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The Hoke County News - Established 1928
VOLUME LXXIV NUMBER 11 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
journal
25
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
$8 PER YEAR
THURSDAY, JULY 8, 1982
Around
Town
BY SAM C.MORRIS
We had some rain, but for the
most part it was a nice weekend.
We didn't get the high winds and
hail that came to other parts of the
state.
The forecast is for the tempera
ture to rise and stay in the 90s for
the remainder of the week.
Summer is now with us, so let's
all enjoy it, for the cold weather will
be here before you know it.
* * *
While on the subject of weather,
a phone call came into the office
last week and a note was left on my
desk. It was from Mary Peele who
lives on North Main Street and she
was telling about a telephone
conversation she had with her
sister, Mrs. Katherine Wirth, last
Tuesday night.
Mrs. Wirth, who lives in Helena,
Mont., called to tell her sister that
at about 11:30 o'clock Monday
night that a thunderstorm came
through and that hail fell the size of
grapefruit. Then at about four
o'clock Tuesday morning another
cloud came and dropped hail the
size of tennis balls.
I have heard of large hail, but
this tops the ladder for me. If you
can top these sizes, please let me
know.
Thanks Mary for this informa
tion and I hope that Katherine is in
the best of health.
* * *
Well it looks like we will have a
runoff in the commissioners' and
house race on July 27. With so
many candidates in the race, it was
impossible for all of them to receive
a majority.
The prediction by this writer on
the number of voters that would
turn out in the first primary was
^ well off base, i thought after the
record number to register that most
of them would turn out to vote.
This, of course, was not the case.
It seems to me that a little over
4500 went to the polls and we have
8260 Democrats that are on the
books. This would indicate that
about 55 percent voted. This is not
bad for an off-year election, but in
my mind it is bad with the
^ importance of the sheriff and
commissioners' races in this
county.
The second primary is im
portant. so be sure to remember to
vote.
* * ?
What did you do on the 4th of
^ July? Was it just another day or did
' you think of what the day was set
aside to celebrate?
Of course the way we have moved
most holidays to Monday, it takes
* away the thought of the meaning of
a holiday. Most businesses were
closed on Monday as the fourth fell
on Sunday this year. This is one
holiday that hasn't been moved to
Monday.
I We should all take time and
think of what we are celebrating.
The reason behind most of our
holidays have cost many people
some real hard times.
Think this over!
* ? *
Did you get up Tuesday morning
and watch the eclipse of the moon?
I didn't, so it will be December
before it happens again. Of course
we can all watch it on television,
when the news comes on today.
If any of our readers took any
pictures, how about bringing them
by the office and let us look at
them.
* * *
The Space Ship Columbia made
another voyage into space, and
after a week of floating around,
returned to earth July 4th. Ac
cording to reports everything went
well except the pieces they lost on
takeoff.
Maybe in a few years someone
will sell you a ticket for a flight into
outer space. I said you, not me!
Action Tabled Till July 19 Meeting
More Funds Asked F or Hoke Schools
F or Commissioners 9 Nominations
Riley , Howell Call For Runoffs
Hoke County Commissioner
Mable Riley and Tom Howell
Thursday called formally for a
runoff primary to decide the Demo
cratic nominees for two seats on the
Board of County Commissioners.
The. others in the runoff, sche
duled for July 27, will be County
Commissioner James A. Hunt and
Cleo Bratcher.
Mrs. Riley and Howell become
eligible for a runoff when neither
Bratcher nor Hunt received ma
jorities in the June 29 primary to
choose the party's nominees tor the
three seats up for election. Mrs.
Riley finished fourth with 1.544
votes and Howell fifth with 1 .457 in
the Held of 10 candidates. Bratcher
ran second with 2.032. one vote
short of a majority that would have
For State House
DeVane Files For Runoff
Hoke County Commissioner
Danny DeVane, a Raeford Demo
crat, will bid in the July 27 runoff
primary for one of the three seats in
the State House ot Representatives
for the 16th District of Hoke.
Robeson and Scotland counties.
DeVane was reported to have
gone to Raleigh Tuesday mornini;
to file directly with the State Board
of Elections as a candidate.
DeVane ran sixth in the field of
nine candidates in the June 29
primary in which none got a clear
majority. DeVane's unofficial vote
tally was 7.019.
The other candidates eligible for
the runoffs were: John (Pete)
Hasty. 8.745: State Rep. William
C. Gay. 8.409; Sidney A. Locks.
8.351: and J.T. (Tommy) Welling
ton. 7,h38.
DeVane is the only Hoke County
candidate in the contests. The
filing deadline for the runoffs was
noon Tuesday.
One-car Accident
Hoke Crash Kills Red Springs Man
A Red Springs man was killed
about two miles east of Raeford
early Monday when the car he was
driving went out of control, then
struck a tree and a residence, the
State Highway Patrol reported.
The victim was identified as
Recardo Williams, 24. The report
says the accident happened on SR
116 about 12:25 a.m. It says the car
was traveling at a high rate of speed
when Williams lost control. The car
stopped wedged between the tree
and the porch of the house, and
members of the Hoke County
Rescue Squad had to cut away the
roof of the vehicle before they could
get Williams's body out. The Hoke
County Ambulance Service found
Williams dead when its vehicle
arrived at the scene.
The body was taken to Buie
Funeral Home.
Williams was the third person to
die this year in a Hoke County
traffic accident.
P eterkin Challenges Primary Results
The Hoke County Board of
Elections was scheduled to meet at
10 a.m. Wednesday to consider a
letter of challenge of the June 29
Democratic primary for the nomi
nation of a sheriff.
The letter was filed by James
Peterkin, unsuccessful candidate in
the two-man race. Sheriff David
Barrington won renomination by
about 894 votes in a total 4.318
cast.
Peterkin's allegations were not
made public pending the outcome
of Wednesday's hearing, w hich was
being held as The News-Journal
was coming off the press.
The elections board met Tuesday
and reviewed a request by Cleo
Bratcher, Jr., for a recount of votes
in his contest for a Democratic
nomination for one of the three
Hoke County commissioners' seats
but adjourned for further con
sideration later without reaching a
decision. The board was expected
to act at the Wednesday meeting.
Bratcher fell two votes short of
having a majority in the commis
sioners' races. He received 2,032.
John Balfour, present chairman of
the board of county commissioners,
was the only candidate to receive a
clear majority, receiving 2,215.
[The News-Journal report was in
error in saying, however, thai
Brutcher was only one vote sh\ of
Uettinf; u majority. The majority is
determined by a formula. |
Rose Sturgeon, supervisor of
Hoke County elections, said the
elections board official canvass
made last Thursday showed no
differences from the unofficial
tallies published in The Nciw
Jmtrmtl of July I .
The members of the elections
board are Democrats J. Scott Poole
of Raeford. chairman and Tom W.
Jones. Ht. I. Shannon, secretary
and Betty Hogan of Rockftsh. the
Republican member.
FIRST OF '82? -- Willie McPhaul of the South Hoke Community sits by
what may be the first watermelon produced in Hoke County in 1982. If it's
not the first produced, at least it 's the first reported to The News-Journal
produced in Hoke this year. McPhaul harvested it Thursday and brought it
to The News-Journal office to have its picture taken.
made him immune to a runoff
contest; and Hunt finished third
with 1.725.
John Balfour, the chairman of
the board of commissioners, was
the only candidate who received a
clear majority. He received 2.215
votes.
Mrs. Riley was the first to file
with the county board of elections
for a runoff, coming in Thursday
morning. Howell filed late Thurs
day afternoon.
Balfour and the winners of the
runoff will enter the November 2
general election with Republican
Evelyn Manning, who was un
opposed for her party's nomina
tion.
Mrs. Riley is completing her first
four-year term on the board and is
the first woman to have been
elected a Huke C?>unty commis
sioner.
Hunt is seeking his third term on
the board.
Neither Bratcher nor Howell
have held public offices but have
been and are active in church and
civic affairs.
The two other members of the
board, reelected in 1980 are Danny
DeVane and Neill McPhatter.
Their terms ran through 1984.
June Rainfall
4.86 Inches
In 12 Showers
It rained on Raeford 12 times in
June, and the total amounted to
4.8b inches, Robert Gatlin. Na
tional Weather Service weather
observer for Raeford. reported
Monday.
Gatlin, an experienced gardener,
called it a very beneficial kind of
rainfall for gardens, since it was
spread out in so many showers.
Figures for June 1981 were not
immediately available, but the past
month was much wetter and cooler.
That month last year had a number
of days when the temperatures
ranged from 90 to over 100 degrees.
The temperature reached 1 02 on
June 14. and 101 the next day last
year.
Sales Tax
Collections
Down
Collections of the Hoke County
one per cent sales tax in Mav
totaled S27.294.48.
April collections were $28,093.
97.
Collections in Mav 1981 were
527.834.14.
Hoke County collections of the 3
per cent stale sales tax in May were
S75.747.87. In April they were
S73.h3l.5h. The May 1981 col
lections were S32. 145.92.
, The Hoke County Board of
1 Education asked the Hoke County
commissioners Tuesday for S20.230
more for the 1982-83 Fiscal year
school budget to handle unpaid
school fees and student insurance
premiums.
The commissioners tabled action
on the request till their next
meeting, the mid-month session of
June 19. The vote was unanimous.
Commissioner Danny DeVane was
absent. He was reported in Raleigh
to file for the runoff primary for
state representative.
The school board can adopt the
new year's budget for the school
system after the commissioners act
on the request for additional
money.
In other action at their regular
July meeting, postponed a day
because of the Independence Day
holiday, the commissioners also by
unanimous vote agreed to lease to
the National Guard Second Bat
talion Headquarters and Head
quarters Company, 252nd Armor,
the present National Guard Ar
mory on East Central Avenue for
expected organization and training
of an additional tank company.
The present building would be used
for this purpose, if the state
adjutant general s office approves a
Second Battalion Headquarter re
commendation that the new com
pany be added here. Capt. Norman
Dean, presenting the request to the
commissioners, said the additional
unit. Company D, would give the
battalion four tank companies but
since it would be a third the size of
the others, it would use less space.
He told the commissioners, the
recommendation was due in Ra
leigh this week and that state
headquarters possibly would form
the new company in Albemarle,
about two hours' drive for Guard
members here.
He said use of the present armory
would leave space in the new
armory for other purposes. The
new company would contain 177
regular Guard members and five
fullt ime people.
John Balfour, chairman of the
board of county commissioners,
said the building would be leased
by the commissioners at a token SI
per year and valuable considera
tions."
The written statement addressed
to the commissioners says that
during the Guard's fiscal year
October 1. 1982. to September 31,
1983, the Second Battalion will
reorganize under the new Division
86 concept. In this reorganization.
Company D will be added to the
present structure of a Headquarters
and Headquarters Company, a
Combat Support Company and the
three present tank companies at
Laurinburg. Sanford and Southern
Pines.
In the three proposals of reor
ganization, two would not have any
adverse impact on the present
Raeford unit, which will be reor
ganized as Headquarters and Ser
vice Support Company. In the third
recommendation, the new tank
company would be formed in
Raeford.
The statement, issued by Second
Battalion headquarters, adds: "To
provide guidance for the company
being placed in Raeford we in
cluded ( I ) shorter travel distance to
Fort Bragg for Training, (2) central
location to draw on filler personnel
from existing tank companies and
(3) the existence of the armory
facility presently occupied by Head
quarters and Headquarters Com
pany in Raeford."
The statement calls the Division
86 reorganization an honor for the
Second Battalion. "We will become
the first National Guard Armor
unit to reorganize under the new
Army structure and receive the
newest armored fighting vehicles
presently being purchased for the
active Army. This battalion will be
receiving the new Ml tank and new
Infantry Fighting Vehicle, plus
required support equipment."
The statement says: "The new
reorganization will not be without
growing pains, for not only will the
fourth tank company be organized
and trained, but {he entire bat
talion of over 600 personnel will be
retrained in one way or another."
The Guard will move into the
(See MORE FUNDS, p?ge 13)