25
& f [&W6
The Hoke County News - Established 1928
VOLUME XXX NUMBER 43 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY. NORTH CAROLINA
journal
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
88 PER YEAR THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 22. 1979
Around
Town
BY SAM C. MORRIS
There is only one thing to write
_ about this week and that is the
weather. About every other source
of information closed down after
the 9 to 10 inches of snow that fell
Sunday. I hope that everyone who
was hoping for snow has enough for
this winter. It came as a surprise to
me and I could hardly believe my
gk. eyes when it showed up Sunday
morning.
It was very pretty coming down,
but the thought of what is still
outside Tuesday morning would
keep flashing through my mind.
The phone rang about 8:30 Sunday
morning and L.S. Brock wanted
my opinion about church and
Sunday School. He and Dr. John
Ropp were polling the officers of
the church. There were no services
Sunday at the Raeford Presbyterian
Church.
The next problem to face the
household was how John and Sarah
would get back to Greenville, S.C.
and Virginia Beach, Va. in time for
work. This was soon solved when
the daylight changed to darkness
and it was still showing and
^ sleeting. At this time they are both
* still in Raeford but hope to move
today (Tuesday) for their home
stations.
Of course with these two in the
house, Mary Alice started thinking
about the amount of food she had
stored in the pantry and freezer.
%Food can certainly disappear when
four people are sitting around a
television for a day or two. Of
course the convenient store across
the street came to the rescue
Monday and that problem dis
appeared also.
The next problem was the em
ployees at the office saying they
weren't sure what time they could
get to work Monday. Some said it
would be impossible as they were
out -Of town vls+ftrtg Hke- my
children. A call from Bill Niven
asking what time I would go to
^work Monday, brought from him
that he had a four - wheel drive
vehicle and that he would pick me
up at seven o'clock. (This he did
and may I say thanks.) A call from
Chief of Police Zeke Wiggins was
also appreciated, but came a few
? minutes too late.
After getting to the office, the
phone started ringing from em
ployees asking that they be picked
up. as they couldn't get their cars
out of the yard onto the highways.
This we did, with the help of some
%kind friends with four - wheel drive
vehicles. Of the sixteen regular
employees, all but five made it to
work during the day. Three of these
were out of town and it was
impossible to get here, but they did
call in and let us know the
^conditions that faced them.
Tuesday morning I got my car
out of the yard and onto the road
but the streets were solid ice after
the temperature dropped to about
18 degrees Monday night. It should
melt the snow today (Tuesday) as
^the temperature is supposed to get
^up into the 50s. As this is being
written the phone hasn't rung, so
maybe everyone will be at work
today.
Many businesses didn't open
Monday and some opened late. The
county offices closed down but the
?county commissioners did meet
Monday night. Southern National
Bank called and said they were
closing Monday at 12 o'clock. The
city of Raeford was almost a ghost
town Monday. The schools were
closed Monday and Tuesday and
^pould be closed Wednesday unless
the road crews can move the snow
and ice from the secondary roads.
So let's hope all of the readers of
this column have seen enough snow
(See AROUND TOWN, page 15)
V
Storm Delays
Publication Of
Courts Records
The records of the Hoke
County magistrates' and Dis
trict courts were not obtained
in time for publication this
week because of Sunday's
snowstorm but will be pub
lished in next week's edition of
The News-Journal.
The court records for the
following week will be pub
lished as customary also.
The effects of the storm
forced closing of the court
house for business Monday.
Worst Since 1927
Snow Brings County To Standstill
WINTER STORM - One of the fiercest winter storms to hit the area in residents. Sunny skies and high temperatures are expected to melt away
recent memory dumped 8.4 inches of snow and sleet on the area and much of the accumulation.
paralyzed transportation here. Digging out began Monday for many
Road Priorities
Hearing April 2
Priorities for Hoke County road
improvements will be discussed
April 2 at a public hearing with
county commissioners and state
highway representatives attending.
A meeting to bring priorities on
road work in Division Eight up to
date will be held June 6 in the
Local Man Airlifted
For Kidney Dialysis
Due to the weekend snowfall, a
local man who required kidney
dialysis treatment had to be air
lifted from Raeford to Chapel Hill
Monday for treatment, Linda
Hinley of the Hoke Ambulance
Service said.
Duncan Thomas of Shannon,
who would have been transported
there by the Hoke County Am
bulance Service, went, instead, by
helicopter for the treatment which
his doctor said he must have.
"The highway patrol told us that
we couldn't get through the roads
between here and Chapel Hill
without a four - wheel drive
vehicle." Mrs. Hinley said.
The Chapel Hill doctor put the
ambulance crew in touch with Mast
Assistance, the helicopter service.
After arranging for the helicopter,
the ambulance unit, flanked by a
four - wheel drive vehicle, traveled
to the Thomas home and had him
in Raeford in time for his flight
from the field beside the National
Guard Armory to Chapel Hill.
"The helicopter had trouble
getting out of Ft. Bragg, but it
arrived here about 2:15 p.m.,"
Mrs. Hinley said.
Thomas is reportedly still at N.C.
Memorial Hospital where the
kidney dialysis machine will do the
work normally done by the kidneys.
The Hoke County Board of
County Commissioners decided
Monday night to continue a pro
gram that would give financial aid
to low income residents for im
proving sub ? standard housing.
The weatherization program,
which the commissioners voted to
continue to support, would improve
homes whose owners qualify, by
adding insulation with a maximum
outlay of S40 per households. The
program, free to those who qualify
would be used to benefit rural
households.
According to Project Director
Charles McKoy of Four County
Community Services, the. agency
administering the program, 75
percent of the homes approved for
work in the past year were rural.
The program has a budget of
$180,000 for Scotland, Hoke,
Robeson and Bladen counties. It
would provide about S39.000 in
funds for Hoke residents.
County Commissioner Danny
DeVane told the board that he
would like to know how the money
would be spent before endorsing
the program for another year.
Commissioners Meet
Home Weatherization
Program Approved
according to a report in a Fay
etteville paper.
DeVane said he would like to see
administrative costs cut and house
holds in outlying areas receive the
greatest outlay since the county
already is receiving funds from the
U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development for the same
work on homes around Raeford.
McKoy told commissioners that
administrative costs of the program
were calculated on a pro ? rata basis
for each county with all labor costs
paid by federal funds.
The project was approved with
the stipulation that the bulk of
funding would be spent on homes
not in the project area of the federal
HUD program.
In other business, the board
voted to merge the county dog
warden position with the Raeford
City position. A dog warden will
not be named until commissioners
meet with the Raeford City
Council.
The position has been vacant
since last month when Archie Clark
longtime dog warden, died.
Southern Pines Municipal Build
ing.
State law requires that road
improvements priorities be rewrit
ten every two years, and "we're just
about through," Martha Hollers,
of Candor, a member of the State
Board of Transportation, informed
county commissioners here Thurs
day afternoon.
The county meeting date was
arranged and the division meeting
date was reported Thursday after
noon during an informal discusson
of county roads by State Depart
ment of Transportation district and
division staff people. Martha Hol
lers of Candor, a member of the
State Board of Transportation
representing the Sandhills area,
and county commissioners in the
commissioners' conference room
here.
The professional road people
participating were District Engin
eer Fred Beck. Assistant Division
Engineer Fred Whitesell, Assistant
District Engineer Raymond
Sproles, and District Supervisor
N.A. Singletary. all from DOT's
division and district office at
Aberdeen.
The commissioners participating
were Board Chairman John Bal
four, Mabel Riley, James A. Hunt,
and Neil McPhatter.
During the meeting Balfour ask
ed about arrangements for getting
five to eight state prisoners assign
ed to Hoke County permanently to
work at cleaning ditches and
similar road maintenance. He said
this would solve problems.
He said Jerry Cole, area super
visor of the Area Inmate Labor
Commission, was receptive to the
idea.
Beck replied that he'd appreciate
it if Balfour could get it arranged.
Balfour is a member of the Area
Inmate Labor Commission.
Balfour said the use of prisoners
also would be good public rela
tions, and Ms. Hollers added that it
also is therapy for the prisoners.
The commissioners were inform
ed that prisoners cannot be used to
work close to private homes.
Speakers agreed that it would be
better for prisoners to work on the
roads than sit around the prison
camps playing basketball, and one
man said prisoners preferred to
work outside because it made the
(See ROADS, page 15)
by Cassie W asko
"This is the first time in 22
years that I can remember snow
bringing everything to a stand
still here." Sheriff Dave Bar
rington said of the snowstorm
that paralyzed most of the state
Sunday.
The storm dumped 8.4 inches
of snow here while other parts of
the state got as much as 19
inches. School closings through
out the state have been the rule,
although roads are expected to
improve as temperatures climb
into the 60s this week.
"We've been going since 3:30
a.m. Sunday." Bill Southern of
the State Department of Trans
portion said.
With only five snowplows and
two graders working, the de
partment has cleaned the main
highways and about 50 or 60
percent of the county roads
Tuesday. Southern said. No dirt
roads had been cleared Tues
day, and Southern said they
would get to them as quickly as
possible. Work on the roadways
is not expected to be complete
before Thursday.
The work of the Department
of Transportation and Bill
Southern is to be commended,
according to State Highway
Patrolman Ken Weston. Wes
ton explained that the crews had
done a remarkable job of clear
ing roadways, considering the
short supply of snow ? removal
equipment and salt.
"They were sitting aro>ind>
Saturday night waiting for the
snow to begin." Weston said.
Most area businesses opened
late or closed early while court
The county schools
were closed Tuesday
also but classes were
resumed Wednesday
morning.
house employees had a day off.
Burlington Industries was back
to normal Tuesday after run
ning a partial shift Monday,
and Faberge was open Tuesday
after being closed all day Mon
day.
"It was the coldest, driest
snow we ever had," Robert
Gatlin, official Hoke weather
man said.
Had the snow been in liquid
form, it would have equalled
about 1.4 inches. When the
snow was falling, the ratio was
nine inches of snow to an inch of
rainfall. Gatlin said, although
(See SNOW, page 15)
ROAD TA LK ~ Hoke County commissioners and state highway Division Fight officials talked about Hoke County road
improvements Thursday afternoon in an informal meeting in the county commissioners' conference room, c ckwise,
L-R, starting at the back end of the table are county commissioners' Chairman John Balfour, Commissioners Mabel
Riley and James A. Hunt, District Engineer Fred Beck, District Supervisor N.A. Singletary, Martha Hollers of Candor, a
member of the State Board of Transportation, Fred White sell, assistant division engineer, Raymond Sproles. assistant
engineer, and Commissioner Neil Mcrhatter.