Thanksgiving
The New-Journal will
be printed a day early
for the Thanksgiving
edition. All deadlines
will be moved up one
day.
The News-Tournal
Established 1928 ~
The Hoke County News - Established 1928
Volume LXXV Number 30 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
$10 PER YEAR
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
25 CENTS Thursday, November 17, 1983
Almost Christmas
City workers were busy last week putting up Christmas up. "H e tun e to get them up when the weather per
decorations through Rae ford's downtown area, mils, and we have got to check alt the tight bulbs to see
Although many residents feel it is just a little too early if they are working," Matthews said. "If they need
for the Christmas ornaments. City Manager Ron Mat- replacing, we have to order them and that takes time. "
thews disagrees. According to Matthews there is a Matthews added.
great deal of time involved with getting the decorations
Hazardous Dump Sites
To Be Clear Next Week
By Sherr> Matthews
Although hazardous residue
found in the soil of three Ashley
Heights dumping areas has not
been removed, state officials said
Monday that the mandated clean
up should be close to completion
by the end of next week.
Officials from both the North
Carolina Department of Human
Resources (DHR) and the stale
Department of Natural Resources
and Community Development
(NRCD) say that after the cleanup,
they will take final soil samples to
determine if toxic residues left
from earlier battery and
transformer dismantling opera
tions still remain.
Goldsboro businessman Woody
Wilson Jr, who was allegedly
dismantling battery casings con
taining lead and salvaging
transformers containing con
taminated oil, has been required to
remove the "toxic-laced" soil
which was discovered over four
months ago by local health of
ficials.
The land where Wilson allegedly
conducted his operations was
found to have toxic levels of lead
and medium range cancer -causing
Pol ychol or i n a t ed Bi ph en y I s
(PCB).
Tests to determine the level of
toxic materials in the soil were per
formed in August, and Wilson was
required at that time to remove
scrap material and heavy metals
from the soil.
"The soil has not been moved' as
of yet," DHR Solid and Hazar
dous Waste Branch Eastern Area
Supervisor Terry Dover said Mon
day.
Wilson is living in Goldsboro
and apparently is no longer con
ducting the dismantling operation
in Hoke County.
Although the cleanup has been
lingering for over two months,
Dover said things were "moving
along."
"It is not really unusual for it to
take some time," Dover said.
According to Dover, Wilson had
to get approval from the South
Carolina Department of Health
and Environmental Control
(DHEC) Hazardous Waste Divi
sion in order to transport the soil
to a hazardous waste landfill in
that state.
North Carolina does not have
that type of facility.
"It takes time to get everything
approved," Dover said.
Wilson will have to pay in the
range of $10,000 to have the six in
ches of contaminated soil remov
ed, Dover added.
Once the soil is removed and
lime is turned into the land, Dover
said DHR officials will conduct
one "final" soil sample to
detemine if "everything is all
right."
"1 assume he is going to be in
full compliance once the soil has
been moved," Dover said.
"We will do a final testing of the
site. We don't anticipate, at this
time, anv problems." Dover add
ed.
After Dover and his crew have
completed their test, they will turn
the investigation over to NRCD.
NRCD Acting Regional Super
visor lor the Division of En
Patrolmen: DWI Arrests
By Sherry Matthews
Although officials speculate that
newly enforced Driving While Im
paired (DW1) laws kept "many"
would-be drinking drivers off the
roads in October, local highway
patrolmen say the numbers are
) "picking up once again."
"It was a little slower than usual
in October, but things are begin
ning to pick up a lot this month,"
Hoke State Trooper Scott Burgess
said Tuesday.
Hoke court records confirm
Burgess's opinion.
? Around Town
By Sam Morris
The weather Monday morning
was cold. 1 don't believe the frost
was ever prettier than it was at the
Arabia Golf Course about eight
o'clock. The greens were silver and
it took about 45 minutes for the
frost to leave after the sun came
through. It wasn't too bad playing,
except for, the wet fairways. The
cold weather didn't bother any of
us playing.
The forecast is for rain Tuesday
and for the temperatures to be in
the 50s during the day, for the re
mainder of the week. This should
make for nice fall days.
The dedication of the North
Carolina National Guard Armory
on Teal Drive took place last Fri
day morning. There wasn't as
many in attendance as you would
expect, but still the affair went off
in top fashion.
It was in 1938 that the old ar
mory building on the old Fayet
teville Hwy was dedicated. This af
fair was pushed by all officials of
the county and city and it brought
forth Gov. Clyde R. Hoey as the
main speaker. Also on hand was
the Adjutant General John Van B.
Metis. It was a big day with
parade, barbecue lunch and much
to do about the building.
The affair Friday was presided
over by Capt. A.B. Dickson, Jr.
and the main speaker was the Ad
(See AROUND, page 11 A)
In October there were only eight
DWI cases reported while in
November there are already five
awaiting trial.
Burgess recently added another
six offenders to the five already on
the court docket.
"I made six arrests just last week
on DWI charges," Burgess said.
Although most felt the "stiffer"
DWI laws would keep drinking
drivers away from their vehicles.
Burgess said the "scare" was wear
ing off.
"People were a little scared at
first, but I think they are regaining
their confidence now," Burgess
said.
"In my opinion, they are
definitely going back to their old
ways," Burgess added.
Although Burgess said the new
DW1 forms that arresting officers
must fill out "only takes a few
minutes more to complete", court
officials say the "paperwork" in
volved with the new law clogs up
the justice system.
The first DWl case tried in Hoke
District Court last month took
Expected To Be On The Rise
vironmental Management Nick
Nolan does not see any problems
with the soil once Wilson has com
pleted his clean-up requirements.
"We have not really turned up
anything over 50 parts per million
of PCB in the soil. Most of the
samples we have taken show levels
of 20 or 30 parts," Nolan said.
"As long as they are less than
50, they are not considered a pro
blem," Nolan added.
Federal and North Carolina laws
consider 50 parts per million of
PCB hazardous. However, some
states pinpoint the danger level as
low as 10 parts per million.
Despite the earlier testing
results, Nolan said his department
will also do a final soil sample once
Wilson has complied with the
clean-up requirements.
"We want to wait and make sure
he has done all the things he has
been required to do, then we will
go in and do our final tests,"
Nolan said.
"I don't really see any potential
dangers out there once he gets the
soil moved," Nolan added.
"I feel like the threat or poten
tial hazard associated with PCB's
is minimal. Once the contaminated
soil has been disposed off, I don't
think there will be much of a
threat," Nolan added.
Wilson is expected to haul the
six-inches of toxic soil to a South
Carolina hazardous waste landfill
by the "first part of next week."
"He has cooperated with us
through this thing. I think he will
get everything cleared up by next
week." Dover said.
\
Flying high
Roth the ,\orth C arolina and American /'lag flew high Friday with a
dear blue sky as background. The raised flag, and the pretty day
helped add to the excitement of the events that took place in Raeford
on Veteran's Day. H e take a look at Friday's happenings in this
week's R-section of The News Journal.
nearly an entire day to process, one
Hoke clerk said.
"Everyone was just learning ihe
procedures at that time," the clerk
said.
"Things are getting a little
faster, but it still takes quite a
while to process all the forms, ** she
added.
Although the new lawv require
"more time", Hoke Magistrate
E.G. Inman said "it was a good
thing."
"It only takes a magistrate 15 or
20 minutes longer to fill out the ad
ditional forms," Inman said.
"II it helps keep drunk drivers
off the road, then I think it is
worth the extra time." Inman said.
Burgess agrees.
"The law is good, but people are
beginning to test the law enforce
ment officers again. Burgess said.
"I think people are becoming
less cautious than they were when
the law was first enacted." Inman
said.
"You can't stop people from
dm ing or drinking. They are going
to do what they want to do and
simply suffer the consequences,"
Burgess said.
Although the records show that
more DWI offenders are being ar
rested in November, there are less
teenage arrests being made.
"Since this law has been
enacted, I have not seen one per
son arrested under 19," Inman
said.
"They have all been adult of
fenders."
Burgess, too, said he was pick
ing up fewer "provisionarv"
(See D\\ I, page 2A)
Number Of Student Dropouts
Declining In Hoke County
By Sherry Matthews
The drop-out rate for Hoke
County students has decreased by
2.2% in the 1982-83 school year
and has dropped below the state's
average by 1%.
During the year, only 5.7"'o of
those students enrolled in Hoke
High and Upchurch Junior High
did not complete the year. The
state's drop-out average was 6.7.
"Our drop-out rate has been
decreasing for the last five years,'"
School Community Director
Woody Westall said.
Since the 1978-79 school year,
Hoke's drop-out rate has declined
by 6To.
Of the 1 ,236 students enrolled in
Hoke High School during 1982-83.
70 or 6^o of that enrollment failed
to complete the year.
During 1981-82, about 9?o of
Hoke High's students were added
to the drop-out list .
At Upehurch Junior High
School, 26 out of 863 students
dropped out during the 1982-83
year. That is 18 less than the year
prior when 44 students failed to
complete the school term.
"We are steadily getting
better," Westall said.
Although Westall admitted that
is was "hard to put your finger"
on the exact reason that students
drop-out of school, he did note
that various school programs were
helping drop Hoke's student loss
rate.
"Our vocational education pro
grams are keeping more students
interested in school," Westall said.
"There is more emphasis now
on things students can do other
than merely academic," Westall
added.
In addition to vocational educa
tion courses, Westall credits the
"alternative education center" to a
(Sec ST ATP. page 2 -\ )
Council To Meet About Manager
No "definite" plans have been
made to fill the Raeford City
Manager's position that Ron Mat
thews will vacate in Mid
December, Mayor John K.
McNeill Jr. said Monday.
"The board has not decided bow
they want to handle this. We have
not met together to discuss the
situation," McNeill said, adding
that he felt members of the city
council would meet in a specially
called session "fairly soon.".
Although Matthews is set to
leave his position in less than a
month, McNeill said he believed
the city council had "plenty" of
time to find a replacement.
"We will probably handle (his
situation like we have done in the
past," McNeill said.
In years past, the city council
has placed advertisements in the
North Carolina League of
Municipalities publication seeking
applicants for the position.
Once applications arrive, coun
cil members screen the applicants
during specially called meetings to
determine "the right person" for
the job.
"That is probably the route we
will take this time," City Coun
cilman Vardell Hedgpeth said.
"It is really a little early to say
what we are going to do,"
Hedgpeth said.
The eouncilmen were alerted to
Matlhews' resignation during an
executive session last Monday
night.
"We discussed it \ery briefly
then," McNeill said.
Matthews, who has held the city
manager's position here for over
five years, has accepted a city
manager's job in Elizabeth C ity.
He is scheduled to report to his
new job January 3.
"We have not made any real
decisions, but we will have the
position filled in plenty of time,"
the mayor said