School Board Honors
John D. McAllister
By Sherry Matthews
Hoke County School Board
members signed a resolution at
Tuesday night's regular meeting
honoring Assistant Superintendent
John McAllister.
The "resolution of
appreciation" came after
McAllister's announcement last
week that he will retire from school
work "as of July 1
McAllister, who has been a
teacher, principal, assistant
superintendent and interim
superintendent, spent more than
36 years involved with the Hoke
County school system, board
Chariman W.W. Cameron said.
According to McAllister, the
years spent with the Hoke County
schools were "really enjoyable
ones."
"Education has been my profes
sion and my hobby," McAllister
said.
Cameron and the rest of the
board approved the resolution,
which will be framed and given to
McAllister.
"We all wish you the best,"
Cameron said, adding that
McAllister should "come and
visit."
In other board action, a slight
disagreement arose over a request
to allow an employee's child to
transfer from one Hoke school to
another.
Graduation
Apparently, a misinterpretation
of board policy led to the disagree
ment.
According to board member
Walter Coley, policy states that
only teachers' children can be
transferred to the school where
they teach.
The request was granted by a 3-1
vote. Coley abstained.
In further action, the board
unanimously approved a proposal
by Superintendent Bob Nelson
allowing for the board's agenda to
be improved.
According to Nelson, the agenda
could be organized so (hat
members could "expedite" the
handling of business in a "much
neater and cleaner manner."
The board also took the follow
ing action at Tuesday night's
regular meeting:
?Voted to release all state and
federal checks June 24.
?Amended the 1982-83 budget
at the request of finance officer
Don Steed.
-Approved a Vocational Educa
tion plan presented by Harold
Gillis.
?Authorized Superintendent
Nelson to draft a policy allowing
school employees to take an ex
tended leave of abscence without
pay for one year. This abscence.
according to Nelson, should be for
the purpose of "improving profes
sional skills and abilities.
Ruffled ,
But Ends Successfully
Graduation ceremonies at Hoke
High were marred slightly by a
disgruntled student and a smoking
transformer.
According to Hoke High Prin
cipal Lenwood Simpson, the
transformer was smoking, but it
"did not burn out."
"The crowd was very
cooperative," Simpson said.
Simpson refused to comment on
the student who momentarily
disrupted the ceremony.
"1 think we had an excellent
graduation." Simpson said.
A crowd of 2,000 people filed in
Local Youth
Many Hoke County youths are
having difficulty finding summer
jobs, a spokesman for the Job Ser
vice office said.
Over 200 applications have been
received from youngsters 16 to 21
years old who are ready and willing
to take on temporary or full-time
jobs.
At this point only 27 of those
young adults are working. Job Ser
vice manager Burnice Graham
said.
"We are in desperate need of
odd jobs, part time or summer
jobs that Hoke County residents
might have," Graham said.
"They are ready and willing to
work if we can supply them with a
job," Graham added.
According to Graham, one of
the things that is "hurting" the
to the Hoke High stadium, filling
the stands.
"We had the largest crowd 1
have ever seen at one of our
graduations," Simpson said.
The ceremony lasted nearly two
hours and delivered 270 diplomas
to anxious students filing across
the platform for the last time.
Of the 270 graduates, 28 were
were from the adult high school
class with the remaining 238 being
12th graders.
"The students and the crowd
worked with us," Simpson said.
Hoke's graduation ceremony
was a complete success, he added.
Need Work
job?> program's chances is in
dustries.
"Industries cannot hire young
people under 18 and that effects a
great many of out applicants,"
Graham said.
According to Graham, the jobs
service program is looking to fill
"odd job" positions such as baby
sitting and house cleaning.
Any type of job is better than no
job. Graham said.
"1 want to urge any area resi
dent who needs their car washed or
lawn mowed to contact us,"
Graham said.
"We want to help these kids get
into the job market," Graham
said.
The Youth Jobs Program is
designed to help any young adult
(16-21) who wants to work,
regardless of income, Graham
said.
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Dying trees
The trees over a suspected dumping site for PCB-laced oil and sulfuric
acid appear to be dying.
. . .New Site Checked
(Continued from Page 1A)
Goldsboro Salvage Co. operator
Woody Wilson Jr.
Wilson has begun cleaning the
dumping area near the new
suspected oil dumping site. Both
sites, as well as the battery burial
pit and an above-ground battery
storage area, are located on pro
perty owned by Wilson's aunt
Delia Wilson.
Last week health officials an
nounced that Wilson had agreed to
clean the sites, recycle usable
materials and conduct private
testing to make sure no con
taminants remained.
In a certified letter to Wilson
dated June 10, DHR Eastern Area
Supervisor for Solid and Hazar
dous Waste Management Terry F.
Dover, noted that failure to comp
ly with state regulations could
result "in administrative penalties
of up to $10,000 per site."
Wilson apparently began last
week loading ashes from the Delia
Wilson site in metal barrels and
hauling the material to Goldsboro,
Home said.
The cleanup is not being directly
supervised by state or local health
officials, he said.
In the meantime, health officials
have been conducting perimeter
water sampling around a slate
Highway 211 location where
Wilson conducts an electrical
transformer salvage operation.
All of the tests which had been
reported on Tuesday showed water
in the surrounding area was safe to
drink, Home said.
Samples, which were apparently
taken from several locations at the
Delia Wilson site, showed PCB
levels of about 1 1 parts per
million. Those levels are below the
federal limit of 49 parts per million
which is considered hazardous.
North Carolina laws do not
specify dangerous levels, but some
states, like Georgia, set the hazar
dous limit at 10 parts per million.
Prior to the recent cleanup of
roadsides in Warren County where
PCB-laced oil had been dumped il
legally, levels of 10 parts per
million showed up in the milk of
resident mothers and in newborn
children.
PCB levels can be reduced in
waste by burning, and health of
ficials believe that Wilson burned
oil and transformer parts at the
Delia Wilson site.
The latest probe will center
around an oil dumping area, where
apparently no burning has taken
place.
Free Lunches Offered
For All Hoke Children
All Hoke Counly children, from
two to 18 years old will be able to
receive free lunches during the
summer months.
According to a recent release,
the Hoke County Child Nutrition
Division will sponsor a "summer
feeding program" for any child
regardless of race, sex, handicap or
national origin.
Only lunch meals will be served
from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
June 20 to July 29.
No meals will be served on July
4.
These schools will be open for
the lunch program: Hoke County
High School (Gibson Cafeteria),
J.W. Turlington School, South
Hoke School and Scurlock School.
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14
Questions Remain
In Airplane Crash
By Sherry Matthews
An investigation into a recent
plane crash at the Raeford Airport
is continuing, federal officials said
Tuesday.
Dick Shippman with the Na
tional Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB) in Atlanta said the
probe would not be complete until
a written statement from the pilot
of the plane had been received.
"I have talked briefly with the
pilot, but we have not received any
written statement from him at this
point," Shippman said.
Until that statement is received,
the investigation will remain open,
Shippman said.
"1 believe this was a fairly
straight-forward accident," NTSB
chief Jay Golden said.
However, details about the
crash, which happened over a week
ago, remain "vague".
Federal aviation officials in
Raleigh, Fayetteville and Atlanta
still remain "unsure" about when
the mysterious crash was reported.
"I'm not sure of the exact time,
but I do know the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) was
notified shortly after the accident
happened," Shippman said.
FAA officials in Fayetteville
also were "unsure" about the ex
act time of the incident.
"1 believe the accident happened
around 1 1:30 p.m.," Golden said,
adding that the safety board was
not notified until June 6, two days
after the crash.
"That is normal procedure for a
non-fatal accident that happens
over the weekend," Golden said.
According to Golden, those
non-fatal crashes are treated like
"fender-benders."
Parachute jump school owner
Gene Thacker told The News
Journal last week that the crash
apparently happened between 9:30
and 10:00 Saturday night while the
pilot was practicing "night land
ings" at the Raeford airport.
Thacker and Golden are over an
hour apart in the time of the actual
crash.
They do agree, however, on who
the pilot was and what apparently
made him crash.
According to Thacker, Charles
Morgan of Hope Mills, landed
short of the runway and apparent
ly "wrapped" his Cessna 150
around some trees. (~i
"The pilot told us he got too low
on his approach and struck some
trees," Golden said.
Thacker also said that his son
found the injured pilot "wander
ing around" at about 10 p. mi
"He (Morgan) was looking for
me," Thacker said in an earlier in
terview.
The crash occurred about one
mile from the runway in a heavily ( ,
wooded area off Highway 1323.
Some 30 residences live between
the crash site and the airport.
Although the crash apparently
occurred between 9:30 and 11:30
Saturday evening, Hoke County
authorities were not notified until
much later.
Hoke rescue squad members
were not dispatched until around
3:30 a.m., some five hours after f"<
the plane allegedly went down.
Sheriff's deputies were also
notified much later than the crash
actually happened.
"I'm not sure it is even
necessary for the local authorities
to be notified," Golden said.
The FAA and the Safety Board
are required by federal regulations
to be notified, Golden added. r
Although no more details about ii
the crash were disclosed, federal
authorities in Atlanta said they are
continuing their investigation.
"1 don't see any reason for this
to be turned over to anyone else,"
Shipman said.
"We need the pilot's written
statement and more than likely
that will close the investigation,"
Shipman added.
. .Thacker Blasts
(Continued from Page 1A)
along, that he is responsible for
most of the traffic at the airport.
The traffic generated by the
jump school allowed for federal
monies to be spent on paving the
runway, he says.
Thacker, who pays the city S75 a
month rent for a SI million facili
ty, claims that even those figures
are wrong.
Thacker alleges that the city has
spent less than $250,000 on the air
port. Of that money, Thacker
claims little has benefitted his
Raeford Aviation business.
"I do know that the city has
never spent any money on Gene
Thacker or Raeford Aviation,"
Thacker said in his letter.
The
News JournaJ
The News-Journal is publish
ed every Thursday by Dickson
Press inc. at 1 19 W. Elwood
Avenue, Raeford, N.C. 28376.
Second Class postage is paid at
Raeford, N.C. (USPS 388-260).
Subscription rates are payable
in advance at S10 per year in
Hoke County and $12 per year
outside of Hoke County.
In his letter Thacker says if the
city wants him out, then he is
"willing to sell."
According to Thacker the city
would have to buy some 40 acres
and five buildings that he has ac
quired over the years.
"The City of Raeford owns the
airport, and it is your responsibili
ty to see that business is done in a
fair manner and not to be influenc
ed by some good ole boys,"
Thacker said in his letter.
A. A. Meetings
Wed. 8 p.m.
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