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The Hoke County News - Established 1928
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
$10 PER YEAR Thursday, January 20, 1983
County Offers To Buy Pilot Building
// .<#'
By Warm Johnston
During an hour of closed-door
deliberation Monday night,
members of the Hoke County
Commission voted, apparently
unanimously, to purchase the Pilot
Building to be used for additional
1 office space.
| An offer will be made this week
to the Southern National Bank for
the purchase of the Main Street
building by County Manager
James Martin, Commission Chair
man John Balfour announced
following the executive session.
In September a committee was
appointed to investigate the pur
1 chase of additional office space to
relieve the crowded quarters of the
| sheriffs department and of the
court house annex building.
Although the Pilot Building has
been the most publicized structure
under consideration by the com
mission, Balfour said Monday the
body also considered purchasing
the old Mark's Food Store and the
former Raeford Auto Company
? building.
"We're going to make an offer
r to Southern National Bank, but we
f are not able to reveal the figure at
this time," Balfour said, noting
that it would not be in the best in
terests of the county to disclose the
amount of the offer.
The commission had been ap
proached by Southern National's
Raeford branch manager Steve
1 Around Town
bySMManii
Winter has finally arrived and
the forecast is for possible snow on
Friday. The low Monday morning
was around 20 degrees and it
didn't get up to but about 40
degrees all during the day.
We don't know anyone that
likes this weather, but the fuel oil
and gas people. They should as this
is their livelihood.
? * ?
It seems that every year it is
harder and harder to get a calen
dar. 1 can remember years ago
when in December about every
time you made a purchase in a
store, they would give you a calen
dar. Also you usually received four
or five through the mail each year.
Most merchants and businesses
this day and time consider the cost
too high for the advertisment they
receive from calendars. If they do
have them they give them only to
choice customers, not to everyone
that comes by and asks for a calen
dar
This is just the changing times
and many more changes will occur
during my lifetime.
The legislature is now in full
swing and it shouldn't be too long
before we find out where the next
tax raise will come to hit our
pocketbooks. 1 just hope they
don't tax a product out of the pur
chaser's salary scale.
t * *
I have noticed over the past
couple of weeks, news articles con
cerning the local cablevision in
Raeford. One was about the
changing of stations and the other
about a rate increase.
We will not argue with the in
creased rate, but we think that
more channels should be added to
try and satisfy all the customers
that are served. They could be add
ed on the UHF band and then
everyone would be happy.
We all don't like the same pro
grams and many people don't look
at sports. So maybe the company
could look into this possibility,
i Harrison Daniels, manager of
the company in Raeford. told me
Monday that they now had new
cards telling what stations were on
what channel and that they would
be mailed out in a month or so.
# ? *
The City Council of Raeford for
many years has had two headaches
that seemed impossible to get rid
(See AROUND TOWN, page 16)
Parker in September about pur
chasing the building, and since that
time has discussed the matter in
numerous executive sessions
before deciding to make the offer
Monday.
The structure was originally
known as the Pratt Building and
was constructed around 1911.
About two years ago the
building received new life when it
was remodeled by Carson Davis
Jr., who ultimately lost the Pilot
Building to Southern National.
The bank had been asking
$197,000 for the building and an
adjoining lot.
Martin said Tuesday that the
commission was making the offer
on both the building and the lot.
Although the county manager
would not discuss the amount of
the offer, speculation is that it is
not for the full asking price.
Prior to considering the Pilot
Building, the county inspected the
facility for structural damage.
The building needs a new roof
and has had some water damage to
the front office area. That damage
was apparently caused by a water
pipe which broke during last
winter's freeze, Martin said.
Although the county has some
"ball park" figures on the cost of
repairing the building, Martin said
it was not appropriate to discuss
the amount until negotiations are
completed.
Allotment For Sale
In other business, the commis
sion voted during the regular open
meeting to reject recently taken
lease bids and to offer the county's
tobacco allotment for sale.
Commission members had plan
ned to lease this year's 1,374-pound
quota, but changes in federal laws
caused them to rethink the matter.
Although the law is not clear,
the county will probably have to
get "rid" of the allotment by
December, Balfour said.
Lease bids had been opened
Monday which ranged from 42
cents per pound to 50 cents per
pound. From the rent, the county
would have had to pay an allot
ment fee of seven cents per pound
to help defray the cost of the
federal tobacco subsidy program.
"I don't think the county has
any business being in the tobacco
business," Balfour said.
The county acquired the allot
ment along with the purchase of
land. The right to grow tobacco
has been leased out each year.
Fire Radios Mulled
In still further business, the
commission agreed to consider a
proposal from the Hoke County
Firemen's Association to improve
radio communications among the
county's nine rural fire depart
ments.
Currently the rural units are us
ing an obsolete radio system,
which docs not reach all of the
members and makes communica
tion between departments dif
ficult, group spokesman Sam War
ren said.
Radio communications are also
hampered by interference from an
Horry County, South Carolina,
fire department which has a
powerful transmitting unit.
"We can pick up Myrtle Beach
better than we can Hoke County,"
Warren said.
The system was originally put in
when there were only four rural
fire units and does not have the
wattage to handle the expanded
service.
Communication problems are
also disrupted because the dis
patcher at the Hoke County
Sheriff's Department has multiple
duties, and he turns the volume
down on the fire radio to avoid the
"chatter" from Myrtle Beach.
Individual firemen also miss
calls, because their monitoring
units cannot pick up the weak
radio signals, Warren said.
In order to correct the problem,
the commission is looking at the
feasibility of three options:
?Moving the present fire anten
na up 50 feet to the new sheriffs
department tower, which is 150
feet higher. The move could cost as
much as $1,473.
?Moving the antenna and pur
(See FUNDS, page 16)
BASKING -- This horse spent time last week enjoying the warm sun on this South Hoke farm.
Jail Given For Non -Support
by Bill Lindau
Five men were given choices
Thursday in Hoke County District
Civil Court between jail and pay
ing S300 to $500 and resuming sup
port payments.
The conditions were set by
Judge Joseph E. Dupree following
hearings in which the men were to
show cause why they should not be
held in contempt of court for fail
ing to keep up with payments for
support of minor children.
The defendants were Linwood
Ross of Red Springs, Neil Ray of
Rt. 1, Raeford, Terry Laverne
McLaughlin of Rl. 3, Raeford,
Howard Miller, Jr., of Box 473,
Raeford, and Willie French Revels
of Robeson County.
Ross, Ray and Miller were
sentenced to 60 days but given the
opportunity to purge themselves of
contempt by paying $300 each. In
addition, Ray and Ross are to
resume payments of $25 weekly
child support, and Miller $20
weekly.
McLaughlin and Revels were
sentenced to 60 days each also and
were allowed to purge themselves
by paying $500 each. Besides this,
the other conditions are:
McLaughlin is to pay before
March 15 the arrears of $795 ac
cumulated by November 30, 1982;
and Revels to resume $20 weekly
payments within 30 days of his
release from Robeson County Jail
in another case.
Revel's arrears amounted to
$6,481 on November 30. He had
agreed voluntarily May 25, 1979,
to paying support for his
daughters, ages 8 and 9.
McLaughlin and Miller made
the S500 and $300 payments
respectively shortly after the orders
were issued.
The action against Miller was
brought by Audrey D. Kershaw,
grandmother of a 2-year-old child
whose parents are listed in the
records as Mrs. Kershaw'
daughter, Barbara Jean, and
Miller. The Kershaws' address is
listed as Rt. 3, Raeford.
The records show Miller agreed
voluntarily to pay $20 weekly sup
port starting February 6, 1981 , and
was $1,477 in arrears when the
show-cause order was issued.
Hunt Pays Bad Check, Faces Others
Hoke County Commissioner
James Albert Hunt paid off Thurs
day one of the bad checks he is
charged with writing and has until
January 27, his District Court trial
date, to pay off the others.
The record of the clerk of Hoke
Superior Court shows Hunt paid
$3 IS restitution on the check he
was accused of writing to Fred
Baker of Lumber Bridge, and S31
court costs.
He also is charged with writing
worthless checks for S10.250
payable to Samuel A. Cox of
Lumberton Datsun and S2.978
payable to Charles E. Bennett of
Lumberton Machine and Welding
Co.
Hunt was scheduled for District
Court trial on January 20 on the
charges of passing three worthless
checks, but a Superior Court ses
sion scheduled for this week and
underway necessitated continuance
of the trial to the later date.
The commissioner will not go
through a trial, however, if he pays
the two outstanding checks off,
signs at the clerk's office a waiver
of trial and then complies with the
standing order to make restitution
to the prosecuting witness and pay
court costs.
Hunt recently was discharged
from Moore Memorial Hospital at
Pinehurst after undergoing obser
vation and treatment for a condi
tion whose nature was not made
public.
W'. ..-a
The Pilot Building under consideration for purchase by the Hoke County
Commissioners.
3,000 Names On Petition
To Oust Lumbee Board
by Bill Lindau
About 3,000 signatures have
been obtained for a petition for a
special meeting to remove 12
members from the Lumbee River
Electric Membership Corp., Carl
Branth of Rt. 2, Lumberton,
spokesman for the LREMC Action
Group, said Monday.
Branch and other people work
ing with him need to get 1,952
signatures to call the special
meeting of the coop's members on
the ouster proposal.
The meeting is requested for
7:30 p.m. March 3 in the
Cumberland County Auditorium
in Fayetteville.
A petition must bear the
signatures of at least 10% of the
coop's membership to be effective.
He said in replying to a News
Journal question that "I won't
know till tomorrow" but that he
has been getting "all kinds of
response," from people of all
races.
The reference to Wednesday was
to a press conference he scheduled
for 2:30 p.m. in the LREMC
building on N.C. 211 East in Red
Springs. The monthly meeting of
the coop's board of directors will
start a half hour later.
He is among a group of the
coop's customers who want the
directors removed (and replaced)
for allegedly spending too much in
the expense accounts allowed
them.
The petition being circulated
states that "the specific charges"
supporting the dismissal position
are:
- "The improvident and uncall
ed for dismissal of Deri J. Hinson,
the corporation's general manager.
-- "Imprudent and arbitrary ac
tions, as well as creating an uncer
tainty as to the stability of
LREMC as a good corporate
citizen."
In a letter written January 10
and addressed to Ronnie E. Hunt,
interim general manager of the
coop, Branch said he represents "a
sizeable group of LREMC
members who are very concerned
about expenditures for director per
diem and expenses.
"I have reasonable grounds to
believe that some Directors are
abusing the per diem and expense
allowances permissible under the
Coop's Bylaws, policies, and pro
cedures.
"I believe that total expenses for
LREMC directors exceeds most, if
not all, of the other EMC's in
North Carolina."
In a report issed to The News
Journal last weekend, Branch
charged that the Board of Direc
tors "spent $105,395 on
themselves in the year 1981. This
compares to four-County EMC
who has 10 directors and about the
same membership as LREMC, and
they spent $21,003.
"Brunswick EMC, 50^o larger
in membership than LREMC and
12 directors, spent 523,065.
Average cost of each LREMC
director was $8,783. Our two
neighboring EMC's averaged
$2,000 per director. Does this
mean that our directors are four
times better than other EMC direc
tors in the State."
He said that if his group had
been provided with the informa
tion for LREMC requested by the
certified letter of January 10, "we
would have provided comparative
1982 figures."
In 1980, Branch's report says,
"the LREMC directors spent
$110,052."
Branch also notes that informa
tion about the state's 28 electric
coopers is available to the public
from the State Department of
Commerce, in Raleigh.
The January 10 letter requested
an appointment with Hunt before
January 24 "to review the records
which indicate amounts paid to,
and on behalf of, Directors.
Specifically, those amounts paid as
per diem, expenses to attend
meetings and conventions, tuition
for training programs, travel ex
penses, airline tickets, and lodging,
as well as regular and 'special'
Board meetings for each Director
for the years 1980, 1981, and
1982..."
Branch told Hunt he planned to
use the information to determine
whether or not "our fears of
abuses by LREMC's Directors are
valid."
State figures show that the
Lumbee River coop's board
members in the period from 1974
through 1981 received a total of
$643,414.29, the largest amount of
any state coop board. The second
highest was $487,215 received in
that period by the 12-member Blue
Ridge coop.
Elias Rogers, president of the
LREMC board told an area daily
newspaper that he believes the
figure for the LREMC board for
that period is "false." He also said
he knows what the 1981 money
was spent for bul refused to
discuss details.
According to Hunt, the board
holds about 15 meetings a year
which, would give the members a
total of $18,000 for attending the
meetings and about $77,000 more
in other expenses.
Board members are allowed ex
pense money for meetings, conven
tions, training programs, travel
(See PETITION, p?ge 16)