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The Hoke County News - Established 1928
VOLUME LXIX NUMBER 5 RAEFORD. HOKE COUNTY. NORTH CAROLINA
- journal
25
The Hoke County Journal - established 1905
S H PER YEAR THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 1977
Around
Town
BY SAM C.MORRIS
The rains are still with us and
when the weather man says scat
tered showers that is the way the
rains have been coming. Sunday
afternoon playing golf at Arabia
' dark clouds were all around but the
! rains didn't come. On returning to
I Raeford water was standing in the
S yards and approximately '/a inch
had fallen that afternoon. So the
rains are scattered.
1 don't know how much rain fell
during May as this is being written
on the 31st but Gatlin should have
his chart in by next week and then
the magic number will be revealed.
* Anyway most folks would be glad
for the rain to cease for awhile.
* * *
Last Saturday afternoon, Harvey
Warlick, Neill McFadyen, J.H.
Austin and this writer played golf.
Harvey was driving to the course
that afternoon and we went by to
pick up Jake. As we backed out of
Austin s driveway his neighbor Ken
McNeill was taking life easy in a
lawn chair under a shade tree. 1
asked Ken what he was doing and
his reply was, "1 am farming."
Now was this a typical Ken
answer or is this the way farmers
work in the computer age?
* * *
Last week in this paper was an
article and picture concerning the
newly organized club called The
Antler Club. It is to raise money for
the sports program at Hoke High
School. Any former athlete at
? Raeford High or Hoke High are
eligible to join. The fee for joining
is $25 and should be made out to
the Hoke Booster Club. It is tax
a deductible and should be mailed to
Dale Teal. Box 160, Raeford, N.C.
28376.
A check to this club in memory
of John Dune McNeill, who passed
away recently, would be a tribute to
a former star in all sports at
Raeford High. There have been
other stars that have passed on that
are older and younger than John
Dune that you could send the check
in memory of.
Think about it and help the
program at the school.
* * *
Don't forget that the graduation
exercises are at Hoke High this
weekend. Commencement is Sun
day afternoon at four o'clock and
the speaker for the occasion will be
Congressman Charles Rose. Be in
attendance.
Don't forget to look through the
graduation section in this paper.
ji Notice the congratulation ads and
the pictures of all the honor
If seniors.
Some folks come by the office
and tell us about the large tomatoes
t* or other vegetables that are growing
in the garden but never show us the
end results.
Monday morning the weather
prophet, Robert Gatlin came by
with a bucket of squash and asked
everyone to help themselves. Now
this is the proof of the pudding.
Don't come by and brag about
your garden unless you have proof.
? * ?
Becky Jones, secretary at the
office, returned to work Monday
after being out of the office for over
a week. She had four wisdom teeth
removed and it must have been a
ainful ordeal. Everyone welcomed
er back as you don't realize what a
person does until they are out for
awhile.
? * *
The talk about the Post Office
4 closing on Saturday is a bad thing
as far as this writer is concerned.
Most of the time now mail is not
put up on holidays and Sundays
which is not the best service that
? could be offered.
What if the newspapers, radios,
and TV stations all took the days
off and closed down. No, they must
give service to the people and we
reel the Post Office should do the
same thing. Enough said.
V*
I *
Tax Hike Eyed
Commissio
**********************
ners Receive Budget
w w w w w ~ w. ^
A WARD -? Ronald Baxley (left) is pictured with the Lions Club 's recipient of
the first Clyde F. Knox Scholarship. The winner, Marilyn Gay Barnes, is a
rising senior at UNC-Charlotte, and is the daughter of Mrs. Julian P. Barnes and
the late Mr. Barnes. (Photo by S.H. Aplin)
Knox Award Presented
The Lions Club Annual Scholar
ship Award, recently renamed the
Clyde F. Knox Scholarship, has
been presented to a nursing student
at UNC - Charlotte.
Marilyn Gay Barnes, daughter of
Mrs. Julian P. Barnes of Rockfish,
and the late Mr. Barnes, is a rising
senior at UNC. She is a member of
the Honor Society in Nursing and
the Student Nurses Association.
Miss Barnes' leisure interests in
clude tennis, volleyball and
needlework.
The Lions Club plans to place a
plaque at Hoke County High
School in memory of Clyde F. Knox
and in honor of the scholarship
winners. Miss Barnes' name will be
the first to be inscribed on the
plaque.
The Knox Award is named for
the late Clyde F. Knox who served
as club secretary for the past four
years. Knox was cited by club
members for his last act of
"lionism" in which he donated his
eyes so that someone else might see.
Knox also received the Lion of the
Year Award in 1975 and 1976.
Timber Firm Owner
Sets Record Straight
Disturbed over the new account
of the May 23 city council meeting
which reported that councilmen
objected to a proposed lumber yard
downtown, John R. Callaway said
Monday that he wanted to set the
record straight on incorrect infor
mation reported.
Callaway said it is Crossroads
Woodyards, Inc., not Callaway
Land and Timber Sales, which
plans to use the railroad area. Also,
he said that the firm will not be
using the area for storing lumber,
but rather as a log storage area.
He said that the city manager's
statement to the councilmen that
the city would need an easement
from him for a sewer line was in
error. Callaway said that he had
given the easement on May 9 to
county attorney Charles Hostetler.
Graduation
Is June 5
Principal Allen Edwards an
nounced that children under six
years of age will not be permitted at
Sunday's Hoke County High School
graduation exercises scheduled to
begin at 4 p.m. in the stadium.
Graduating seniors will be
limited to two guest passes for
seating in the reserved section.
Other guests will be accommodated
outside of the reserved section.
In the event of rain, the
ceremonies will be held inside the
gymtorium.
U.S. Rep. Charlie Rose will
deliver the address.
"That remark that councilman
Gentry made about my having an
"ace in the hole". That makes me
sound like I'm a s.o.b.," Callaway
said.
"As far as closing up the road
(Central Ave.), I don't think any
insurance company would allow
cars going through that close," he
said.
"This (area) is the only railroad
siding on the A&R where you can
put a loading machine on both
sides. But if the city doesn't want it.
1 can move it somewhere else. I'm
not going to push it." he said.
Callaway's name was mispelled
in the story published.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment
has scheduled a public hearing on
the matter June 13 at 8 p.m. in city
hall. The A&R Railroad has Hied
an application for a variance so the
company can use the property for a
non-conforming use for 18 months
for its leasee, Callaway.
Sr. Citizens
The Raeford Senior Citizens
Friendship Club will meet T uesday,
June 7 at 2:30 p.m. at the Raeford
United Methodist Church.
The program will feature stunts
and skits performed by club mem
bers. Also, anyone who has out
grown or discarded patterns is
asked to bring them for a pattern
exchange.
There will also be a discussion on
plans for organizing a rhythm band
in the club with Jimmy James as
director.
Chamber
Sponsors
Free Film
The Raeford - Hoke Chamber of
Commerce invites all interested
citizens to a free showing of the
CBS documentary "The Second
Battle of Britain" at the meeting
room of the Hoke County Library
tonight (Thursday) June 2 at 7:30
Hector MacLean, chairman ot
the board of Southern National
Bank, was guest speaker at the
Chamber's annual dinner on May
lb, and recommended the film as
important to those who value the
heritage and responsibility of the
free enterprise system. Morley
Safer narrates the color film which
runs approximately 45 minutes.
"After the dinenr, several
citizens expressed interest in seeing
this film which outlines the plight
of Britain's current economic situa
tion." said Earl Fowler. Chamber
president. "In many ways it is a
warning to Americans of the
dangerous path an economy can
follow when government is allowed
to regulate the marketplace and
thus stitle competition which is
essential to a healthy economy. The
Chamber is glad to give all
interested citizens in our com
munity the chance to view this
important film."
w V
ARTS COUNCIL - Anne Wright,
a local artist, u as elected May 20 as
one of 12 board members of the
North Carolina Association of Arts
Councils. Officers elected during
the meeting included President
Charles Dalmhach of the Greens
boro United Arts Council: Vice
President Reid Cone of the Stokes
County Arts Council: Treasurer
Halsey North of Charlotte Arts and
Sciences Council: Secretary Caro
lyn Carlson of the Arts Council of
Fayetteville.
Local Opposition
Missed By Figures
In Annexation Bids
Seemingly overlooked by the
figures involved in two continuing
controversy over the proposed
annexation of the Ft. Bragg
military reservation by the cities of
Fayetteville and Spring Lake is
resolution opposing the plan passed
by the Hoke County Board of
Commissioners last year.
Last month. Ft. Bragg officials
announced that annexation of the
reservation by either of the two
municipalities is unacceptable to
the Army because of a policy
disapproving annexation when it is
opposed by a political subdivision
in the vicinity.
Fayetteville has scheduled a
public hearing June 13 on a
proposal to annex the entire
130.000 acre reservation and
Spring Lake will proceed with a
public hearing on its proposal June
15. The Spring Lake proposal calls
for annexing about 40 per cent of
the reservation.
Hoke County officials have not
outlined a similar plan to annex
any of the reservation, but the
commissioners last January passed
an official resolution opposing both
the Fayetteville and Spring Lake
efforts.
Lt. Col. Ron Davis, public
affairs officer for Ft. Bragg, said
Tuesday that if Fayetteville and
Spring Lake should work out a
compromise and settle their dif
ferences. the Hoke County officials'
position would "make a whole new
ball game out of it".
"It would still be a situation of
two municipalities in conflict and a
whole new study would have to be
made." he said.
Officials here voiced objections
to the Fayetteville annexation bid
because approximately 92.000
acres of the reservation was caned
out of Hoke County. Opponents
claim that it would be unfair if
Fayetteville succeeds in annexation
and gets the additional state and
federal aid which would be
generated by a larger population
base.
ROUND - Dancing in a circle, kindergarteners at McLauchlin School
perform Stop and Go while Mrs A.M. McKinnon. class assistant, narrates
a program designed to show some of the things studied hy the children
during the year.
A tentative 1977-78 county
budget which proposes a 2.8
cents increase in ad valorem
taxes was presented to county
commissioners Wednesday of
this week.
County manager and finance
manager T.B. Lester, who fin
ished the budget recommenda
tions last week, declined to
release a copy of the budget
until the commissioners re
ceived it, but he gave an overall
view of the package.
In his written message to
commissioners. Lester noted the
areas in which costs are rising
most rapidly -- garbage collec
tion. Medicaid, mental health
treatment and juvenile offender
care. Additionally, extra depu
ties in the sheriffs department
and the increased cost of utili
ties and repairs will contribute
to a higher budget.
The 1977-78 budget proposes
a pay raise for county workers
with most of the increases in the
six and one half per cent rangr,
Lester said.
Expenditures in the General
Fund are projected to be
$153,530 higher than in the
current year but Lester attri
buted part of this increase to an
increase in expected revenues.
The increase in the General
Fund for the 1976-77 year was
$182,560 higher than in 1975
76. A $200,000 fund balance on
June 30 is estimated for the
current year.
The school system requests
were fully recommended in the
proposed budget, Lester said.
$668,344 for operating expenses
and 561,900 for capital outlay
were put in, making the school
current operating expense fund
$72,000 higher in the coming
year, if approved.
In the federal revenue sharing
fund, Lester has proposed
$431,274 in expenditures out of
an anticipated $574,164 in
available monies. The estimated
entitlement for the coming year
is $363,393 and a $231,462
surplus is anticipated in the
current year. Due to the uncer
tainty of the exact award,
however, Lester said a figure of
10 per cent less than the expect
award is used in making up a
budget for that fund.
The Parks and Recreation
budget was rolled back from
earlier requests. Lester has
drawn up a $41,040 operating
budget for that fund with
grants, fees, concessions and
other expected revenues esti
mated at $24,710, making the
county tax dollar contribution
about $16,000. The Parks and
Recreation Commission had re
quested an overall budget of
$105,000.
Lester indicated that the .918
cents per $100 ad valorem tax
rate suggested may be reduced
if the county received a greater
share of federal anti-recession
funds, and the county may be
able to go without a tax increase
at all.
He noted that the current
estimated total tax base is about
$160 million. Last year, the tax
base was underestimated by
about $2 million and the recent
$5 million equipment expansion
at Burlington Industries also
increased the tax base.
A public hearing to receive
comments on the proposed bud
get will be held June 21 at 8
p.m. in the courthouse. By law,
the county commissioners must
adopt the budget ordinance and
set the tax rate by July 1.
Commissioners will meet this
Friday at 9 a.m. in the court
house annex to review the
revenue sharing budget. A pub
lic hearing on that budget will
be included in the June 21
meeting to receive comments.