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journal
The Hoke County Journol - Established 1905
$10 PER YEAR Thursday, February 24, 1983
Pills Fotuid In Dundarrach Dumpsters
Hoke County authorities found
an undisclosed amount of expired
medication in three different trash
dumpsters in the Dundarrach area
of the county Monday afternoon.
According to Dectective Edward
Harris, the drugs had been dispos
j ed of but who threw them away is
still a mystery.
The "hundreds" of pills, may
have come from a drug store, Har
ris said.
The disposal procedure for ex
pired drugs is not to throw them in
the trash, said Bob Gordon direc
tor of the North Carolina Food
and Diug Administration.
^ When drugs are expired, phar
Around Town
The weather for the past few
days has been all anyone could re
quest. The temperatures have been
I in the 60s during the day and then
drop down at night to around 30
degrees.
The golf courses, tennis courts
and outside basketball courts have
been in full use over the weekend.
The outlook is for rain by Wednes
day and it may be back to winter
before the paper comes off the
press.
The groundhog didn't see his
I shadow, so maybe we will have an
early spring.
The golf match this past Sunday
on TV was won on the last hole by
Gary Hallberg, a former Wake
Forest golfer, when he birdied the
last hole. It gave him a one-shot
victory over Tom Kete who had
I parted the hole. The win was
worth a lot of money to the young
golfer.
Of course this was nothing like
the 128 yd. chip-shot that Isao
Aoki made for an eagle in the
Hawaiian Open the week before.
The golfer in the foursome ahead
of Aoki had just birdied the hole
and was signing his scorecard when
the unexpected happened. It was
> just like finding a $1000 bill and
the owner showing up about two
minutes later to claim it.
Anyway TV had two dramatic
finishes.
It seems that if you want to keep
a winning streak in basketball, the
best thing to do a stay oat of the
number ooe spot in the poBs. After
I Carolina moved into that spot they
have lost their last three gaaan It
has also happcnrd to other teams
in the same poritkm.
? ? ?
I was watching the news the
other^aight oa Chiaarl 11,
' ace at of the kgiihrfarr m mioa
(Saa ABOUND TOWN, paga ISA)
macks are supposed to pull them
off the shdf and place than in con
tainers to await pick-up by a
"detail man" who comes by every
six weeks and returns the drugs to
the manufacturer. Gordon said.
"The manufacturer issues credit
to the pharmacies for the expired
drugs," Gordon added.
If the expired drugs are not sent
to the manufacturer, then the
drugs are supposed to be in
cinerated, Gordon said.
"We <k> not want expired drugs
floating around where anyone can
get them. That is why we follow
this procedure." Gordon said.
An investigation into the dump
ing of the expired drugs is continu
ing. Dectectrve Harris said.
Death Probe Continues
In an unrelated incident. Hoke
County authorities are still
awaiting preliminary lab reports
from the State Bureau of In
vestigation (SBI) that will hopeful
ly provide new dues in the death of
a Fort Bragg soldier found stabbed
to death here February 8.
According to Sheriff Barring
ton. the mvestiganon into Roger
Keith Shannon's death will con
tinue.
(See PILLS, page 11A)
? WSe j
IS FT SPRING? Along with the warm weather comes the chance of Noom
ing spring f lowers and this February is no exception. The warm weather
brought oil the sunshine and akmg with it came a few bktssoms.
Ron Taylor Transferred
To McCain Prison Here
Former State Representative
Ron Taylor, who plead guilty to
several counts of arson last year
was transferred from Central
Prison in Raleigh to McCain
Prison last vuk.
Taylor, who was involved in the
Colcor investigation was transfer
red to McCain on Thursday Feb. 10
According to the warden at the
prison, Taylor was not moved for
any special reason.
"We allowed him the same
privilege ? any other prisooer.
that is, ne aBowed him to be in the
P?son closest to his home town."
the warden said.
Taylor is from Elizabethtown
which is in Bladen Connty.
t
Lumbee Coop Directors
Passed On Legal Advice
By gfcuij Madhtws
An attorney for the Lumber
River Electric Membership
Cooperative recommended in an
executive session last week that the
board of directors allow a March 3
recall election. The New-Journal
has learned.
Despite the legal opinion, the
board voted in favor of rejecting a
petition filed by a membership ac
tion group which called for a
referendum, one member of the
board said.
According to Davis Parker, who
represents Hoke County on the
coop board, the board's attorney
suggested that the body hold the
recall election planned for March
3.
However, most of the body took
the advice of another lawyer who
attended the meeting at the re
quests of several of the board
members.
"The majority of the board fdt
that the charges listed on the recall
petition were not sufficient reasons
for allowing the special meeting
even at the recommendation of the
board's attorney," Parker said.
Board attorney Cynthia Currin
of Raleigh was not able to be
reached for comment prior to press
time.
According to Parker, the board
will stand by its move.
"The next move will be on the
pan of the action group, and I
understand that they are talking
with their attorneys," Parker add
ed.
Carl Branch, action group
leader, said Monday that they have
put the matter entirely into their
lawyer's hands.
"We arc keeping quiet about
this matter until our lawyer
finishes his investigative work and
says it's all right to speak
publicly," Branch said.
"The petition is the voice of op
position to this board of directors
and by not allowing the meeting
they are saying, in my opinion,
that we don't have a say," Branch
said.
"They want a fight, and we are
going to give them one," Branch
added.
The battle over the coop has
been going on for about two
months now.
The reason for all the uproar
seems to be based on the action
groups belief that the coop board
is spending too much money on
themselves out of the expense
allowances permissible under the
coop's bylaws, policies and pro
cedures.
According to Branch, the action
group wants the board ousted.
The coop is a non-profit cor
poration that provides electric ser
vice in rural areas of Robeson,
Hoke, Scotland and Cumberland
counties.
In a survey taken of other area
electric membership cooperatives
and Carolina Power and Light
(CPA L) it was learned that
Lum bee's rates are higher than the
others.
Lumbee's average monthly
residential bill for 1,000 kilowatt
hours is approximately S77.
Four County Electric Member
ship Cooperative in Burgaw
charges approximately S"?6 for the
same amount of kilowatt hours.
Central Electric Membership
Cooperative located in Sanford
charges about $77 plus any fuel ad
justments that need to be made for
an average monthly residential bill.
CP&L's average monthly bill
was the lowest of the ones surveyed
with an average monthly bill for
1,000 kilowatt hours at approx
imately $64, however, this may
soon increase to nearly $75.
According to James Autry, who
is in charge of public relations for
the board, the Lumbee coop is
there to serve the people in the
rural areas and to charge them the
least amount they can for these ser
vices.
"We are still serving areas that
are undesirable to non-coops like
CP&L, "Autry added.
"Even with the battle going on
between the board and the action
group, operation of the
cooperative is still very strong and
very stable, "Autry said.
Dog Pound Group Appointed
B> Sktm Matthews
Members of a committee, who
will look into the feasibility of a
new animal shelter, were named
Monday during a three-hour ses
sion of the Hoke County Commis
sioners.
After the names were announc
ed, Jack McGinnis spokesman for
the Hoke County Humane Society
asked the commissioners to set up
an expiration date for the commit
tee.
Commissioner Wyatt Upchurch
said thai he did not see how a
deadline could be placed on the
committee before they had even
met.
"I think it should be up to the
committee to decide on an expira
tion date/' Upchurch said.
Other members of the commis
sion agreed.
Chairman John G. Balfour ad
dressed McGinnis and the board
by adding that he felt that the com
mittee should investigate all
avenues before coming to a deci
sion on the dog pound.
"The committee should in
vestigate what other counties are
doing and go any route they see
possible to get the job done and
save the tax payers some money,"
Balfour said.
McGinnis raised several other
questions about the pound but the
board felt that the committee
should be the one to answer them.
"These are all good questions,
but I think the committee should
be allowed * to answer
them, "Balfour said.
"The commissioners want to
work with the committee, and we
want to see something done," add
ed Balfour.
The committee set up to study
the dog pound and County
Manager James Martin, along with
Chairman Balfour will meet
Wednesday Feb. 23 to discuss what
steps to take in resolving the dog
pound situation.
The public is invited to attend.
In other business, the Commis
sioners approved the option to
purchase six acres of property in
Rock Fish for a community recrea
tion facility.
According to Chairman
Balfour, the commission felt they
owed the community for a mistake
they made several years back .
"We sold the Community
Building some years back but it
was agreed that the community
could continue to use it; however
when they (the new owners) ob
tained the building, they closed the
SERIOUS DEL1BERA TION?Hoke County Commissioners huddle over
paperwork as they deliberate one of the items on last night's agenda.
doors to the community.
"We have purchased the
building and we are now looking to
obtain the property as well,"
Balfour said.
The commissioners agreed with
the chairman and started a motion
to approve the purchase option
when a man in the audience voiced
his objection.
"1 think it is foolish to spend
that kind of money on recreation;
as a taxpayer I am vehemently op
posed to paying for it, "said a
Raeford citizen who wishes to re
main nameless.
The chairman acknowledged the
man's objection but continued on
with the motion proceedings.
A motion was made and second
ed and the option to purchase was
approved .
According to the chairman, the
community plans to build a ball
diamond on that six acres and in
the future add tennis courts.
In further business the board
heard from Llyod Home Director
of the Hoke County Health
Department on matters concerning
salary increases for Public Health
Nurses(PHN).
According to Home the price
tag for nurses has risen about
27-33% that is for except public
health nurses.
"The problem is very simple, we
have intermediate nurses who are
required to have some experience
that make no more money than a
nurse coming directly out of
school," Home said.
"An adjustment is needed if we
want to be competitive and keep
the nurses we do have," Horne ad
ded.
Commissioner James A. Hunt
stated that he fdt that the commis
sioners would be "opening a can
of worms" if they approved the
raised salaries.
A motion was made by Commis
sioner Cleo Bratcher to study the
nurses salaries and to hopefully
have come up with a solution by
budget time.
According to Home if
something is not done there w ill be
some nurses lost .
"We hate to see our nurses
leave,'* said Bratcher.
"We need time to study this
matter and we will try to come up
with a decision at least by budget
time. "Chairman Balfour added.
In other medical related
business, the commissioners ap
proved a request by Home to fund
medical consultants.
According to Home, the health
department gets a lot of things for
nothing from the county doctors
and he feds they should be com
pensated for their efforts.
Commissioner Hunt made a mo
tion to accept the contract. The
motion was seconded and approv
ed by the commissioners.
The figure for the funds alloted
to the medical consultants will be
S70 per month.
In other business, the com mis
sive/ Diabetes proposal that had
already been approved by the
already been approved by the
Board of Health.
Abo on Monday night's agenda
was a consideration for paying
S37S for additional clean up
(Sac DOG POUND, I1A)