TheN
ews
-Journal
Volume LXXIX Number 29
RAEFORD. NORTH CAROLINA
25 CENTS
Thursday, November 5,1987
City incumbents re-elected
In unofficial results, the three
incumbents, Vardell Hedgpeth,
Earl McDuffie and Joe Upchurch
were re-elected to Raeford City
Council in Tuesday’s election. The
three will serve four-year terms.
Results will be official after a can
vass today by the Hoke Board of
Elections.
The top vote-getter was Up
church with 365 votes. Hedgpeth
was second with 341 and McDuffie
third with 316 votes.
The two challengers,
“Buddy”Blue and Richard
Fergison, received 209 and 99 votes
respectively. There was one right-
in vote for Benny McLeod.
The voter curn-out was a little
higher than had been expected, ac
cording to Caroline Shook, Hoke
County Elections Supervisor.
There are 1742 registered voters
in the city’s three precincts. 512,
29%, of them cast ballots in Tues
day’s election.
Precinct No. 1 had 227 (26%)
voters; Precinct No. 2 had 243
(38%); Precinct No. 4 had 42
(21%).
Raeford No.2 was the last
precinct to report. Their count was
not in until after 10 p.m.
Shook said the report was late
because a recount was done to
make sure the first count was ac
curate.
Top vote-getter Upchurch was
asked if he was surprised the elec
tion turned out the way it did.
“1 didn’t have the slightest idea
how it would turn out,” he said. “
You never know how these things
will come out.”
Upchurch said, “1 don’t know
why I was the top vote-getter ex
cept I’ve been living in Raeford for
62 years.”
In a pre-election questionnaire
published in the News-Journal,
Upchurch was the only candidate
who said an increase in taxes might
be necessary.
Upchurch agreed last night the
victories of the incumbents could
indicate voters realize a tax hike
may be necessary.
“We didn’t have one in 1987,”
he said, “and you can’t keep go
ing, providing services that people
expect without an increase.”
»««. /
v /
*
/ ® / ■# / 4 /
/ J? 1 9 / ® / ®
/ N // ^ /
f
/ TOTAL
CITY COUNCIL
BLUE
86
97
26
209
FERGISON
58
39
2
99
HEDGPETH
144
167
30
341
McDuffie
136
149
31
316
UKHURCH
158
171
36
365
County approves central communication
Victorious
Joe Upchurch, top vote-getter in the City Council election, eyes a chart of
election results posted on a wall in the office o/The News-Journal Tues
day night.
Road names approved
By June Lancaster
News-Journal Staff Writer
Hoke County Commissioners
voted 4-1 on Monday to approve
the county road names recom
mended by a 21-member county
wide task force.
The decision came after an hour
of sometimes emotional discussion
between commissioners and
members of the public who felt
they had not been adequately in
formed about the road-naming
project.
Commissioners had asked Ellen
Willis, chairman of the
McLauchlin Township task force,
to tell them what procedure was
used to name roads in her
township.
That request was made after
commissioners heard complaints at
their October 19 meeting from
members of the black community
in McLauchlin who felt they had
been left out of the process.
Commissioner Cleo Bratcher
said he thought the community
needed to meet again on the mat
ter. Commissioner Tom Howell
said, “It appears to me they took
(see ROADS, page 16)
Hoke County Commissioners
formally approved establishment
of a Central Communication
System for Hoke County at their
board meeting on Monday.
During the meeting commis
sioners considered a job descrip
tion and salary range for the direc
tor of the new system.
County Manager William
Cowan had drafted a proposed job
description based on a survey of
central communication systems in
area counties. He had recommend
ed a salary range of $19,379 -
$26,062 and five to seven years ex
perience as a supervising telecom
municator for the department
head.
Following a lengthy discussion
on salary and qualifications, the
board voted 4-1 on a motion by
Commissioner Cleo Bratcher to
approve a salary range of $15,943 -
$21,441 for the director. That is
the range of county salaries in pay
grade 64.
Commissioner Mabel Riley
voted against the motion. She said,
“I want it known that I’m not go
ing to go along with any of this.”
Earlier Riley said, “What we’re
doing is creating another depart
ment. Hoke County does not need
another department.”
The new system will be housed
in an area of the sheriff’s depart
ment building.
Operating budget for the first
year will be $69,819 with the coun
ty putting in $52,364 and the city
putting in $17,455.
$67,5(X) had been budgeted for
capital expenditures to establish
the system. Of that, $48,(XX) is
county money, $12,(XX) is city
money and $7,500 is from pork
barrel funds.
The board’s action followed a
special joint meeting of the com
mission and the Raeford City
Council on October 5 when both
bodies informally agreed to
establish a central communications
system department which would
report to the county manager.
Now that the commissioners
have approved the establishment
of the department, all that remains
is for the city to give its formal ap
proval. That is expected to take
place at the council’s next regular
meeting in December.
The new department will take
over the work now being done by
dispatchers in the police and
sheriff’s department.
Education study
committee arrives
By June Lancaster
News-Journal Staff H riter
Cars shot on 401B
Three complaints of someone
shooting at cars traveling on 401
Business were received by the
Hoke County Sheriff’s Depart
ment last week.
Frances M. Sullivan of Rt. 2,
Raeford was driving her 1985
Chevrolet on Highway 401 be
tween Rockfish Road and Raeford
on October 28 when shotgun fire
hit her windshield, according to
one report.
On October 30, Nicole Woriax
of Rt. 4, Raeford was driving her
1987 Ford Pickup toward Raeford
when her windshield and headlight
were hit by gunfire. Also on Oc-
(see CRIME, page 16)
Five distinguished community
college administrators from
throughout the state have been in
Raeford this week studying Hoke
County’s post-secondary educa
tion needs.
The group, chaired by Dr. Ed
Wilson, executive vice-president of
the N. C. Department of Com
munity Colleges, was appointed by
former Governor Bob Scott, presi
dent of the state Department of
Community Colleges.
Other members of the team are
Dr. Gene Carpenter, dean of con
tinuing education at Caldwell
Community College and Technical
Institute; Dr. Jan Crawford, dean
of instruction of Surry Community
College; Peggy Graham, director
of Human Resource Development
in the Department of Community
Colleges and Luby Weaver,
associate director of Occupational
Programs in the Department of
Community Colleges.
The appointment of the survey
team followed a meeting in
Raeford in September between
Scott, Rep. Danny DeVane, Hoke
County Board of Commissioners’
Chairman Wyatt Upchurch, Hoke
County Board of Education Chair-
(see STUDY, page 16)
Studying Education
A special panel studying Hoke County's post secondary education needs
has been working this week. Pictured (standing left to right) are Hoke
Representative Danny DeVane, Dr. Ed Wilson, Peggy Graham, (sitting
left to right) Jan Crawford, Luby Weaver and Gene Carpenter.
First ‘Teacher of the Month’ selected
By Ken MacDonald
News-Journal Associate Editor
The volunteer education support
group “Partners in Education”
has named its first Hoke County
“Teacher of the Month.”
Ann Shannon, a first grade
teacher at McLauchlin School, was
presented a plaque and a $25
check.
The selection was based on
nominations from principals of all
of Hoke County’s schools.
Shannon, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Edwin D. Newton Sr., has a
degree in Primary Education from
Pembroke State University. She
taught for one year in Cumberland
County where she was raised, and
for 12 years at Flora MacDonald
Academy before beginning work
four years ago at McLauchlin
School. She is married to Eugene
H. Shannon, an instructor at
Fayetteville Technical Institute,
and has four children.
Shannon believes she’s in a posi-
c 1
tion to make a difference in the
lives of children. “I think you can
take a child of average ability,”
she says, “and make a prodigy
with the right approach.”
A large part of that approach
she says, involves reading. “If a
child can read, a child can do
anything,” she says.
To make reading fun. Shannon
has created a “Reading Nook.”
The small enclosed structure
houses a lamp and table. Students
are allowed inside, usually one at a
(see TEACHER, page 12)
Around Town
By Sam Morris
Briefly
Noted
Teacher of the Month
Partners in Education has named Ann Shannon
(center) its first "Teacher of the Month. ” Pictured
with her are P.I.E. President, Bill Archer (left) and
J.W. '■ • Principal Mitch Tyler.
The City of Raeford is beginning
its fall leaf collection and is re
questing residents to assist by
keeping trash and sticks separate
from the leaves.
Leaves should be placed adja
cent to the property line near the
street but not in the street.
All Hoke County Schools will be
closed Friday in lieu of closing on
Veterans Day. Neither teachers
nor students will attend.
The United Way campaign
reports having raised only one per
cent of its $40,000 goal. The re
maining 99 percent will have to be
raised in less than a month a: the
December 1st end of the campaign
nears.
The cold weather must have
gone north because it has been like
spring weather for the past several
days. We did get over an inch of
rain last week and this helped the
dry soil. It also caused many leaves
to fall, and with the wind over the
weekend, it made raking the leaves
a tough job.
The forecast is for the
temperatures to remain in the
mid-70s until Friday. Then a cold
front will move through and the
temperatures will drop a few
degrees. It is possible for rain also
to come to the area on Friday.
* « «
The Bethel Presbyterian Church
Ingathering will be held on Thurs
day starting at 11 o’clock and con
tinuing until 2 p.m. There will be
Bar-B-Que and chicken salad
available and with the forecast on
good weather, it should make for a
happy occasion.
So go out and enjoy the good
food, and more than that, see old
friends and enjoy the fellowship.
* « *
The 4th Annual Mullet Roast
will be held at the Hoke Civic
Center on Friday, December 4
starting at 6:30 p.m. The first three
events have been better than most
of us had anticipated. So we are all
looking forward to the upcoming
event.
The roast is co-sponosred by the
Committee of 100s and the
(see AROUND, page 16)
Skateboards banned
By June Lancaster
News-Journal Staff Writer
City Council Monday night
enacted an ordinance making it il
legal to skateboard on any street or
sidewalk in the central business
district of Raeford.
The central business district con
sists of the area bounded by
Magnolia, Stewart, Donaldson
and Campbell and includes Edin-
borough Shopping Center.
Violators of the ordinance are
liable for fines of up to $50.
However, Police Chief Leonard
Wiggins said his department in
itially will issue warnings to first
offenders.
Monday’s action simply adds
the skateboard provision to an
already existing city ordinance
banning roller skating on streets
and sidewalks in the central
business district.
The action was taken in response
to complaints from city residents
about the hazards of skateboard
ing. Citizens have expressed con
cern about the danger to both
pedestrians and skateboarders.
Chief Wiggins said his depart-
(see CITY, page 12)