I
TKeN
ews
-Journal
Volume LXXIX Number 11
RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
25 CENTS
Thursday, July 2,1987
No asbestos hazard
say Hoke educators
In a recent anonymous letter to
The News-Journal, a concerned
taxpayer and parent raised ques
tions about the asbestos problem
at Turlington Elementary School.
Although asbestos was
discovered in four Hoke County
schools in June 1983 and is still
present in Turlington and Hoke
High School, there is no immediate
danger from the asbestos, accord
ing to Board of Education business
manager Don Steed.
In a March 13, 1986, article in
The News-Journal, it was reported
that a ceiling in an upstairs
classroom at Turlington was col
lapsing due to a leaky roof and
asbestos was being exposed. The
roof and ceiling were repaired and
the asbestos was contained, says
Steed.
Subsequently, friable (or
crumbling) asbestos was removed
from the boiler rooms at Upchurch
and South Hoke schools. It was
relatively easy and inexpensive to
remove the asbestos from the
boiler rooms because they were
small areas.
The asbestos at Turlington and
in the Hoke High Gibson Gym is
above the 1 percent level which the
Federal Environmental Protection
Agency considers potentially
harmful. Steed says.
At Turlington, where all the ceil
ings contain asbestos, test results
show the asbestos level to be 12 to
15 percent and would cost between
$60,000 to $75,000 to remove.
Although plans are going forward
for other renovations at Turl
ington and Hoke High, asbestos
removal is not part of those plans,
according to Steed. Everything
concerning asbestos has ben put on
hold until money is available to
deal with the problem, says Steed.
The asbestos in the Hoke High
gym is not exposed. It is in the
form of insulation within the walls
of the building. Asbestos levels in
the gym are in the 10-15 percent
range.
Questioned on the asbestos
issue, Turlington assistant prin
cipal Leo Salzer says he has heard
of no complaints from parents on
the matter. As far as Turlington
school is concerned, asbestos has
not been an issue since the ceiling
and roof repairs were done last
year, Salzer says.
Car accident sends
three to hospital
Three area residents were in
jured in a three-car accident on
Highway 211 near Ashley Heights
ten miles west of Raeford last
Thursday, according to a Highway
Patrol spokesman.
First Sergeant E.W. Coen said
Monday that three men traveling
on Highway 211 at 12 noon on
June 25 were injured after a colli
sion and taken to Moore Regional
Hospital.
David George Schuchard, 44, of
Route 1, Aberdeen, driving a 1977
Chevrolet car, was traveling east
on Highway 211 and stopped to
make a left hand turn into a
private driveway, Coen said.
He said Henry McNeill Ill, 23,
of Route 2, Maxton, driving a 1980
Oldsmobile, was also traveling east
on Highway 211 and apparently
struck Schuchard when he stopped
to make the turn.
Dwayne Keith Peele, 22, of
Route 1, Cameron, driving a 1982
Oldsmobile, was traveling west on
Highway 211 and was struck by
Schuchard, who had been hit by
McNeill, Coen said.
The three men were injured and
taken to Moore Regional Hospital.
A hospital spokesman said Tues
day that both McNeill and Peele
were treated and released from the
hospital last Thursday. Schuchard
is currently in the hospital in stable
condition.
The Chevrolet received $4500
worth of damage, the 1980 Olds
received $2000 worth of damage
and the 1982 Olds received $2500
worth of damage, records say.
(See WRECK, page 6)
Period costumes
Charles Hostetler, front, and Steve Phillips, hack, don costumes for
their parts In Town Meeting. The play, the first event planned by the
Constitutional Bicentennial Committee of Hoke County, will be per
formed on July 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the Courthouse. Admission is free.
Raeford man assaulted with deadly weapon
A Raeford man was assaulted
with a deadly weapon Sunday
night in Harmony Heights Trailer
Park, according to records at the
Hoke County Sheriff’s depart
ment.
Records say Marone Priest, 26,
Route 5, Raeford, reported that he
was assaulted by someone who cut
him with a knife on the left side in
the rib area twice.
The report states that Hoke
County EMS units arrived on the
scene shortly after the incident oc
curred at 9 p.m. Priest was taken
to Cape Fear Valley Hospital for
treatment.
In another incident, Dexter Cor-
nelious Jones, 18, Clay Street,
Raeford, reported that someone
shot three times at him while he
was fishing at a pond near
Kirkland Place and Highway 401
in Rockfish.
Records say that a man shouted
at Jones and then shot at him.
Jones was taken to Moore County
Hospital for treatment.
According to records, Frank
McFadyen, Stable Place, Raeford,
reported that somone broke into
his rental trailer in Queenmore.
Records say that someone pryed
open the window and took over
$600 worth of property, including
a stove, a refrigerator, a washer
and a dryer.
The incident occurred sometime
between 1:30 p.m., June 16 and
5:30 p.m., June 17.
Lucille Bullard, Route 1, Red
Springs, reported that someone
Around Town
By Sam Morris
Hoke County representatives
attend literacy teleconference
The weather early Monday
morning felt like fall of the year.
The temperature was in the 50s,
but it didn’t take long for it to rise
to the high 80s. We have been hav
ing rain and the grass is growing
faster than the lawn mower can
keep it down. Instead of mowing
every other week, it now needs to
be mowed every week.
The forecast for the remainder
of the week is for the temperatures
to be in the 90s during the day and
in the 70s at night. Also afternoon
thundershowers are forecast for
Wednesday.
* * *
NOTICE: The Constitutional
Bicentennial Committee of Hoke
will not meet on Monday, July 6.
Due to the event on Saturday, July
4, Glenn Langdon has called off
the July meeting. The next meeting
will be August 3.
(See AROUND, page 6)
By Sally Jamir
Mews-Journal Staff Writer
Representatives of the literacy
effort in Hoke County last Tues
day joined 1,000 other conununities
across the country for a live
teleconference on the literacy pro
blem and how to overcome it. The
conference was held on the main
campus of Sandhills Community
College.
The conference, a project of the
American Association of Com
munity and Junior Colleges, was
attended by Hoke Reading Council
Director Barbara Buie and a local
volunteer tutor.
A goal of the teleconference is to
generate 1,000 Literacy Education
Action Programs that will assure
that the country has a 100 percent
trainable workforce by improving
the basic skills of present and
future workers.
In addition, these programs wilt
help double the number of persons
obtaining a high school equivalan-
cy credential through the General
Education Development (GED)
test and other adult diploma pro
grams.
The conference was an oppor
tunity for representatives of
literacy efforts in various com
munities to hear leaders in govern
ment and education offer insights
on the problem of illiteracy and
participate through phone hook
ups by asking question of panel
members.
Video presentations were also
viewed which conveyed com
munities strategies for improving
literacy.
Buie recently stated, during a
public hearing on the county
budget, that making efforts finan
cially and through volunteer ef
forts to eliminate the literacy pro
blem will enable people in the
United States to exercise their basic
freedoms in daily life.
Senator Edward Kennedy
(D-Mass.) said during the panel
discussion that people in America
are more literate since the constitu
tion was ratified. However, he said
more efforts must be made to help
people to read and understand the
constitution and how government
functions.
Kay Orr, Governor of
Nebraska, said that attacking the
problem of illiteracy will make a
state more appealing to industries
which want to move into an area.
“We’ve made this effort in our
state because we know that people
are our most important
resource,’’she said.
The urgency of solving illiteracy
was emphasized by Atlanta Mayor
Andrew Young when he said that
the problem was causing a varietv
of conditions in cities such as oc
cupational hazards, drug
dependency, crime and poverty.
(See LITERACY, page 6)
No tax increase
broke into the residence of
Rosevelt Locklear sometime be
tween 9 p.m., June 26 and 9.a.m.,
June 27.
Records say that someone cut or
tore the screens on two windows in
the livingroom, entered and took
$40 in cash and $45 worth of per
sonal papers and cards.
Found at the scene were a pair of
snips and a wrench taken from
Bullards shed next door. Records
say there is a suspect in the case.
(See CRIME, page 12)
Commissioners
approve budget
for 1987-1988
By Sally Jamir
News-Journal Staff Writer
County Commissioners on Monday night approved the county’s fiscal
year 1987-88 budget with no tax increase; the tax rate will remain at 81
cents per $100 valuation.
The $6.9 million budget was reduced from an originally-proposed $7.1
million total that included a proposed tax hike of three cents
Commissioner Cleo Bratcher moved to adopt the new budget, and
Commissioner Neil McPhatter seconded the motion.
The new budget has a fund balance appropriation, or working budget,
of $411,714, down from a previously-proposed balance of $453,000.
Chairman Wyatt Upchurch said that the incentive for keeping the tax
rate down was “satisfying the taxpayer.’’
Public opposition to the proposed tax rate hike was apparent at the
public hearing June 18 when residents turned out in crowds to voice their
opinions on the issue.
Upchurch also explained that there was an “efficient group of county
staff’’ to enable the decreased budget to be adopted.
Last week, a June 22 budget session resulted in over $88,000 being cut
from the originally-proposed budget.
Cuts included areas such as the new central communications system per
sonnel costs, a Sandhills Community College horticultural program, trash
collection expenses and salary supplements for the recreation department
and the Agricultural Extension Service.
On Monday, additional cuts were made in several areas.
The communications system budget was cut $22,000, the cost of a pro
posed new building. However, funds were provided for renovations need
ed on an existing building which will house the services.
The current cost for the system this year is $164,819, according to the
county finance officer.
In the area of Fire Department Vehicle Liability Insurance, the budget
was cut $14,000. The action resulted in a one-cent tax increase for area fire
departments.
Two departments. South Antioch and Stonewall, had previously plann
ed for a one-cent tax increase so their total tax will be two more cents than
last year.
The cost for the insurance was previously taken out of the county
budget. The commissioners felt this system of paying for the insurance
was inappropriate in that residents in a particular area would be paying for
the insurance in places where they did not reside.
Upchurch said that in this way the insurance would be paid for by a
“users pay’’ method.
“If we force this insurance on them, they’ll have to have the revenues to
pay for it,” Upchurch said.
(See BUDGET, page 6)
Where are yellow pages?
Hoke County telephone subscribers surprised
Raeford telephone customers
are surprised not to find yellow
page listings included in the Fayet
teville telephone directory they
received last week in time for the
Extended Area Service (EAS)
which started June 27.
According to Bernice Barrett,
district commercial manager for
Carolina Telephone, there are no
plans for Raeford to have the
Fayetteville yellow pages.
Businesses are permitted one free
listing in a directory and the cost of
advertising prohibits the telephone
company from putting business
yellow page listings in more than
one directory, says Barrett.
Bobby Dixon of Rocky Mount,
manager of Directories America,
official publisher of the telephone
directory issued to Raeford and
Fayetteville subscribers, said it is
standard policy not to issue yellow
page listings to new EAS
customers.
Hoke County residents who
would like to have a telephone
directory which includes Fayet
teville yellow pages can purchase
one for $6.90 at the telephone
company’s public office in
Westwood Shopping Center in
Fayetteville, according to Barrett.
Next January Raeford
subscribers will receive a new
telephone directory which will in
clude white page listings for Fayet
teville, Maxton, Raeford, Red
Springs and St. Pauls combined in
one book, says Barrett.
1 /
Torch runners
Paul Pierce, left, and Emmet Murphy, both from Ireland, are two of
the runners who will carry the Olympic Torch through Hoke County
on Sunday. The two are visiting Hoke County for six weeks. (Seepage
2 for a map of the torch route).