The News-Journal
The Hoke County News - Established 1928 The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
Volume LXXVI Number 2 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA $10 PER YEAR 25 CENTS Thursday, May 3, 1984
Decision eyed soon
on schools' future
By Ed Miller
Members of the Hoke County
Commission and Board of Educa
tion are expected to decide within
the next two weeks whether a pro
posed S6.2 million plan for
revamping the schools is feasible.
The proposal, which was receiv
ed Monday night by both boards
following a public hearing, calls
for the approval and sale of a S2.5
million bond issue and would
"probably" result in an ad
valorem tax increase, county of
ficials said.
Final approval was given to the
proposal Monday by the
21-member Long Range School
Around Town
By Sam Morris
The weather for the past few
days has been about normal for
this time of year. In talking to
some of the farmers out in the
county, they said that if the
weather stayed this way they could
come close to catching up with
their planting. We hope so, but it
might have rained before this is
printed.
Anyway, it is good to turn the
heater off and at this time I
haven't turned on my air condi
tioner.
Two of the candidates for state
office were in the city last week
and I had a chance to talk with
each of them.
Bob Jordan, candidate for
lieutenant governor, was in town
Thursday morning and Jim Long,
candidate for Commissioner of In
surance, was by on Thursday after
noon. I have known Bob for many
years, but this was my first meeting
of Long.
It is always good to see and meet
the men that might be our state
leaders later on in the year.
? ? ?
Don't forget that the important
day for voters is May 8. That is the
primary for the Democrats and
Republicans. Also you will have an
amendment to vote either for or
against that day.
There are approximately 8500
registered voters in Hoke County.
It would be a fine election if 7000
would turn out and vote. There
have been about 600 new voters
registered for this election. We
hope that each one of them will
vote on May 8. When you ask
folks how many will vote, they
usually say about 4000. Now this is
less than 50%. That is not good.
This means less than half the
registered voters are saying who
will hold office.
So mark your calendar now to
vote on Tuesday, May 8. If you are
going out of town, then vote
absentee. This absentee ballot
must be in the Board of Election
office by five o'clock, Monday
afternoon, May 7.
* * *
The Hoke Heritage Hobnob
started Monday and will run
through Sunday, May 6. It is im
possible to tell you in this column
all the exhibits and events that will
be taking place. The committee has
published a program that you can
pick up at many places in the city,
that tells about the many things
that will be going on. Be sure to get
a program and check it out.
On Friday night. May 4 at Hoke
High MacDonald Cafeteria a
chicken dinner will be served. The
price is only S3.50 and the
fellowship will be worth that
much. The serving is from 5 to 8
p.m.
During this time Raz Autry, a
newly licenced auctioneer will sell
art and craft pieces. Now this will
be worth more than $3.50. See you
there!
Don't forget the black and white
(See AROUND, page 11 A)
Facilities Committee, who
authored the recommendations
after five months of study.
Under the plan, the bonds would
be repaid from the proceeds cur
rently being received by the county
from the one-half cent sales tax,
Facilities Committee Chairman
Robert Gibson said.
However, the proposal calls for
the use of a portion of the sales tax
funds now earmarked for services
other than the schools.
If the recommendation is ap
proved as it now stands, the county
would use 60Vo of the one-half
cent sales tax revenue until the year
1990 to pay for the "much
needed" improvements for the
schools, Gibson told about 80
county residents gathered at the
hearing Monday.
One of the committee's key
points was that it found a way to
make needed improvements
without raising ad valorem proper
ty taxes; however, according to
County Commission Chairman
John Balfour, "if we take an addi
tional 20% (of the sales tax
revenues) for schools, down the
road it could mean a tax increase."
"The commissioners had plan
ned to spend some of this money to
(See SCHOOL, page 2A)
Explaining the plan
School Facilities Committee Robert Gibson explains to about 80 residents who gathered Monday for a
the details of a $6.5 million school revitalization plan public hearing held at the Hoke County Courthouse.
Hobnob underway,
big events on tap
? m
Get fresh air
These Raeford firefighters take a break after
fighting a smoky house fire at 705 Saunders Street.
There were no injuries in the blaze which erupted
mysteriously around 9:25 a.m. Thursday at the
home of Brenda D. Swain. It was the first dwelling
fire for the Raeford Fire Department in more than a
year, Chief Crawford Thomas said. Near one of the
firemen's feet is a telephone used by the owner of
the home to report the blaze. There were three fami
ly members home at the time of the fire. >Vo one was
in the front bedroom where the fire started. The
cause was probably not linked to faulty wiring,
Thomas said. The incident was under investigation.
A jazz group from Fayetteville
got things started Monday as the
first annual Hoke Heritage Hob
nob got underway.
During the week, activities are
expected to build each day with
such events as the Embers in con
cert, fried chicken and barbecue
dinners, arts and crafts and the Big
Zucchini Bandits Washboard
Band. The finale will come on Sun
day with the opening of the Picture
North Carolina black and white
photography show at the Hoke
County Library.
The festival, which is designed
to promote Hoke County, will
feature a local arts and crafts
display at the library all week, as
well as a Heritage Home Tour and
a luncheon on the green Thursday.
"Jubilation T. Picnic" will be
held on the library grounds Thurs
day and will feature the Country
Boys, a group from Sanford. A
light lunch will be served for $1.
The music is free and can be heard
from 12:15 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Bring a lawn chair.
At 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, those
interested will gather at the park
ing lot of the Raeford Presbyterian
Church for the Heritage Home
Tour.
The tour, which is being spon
sored by the Hoke Home
Economics Extension Service, will
make 10 stops. Transportation is
provided. Tickets are $3.
On Friday, Olive Jenkins will
perform harp music at the Hoke
County Library from 10 a.m. to 3
p.m. Admission is free.
The MacDonald Gym at Hoke
High will come alive Friday from 5
p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with arts and
crafts demonstrations.
The evening is being billed as a
family outing and will challenge
festival goers with fried chicken
and barbecue, music from the Big
Zucchini Band, an arts and crafts
auction and other performances.
On Saturday the gym will be fill
ed with local entertainment, along
with the arts and crafts.
At 1 p.m., the Embers will crank
up at the old Raeford Armory ball
field, Tickets are $5 and are still
available.
On Sunday, the library will
again be the center of the Hobnob,
as a statewide black and white
photography show goes on
display.
About 50 photos from some of
the state's best photographers will
be featured. Admission is free.
Voter registration increases by more than 600
By Ed Miller
Voter registration in Hoke
County has been on the rise about
1 <7o per month since last October, a
spokesman for the county Election
Board said Friday.
The number of registered voters
in the county has gone up from
8,031 to 8,666 during the period,
Hoke County Election Board
Director Rose Sturgeon said.
There have apparently been no
official drives in the county to
register voters, but many election
judges, especially in the black com
munity, have been actively
recruiting voters. Sturgeon said.
Although it is too late to register
to vote in the upcoming May 8
primary, residents can still register
for the November general election,
she said.
According to the latest available
voter registration figures, there are
8,246 registered Democrats in
Hoke County.
There are 378 Republicans and
42 unaffiliated voters, records say.
In a precinct breakdown of the
registered voters in the county.
Allendale has 237 Democrats and
one Republican.
Of these, 114 are male, 124 are
female, 145 are black, 28 are white
and 65 are Indian.
The Antioch Precinct has the
strongest Indian vote with 300.
There are 221 white voters and
212 black voters in the precinct.
The Democrat-Republican
breakdown in Antioch is 712 to 19
of which 386 are female and 347
are male.
Blue Springs boasts 756
Democrats and 17 Republicans
with 381 of these black, 278 In
dian, and 116 white. There are 381
males and 394 females in this
precinct.
In the Buchan Precinct there are
391 voters, with 195 male and 196
female.
Of that total, 193 are black, 173
are white and 25 Indian.
McCain showed an increase 47
voters. Of those six are
Republicans. White voters declin
ed in the precinct by 24, blacks in
Raeford youths sentenced for breakins
By Ed Miller
Two Raeford school students
were fined and sentenced to short
jail terms last week in Hoke Coun
ty District Court.
Roy Lee McLean and Neil Roger
McLean, both of S. Stewart St. in
Raeford, were found guilty of
breaking into and entering
Caddel's Grocery and Nasir's
Launderette on December 21 last
year.
Court records say that the defen
dants took $141 in currency and
food from the store.
District Court Judge Warren
Pate sentenced Roy McLean to
two years in jail but suspended it
for four years supervised proba
tion and 48 hours community ser
vice plus 10 days in the Hoke
County Jail to begin when school
is out.
He was also made to pay SI ,000
fine and S9S restitution, court
records say.
Neil McLean was sentenced to
no more or less than two years in
jail suspended for three years
supervised probation as well as a
$500 fine and S9S restitution.
He also must serve 48 hours
community service and serve four
days in the Hoke County Jail when
school is out.
In an unrelated matter, Sylvia
Elaine Baldwin, aka, Sylvia Purdie
of Raeford was sentenced to Hoke
County Jail for six months
suspended for one year supervised
probation for passing a check
belonging to a Cynthia Baldwin,
court records show.
The apparently forged check
was passed at the Jiffy Stop in
Raeford.
Baldwin was also made to pay a
$100 fine and $182 restitution,
court records show.
Judge Pate also stipulated that
the 18 year-old youth enroll and re
main in school next year.
In other court business, Deldra
R. Shaw, of Fuller St. in Raeford
plead guilty to welfare fraud,
records say.
According to her arrest warrant,
the apparent crime was committed
in March of last year.
Shaw was sentenced to not less
than six months and not more than
one year suspended for two years
supervised probation, records
show.
She was also fined S200 and
made to pay S333 restitution to be
used as reimbursement to the Hoke
County Department of Social Ser
vices.
The court took action last week
in the case of Randy Musselwhite,
aka Ronald, who apparently at
tacked and injured a Shannon resi
dent by cutting him on and about
the throat and neck.
Pate gave the Robeson County
resident a year suspended for two
years of unsupervised probation,
records show.
He was fined $150 and made to
pay restitution in the amount of
SI ,000 to be turned over to Harold
Bell.
Court records show that the cut
ting occurred earlv in March.
The court sentenced a Raeford
man to 90 days in jail for driving
while his driver's license was
rovoked.
Court records show that Jerry
McNeill was arrested on February
20.
Pate stipulated that the defen
dant show up for jail in "a sober
manner."
, The 27-year-old man has appeal
ed his case to Hoke County
Superior Court.
In another case, Pate sentenced
Roscoe Stevens to a year in jail for
his second conviction of driving
while impaired (DW1), court
records say.
The 24-year-old man was ar
rested on February 20 and is to
serve his time in the North
Carolina Department of Correc
tions.
Stevens has also appealed his
case to Superior Court. His peti
tion is a part of court record.
Two Raeford residents have
been put on unsupervised proba
(Sec YOUTHS, page 11 A)
creased by 14 and Indians by 12.
Puppy Creek saw an increase of
three voters, and a shift from white
and Indians to blacks.
Raeford One declined by 39
voters.
Raeford Two dropped by 54
voters.
Raeford Three increased by 18.
Raeford Four dropped by 88
voters. Most were evenly divided
between black and white voters.
Raeford 5 decreased by 55.
Rockfish increased by 32.
Stonewall dropped by 5.
Inside Today
The campaigns are down to
the wire and by Tuesday night
It wUI be over. We take a look
at the local and state races on
tap for the May 8 primary in
Section B of today's News
Journal.
k