The Hoke County News - Established 1928
VOLUME LXXIII NUMBER 47 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
- journal
25'
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
S8 PF.R YEAR THURSDAY. MARCH 18, 1982
Add Grades To 3
Board Changes 4 Schools' Attendance Areas
Around
> Town
BY SAM C. MORRIS
The weekend was fine for the
folks that wanted to be outdoors.
There were many with green
thumbs that were out in their
gardens on Saturday. The sun and
wind had dried out the soil so that
the tractors could get into the
fields.
| Then on Saturday night and
starting again Sunday night the
rains came. It had rained about
one-half inch by noon Monday and
as this is being written Monday
afternoon it is still raining. Of
course as wet as the ground is at
this time, it takes only a small
amount to keep the farmers out of
the fields.
It is expected to stop raining
sometime Tuesday and then the
| forecast is for 70 degree weather on
' Wednesday. Maybe it will be so the
farmers can get back to work by
Thursday.
? ? ?
The college basketball tourna
ment moves into the second round
this week and games will be played
Thursday, Friday, Saturday and
^ Sunday.
" The ACC still has two teams left
in the event. Virginia will play at
Birmingham on Thursday and
UNC will play in Raleigh on
Friday. If they win, the Virginia
team will play again Saturday and
the Tar Heels will play on Sunday.
So be ?ure to stock up the
refrigerator and pantry so you can
sit back and enjoy a week of
basketball.
>
I haven't heard if all the Demo
cratic precinct meetings were held
last week, but I do know that the
ones in Raeford were well attended.
I also heard that a good crowd
showed up at the Stonewall pre
cinct.
The business at the meetings was
to elect delegates to the county
| convention. I am not sure of the
date, but will find out and publish
it next week.
? ? ?
While on the subject of politics.
I see where the justice department
his approved the redistricting plan
for the Congressional district. That
will mean that Hoke County is now
in the Eighth Congressional district
? and will be represented by Bill
Hefner.
It is my understanding that
Congressman Hefner would like to
attend the Hoke County convention
if he can work out his schedule at
that time. This would be a fine
thing for him to do and it would
also be a drawing card to get people
to attend the convention.
More about this later.
Someone told me the other day
that we should have the largest
turnout in the upcoming primary
that has ever been in the county. I
hope that he knows what he is
talking about.
As of March 10 there were 6695
Democrats, 388 Republicans and
64 Independents registered in Hoke
& County. This is a total of 7147.
? Now this is not all the people that
should be registered in the county.
If you haven t registered, do so this
week.
I went back in the file to see
about the vote in other elections
and came across the general elec
tion of 1968. That year there were
5060 voters registered in Hoke
County and 45z7 voted in that
election. That is almost 90% of the
0) voters going to the polls. If that
percentage of the Democrats will
vote in tlie primary we will have
over 6000 voting.
So register and vote and let's
have more than 90% .
? ? ?
I noticed in a daily paper this
week that someone was saying to
(See AROUND TOWN, page 17)
W
ATTENDANCE AREAS ?? This map shows the new attendance areas for West Hoke. South Hoke. Scurlock and
McLauchlin Elementary schools which go with the changes approved Monday night by the hoard of education.
The heavy lines radiating from Raeford mark the joint boundaries of the attendance areas. They follow highway
routes. [Map by Hank Richards].
The Hoke County Board of
Education Monday night in a
special meeting approved making
Scurlock, South and West Hoke,
and McLauchlin schools Kinder
garten through Grade 4 schools.
The board adopted revised at
tendance areas to go with the
change. Exceptions are available,
however, for children of school
employees on request to the school
board in person.
Scurlock and West Hoke cur
rently has kindergarten through
Grade 4, South Hoke Grades 2-4.
and McLauchlin Kindergarten and
First Grade.
Frank H. Richards, director of
transportation and school-com
munity relations for the county
schools, presented the plan with a
map at the board's regular meeting
of March 4 and went into more
details at the special meeting.
He said the changes would
relieve crowding and shorten rides
on the school buses for the chil
dren, and free four of six buses now
on one route for use in other areas
where they are needed.
The board also acted with an eye
toward the coming federal busing
law change which will require that
busing be prohibited for students
living no farther than a mile and a
half from their schools.
The motion providing the
changes includes the exceptions for
the children of school employees.
The excepting provision is that
employees children may attend the
same schools at which their parents
work provided that the parents
request in a personal appearance
before the board that their children
be permitted to attend these
schools.
The changes will become effec
tive with the start of the new school
year.
Classes for 1982-83 will begin
September 1, according to the
calendar accepted by the school
board during the meeting. June 10,
1983. will be the last day of classes
for the next school year.
Board chairman Bill Cameron
suggested the provision for the
exceptions, indicating that the
attendance area rule would be a
hardship on some teachers and
other employees. He pointed out
that one teacher has three children
at McLauchlin but has classes at a
school a considerable distance away
in the county.
The attendance areas adopted by
the school board for Kindergarten
Grade 4 students: -? Scurlock:
students whose driveway opens on
Vass Road or who live north of
Vass Road; and students whose
driveways open on N.C. 20 or live
northeast of N.C. 20.
-South Hoke: students whose
driveways open on SR 1403 or who
live northeast of 1403; and students
whose driveways open on U.S. 401
or southeast of 401 and south of the
N.C. 21 1 bypass.
--West Hoke: students who live
(See CHANGES, page 17)
Commissioners Ask County Manager
... Combining Hoke Tax Jobs To Be Studied
The Hoke County commissioners
asked the county manager to
investigate the feasibility of com
bining the offices of tax collector
and tax supervisor.
Commissioner Danny DeVane
in his motion said the action would
provide a more effective tax service
at a lower cost to the taxpayer.
During the meeting, the com
missioners accepted with regret the
resignation of Les Simpson as
county tax supervisor, effective
May 31. The county tax collector is
Mrs. Elizabeth Livingston.
Simpson tendered his resignation
at the commissioners' regular meet
ing of March 1 but left the date
open for the convenience of the
commissioners. He gave no reason
for resigning and has said he has no
other job in sight at the moment.
The commissioners in other
business at their Monday night
meeting, the regular mid-month
session, adopted a motion to repay
the state $19,950 in federal Co
operative Employment and Train
ing Act funds spent between Oc
tober 1, 1977, and September 30,
1979. An official state audit ques
tioned costs amounting to $35,608
of the total expenditures of
$911,482 during the contract
period. Based on County Manager
James Martin's response with
documentation and arguments, the
state attorney - general's office has
determined that S15.658 should be
allowed. This left the amount the
commissioners decided Monday
night that the county would repay.
The funds disallowed include
$11,723 because a participant did
not meet eligibility criteria; 546 for
insufficent documentation pre
sented to support billed travel
costs; $6,619 and $1,562 because a
contractor billed the prime sponsor
and was reimbursed in excess of
actual costs of workmen's com
pensation.
Martin said he feels the county
has exhausted grounds for appeal.
The county has been arguing
against repaying the money for
about a year.
The 511,723 item was salary for
Grace Pierce, originally employed
in 1976 as a Title II worker. She
changed in 1977 to Title VI and
was added to the county payroll
October 1. 1979, in the Depart
ment of Social Services.
Martin said she was eligible
when she first started but that there
is no way the county can defend
Pierce's salary.
The board during the meeting
agreed to provide up to S60.000 as
a loan to the County Board of
Education, optimizing the money
as needed and the money to be
repaid bv July 10.
The request was made in writing
by Don Steed, the county school
system's finance officer. The letter
says the reason for the request was
the school board "has a cash flow
problem that has resulted from the
Reagan Administration."
Before the president changed his
policy, the letter adds, the school
board could borrow funds from the
contingency fund or the school food
service funds to pay bills for
programs funded on a reimburse
ment basis. But as things stand
now, the school board cannot
borrow from food service or the
contingency fund to pay general
school fund bills.
A total of $45,000 of the SbO.OOO
will be used for vocational educa
tion, $5,000 for the Alternative
Learning Center, and S 10.000 for
work-study, the letter says.
The commissioners also during
the meeting let the contract to audit
the county books for fiscal 1981-82
and 1982-83 to Pittard & Perry of
Raeford. The accounting firm bid
to do the work for $3,600, which
was the lower of the two bids
received. The other was $4,000
tiled by George T. Amnions of N.C.
211 east. Red Springs.
The commissioners approved a
request made by Sheriff D.M.
Barrington for $1,650 in capital
outlay funds to buy a copy machine
in lieu of purchasing a new car for
the sheriff's department.
They also approved up to $118
for expenses for William T. Niven
to attend the semi-annual meeting
of the North Carolina Association
of Local Government Employee
Safety Officials April 1-2 in
Raleigh. Niven is safety director
and director of the county U.S.
Emergency Management Adminis
tration office.
The commissioners scheduled
the first meeting of the County
Board of Equalization and Review
for 2 p.m. April 5.
On Monday afternoon, the
commissioners toured with mem
bers of the county school board and
administration county schools
to inspect needs tor repairs and
other improvements.
Store Can't Accept Stamps
Animal Health & Feed, of Rt. I,
Raeford has been barred from
accepting food stamps for a year
because of violations, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Food
and Nutrition Service reports.
Owned by T.E. Stanton and
Hoke Sales
Tax Net
Carey Thompson, the store was
disqualified from the food stamp
program for a year, starting Jan
uary 24, after being charged with
selling cigarettes, motor oil. fishing
lures and other ineligible items for
food coupons.
Collections of Hoke County's 1%
sales tax netted S30.077.20 last
January.
The net collections in December
1981 were S14.095.88. and in
Januarv 1981 ihe net S30 327
16.
In Fog On U.S. 401 Business
Greens-laden Truck Overturns
A refrigerator tractor-trailer
loaded with frozen greens turned
over on its side on U. S. 401
business near the U.S. 401 bypass
intersection north of Raeford about
3:30 a.m. Thursday. State Trooper
R.V. Lee reported.
The driver. Jack Bobbitt Mc
Cuiston. 50. of 215 Union St..
Auburndale. Fla.. traveling alone,
was taken to Cape Fear Valley
Hospital in Fayetteville for ex
amination and. if necessary, treat
ment. after he complained of
shoulder pains.
Lee said the accident happened
when McCuiston braked as the
truck was rounding a curve in
heavy fog. the brakes locked, and
the load shifted. The officer said
the damages would run roughly
$18,000 to 520.000 but that the
cargo apparently wasn't damaged.
Lee said McCuiston was driving
for Yellow Lake. Inc.. of Auburn
dale. taking the produce to New
Jersey from Florida when he turned
accidentally from the bypass onto
401 business in Raeford and was
trying to return to the bypass when
the accident happened.
The officer said the cargo of the
damaged truck was transferred to a
truck of Dewitt of Ellerbe and one
from Dowd Motor Pool of Car
thage. Some employees of House of
Raeford's turkey processing plant
in Raeford and on U.S. 401
business were engaged to help
transfer the load.
He said the driver wasn't charged
in view of the weather conditions in
which the accident occurred.
Tin ? cargo of the overturned truck was being transferred to the truck ai
right when this picture was taken Thursday. \Staff photo].
UCB Low Bidder
For Raeford Notes
Racford Mayor John K McNeill.
Jr.. expressed the city's apprecia
tion of the attitude toward the
community the United Carolina
action shows.
"We are glad the local hank
has that much faith in us." he said
Monday morning, "and we appre
ciate United Carolina's picking up
the city's bond anticipation notes."
Aside from the practical business
viewpoint, the bank showed the
interest of the supporting citi/cn in
the progressive development of his
communitv.
Raeford city Finance Officer
Helen Huffman said Monday also:
"The city officials and staff are
very pleased that UCB was able to
bid and be successful bidder on our
bond anticipation notes."
UCB's participation makes them
feel the new bank "is interested in
the community and its welfare,"
Mrs. Huffman added.
"We feel UCB did bid because it
was interested in the economic
growth of Raeford." Helping the
waste-water project, she pointed
out. will help the community's
economic growth.
United Carolina Bank of White
ville was the low bidder tor the
Raeford municipal $58,000 sani
tary sewer hond anticipation notes
sold March 9 by the State Treas
urer's Department.
United Carolina's winning bid
was 9% interest and an average
maturity of the notes of 289 days.
United Carolina's was one of
three bids made tor the Raeford
notes. The bank chain has a
Raeford office, the former Bank of
Raeford, which merged officially
March 1 with UCB
The money from the sale of the
notes w ill be used, if needed to help
pay the cost of the city's new
waste-water treatment plant. The
funds will be deposited to accu
mulate interest, which will com
pensate largely for the 9% interest.
The total cost of the project,
including engineering, legal and
administrative fees and construc
tion contingencies, is $945,000.
Federal, state and city funds are
paying the cost.