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* The Hoke County News - Established 1928 VOLUME LXVlll NUMBER 45 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA I - journal The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905 S8 PER YEAR THURSDAY. MARCH 10, 1977 Around Town BY SAM C. MORRIS I he weather was rice Saturday but the rain moved in Sunday and lasted into Monday. It is fair as this is being written and reports are for cold weather for the next few days. Anyway it has changed for the usual type winter weather and most schedules have returned to normal. Let's hope it stays this way. ? * * The Lundy Fund is moving along real well at this time and the goal should be reached in time for the Lundys to leave. I The following letter was received by this writer: Dear Sam: I had always believed some of the best people on earth resided in Raeford and the Lundy Fund project just reinforces that belief. Congratulations on this com munity activity. Chan Roberts 1 will add that a check was enclosed and turned over to the proper authorities. Thanks Chan. ? * ? Last week in this column was an item about Bossie the cow. Marty Vega wrote in her column about Robert Gatlin and one of his latest jokes. The following letter was received ind both articles were mentioned: Dear Mr. Morris: In return for the details pf the railroad station joke. I offer the information that a cow's title. "Bossy", stems from the Latin BOS. meaning, head of cattle. At this late date, theie's no way it can ? be changed to BES. Please ask that Yankee from Detroit to write her mother - in - law. Sincerely . * Louisa Vega (Mrs. S. Vega) Marty write to your mother - in - law and also give her the details of the joke. If you can't do that, send her Gatlin's address. * ? * The Music Booster Club has an interest in two events this week. The first is a mini concert at the Hoke High Gym tonight (Thurs day) at 8:00 o'clock to kick otT its Membership Drive. Featured will be the Hoke High and Upchurch High bands and the Hoke High Chorus and Chorale and last but not least, the Upchurch Chorus. This should be an evening worth your listening pleasure but it will also be tor a good cause. Take time to go out tonight. Friday night beginning at 7:30 o'clock at the Hoke Civic Center, the same group will sponsor a Card Party to raise money to send the Hoke High Chorale on a trip to Washington and New York. So nimble your fingers and go out to the Civic Center Friday night and deal a few hands. Maybe you will * be a w inner. Anyw ay the youngsters will be winners on a trip to Yankee land. ? ? ? Watch what you say before a child. Suzanne Aplin, reporter, brings her child by the office on Monday and Tuesday afternoons when he gets out of nursery school. His name is Christopher Aplin and he is three years of age. He waits around until his mother leaves for home, usually about 5:30 or six o'clock. Suzanne said Monday that over the weekend her daughter was showing coins and naming the presidents' pictures on the face of the coins. It seems Chris, as he is called, walked up and asked his father for a coin. He was handed a penny and he handed it back and said he wanted a Jimmy (Quarter) Carter. . Now Suzanne said Chris picked that name up here at the office from this writer. It seems that Capt. Aplin is a Republican and H he is sure he wouldn't have picked up the name from anyone at his house. So watch what you say; it could make a Democrat out of the j youngsters. Ha! ? * * Don't forget the Hoke High School Booster Club Golf Tourna ment at the Arabia Golf Course on March 19 and 20. Contact a Booster member for details. ? Most Job Service Workers To Be Idled, County Says Over one hundred workers whose jobs are funded under the emer gency public service jobs program may be laid off as early as June and most of them won't be able to qualify for continued employment under the guidelines of the new program set to begin in April, county officials were told Monday. County manager T.B. Lester briefed commissioners and depart ment supervisors on the proposed regulations of the Title VI amend ments to the federal jobs program. All of the existing emergency jobs programs begun m 1973 are sche duled to be replaced this spring by the Title VI package which has a different formula for eligibility. Lester said that under the new program, only persons who meet federal poverty level guidelines and have been drawing unemployment benefits for a minimum of 15 weeks may be hired. He estimated that only a few of the present workers on the federal programs now can be kept. There are currently 111 public jobs workers divided among the city government, county government and the school system. The school system has the most (69) and many of these are teacher's aides and custodial staff. Lester said that the school workers would be laid off in June and that he hoped to have the funds to keep the rest working until September. Most if the 111 em ployees would have been laid off in May, but the county has a S%,000 surplus from one jobs program which they will be allowed to use to keep paying the employees until it runs out. Lester said the proposed Title VI legislation is really designed for large urban areas with a high Trip Creates Issue An issue arising out of the Las Vegas, Nev. trip made by three board members and two adminis trators surfaced Monday during the Board of Education's regular monthly meeting when one member delivered a letter in which she announced she would not attend the National School Boards Association annual meeting in Houston, Tex. next month. Ruth McNair, who did not accompany the others to the National Association of School Administrators convention in Nevada this month, brought a copy of a letter which she requested The News-Journal to publish this week. Mrs. McNair refused any comment to a reporter on the letter in which she advised the board that she would not go the Houston meeting because a "third board member" had made the Las Vegas trip. Mrs. McNair said that she was led to believe that only two board members would be invited to go along. 24 Picked From 68 Applications To Receive Housing Improvements The task force appointed by the county to oversee the housing rehabilitation project has tentative ly selected 24 families to receive the free aid out of a total of 68 applications received. The county plans to spend $87,000. part of a community development grant from the De partment of Housing and Urban Development, to upgrade sub standard homes in Jones Hill. Cockman Hill and Cameron Heights, all predominately black neighborhoods north of the city. Bill Altman. county planning CofC Board Studying Future Of DM V Office Chamber of Commerce directors met Tuesday morning and received a status report on the Division of Motor Vehicles licensing office. Chamber manager Dayna Pate said the board made no decision and agreed to study the operation further, but that her personal recommendation is that the Chamber give up the service when the contract runs out in June. "The office will definitely stay in Raeford but I believe it should be run by whatever agency can best serve the public. Of course, this is only my personal view and I will carry out the wishes of the board." she said. Chamber president Gib Bern hardt characterized the report on the licensing bureau as an evaluation which is needed for future planning. He said that because Fayetteville has closed two of its DMV offices, the Raeford office must be ready to deal with increase business and have room for growth. The Chamber mem bership has also doubled in the past year and both agencies must prepare for growth. Julian Butler gave a report to the board on the 7th Congressional Conference last month which he attended. Butler told the directors that elected representatives want more citizen input and that the Chamber should become more active in agricultural interests. Special committees were ap pointed to begin planning for the Chamber's annual banquet in May. The directors also endorsed the N.C. University School of Design project involving beautification of the downtown district and gave their endorsement to the formation of a local Arts Council for Raeford, similar to the councils set up in other communities under the auspices of the N.C. Arts Council Association. director, released the list of families who applied for the program and the exact work requested. He is still in the process of verifying income and other personal data require ments. The aid is being ottered only to households with annual adjusted incomes of $6,000 or less. Ranked highest in priority are elderly and disabled individuals. Of the twenty-four homes on the list, eleven are slated to receive indoor plumbing. Other work which has been approved is mainly major repairs, such as roof and flooring. All of the people approved for the project are elderly residents except one family of two sisters and their 14 children. Their home is without indoor plumbing. The majority of the applicants are disabled, or have a disabled spouse. The majority of the households have a yearly income of $3,500 or less, mostly made up of Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income payments. The highest income reported among the 24 is $4,571 for a household of five which includes an elderly woman with both legs amputated. That residence is also without indoor plumbing. The lowest income reported among the applicants is $56 a month lor an elderly woman living alone. Altman explained that some (See 24 PICKKD, Page IS) Board chairman Bobby Gibson, Bill Howell and Mina Townsend attended the Las Vegas conference with School Supt. G. Raz Autry and J.D. McAllister, assistant superintendent. Mrs. McNair's criticism was apparently leveled at Mrs. Townsend, as Mrs. Townsend and Mrs. McNair were scheduled to make the Houston trip. . Autry said last week that since it is policy for each board member to take only one taxpayer - paid trip per year, Mrs. Townsend would be paying her own way to Houston. Mrs. Townsend responded to Mrs. McNair in a letter of her own. which she also requested to be published by the newspaper. Mrs. Townsend did not refer to her colleague's statement directly, but said that she asked permission of the superintendent and chairman of the board to attend the Las Vegas meeting, offering to pay her own way. She said she was told her trip should be paid for, as future board members might not be able to afford such trips at their own expense and this would discourage interest in the elective office. Mrs. Townsend added that she and Mrs. McNair planned to attend a conference in Raleigh together this Wednesday. Autry also had no comment of any kind to make on the matter. Budget Proposals In other business Monday night, the board received tentative budget proposals for the 1977 - 78 school year prepared by the superin tendent. Board members reviewed two pages of the proposal before adjourning and agreed to continue (See TRIP, Page 15) concentration of chronically un employed. He added that the federal gov ernment is not giving localities enough time to gear up for the new package. Localities must now make a "project application" for the funds which must be submitted no later than March 28. Each project must be for a minimum of $25,000 and employ five persons or more. Funds may only be used to pay wages and may not be used for new construction or in-school training. Each project may last no more than 12 months. Lester met with several govern ment agencies and the superinten dent of schools Tuesday morning. The meeting produced three special project ideas -- city beautification, upgrading of recreational facilities and painting of school buildings -- and Lester indicated more projects will be applied for if other agencies come up with suitable ideas. As to the fate of the workers now employed, Lester said he hoped to have enough funds to at least keep the teacher's aides working until the end of school. "But we're just not sure right now if we can. We'll try, of course, but nobody knows yet just how much money will be available," he said. The school superintendent said he was hoping the state legislature would pass a bill now pending which would give local school systems an allotment of aides for the lower primary grades. Action on that measure is expected this spring. The city currently employs 16 emergency jobs workers and the county employs 26. Lester said most of the work performed by the county workers is clerical and the jobs could be taken over by other staffers without too much difficul Rose's Office The mobile office of Congress man Rose will visit Raeford Friday. March 11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the post office parking lot. Administrative assistant Rip Collins will be on hand. Councilmen Endorse Beautification Plans Commissioners Get Report Chamber of Commerce manager Dayna Pate and two graduate students from the North Carolina State University School of Design asked city councilmen for their ideas and support for a downtown beautification project being de veloped by the students as part of their graduate work. Councilmen viewed slides of the work already done in Elizabeth City County Salaries F all Below State Guide The cost of that action amounted to approximately $60,000, he said. The Civil Affairs Co. planners. Army reservists, prepared job des criptions for each position. Each position was analyzed according to skills, tasks performed and respon sibilities. Lt. Ron Hollings and Lt. Russell Frum. who were in charge of the special project, estimated the cost to the county to raising salaries to the state level to be $33,000. Both men also conducted a survey of Scotland County and found salaries there to be 16 per cent lower than the state, Hollings attributed this to a larger number of professionals employed in Scot land County government. The Army men also emphasized that if the state approves a five per cent pay increase this year, the gap in salaries will widen more. Drowning Creek In other business Monday, the board formally adopted a resolu tion requesting a full study be carried out before plans proceed for the water treatment plant proposed in Moore County at Drowning Creek. The board's action was in re sponse to claims voiced by a citizens' group that the water County commissioners reviewed the long-awaited pay plan for county employees Monday morning and learned that Hoke County pays its salaried employees well below the state recommendations ?? as much as 32 per cent less for one position -- but tabled any action on any of the four alternative plans presented. The pay plan, which was pre pared at no cost by the 450th Civil Affairs Co.. Riverdale. Md., covers all permanent, salaried positions in county government except elected offices. Overall, the salaries paid locally are 12 per cent lower than the state plan. For county manager, the gap rises to 32 per cent. In only one position, the sheriff s secretary, is the local salary higher (6%) than the state scale. The report proposed four alter nate plans to upgrade the salaries, including implementing the state pay schedule for all jobs immedi ately. The other three proposals would gradually raise the salaries over a period of several years to bring them up to the state criteria. None of the commissioners sug gested raising salaries immediately, while county manager T.B. Lester noted that a 10 per cent across the board raise was approved last year. quality of the creek could be adversely affected. Drowning Creek forms the boundary between Hoke and Scotland County and becomes the Lumber River downstream. Moore County has already nearly completed a sewage disposal plant on Drowning Creek near Pine Bluff. The water plant will be voted on in a bond referendum later this month. The commissioners' resolution requests that a full study be conducted on the interaction of the two proposed facilities by appropri ate authorities. The board also reviewed pro posed architectural plans for the construction of a new school bus garage and maintenance shop which would be a metal structure. Current estimates for the project put it at $65,000. Lester said the board of educa tion wanted a commitment from commissioners now before they go ahead with further plans, but commissioner Danny DeVane ar gued against approving the school project at this time. DeVane said he believed the expansion of the public health center was a greater need and funds for that should be spent first. Hoke County submitted an application last year for federal public works furds to enlarge the health build ing. but it was turned down. Commissioners agreed to delay (See COUNTY. Paae 1M Two Hurt In Fire An early morning fire completely destroyed a home in the Pine Hill Fire District Sunday night. Firemen arrived at 3:30 to find that the Charles McLain family had escaped the blaze with two of the children sustaining injuries. Ac cording to Pine Hill fireman Fred die Smith, a girl about Five years old was burned and taken to Moore County Hospital where she is still a patient. A teenage son who received at cut while jumping from a window was treated at the hospital and released. The West Hoke Fire Department assisted Pine Hill, but the house was declared a total loss. The seven or eight persons who fled the fire escaped with only the night clothes they wore Smith said. No cause for the fire was given by Chief Walter Purcell. through this program and then saw slides of areas in the Raeford downtown area that needed improvement. City manager Robert Drumwright said they agreed to support the project which would require no major monetary output as the students provide free labor and attempt to implement their plans through use of old timber, lamps, and so on. Drumwright indicated that once they get to the point that the old firehouse is being dismantled that the students may use that material for their project. The city also agreed to help with the loan of hand tools and trucks. Some of the proposed ideas were as simple as training ivy to climb from the planters on Main St. up toward the awnings. Councilmen also accepted the resignation of Bob Gentry from the (See COUNCIL, Page 15) Reception Planned For New Doctor Wyatt Upchurch of the Hoke County Medical Betterment As sociation has announced that a reception will be held Sunday from 2 Until 4 p.m. at the Civic Center for area residents to meet Dr. Ramnik 7x>ta and his wife. Lata. Dr. Zota. a native of India, is scheduled to open an office for family practice in Raeford May 1. Zota received his medical school ing at M.S. University in Baroda. He is currently working on the McCain Hospital staff as a pul monary specialist. The Zotas have a two-year-old daughter and are expecting another child in April.
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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March 10, 1977, edition 1
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