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Volume LXXIX Number 43
RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
25 CENTS
Thursday, February 11,1988
Ranger station fire
Fire destroyed a portion of ranger station number
one Monday night at the intersection of Plank and
Vass Roads on the Fort Bragg Reservation. A Fort
Bragg spokesman said the 5:30 p.m. blaze burned for
photo by Mike McNeill
20 minutes before Fort Bragg, Raeford and Pope Air
Force Base firemen extinguished it. Damage was
estimated to be $5,000. The cause of the fire is under
investigation.
Middle school attendance zones
decided by Hoke School Board
Attendance districts for the two
proposed Hoke County middle
schools were decided at Tuesday
night’s school board meeting.
Rising sixth, seventh and eighth
grade students who live in the area
served by McLauchlin and South
Hoke Elementary Schools will at
tend Turlington Middle School in
the 1988-89 school year.
Rising sixth, seventh and eighth
grade students who live in the area
served by Scurlock and West Hoke
Elementary Schools will attend
middle school at Upchurch.
Superintendant Bob Nelson said
the staff had tried every combina
tion of students before arriving at
the one he recommended to the
board. He sa'd this is “the easiest
solution and .he best. We couldn’t
find any an ingement that worked
better than ;his.’’
Based on an actual head count
of students in January, Nelson said
the grade groupings at Turlington
and Upchurch this fall would put
519 students at Turlington and 654
students at Upchurch.
This school year there are 765
fifth and sixth grade students at
Turlington and 830 seventh and
eighth grade students at Upchurch.
Classroom additions at the four
elementary schools will house the
rising fifth graders who will con
tinue to attend elementary school
this fall as part of the new grade
(see MIDDLE, paqe 4a)
Hoke top contender for education
money from N.C. General Assembly
County government
Bond ratings mixed news
Despite months of hard work by county officials and a well-prepared
official statement, Hoke County received an improved rating of its
ability to repay debt from only one of the two bond agencies which
rated the county in connection with the scheduled sale of $3.35 million
in schools bonds.
The last time Hoke County was rated by a bond agency was in 1973
when the county was rated BBB plus by Standard and Poors and Baa 1
by Moodys. County officials were confident their rating would be in
creased this year because of the county’s more diversified economy and
its improved fiscal management.
Moodys did improve the county’s rating to an A; however. Standard
and Poors again.rated the county BBB plus.
Reasons given by Standard and Poors for not improving the rating
included the fact that employment in Hoke County is heavily concen
trated in industry and the per capita income is very low.
The BBB plus rating means the county is judged to have “an ade
quate capacity to pay interest and repay principal.” An A rating would
mean the county is judged to have “a strong capacity to pay interest
and repay principal.”
Had both agencies given the county an A rating, it would have meant
a savings of $160,000 in interest over the 20-year life of the bonds which
are scheduled to be sold on February 16.
County Manager William Cowan says the impact of the lower than
expected rating still depends on the investor. Cowan says he has been
told by the Local Government Commission that the rating may stilt
have only a minor impact.
(see BONDS, page 2a)
Industrial site considered
A 10-acre tract of land on 401 Business owned by House of Raeford
President Marvin Johnson is being developed as an industrial site to
show prospective clients, according to Committee of lOO’s President
Harold Gillis.
Gillis said the Committe of lOO’s obtained a 90-day option on the
land last year and the option was recently renewed with a view to pur
chasing the site. Gillis says the Committee of lOO’s is developing a
financial plan to present to its members for future development of the
site. Under consideration is the erection of a spec or shell building.
The site has a 300 foot road frontage and is 1400 feet deep. It is con
tiguous to the city line, Gillis says, and has water and sewer service
available.
Established to support efforts of the Economic Development Com
mission and the Chamber of Commerce, the Committee of lOO’s sees
itself in a partnership with those organizations and with city and county
government in boosting Hoke County’s economy.
Now 140 members strong just one year after its formation, the Hoke
County Committee of lOO’s can feel good about the progress the
private, non-profit, organization has made, according to Gillis.
Late last summer the Committee of lOO’s joined together with a
group of ci(y and county officials and with Chamber and EDC
representatives to try to fill the gap created when economic developer
John Howard left Hoke County.
(see INDUSTRIAL, page 12a)
Hoke County has emerged as a
top contender for critical needs
funding, money designated by the
state General Assembly to be used
for education by the most needy
counties in N.C.
While there still is no official
ranking of deserving counties, one
top administrator in the Depart
ment of Public Instruction says
Commission race
Hoke’s economic indicators, one
of three categories used to judge
which counties are most deserving,
are worse than all other counties in
N.C.
Dr. T. Darell Spencer, Assistant
State Superintendent, School Plan
ning, says Hoke ranks 100th in the
state in per-capita income and 99th
in per pupil tax base, leaving the
county in last place behind
Robeson County in economic in
dicators. But at least two other
criteria also will be used to judge
which counties get a slice of the
$95 million Critical Needs pie:
which counties have the greatest
school-related needs, and which
have the greatest non-school
(see CRITICAL, page 12a)
Teal
announces
Frank Teal
L.E. McLaughlin
Frank Teal, vice-president and
manager of the Raeford office of
Progressive Savings and Loan
Association and a former city
councilman, says he has entered
the race for county commissioner
out of a desire to be involved in
events affecting the future growth
of Hoke County.
Teal said, “My background in
business and my deep concern for
(see TEAL, page 12a)
McL.augV»lit\ runs
Saying he would like to see some
improvements in Hoke County
“so that it could rise to the heights
of excellence in my lifetime,” L.E.
McLaughlin has filed for election
to the Hoke County Board of
Commissioners.
McLaughlin says, “If elected I
would provide leadership and
quality service to all citizens.”
McLaughlin said “We could im
prove our tax base by developing,
acquiring, adapting and implemen
ting the most efficient technology,
techniques and scientific engineer
ing services which would support
(see MCLAUGHLIN, page 12a)
"1
/. il l iMiK- '''4
Shirley Gibson
Three in race
for school board
Three candidates, two in
cumbents and a challenger, have
filed for two seats coming vacant
on the Hoke County Board of
Education. Since the school board
election is non-partisan, the can
didates will not be on the primary
ballot on May 3. They will be on
the ballot in the November general
election.
The two incumbents, Shirley
Gibson and Eddie McNeill, are
(see SCHOOL BOARD, page 12a)
Eddie McNeill
John D. McAllister
John K. move over for Moose
If the Mayor of Raeford were
running for re-election this year
he would have had some op
position - if only the state elec
tion laws were written different
ly-
Vincent Taylor “Moose”
Myers was serious enough
about running for the office of
mayor that he visited City Hall
last week to look into the mat
ter.
He was directed to the Board
of Elections’ office where
Supervisor Carolyn Shook
hunted up the statute which
governs candidacy and filing
fees.
Moose learned that every
qualified voter who is 21 years
of age, except convicted felons,
may be elected to a public of-
Vincent Taylor “Moose" Myers
fice. Unfortunately Moose is
only seven.
(see MOOSE, page 12a)
Around Town
By Sam Morris
The spring weather didn't stay around long. It was cold over the weekend and
it hasn't warmed up too much so far this week. The low of 15 degrees Sunday
morning felt colder with the wind blowing from the north.
The forecast is for 50 degree weather Tuesday and Wednesday and then another
cold front will come through and the temperature will be in the 30s and 40s for
the remainder of the week.
We can be thankful that we didn't have snow and ice along with the cold
weather.
» ♦ ♦
Mrs. Betty McDuffie was by the office again this week and left an old
Raleigh paper dated May 16, 1965. She said that her son, Billy Conoly, ws
delivering the paper at that time in Raeford.
The paper weighed 4 1/2 pounds and had 232 pages in it. It was entitled
"North Carolina's Incredible Century," from 1865 to 1965.
Lyndon B. Johnson was president and a letter to the Daniels brothers, owner
of the paper, was on the front page.
Thanks Betty, it was a large paper.
(see AROUND, page 2a)
Going...
A bulldozer from R and IV Demolishing Co. of Fayetteville rests against
the old Marks store building bn Main Street Monday afternoon.
Going...
A little nudge and the front wall collapses into rubble.
Gone
No match for the bulldozer, the building is brought down wall by wall.
The weight of January's snow caused the roof to cave in.