrison Gives Up Ambulances,
County, New Owner Dickering
In an unannounced move, the
county ambulance service operated
for the past six years by Danny
Morrison has been taken over bv a
new owner and the county com
missioners agreed to decide wheth
er to negotiate a new contract or
allow the old contract to run out
during their regular monthly meet
ing Monday morning.
James R. Harris, a former high
way patrolman, told the board he
and Morrison had agreed on terms
of the sale and further agreed that
Harris would take over effective last
Thursday. Jan. 1.
Harris told the board the only
change he requests in Morrison's
old contract is a provision the
county subsidy be paid monthly.
The subsidy. $20,000 in the current
contract, was being paid quarterly.
"I intend to operate it in the
proper manner and use qualified
and trained people. 1 just want to
make an honest living in Hoke
County and be able to live here".
Harris said.
County attorney Charles
Hostetler told the board any modi
fication in the existing contract
would be the same as releasing
Morrison from legal obligation,
and recommended a new one be
drawn to cover the change in
disbursement of funds.
Hosteller also emphasized the
contract calls for full and complete
disclosure regarding income and
expenditures, and said this ac
counting should be given before the
regular county payments are made.
"I'll do it the way it should be.
My wife will keep the books, it
probably would be better to keep
all the records monthly". Harris
said.
"What 1 know about how it's
been run in the past is strictly hear
say. If it is true, though, it won't be
that way," he continued.
Harris said he was purchasing all
of Morrison's ambulances, but told
the board he may make a change in
the ambulance which is kept at
Buie's Funeral Home.
"My thinking is it's bad. It
appears to me one is being operated
for blacks and one for whites.
Whether anybody has ever made an
issue of it. 1 don't know, maybe it
has come up before to you". Harris
said.
The commissioners took no
action on the matter at the meet
Sec AMBULANCES, page 11
Dems Meet Saturday
On New Commissioner
Five names are expected to be
discussed by county Democratic
party officials Saturday morning
when they meet to recommend
choiccs for the vacant seat on the
Hoke County Board of Commis
sioners.
Danny McCollum, Neil
McPhatter, and Charlie Pender
grass have joined Jimmy Morrisey
and Mabel Riley in a bid for the
seat. Democratic executive com
mittee chairman Sam C. Morris
said.
The full committee will meet at
10 A.M. in the courtroom. Voting,
which is generally by secret ballot,
is expected to narrow the field to
three candidates for consideration
by the county commissioners.
Under the law, the commissioners
choose a replacement, after receiv
ing recommendations from the
political party involved in the
vacancy.
Morrisey. McPhatter. and
McCollum are blacks. NAACP
officials are supporting Morrisey.
and the Hoke County Civic League,
a ministerial association, is backing
McPhatter. McCollum ran un
successfully for county commis
sioner in the last election along with
Mabel Riley, a Hillcrest resident
and operator of an auto repair
shop.
Pendergrass, a Quewhiffle farm
er and a director of Southeast
Production Credit Assoc.. is ex
pected to draw strong support from
a range of committee members.
1975 In Review - A Year Of Events
LUbli pi I1C
ma4e g'?
bjpn. It
eWnts, t
f 1975-Unemployment lines grow
ing, welfare rolls swelling, rising
costs pinching every pocketbook
gloomy news as the year
was a year of startling
tornado, UFO scare,
mounting drug arrests. The court
overturns the high school dress
code, ending years of tradition and
stunning parents and educators.
The city is thrown into turmoil by
an investigation into corruption
which is to drag on for months
before climaxing in the resignation
of the city manager.
It was also a year of change and
accomplishment and pride. Kathy
McMillan's feats make interna
tional headlines and establish her
as a leading contender for the
Olympics. The Bicentennial
Library grows from dream to reality
as ground is broken in an all-day
celebration and the structure takes
shape before the year is out. The
long-awaited half - million dollar
county office building is completed,
and work continues on a new and
larger library for the high school.
January brought layoffs to some
300 workers at the turkey plant as
the shortage of live birds became
critical. Five high school students
?re arrested for possession of
marijuana but the principal insists
it was not smoked on school
grounds. Lacy Dickson McFadyen,
a member of one of the county's
oldest families, is dead at 84.
Farmer's Home Administration
announces a freeze on loans until
April, blaming the money shortage.
The shortage of physicians attracts
the concern of the Chamber of
Commerce, who begin a recruit
ment drive.
A big infusion of federal money
from the public service employment
program opens up jobs within the
city, county, and schools. Com
plaints are made about all day
waits at the food stamp office. By
the end of the month, more federal
money comes and more jobs are
created, as the food stamp rolls
jump to 22 per cent.
In February a push for public
housing begins and the city council
agrees to hear from HUD officials,
but backs off from re - activating
the old Raeford Housing Authority.
Work on a downtown parking lot is
abruptly halted while red-faced
Bank of Raeford officials go get the
necessary permit. Beware of Dog
Warden is the word for loose dogs
as the city hires its first dog
catcher.
The Hoke High Bucks wrap up
the title to the Southeastern 3-A
conference with a 19 game winning
streak. School officials open hear
ings in preparation for an antici
pated $36,000 in federal Indian
school funds, but it is months later
before the disclosure is made about
the refusal for funds. The United
Fund achieves its goal, topping the
mark with Knit-Away's donation.
The appeal continues for the
library fund, which is lagging,
while plans for the Heritage Room
move along with tape recordings of
early history. A free lunch program
for tenior citizens starts through a
grant. The Bucks' hopes for a
chance at the state championship
are dashed by a heartbreaking one
point loss to Wake Forest ?
Rolesville.
The community is shocked at the
brutal shooting of health worker
Jessie Nicholson who narrowly es
capes death and her assailant is still
to remain at large by the year's end.
A legal battle erupts when an irate
St. Pauls Drive resident files suit
against the city in the next stage of
a 20 year squabble over water lines.
Attention is focused again on
public housing as The News
Journal surveyed poverty in the
county and spotlighted housing
needs, and a public hearing is
scheduled by citizens backing the
idea.
March blew ill winds, as final
figures on farm income for the
previous year are announced and
the drop is put at one million
dollars. Jesse Luckie is returned to
the county jail after he is ruled
competent to stand trial for the
murders of W.T McAllister and his
wife. Plans for the Bicentennial
library hit a snag over zoning and
parking requirements and officials
scramble to apply for a variance.
Kathy McMillan places fifth at
the AAU indoor field champ
ionship meet in Maidson Square
Garden, the youngest jumper
there, while the Bucks open their
baseball season with a tie.
City motorists are confused when
a downtown street became one
way, and police are irked when the
confusion is still continuing a week
later. School officials are confused
and baffled by a federal court
which includes Hoke County is a
HEW probe into possible racial
discrimination.
March did not go out like a
lamb, but with the fury and
destruction of a tornado which
touched down almost without
warning and hopscotched over the
county, demolishing mobile homes
and farm buildings. Damage is put
at over SIOO.OOO and community
agencies pitch in to assist dozens
left homeless by the wreckage.
Deputy George McGuire, under
routine suspension after fatally
wounding a man in a gun battle, is
cleared of any fault by a coroner's
jury and returned to duty.
April brought the retirement of
longtime A&R Railroad president
Forrest Lockey and William R.
Formyduval is named president.
Manda Johnson, believed to be the
oldest person in the county, dies a
month from her 105th birthday.
April brought showers - showers
of lights seen in the skies as the
newest wave of UFO sightings kept
deputies here and in neighboring
counties chasing for several nights
in a row. The city finally agrees to
re-activate the old Housing
Authority after months of prodding
and the county looks to the future
with the creation of a planning
board. Trial for Jessie Luckie looms
closer and a Cumberland County
junj is ordered.
Footsore walkers in the Jaycee
walkathon for cerebral palsy raise
nearly $11,000 in a community ?
wide turnout for a worthy cause. A
new consumer protection unit
funded under a federal grant is
announced for the Cumberland ?
Hoke district within the District
Attorney's office, attracting little
notice, and ironically the unit was
to have major consequences for the
city of Raeford in just two months.
Jessie Luckie pleads guilty to
second degree murder, escaping
the threat of a Death Row cell, and
receives two concurrent life terms.
Juvenile court here gets its first
full ? time probation officer in the
appointment of Watson McNeill.
Kathy McMillan led the girls track
team on to an undefeated season.
May brings the conference title
to the Bucks in baseball and the
trackmen are runner - up for the
conference championship. The
county'is cool to an appeal from the
Chamber of Commerce for more
money to hire a full - time manager
and the city is aghast to learn of a
$24,000 cost overrun on a curb and
guttering project. Knit-Away em
ployees are evacuated after a
telephoned bomb threat which was
a hoax.
Records crumbled like summer
dust as the girls track team
captured the state title for the
fourth consecutive year. Kathy
McMillan jumped 20-2'/? to beat
her Junior Olympics and Madison
Square Garden marks earlier.
The celebration was short-lived
for the school as a lawsuit by an
eleventh grader results in a
restraining order barring officials
See REVIEW, page 11
Heating Bill
Draws Heat
A Sl.OOO-plus electric bill for the
county office building, along with
complaints from workers the heat
ing still does not work properly,
had county commissioners heated
Monday.
"That's the biggest mistake we
ever made," commissioner John
Balfour grumbled, referring to the
electric heat.
Wendell Young, farm agent,
said the system just didn't seem to
be working right.
"It's continually a problem out
there. Sometimes it'll run an hour
or two. then it'll run all day. When
the elements go off. cold air keeps
coming continuously. If you're
sitting under it, it can really give
you a fit," Young said.
Social services director Benjamin
Niblock also voiced displeasure.
"This morning is the first time it
has functioned properly," Niblock
said.
"What is the new library got?
Electric heat?" commissioner Tom
McBryde interjected.
The bill from Carolina Power &
Light, covering a 32 day period,
was $1.090.00, with a good portion
of that due to the fossil fuel charge,
county manager T.B. Lester said.
Lester explained the electric
charge is calculated on a daily
"demand" rate, which is more
advantageous, but unless the
system is working properly, the
bills will go skyhigh.
Chairman Ralph Barnhart
promised to contact Hayes Howell
Associates, the building's archi
tects. for help in straightening it all
out.