25'
The Hoke County News - Established 1 928
&w&
Volume LXXV Number 5 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
25
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
$10 PER YEAR
Thursday, May 26, 1983
Stacked for storage
State and local officials are sampling soils at this Ashley Heights storage area for spent transformer casings. Low to mid level PCB readings have
been found in early specimens taken from this site.
State Probes Hoke Dump Sites
By Warren Johnston
State and local health officials
are probing three Hoke County
sites as suspected dumping
grounds for toxic and cancer caus
ing substances.
Samples taken from the sites,
which are located in the Ashley
Heights and McCain areas, thus
far have shown low to mid level
readings of toxic Polycholorinated
Biphenyls (PCB's), and "sus
pected" concentrations of lead.
The News-Journal has learned.
According to state law, low to
mid levels of PCB's and lead must
be disposed of in an approved
dump site, Hoke County Health
Department Director Lloyd Home
said.
No approved dumps are open
for low level toxic waste in North
Carolina. The closest disposal
areas are in Alabama, Home said.
Recent dumping of PCB laced
soil in Warren County, led to
numerous protests from local
residents. That landfill is now clos
ed.
Two of the sites being in
Around Town
by Sam Morris
Summer weather has finally ar
rived in Hoke County. The
temperatures have been in the 80s
both Sunday and Monday. It does
cool off at night and this makes for
good sleeping.
We still need rain in the county.
It has been raining both north and
south of us, so maybe it will come
our way before too long.
* * *
Last week in this column an item
appeared about the Fred
Cuibreths, who now live in
Durham. Last Wednesday morn
ing when I went to the Savings and
Loan to attend an Advisory Board
meeting, lo and behold, who show
ed up for the meeting but Fred
Culbreth.
He was in good spirits and seem
ed to enjoy being again with the
group from Hoke County.
? # *
Last Friday Dr. John Ropp and
1 went up to Pinehurst to watch the
Senior golfers play in their tourna
ment. The forecast was for rain, so
we both took our umbrellas with
(See AROUND, page 1 1 A)
vestigated are located near a
mobile home park in Ashley
Heights and the other within a half
mile of McCain Hospital.
The McCain site and one of the
other locations have apparently
been used for late night burning of
what Health officials believe are
electrical transformer parts and oil
from the electrical units.
Witnesses say that the fires
burned above the trees, gave off
black sooty smoke and were ig
nited around midnight.
Transformer salvage business
owner Woody Wilson Jr. of
Goldsboro said Tuesday that he
has used both sites only for storage
of the unit casings.
Although Wilson first said that
he had not burned "anything" at
the sites, he later admitted burning
wooden pallets at the Ashley
Heights location.
Both locations show evidence of
melted metal and heat damage to
the surroundings.
Wilson's aunt, Delia Wilson,
said Tuesday that she asked her
nephew to abandon one site behind
her home because "the fires were
keeping her up at night."
"It was a great big fire. They
would set the fire about 1 1 at
night," Delia Wilson said.
"My house has been ruined on
the inside from the smoke. On two
or three nights the smoke got so
strong I couldn't breathe," Delia
Wilson said.
Wilson was asked to vacate the
property on April 4. The last fire
on the site was the night of April 1 ,
Delia Wilson said, noting that she
believed her tobacco bam had been
set ablaze that night because the
flames were over the top of the
structure.
Recently witnesses have noted
that large fires have been burned
on the McCain site regularly for
the last several weeks.
Evidence has been obtained
from the sites which indicates that
materials other than wood were
burned, Home said.
Hoke Health officials are
assisting investigators from the
state Department of Natural
Resources and Community
Helping hand
Members of the Hoke County Employment Security office wheeled their
van Into the parking lot of Hoke High School last Wednesday In an effort
to sign up as many youths as possible in the new Summer Youth Job
Placement Program. For the two hours that the employment van was at
the high school some 80 students showed up to fill out applications. Peggy
Owens, (seated) director of the program, said that students who did not
catch the van showed up at the employment office to fill out applications.
On Tuesday officials expected at least 200 applications to be filed by
students.
Development (NRCD) and the
state Department of Human
Resources (DHR).
State officials confirmed that
both NRCD and DHR were in
vestigating, but declined to com
ment on the matter further.
In addition to the transformer
storage sites, health officials are
looking into an Ashley Heights
battery burial site.
That site is approximately 60
yards from a well which until
recently was used to serve a nearby
mobile home park.
Wilson said he buried "just bat
tery casings" at the site and under
the direction of Hoke Health Of
ficer Mike Wood.
Home said Tuesday that he was
unaware that Wood had advised
Wilson to dispose of the battery
casings by burying them.
Health officials suspect that
samples recently taken from the
battery site would contain lead,
Home said.
Although all of the tests on the
(See STATE, page 13 A)
Johnston Named
As N-J Editor
Publisher Louis Fogleman an
nounced this week that Warren
Johnston has been promoted to
editor of The News-Journal.
Johnston is a graduate of the
University of Georgia in Athens
and worked for the Georgetown
Times in Georgetown, South
Carolina, and the Marlboro
Herald-Advocate in Bennettesville,
South Carolina, before joining
The News-Journal staff as news
editor last September.
Johnston is married to the
former Sandra Gaines of Spartan
burg, South Carolina. He is a
native of Atlanta, Georgia.
The Johnstons live on North
Main Street in Raeford, and Mr.
Johnston is active in the Raeford
Kiwanis Club.
News-Journal editors prior to
Johnston have included D. Scott
Poole, Paul Dickson, Mrs. Paul
Dickson Sr., Dougald Coxe, Peter
B. Young, James C. Taylor and
Paul Dickson Jr.
The News-Journal is published
by Dickson Press Inc. of which
Paul Dickson Jr. is president and
major stockholder. Dickson
retired two years ago at age 65 and
is not active in the company.
(See EDITOR, page 11 A)
Faberge Expands,
More Jobs On Tap
By Sherry Matthews
The Raeford Faberge Incorporated plant plans a $2 million expansion
during this year which will create new jobs for the area, North Carolina
State Secretary of Commerce D.M. "Lauch" Faircloth announced during
the annual Raeford-Hoke Chamber of Commerce banquet Tuesday night.
Corporate vice-president of Faberge, August A. Zitzman said that the
expansion would create between 50-100 new jobs.
Zitzman also said that the expansion would mean more warehouse space
and increased "in-house" manufacturing.
Faberge, which came to Raeford in 1978, has already spent S5 to $6
million on expansion since their arrival five years ago.
According to Faircloth, who was addressing guests and members at the
annual Chamber dinner, Faberge has "made a commitment and stuck by
it."
"Because of industries like Faberge, we are. seeing more and more com
mitments being made in North Carolina," Faircloth said.
Faberge stretches over approximately 500,000 square feet and employs
about 500 people, 85% of whom are Hoke County residents.
Faircloth also said that Faberge was here because the Chamber of Com
merce "developed an attitude of cooperation between industry and
government that worked."
"The products manufactured here are sold throughout the world,"
Faircloth said, adding that Faberge was an industry that Hoke County
should be proud of.
Faircloth also gave Zitzman credit for getting Max Factor into Person
County.
"They came to Person County with Gus' encouragement," Faircloth
said.
Zitzman attended the annual Chamber dinner Tuesday night.
In his speech to the nearly 100 guests, Faircloth called for
"cooperation" that would allow for more industry to come into the area.
"All three industries in the area must cooperate so that other potential
industry will settle in Hoke County," Faircloth said.
Faircloth, who admits he is eyeing the governor's office, also talked
about "all the money" the state has.
According to Faircloth, state revenue has increased at a rate of nearly
$200 million a year.
"We have got enough money, but we spend it all creating new pro
grams," Faircloth said.
"All these new programs have used up all the money we made," he said,
noting that people who are intended to benefit from this money rarely see
it.
"The administration chews it up, and eventually those who were sup
posed to be beneficiaries are denied the income the taxes were supposed to
provide," Faircloth said.
According to Faircloth, "industrial recruitment" is the biggest sport in
North Carolina, "next to basketbalf.
Man Gets 25 Years
For Armed Robbery
By Sherry Matthews
In an emotional outburst, a
Hoke County man found guilty of
armed robbery, pledged that he
would "not waste the taxpayers
money" by going to jail.
Sherwood "Popeye" McLean of
Rt. 1, Shannon tossed a handful of
pills onto the defendant's table
after Superior Court Judge Robert
Farmer sentenced him to 25 years
in prison for the armed robbery of
Jack Tucker on March 2.
"I won't take my seizure
medicine and that way I won't
waste the taxpayer's money,"
McLean said, as he tossed the cap
sules on the table.
Earlier during the three-day
trial, witnesses testified that
McLean was taking medicine to
help alleviate the occurrence of
seizures.
After sheriff's deputies removed
the defendant from the courtroom,
another officer collected McLean's
medication and appatently return
ed it to the jail.
McLean complained bitterly
that his case had become a miscar
riage of justice.
"I don't think 1 got a fair trial,"
McLean told Judge Farmer after
the verdict was read.
McLean, who maintained his in
nocence throughout the trial,
claimed that some of the evidence
presented and some that was not
allowed to be presented "hurt his
case."
McLean was also upset by the
testimony of a former girlfriend
Linda Jacobs.
Jacobs, a witness for the state,
told the jurors that McLean, along
with Dannie McArn and Alex
ander McArn, came to her house
carrying the money bag and guns
stolen during the robbery.
Jacobs also told the jurors that
McLean got a "cut" of the money,
and the .38 caliber pistol that she
later found belonged to Jack
Tucker.
McLean tried unsuccessfully to
discredit Jacobs by making
disparaging remarks about her
character.
McLean made the remarks
without the presence of the jury.
McLean also requested that his
J
lawyer, Raeford attorney Philip
Diehl, be dismissed as his counsel,
so that he could testify in the
defendant's behalf.
Under North Carolina law an at
torney cannot testify for his client.
Judge Farmer refused the re
quest.
In a farther, "unadvised move,"
the defendant asked that state's
witness Alexander McArn testify
for the defense.
Diehl informed the judge that he
had advised McLean against
McArn's testimony, but his client
had insisted.
On the stand, Alexander McArn
apparently hurt McLean's case by
telling the jury that "Popeye" did
participate in the robbery.
That testimony coincided with
the state's witness Dannie McArn,
who told the jury that McLean was
(See ARMED, page 12A)
Inside Today
Over 100
Some changes have occurred
over the past hundred years,
but Dundarrach still has thai
down home flavor that keeps
people coming back. We take
a look at the little town oj
Dundarrach, past and present,
in this week 's B-section of The
Newi-Jo?nuU.
Idundarrach TRADING CO