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The Hoke County News - Established 1928
VOLUME LXXIV NUMBER 19 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROUNA
- journal
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
$8 PER YEAR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1982
Around
Town
BY SAM C.MORRIS
Well, when the thermometer gets
down in the low 50s in August,
most people start asking if a record
low has been set for the day. We
think that records were made in
some parts of the state, but don't
know about Hoke County.
The picture on the front page of
a daily paper delivered to Raeford
had a young lady skiing in Ver
mont. The caption stated that three
inches of snow had fallen there
Sunday.
Monday was a nice day, but
don't put away your summer
clothes, because many hot days are
still to come.
The political season is coming
into the picture once again and
with ads appearing in newspapers
and on TV, it won't be long until
election day.
From reports or rumors many
candidates are willing to speak at
club functions now and are willing
to pay their expenses to do so.
So if you need a good program in
| the next couple of months, just get
in touch with someone whose name
will be on the ballet in November.
? ? *
It is good to welcome Warren
Johnston and his wife to the great
county of Hoke. He will be an
associate editor of The News-Jour
nal and should help get more news
) for the paper.
Of course Bill Lindau is still with
us and this should make it easier
for you to get someone to give your
news to here at the paper.
I am not sure, but an article
about Warren should be elsewhere
in the paper.
Schools of the county opened this
week, that is for the students.
Teachers have been in school for
the past ten days and should have
everything ready for the opening.
Don't forget that the students
will be on the streets and highways
going back and forth to school, so
be sure to drive safely.
? * *
The Bucks lost a hard-fought
game here last Friday night by one
point, 7-6. They will be in Hope
Mills this Friday night and they
need your support. So make the
trip there if possible.
? ? ?
Several people in the county have
asked me why Congressman
Charlie Rose is sending out letters
asking for donations to his upcom
ing campaign? They were puzzled
because they had voted in the last
primary for Bill Hefner of the
Eighth District.
The only answer I could give
them was to say that one came to
our house and it must be that in the
day of getting a high-powered letter
company to solicit contributions,
the names from our county hadn't
been taken off the computer.
Mary Peele called and said that
she had received a letter and
couldn't understand why. She did
state that maybe the Rose ofFice in
Fayetteville hadn't been informed
about Hoke being put in the Eighth
District.
There are two explanations, but
it is good to know that Charlie still
knows where Hoke County is
located.
? * ?
A picture that appears elsewhere
in this edition is of the Raeford
Masonic Lodge in the late 1920s
or early 1930s. It was brought into
the office by Mrs. Crawford Wright
and she thought I could identify
some of the members. I could, but
not enough to help her get them
named, so I am asking some of the
readers of this paper to help. Let
me know if you recognize any of
them or if any of them are still
living.
Mrs. Wright remembers she was
living on the Tapp farm at Timber
land and had two small children
(See AROUND TOWN, page 12)
First section of the house heading for its new place Friday. [Staff photo by Warren Johnston ].
Old Raeford House Goes
For New Tennis Club
The old house on West Donald
son Avenue between the Hoke
County Children's Center and First
Baptist Church probably will be
gone when this week's edition of
The News-Journal comes off the
press.
Fayetteville House Movers of
Fayetteville split the house into two
sections last week and moved the
first section to the property of the
Deer Track -Racquet Chib being
developed on SR 1001 about seven
miles south of Raeford. SR 1001
turns southeast off N.C. 211 at
Cross Roads Store.
The house was bought by Steve
Phillips of the Racquet Club from
First Baptist Church and will be
renovated into the club's club
house.
Phillips said Tuesday morning
the house when remodeled will
contain among other facilities a
sauna, a jacuzzi, and a hydrafitness
area, for conducting individual
exercise programs for men and
women. He said the house contains
three bedrooms, a den, a living
room, a dining room, a kitchen,
and two bathrooms. It also has a
carport which was removed to
facilitate the move but which will
be put back on the house, Phillips
said. On the grounds also, soft
surface tennis courts also will be
established.
The club is being developed on
eight acres of Phillips's land. He
said this location was chosen so the
club could serve other communities
in addition to Raeford, outside as
well as within Hoke County.
Phillips said a charter member
ship drive is under way. The club
will be private, and initiation and
dues will be charged for family,
single and transient memberships.
The church had to have the
house removed because the church
needed more space for parking. A
new, larger First Baptist sanctuary
facing North Main Street is under
construction near the lot where the
old house stood.
The truck which was moving the
house was being driven by Bill
Bentley, the owner of Fayetteville
House Movers.
Helping with the moving were his
son, Tim, his nephew Jerry Bentley.
and John Sanders.
The second section of the house
was being prepared Tuesday morn
ing for moving from the West
Donaldson lot to the new place.
Unemployment Drops Again
During July, the jobless rate in
Hoke County dropped for the
second month in a row to come
within 20 persons of the year's
lowest figure.
In July, 820 persons were out of
work here, as Hoke County became
on of 55 other counties in the state
where unemployment rates
dropped, according to figures re
leased Thursday by the North
Carolina Employment Security
Commission.
In Hoke County during July,
10.4% of the county's 7,910 work
force were without jobs. That figure
is down from 11.2% in June and
12.2% during May, but up from
last year's July figure of 9.7%
The unemployment figure has
bounced around during 1982,
reaching a low in March of 10.3%
which was down from the annual
high of 13.4% in January.
During July, the state unem
Closings
Hoke County. Raeford city, fed
eral, and state government offices
will be closed, and the county's
school students will get their first
holiday of the school year Monday,
Labor Day.
The county commissioners will
hold their regular meeting on
Tuesday, starting at 9 a.m., instead
of the Customary first Monday, in
view of the holiday.
The Raeford County Council's
regular meeting for the month will
be held September 13 at 7 p.m., a
week later than usual, because of
the holiday.
The Hoke County Board of
Education's regular monthly meet
ing will be held Tuesday at 7 p.m.,
the standing day for the session.
The post offices will be on their
customary vacation schedule: no
deliveries except "specials," and no
window service on Monday.
The city-council landfill, how
ever, will be open Labor Day for its
loyment figure rose to 9.8%, up
from 9.2% in June. The national
rate for July remained the same as
the June rate at 9.8%.
"We attribute the significant
increase which occurred in three
counties to temporary, short dura
tion layoffs of large numbers of
workers from manufacturing em
ployers," Commission Chairman
Glenn R. Jernigan said.
From figures taken in the state's
10 standard metropolitan statistical
areas, Fayetteville showed an in
crease in unemployment from
8.2% to 8.6%.
Figures recorded from other
counties around the state showed
that Cabarrus County registered an
increase of 23.2%, Cleveland in
creased 8.6%, Rowan 7.4% and
Stanly 7.2%.
Fifty-three counties recorded
double-digit unemployment. Ca
barrus County was highest with a
rate of 29.9 percent up from 6.7
percent in June. Of Cabarrus'
50,990 labor force, 15,230 were
unemployed during the month.
The largest decrease in unem
ployment occurred in Graham
County, down 19.9 percentage
points from June when the rate was
32.1 percent.
In July, Graham County's labor
force was 3,690 with 450 unem
ployed. In June that county's labor
force was 4,670 of which 1,500 were
unemployed.
Dare County, with the state's
lowest July unemployment rate of
3.8 percent replaced Alleghany
County which was 3.8 percent in
June but rose to 5.2 percent in July.
Durham County at 4.7 percent.
Orange at 3.9 percent and Wake at
4.3 percent continue clustering
with the states lowest unemploy
ment rates.
"Counties which are greatly in
fluenced by tourism in the
mountains and the coast have
experienced some relief from
higher unemployment. Those
heavily involved in the manufacture
of textiles, furniture or electrical
machinery continue to have high
unemployment as a result of de
pressed, complex economic con
ditions," Jernigan said.
Hefner: U.S. Mightiest
The United States is the strong
est country in the world and is far
ahead of the Soviet Union in
military strength, Eighth District
Rep. Bill Hefner told members of
the Raeford Kiwanis Club Thurs
day night.
Hefner, who serves on the De
fense Subcommittee of the House
Appropriations Committee, said
the Soviet Union has never had the
military capability of the United
States, and those that are "preach
ing" otherwise, are wrong.
"If they are so far ahead of us,
why do they need our technology to
build a pipeline," Hefner said.
The Congressman was in town
campaigning for re-election in No
vember.
Hoke County will officially be in
Hefner's district in January when
the recently approved Congres
sional reapportionment goes into
effect. -
Thursday was Hefner's first re
cent trip to the county.
During his service on the Appro
priations Committee, Hefner said
he met behind closed doors with
representatives of the Central In
telligence Agency (CIA) and top
Pentagon officials who are authori
ties on the Soviet military.
"1 have never met one of them
that would change military capa
bilities with the Soviet Union."
Hefner said.
U.S. officials noted that a top
secret Soviet airplane, which was
recently captured, had radio
equipment that was over 10 years
(See HEFNER, page 12)
DSS Says F ew
Stamps Stolen
Few cases of theft have been
reported during the first three
months of a new program in which
food stamps are mailed to re
cipients, members of the Hoke
County Department of Social Ser
vices (DSS) Board were told Mon
day.
Only three or four persons each
month have reported losses of
stamps or claimed that they have
not received them, DSS Director
Ken Witherspoon said, noting that
the department is not replacing the
lost stamps.
"We don't know what to attri
bute the losses to, but we are telling
them to report the thefts to the post
office," Witherspoon said during
the board's regular monthly meet
ing.
"If they don't want them mailed,
then they can come in the office
and get them," he added.
DSS started the program quietly
in June in an effort to cut cost and
eliminate inconvience to the clients.
After three months, the de
partment is pleased with the way
the program has been working,
Witherspoon said.
Stamps valued at more than $299
are not mailed and those recipients
must come to the South Magnolia
Street office. Other stamps are
mailed on a staggered daily sche
dule.
During July. 4.481 Hoke County
residents living in more than 1.300
households received food stamps,
and most of those got the suppli
ments by mail.
In an effort to avoid possible
theft of the stamps, DSS began the
mailing program without an
nouncing the change to its clients.
"We think that it worked real
well. We have even had some
elderly clients call and thank us,"
the DSS director said.
The biggest savings to the de
partment in mailing the stamps has
been cutting down traffic in the
office, which has eased some of the
strain in beleagured case workers
and staff members, Witherspoon
said.
In July, local residents received
SI64,858 in stamps. That figure
was down almost $44,000 from
what was paid in July, 1981.
Although unemployment is up
from what it was a year ago, 648
fewer residents received food
stamps this year than last July.
On another matter, Board mem
bers voted unanimously to approve
the hiring of a parttime experience
staffer for 45 days to help prepare
alleged cases of food stamp fraud
for eventual prosecution.
The hiring will be presented to
members of the Hoke County
Commission for a final OK during
the next scheduled meeting.
Witherspoon said.
Presently, DSS has 14 to 15 cases
of suspected fraud involving
$12,000 to $18,000, Witherspoon
said, adding that staff members do
not have the time needed to process
the cases.
Under state law, 50% of the
(Sec DSS SAYS, page 12)
Bank Merger Dead
Chances of further negotiations
are slim on what was billed the
largest bank merger in the history
of North Carolina, a spokesman for
First Union Corp. said Monday.
The $86 million merger between
First Union of Charlotte and
United Carolina Bancshares Corp.
(UCB) of Whiteville has been
"shelved" and is not likely to be
revived, spokesman Jim Singleton
said.
Singleton would not speculate
whether or not First Union w as still
in a mood to seek other mergers in
the state after what the Charlotte
firm considered a fair offer was
rejected by UCB.
UCB turned thumbs down on the
merger Friday, after the Board ot
Directors voted unanimously to
remain independent.
First Union had offered a com
bination of its stock, promissory
notes and cash valued at S22 per
share.
UCB is still working the kinks
out of its latest merger which w as a
takeover of the Bank of Raeford on
March 1.
In a letter received Monday by
UCB stockholders. Board Chair
man L.R. Bowers noted that the
decision to reject the offer was
made because members felt:
-The offer was deemed to be
inadequate. It was also considered
to be untimely.
--There is a question whether
approval of such a merger by the
U.S. Controller of the Currency or
the U.S. Justice Department could
be obtained. Singleton said First
Union was confident of the appro
val.
--While the merger was pending,
a cloud of uncertainty could
damage employe morale and pro
bably cause key employes to leave
the organization.
--The delay in approval of the
merger would also restrict UCB's
ability to attract new business,
make planning difficult, almost
halt the momentum the bank has
now and could result in a loss of an
undetermined number of present
customers.
The offer was made to UCB
unsolicited in early August, and the
matter was turned over to a
committee of outside directors to
study.
The committee employed an
experienced investment banking
firm to evaluate the offer and also
retained, as special counsel, a
(See MERGER, page 12)
Summer's End ?? These Raeford youngsters were making the best of their
free time this week before returning to school on Wednesday by jumping
their bicycles over this Fifth Avenue embankment. Bill Locklear [left] soars
here, while companion jumper Andrea Walker checks his height.