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The Hoke County News - Established 1928
Volume LXXV Number 16 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
journal
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
$10 PER YEAR 25 CENTS Thursday, August 11, 1983
J. A. Hunt
Scenario
Continues
By Sherry Matthews
Financial and legal problems
continued to plague Hoke County
. Commissioner James A. Hunt last
* week, as four new arrest warrants
surfaced against him.
Arrest warrants were served on
the commission vice chairman for
failing to appear in Robeson
County District Court on four
worthless check charges.
In addition to the warrants
already served, two more arrest
orders are being processed against
I Hunt in Harnett County on failure
' to appear and failure to comply
charges, court officials said.
According to Hoke sheriff's
records, four arrest warrants were
issued to Hunt last Tuesday for
failing to appear in Robeson
District Court on July 20 and 26.
Hunt was to appear on four
worthless check charges that total
ed $1,185.07.
After Hunt failed to appear, the
* arrest orders were issued.
Hunt posted the $2,200 bond
last Tuesday to avoid any further
stints in jail.
The commissioner's trial dales
have been re-scheduled for August
9 and 10 in Robeson District Court
on those four bad check charges.
In addition to the warrants
already served, Harnett County
records indicate that two further
I arrests orders will be issued against
the nine-year veteran commis
sioner.
Arrest orders will be issued
against Hunt for failing to appear
on one worthless check charge and
for failing to pay off three others.
According to the Harnett Coun
ty Clerk of Court's office, Hunt
appeared in District Court July 28
(See HUNT, page 13A)
I
Around Town
by Sam Morris
The weather has turned hot
again, but this afternoon and even
ing thundershowers have provided
some needed rain. The humidity is
^ high and it makes the 90 degree
weather seem hotter than the ther
mometer registers.
The tobacco hasn't been hurt by
the dry weather as much as the
other crops, such as corn and soy
beans. Cotton is a hot weather
crop and should be fine.
There were several days in July
that the thermometer was over 100
degrees, but I haven't been able to
} get the exact figures from Robert
Gatlin. The weatherman seems to
have too many irons in the fire at
this time to get the figures for me.
I did ask him the other day if he
had any corn for sale and his reply
was: "Get it out of the freezer, for
ail the corn is gone." So that is
what my wife did the next day.
Anyway we can think of this hot
weather next winter when the snow
| is on the ground.
? ? ?
Don't you members of the Class
of 1946 forget to get in touch with
Jimmy Plummer if you are in
terested in having a class reunion.
He said that some of the members
of the class would like to have the
reunion in September if enough
^ would write in to him or Bill Clark.
Their addresses were in this col
umn last week, along with Plum
mer's phone number.
So get in touch if you would like
to have a fine time. 1 haven't heard
of a class reunion where the ones
that were present didn't have the
time of their lives.
? * ?
| I was glad to see in last week's
paper where the Board of Educa
tion might have found the money
for the ROTC program at Hoke
High School. Of course since 1 was
an old National Guardsman for
many years, both before and after
World War II, I am strongly in
favor of this program for high
school students.
In this day of high unemploy
I (See AROUND, page 12A)
Complying with state mandate
State health officer Terry Dover (above right) and Coldsboro businessman W oody Wilson (above left ) inspect
a dumping site in Ashley Heights Tuesday where toxic levels of lead and PC B were found earlier this year.
Prior to the cleanup, which was ordered by the state, the site was covered with transformer casings (below)
and other material from W ilson 's salvage business.
PCB Cleanup
On Schedule
By Sherry Matthews
A Goldsboro businessman has
apparently met a state ordered
cleanup deadline and tests are be
ing conducted to determine if
hazardous residue remains in three
Ashley Heights dump sites, state
officials said Tuesday.
Officials from the North
Carolina Department of Human
Resources (DHR) Solid and
Hazardous Waste Branch were
overseeing soil testing Tuesday
which is being conducted by a
private laboratory.
Personnel from Grainger Labs
of Raleigh were conducting the
sampling from sites where toxic
levels of lead and medium range
Polycholorinated Biphenyls (PCB)
were found earlier, Hoke Health
Director Lloyd Home said.
Woody Wilson Jr. of Goldsboro
is paying for the testing as part of
an agreement with state officials
after an investigation uncovered
the toxic dump sites.
Wilson, who conducted a
transformer and battery dismantl
ing operation on the sites, agreed
to clean up the sites and hire a
private lab to take further soil
samples to determine whether lead
had "leached" into the soil.
The clean-up deadline was Tues
day. Both state and local officials
seem satisfied that Wilson upheld
his agreement.
"The battery casings were
removed yesterday and the sites
have been cleaned up," Eastern
Area Supervisor for the North
Carolina Solid and Hazardous
Waste Branch Terry Dover said.
"Wilson has been very
cooperative," Waste Management
Specialist Richard Gay said.
"He (Wilson) has worked with
us through this whole thing. We
are very pleased," Gay added.
"He has done everything we
have asked him to do. We arc
satisfied with everything so far."
Dover added.
Wilson has apparently been
"cleaning up" for nearly two
months.
According to Home, Wilson
used a crane to aid in the pick-up
of the heavy solid metals that were
located on one of the sites.
Wilson has also agreed to
remove any soil that may still be
contaminated.
The dumping areas, now being
tested, are located on property
owned by Wilson's aunt Delia
Wilson, who has threatened legal
action against her nephew it the
hazardous material was not remov
ed.
Wilson also conducted a
transformer dismantling business
on state Highway 211 near Mc
Cain.
If the new samples show high
levels of lead then some of the soil
will have to be removed, Home
said.
According to Home, Wilson
would have to transport the toxic
soil to Alabama, the closest hazar
dous waste dumping area.
"Everything looks really good
so far. but the results of the new
samples will determine the next
steps," Home said.
"Future samplings will depend
on the results of today's testing,"
he added.
Test results from the Grainger
samples should be completed
within the next two weeks, Dover
said.
The state and local probe, which
has been going on since May in
dicated that at least three Hoke
County sites had become dumping
grounds for toxic and cancer caus
ing materials.
Soil samples were taken in Mav
and June from all three site*,
located in the Ashley Heights and
McCain areas.
The results showed low to mid
levels of PCB's and high concen
trations of lead.
(See CLF.ANUP. page 2 A)
Politics Cost Hoke Courthouse F unding Bill
B> Shern Matthews
Attempts to get state funding for
the preservation of the Hoke
County Courthouse have been
placed on the back burner by
North Carolina law makers until
next June's short legislative ses
sion.
The $82,500 grant application,
which was introduced by District
30 Senator David Parnell, lost out
to another Hoke County project
that was apparently introduced
late into the session.
The restoration of Mill Prong
House, a 181-year-old Hoke Coun
ty landmark, received a S 25,000
boost out of the $1.5 million
"pork barrel" package that funds
special projects for North Carolina
counties.
The Mill Prong bill was also in
troduced by Senator Parnell.
The Mill Prong House, The
Robeson County Pre-Release
Funds and the Tribal Economic
Training Fund were allocated
$25,000 each at Parnell's request.
The Hoke Courthouse preserva
tion project received no monies
during the regular session.
"Each Senator was given
$75,000," Parnell said.
"It would have taken more
money to fund the courthouse pro
ject than was allocated to us,"
Parnell added.
According to the Senator, he
divided the money between three
projects.
"I felt like the courthouse pro
ject would receive more money
during the short session," Parnell
said.
Parnell also said that the court
house application may not be "en
tirely granted."
"We may still wind up with less
than was requested," Parnell said.
Parnell also alluded to court
house projects being less than "top
priority" in the legislative session.
"Those projects were primarily
looked upon as county business,"
Parnell said.
Although Parnell said "few"
courthouse projects were con
sidered and funded by the
legislators, 1 1 appropriations bills
that totaled $368,000 were devoted
to county courthouse projects, a
check of legislative records show
ed.
"The courthouse bill is still very
much alive," Parnell said, adding
that he had "high hopes" of get
ting the bill funded in the short
legislative session.
The S25.000 funded for the Mill
Prong House was the only grant
monies Hoke County received out
of the "pork barrel" package.
District 16 House Represen
tatives Daniel DeVane, Sidney
Locks and Pete Hasty apparently
divided their allocated monies be
tween Robeson and Scotland
Counties with Robeson getting the
bulk of the funding.
"We met with Senator Parnell
Landfill Site Backed
F or Animal Shelter
B> Sherr> Matthews
Members of the Hoke-Raeford
Humane Society agreed Monday
night to "endorse" the city landfill
site as the location for the new
animal shelter.
"We will endorse the landfill
site, if and only if, the animal
shelter is finished and the animals
are moved in before winter,"
Humane Society Director Jack
McGinnis said.
McGinnis and the other
members had favored accepting a
2.5 acre tract at the end of North
Main Street, donated by Ray
Calloway of Flizabethtown, for
the location of the nevs shelter.
"That property is convenient to
(he public, has access to city water
and sewage and was given to the
county tree," McGinnis said.
Although both the city and
county governments seem to favor
the landfill site, an animal shelter
committee, appointed by the coun
ty commissioners in March, and
the Humane Society have
previously been opposed to the
site.
"People may be reluctant to go
to the landfill and animals may not
have as good a chance of getting
adopted," McGinnis said.
Although McGinnis has
repeatedly opposed the landfill
site, he agreed that "compromis
(See SHF.LTF.R. page I.M)
Prim? &
Inside Today
Walking tour
Many people enjoy taking
fours during the summer mon
ths through museums, old
homes and historic places hut
local farmers enjoy a walking
tour through other farmers '
crops, ti e take a look at a re
cent tobacco tour on page one.
Section R of today's News
Journal.
and divided up the bills," DeVane
said.
Senator Parnell agreed to in
troduce the Courthouse bill.
DeVane added.
"I felt with his seniority, the bill
would be more likely to get funded
through his persuasion," DeVane
said.
"We (the representatives) took
the remaining bills and divided
them between us," DeVane added.
"We were the prime sponsors of
each individual bill," DeVane em
phasized.
According to DeVane, each
House member received $50,000.
"We took all the projects and
spread the money as far as it would
go," DeVane said.
Of the SI 50,000 allocated to the
three House members. $120,(MX)
went to Robeson County projects;
the remainder of the monies was
allocated to Scotland County.
"The House did not have
anything designated for Hoke
Hefner Airs Concern
For Family Farmers
County because we knew that
Senator Parnell was supposed to
be supporting the courthouse pro
ject." DeVane added.
According to DeVane, he or the
other two representatives did not
know about the three other bills
until Parnell introduced them.
"It v\e had known about those
other projects, we might have been
able lo get some money tor (he
courthouse," DeVane said.
Hoke County Manager James
Martin, \sho applied for the grant
monies, said he was "disap
pointed" thai "some" money was
not appropriated.
"It is a real shame," Martin
said, adding that he only hoped the
project would receive some fund
ing during next June's short
legislative session.
According to Martin, a second
application uas made through a
(Sec POl.l I ICS. page I2A)
Small farmers may have a "tough tight" on their hands in the near
future, Eighth District Congressman Bill Hefner said here Tuesday night.
Hefner, who was in Raeford for one of sescral "town meetings" across
his district, answered questions and voiced opinions before a small group
of Hoke County residents.
"Our small farmers are in real tough shape, all over the nation,"
Hefner said.
According to Hefner, there are large farms in the west that could "pro
bably" supply food for the entire nation.
"Some large farmers would love to see a farming cartel," Hefner said.
"There are some people who would not care if the small farmer went the
way of the dinosaur," Hefner added.
According to the congressman, small larmcrs arc not the only ones in
for a struggle.
"It has been a tough struggle to keep the tobacco program, and 1 think
it will continue to be," Hefner said
(See HF.FNFR. page 1 ** A )