The News-Tournal
Established 1928 rwm- " ? ? -
College Satellite Eyed For Hoke
By Sherry Matthews
An "investigation" into the
possible development of a com
munity college system within Hoke
County is being studied by a group
set up to push the county forward.
"We are going to look into the
possibility of creating a satellite of
Sandhills Community College in
Hoke County," Hoke Chamber of
Commerce Director Earl Fowler
said.
Fowler and members of the Pro
gressive Action Committee (PAC),
which was set up by the Hoke
Chamber of Commerce in August,
met recently with representatives
of the Sandhills Community Col
lege system and Hoke County
School system personnel in an ef
fort to define the "educational"
activities within the county.
"We are only in the beginning
stages, but we are very encouraged
at this point," Fowler said.
During the meeting, Sandhills
Director Raymond Stone told
Fowler and others that some 1 ,600
Hoke County students had enroll
ed in Sandhills last year.
"We don't know at this point
how many of those county
residents enrolled were part-time,
full-time or drop-outs," Fowler
said.
"All we really know is that there
were a lot of county residents in
terested in the community college
system," Fowler added.
The PAC team, comprised of
county business, governmental and
civic leaders, has been working
since August on trying to remove
obstacles, develop potential and
push Hoke forward, according to
Fowler.
"We would love to be able to
consolidate the system under one
roof. From what we have heard up
to this point, there is a good
possibility that something might
work out," Fowler said.
"I don't want to get anybody's
hopes up because we are not sure
of anything at this point," Fowler
noted.
Although Fowler and his PAC
team are "uncertain" of where the
facts might lead them, he admits
that he is "encouraged" by what
he has "learned so far."
"We are encouraged enough by
what we have heard to continue to
dig for more facts," Fowler said.
At present the committee is
plowing through ^resource data
figures and evaluating the
possibilities "very carefully."
"There is still a lot of work to be
done," Fowler said.
The team is aiming for a two
year community college system
that would be consolidated "in
some way" with Sandhills Com
munity College, Fowler said.
"We are taking a long hard
look, and what we have seen so far
is very promising," Fowler said.
"The mere prospect is extremely
exciting," Fowler added.
Although Fowler appears
hopeful at this point he stressed the
importance of not "getting too
sure of anything."
"I don't want to jump to any
wrong conclusions and give people
false hope," Fowler said.
The old National Guard Armory
and a downtown Raeford building
are being eyed as possible locations
for the college.
In addition to the community
college plan, the PAC team has
also been looking into the possibil
ty of plugging telephone lines into
the Fayetteville system and pro
viding motel accommodations to
the county.
"We don't have anything firm
at this point, but there are some
out -of-to wners expressing
interest," Fowler said.
According to Fowler, at least
one Hoke resident and two non
locals are interested in seeing a
50-bed motel erected in Hoke
County.
(See COLLEGE, page 2A)
Around Town
? By Sam Morris
The rains came Sunday, but
from all the forecasts it will be nice
for the Thanksgiving holiday. The
temperatures are to be in the 70s
the first part of the week, reaching
75 degrees on Tuesday. So this
should make up for the rainy Sun
day.
? ? +
Most of the businesses and of
fices will be closed on Thursday
for the holiday. If you are looking
for a church service on Thanksgiv
ing Day then you must go out of
Hoke County, as far as I know.
There will be a Union Service on
Wednesday night before
Thanksgiving at the Parker United
Methodist Church on the Fayet
teville Highway. This is sponsored
by the Raeford Ministers' Associa
tion. Time of the service is 7:30
p.m.
So be sure to attend this service
and give thanks for your many
blessings during the year.
Don't forget to mark your calen
dar for the Raeford Kiwanis Club
annual Pancake Supper. This
event will take place Thursday
night, December 15 at the W.T.
Gibson School cafeteria. The serv
ing will start at five o'clock and
continue until eight o'clock.
In talking to a Kiwanian last
week, he said that the supper this
year is going to be the biggest and
best that the club has ever put on.
Now this should be some affair
because the lines have been long in
years past and that was with the
late Israel Mann cooking the pork
sausage.
Hope to see you there!
Last week 1 quoted something
that John Plummer said at a
Kiwanis Club meeting. Last Friday
John said that he wouldn't ever
open his mouth again at a club
meeting. Does anyone want to bet?
? * ?
Mrs. Grace Malone of the Dun
darrach Community called me last
week and wanted me to give thanks
to the splendid work of the
Stonewall Fire Department.
On Sunday, November 13 at 11
o'clock in the morning a furnace at
the Malone home caught fire
beyond the regular operating pro
cedures. Mrs. Malone said the fire
flashed up and that in a few
moments the fire department had
arrived and put out the fire. She
stated if they hadn't been so
prompt her house could have been
lost.
All of these people are
volunteers and they should be
thanked many times for their
work. Not only Stonewall, but all
the Hoke County volunteer depart
ments.
? ? *
A note was received from
William Covington of Charlotte
last week: It is as follows:
Dear Sam:
I was interested in the name of
the Wilmington, Del. newspaper
and thought you might be too.
William Covington
The name of the newspaper was
(See AROUND, page 2A)
! Not quite ready for the holiday
While most Hoke County residents wait anxiously for i'pchurch 's turkey houses. Each of the feathered bin
Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday, these turkeys seem seem a little worried that they might he chosen i
a hit anxious as they flock together in one of Hyatt adorn a family huff el table Thursday morning.
' Time Off, Family Highlight
Hoke County Thanksgivings
With cool air settling in for the
coming winter, weary hunters
trading a running deer for a paper
target, grocery stores packed with
overeager shoppers and Christmas
decorations popping up on city
streets, it is easy to tell that
Thanksgiving is just a few days
away.
In Hoke County, turkey shoots,
where would-be hunters try to
bring home the holiday feast, have
sprung up, seemingly, overnight.
A community church service,
designed to bring everyone
together in a celebration of thanks,
has been set for Wednesday night
at 7:30 in the Parker United
Methodist Church sanctuary.
Canned food donations given to
those who would otherwise be
without on Thanksgiving day are
either going on or nearing the final
stages of development.
While for most, the big "turkey
day" celebration means a time to
give thanks, it also means a four
day vacation with all the trim
mings.
City and county employees will
be treated to a four-day weekend
with both offices closing both
Thursday and Friday.
The Hoke County Courthouse
will also be closed for two days this
week in celebration of the
Thanksgiving holiday.
Most local merchants and banks
will keep their doors closed only
Thursday, re-opening for business
on Friday.
School-age children will also
receive what they believe is a
"well-deserved" vacation, filled
with outdoor games and trips to
visit long distance relatives.
In addition, the Hoke County
Library will remain closed both
Thursday and Friday, but will re
open its doors to the public on
Saturday.
City, County
Lose CD Bids
By Sherry Matthews
Bids for over SI million in Com
munity Block Grant funds sought
by Hoke County and the City of
Raeford were denied by the
Department of Natural Resources
and Community Development
(NRCD), local officials said last
week.
Hoke County had hoped to
receive over $540,000 to construct
a Tylertown water system, and the
city attempted to garner more than
$660,000 for housing rehabilita
tion.
Both bids failed.
"I understand that the money
ran out shortly before our priority
number came up," Hoke County
Manager James Martin said.
"We failed to get anywhere with
this application," Martin added.
The city also fell short in the ap
plication process.
"This was the first time we had
tried something like this," Raeford
Mayor John K. McNeill Jr. said.
"It was a very competitive field.
We just did not make the priority
list," McNeill said.
In May, NRCD received $141
million in Community Block Grant
requests for projects ranging from
housing rehabilitation to street
paving.
Of the monies requested, only
$51 million could be provided to
those cities and counties scoring
the most points and showing the
most need, Lumbee Council of
Governments Community Coor
dinator Dan Stroh said.
Hoke and Raeford were two
among 230 who submitted com
munity block grant applications.
"This was a real competitive
process," Stroh said, adding that
only 96 of the 230 received funds.
According to Stroh, the com
munity revitalization applications
were scored in areas of community
need, project design, benefit to low
and moderate income persons and
other public and private funds us
ed for project activities.
"Some of those things you simp
ly cannot dress up in your applica
tion," Stroh said, noting that com
munities could not show more
poverty than they actually had.
Stroh said that Hoke County
ranked 145 out of 189 who applied
for the community revitilization
funds while the City of Raeford
received a higher ranking, placing
124 out of 189 applicants.
"I would not say that Hoke or
Raeford ranked low. A few points
on either application would have
made a big difference in the whole
process," Stroh said.
"1 am sure that a lot of good ap
plications didn't get funded. Those
who didn't should re-examine their
entries and apply again next year,"
Stroh said.
In May, Hoke County Commis
sioners applied for $541,250 in
community block grant funds pro
posed to provided 1 50 homes in the
Tylertown area with a water
system.
The application called for a
200,000 gallon elevated tank,
water distribution lines and a
booster tank which would serve a
community presently relying on
water wells.
Of the monies applied for,
$83,000 was expected to go to im
proving the Rockfish area park
and the Burlington Park in
Raeford.
The city, who also fell short in
the application process, had ap
plied for $662,500 that would have
gone towards housing rehabilita
tion, street improvements and cor
rective drainage.
If the monies had been awarded
to the city, approximately 27
homes in the South Wooley Street
area would have been rehabili
tated.
South Magnolia Street and Max
well Street in Raeford would also
have benefitted from the block
grant funds.
"We lost out this year, but 1
think we will probably try again,"
McNeill said. "After all, this was
just oiir first try."
Stroh agrees that all rejected ap
plicants should not "quit."
Officials: SAT Scores To Rise
By Sherry Matthews
Although Hoke County's
"college-bound" students scored
below the state's mean average for
Scholastic Aptitude Testing (SAT)
during the 1982-83 school year,
school officials are optimistic
about plans for future im
provements.
Efforts are being made to work
with students prior to testing and
to make the test available to
younger students, one official said.
"There is room for a lot of im
provement with those scores,"
Hoke School Director of Instruc
tion Marilyn Semones said.
The 101 students who took the
SAT fellbelow the state average
by a total of 78 points. Hoke
students ",ere 31 points below on
the math section of the test and 47
points lower than the state's verbal
mean score.
The mean grade for Hoke
students taking the test was 347 for
the verbal section and 400 for the
math.
Of the 101 students taking the
test only one boy and two girls
scored above 500 on the verbal and
only two students scored above 600
on the math section of the test.
Hoke students scored 57 points
higher on the math portion of the
exam and only 31 points lower
than the state average.
"I think math is easier to study
for, and the test questions appear
to be easier," Semones said.
"With the verbal section, there
is so much more of a variety of
questions that can be asked. It
makes it much more difficult to
study for," Semones said.
Although Semones believes
Hoke students have improved their
scores since last year, the previous
year's test scores have apparently
been lost in the summer shuffle.
(See SAT, page 2A)
Rival Ambulance Firm Nosing Around
By Sherry Matthews
After only two months in opera
tion, the county-owned ambulance
service may be getting some out
side competition.
In a letter from Hoke Emergen
cy Medical Services (EMS) Direc
tor Bill Niven, County Manager
James Martin was informed that a
"private ambulance service" was
planning to start up a operation in
Hoke County.
Niven has requested that the
county commissioners adopt an
"intent" ordinance that will pre
vent any other service from
operating within the county until
some "final action is taken on the
ambulance ordinance."
"There is not enough business
here for two ambulance services,"
Niven said.
Niven refused to comment on
who was considering operating a
service in the county.
"I would prefer to wait and talk
about this after the county meeting
Tuesday night," Niven said.
Martin, too, was vague about
who would be running the "plan
ned" service, but he did admit that
a private service was looking at
Hoke.
"There is an indication that a
potential firm is thinking about
coming into this county," Martin
said.
"I don't think we really need
(See RIVAL, page II A)
Farm-City
Is Deemed
Successful
Nearly 300 city and county
residents packed the Raeford Na
tional Guard Armory Monday
night for the Hoke Extension Ser
vice's annual Farm-City Banquet.
The dinner appeared to be the
largest in the history of the Hoke
larm-city celebration.
During the nearly three-hour
banquet, that was designed to
bring "better communications be
tween city and farm people." a
slide show was presented depicting
where the extension service began
and where it was going to "take the
nation" in the next four years.
Hoke Extension Chairman
Willie Featherstone spoke to the
"packed house" about the exten
sion service's role in Hoke County
life.
"We are working to help two
groups, rural and urban people,
(See FARM, page 2A)
Inside Today
I gnes H alters gives her sliced
apples one final turn in the
drying process before she cans
them for the coming holiday
season. If e take a look at
II alters ' other prize winning
goodies and crafts in this
week \ It- sect ion ?/ The N?%vs
Journal.