RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
ews
Covering Hoke County Like A Roof Since 1905
" journal
Happy
Mother’s Day
Special
Olympics
On IB
J
Volume LXXIX Number 3
Thursday, May 7,1987 CENTS
City OKs
central
system
By Sally Jamir
News-Journal Staff Writer
Members of the City Council on
Monday unanimously approved a
proposal for a central communica
tions system to serve the needs of
county and city residents.
The proposal was formulated by
a central communications advisory
committee and will need to be ap
proved by Hoke County Commis
sioners before it is established. The
commissioners passed a motion at
their Monday night meeting calling
for a joint meeting between the
commissioners and city coun-
cilmen to discuss the central
system.
If established, the center will
cost $87,000 annually, which is less
than is currently being spent on
communications.
“1 don’t see how we can afford
not to recommend approval,” said
Councilman Bob Gentry after
reporting on a meeting of the com
mittee on which he sits.
Gentry said the city would pay
25 percent, or $21,875, of the total
cost for the center each year, and
the county will pay 75 percent. He
said an initial $95,000 for capital
outlay would be spent by both the
city and the county.
The one-time cost would include
the construction of building area
for the center, communications
equipment, office equipment and
contingencies.
Gentry said there would be a
building added on to the jail area
at the Sheriff’s Department which
would be used for the center.
Under the proposed system, the
center would be set up by the coun
ty and overseen by a committee
made up of the sheriff, police chief
and one other public safety of
ficial. Employees would include a
supervisor and four dispatchers.
Residents using the central
system would be able to call one
number in order to contact any of
the city or county emergency ser
vice systems such as ambulance,
(See CITY, page 2A)
DSS director
resigns post
Department of Social Ser
vices Director Ken Witherspoon
wOl^soon be leaving the com
munity in order to take a new
petition in New Bern, Wither-
spotm said on Tuesday.
Witherspoon, who has been
director since 1979, will
manage the Berne Retirement
Village for the Southern Health
Care System Inc. of Dunn.
The retiremwJt community
will {H'ovide 115 one and two
bedroom apartment units and
30 extended care beds.
“They have state of the art
living situations for the retire
ment community,” Withers
poon said, explaining that he is
moving from a position in the
county of a “purchaser of ser
vices for the elderly” to one of
being a “provider of services
for dte elderly.”
“ITtere is a continuing trend
toward growing numbers of
dderly who will be entering, in
the next 15 years, an arena of
staggering needs,” Withers
poon said.
“I want to be a part of this
growth and serve this popula
tion and their families.”
Witherspoon says he loves
Hoke County, has enjoyed
working here and feels confi
dent he is leaving DSS in a
secure position.
“I’ve enjoyed working here,”
he said. "There are some things
I’ve done wrong, but we’ve
made such progress with the
support of county commis
sioners, county managers, and a
good suff.”
“I’m extremely satisfied with
the work I’ve done here and the
progress we've made.”
Ride to the top
Two workers from ‘Tainting by Bill ” of Fayet
teville, take an unusual ride to the steeple of the
Raeford United Methodist Church last Wednesday.
The workers
Wednesday.
were busy painting the steeple on
Jury finds
Cummings
guilty
County will apply for grant
Members of the board of county
commissioners voted 3-1 Monday
to apply for a Community Block
Development Grant to rehabilitate
substandard housing in the Tyler-
town community. The action in
cludes a commitment of a $60,000
local cash match.
If the grant is awarded, the
county could get up to $600,000 in
grant monies to renovate approx
imately 42 structures on State
Road 1302 in the community north
of Raeford.
Tylertown is one of the 22 sites
chosen as a potential target areas
for the rehabilitation project. The
site was recommended to the com
missioners by the Economic
Development Commission after
two part-time employees, Maj.
Ronald S. Scurry (U.S. Retired)
and Barbara Rogers, studied hous
ing conditions throughout the
county. Scurry and Rogers then
provided information to a
volunteer citizens advisory board
that gave final approval to the
target area.
Jim Perry, chief administrator
with the Lumber River Council of
Governments, told the commis
sioners that 100 Tylertown
residents would benefit from a
housing rehabilitation project. He
said many Tylertown residents are
elderly and that most of the homes
are headed by females. Approx
imately 75 percent of the buildings
are in a state of severe deteriora
tion.
Hoke County has twice before
applied for housing grants for the
Tylertown community. Both times
the county was unsuccessful, a fact
that concerns Commissioner
Mabel Riley who voted against
submitting an application for the
grant.
“This grant bothers me because
there are so many places in Hoke
County that need help.” Riley
said. “This is the same area we
tried before and we haven’t gotten
anywhere.”
Riley also said she was concern
ed about whether or not a structure
would be maintained once it had
been rehabilitated. She said that in
the 1970s the county was involved
in a renovation project. Two years
later “you couldn’t tell which
houses had been renovated,” she
said.
“1 can’t say that wouldn’t hap
pen again.” Riley said. “That
bothers me.”
Economic Developer John
Howard, who along with the
Economic Development Commis
sion initially recommended that
the county apply for the grant, said
that provisions in the project call
for the structures to be inspected.
He also said that contracts would
be drawn up with owners of the
renovated structures to insure the
maintenance of the buildings.
During a public hearing before
the grant application was approv-
(See COUNTY, page 2A)
A Hoke County Superior Court
jury on Monday morning handed
down a guilty verdict in the first
degree murder trial of Edward Lee
Cummings of Wake County.
The nine-woman, three-man
jury deliberated for less than an
hour before finding Cummings
guilty of slaying Karen Marie
Puryear, formerly of Raleigh,
whose body was found in a shallow
grave in Hoke County last
January.
Closing arguments for the case
were presented Thursday and Fri
day of last week, after defense
lawyers James Parrish and Michael
Boose told the jury that they would
not present evidence or witnesses.
The prosecution presented over
140 pieces of evidence and more
than 25 witnesses.
Prosecution lawyers John
Dickson and Jean Powell were
pleased with the outcome of the
trial. Before the verdict was
given. Judge Robert Farmer charg
ed the jury with their task of
deciding beyond a reasonable
doubt that Cummings was guilty
of first degree murder.
Farmer cautioned them that
their recollection of the evidence,
rather than that of the prosecution
or defense, v/as to be used in tbeu
decision. He said that his rulings
during the trial or even his facial or
voice expressions must not in
fluence them in their decision.
During the trial, the defense
moved to eliminate evidence per
taining to the death of Theresa
Puryear, Karen’s sister, whose
body was found at the same time
and place as Karen’s.
The motions regarding evidence
and witnesses testifying to what
Karen Puryear had told them
about threats Cummings made to
her were overruled.
Farmer also said to jury
members that the fact that the
Neighborhoods join forces
in group home opposition
Two neighborhood groups have recently merged in their attempts to
fight the establishment of two intermediate care facilities for the mentally
retarded, a spokesman for one of the groups said this week.
The spokesman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that residents
of the two neighborhoods where the group homes are planned oppose the
homes because they don’t think they should be established in areas of the
city comprised of single-household residences.
Representatives of the company. Professional Community Services
(Procomm), have said they are planning to establish one group home in an
existing house on Old Farm Road in the Thomasfield area. They also say
they are planning to build a new group home on Pinewood Avenue on the
east side of Raeford.
Residents opposing the homes have signed petitions and have held
meetings to plan their strategy for keeping the homes from being establish
ed. The spokesman said the two groups have combined to hire a lawyer to
take their case to court.
If the company comes up with another site, the court case will be drop
ped, according to the spokesman.
Bill Parker of Procomm said Monday that the company was “making
every effort to accommodate residents in the area” and was attempting to
find a location for the homes.
“We may be able to find a third site on which both homes could be
established,” Parker said.
Ralph Comm, administrator of a 15-bed facility in Aberdeen, said he
would be administrator for the homes in Raeford.
Comm said the establishment of the homes is part of a nationwide trend
to move people who have these special needs out of institutions. Funding
for the homes comes through Medicaid.
He said that the state’s operating standards for the homes are “some of
the strictest standards anyone could be under.”
The people residing in the homes would be profoundly and severely
mentally retarded, he said, with some physical handicaps as well.
Answering to a concern residents have about safety in the
neighborhood. Comm said the likelihood of them causing harm to a
neighbor is negligable.
“It is more likely that a neighbor would cause harm to them,” Comm
said.
“We are looking for neighborhoods like the ones we have chosen
before,” Comm said, describing the locations sought for the homes.
“There has been a lot of controversy and misunderstanding regarding
the homes,” Comm said. “We are making every effort to locate other
areas for the home.”
Charles Stephens of Procomm cited findings in a study done by the
Governors Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities in Illinois in
September of 1986 which supported their philosphy in placing homes in
single-family dwelling areas.
The study said that group homes did not affect the value of residential
property in the surrounding neighborhood and that they did not affect the
stability of the surrounding neighborhood.
Hospice Auction
Frank Crumpler auctions off a kitchen appliance during a fundraiser
Friday afternoon at the Edenborough Shopping Center. The auction
raised $530 for Hospice of Hoke County.
defense did not present evidence
must not influence their decision.
During their closing arguments,
the defense concentrated on what
they perceived to be weaknesses in
the state’s case. They contended
that the evidence did not support
the charge of first degree murder.
The first degree murder charge
requires that a jury decide that
Cummings killed Karen Puryear
with malice, premeditation and
deliberation or with a cool mind.
Judge Farmer said that murder
with deliberation did not necessari
ly mean that the murder was car
ried out without passion.
Defense lawyers argued that the
witnesses statements indicated that
Cummings had a motive for the
murder in that Karen Puryear had
filed a non-support charge against
Cummings in October of 1985.
The defense argued this was not
a possible motive since witnesses
had said Cummings loved the
children and that he and Puryear
had been thinking of reconciling
after a separation.
The two had not been married
but had three children together,
one of which died in childbirth.
During closing statements,
defense attorneys said the slate
could not prove Cummings killed
Puryear. Officials were unable to
determine what caliber gun was us
ed in the slaying, only that it was
larger than a .22 and smaller than a
.45.
Dickson mentioned a pearl-
handled pistol, which Cummings
was known to carry, that was not
found by police during a search of
a home he was building in Hoke
County and his residence in
Willow Springs.
The prosecuting attorney said
that evidence they presented in the
case was enough to eliminate any
reasonable doubt of Cummings’
guilt.
Around Town
By Sam Morris
The near 90° weather over the
weekend was wonderful. Even the
afternoon thundershowers weren’t
too bad. It all ended late Monday
afternoon when the wind came out
of the north and the temperature
dropped into the 50s.
According to the weather pro
phets, it will not be cool for many
days. It should get back close to
80° by Thursday. Maybe this is our
last cool snap of the year.
* * *
Raz Autry, world traveler, told
me last week that his peach crop
was the best he has had since retir
ing from school work. Let’s hope
the good weather will continue and
all growers will have a fine year.
* « *
Last Friday morning 1 went by
the office after being out of town
on Thursday and found a note on
my desk signed, Larry Peele.
The note said that he was sorry
to miss me and wondered if 1 still
looked like 1 did on the USS
Raleigh.
Not being in the Navy during
World War II, 1 tried to recall who
the man could mistake me for.
Then I tried to remember who
Larry Peele was and how he was
associated with me.
Then it came to me that the USS
Raleigh was a battleship that the
Scouts of Raeford had visited in
the 1930s in Wilmington. Then the
Larry Peele became E.L. Peele Jr.,
an old schoolmate of mine. He was
known to most of us as Junior. He
was visiting in the state and
especially his sister, Mary Peele of
Raeford. 1 hated to miss seeing
him, but have talked to some peo-
(See AROUND, page 2A)