RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
ews
Covering Hoke County Like A Roof Since 1905
Ijournal
Students attend
SADD convention
On lOA
Lopez elected
to board of directors
On 8A
Volume LXXIX Number 1
Thursday, April 23,1987 CENTS
Commissioners OK
CDBG cash match
By Sally Jamir
News-Journal Staff Writer
Members of the Hoke County
Board of Commissioners Tuesday
night made a pre-commitment of a
$60,000 cash contribution for the
proposed Community Develop
ment Block Grant application.
The county is not officially com
mitted to the contribution until
after the second public hearing on
the grant on May 4.
Prior to the decision. Economic
Developer John Howard told com
missioners that due to the com
petitive nature of the grant that a
cash match less than $50,000
would “greatly increase the odds
^f not being able to win.”
He said that a match in the range
of 10 to 15 percent of the $600,000
possible grant monies would be ap
propriate.
“I recommend $60,000 as an ap
propriate cash match for the com
missioners to consider,” Howard
said.
Based on preparation surveys
which have been done for the grant
application by temporary staff,
Howard said there were 500 severe
ly depressed homes in the county
which needed renovation.
He said the staff would need to
meet with the Citizens Advisory
Council and decide on what por
tion of this housing would be the
target areas for improvement.
“There is no question of Hoke
County qualifying for the grant,”
Howard said.
County Manager William (Bub)
Cowsn ssM tl i: match funds
appropriations would need to be
reserved in next year’s budget.
Cowan explained that up to 15
percent of the grant monies given
to the county could go to local op
tion needs, such as a countywide
water system, street and drainage
improvement and possibly even
solid waste collection centers.
Use of the money in this way is
allowed if the projects it is used for
benefit low and moderate income
residents.
If the county received $6()0,(X)0
in grant monies, up to $90,000 of
this money could be used for local
option improvements.
“I have no problem with spen
ding $60,000 to get $90,000, if we
don’t raise taxes,” said Commis
sioner Chairman Wyatt Upchurch.
Commissioner Mabel Riley ex
pressed the concern that if taxes
were raised, rural residents would
not be able to afford them.
In other business, commis
sioners approved a proposed
massage parlor ordinance and set a
public hearing for the ordinance
for May 18 at 7:30 p.m.
County Attorney Duncan
McFayden said the ordinance
“puts strong regulations” on those
who establish massage parlors,
health salons and clubs and re
quires them to be “first rate”
businesses.
The proposed ordinance states
that its purpose is “to protect the
general health, safety, welfare and
morals of the citizens and residents
of Hoke County.”
In further business, commis
sioners approved a proposed revi
sion to the Hoke County Subdivi
sion Regulations and set a public
hearing for the ordinance for May
18 at 7:45 p.m.
The revision would define a
minor subdivision as one “involv
ing no new public or private streets
or roads, no easements ^d no
utility extension.”
Egg hunt
School Board
adopts budget
By Sally Jamir
News-Journal Staff Writer
Anthony Graham, 2, is ready for the Easter Egg hunt to begin at an Easter party at
Hillcrest Day Care last week. Anthony, the son of Tony and Debbie Graham of Raeford,
had a basket full of eggs and candy by the time the hunt was over.
Members of the Hoke County Board of Education
last Wednesday adopted their 1987-88 budget which
includes a five percent increase in teachers salaries as
well as a teacher supplement which has not been given
for several years.
Business Manager Don Steed has informed Hoke
County Commissioners that this year’s increase of
6.76 percent in the budget’s total of $1,395,070, is the
same percentage of increase that the board received in
the 1986-87 budget.
Steed said in a statement to the commissioners that
the board had several objectives in mind when they
decided on next year’s budget.
The board intends to implement the Basic Education
Plan as instituted by the state, maintain Southern
Association standards, enhance the Extended Summer
School Program and work toward better educational
opportunities for students in the county.
Included in the ten new items in this year’s budget is
$43,000 for the salary increase, $30,500 for teacher
supplements and $5,000 to establish soccer, a new
sport for the school system.
Jacqueline Gladney, N.C. Association of Educators
president-elect for District 10, said of the recent move
by the board, that “It would really be great if the com
missioners approved this item in the budget.
“Teacher morale would be overwhelmed,” she said.
“We are elated that the Board of Education supports
us.”
Before the board decided on the $100 per teacher
supplement, Gladney, a Hoke High School librarian,
sent information from the N.C.A.E. to school board
members regarding teacher supplements in other coun
ties.
The supplements will be paid for by military impact
aid funds from the Department of Defense.
The 10 new items which have been added to the
budget total $117,950. Three major items, totaling
$29,615, have been deleted from the budget. Steed said
in the letter.
A portion of the salary of the Personnel Director,
$18,000, was cut from the budget. This portion will be
paid for from federal funds.
This year the school will not be responsible for a
one-time fee of $9,815 which is part of the schools’
Liability Insurance.
(See SCHOOL, on page 2A)
Judge calls for recess in Cummings trial
The Superior Court trial of Ed
ward Lee Cummings, the Wake
County man accused of murdering
a Raleigh woman, was recessed last
week after the woman’s mother
and Hoke County officials were
called as witnesses by the defense.
Cummings is accused of slaying
Karen Marie Puryear of Raleigh,
whose body was found in a shallow
grave in Hoke County last
January.
Judge Robert Farmer recessed
court last Wednesday saying that
court proceedings had “moved
faster than the court had an
ticipated”.
A judges conference was
Around Town
scheduled for this week and
Superior Court will not be in ses
sion. Farmer said the case would
resume on the week starting April
27. At this time, the prosecution,
led by Assistant District Attorney
Jean Powell, will continue presen
ting evidence and calling witnesses.
Farmer told the jury that the
court case would probably last
through the week of May 4.
On the Tuesday, before court
was recessed, Karen’s mother,
Faye Puryear, was called to the
stand.
Puryear testified that Cummings
and her daughter began to have a
relationship when Karen was 15.
Proceedings to resume Monday
They were not married but had
three children together, one of
which died in childbirth.
She testified that she reported
her daughter missing in November
of 1985. Shortly after, she said, she
discussed the children’s future with
Cummings suggesting that the
Department of Social Services
could help the children.
She reported that Cummings
became upset when she suggested
this, making threats to anyone who
would try to take the children away
from him.
In cross-examination by defense
lawyer Jim Parrish, Mrs. Puryear
also testified that Cummings loved
the children.
Also testifying last week were
Hoke County Sheriff’s Depart
ment officials Detective C.E. Har
ris and Sheriff Dave Barrington.
Harris said that the day on
which Karen’s body was excavated
from the shallow gravesite in Hoke
County where it was found, there
was a 4-by-8 piece of plywood and
a bucket found near the site.
The plywood, retrieved from the
water by a nearby resident, had
reddish-brown and blue stains.
Laboratory tests have been per
formed on these stained areas to
determine materials present in
them.
Barrington, who testified last
Wednesday, described the house
which Cummings was building in
Hoke County near State Road
1219. He said the house had three
bedrooms, one of which was
finished, another nearly completed
and another which was not com
pleted.
He said that the windows were
complete bui were covered on the
inside with some kind of material.
Earlier on Wednesday, Raleigh
native Bonnie Fowler, who said
that she had been hired as Cumm
ings’ babysitter, testified that she
had been to the house with Cumm
ings in January of 1986 and that
the house had “no windows”.
In cross-examination, Fowler
was shown a photograph of the
house which had windows on it,
which she said was the house she
had seen.
Barrington said, during cross-
examination, that the house
belonging to Cummings was fur
ther away from the gravesite where
Puryear’s body was found than
was a house and farm belonging to
another resident in the county.
(See TRIAL, on page 3A)
By Sam Morris
The weather was nice for Easter
and since that day the tempera
tures have been in the 80s in Hoke
County. It has rained and last
week we had over three inches. The
ground is wet, but the sunshine
and wind will soon dry out the
fields.
The forecast is for the weather
to remain hot for the remainder of
the week. Maybe we have seen the
last of the cold weather.
* * *
I don’t believe that the peach
crop was hurt at all. My friend,
Raz Autry, has been on a visit to
Korea and I haven’t had any infor
mation about the peach situation.
The dogwood trees are in full
bloom and it doesn’t look like
many of the trees were hurt by the
cold weather. Hugh Lowe was tell
ing me Monday that one tree in his
yard was not as pretty as the others
because it had been hurt by the
cold weather when it was budding.
So maybe the peach crop will be
like the dogwood blossoms and
only a few trees will be hurt. Let’s
hope this is correct.
« * *
The nice weather on Easter Sun-
(See AROUND, on page 3A)
’52 V
• •"
Azaleas
Gene and Janie Barbour take great pride in their the Rockfish Community. We take a closer look at
azalea gardens in the Cumberinad County section of those gardens on pagg
Two Raeford sites purchased
for intermediate care homes
By Sally Jamir
News-Journal Staff Writer
Two sites have been located in
Raeford by a Southern Pines firm,
and have been purchased for the
establishment of intermediate care
facility homes for the mentally
retarded, according to a company
spokesman.
Charles Stepheus said last week
that Professional Community Ser
vices (Procomm) purchased land
on the northwest side of town off
Highway 2 . and on the east side
of Raeford.
The sites were found after
negotiations for two other sites in
the county were aborted. Stephens
said the owners of this land wanted
the company to purchase more
land than it needed for the
facilities.
According to Stephens, the site
on the northwest side of town
already has a house standing which
will be '•enovated for use as an ICF
home.
He said the house should be
ready by late May or around Ju.".**
1 for occupancy by clients.
A home will be constructed on
the location on the east side of
town, after a building permit is ac
quired. Stephens said construction
on this home should begin in the
next two to three weeks.
Southeastern Health Care In
vestors will be building the struc
tures. Procomm will be operating
the homes.
In February, the Raeford City
Council voted against rezoning an
area in the city limits so that the
homes could be built.
“It’s taken some time to locate
the homes close-in to the city, but I
think this will be better in the long
run,” Stephens said.
Stephens said that hesitancy on
the part of residents to have the
homes located in their com
munities is founded mainly upon
“fear of the unknown.”
However, he said, “when you
see them, it is very hard to be
threatened by them.”
He said clients residing at the
home will be attending the Adult
Developmental Activity Program
which is offered by the Sandhills
Center for Mental Health, Mental
Retardation and Substance Abuse
Services.
The program will be instructing
them in areas including daily living
skills and job skills.
Services provided at the home by
Procomm are funded by Medicaid
through the Department of
Human Resources.