Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / Jan. 15, 1987, edition 1 / Page 1
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N TKe _ RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA ews - Journal Covering Hoke County Like A Roof Since 1905 ^ ^ Bucks win one and lose one On7A Student Arts Festival On IB T Volume LXXVIII Number 39 Thursday, January 15,1987 2^ CENTS County industries hire additional workers Nine Hoke County industries hired additional employees in 1986, providing 764 more jobs than were available in 1985, according to a recent study by the Raeford-Hoke Economic Develop ment Commission. House of Raeford Farms, Inc. topped the list by hiring 400 addi tional workers within the past year. In December 1986, there were 1,250 employees at the turkey processing plant as compared to 850 employees in December 1985. Faberge hired the second highest number of additional employees in 1986. In 1985, there were 492 workers employed at the Raeford plant. By December of 1986, the number rose to 593, an increase of 101. Other industries that increased their workforce in 1986 include: •Tar Heel Hatchery, Inc. with 100 additional employees. •The Burlington Menswear plant with 73 additional employees. •JRA-Spanco with 30 additional employees. •Carolina Galvanizing Corpora tion with 29 additional employees. •The Burlington Dyeing plant with 15 additional employees. •Hoke Rubber Products (new industry) with 10 employees. •Southeastern Materials with three additional employees. The number of employees re mained the same for 1985 and 1986 at Parish Sign and Service, Inc. (14) and Raeford Salvage (8 - 10). The report was presented to members of the Raeford-Hoke Economic Development Commis sion last Tuesday night by Economic Developer John Howard. Howard called the numbers “amazing” and said, “Our unemployment rate has gone down because of the success of these industries.” The county unemployment rate this past November was 6.8 per cent. In November 1985, the rate was 8.6 percent. “The rate isn’t too far off from our neighboring counties,” Howard said. “I’d like to see our unemployment rate be the same as the state’s.” The state’s November un employment rate was 5.1 percent. According to the NC Employ- Nearing completion ment Security Commission, Hoke County had a labor force of 9,170 in November. The 6.8 percent unemployment rate means that only 620 of those in the labor force were still looking for work. The low unemployment rate is expected to hold steady or even im prove this year. Spokesmen for both Faberge and Tar Heel Hatchery say expan sions will create additional jobs for county workers. Tar Heel Hatcheries is predict ing that 20 to 24 jobs will be created by June; Faberge is plan ning to expand in the near future; and Burlington Industries has pro jected steady employment rates for 1987. “We just can’t be pleased enough at the profitability and suc cess of resident industries and local businesses over the past calendar year,” Howard said. “Surely this demonstrates the strength of the management of these companies. To have 764 new jobs for our people from these various diversified firms is just as important to our people as if we had landed a large brand new in dustry.” Planning board continues study of Hoke Subdivision Ordinance By Sally Jamir Mews-Journal Staff Writer Planning Board The Hoke County Planning Board discusses proposed subdivision regulations with county and state officiais during a recent board meeting. Board members are nearing completion of a review needed before the regulations go to county commissioners for approval. Members of the Hoke County Planning Board drew closer to a completion of a review of the Sub division Ordinance draft in their meeting last week. During the January 6 meeting, two changes were cited by the board regarding utility re quirements on subdivided land. In section 406, involving water and sewage systems, the board combined the two parts of the subsection 406.1. Part “a” of the subsection states that these utility systems shall be “designed and installed in accord ance with the standards and specifications of the health depart ment and/or the governmental agency responsible for the ap proval of such systems.” The board added a subsection regarding final approval of the plat, or parcel of land. The subsection 406.1, part “b” states that before this approval takes place “all lots on the plat to be recorded must be certified in writing by the health department to be large enough to meet health department standards for on-site water and/or sewer systems” when these systems are going to be used. Jim Doughtery, N.C. Depart ment of Natural Resources and Community Development, attend ed the meeting and upon sugges tion of the board said he would look into putting a clause into the Ordinance concerning the ex change of land between parents and children. A board meeting was set for January 20 at 7 p.m. so that these changes to the regulation could be acted upon and the review com pleted. Ten board members were pre sent at the meeting as well as Doughtery, Jack Ellis from the In spection Department and County Manager William (Bub) Cowan. Doughtery spoke briefly Hotel shooting leads to arrest A shooting incident last week at the Raeford Hotel Apartments led to the arrest of a Raeford resident, according to a police department spokesman. Police Chief Zeke Wiggins said last Thursday that Wilbur Harris, Apartment 5-A, Raeford Hotel Apartments, was arrested for assaulting a law enforcement of ficer January 7 after a shooting was reported to the police depart ment at about 8:30 p.m. A resident at the apartments called in the complaint of the shooting. Accounts of the shooting reported that two cr three shots were fired in the r.partment. Wiggins said Sergeant Michael Dial and officers David Smith, Dick McNeill, Steve Coughlin and Detective James Murdock answered the call to investigate the Around Town shooting and then to coax Harris, 58, out of his apartment. Deputies Humphery, Gardner and Sheriff Deputy Loyd Leazer from the Sheriff’s Department answered the call to assist police in the ordeal. Sheriff’s Department records say that Leazer and Wiggins both tried to talk Harris out of his room. The attempts were unsuc cessful. Wiggins said that the manager of the apartments, Mr. Stillwag, was called. Stillwag came and tried to talk Harris out of the room. Be ing unsuccessful, Stillwag went to a phone and called him. After talk ing to him a good while, Harris opened the door at about 10:30 p.m. Wiggins said that at this time the door was partially opened and “a shotgun blast was fired out the door missing a deputy by about two feet.” Harris was arrested on two counts of assaulting a law enforce ment officer and placed under a $20,000 secured bond. Stillwag said last Thursday that Harris was a responsible tenent who “paid his bills promptly, kept his apartment very clean” and minded his own business. Stillwag said Harris had com plained of some youths beating on the walls in the apartments and on his door. According to Stillwag, Harris minded his own business, watched television and wanted quiet. “The old guy was scared to come out,” Stillwag said. “He came out because he knew me.” (See SHOOTING, page 2A) Tfi' KilfV' ^ Trailer fire Hillcrest and Puppy Creek firefighters work to quench a fire at the Dundee Mobile Home Park last Wednesday. Hillcrest Fire Chief Mike McNeill said the fire was put out quickly and that there were no in juries. By Sam Morris The weather was nasty last Saturday, but the rain was needed to bring the water table up to where it should be. According to reports, most lakes are now about normal and the conditions for the farmers look good for the coming year. The late fall and winter rains have helped the dry southeast. The temperatures for the past few days have been in the 50s and the lows have been around 30®. The forecast is for the remainder of the week to be about the same, temperature wise, but no rain is in sight. « * « The Jimmy James Appreciation Day committee met last Thursday at the Chamber of Commerce Of fice. Plans are about complete for the banquet to be held on Satur day, January 24, starting at 6:30 p.m. in the MacDonald Gym. Tickets can be purchased at the (See AROUND, page 3A) Nelson’s contract extended The Hoke County Board of Education early Wednesday morning voted unanimously to extend Superintendent Dr. Bob Nelson’s contract for four years, according to school board chairman Robert (Bobby) Wright. Wright said the vote came after an executive session begun during a regular school board meeting Tuesday night. The ex ecutive session ended at approx imately 1 a.m. on Wednesday. ‘‘We think he’ll do great things here,” Wright said of Nelson. “We’re looking for ward to a steady improvement in the school system.” Nelson came to Hoke County in 1983 from Alamance County where he also held a superinten dent’s position. Adult Developmental Activity program begins By Sally Jamir News-Journal Staff Writer An Adult Developmental Activi ty Program (ADAP) opened in Hoke County on January 5 and will serve residents who have previously not been able to get such services here. The program is an arm of the Sandhills Center for Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services and is located on 115-117 West Elwood Avenue in Raeford. The program will initially serve 25 clients who are substantially mentally retarded or physically disabled. Program Director Bruce Hurst said that the aim of the program is to maximize the independence level of the individual and build their esteem and dignity. The program is designed to help the clients learn behaviors and characteristics which are as culturally normative as possible by providing a structured program which fills their needs. Hurst said the philosophy of the program is that “when we take a man as if he were already what he should be, we promote him to what he can be.” He said through various ac tivities, such as demonstration and community outings, clients will be taught basic survival skills in cluding grooming and hygiene and cashing a check. Instructors will teach classes in language, health, consumer educa tion and community living skills. “The ultimate goal of the pro gram is to meet the individual needs of each client no matter how small or how big that need may be,” Hurst said. According to Hurst, substantial ly physically and mentally disabled can attend the public school system until they are 21. After this age, they must find education and care outside the school system. “This program is designed to provide a continuum of care for them,” Hurst said. Clients are referred to the pro gram by the schools as well as agencies, individuals and other sources. An asset of the activity program is that it will be training clients to increase their work skills and work habits. “I will be going to local in dustries in order to obtain work contracts,” Hurst said. “We hope they will be receptive.” Hurst explained that one myth which people have of the mentally disabled is that they cannot work, cannot do for themselves. “The clients take pride in their work and they are highly motivated,” he said. “And they can do quality work on a timely basis.” “We have good supervision and outstanding quality control,” Hurst said. “And we are able to do work cheaper because they (the clients) are in training and are paid less than minimun wage.” Hurst stated that people in the (See ADULT, page 3A) concerning the Land Use Plan up date. He said his office would be able to prepare the plan with the exception of the land surveys and the colored maps. These two items would need to be done by the Planning Board. Doughtery said that Hoke County had grown a lot since the 1979 plan was drawn up. He said an efficient way of conducting the surveys would be for the board to divide the county into sections and assign each section to a member so they can drive on county roads and record “what is where”. Members will be given codes to indicate certain sites in the county such as houses, mobile homes, and industry, he said. “You’ll be surprised what you’ll learn about your own county,” Doughtery said. Although there is already much information about the county in the 1979 plan, it will take about two months to get the updated data, Doughtery said. Hoke mapping project begins Landmark Engineering Com pany of Cary will begin a new countywide mapping project within the next few weeks, accord ing to Hoke County Tax Super visor Dale Teal. Phase one of the project calls for aerial photograph., to be taken of the area. But before those photographs are taken, the engineering company must establish aerial targets on the ground throughout the county. Within the next few weeks, com pany workers will be marking targets by painting on roads or by placing large triangular cloth panels in fields. County officials are asking residents not to tamper with the targets once they are established. When the project is completed, the county will have a series of or thophotographs. Orthophotographs are “the most accurate aerial photographs you can get,” Teal said. Whereas standard aerial photographs are somewhat distorted everywhere except in the middle, orthophotographs correct distortions in three dimensions. Along with the orthophoto graphs, the project will provide the county with cadastral maps. Pro perty identification lines will be imprinted on the cadastral maps, and because the maps are made of Mylar (a thin, strong polysester film), they may be placed on top of the orthophotographs. “The new maps will help with tax assessment and will help the county office with the new subdivi sion regulations,” Teal said. The last time the county was mapped was in 1979, but Teal said the county’s 177 existing maps are “worn-out from handling.” The new $145,990 mapping pro ject was approved by the county commissioners on November 3. Aerial photographs for the new project must be taken while trees are barren of leaves and on clear days. The photos will be taken be tween 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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Jan. 15, 1987, edition 1
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