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The Hoke County News - Established 1928
VOLUME LXV111 NO. 16 RAEFQR1). HOKE COUNTY. NORTH CAROLINA
- journal
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
S8 PER YEAR THURSDAY. AUGUST 19. 1976
Around
Town
BY SAM C.MORRIS
As this is being written on
Tuesday morning the sun is shining
and the forecast for sunny weather
all day. This is Primary Election
Day in North Carolina and the
weather shouldn't be any excuse for
not voting.
According to reports some sec
tions of the state received much
needed rain over the weekend. It
seems to me that some parts of the
state are in need more than others.
So far we have been lucky in
Raeford as far as water is
concerned.
* * *
Most television viewers have
missed many of their regular
programs this summer because of
special events. The Bicentennial
brought forth many hours of
special shows and then came the
Democrats and their convention for
a week.
Next came the Olympics from
Canada for two weeks and last
night the fourth special week will
be taken up with the Republican
Convention from Kansas City.
Maybe after this week the
reruns will be on the tube until the
new shows start in September, of
course some folks don't like these
special shows, but maybe if every
one took a few weeks off from
television, we would be better off.
* * ?
The editor and his wife have
returned from a trip to Maine and
on into Canada. They report that
the weather was cool and that one
night they slept under a blanket.
One thing that happened on the
trip that might be of interest to
some of the coffee drinkers and
patrons of Gentry's Tire and
Carter's Produce Stand, is that
Dickson says he had a flat tire near
the Canadian border and had to
' change the tire on the hottest day
while on the trip.
Dickson didn't bring back a
picture of this so it is hard to
' imagine him changing a tire.
Maybe stranger things have
happened!
* * *
Several weeks ago an item in this
column was about political signs
being put up on poles and trees and
on highway right - of ? ways, we
have noticed that many of these
have been taken down during the
past few weeks.
This writer does not take credit
for this because it seems that rival
campaign workers are taking care
of this.
When this happens, we don't
know, but one of the workers said
that the signs he puts up in the
afternoon are down the next
morning. So maybe it would be
better to leave the signs down in the
first place. It would save energy on
both sides.
? ? *
If you haven't been out to the
Arabia Golf Course lately it would
? be well worth your time to do so.
They have changed the layout
somewhat on some of the holes.
The par four second hole has
been turned into a par three and
? with the carry over the water it is
one of the hardest holes on the
Course at the present time.
Hole number three is now longer
and has been made a par five and
number one is now a par four.
The seventh hole has been turned
into a par five which most of the
players thought all along. With the
fairways being narrowed by letting
the rough grow up it has made the
course harder than it was before.
The new sprinkler system has
helped keep the greens in good
shape and it makes for an enjoyable
afternoon for most local golfers.
See you there this weekend.
Three Hurt
Three persons were admitted to
Moore Memorial Hospital with
serious injuries following a two - car
crash on N.C. 211 early Monday
f morning near Ashley Heights.
According to highway patrolman
K.W. Weston, William Leon
Miller, 19, of Raeford, was heading
? west about 6:50 A.M. operating a
1969 Nova when a 1963 pickup
truck heading east attempted to
make a left turn onto a driveway.
The pickup, operated by Rufus
(Bear) Clarence Wilson, 61. struck
the Nova.
McPhatter Goes In
Hoke Vote Follows State Trend,
Local Run-offs In Both Races
BALLOT BOXF.S-Jack Bray was among the early voters at the County Court House. Run-offs will be held in
September.
Repeal Of Beer Ban
Board Deadlocks 2-2
With one member absent, county
commissioners deadlocked 2-2 in a
surprising vote to repeal the ban on
Sunday beer and wine sales after a
crowd packing the small conference
room Monday night argued that
holders of state brown bagging
permits can legally sell beer on
Sundays anyway.
The action came on a motion
made by James A. Hunt, seconded
by John Balfour. When chairman
Ralph Barnhart called for the vote,
vice - chairman Tom McBryde cast
a no and then Barnhart cast a no
vote. Neil McPhatter, who was
expected at the meeting, was
absent.
About sixteen persons, mostly
grocery store owners, turned out for
the third time commissioners have
discussed the Sunday beer issue
since a petition signed by nearly 40
was presented to the board two and
a half months ago.
' "What it amounts to is. there's a
monopoly here. You have three
establishments here that can sell
it". Don Peterson, a city conven
ience store owner, said.
"1 haven't been staying open on
Sundays, but 1 would if I could sell
beer. too". Billy Parks, another
grocer, told the board.
"I think every one of you men
here would rather go into a decent,
clean grocery on Sunday than to
some greasy spoon. We can't get
the beer if these other places are
getting it all. The other fella is
driving a Lincoln Continental and
I'm working seven days a week
beating my brains out", Faye
Howell of Faye's Grocery argued.
Several others in the audience
argued that the three establish
ments with brown bagging permits
were getting so much beer from the
distributors that the smaller places
couldn't stock enough, but county
ABC officer J.K. Riley disagreed.
In Crash
Miller and a passenger. Allen
Montgomery. 19. of Fifth St..
Raeford. were hospitalized. Miller
sustained broken ribs and a
punctured lung. Weston said, and
Montgomery received head lacera
tions and a neck injury.
Wilson was also admitted with
unknown injuries.
Damage to the Nova was put at
SI, 500 and damage to the pickup
was estimated at $600.
Wilson was ticketed for making
an unsafe movement.
"They've been delivering accord
ing to the percentage they delivered
before the strike", Riley said,
referring to the recent nationwide
Budweiser strike. "I've been check
ing these beer places, some have
ten cases, some maybe get 20
cases".
Others in the crowd argued that
most of the Sunday sales made at
the brown bagging spots had
nothing to do with the restaurant,
many people just drove up to get
beer only.
"They oughta put it in a white
bag. it's got nothing to do with
brown bagging", one man said
from the crowd.
County attorney Charles Hostet
ler said unless the law was changed
by the state legislature, the brown
bagging spots can continue to sell
for off - premise consumption, and
the county has no jurisdiction.
"Isn't it the county, though, that
won't let us sell it"? one man
asked.
"1 guess it is". Barnhart re
sponded. "I've come to the con
clusion that this group is pro - beer
on Sundays".
Following the tie vote, Balfour
voiced criticism of how beer was
sold.
"I'd like to point out that when it
(beer) was voted in it was to be at
room temperature and no less than
a six pack. Now , who changed that
and when? For a mile from three
groceries, the whole road is covered
with beer cans and my personal
feeling is that that wouldn't happen
if it was sold warm", he said.
(The split vote with Barnhart
causing the tie caused some
confusion momentarily, as at one
time state law did not permit a
chairman to make motions or cast
votes, except to break a tie.
However, the law was amended in
1971 to allow chairmen to vote on
all matters. Hostetler explained)
Ambulance Subsidy
In another issue which came
before the commissioners earlier
this month, the four commissioners
agreed to deny Buie's Ambulance
Service any subsidy and to request
the sheriff s department to remove
his name from the rotation list after
hearing that Buie's service did not
meet state requirements.
"On April 29. 1 visited Buie and
made an inspection. He did not
meet minimum standards for state
requirements and I sent him a
letter and so informed him. Last
week. I visited again, which is not
my concern but the county's, and
he has purchased several items
since April. However, he still needs
about five items to become certi
fied", A1 Minor, emergency medi
cal services (EMS) officer tor
inspections, told the commission
ers.
"Buie is a certified ambulance
attendant. 1 don't know about his
help. Mr. Buie's ambulance is not
satisfactory and therefore he is not
licensed. Because I put a sticker on
only means that he meets re
quirements, not that he is au
thorized to provide service to the
county". Minor said.
James Harris, owner of Harris
Ambulance Service, which holds a
contract with the county to provide
24 hour - a - day service with
S27,(X)0 annual subsidy, argued
against appropriating Buie any
funds.
"I signed a contract, assuming I
would be the only one. What you'd
be doing is paying somebody to
compete against me. Two can't do
it. and I think everyone in this
room agrees". Harris said.
"Another thing I'd like to say is
that this has been dragged out for
four months and 1 am certainly
See DEADLOCK, page 15
Hoke County voters followed the rest of the state closely in most
primary races Tuesday and also forced local candidates into run-off
battles in the county commissioners and register of deeds contests.
With all thirteen precincts here reporting by early Wednesday
morning. Lt. Gov. James B. Hunt polled 1.783 votes in the
Democratic gubernatorial primary with challenger Ed O'Herron
trailing with 710 votes.
Howard Lee drew 1.117 votes on the Democratic Lt. Governor's
slate with Jimmy Greene running second with 863 votes. On the
GOP side, county Republicans gave the nod to David Flaherty on the
gubernatorial ballot with 46 votes, beating second place Coy Privette
by 31 votes.
Incumbent county commissioner Neil W. McPhatter won his place
on the November ballot by polling 1 .431 votes but the rest of the field
failed to draw more than half of the total votes cast, forcing a
run -off.
Charlie Pendergrass ran second to McPhatter with 1 .016 votes and
Danny DeVane came in third with 916 votes. Mabel Riley trailed
fourth with 891 votes and W.D. (Danny) Morrison finished last with
257 votes.
In the register of deeds race, no candidate in the field of six tallied
a majority. Delia Maynor ran highest with 1.292 votes, with Frances
W. Greene finishing second with 590 votes. Third ran Beatrice H.
Harris with 353. Hazel Niven followed with 297, and the two men in
the race, Glenn Maxwell and William Altman. trailed with 165 votes
and 154. respectively. The run-off election will pit Maynor and
Greene together.
Turnout was light to moderate in most precincts with less than
half of the voters balloting. The final tally showed 2.851 Democratic
votes cast and 82 on the GOP side.
See Complete Returns Page 12
There were some surprises in the state contests, as Jessie Rae
Scott, who was drawing a heavy vote statewide in the labor
commissioner's battle, was outpolled here almost 2-1 by John Brooks
who picked up 1,228.
Lane Brown, who lost to Harlan Boyles for state treasurer, beat
Boyles here with 1.482. Boyles polled i.044 votes.
Fayetteville's George Breece outpolled Thad Eure locally. Breece
received 1.731 votes to Eure's 1,061 tally in the secretary of state
race.
In the rest of the state contests among the Democrats, the final
tally here showed:
Commissioner of Insurance - John Ingram. 1,750. Joe Johnson
803.
State auditor - Lillian Woo. 1.165. Henry L. Bridges. 1.120.
Superintendent of public instruction - Craig Phillips. 1.949. Ben
Currin. 716.
Federal Probe Begun
At Ex-deputy's Urging
The U.S. Department of Justice
civil rights division is investigating
the Hoke County sheriffs depart
ment at the request of an ex-deput\
fired last January to check allega
tions of possible violations of
federal equal employment laws.
The Federal Bureau of Investiga
tion. the investigative arm of the
Justice Department, is conducting
the probe through its Charlotte
office with the resident agent in
Rockingham.
Guv Cox. special agent in the
Charlotte FBI office, said "The
only thing I can tell you is the
investigation is underway and the
results will he furnished to the civil
rights division of the Justice De
partment. It's a civil rights matter,
and 1 really don't know am of the
details. I can't comment on the
extent ot the investigation, or even
when it will he completed". Cox
said.
Last January. Elisha Dial, an
Indian, was fired as a deputy
Sec I'ROBh. page 15
MflTIXd-Countv attorney Charles Hosteller (at table) listens as an unidentified man in the crowd at the Monday
night commissioners ' meeting makes a point while arguing for a repeal of the Sunday beer ban. Hosteller later explained
under the law, counties have no jurisdiction over establishments with state-issued brown bagging permits.