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The Hoke County News - Established 1928
Volume LXXV Number 13 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
- journal
25
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
$10 PER YEAR Thursday, July 21, 1983
Empty and forgotten
With the new equipment that continues to improve and speed up decay. The once filled barns now project a loneiy abandoned appearance
harvesting, tobacco barns like this one have been deserted and left to as they begin to crack and rot with age.
Democrats Vow To End Industry Ban
Members of the Hoke County
Democratic Executive Committee
vowed Tuesday night to put
pressure on city officials to get a
state ban placed on industry lifted
and get "something done" about
the economic "stagnation" that
exists here.
} During Tuesday night's
organizational meeting, Raeford
One Precinct Chairman Neill
McFadven Jr. told members that
he thought something should be
done to get industry into the coun
ty that will "lift" some of the
economic stagnation that exists in
the area today.
"We need to put pressure on the
City Council to get the
P moratorium lifted e\en if it means
stepping on some toes to do so,"
McFadyen said.
A state moratorium was placed
on the city some 10 years ago and
will apparently be lifted when the
House of Raeford turkey plant
gets its waste water pre-treatment
plant in line with state re
quirements.
"We need industry here to im
prove our economic situation. We
need it to improve the quality of
life," McFadyen said.
"1 think you have hit the nail
right on the head," state Executive
Committee member Warren Pate
said.
If the Democratic executive
committee doesn't apply pressure
to these elected officials, who will?
Pate asked the members.
The county not only needs the
moratorium removed, but also
needs to establish zoning laws.
Pate said.
According to Pate, prospective
industries always inquire about the
county's zoning laws.
At present no countywide /.on
ing laws exist and according to
Pate no "progress" is being made
to get any started.
"We need to address the issue of
how to control growth in Hoke
County," Pate said.
With five Democrats sitting on
the county commission. Pale said
something could be done.
"We need to apply pressure to
our elected Democrats to get
something done," he added.
"We need to encourage, make
suggestions and draft resolutions
that will emphasize the way we
feel. They are not our bosses, we
are theirs," Young Democrats
President Steve C'onnell said.
"We are the constituents who
put them in office," Conncll add
ed.
Committee members plan to
bring the matter up again during a
September meeting and to consider
passage of a resolution to be
presented to both the city and the
county.
On another matter. Executive
Committee Chairman Harold
Gillis noted that there is little that
the party can do to address the
problems facing County Commis
sioner James A. Hunt.
"1 have had several phone calls
asking what we are going to do
about Commissioner Hunt." Gillis
said.
"Until there is a vacancy or until
this body is asked to make recom
mendations, there is nothing we
can do and nothing we will do."
Gillis said.
According to Gillis, Hunt has
served "well" and done well as a
county commissioner.
"I have had conversations with
him, and I have told him he needs
to get his ducks in a row," Gillis
said.
Pound Study
Nears Finish
By Sherry Matthews
Hoke County Commissioners
are waiting for "site" feasibility
studies to be completed before
making their next move on the
construction of a new animal
shelter. County Manager James
Martin said.
The study, which was initiated in
April, calls for the Laurinburg ar
chitectural firm of Jordan,
Snowden and Mc Vicar to study
two possible sites for the new
animal shelter.
One of the sites being studied is
a 2.5 acre tract at the end of North
Main Street which was donated by
Ray Calloway of Eli/abethtown.
The location was recommended by
an animal shelter committee that
had been appointed by the com
missioners in March.
The other site, the existing city
county landfill, is also being
studied as a possible area for the
new shelter.
Committee members have been
opposed to the landfill location.
The city has budgeted over S3(),(X)0
to be used for construction of a
combination animal shelter
landfill building if that site is
chosen.
Members have repeatedly ob
jected to the siie because of the
"stigma" attached to the landfill
as a "dump".
The Calloway site, which is the
more "favored" of the two areas,
apparently has problems of its
own.
According to architect Sam
Snowden, there may be a problem
with an "access road" to the
Calloway property because of its
closeness to the Highway 401 in
tersection.
"We are waiting for a report
from the state Department of
Transportation (DOT) on the safe
ty of entering that property from
401," Snowden said.
According to DOT Highway and
Maintenance Engineer for Hoke
and Lee counties, Jerry Maddox,
the problem stems from a right
lane that merges into 401.
"People entering the Calloway
property would have to cross into
that lane that is merging onto the
highway," Maddox said.
"I'm not sure that would be the
safest place," Maddox added.
According to Snowden, his firm
will be making a report to the com
missioners within "three or four
days" after DOT has finished their
study.
"We will be ready to present our
report shortly after DOT com
pletes the work we requested,"
Snowden said.
According to Martin, the com
missioners will be able to study the
feasibilty reports and make a deci
sion on a site once they receive
Snowden's report .
The battle over whether to build
a new animal shelter has been
brewing for more than a year and
seemed stalled last year when the
pound was cut from the county
budget .
This year both city and county
budgets have included monies for
the construction or renovation of
an animal shelter.
The city has put aside some
S30,(XX) to be used if the shelter is
built at the landfill sue while the
county has budgeted $25,000
towards the construction of a new
facility.
Around Town
b> Sam Morris
The weather in Las Vegas was
hot at 1 14 degrees, but the readings
of over a 100 on Saturday and Sun
day in Raeford seemed hotter. The
humidity is higher here and this
makes it seem hotter. The report
for the remainder of the week is
for the same kind of weather. I just
_ hope that nothing happens to the
W air conditioners in the office and at
home.
We need rain, and if we don't
get some soon I expect that the
gardens arc gone for this year. It
won't seem like summer without
the fresh vegetables and melons.
Just remember the hot weather
was here before I returned, so I
didn't bring it with me.
The trip west came to an end last
Monday and it was nice to get back
to Hoke County.
After leaving Gallup, N.M. we
continued on and stopped at
Amarillo, Texas on Friday, July
8th. This city is in the Texas
Panhandle and is just a few miles
from Canyon, Texas where Laura
9 Telfair, a former News-Journal
reporter, now lives. The next mor
ning we pulled out and headed
across Oklahoma. It was now star
ting to look morelike home with
grass and trees appearing on the
scene.
We crossed the "Sooner" state
and arrived in Ozark, Arkansas
late Saturday afternoon. This
place is located in the Ozark
A Mountains and this scenery was
W more like North Carolina than any
place we had seen on the trip for a
few weeks.
On Sunday it was out of Arkan
sas by way of Little Rock and
across the Mississippi River into
Memphis, Tenn. The air was get
ting sweeter smelling as we moved
through the Volunteer state. We
went on through Nashville and
? (See AROUND, page 3A)
Inside Today
Summertime
Even with temperatures
reaching into the IO()'s, kids
seem to enjoy the sun and fun
that summer brings. H e take a
look at how local residents
cope with the heat in this
week 's B-section of The News
Journal.
Merchants Adopt
Raeford Slogan
"Shop Raeford First * * was given
an overwhelming boost by all those
present at a regular monthly
meeting of the Raeford-Hoke Mer
chants Association Tuesday.
The logo, which merchants have
agreed to run in all advertisements,
was designed to promote shopping
in the Raeford-Hoke area instead
of out of town.
During the meeting, members
discussed ways to keep local
residents from traveling to other
towns to shop.
A letter, composed by John
Howard and Don Eaton, dealing
with a "town-wide" promotion of
the Labor Day extravaganza was
distributed to merchants across
Raeford, Eaton told the members.
The Labor Day Extravaganza
(See MERCHANTS, page 3A)
County Man Indicted
For Child Molesting
A 23-year-old county man,
charged with a first degree sexual
offense was indicted by the Hoke
County Grand Jury Monday on
charges of taking indecent liberties
with a six-year-old girl.
Herbert Rogers, 23, was arrested
in May after he allegedK made sex
ual advances to the girl.
Rogers will be scheduled to ap
pear in Hoke County Superior
Court during the next term vshich
will begin in October.
Three local people were also in
dicted by the Grand Jury Mondas
on charges of breaking and enter
ing a county residence and for
larceny.
Johnny Wilkerson Jr., Sharon
Lee and Angela Whitfield were in
dicted in connection with the June
23 break-in of Wilmor Breedon's
trailer.
According to the indictment, the
three Hoke residents broke into the
trailer located at the North
Raeford Mobile Home Park,
allegedly stealing $700 in personal
property.
The Grand Jury also indicted
Bradley Locklear Jr. for posses
sion of stolen goods.
Under the indictment, Locklear
is charged with possessing personal
property belonging to another and
knowing that the property had
been stolen.
'Bad Blood ' Slaying
Leaves Man , 70, Dead
B> Sherry Matthews
A Hoke County man in his 70's
was arrested Friday afternoon
shortly alter he allegedly shot and
killed another local man two years
his junior.
James Harris, 72, of McCain,
was placed under arrest by Hoke
County Sheriff's deputies and
charged with murder. Sheriff Dave
Barrington said.
According to the sheriff, around
3 p.m. f riday, Harris apparently
entered the home of James
Mcl aurin. 70, located in the Mon
trose area of Hoke County behind
Parks Grocery.
Harris was allegedly carrying an
automatic rifle and was reported to
have shot Mcl. aurin. "numerous
times." Sheriff Barrington said
Mcl aurin was dead on arrival at
Moore Memorial Hospital, the
sheriff said.
No apparent reason for the
shooting is known, but sources say
that the two men had "had blood"
between them.
Harris is presently confined to
the Hoke County Jail under a
$1()0,(X)() bond, the sheriff said.
Funeral services for McLaurin
were held Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the
Cool Spring United Methodist
Church. The Rev. L. R. Davis of
ficiated at the service.
Burial was in the Buffalo
Springs cemetery.
McLaurin is survived by his
wife, Mrs Christine Mcl. aurin; a
daughter. Alberta Blue; a son,
James Mcl eod; two sisters, Emma
Belle Mcl aurin and I i/a Jane
Brown; and two brothers, Alex
ander and Johnny Mcl aurin.
Fort Bragg Soldier
Sentenced For Assault
By Sherry Matthews
A Fort Bragg soldier, arrested in
April on rape charges, received a
three-year sentence in Hoke Coun
ty Superior Court Monday after
pleading guilty to assault with a
deadly weapon and inflicting
serious injury.
First degree rape charges against
Gary Joseph Mayron, 19, were
dismissed by Assistant District At
torney Jean Powell.
Mayron has been in the Hoke
County Jail for the past 100 days
under a $50,000 bond in connec
tion with the apparent rape and
assault of a 24-year-old Hoke
County woman.
According to sheriff's reports,
Mayron had apparently assisted
the victim by giving her a ride
home from a Fayetteville night
spot.
Mayron's statement, read to the
court by Powell, indicated that the
young soldier had "beat" the vie
tim in the face with the butt of a
shotgun, choked her and forcibly
held her down after she had at
tempted to force him out of her
trailer.
According to Mayron's state
ment, the victim fought him off at
first, but eventually consented.
"Consent by coercion is not ?
consent," Powell said
The key to what took place that
night is when the victim ordered
Mayron to leave the trailer, Powell
told the court.
Mayron apparently lost control
when the victim tried to force him
out with a shotgun, Powell added.
According to Mayron's state
ment, the defendant went into the
bathroom, broke a mirror and
window screen and left the trailer.
"He should have left the trailer
park at this point. If he had, none
of us would be here today."
Powell said.
(See SOLDIFR. page 2A)
Hunt Arrested Again
B> Sherr> Matthews
Two new arrcsi warrants were
issued Friday against Hoke County
Commissioner James Albert Hunt
for failing to appear in court on
worthless check charges.
In addition to tue arrest war
rants, another criminal summons
was issued Monday for a worthless
check Hunt had written in Mas to
Raeford Oil Company. The check
was for SI .528.74.
Warrants were issued for Hunt
in Scotland and Columbus coun
ties after he failed to show up for
his scheduled trial appearances.
This marks the second time that
the nine-year commissioner has
been ordered confined b\ Scotland
authorities for failing to appear.
He has been charged in that county
with writing at least 22 bad checks
which total over $5,000
Hunt was also arrested Friday
morning for failing to appear in
Columbus County District Court
on charges of passing a SI. 696. 48
worthless check.
Bonds of over $15,000 were
posted for Hunt in both cases,
keeping him from being confined.
Hunt is scheduled to appear in
Scotland District Court July 21
and July 27 on three bad check
charges and has appealed a traffic
violation until the next session of
Scotland Superior Court.
The commissioner is presently in
Milwaukee attending a county
commissioners cons ent ion and
could not be reached for comment.
Hunt is also supposed to appear
in Columbus County District
Court August 1
With the two latest warrants
served, the commissioner now has
been arrested five times within a
month and has been jailed twice
In addition. Hunt is still
awaiting trials in Hoke, Robeson,
l ee, Scotland and Harnett coun
lies on further bad check charges
totaling over $3,(XX).
Since June, Hunt has received
nine suspended sentences for
worthless check charges; eight in
Scotland County and one in Hoke.
Included in the suspended
sentence that Hoke District Court
Judge Joseph Dupree issued was
an order that Hunt seek psychiatric
treatment as a condition of his pro
bation.
(See COMMISSIONER, page 2A)