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The Hoke County News - Established 1928 The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
VOLUME LXXIV NUMBER 13 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA $8 PER YEAR THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1 982
Water System, Housing Study, Park,
Hoke To Ask U.S. For $750,000 For Projects
I ?
Around
Town
BY SAM C. MORRIS
If you think it is hot and humid
in Hoke County, then you are
correct. Of course the hot and
humid weather here is about 20
degrees lower than it is in the New
England states. So maybe we are
lucky after all.
Also, if you have noticed on
television, a city in New Jersey
> doesn t^ have any drinking water
unless it is hauled in to them or
they must boil it to make it safe to
drink.
Yes, we all have problems until
we look at our neighbor who has
more than we do.
? ? ?
Lt. General Jack Mackmull,
commander of the XVIII Airborne
^ Corps and Fort Bragg, was the
speaker at the regular weekly
meeting of the Raeford Kiwanis
Club last Thursday night. He was
introduced by Clyde Upchurch,
who was in charge of the program
for the night.
This was a special night for the
Kiwanians as they had invited
guests and wives to this meeting. It
was a time for guests to meet the
) club members and maybe sign up
to become a member. The food was
prepared by Mrs. Annie McNeill
and was top rate as usual.
Gen. Mackmull talked about the
forces under his command and
divided them into two different
groups. The rtadiriess fotW "WT'
fighting soldiers and the mainte
nance group or caretaking soldiers
at the post.
He stated that the XVIII Corps
> had approximately 100,000 men
that were in the readiness group.
About 40,000 of these are stationed
at Fort Bragg. They are under an
18 hour readiness command and
must be ready to fly anywhere in
the world. He stated that the Army
didn't have time now to wait 90
days to train men and then go into
combat. They must be ready now
I and this is the new approach to
' Fighting a war instead of the way it
was in 1940.
The general said that the all
volunteer army was working and
that now the armed forces could be
selective in who they enlisted
because of the number who wanted
to join a service. He stated that 30
percent of the soldiers don't
complete the three year enlistment
because they are not suited for
) military service. This includes
many reasons, he said. These men
or women are just dropped from
the service and they don't go
through a court martial as they did
years ago.
He also stated that most of the
men and all the women that are
enlisting now are high school
graduates.
. When he changed his talk to the
9 caretaking soldier he compared his
job to the mayor of a city. Each of
these units have a specific job to do
in keeping Fort Bragg going.
The community, he compared to
a chain grocery store, does $52
million a year business. The PX
(See AROUND TOWN, page 16)
By Peterkin In Sheriff's Race
State Board Rejects Challenge
James Peterkin, Jr.,'s charges
that a conspiracy against him cost
him the victory in the June 29
Democratic primary to nominate a
Hoke County sheriff were rejected
July 14 by the State Board of
Elections unanimously on grounds
that Peterkin did not support his
charges with evidence. The vote to
reject was reported unanimous
(5-0).
The Hoke County Board of
Elections on July 7 said essentially
the same thing of Peterkin's chal
lenge but asked Peterkin later by
letter to provide the board with
specific information. Instead,
Peterkin went directly to the state
board because, he said, he was not
informed of the meeting to discuss
his challenge.
Rose Sturgeon, Hoke County
elections supervisor, said the
county board didn't tell Peterkin
about the July 7 meeting because
"we just didn't think about it."
Peterkin said he had asked Mrs.
Sturgeon whether he could attend
the meeting and quoted her as
saying she would have to ask the
board chairman, but that Mrs.
Sturgeon didn't call Peterkin back.
Among other allegations, Peter
kin's challenge says about 1,200
black and Indian voters were
denied the right to vote in the
~ prijnwi..~ui D^vid.
Barrington defeated Peterkin,
2.601 to 1,717 votes.
Peterkin's challenge filed with
the state board charged that Hoke
County officials conspired to make
sure he lost, because he is black.
Board attorney James Bullock said,
however, that Peterkin should give
to District Attorney Ed Grannis,
Jr.. of Fayetteville evidence to
support his charges if he has any.
Peterkin did not attend the state
board meeting either.
He said after being informed of
the state board's decision that he
would take his case to court. He
could initiate action in Superior
Court, and he also could file a
complaint with the U.S. Justice
Department's Civil Rights Division
since the case would involve the
federal Voting Rights Act. County
elections board chairman J. Scott
Poole said at the June 7 meeting he
expected Peterkin to do the latter.
Peterkin presented to the state
board two affadavits from county
residents who said they were regis
tered to vote but not allowed to
vote. But Board chairman Robert
Spearman said this would not have
changed the outcome of the elec
tion.
Peterkin has said he has more
affadavits from residents who al
legedly were not allowed to vote
June 29 but he didn't have enough
time to mail them to the state board
for consideration at the July 14
meeting.
Peterkin also has charged that
when he started mailing political
material during the campaign a
precinct official was hired parttime
to work in the post office and that
half the mail he sent was never
delivered.
Outside the formal challenge,
Peterkin said that in Antioch
Precinct, a man who had not been
allowed to register to vote was
allowed to cast the vote of his son.
who is in the Army; and that in
Raeford Precincts 2 and 4, a
woman told him "they" were voting
dead people, but added that he had
no way of proving this, so he didn't
pursue it.
Peterkin also said in an interview
with an out - of - county reporter
that he knows of three people who
cast absentee ballots for him -- a
college student, his brother, and a
friend who was going out of town --
but the official results show he
received only one absentee vote.
Mrs. Sturgeon, however, replied
that "we counted every absentee
ballot we got."
In his formal challenge, besides
alleging people were denied the
right to vote, Peterkin says:
?A precinct worker told a voter
not to vote for a given candidate.
Peterkin did not supply the name of
the worker or the voter to the
county board.
-Voters were required to vote
outside their home precincts. Poole
said it is up to the voter, according
to the law, to find out which
precinct he or she is to vote in.
-Precinct workers did not let
voters come into a voting place all
at the same time but made them
come in one at a time. Poole said he
didn't understand the way this was
put. It was one of the points
Peterkin was asked to clarify.
--Peterkin gave Hoke Demo
cratic Chairman Harold Gillis a list
of people Peterkin wanted to serve
as poll observers, but Gillis didn't
turn over the names to the elections
board for approval. Gillis said later
he sent back word to Peterkin that
he would not recommend appoint
ing poll observers for him since
other candidates had not been
asked to submit lists of people they
wanted as observers.
Spearman said no law requires
party chairman to appoint poll
watchers for candidates.
Peterkin closes his challenge by
Home Destroyed By Fire
The home of Jimmy Neill Conoly
in Puppy Creek was destroyed by
fire of undetermined origin early
Friday morning.
No one was at home at the time.
Puppy Creek Fire Chief Buddy
Newton said.
He said the house and its
contents were destroyed by the
blaze, which was discovered by a
patrolling Hoke County deputy
sheriff. Newton said the fire depart
ment received the call about the fire
from the Sheriff's Department at
1:51 a.m., and when the firemen
arrived a few minutes later they
found the front section had
collapsed. The deputy radioed the
Sheriff s Department when he saw
smoke coming from the house.
Newton said 14 Puppy Creek
firemen with three trucks were
assisted by about 10 Rockfish Fire
Department firefighters with two
trucks in putting the blaze out.
None of the outbuildings on the
property were damaged, he said.
Newton said he left the scene at
about 9 a.m. Friday.
Remains of County home in Puppy Creek
He said Conoly was located and
notified by the Sheriffs Depart
ment and arrived at the scene after
the tire had been extinguished.
The house was wood, contained
seven rooms and was 100 or
more years old. Newton said. He
said the contents included some
antiques.
The house stood on paved SR
1417 about a mile south of U.S. 401
and about nine miles northeast of
Raeford.
James Peterkin. Jr.
stating under oath to a notary
public, Tony Buie, that the county
elections board, precinct officials,
registrars, judges, assistants, ballot
counters and other election officials
"are part of a conspiracy to keep
me from having a runoff for the
office of sheriff."
Barrington, whose win in effect
reelected him sheriff since he has
no opposition in the November 2
general election, has declined to
comment on Peterkin's charges. "1
beat him in the primary." Barring
ton said, "and it's all over until the
general election."
Barrington is running for his
sixth consecutive four-year term in
the office.
Peterkin also has been a deputy
sheriff under Barrington. He said
he started in 1974. working his way
up to sergeant in 1980 when
Barrington fired him. Peterkin said
Barrington asked him to resign
because Peterkin was under in
vestigation by the SBI at the time in
a theft case and that the sheriff
fired him when he refused to
resign. He said the reason Bar
rington did this was "he knew I was
going to run against him even
tually."
Grannis said Peterkin was not
charged in connection with the
1980 investigation because the
investigation did not turn up
evidence sufficient to warrant pro
secution.
Competency
Test July 28
A special summer administration
of the North Carolina Competency
Test will be given at Hoke County
High School July 28-29 beginning
at 8 a.m.
Any student who attended Hoke
High and has met all the re
quirements to receive a diploma
except passing all or part of the
Competency Test is eligible to take
the test during this administration.
All interested persons should
contact Jim Bowles at Hoke High or
call 875-2156.
The Hoke County commissioners
Monday night agreed that the
county should apply for a $750,000
federal Housing and Community
Development grant through the
State Department of Natural Re
sources and Community Develop
ment.
A total of $605, 000 of it would be
used to help finance establishment
of a water system for South Hoke,
as part of the $4.2 million county
water system that is being con
sidered.
A total of $125,000 would be
used to help pay for development of
the 6.7 acres Burlington Industries
gave last year for a county recrea
tion park. The Hoke County De
partment of Parks and Recreation
is responsible for the development.
Another part of the grant would
finance relocation of the Rockfish
community house and companion
improvements to the grounds.
A total of $20,000 of the federal
grant would be used for financing a
study of present housing and
projected housing needs in the
In connection with the $605,000
for the South Hoke water svstem,
the commissioners authorized pro
vision of $47,500 in county funds to
help pay the balance as matching
local funds. The money would be
provided by sale of county bonds
totaling less than the amount which
would require a public referendum,
or from other county sources. The
cost is estimated at a total of
$690,000. Of the grant, 510.000
would pay the administrative costs.
The commissioners acted after
hearing David Upchurch and Skip
Green .ot the Koonce. Noble <k
Associates, of Lumbenon. engi
neering firm, describe the details of
the grants.
In another action connected with
the water project, the commis
sioners formally adopted a motion
to accept a $255,495 State Clean
Water Bonds grant from the State
Division ot Health Services to help
finance the county project. The
$47,500 tor the South Hoke system
is to come from this grant, and the
$47,500 county money will be the
required local matching fund. The
acceptance of the Clean Water
Bonds money was made conditional
on the project being found feasible.
The remainder of the funds
needed are expected to come from
the federal Farmers Home Admin
istration in an interest-charged
loan. The South Hoke indebtedness
is to be repaid from the sales of
water starting some time after the
service is installed.
Upchurch explained to the com
missioners that the South Hoke
system was decided on because
South Hoke has the lowest income
and the worst water problem in the
county.
He said the system would serve
180 residents and would consist of
two wells, an elevated storage tank .
water lines, and treatment facili
ties.
The cost of the county system, of
which the South Hoke system will
be a part, was estimated originally
at $3.3 million. However, this was
based on the cost of buying water
from Raeford. which would have
saved the cost of the county
providing its own water supply.
Upchurch informed the commis
(See PROJFCTS. page 16)
4 Candidates Contesting For 2 Nominations
Hoke Commissioners'
Runoffs Tuesday
Hoke County Democratic voters
will choose from among four can
didates Tuesday in the party's
rv '?off primary the two they want
for the party's nominees for the
Board of Hoke County Commis
sioners. The polls will be open
from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The
runoff involves Cleo Bratcher, Jr.,
Thomas (Tom) Howell, and pre
sent Commissioners James A.
Hunt and Mabel M. Riley.
The winners and Commissioner
Johh Balfour, who won the
nomination for the third seat in the
Juafc 29 primary, will run in the
November 2 general election, with
Republican Evelyn Manning.
The terms of the two other
members of the board-- Danny
DeVane and Neil McPhatter-have
two more years to run. They were
reelected in 1980.
DeVane, however, is running in
the July 27 Democratic runoff for
one of the three State House seats
of the Robeson-Hoke-Scotland
counties' 16th District. If he wins a
nomination and then the general
election, he will leave his commis
sioner's position to serve in the
General Assembly. DeVane is the
only one of the six candidates in
the House runoff from Hoke
County. The others are from
Robeson or Scotland. The other
candidates are State Rep. William
C. Gay, John (Pete) Hasty, Sidney
Locks, V. Louise Sanderson, and
J.T. (Tommy) Wellington.
They were in a field of nine can
didates who ran in the June 29
primary. None received a majori
ty, and the six with the highest
numbers of votes called for the
runoffs.
The Hoke voters also will help
choose the Democratic nominees
for two seats on the North
Carolina Court of Appeals in
Tuesday's runoffs. For one,
Eugene H. (Gene) Phillips and H.
Norton Rountree are contesting,
and for the other the race is bet
ween Sidney S. Eagles, Jr., and
Paul Wright.
Balfour received 2,215 votes in
the first primary, more than
enough to give him the majority
needed to avoid a runoff. Bratcher
finished second with 2,032, only
two votes short of a majority. Mrs.
Riley ran third with 1,549 and
Howell fourth with 1,457. They
were among 10 candidates trying
for the Demoractic nominations.
Bratcher requested a recount of
votes, since he came that close to a
majority, but the Hoke Ccounty
Board of Elections ruled no
evidence of error had been given
by Bratcher, and a comparison by
the board members of tally sheets
and abstracts showed no
discrepancies. A detailed recount
was rrot called for, the hoard
decided, because Bratcher had
presented no grounds to support
his request.
tiididicr and Howell. Raeford
businessmen, are running for iheir
first terms in public office. Mrs.
Riley, a retired businesswoman, is
trying for her second term on the
board, and Balfour, a Stonewall
community farmer, is up for his
fifth term. He is the current chair
man of the board.
Mrs. Manning is a Hoke County
businesswoman running for her
first term in a public office. She
was unopposed for the Republican
nomination; consequently, she did
not need to rurv in a primary last
month.