Flag Day June 14 TheN ews -Journal Special graduation section Volume LXXIX Number 8 RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA 25 CENTS Thursday, June 11,1987 Possible EDA grant brightens treatment planfs future By Sally Jamir News-Journal Staff Writer The future of the Hoke County water treatment plant looks brighter because of good chances of getting an Economic Develop ment Administration grant, accor ding to a city official. City Manager Tom Phillips said this week that “things look pretty good” for securing a $450,000 plus grant which would contribute greatly to the completion of phase one of a five-phase plant improve ment program. Phillips said that last winter Congress reenacted legislation which would make it possible for communities to get EDA funds for improvements to employment- related projects. The county and city have already received funds from an EDA grant which enabled the Economic Development Commis sion to do a study of possible in dustrial park sites in the area. The current grant which the city is applying for requires that three criteria be met, Phillips said. Initially there must be funds available for the potential reci pient, he said. Then, the develop ment project must enable a local industry to provide additional jobs in the county, he said. In addition, there must be a coordinated effort between this industry and the city. The Faberge plant was used as the target industry in filing the pre application in April, Phillips said. The pre-applications are screened and accepted if they meet the general requirements. “Historical ly, once these requirements are met, we have a pretty good chance of getting funds,” Phillips said. The pre-application included a statement of needs, a cost estimate and project budget and an economic description of the area, he said. A pre-application stated that land was available for industrial expansion but not the utilities to satisfy the needs. In the case of Faberge, Phillips said, more employment can be provided if additional sewage treatment is available to the in dustry. Recently, EDA gave the city the go-ahead for submitting an ap plication for funds. The deadline for submission is May 25. City and industry officials have been hurry ing to acquire the vital statistics for use in the application. The application process starts in the EDA in Raleigh, Phillips said. After a review, a federal EDA representative takes the applica tion to the EDA southeast regional office in Atlanta. There it is looked over jointly by federal represen tatives and the regional staff. At this time, he said, an overall Economic Development program is decided on for the region. After review in Atlanta, the ap plication will go to the national EDA office in Washington, D.C, Phillips said. The review process in D.C. is the final stage of applica tion before a funding list is made and then announced to the reci pients through their federal representatives in the fall. Shots fired at motorist A Raeford man was the victim of an unprovoked shooting incident last Friday while driving on a road toward Rockfish, according to Hoke County Sheriff’s Department records. Troy Reed, Route 4, Raeford, reported that so meone shot into his vehicle while he was driving on RP 1418 toward Hardin’s store sometime between 7:13 p.m. and 7:18 p.m. Reed said in the report that while driving he had passed a small blue car with two males in it. The car then passed his car on RP 1418 just before reaching the Price Rite Supply Co. building. The report stated that Reed heard two shots as the car passed him and at that time felt a sting in his left shoulder. Reed said he continued to the store where he asked Grady Hardin to call the Sheriff’s Department and the ambulance service. Joshua Brown answered the call and stated that Reed said he didn’t know who the men in the car were and that he hadn’t had trouble with anyone lately. In another shooting incident, Scott Leroy Foushee, Floyd Monroe Road, Raeford, reported that someone shot at him while he was jogging toward the Arabia Golf Club from the Twin Bridges area at 4:45 p.m., June 3. According to records, Foushee said that three males and one female driving a late model Chevy Chevette passed him and shot three times at him. The car then turned around and headed toward Rockfish, records say. In an unrelated incident, Linda Lancaster O’Berry, Route 3, Raeford, reported that someone took a card board box of jewelry belonging to her on May 19. Records say that O’Berry planned to transport the jewelry, worth $20,000, to a Fayetteville bank. The box, containing bracelets, necklaces and other jewelry items, was discovered missing at 5 p.m. and was not found in her car or her residence. The last time the box was secure was at 4 p.m. Alvin Walker, of Raeford, reported that someone broke into his residence on South Hoke Road across from Piney Grove Church sometime between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., June 2. Records say someone broke out the window of the door on the back side of the house, vandalized the in side of the dwelling and stole $1,050 worth of jewelry . (See SHOTS, page 11) Tracks The setting sun illuminates the rails of train tracks leading out of town. Around Town By Sam Morris Firefighters Association endorses centralized communications system The weather in North Carolina and Hoke County is hotter than it is in Texas. They were having rain about every day while we were there, and this kept the temperatures in the 80s. It was hard to realize that no rain had fallen in Hoke County while we were away from home. The forecast calls for rain Tues day night or early Wednesday morning. A cold front will come through after the rain and the temperatures will be in the 80s. Now this is my kind of weather. * * « Don’t forget the “We The Peo ple” celebration to be held in Raeford on July 4th. A picnic, free entertainment and a drama will be featured at this event. This celebration is being spon sored by the Constitutional Biccn- tinnial Committee of Hoke. Most of the time we don’t think about what our Constitution means to us. Just think, if we didn’t have it, 1 couldn’t be writing this column and you might not be given the chance to read any newspaper. So mark your calendar for this event. More details will appear in (See AROUND, page 11) The Hoke County Firefighters Association has publicily stated that it is in favor of establishing a central communications system. Association, President Johnny Baker said this week that 11 of the association’s 12 fire departments voted to support a central system during a quarterly meeting on June 4. The Hoke County Firefighters Association was known as The Hoke County Firemens Associa tion before it changed its name during last week’s meeting. Currently, there are two emer gency communications systems in Hoke County - one for Raeford residents and the other for those living outside the city limits. “Our system is completely out dated,” Baker said. The communications system was “efficient” 20 years ago when the county had four fire departments, according to Baker. Since that time, the population of the county has grown and the number of departments has risen to 12. “We’re getting more calls now,” Baker said. “We probably get 10 times more calls than we did 20 years ago.” Baker said the association also voted to support the system “due to the overload of the county jailer who must double as a dispatcher. “We want someone on the radio seven days a week, 24 hours a day,” he said. Baker said the third reason The Firefighters Association has gone public in its support of a central communications system is to in form citizens that a centralized communications system is not the only reason a county tax increase is under consideration. “The misconception of the general public is that a proposed 3-cent tax increase is only for a (See FIRE, page 11) Migrant summer school to begin By Sally Jamir News-Journal Staff Writer The migrant education project will be ending its 21st year June 30, and the migrant summer school will be starting soon. Throughout the school year the migrant school gives academic and enrichment instruction to children of families who move from place to place in order to find employ ment in agriculture, fishing or related industries. Hoke County furnishes pro grams for some of the thousands of migrant children that live in the country. The programs are design ed to provide equal educational opportunities for these children so that they may better understand their self-worth and develop their abilities to the fullest. “They like having someone to listen to them and at the same time get a need met,” said Deborah Cook, migrant tutor at Turlington school. “The program allows this to happen when it may not happen in any other sense.” Cook works with the regular curriculum teacher in developing certain skills, according to Associate Superintendent Dr. Gin- ny Hayes. “She will work on a one-to-one basis or in groups of two or three,” Hayes said. There are 61 students during the (See MIGRANT, page 11) Representative Bill Hefner will make the announcement to Hoke County, if the grant is awarded, Phillips said. The EDA funding source was used in the early 70s when the treatment plant was first built. Phillips said that a primary reason that the EDA grant was ap plied for now is that the review process and funds distribution is quicker than that for the En vironmental Protection Agency grants. However, he said, the city has plans to take advantage of EDA grants in the future. Phase one of the treatment plant improvement program includes replacement of the grit chamber and degreaser, sludge handling im provement and the addition of two primary clarifier tanks, Phillips said. These tanks will improve the quality of the water which comes out of the plants and increase the water volume which the plant is able to handle. A total of $662,000 will be used for improvements to the waste treatment plant, Phillips said. Most of these funds, $457,200 will come from the EDA grant and $40,000 will be provided through Senate Bill II monies. An additional $100,000 is budgeted for water and sewer ex tensions to a proposed industrial site. _ - County government will also be approached to assest with some of the funding, Phillips said. Planning Board hears grievances Members of the Hoke County Planning Board heard developers and landowners grievances during a board meeting last Tuesday. The grievances resulted from allegedly unfulfilled agreements relating to the county’s subdivision regulations. The Twelve Oaks subdivision in the northeast area of the county was represented by David Averette and resident landowners from Fayetteville who want to live in the subdivision. Board members heard from Averette who asked for a variance on the paved roads section of the regulations. “The regulation requires paving of 1500 feet with a density of 15 lots on it,” said board chairman Brown Hendrix. Landowners say that verbal agreements were made between them and Averettes deceased part ner, Buster Hickman, saying that the road in their section of the sub division would be paved. Averette said he recalled no such agreement. “Nothing is written, everything is verbal,” said Hendrix, regarding the agreements. Currently, the regulations re quire that the road be paved before plots be recorded and before building permits can be issued to land owners. Landowner Libby Hall said this week that Averette had suggested landowners contribute $1,000 toward the paving of the road. Hall said she sees the suggestion as an unreasonable one, particular ly for resident Claude Huggins, (See Board, page 11) Man injured in accident ‘Jaws of life’ pries open jammed door A Cleveland, S.C. man was in jured in a two-vehicle accident last Wednesday, according to a State Highway Patrol spokesman. Trooper Brent White reported that Stan Wade Turner, 38, of Cleveland, driving a 1987 Buick, traveling on Prospect Avenue toward U.S. 401 Business, failed to stop for a stop sign and was broad sided by an on-coming car. Turner was hit at 10:40 a.m. by a 1984 Chevrolet truck driven by Charles Willis, 29, of Raeford. Turner, charged with a stop sign violation, was taken to Cape Fear Valley Hospital. The Hoke County Rescue Squad was on the scene to assist in getting Turner out of the car where he had been trapped. Squad members used a device called a Hurst tool more widely known as the “jaws of life,” a spokesman said. The tool was able to pry the doors of the car open which had become jammed in the accident, he said. A rams attachment was placed inside the car in order to push out the metal which was caved in, ac cording to the spokesman. He said the squad was able to get Turner out of the car, into the am bulance and to the hospital in less than 15 minutes. Runners sought to carry torch The U.S. Olympic Torch will be coming through Hoke Coun ty on Sunday, July 5, and local volunteers are being sought to participate in the torch run. Applications for the run must be in Raleigh this Friday, June 12. Local runners are encourag ed to pick up applications at the Chamber of Commerce Office at the Depot on Main Street as soon as possible. The torch is scheduled to ar rive in Hoke County via Highway 211 at the Hoke- Moore line at approximately 7:50 a.m. on Sunday rooming. Runners will then carry the torch down Highway 211, through Ashley Heights and McCain. The torch will then be taken to a ceremony that has been planned at the Hoke County High School Stadium at for 9:30 a.m. The torch will then be carried to the Scotland County line via U.S. Highway 401. Runners interested in carry ing the torch can sign up for any distance ranging from one tenth of a mile up to a full mile. The fee for carrying the torch is $25, regardless of the distance. No age limit has been set for participants, but runners must be capable of running a 10-minute mile. The torch weighs 3 lbs. More than 8,000 runners are expected to participate in the run that kicks off the U.S. Olympic Fcstival-*87. The 26-day, 2,800-mile run will journey through more than 400 cities, towns and communities. The route will bring the torch within 50 miles of every North Carolina resident. The Olympic Festival Flame will make its final stop Friday evening, July 17, at Raleigh’s Carter-Finley Stadium for the opening ceremonies of U.S, Olympic Festival-’87. With the arrival of U.S. Olympic Festival-’87, North Carolina will witness the largest and one of the greatest events in the state’s history. U.S. Olympic Festival-’87 will be held July 13-26 in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary and Greensboro, with yachting at Henderson Point on Kerr Lake.