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The Hoke County News - Established 1928
VOLUME LXXIl NUMBER 36 y_ RAEFORU, MOKE COl NTY. NORTH CAROLIN A
i
- journal
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
S8 PER YEAR THURSDAY. JANUARY 1, 1981
Around
Town
BY SAM C. MORRIS
The wind and rain is with us as
this is being written early Monday
morning. I would estimate that the
temperature is in the 30s, and
according to the forecast should get
up to the 50s later in the day.
The snow didn't come on
Christmas day, but it did show up
on Saturday. I get up early
everyday and had gone out and
picked up the morning paper about
6 a.m. If anything was falling at
that time I didn't see or feel it.
About an hour, later someone at the
house said that the ground was
covered with snow, I couldn't
believe such a thing.
I This happened to me many years
ago when I was operating the
linotype machine early in the
morning here at the office. Getting
up and coming to work at about
3:30 in the morning it was fair and
cold, but it was not snowing. About
6:30 a.m. the publisher came by
the office with his boots on and was
talking about putting chains on his
car. I asked nim where he was
?. going and he said there were about
ji two or three inches of snow outside.
1 couldn't believe it, but it was true.
So when the snow comes, it is a
surprise after you have been up for
a few hours.
The employees in the Composing
room, all of the opposite sex, will
be happy and willing to get down to
hard work, because they left here
last week wanting snow for the
holidays and 1 was hoping to hear
? "White Christmas" on the TV set.
' Anyway it held off long enough
for everyone to get home for
Christmas and cleared up so that
they could return home Sunday.
It was a nice Christmas and
holidays.
? * *
I have not heard the official
count for traffic fatalities on the
? highways in North Carolina for the
' holiday period but would think that
the conditions on the highways
because of the weather would have
cut down on traffic and this would
keep the death toll down from the
50 that was predicted.
We haven't checked, as yet. with
the police or the sheriff depart
ments. but haven't heard of any
violence in the county so far this
, holiday season.
f There were many houses that
caught fire in the state, but haven't
heard of any in Hoke County. This
is good and if everyone will be
careful, maybe we can get through
the season without any tragic
events.
* * ?
This is the last column for 1980
' and what makes it easy to do is the
help of all the readers. It would be
hard to till up each week it you
didn't vn rite letters and come by the
office and give me bits of infor
mation for this column. 1 ap
preciate it more than you know and
the readers also appreciate and
want to hear from former citizens
of Kaeford and Hoke County, so if
you have something to say or want
to recall some old events that
happened here in the past, be sure
to write or come by the office.
Everything that we place in this
column is filed and will be around
as long as the newspaper and
library are around.
So to keep the column going, just
keep the copy coming into the
office.
The upcoming year 1981 fore
casts problems for all of us. but as
we look back -over the years, we
have come through many trying
years and each time we have faced
the problems and won. So keep
your head high and keep the faith
that this country will continue to he
a leader in world affairs.
To each and everyone a Happy
l New Year.
Youth Rally Slated For Sunday
The Rev. Albert Long, an evan
gelist of Durham, will hold a youth
rally Sunday at First Baptist
Church of Raeford.
He will hold a special youth rally
at b p.m. and will deliver the
evening message at the 7:30 p.m.
service.
The Rev. Billy Beaver invites the
youth of all ages to attend this
important crusade. Long, noted for
his ability to deal with the youth
problems of the nation, is president
of Happenings. Inc., and is
strongly supported by the Fellow
ship of Christian Athletes. The
Advisory Council of Happenings
consists of such noted sports per
sonalities as Coaches Tom Landry,
Dean Smith, and Steve Sloan. Jeff
Mullins, and many others.
Long lettered in four sports at
the University of North Carolina, of
which he is a graduate.
In Raeford Stores
Christmas Sales 'Good' To 'Terrific'
Scene at checkout counters in a Rueford store about noon Christmas Eve.
[Staff photo by Bill Lindau.\
New Driver License
Edenborough Shopping Center parking lot about noon Christmas Eve ...
Parking space was hard to find. [Staff photo by Bill Lindau. |
Renewal System Set
North Carolina started the new
year with a new method of licensing
drivers.
The method, called the "classi
fied driver license system." will
replacc the operator and chauffeur
licenses issued under the old
system, according to Motor Ve
hicles Commissioner Elbert L.
Peters Jr.
Peters said last month the
change will take place for driver
license renewals after Jan. 1, 1981.
Motorists with current valid driver
licenses will not be affected until it
is time for them to renew their old
licenses, which occurs every four
years. A driver license expires at
midnight on the motorists
birthday.
Under the new system, vehicles
are put in categories or classes (A.
B or C) according to their weight
and the number of passengers they
are designed to carry. The class will
be indicated on the front cover ot
the driver license.
Transportation Secretary Tom
Bradshaw said. "Under the classi
fied driver license system. North
Carolina motorists will be licensed
to operate only motor vehicles in
the 'class' (A. B or C) shown on the
front cover of their driver licenses.
"Once implemented, we think
the classified driver license system
will play an important role in our
department's effort* to promote
safe driving on tHe roads and
highways of our state."
Most North Carolina motorists
will obtain a Class C license when
they renew their flriver licenses,
Peters noted.
The Class C license entitles a
driver to operate i car. a private
truck or other motf>r vehicle, which
weighs 30,000 poinds of less.
The Class B license entitles a
motorist to:
---Drive a commercial bus. a
cement mixer or am other single
motor vehicle that weighs over
30.000 pounds;
---Operate that vehicle to tow
another vehicle weighing 10,000
gross pounds or less;
---Drive a single vehicle designed
to carry more than 12 passengers;
--?Operate all vehicles under
Class C.
The Class A license entitles
motor vehicle operators to drive any
vehicle (except a motorcycle), in
cluding all vehicles under Classes B
and C.
To obtain a Class A license, the
motor vehicle operator must show
proof either by affidavit or by
passing a written examination
and/or road test that he is capable
of driving a tractor - trailer.
A driver license must have the
"motorcycle endorsement" on it
before a motorist is entitled to
operate the motorcycle with either a
Class A, B or C license.
To obtain this endorsement, the
operator must either sign an affi
davit attesting to two years' ex
perience in operating a motorcycle
prior to Jan. 1 . 1478 or take both a
written and a road test.
The fees tor each class license are
as follows:
A - $10, B - SIO, and C $4. A
duplicate license is SI .
Peters said motor vehicle opera
tors may still be exempt from
taking the written examination or
road test if they have had no traffic
convictions or violations within the
preceding four years.
However, to receive a Class A or
B license without taking the road
(See LICHNSF.. page 1 1)
Season's First Snowfall Comes
Hoke County with the rest of the
Sandhills area received its first
snowfall of the new winter Saturday
but a check indicates the white
blanket did no serious damage.
Meanwhile, Hoke people were hav
ing the New- Year's holiday Thurs
day following last weekend's long
Christmas vacation for most.
The blanket, amounting to about
two inches, made driving hazard
ous Saturday and postponed shop
ping for many people at the
after-Christmas sales at Raeford
stores.
Nearly all the snow had disap
peared by late Sunday afternoon
under the combination of rain and
above-freezing temperatures that
prevailed during the day. None was
visible Monday morning to motor
ists returning to work after the lom>
holiday.
The News-Journal is returning to
its regular schedule following
publication of this week's edition,
and the office is open for business
as usual on New Year's dav
Thursday and the rest of the week.
For County Office Space When Needed
Hoke Board Votes
To Buy Building Site
The Hoke County commissioners December 24 voted to buy land
for a site for construction of a building to house county government
offices when the building is needed.
The county will buy the property from The McLauchlin Co. of
Raeford for $50,000, according to the terms of the motion adopted.
The property is bounded by 100 feet each facing on East Elwood
and East Edinborough Avenues and 288 feet on Racket Alley on the
west. The line on East Edinborough is on the south side of the street
across from the Hoke County Sheriff s Department. The eastern
boundary runs through a vacant lot bounded by Elwood.
Edinborough and North Stewart Street. The property does not
include the entire lot but it does include the vacant building formerly
occupied by the Raeford Motor Co. Body Shop.
The money for the purchase will come from the county fund
balance.
John Balfour, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners,
said it wasn't known what year the county would shoot for. for
putting up the building. He said it could be two or it could be eight.
The action, however, he said, fits in with the long-range study of
county government and courts office space. The study and proposals
made for meeting the county's anticipated needs for space in five and
10 years were made by Jordan, Snowden & McVicker of Laurinburg
in 1979. The findings and proposals were presented to the
commissioners October 1, 1979.
One proposal is for construction of a Courthouse addition, and
this is what would be built on the site.
The proposal says the addition would contain present county
offices now housed in the annex on East Edinborough and in the old
county building on West Elwood. The East Edinborough annex
would provide additional needed space for the courts and the
sheriff s department.
No decision has been made by the commissioners yet on specific
plans.
Balfour said after the meeting, that the first negotiations for
purchase of the property for the building were held in early
November, and the agreement was reached after several weeks of
periodic discussions.
The meeting, held at 9 a.m.. was a special one called specifically
for the commissioners to decide on the property. An executive
session lasting about 25 minutes preceded the action on the motion
to buy. The official action was taken after the meeting was made
open.
The 1980 Christmas sales in
Raeford stores ranged from "good**
to "terrific" a check with manage
ment spokespeople Mondav shows.
Generally, Christmas shoppers
started later than last vear but
came on strong in the last lew days
before the holiday.
The "terrific" came from Robbie
Carter, manager-trainee at Macks
Variety & Fashions in Eden
borough Shopping Center. He was
queried in the absence of manager
Mike Maddox. who was away at the
time The News-Journal reporter
stopped by.
Carter said toys were the most
popular with shoppers, and of the
toys the "see and say" animals were
the favorites of gift buyers. He
pointed to empty shelves in the toy
department to illustrate his state
ment.
He said the sales generally were
better than those of the 1979
Christmas season.
Moore's manager Greg Wilker
son reported the past Christmas
season's sales were "real good... a
whole lot better than last vear." He
said he hadn't broken down sales
bv items so he couldn't say what
were the best sellers but sales of
merchandise were good all over the
store.
Along Main Street in downtown
Raeford. Louella Daniels, manager
of Pauline s clothing store report
the holiday sales had been good,
about the same as the I9"*9
season's.
At DeVane's department store,
manager Ed Hasty said the Christ
mas business started late but when
it got started it was good. Sales had
been off in September and Octo
ber. because of the warm weather,
he said, but the Christmas salt-v
were as good as last year's.
Of individual items, he said it
was a "real good sweater year" last
season. "In fact." he added. "I
didn't buy enough sweaters to sell."
I he next biggest favorite with
Christmas shoppers. Hasty said,
were shirts.
He said one difference between
the 1980 and the previous Christ
mas shopping seasons was ''people
were more careful in buying this
year" They were more particular
about quality, he said.
Mike Smith, owner ol Michael's
Men Shop across the street, said ot
the past Christmas sales. "I can't
complain." He said people waited
till the last minute but came in on
Tuesday and Wednesday betore
Christmas day.
Sweaters, slacks and suits sold
best. Smith added.
At The Shoe Chest next door,
owner Cleo Bratcher said he was
"real pleased' with the 1480
Christmas shopping season. Sales
were "real good." and they also
were good after Christmas he said.
He said the staff wrapped far
more gifts of shoes this year than
last year.
Brateher said ladies' boots sole
best of all. attributing the popu
larity to the cold weather preceding
Christmas.
At Howell Drug, low Howe!1
reported the past Christmas sales
were "good it not better ' than the
19"M season's. He said the 198?*
(See SALES. ;>aee 1 1 (
Part of land county is buying for more office space. The view is looking southwest. The picture was taken from the
front oj the sheriffs department building. [Staff photo by Bill Lindau].